Today, Trekell Pro Team Artist Justin Donaldson is painting mountains in Montana and sharing why the Trekell Legion Long Filbert has become one of his favorite brushes for working with thick, expressive gouache. Even though this demonstration uses gouache, the brush shape and handling translate beautifully to oil and acrylic as well.
Classically, many artists reach for a flat brush when they want to carry a generous amount of paint and cover large areas quickly. Justin has found himself drawn to the Trekell Legion Long Filbert because it gives him that same bold application while creating softer, more natural edges in any of the three mediums.
Why Choose a Legion Long Filbert Instead of a Flat Brush?
A traditional flat brush is excellent for creating broad strokes and crisp edges, but those edges can sometimes feel too sharp or geometric for organic landscape forms.
The slightly rounded edges of a filbert allow Justin to carry plenty of paint while creating a more natural edge quality. This makes it easier to soften transitions between brushstrokes without sacrificing the thick, chunky gouache look he wants. The same rounded profile also helps oil and acrylic strokes feel less rigid and more atmospheric.
“A filbert has these slightly rounded edges that enable me to both carry a lot of paint, but at the same time allow me a much more natural edge quality.”
Big, Thick Paint Without Harsh Edges
One of the most appealing qualities of gouache, oil, and acrylic is the ability to create bold, opaque passages of color. Justin wants to preserve that thick, painterly appearance while still having control over the softness of his transitions.
The Trekell Legion Long Filbert gives him both.
The broad body of the brush can carry a generous amount of paint, making it useful for blocking in mountains, skies, fields, and other large areas of a landscape. The rounded tip keeps those shapes from feeling overly rigid and helps strokes sit more naturally in the scene.
This allows Justin to create strong brushstrokes while still introducing softer transitions where the painting calls for them, whether the paint on his palette is gouache, oil, or acrylic.
One Brush That Creates Many Effects
Justin prefers brushes that let him stay focused on the painting instead of constantly stopping to switch tools.
When he is not using a quill brush, he often reaches for a Trekell Legion Long Filbert because it can create a wide variety of marks.
Using the broad face of the brush allows him to cover large areas quickly. Turning the brush creates narrower strokes. The rounded tip can be used for smaller accents and fine details. Adjusting pressure gives him control over both hard and soft edges.
“I like really getting stuck into the groove of a painting and not having to change my paintbrush just to get different effects.”
That versatility helps preserve the rhythm of the painting process. Instead of breaking concentration to search for a different brush, Justin can adjust the angle, pressure, or amount of paint and continue working.
Staying in the Creative Flow
Creative momentum matters.
Once an artist settles into the rhythm of a painting, repeatedly changing brushes can interrupt that flow. Justin looks for tools that can move naturally between different stages of the painting without forcing him to stop.
The Trekell Legion Long Filbert allows him to move from broad areas of color into smaller forms, refined edges, and controlled details with the same brush, regardless of medium.
That means less time thinking about equipment and more time responding to the painting.
How the Legion Long Filbert Creates Hard and Soft Edges
Landscape painting often requires a balance between hard and soft edges.
Hard edges can define a focal point, separate one form from another, or create contrast. Soft edges can suggest distance, atmosphere, changing light, or gradual transitions between natural forms.
The shape of the Trekell Legion Long Filbert makes it possible to create both.
Justin can use the side or tip of the brush for a more controlled, sharper edge. He can then reduce the pressure or use the rounded face to create a softer transition.
This makes the brush especially useful for mountains, clouds, trees, hills, and other landscape elements that rarely have perfectly straight edges, whether painted in gouache, oil, or acrylic.
Why the Trekell Legion Long Filbert Works for Gouache
Trekell Legion Brushes are made with synthetic mongoose filament designed to offer a balance of softness, spring, and control.
The filament has enough resistance to move thicker gouache while still allowing the brush to respond to changes in pressure. This gives artists control over the width, shape, and edge quality of each stroke.
For gouache painters, the Legion Long Filbert can be used to:
- Carry generous amounts of thick, opaque paint
- Block in large areas of color
- Create bold, expressive brushstrokes
- Soften transitions between shapes
- Paint natural landscape forms like mountains and clouds
- Add smaller details using the rounded tip
- Create both hard and soft edges with one brush
Using the Trekell Legion Long Filbert for Oil Landscapes
Although Justin is working in gouache in this demonstration, the same qualities that make the Trekell Legion Long Filbert effective also translate well to oil painting.
Oil landscape painters can use the brush to establish skies, mountains, fields, trees, clouds, and other major shapes. The synthetic mongoose filament has enough spring to move oil paint while offering a softer response than a firm hog bristle brush.
The rounded filbert shape is useful when an artist wants a controlled edge that does not feel overly sharp. It can create broad strokes while naturally softening the ends and corners of each mark.
With thinner oil paint, the Long Filbert can create smooth, flowing applications. With thicker paint, it can leave visible, expressive strokes that show the movement of the brush.
Oil painters can also use the tip and corners for grasses, branches, reflections, and smaller accents without immediately reaching for another brush.
Using the Trekell Legion Long Filbert for Acrylic Landscapes
The Trekell Legion Long Filbert is also a versatile option for acrylic landscape painting.
Acrylic dries quickly, so a brush that can perform several jobs can help an artist work more efficiently. The Long Filbert can move from blocking in broad areas to adding texture and smaller details without requiring frequent brush changes.
With heavier acrylic paint, the brush can create bold, textured strokes. With fluid or thinned acrylic, it can produce longer, smoother marks and softer transitions.
Acrylic painters can use it for:
- Blocking in skies and landforms
- Creating clouds and distant mountains
- Building foliage and tree shapes
- Painting fields and grasses
- Adding expressive texture
- Creating highlights and smaller accents
One Brush Shape for Gouache, Oil, and Acrylic
Gouache, oil, and acrylic each behave differently, but landscape painters working in all three mediums need many of the same things from their brushes.
They need coverage, control, edge variety, and the ability to create both large shapes and small details.
The Trekell Legion Long Filbert can adapt to each medium through changes in pressure, angle, paint consistency, and brush size.
With gouache, it can carry thick, opaque paint while preserving a softer, natural edge.
With oil, it can move heavier color, shape forms, and create expressive transitions.
With acrylic, it can help artists work quickly while moving between broad coverage and refined texture.
Tips for Painting with a Trekell Legion Long Filbert
- Use the broad face of the brush for large areas of color.
- Rotate the brush to create narrower strokes.
- Use the rounded tip for small accents and details.
- Adjust pressure to change the width and character of the stroke.
- Use lighter pressure when creating softer edges.
- Experiment with different paint consistencies in gouache, oil, or acrylic.
- Allow some brushstrokes to remain visible instead of blending everything smooth.
- Practice moving from broad strokes to fine marks without changing brushes.
Final Thoughts
Justin Donaldson’s demonstration shows that the best brush is not always the tool that is most traditionally associated with a technique.
While a flat brush may be the classic choice for carrying thick paint, the Trekell Legion Long Filbert gives Justin the coverage he needs with the softer, more organic edge quality he prefers for landscape painting.
It also allows him to stay in the flow of the painting by moving between large spaces, fine details, hard edges, and soft edges without constantly switching brushes.
Whether you paint landscapes in gouache, oil, or acrylic, the Trekell Legion Long Filbert offers the versatility to create bold marks, natural transitions, and expressive details from the beginning of the painting through the final brushstroke.