The Artyfect Blog Information for Artist's

 Finding the right bush

There are many different brushes on the market, all at very different prices. Choosing the right brush is very important so here is a little explanation to help you choose the right brush for you.

The Difference Between Brush Tips

Painting with Water Colour

Every water colour brush in the world should do three important things. It's how well these things are done that separates the best from the rest. Here are the three benchmarks that every water colour brush aspires to:

• A great point - The brush should come to a crisp point, an excellent brush will hold that point during use allowing the artist to create edges and fine detail.

• Perfect 'snap' or spring - The brush should spring crisply back into shape during use. The right degree of spring allows the artist to have control with an element of ‘give and take' between the brush and the surface.
• Even flow control - The colour should flow evenly and consistently from the point of the brush and there should be capacity within the belly of the brush to allow the artist to lay down flowing, gestural strokes of colour.

Water colour brushes are generally made from two types of hair:

Sable 

There are different grades of sable hair, but the very best are the Kolinsky sable from Siberia. The finest Kolinsky is a soft, golden-brown colour that darkens at the tip.

The finest hairs come from the tip of the tail of the male Kolinsky, hairs from other parts of the sable pelt are used in lesser quality brushes. Second quality hairs are much shorter and less "springy" than their counterparts, however they are a little more affordable and still provide a high quality brush.

Synthetic  

Also available is a selection of brushes made from superior synthetic filaments. The advantage of these brushes is their affordability, however many years experience in brush-making mean that brush manufacturers have been able to source synthetic fibres with excellent colour carrying capacity and much improved spring. This makes a synthetic brush a first choice for many artists.

 Painting with Oil Colour

There is one main benchmark for brushes that are used with thick or viscous colour; the thicker the colour, the stiffer the brush needs to be. A heavy paint like oil requires a brush with enough resilience to manipulate the colour with complete control.

However, a colour that has been thinned will need softer tuft (e.g. soft hair or filament) and a colour that has been thinned to a fluid consistency needs a brush with flow control (e.g. synthetic or natural hair brush such as sable).

Therefore brush characteristics to consider are:

• Firmness of bristle – Is the bristle capable of moving heavy-bodied colour over the surface with authority?

• Tip control – Does the bristle or hair allow for subtlety in blending? Does it give fine control when creating detail?

Oil colour brushes are generally made from two different types of hair, Hog and Synthetic hair.

Hog 

Properly dressed, the finest quality hog brushes offer superior firmness and

flagged ends for control and blending. Hog bristle is good for use with thick colour. The hair is extremely resilient and the most important characteristic is that it is ‘flagged’ or split at the end.

These flags carry more colour on the brush and apply it evenly on the surface. The very best hog brushes have over 80% flagged hairs.

Sable

The second choice for oil colour painters is a sable brush. These are used when the painter needs more control of colour when it has been thinned down with solvents. The high quality hair gives the brush excellent shape retention and allows the artists to paint intricate detail. This makes it the ideal complement to a Hog brush in an oil painter's studio.

Synthetic 

High quality synthetic fibres are especially good if the brushes come into contact with water. As with our Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colours, where t

he brushes can be cleaned with water it is important that the brushes remain strong and durable and appropriate for painting with thick bodied colour straight from the tube.

However sometimes when oil colour has been thinned it is necessary to have a softer tuft. This is where synthetic fibres also work well.

Painting with Acrylic Colour

As with oil colour, there is one main benchmark for brushes that are used with thick or viscous colour; the thicker the colour, the stiffer the brush needs to be. A heavier paint like acrylic requires a brush with enough resilience to manipulate the colour with complete control.

However, a colour that has been thinned will need a softer tuft (e.g. soft hair or filament) and a colour that has been thinned to a fluid consistency then needs a brush with flow control (e.g. synthetic or natural hair brush).

Brush characteristics to consider:

Firmness of bristle - Is the bristle capable of moving heavy-bodied colour over the surface with authority?

• Tip control - Does the bristle or hair allow for subtlety in blending? Does it give fine control when creating detail?

• Sturdiness - Will it remain undamaged by prolonged use with water or acrylic resins?

Over the past decades, synthetics have proven superior in making brushes for acrylic colours. With proper manufacturing techniques, they offer good flow control, and a well-defined tip or edge for detail and blending work. They are also resistant to damage from acrylic resin and won't soften in water.

However, it is also common for acrylic painters to use Hog brushes or other natural hair brushes such as Sable depending on the style of their painting and the viscosity of the paint on their palette.