A flat brush might look simple, but it can do a lot more than just block in shapes. With the right angle and pressure, one Golden Taklon flat brush can handle clean edges, soft shading, fine lines, and delicate details.
In this post, Trekell Pro Team Artist Stefani Rabideaux walks through how she uses a single Golden Taklon flat brush to create one of her detailed illustrations from start to finish. You will see how the same brush changes roles just by how she holds it and how much paint she uses.
Stefani’s artwork: one brush, many jobs
The piece below was painted using a Golden Taklon flat brush for most of the work. Notice the clean edges, soft gradients, and hair details that all came from the same brush.
Instead of constantly changing brushes, Stefani leans on positioning, pressure, and paint load to get different kinds of strokes from the same flat.
How Stefani uses the flat brush for clean edges
One of Stefani’s favorite ways to use a flat brush is for crisp, clean edges. The squared tip lets her “cut in” sharp shapes against dark or light backgrounds.
Here, she uses the broad side of the Golden Taklon flat along the edge of the figure to paint the dark background. By keeping the brush steady and working right up to the drawing, she gets a sharp separation between the character and the surrounding color.
To try Stefani’s approach:
- Load the flat brush with enough paint for a solid, opaque stroke.
- Line up the flat edge with the edge you are painting.
- Pull the brush in smooth, confident strokes instead of short, sketchy ones.
Same brush, different volume and shading
Stefani also uses the same flat brush to switch between light, loose coverage and richer, more focused strokes. It all comes down to pressure and paint load.
In this stage of the piece, she uses the brush two different ways:
- Light and loose strokes for soft shading on the figure and in the hair.
- Richer, more focused strokes for deeper shadows and defining the waves of the hair.
With light pressure and more water or medium, the brush lays down transparent layers. With firmer pressure and more pigment, it carves in stronger shapes and darker values. Stefani moves between those two modes constantly to build depth.
Turning the flat for thin, precise strokes
Stefani does not always reach for a liner when she needs a thin stroke. Often, she simply turns her flat brush on its edge.
Here, she rotates the Golden Taklon flat so she is painting with the narrow side, not the full width. That lets her place thin, precise marks on small details like fingertips and nails while still using the same brush she used for larger areas.
If you want to copy this technique:
- Load just the tip and edge of the brush with paint.
- Turn the brush so the edge is what touches the paper or panel.
- Use a light touch and let the edge glide along your line.
Lightly layering reflections and small details
Once the main shapes and shadows are in, Stefani goes back in with very light, controlled strokes to add reflections and extra movement.
For the hair reflections in the water, she uses the flat brush with very little paint and gentle pressure. Short, light strokes suggest movement and shine without overpowering the drawing or flattening the subtle pencil work underneath.
Think of this step as whispering with the brush instead of speaking loudly. You are nudging the values and shapes, not repainting them.
Why Stefani likes Golden Taklon flats for this kind of work
Golden Taklon is a smooth, synthetic filament that holds a clean edge, keeps a good point at the corners, and releases paint evenly. For Stefani’s illustration‑heavy style, that means:
- Crisp edges when she uses the full flat for blocking in.
- Soft, even layers when she lightens pressure for shading.
- Consistent thin lines when she turns the brush on its edge.
In this piece, she shows how one Golden Taklon flat can handle clean fills, gradients, tiny details, and subtle reflections. It is a minimal setup that still gives her a lot of control.
Try Stefani’s flat‑brush approach in your own work
If you want to experiment with using a single flat brush the way Stefani does, try this in your next piece:
- Use the broad side of the flat for background fills and clean edges.
- Use lighter pressure and more medium for soft shading and gradients.
- Turn the brush on its edge for thin, precise strokes and small accents.
- Finish with very light strokes to add reflections and highlights.
Instead of switching brushes every few minutes, challenge yourself to see how many jobs one Golden Taklon flat can handle. Stefani’s process is a great example of how far a single brush can go when you learn its full range.
To see the Golden Taklon flat brushes Stefani uses and find a size that fits your work, you can explore our Golden Taklon flats here: Golden Taklon Flat Brushes