Brushes

The Ultimate Guide To Paintbrushes For Artists

When it comes down to paintbrushes, there are a million things to take into consideration. As a beginner, choosing the best paintbrushes for your future painting style is never that straightforward. To help you get familiar with the world of paintbrushes, we have created an easy guide for you to refer to.

Which Bristles Are Used For Working With Certain Paints?

There are different types of bristles that can be used with different types of paints. As an artist, it is important to know which brushes are most suitable for your chosen paint. Below, we have listed the options and the most suitable brushes to match.

Watercolour brushes - Paintbrushes suitable for watercolour paints are usually made from a synthetic material, this includes synthetic sable or nylon. In some cases, regular sable can be used too. Naturally, artists must try each type to determine which one they work with the easiest. Of course, certain artists work with a combination of these brushes.

Oil brushes - Oil painting brushes are usually made from natural bristles, this considering that most synthetic materials do not handle oil-based paints that well. So, when you look for oil brushes, you will encounter materials such as hog bristle. That being said, sable is another material you can encounter here.

Acrylic brushes - You have a lot of freedom when it comes to the brushes you use for acrylic paint, as most tend to handle the paint quite well. However, most artists will use full nylon or synthetic brushes for acrylic paints.

Which Brush Shapes Are Used For Which Techniques?

Once you start taking a closer look at the different paintbrushes that are available for your artwork, you will notice that they can look quite different. Because of the different shapes of paintbrushes, choosing the ones you will use regularly will be a challenge. Below, you will find an overview of common brush shapes and their common applications.

Round brush - The round brush is one of the most common brushes out there. It is characterised by its round bristles and tiny tip, which enables more detailed work. So, if you need to paint any details, this is probably the brush you will grab.

Flat brush - A flat brush is used quite differently than the round brush. Instead of detailing, this brush is used to paint large surfaces with paint at the same time. Since this brush must cover larger surfaces, the bristles on the flat brush will be considerably longer than some other brushes.

Bright brush - The bright brush looks a lot like the flat brush upon first glance. However, the bristles on the bright brush are a lot shorter than those on the flat brush. As such, this brush is used to manipulate added paint on a canvas. For example, if you wish to move some paint to an area where there is a thinner application of paint.

Filbert brush - This is a staple in the collection of many artists, mainly because this paintbrush is so wonderfully versatile. Firstly, you can use the brush to cover a large area of the canvas with paint. On the other hand, you can use this brush for detailing as well. So, if you do not like to switch your paintbrushes a lot, this is a must for your personal collection.

Fan brush - The fan brush is a difficult one to miss, because this brush actually looks like a genuine fan. Of course, given the fan position of the bristles, this brush should be used to apply large areas of paint.

Angle brush - An angle brush is just as versatile as the filbert brush. You can use them for your general painting actions, but your can also use an angle brush for some detailing.

Rigger brush - A rigger brush is quite thin in its appearance. While it is classified as a round brush, it has long hairs and a very thin tip. Because of the thin tip, you can use this brush to create fine lines on the canvas. This type of brush can also be used with different kinds of paint, this ranges from your average watercolour to a sturdy oil-based paint. So, this is another staple for your personal collection.