Brushes
PAINTING BRUSHES - INDISPENSABLE TOOL FOR EVERY ARTIST
The first things that come to mind when talking about painting are paints of different colors, canvas, and, of course, art paintbrushes.
However, it is not so easy to choose the right painting brush as it seems. It depends on such points as:
- ekind of paint you are going to use;
- the sizes of the picture`s details you want to paint;
- the canvas size;
Painting is a hobby for most people, and sometimes even a favorite job. This means that the more positive emotions you get, the better. The work must proceed smoothly and confidently. And for this, you need to be sure of the property of the painting brush. Painting brushes should be of good quality so that the bristles do not fall out. Besides, you need more than one artist brush, so that in different parts of the picture you will have to apply thin or, vice versa, thick brushstroke. Thus, we advise you to have a paint brush set with art brushes of different sizes.
Paintbrushes differ not only in the size and density of the hair bundle but also in the materials from which these products are made. Undoubtedly, the whole process of work depends on the characteristics of the painting brush: starting with the convenience of painting with it and ending with the result of creativity.
Types of Paint Brushes: Material
Hair bundle, as a rule, are made of natural materials, namely animal hair. Besides, there are synthetic hairs. Let us look at the types of brushes according to the material.
Squirrel
Quality brushes are made of squirrel tail. Besides, they are only in round shape; the color of the bristles is black or dark brown. This painting brush keeps humid longer.
Weasel
Kolinsky sable brushes are more versatile than the previous one because the bristles are more elastic. However, weasel hair painting brushes keep humid not so long, so one has to wet it more often.
Cow
This type is made of cow ear hair processed in such a way that the bristles become soft, silky, but quite elastic.
Goat
Goat hair is an excellent material for a painting brush which is elastic, smooth. Besides, one of its features is temperature resistance. Also, goat hair artist brushes keep moisture well.
Bristle
These artist brushes are made from pig bristle taken from the auricle. And do not think that this is the cheapest tool. The best painting brushes are made of Chinese barrow pig bristles.
Synthetic
brushes have been designed to simulate kolinsky sable brushes. They are very elastic, smooth, have a sharp tip. However, sometimes it is difficult to keep them moist. Use synthetic brushes of polyester fibers in such cases.
WHAT TYPES OF BRUSHES ARE USED FOR DIFFERENT TYPES OF PAINTS?
- Watercolor brushes. They are soft, usually, of natural origin, keep moisture well. Watercolor paintbrushes are made of squirrel hair (the softest, keep water best of all), and kolinsky sable (bristles are hard). Also, artists may appreciate synthetic watercolor brushes of high quality.
- Oil paintbrushes. For oil painting, one uses hard artist brushes that are maximally resistant to solvents. That are ones made of natural bristles, such as pig bristles and, oddly enough, kolinsky sable. A synthetic brush, in turn, gives smooth, beautiful brushstroke, but bristles could fall out being subjected to solvents.
- Acrylic painting brushes. Here the first place is given to synthetic brushes, well, or to acrylic brushes of mixed type (natural + synthetics bristles). A dense brush stroke is what you need for thick paints. One may also use all the other types of acrylic paint brushes with natural bristles except for squirrel hair which requires too gentle treatment.
- Gouache. Since the paint is quite dense, very soft brushes are not suitable for it. Subsequently, it is better to choose synthetic brush as well as goat and kolinsky sable brushes for wet paint application, whereas you may prefer bristle ones when depicting grass, trees, and clouds (for dry paint application).
What Is Water Brush?
As you know, watercolor dissolves in water and has the smallest viscosity of all art paints. Thus, the watercolor brushes should absorb the paint well and apply it to paper just as well. The hair must be soft enough so as not to damage the surface of the paper.
There are two popular beliefs: some artists claim that the best watercolor brushes are made of squirrel’s hair, others said - of weasel. Both are right in their own way. However, there is another good option. Let's have a look.
A water brush is ordinary brushes with a tank of water. All their charm is that there is no need to take time out from the work to get a glass of water, wet a painting brush, go to change dirty water, etc. When you have to paint fast or make a sketch somewhere on the way then a travel watercolor brush is something that you need.
The device has a convenient design. By squeezing the elastic container, you pass enough amount of water. The tip of the water brush is represented by a synthetic nap, which holds its shape for a long time. Besides, it is narrow, so you can paint small details.
