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| Brushes |
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| As with so many art supplies and tools in this high-tech age, it is easy to take brushes for granted. But a great deal of work goes into creating a brush that is suitable for serious artists. While an artist may choose an inferior medium or pigment to save money, there can be no such compromise with brushes. The quality of a paintbrush can determine the overall quality of the final image. With this in mind, one would do well to learn more about the characteristics and proper treatment of brushes. |
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| There are three parts of a paintbrush: the head, the ferrule, and the handle. |
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| Brushes come in many different shapes and sizes. The most used shapes in oil and acrylic painting are round, flat, bright, filbert, and fan brushes. Of old, a round was the preferred brush shape because the consistency of traditional oil paints was much creamier than it usually is today. Rounds carry more paint in a fluid form, and they are also good for making precise lines. Today the preferred shapes are flat brushes. An artist uses a flat brush for softer, subtler brush strokes. The shorter and stiffer bright brush is good for making firm, decisive strokes that cut into a painting with bold dashes of color. A filbert combines the features of a round and a flat brush: it spreads color in broad strokes, and its edge can be used for more precise brushwork.
Finally, a fan brush can be used for lightly blending paints that have already been applied to a surface. Fan brushes are also useful for glazing thin coats of transparent color over more opaque, dried paint. |
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| The Characteristic Features of the Major Artists Brushes |
A. Watercolor and
Retouching Brushes |
round ferrules
short handles |
brush head
"V" shaped |
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B. Oil Painting Brushes
Round |
round ferrules
long handles |
brush head
egg-shaped |
C. Oil Painting Brushes
Flats and Brights |
flat ferrules
long handles |
straight painting edge
available in
various lengths |
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| D. Filberts |
flat ferrules
long handles |
tongue-shaped
available in
various lengths |
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| E. Fan Blenders |
flat ferrules
cut open
long handle |
as hair or
bristle brushes |
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| One of the most confusing characteristics of brushes is size. In general, the heads of watercolor brushes are much smaller than those of the heavier bristle brushes. A size 12 bristle brush is often much larger than a size 12 watercolor brush. Also, the handles of watercolor brushes are shorter because they are used in up-close work on a level surface. Oil brush handles are longer, allowing the artist to stand at a distance from the easel while painting. But there really is no exact scale that all brush brands follow, despite recent standardization. In addition, the English scale differs from other European, as well as oriental, scales. As a rule, artists use larger brushes when they are first beginning a painting - blocking in the overall composition and basic tones of the image. Smaller brushes are used later on for the more detailed work. |
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| Knowing a bit about the nature of the many different brush fibers will help you decide which brushes to buy for which media. There are three main groupings of brush fibers: natural, synthetic, and mixed natural/synthetic. Natural brush hairs are made from fine animal furs such as sable, ox, squirrel, pony, goat, and hog. Some, such as sable and ox ear hair, are suitable for more fluid media like watercolor. The surface of a soft animal hair is covered with scales that act as tiny reservoirs for color. The hairs are usually quite springy and resilient.
The most expensive soft brush hair is "Kolinsky" or "Tobolsky" red sable. The genuine Kolinsky sable hair is actually taken from the winter tails of male martens that live in Siberia. Unfortunately, the term "Kolinsky" is often used to refer to hair taken from other animals. Brushes made from these hairs are often of a lesser quality. |
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Kolinsky Watercolor Brush |
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| Hog bristles are the preferred choice for heavier paints such as oils. The surface of a hog bristle is flagged, or forked, at the tip. (A Chungking hog bristle often has seven to nine flags, making it the best choice for a brush.) This flagging allows for strong, interlocking bristles that are very springy and have a greater surface area. Thus, a bristle brush will push and carry large amounts of heavy paint over relatively coarse surfaces such as canvas and wood panel. |
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Chungking Bristles - Flats to Brights |
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| Because natural brush hairs are often very expensive and are easily damaged, many artists use synthetic fiber brushes. While they usually lack a fine point and hold less color, synthetic brushes are more durable, easier to clean, and much cheaper than natural hair brushes. Synthetic watercolor brushes are often dyed with acidic substances that make tiny pits on the surface of each fiber. This process mimics the scaly surface of animal fur, and it helps to increase a synthetic brush's color holding capacity. Stiffer synthetic fibers are made for use in oil painting and acrylics. |
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Synthetic Filberts |
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The most important thing about brushes is how to treat them. Brushes that have not been used or cleaned properly will, among other things, lose the interlocking nature of their fibers. The individual hairs will stand apart and even break off at the edge of the ferrule. Follow these steps to avoid inadvertently ruining a fine brush:
- Don't use a brush alternately with watercolor and acrylic or even oil paints. The different media and cleaning procedures may add unnecessary stress to the fibers.
- Don't use natural fiber brushes with acrylic paints, as they will deteriorate over time. This is because of an alkali (ammonia) that is present in acrylics. Synthetic brushes are better for acrylics because their fibers are resistant to this chemistry.
- Don't use fine hair brushes on rough surfaces.
- Always clean brushes immediately after use. Remove all paint from both the fibers and the ferrule.
- Never leave brushes resting on their bristles or hairs.
- Never leave bristles or hairs submerged or soaking in water. This can cause moisture to enter the handle and crack the wood. It may also deteriorate the fibers.
- Reshape (or "dress") the brushes after cleaning them. Rest them head up in a pot or jar, making sure they are free from contact with any surface.
- If you're going to store brushes for a lengthy amount of time, make sure they are clean and dry. A moist brush can result in mildew, especially if it is covered. Also, keep moths and other insects away with a mothball or two.
- If a synthetic brush should lose its shape, soak it in hand-hot water for one to two minutes, then dress the brush.
- Never use heat (from a hair drier or a radiator) to dry your brushes. The hair can be damaged, the handle will shrink, and the brush head will come loose.
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| Watercolor Brushes Rub the wet brush head on a normal bar of soap. Work up a lather, then rinse the brush under cool water. (Never use hot water; this may cause some paints to coagulate.) Repeat this until there is no trace of color left in the lather. Be careful, however, before you use soap on a fine watercolor brush. Here it may help to think of your own hair care: some soaps may well damage the individual hairs by taking away natural oils. Never use a strong fat-removing soap or detergent when cleaning a brush. Oils and Alkyds Wipe off the oil colors thoroughly with a piece of cloth. Afterwards, clean the hair or bristles with pure soap and warm water until the soap produces white lather. Again, avoid very strong soaps.
Acrylics With acrylic paints it is essential that you rinse your brushes immediately after use, as the paint dries very quickly. Use cool water to avoid coagulation, and follow the same steps as with watercolor paints. |
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