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CHOOSING & USING BRUSHES



The brush is the painter’s most important tool. While a beginner doesn't need an array of expensive brushes, just a couple of good ones can help the learning process enormously. A poorly made or poorly maintained brush will make painting more difficult, no matter what your skill level.


Kolinsky sable is traditionally held to be the very best fiber for fine brushes. The hair comes from the Siberian weasel, Mustela siberica. It provides excellent spring and flow control, and (if the brush is made correctly) holds a perfect point. The ideal product is taken from the tail of the male’s winter coat. Brushes of lesser quality are made from or mixed with female pelts and/or body hairs.

I do not recommend synthetic brushes (Taklon and Golden Nylon are common names) for serious painting. Keep them for drybrushing or painting terrain! Nearly all synthetics will ‘hook’ over time, even with good care, and their flow capability does not equal that of natural hair. One really good, versatile brush is a better investment than three or four which do not hold up long nor offer the same precision. If you want less expensive brushes for basecoating and terrain, look for Kolinsky blends, or ones labeled ‘red sable’ or ‘sable’.


There are many different shapes of brush available. The round is the most versatile. Some painters like a longer version of this style, some like a shorter; it’s largely a matter of personal preference. (I find I have better control with a shorter brush.)

Some short-haired brushes:
Winsor & Newton Series 7 Miniature
Isabey Series 6229 Retouch
Da Vinci 'Maestro' Series 1505, 1506 Retouch
Da Vinci 'Maestro' Series 5506 Restauro
Escoda Series 1208 Retouch

Some longer brushes:
Winsor & Newton Series 7
Da Vinci 'Maestro' Series 10, 11
Isabey Series 6227, 6228
Raphael Series 84

Flats, filberts or cat's-tongues are good for large surface areas.

Brush sizes are not standardized. They vary from maker to maker, and even from style to style within the same brand. You really don’t need many brushes. For the W&N Series 7 Miniature, or Da Vinci Maestro Retouch (my favorite kinds), I do nearly all my painting with a size 2 and a size 0. I would add a size 00 or 000 for fine detailing, and perhaps a less expensive sable in a size 3 or 4 for large surfaces. The image above shows the relative sizes of my brushes, with a miniature for comparison.

Don't cut down a large brush to get a smaller one--buy a detail brush of the size you need. The point is formed and held by the hairs all pressing together in toward the tip. Plucking a few strays does no harm, but when too many hairs are lost from the perimeter, the brush flops and splays. At that point I replace it.

There's no single perfect brush that will magically solve all painting woes. Each major manufacturer touts its own product, naturally, as the best, and painters tend to find one they like and stick with it. As with brush shape, I think that personal preference and working style plays a bigger part than any actual difference in quality or workmanship.