This curious, versatile little tool looks like a paintbrush, except on the brush end is a flexible silicone tip.

So what can a color shaper (AKA colour shaper, clay shaper, and paint shaper) do?

• Watercolor: use the color shaper to apply masking fluid. After it dries, it peels easily off the tip instead of ruining one of your brushes!
• Pastel: use it to create fine lines or to blend.
• Oil and Acrylic: use it to remove paint, whether to undo a mistake or to sign your name (as seen at the end of this video). You can also experiment with using it to push and pull paint or create textures in thick paint.
• Ceramics and Sculpture: use it to shape and smooth small areas of clay. Can also be used to apply wax resist or remove portions of glaze and slip. The Kemper Wipe-Out tool, marketed to ceramic artists, is double-ended and used by painters as well.
• More: cake decorators use them as well, apparently! What else have you used a color shaper for? Let us know in the comments!

The Art League Store carries Colour Shapers by Royal Sovereign Ltd. in two shapes: the angle chisel (seen below and above) and a cup chisel. The colors represent the bend of the silicone tip: gray is firmer, white is softer. Prices range from $8.41 for size #2 to $15.88 for #10, and the Wipe-Out Tool mentioned above is $5.69.