Brush Buying Guide

Brushes are an artist&#;s most important tool. They can help you achieve more precise line work or give you better control over the amount of paint applied to your painting surface. Although various types of brushes are recommended for specific mediums, it&#;s all about finding a brush that adapts to your style of painting and your personality.

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Brush Buying Tips:

Brushes are best bought in-store. There is no standardization for brush sizes. One manufacturer's Round #2 may be substantially smaller or larger than another brand's same brush. Even within a brand physical size can vary between brush head styles, regardless of what size is printed on the handle; a #0 brush is not always smaller than a #3. It always best to see a brush and hold it in your hand before purchasing.

Higher-end brushes live longer, are more elastic and will remember their original shape. They will keep performing like new if they are well taken care of and stored properly.

Keep in mind the shape of the brush is the mark you will be leaving on the surface you are working on. Choose a round brush for thin or pointed strokes and a flat brush will deliver a stroke with sharp, clean edges. Brushes with different qualities can broaden your options and help you bring your piece of work to life.

Different types of paints have different viscosity levels and drying times. Oils take the longest to dry so you can use a thick bristle brush that can hold onto more paint without having to come back to your palette as often. You can use the same kind of brush with acrylics if you are mixing in a retarder medium, otherwise the acrylic dries fast and may clog your brush. Stiffer brushes are designed to move thick loads of color or heavy body mediums. Soft and thinner brushes, like sables, are great for working with low viscosity mediums like watercolor or inks, and they also work well for detailing in any other medium.

Natural hair brushes tend to hold onto paint better than most synthetics. Because they are more absorbent than synthetic brushes, they are excellent for watercolor work. 

Synthetic brushes are made of either nylon or polyester filaments and, in some cases, a combination of these and natural hair. They come in all sizes and shapes and can be used with any media. Synthetic hair brushes are generally recommended when working with acrylic paints.

Long handle brushes are typically used with oils and acrylic to give you a distance of perspective when painting upright, whereas watercolor brushes tend to have short handles due to the horizontal positioning of your surface.

Cleaning your brushes keeps them healthy and helps them live longer. Don&#;t let your favorite brush lose its original feel! Make sure to clean the bristles or hairs right after you use them, otherwise they can get clogged and lose their shape. Make sure your brushes are dry before storing them and never leave them resting on their bristles or the shape can get ruined.

So whether you just want to try new brushes, find a new favorite, or keep a variety of sizes to accommodate your work, we have something to fit your individual needs. If you have any questions about a brushes' performance, contact our knowledgeable staff at FLAX.

In our Oakland store we also carry the BEST brands of Escoda and Raphael:
Escoda Clasico - Oil & Acrylic - Premium White Hog Bristle - long handle
Escoda Prado - Watercolor & Acrylic - Synthetic that mimics the performance of sable hair - short handle
Raphael SoftAqua - Watercolor - Synthetic fibers with excellent retention - short handle

In an artist&#;s world, a paint brush is like a magic wand; it can yield great magic, or tremendous tragedy... Maybe that&#;s an exaggeration coming from an artist, but an artist&#;s paint brushes are incredibly important! When you choose the correct brush, you can allow that brush to do the work for you, letting it work its magic to help you create the masterpiece in your mind. The question now is how do you properly choose the right brush? Today, you&#;re in luck; below you will find a comprehensive guide on how to choose artist paint brushes, and all the intricacies and varieties that come with it. 

Shapes of brushes

There are several different types of paint brushes, and more specifically, different shapes. You have round, square (bright), filbert, and script (line) brushes. A round brush is going to be circular at the base, and will usually come up to a point. Square brushes will have a square shape from one side, and when you turn it, it appears to be a skinny line. Filbert brushes are similar to square brushes, except instead of a flat line at the top, they are rounded off, like a dome. Finally, script, or line, brushes are long and thin. All the different shapes also come in different sizes, from 20/0-30. This gives you even more versatility with each and every brush. Remember: variety of brushstrokes is the spice of life and will add a tremendous amount of flavor to your work!

Brushes for Detail Work

Script and round paint brushes are the best paint brush for small details. Round brushes come in a large variety of sizes, whereas script brushes come in small, extra small, and extra teeny tiny. Round brushes are my personal favorite because of their shape. They come to a fine point, but because the base is thicker, you can get a wide variety of shapes with a single stroke. I exclusively use this type of brush for tiger stripes, as there is such a wide variety of width when it comes to the stripes. Script brushes are perfect for thin and delicate, swirly abstract lines, or for eyelashes, and tiny details like the sparkle in the eye.

If you are looking for more details, kindly visit Bent Head Paint Brushes.

Brushes for Edging

Square brushes are the absolute best if you&#;re going for a crisp straight line. Load up the top of your brush with just enough paint to stamp that perfectly straight line, which will match the length of the bristles on your brush. You won&#;t be disappointed! These brushes are also great for more geometric imagery and plane shifts. Remember to consider the size of the brush for the strokes you are looking to create. Don&#;t try using a size 12 square for a smaller shape, when you could use a size 4 with no trouble. This goes with all shapes of brushes!

Brushes for Blending

If you&#;re wondering what paint brush to use for blending soft edges, the absolute must-haves are the filbert and chip brushes. The flagged bristles in chip brush make it perfect for removing all traces of brushstrokes and leave you with a smooth, blended surface. Filberts are a great blending brush, as well, but are also very versatile. You can create soft blended edges with a filbert, but you can also create very beautiful dry brushed textures and painterly brushstrokes.  

Paint Choice vs. Bristle Type

With every brush size and shape, there is a natural bristle and synthetic bristle option. Natural bristle brushes are a better option when  choosing for oil paint brushes. They are significantly softer, and will react to the oils in the paints better. When trying to choose acrylic paint brushes, synthetic brushes are excellent. The acrylic paint doesn't absorb into the synthetic bristles, making it easier to move acrylic paint onto the canvas. You can use synthetic brushes for oil painting as well, but beware that the paint thinners you will need to use for oil painting will take more of a toll on your brushes. Natural hair bristles are a higher quality, and have a longer life expectancy. Whereas synthetic bristle brushes are less expensive, but won&#;t last as long. When purchasing either type of brush, it&#;s important to check the quality before buying. If you take the bristles between your thumb and index finger and tug lightly, you should not have any bristles coming out. If you see that the brush sheds several bristles, go for a higher quality brush. You want to avoid getting bristles stuck in your paintings, and get brushes that will last. 

Size Does Matter&#; With Your Brushes

When painting, size does matter! I have seen it happen so many times; a large canvas piece being painted with a teeny tiny filbert the whole way through. **Shakes fists** Why!? Let your brush work for you! There is a reason there are so many variations in brush size. You want to use the size of brush that makes the most sense for that stroke. It&#;s not time efficient or logical to try covering a large background area with a size 4 filbert! Use a size 12+ filbert or even better, a $2 chip brush. They are quite underrated, and an absolute staple. I would say it&#;s a great idea to have at least 3 different sizes of each shape on hand. They can vary in the bristle type, but it&#;s so helpful to have a good size variety. 

How to Care for Your Brushes

Brush care varies with the different types of painting brushes. With synthetic brushes, you can use water and a bit of gentle soap to remove fresh wet paint from the bristles. For natural hair brushes, you will want to have a brush care routine. When you are regularly painting, everyday or every other day, you can simply clean any excess paint off the bristles with a clean cotton rag, dip them in a clean conditioning brush dip, and leave them to rest until your next painting session. When I first started painting, I would wash my natural hair brushes after every session with Dawn soap, and my brushes would very quickly frizz up and fray, and I never understood why, until very recently. These natural hair brushes are sensitive, and need to be conditioned with special brush oils. Using dish soap strips them of the oils and dries them up quickly. Even if you plan to leave your brushes for a long period of time, you still want to be sure to clean with a very mild brush soap, dip in a brush dip, reshape your brush, and lay them flat. You can also have your brushes standing with the bristles pointed up, as to not ruin the shape of your brush. If you have natural hair brushes, it&#;s important to not over wash them. Keep them conditioned with a store-bought, or home made brush dip. Synthetic brushes are, of course, easier to care for; any mild soap and water will do. Again, with your brushes after they've been washed, be sure to reshape them and leave them either laying flat or standing up. Never put your brushes head down in a brush holder or vase, as it will ruin the shape of your brushes. 

The take-away I hope you experience from this guide is to simply know your tools! Know what you need and what works best for you by testing and experimenting with lots of different brushes. There are so many amazing and unique tools and paint brushes for art out there. Maybe you&#;ll discover that you despise cleaning brushes, and want to go full throttle with palette knives (a topic for another day)! As you spend time painting with your brushes, you will notice you gravitate towards certain ones, and may really only utilize about 5 brushes all together. This is totally fine! Once you understand the wide variety of tools, it will open your mind to new possibilities and hopefully some experimentation. Time to pick out and pick up those brushes. Happy painting, artists!

Now that you know the best brushes to use for painting, it&#;s time to learn how to use them! Check out our FREE video that will teach you 50 different ways to lay down paint. Click the button to watch it now:

For more information, please visit Large Paint Roller.