Oil Painting 101 ; Choosing Brushes
I am continuing the Oil Painting 101 ART-Tickle by talking about choosing brushes. Brushes are the second most important tool you will use when doing any type of painting. (Paint is #1 of course!) "A craftsman is only as good as the tools he uses" is an old phrase that also applies to art. Consider brushes as an investment in your art future, and purchase the best brush you can afford at the time. There are dozens of brush manufacturers out there, and they all have their pros and cons. This post will try and deal with the style of brushes needed to do an oil painting, then we will deal with choosing the best brand and quality.
Brushes come in so many shapes, sizes, materials, colors, and qualities that it is virtually mind boggling. Let's narrow our search down to four main types of brush materials, and four main types of brush shapes used in oil painting. These shapes are Rounds, Flats, Filberts, and Fans.
First let's deal with the material that makes up the brush. The three most common materials are Hog Bristle, Synthetic, and Sable, as well as a combination of any two of them. Synthetic bristles will usually be the least expensive, while sable is the most expensive, and Kolinsky Sable is by far the most expensive yet. Kolinsky Sable brushes are made from the hair found at the tip of the tail of a species of Siberian weasel. These animals are not well suited for captivity and only live in Siberia, so the availability and difficulty of getting the hair makes for an expensive brush. But no other material in the world compares to it, so it's priced accordingly. The very best Sable brushes are made from the hair of the male weasel only. Less expensive varieties of Kolinsky Sable brushes mix in hair from the female. Other varieties such as Black Sable (Fitch) may provide a perfectly acceptable, less expensive alternative to Kolinsky. Sable hair is extremely soft and strong, and brush strokes can be virtually eliminated by using them. Their softness and price, however, does not make these brushes good candidates for a "scrubbing" style of painter. A far more sturdy brush to use would be the hog bristle. Hog bristle comes in various grades of quality. The very best are made from Chungking Hog or Chinese Hog Bristle. The bristles may be natural colored or bleached. A viable alternative to natural hair brushes are the ones made from synthetic fibers such as Nylon, Taklon, or Polyester. Some of these brushes can simulate natural hair very well. There are also brushes with a mix of synthetic fibers and natural hair (either Sable or China bristle) that combine the best qualities of both materials. Their price makes them very attractive. My suggestion is to choose a variety that includes all these types to suit various painting styles. More on that later.
Let's get into the shapes of brushes. As mentioned, Rounds, Flats, Filberts, and Fans make up the most common shapes.
ROUNDS: Rounds are only round when viewed from the end, looking straight down the brush. They usually have long bristles and come to a relatively sharp point. They are generally used for detail work. Extra long, small diameter rounds are called Riggers or Liners or Scripts. They are used for making line strokes such as tree branches.
FLATS: Flats come in two lengths, long and short. Short versions are usually called Brights. Flats are mostly used to lay in wide swaths of color.
FILBERTS: Filbert brushes are a combination of a round and a flat. The brush is wide and flat, with a rounded tip. It makes basically the same stroke as a flat brush, but the rounded head leaves a much smoother edged finish.
FANS: Fan brushes are versatile brushes and are shaped like it sounds, in the shape of a fan. Usually, they are used as a specialty brush, mostly for blending broad areas of color. However, I have seen some artists use the fan brush for nearly the entire painting, It is certainly a preference brush. They are also useful for making grass, trees and brush leaves, and other unusual strokes.
Brushes come in so many shapes, sizes, materials, colors, and qualities that it is virtually mind boggling. Let's narrow our search down to four main types of brush materials, and four main types of brush shapes used in oil painting. These shapes are Rounds, Flats, Filberts, and Fans.
First let's deal with the material that makes up the brush. The three most common materials are Hog Bristle, Synthetic, and Sable, as well as a combination of any two of them. Synthetic bristles will usually be the least expensive, while sable is the most expensive, and Kolinsky Sable is by far the most expensive yet. Kolinsky Sable brushes are made from the hair found at the tip of the tail of a species of Siberian weasel. These animals are not well suited for captivity and only live in Siberia, so the availability and difficulty of getting the hair makes for an expensive brush. But no other material in the world compares to it, so it's priced accordingly. The very best Sable brushes are made from the hair of the male weasel only. Less expensive varieties of Kolinsky Sable brushes mix in hair from the female. Other varieties such as Black Sable (Fitch) may provide a perfectly acceptable, less expensive alternative to Kolinsky. Sable hair is extremely soft and strong, and brush strokes can be virtually eliminated by using them. Their softness and price, however, does not make these brushes good candidates for a "scrubbing" style of painter. A far more sturdy brush to use would be the hog bristle. Hog bristle comes in various grades of quality. The very best are made from Chungking Hog or Chinese Hog Bristle. The bristles may be natural colored or bleached. A viable alternative to natural hair brushes are the ones made from synthetic fibers such as Nylon, Taklon, or Polyester. Some of these brushes can simulate natural hair very well. There are also brushes with a mix of synthetic fibers and natural hair (either Sable or China bristle) that combine the best qualities of both materials. Their price makes them very attractive. My suggestion is to choose a variety that includes all these types to suit various painting styles. More on that later.
Let's get into the shapes of brushes. As mentioned, Rounds, Flats, Filberts, and Fans make up the most common shapes.
ROUNDS: Rounds are only round when viewed from the end, looking straight down the brush. They usually have long bristles and come to a relatively sharp point. They are generally used for detail work. Extra long, small diameter rounds are called Riggers or Liners or Scripts. They are used for making line strokes such as tree branches.
FLATS: Flats come in two lengths, long and short. Short versions are usually called Brights. Flats are mostly used to lay in wide swaths of color.
FILBERTS: Filbert brushes are a combination of a round and a flat. The brush is wide and flat, with a rounded tip. It makes basically the same stroke as a flat brush, but the rounded head leaves a much smoother edged finish.
FANS: Fan brushes are versatile brushes and are shaped like it sounds, in the shape of a fan. Usually, they are used as a specialty brush, mostly for blending broad areas of color. However, I have seen some artists use the fan brush for nearly the entire painting, It is certainly a preference brush. They are also useful for making grass, trees and brush leaves, and other unusual strokes.
So these are the most likely brushes you will use for oil painting. Now that you know the material and shapes, let's talk about sizes, and what you may need to begin painting in oils. Paint brushes come in two handle lengths, short and long. Long handle brushes are for oil and acrylic painting since you will usually stand at arms length from the canvas and use free, loose strokes. Short handle brushes are used for detail, or for watercolor painting. Sizes vary greatly from brush maker to brush maker, and from style to style. For instance, a #8 Round in one brand may be the same size as a #12 Round in another brand. So rather than tell you to go get a #8 round, I am going to give you my brush size recommendations in actual inches. For any style painting you will want to use the largest brush that you can for any given stroke. The corner of a large Flat can be used to paint a small detail stroke. For blocking in color, and large bold strokes you want a wide brush, either a Flat or Filbert. For the beginning stages of a painting I recommend purchasing two China Bristle brushes. Buy one brush, either Flat or Filbert, between 3/4 to one inch wide; and buy one brush, either Flat or Filbert between 3/8" and 1/2" wide. If one is a filbert, I would make the other a flat. Next, for the middle to late stages of the painting I recommend two brushes, either Synthetic or Sable. One should be either Flat or Filbert, +- 1/2" wide; and one, either Flat or Filbert, 1/4" wide. Next, purchase one Round brush, either Hog Bristle or Synthetic, about 3/16" to 1/4" wide and 3/4" to one inch long. This will be used for detail mostly and is generally used in the latter stages of the painting. You will want one Rigger brush, about 1/16 to 1/8" wide, and one inch long or longer. This will be used for fine details. A fan brush is a nice addition. One made from Synthetic or Sable like material, between 1" to 1-1/2". So here is the list; all are long handled except where noted:
Flat-Hog Bristle, 3/4" wide
Filbert- Hog Bristle, 1/2" wide
Flat - Fitch or Synthetic, 1/2" wide
Filbert - Fitch/Sable, 1/4" wide
Round- Fitch or Synthetic, 3/16" diameter
Rigger - Synthetic, 1/16" X 1" (probably #1) short handle
Fan - Synthetic, 1-1/4" wide
This basic brush set will serve you well. Over time, you will no doubt learn which brush and size you enjoy using the most. You will, no doubt, add to this list. You will probably take away from it. But the brushes you ultimately choose will come from brush mileage, starting with these. Cleaning your brushes is of utmost importance also; so clean your brushes with brush cleaning soap after each painting session and allow them to dry while lying flat. A good brush conditioner for the natural bristle brushes is a good idea, and some soaps have the conditioner already in them. I prefer General Pencil's "The Master" Brush cleaner and conditioner. There are many on the market though. Do NOT use Dishwashing Detergent on natural hair brushes. This will strip the natural oils from the brushes and leave them dry and ruined over time. Once dry, store the brushes either in a jar or other container with the wooden handle end down, bristles pointed up. Or lay them flat. Never stand a brush on it's bristle end or leave one sitting in cleaner.
Flat-Hog Bristle, 3/4" wide
Filbert- Hog Bristle, 1/2" wide
Flat - Fitch or Synthetic, 1/2" wide
Filbert - Fitch/Sable, 1/4" wide
Round- Fitch or Synthetic, 3/16" diameter
Rigger - Synthetic, 1/16" X 1" (probably #1) short handle
Fan - Synthetic, 1-1/4" wide
This basic brush set will serve you well. Over time, you will no doubt learn which brush and size you enjoy using the most. You will, no doubt, add to this list. You will probably take away from it. But the brushes you ultimately choose will come from brush mileage, starting with these. Cleaning your brushes is of utmost importance also; so clean your brushes with brush cleaning soap after each painting session and allow them to dry while lying flat. A good brush conditioner for the natural bristle brushes is a good idea, and some soaps have the conditioner already in them. I prefer General Pencil's "The Master" Brush cleaner and conditioner. There are many on the market though. Do NOT use Dishwashing Detergent on natural hair brushes. This will strip the natural oils from the brushes and leave them dry and ruined over time. Once dry, store the brushes either in a jar or other container with the wooden handle end down, bristles pointed up. Or lay them flat. Never stand a brush on it's bristle end or leave one sitting in cleaner.