Knowing the characteristics of a brush makes choosing the right brush easier. Although any brush can be used with any type of paint, choosing the right brush according to paint type, viscosity, medium, solvents used and surface to be painted, will provide the best results. Natural hair. Known for their superior ability to hold paint. Most natural hairs taper to a fine point. Natural hair can vary from soft to coarse. Soft hairs include sable, goat, squirrel, badger and weasel. Stiffer hairs include horse, ox and hog bristle. Bristle brushes are naturally split on the tips which allows them to carry large amounts of colour and heavier bodied paints. Natural Hair blend. Some brushes made from hair contain an amount of synthetic fibres. This gives the best of both characteristics. They provide the durability of the synthetic filament with the absorbency of natural hair to hold more paint and water. Bristle. Usually hog or pig bristle. Traditionally used for oil paint and all heavy bodied paints. Can be used with acrylic paint to great effect. Synthetic brushes. The preferred choice of most painters! Made from nylon which is manufactured and dyed to simulate the colour and texture of the natural hair. Early synthetics were not so good but now they are excellent and probably better than the hair they are imitating. Most synthetics have good body and pointing ability and can hold a wide range of paints. Synthetic brushes can provide a thin wash for a watercolour effect or a thick heavy bodied look for impasto and mural painting. Using a synthetic brush with synthetic acrylics makes a natural working relationship. The smooth surface of synthetic hair means no paint can be trapped within the body of the brush and makes it easier to clean. The durability of the synthetic brush is well known and it performs well on a wide variety of surfaces from smooth to very rough.
WATERCOLOUR PAINTING Soft Natural Hair brushes. Natural hair brushes hold large amounts of paint or water which is necessary in watercolour painting. Red sable is considered to be the best choice of hair by watercolour artists as sable hair comes to a fine needle-like point with excellent spring and resilience. It has a middle body which holds a good reservoir of colour. Although sable hair is the classic choice for watercolour many other soft hairs can be used, for example squirrel, ox-hair, pony and goat. Synthetic hair is now so good that many watercolorists prefer them to natural hair. Particularly if price and durability is an issue. OIL & ACRYLIC PAINTING Bristle and Synthetic brushes. Bristle brushes are used for heavy bodied painting techniques having the ability to carry large amounts of paint. Bristle brushes are more likely to be used in the beginning stages of a painting to distribute the paint and establish brush strokes. The natural durability and sturdiness of the bristle withstands the excessive or rapid wear normally encountered by rough surfaces like canvas or board. Natural or synthetic haired brushes are used more in the final stages of the painting. They are used to execute delicate strokes, glazes and details. There are now some very good synthetic + natural hair blend brushes available which combine the natural hair’s ability to carry large loads of paint whilst the synthetic filaments provide increased durability, smoothness and ease of cleaning.
