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Understanding brushes can be made simple by remembering these categorizing criteria: Tuft Material
Size and Shape
Paint Media When you learn these brush basics, choosing the right brush for each purpose will be easy! What medium do you paint in? Different media use different types of brushes. Do you prefer to paint outdoors or in the studio? A studio brush will be different than a field brush. What sort of subjects do you paint? Traditional landscape painting, with many different sized brush strokes, may require a wider range of sizes of brushes than more abstract painting, with predominately bold, large strokes.
Brushes are comprised of three components:
1. Tuft
2. Ferrule
3. HandleThe tuft is what carries and applies the paint. Tufts can be made of natural hair or bristle, synthetic fibers, or a combination of both. The ferrule is what holds the tuft on the brush. A good quality ferrule is seamless and made of nickel or another non-reactive metal. A good quality handle will be made of hardwood, finished or painted, or of acrylic. Now that you know the brush basics, let’s look in depth at the brush categorizing criteria we mentioned earlier. Tuft Material As mentioned earlier, the three primary tuft types are hair, bristle and synthetic. Let’s look at some examples of each: Hair Red Sable is the finest hair used in brush manufacture. It comes from the Kolinsky Sable, which is found in Siberia. It has the best performance when it comes to spring, point and flow control (which we will discuss later).
Camel Hair is the trade name for Squirrel, Pony or Goat hair. Adequate spring, point and flow control, but not as good as Red Sable.
Sabeline is a trade name for ox hair. Less spring, point and flow control than either Camel or Red Sable.
Bristle is a fiber, found on the hog, which is much stiffer than any hair. This stiffness makes it perfect for manipulating heavy paints on the canvas.
Synthetic Modern synthetic fibers have been created to try and duplicate the characteristics of hair and bristle. Also, many brush makers will combine synthetics with natural hair or bristle to extend the natural fiber content in the tuft. While many synthetics perform very well, alone or in a blend, they tend to lack some of the flow control that natural hairs have. Synthetic tufted brushes are an excellent alternative to natural hair or bristle for children, or for those customers that tend to be rough with their materials, as synthetic fibers will sustain more abuse than hair or bristle. Note: Brush tuft materials can be confusing. Below are some trade names for Hair, Bristle, and Synthetic tufts: Hair | Bristle | Synthetic | Red Sable Sabeline Camel Hair Dark Ox White Hair Kolinsky Sable Soft Hair White Goat Hair
| White Bristle Black Bristle Chinese Bristle Natural Bristle Signet Hog Bristle | Bristlette Polyester Nylon Sable Essence (blend w/Sable) Kolinsky Plus (blend w/Sable) Taklon Synthetic Sable White Sable (both not real sable!) |
Shapes and Sizes
Brushes come in four basic shapes:Bright (A)– square ended, short length brushes which offer better control for detail work and are more suitable for use with thick or heavy oils and acrylics. Flat (B) – square ended, long length brushes that offer more freedom and maneuverability than the shorter length Brights. Round (C) – tapering to a point, this shape lends itself to sketching, outlining and to detail strokes. Rounds are also ideal for strokes that transition from thin to thick. Filbert (D) – a Flat that has a rounded or domed shape. The Filbert shape is allows for easier blending of color and, depending on how it is held, can be used for drawing strokes - like a round – or larger areas of color – like a flat. Specialty Shapes In addition to the above-mentioned standard shapes, there are several shapes available for specific functions: Fan Blender – just like it sounds, a fan-shaped brush for blending and soft textural effects Liner/Rigger – a long, thin Round used for detailed lettering, thin strokes and pin striping Mop – a very large Round with a mop-shaped tuft used for pre-wetting watercolor paper for stretching, and large areas of wash Wash/One-Stroke – a large, wide Flat for applying large areas of color or wash Tuft Sizes Most of the brushes sold are numbered according to tuft size, typically ranging from 000 to 20. The smaller the number, the smaller the tuft. Smaller tufts produce smaller strokes. With that in mind, a person who will be painting detailed landscapes will want some smaller tufted brushes in their assortment, where a person who paints with bold strokes may want to focus on larger tufted brushes. Handle Length Many brush styles come in different handle lengths. Generally, the long handled brushes are used for easel work and larger pieces, where the artist wants to stand away from the piece to monitor their progress. Shorter handled brushes tend to be used in the field, and where close up detail work is required. Brushes and Paint Media Different paint media use different brushes. Oil/Acrylic – Bristle brushes are designed for use with oil and acrylic. Bristle’s stiff tufts are perfect for pushing heavy oil and acrylic around on the canvas. There are some hair tufts designed for oil/acrylic, when paints are thinned and fine details are required. Watercolor/Gouache – Hair tufts are typically used in water-based paints. There are three characteristics which all good watercolor brushes should display: Snap (or Spring) – the ability of a brush’s tuft to instantly return to shape after having been pressed onto the painting surface. Point – that the brush hold a good point or edge when in use. Tempera/Poster Paints –Large, inexpensive brushes are recommended for these paints, as the paints themselves, and the method of application cause more wear on brushes than do the materials or techniques used in oil, acrylic and watercolor. Care of Brushes When cleaning a brush made from natural hair, use cool water. Hot water will strip the natural oils from the hair. Always rinse the brush thoroughly in the appropriate solvent (water or paint thinner) to remove as much of the remaining color as possible. Gently massage the brush in the palm of the hand using a small amount of gentle soap or brush cleaner that is no harsher than what you would use in your own hair. Rinse the brush thoroughly and allow to dry upright or hanging downward. If natural hair brushes are not going to be used for a long period of time in a humid climate, it is wise to store them in an enclosed area with a mothball or two. Synthetic brushes that have become misshapen can sometimes be brought back into a useable profile by placing them under hot (not quite boiling) running water. DO NOT TRY THIS WITH NATURAL HAIR BRUSHES. Keeping any brush clean will dramatically extend its life. Features and Benefits of Brushes: Items | Features | Benefits | Sable Tuft | Superior spring, point and flow control | Easier water-based painting because brushes return to original shape, maintain a sharp point for detail work, and deliver the paint smoothly and evenly | Camel Hair Tuft | Less expensive than Sable, but with good spring, point and flow control | Alternative for more cost-conscious customers that offers good performance | Sabeline Tuft | Less expensive still from Camel hair | Budget alternative for children, hobbyists that still provides some of the benefit of a hair tuft | Bristle Tuft | Stiff bodied | Easily moves heavy-bodied oils and acrylics around on the canvas | Synthetic Tuft | Alternative to more costly natural bristle and hair tufts with more durability | Saves money in the long run in situations where children or a vigorous painting style might damage natural hair or bristle
| Long Handle | Gives distance from painting surface | Allows the artist to stand back from large works to get a better perspective on progress, get a better view of subject | Short Handle | Allows up-close painting | Makes fine detail work easier, and more portable for field painting | Round | Round tuft with a sharp point | Makes sketching, outlining and detail strokes easier | Flat | Medium length tuft with a straight edge | Good for medium sized strokes, edging and striping | Bright | Short length tuft with a straight edge | Shorter length tuft is stiffer, for better paint manipulation and shaper edging, striping, etc. | Filbert | Rounded edge flat tuft | Versatile and economical as it combines the shapes and functions of rounds and flats in one brush | Fan Blender | Stiff fan-shaped tuft | Makes blending and softening edges easier | Liner | Long, thin round tuft | Makes pin stripes and fine lines easier to paint | Mop | Fat, mop-like tuft | Delivers a lot of water or paint to the surface quickly, saving time | One Stroke | Large flat tuft | Makes big strokes of paint or wash quickly, saving time | Seamless Ferrule | Keeps water, paint and solvent out of base of tuft | Brushes last longer, saving money in the long run | | | | | |
Glossary Black Bristle | Hog bristle, black in color, used for house painting and industrial brushes | Bright | Square ended, short length brushes with more snap than flats, providing better control for detail work. Also used to apply dabs or short strokes of color. | Bristle | Stiffer than hair, it is found on the backs of hogs | Camel Hair | Art material trade name for Squirrel, Badger, Pony or Goat hair | Fan Blender | Thin, fan-shaped bristle brush used for blending and softening edges of color | Ferrule | The metal shaft that holds the tuft to the handle. The best ferrules are seamless and non-reactive. | Filbert | A flat that has a rounded or domed shape. Extremely versatile in that it allows for easier blending of color and, depending on how it is held, can be used for drawing strokes, like a round, or larger areas of color, like a flat. | Flat | Square ended, long length tufts. Used for applying a clean edged stroke, for edging and applying color to larger areas. | Flow Control | The ability of a brush to provide even and consistent flow of color off the tip of the tuft. | Kolinsky Sable | See Sable | Liner | A very long profile round used for generating a very consistent and fine line. The longer tuft allows for a very fine point with a larger amount of color held in reservoir than can be held by the shorter round. | Mop | Large, mop shaped tuft, used for laying down broad, even washes of color. Also used for softening or blending colors. | One Stroke | A large flat tufted brush, used for covering large areas with color | Point | The ability of a brush to hold a good point. | Red Sable | See Sable | Round | Round tufted brush, tapering to a point. Used for thick or thin strokes, depending on the pressure applied. | Sabeline | Art material trade name for hair brush tufts made from specially treated Ox hair | Sable | Tail hair of the Kolinsky Sable, a type of mink found in Siberia | Spring | The ability of a hair tuft to return to its original shape after being applied to the surface. | Synthetic | Not natural. Synthetic brush tufts are usually nylon or polyester. | Tempera | An inexpensive water-based paint sold primarily for poster and window painting and children’s art. Inexpensive brushes are best for use with tempera | Tuft | The working end of a brush. Hair, bristle or synthetic. | Wash | See One Stroke | White Bristle | Hog bristle used for fine art brushes |
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Brush Components
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Brush Shapes
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