Krita's brush engine is the most powerful and the most bewildering in any painting application I've used. I want to share the specific brush types that I find most useful and how I've configured them.

The basic round brush: essential baseline. I use flow pressure curve set to a concave response (fast buildup at light pressure, slow buildup at heavy pressure). This gives watercolor-like wet feel. Shape dynamics off — I want the stamp to be constant.

The texture brush: a round brush with grain source set to a canvas texture at 30% and with texture strength set to react to pressure. Light pressure shows grain; heavy pressure fills in. This simulates the paper grain response of real media.

The smudge brush: set to 30% smudge rate and 5% color loading. This lets me blend without completely losing color — it smudges rather than mixes. Useful for skin and atmospheric edges.

Krita's RGBA brush mode (available under the brush settings) adds a wetness simulation that creates a more physical painting experience. I use it for the primary painting brush on all but the most graphic styles of work.