Brushes - General Information

BRUSHES

General Information about brushes

Different consistency of paint requires different types of brush.

The benchmark for brushes used with thick or viscous colour is that the thicker the colour, the stiffer the brush needs to be. Heavy paint straight from the tube requires a brush with enough resilience to control the colour. A bristle or stiff synthetic brush is perfect when using heavy colour right out of the tube.

As you thin the colour moderately a medium-soft hair or filament should be used.

If you continue to thin the colour to a more fluid consistency, make the move to a soft synthetic or natural hair brush.

Natural bristle doesn't come to a point, it actually has two or three splits at the end, these are called 'flags'. This allows the bristle to hold more paint, with use, the 'flags' often change colour after being stained by strong pigment, but this has no detrimental effect on the brush. 

Brush Manufacture

The bristle is cleaned, sorted, sized, sterilized and wrapped into bundles for each brush, this is then hand tied and 'cupped' to form the various shapes. The bristle is then set into the metal ‘ferrule’ using a special type of resin glue. The best ferrules are seamless nickel-plated copper and they contribute to the size, balance and shape of the brush. The ferrule is then crimped on to a lacquered hardwood handle, the handle carries all the information about the size, make and type of brush. Brushes for oil painting are usually long handled.

Is natural hair better than synthetic?

Modern synthetic brushes are excellent and have the advantage of being cheaper than natural hair. Purists will tell you that no synthetic fibre can beat a Kolinsky sable, considered the ultimate of soft hairs because of its flexibility and strength, which give an artist great control. If you're at all squeamish about or ideologically opposed to the sources of natural hair, then synthetic brushes are the way to go.

Brushes are an important tool for painting and it is false economy to buy cheap ones. Buy the best you can afford, respect and look after them well and they will last for many years.

Brush Shapes

Wash - for regulated colour flow and superb control.

Fan - are used for subtle blending of colour on the surface, softening hard edges and in dry brushwork for distant trees and foreground foliage.

Flat Shader - A square shape flat brush with good colour control for sharp edging, blending and short even strokes.

Round  - A versatile candle-flame shaped brush, used for sweeping washers of colour as well as touching in fine lines and detail.

One Stroke  - A Square Shape head that forms a sharp chisel edge and holds plenty of colour. Used flat on the paper it’s ideal for laying washes, glazing and making thick strokes.

Sash for large scale oil painting.

Fitch for scene painting/mural work.

Lily varnish thin hog for uniform varnish application.

Lily varnish thick hog for large scale varnish/painting.

Flogger to create wood grain effects.

Dragger for ‘dragged’ effects in oil glazes.

Sword liner for freehand straight lines.