Patches are often better because they LOD, have nicer enviro effects, light better and look smoother. That being said, brush curves have their uses - but be careful, designs like the one that MoonDog posted do add a lot more verts/edges to the compile, particularly if not caulked or vis detailed properly. Those 4 edge squares for example should be mitred. Better ways: Bottom left - moondogs way bottom right - moondogs way with mitered corners (better, but can be improved) top right - best way top left - also acceptable, depending on surrounding brushwork. And of course, the more 'detailed' the brush (i.e the smoother you want the curve to appear) the greater the relative difference in verts between designs.