Who ever said the paintbrush was the undisputed master of painting? The 1950s saw the emergence of Abstract Expressionism in the US and Nouveau Réalisme in France—each offering new ways of painting without using a paintbrush. Below are six truly revolutionary, original and paintbrush-free painting techniques, for endless creativity.
#1 Drip painting


#2 Pour painting


#3 Pulling and scraping
These two related techniques are similar to palette knife painting, except instead of a knife, a huge scraper is used to apply and spread the paint across the canvas. This technique was notably used by Willem de Kooning but is especially impressive when employed by painter Gerhard Richter, from the 1980s to the present day. Richter uses his entire body to spread paint across gigantic abstract canvases.

#4 Body printing


#5 Airbrushing
Airbrushing is a painting technique that uses an airbrush, a small paint-gun powered by compressed air. Airbrushing enables the production of very precise, sometimes almost photorealistic artworks. Painter and photographer Chuck Close was one of the first to try his hand at airbrushing in order to recreate photo portraits in paint.

Airbrush painting can be classed in the same category as spray-painting, as the paint is sprayed on the canvas.
At KAZoART, Olivier Carpent also paints striking portraits using spray paint.

#6 Digital painting
With the arrival of digital technology, digital techniques have found their way into the world of art. Some artists therefore choose to paint with neither paint nor a paintbrush, using only their computer, specialist software and a graphics tablet. David Hockney has also moved into this new medium, creating landscapes and portraits using a simple digital tablet and stylus.

© DAVID HOCKNEY
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