Paint brushes

Paint brushes: types of bristle, different head shapes, which paint brush you need for your paint; sizes.

Hosted by:
Stanislav Shalunov

Paint brushes are made with natural or synthetic bristles arranged by hand, tied and glued together and fitted in a metal ferrule, which is attached to a handle. The glue in a brush head is either wax-based, or epoxy resin. Paint brushes' handles are made of plain or lacquered wood, or plastic. Different paints require different bristles. The quality of brush depends on how well the bristles are arranged.

Natural bristle: watercolor and other thin paints require soft and springy bristle. The best and most expensive watercolor paint brushes are made of Kolinski sable bristle which is flexible and tapers naturally. Squirrel is a cheaper alternative. The difference is more crucial in fine paint brushes for detailed work. Goat bristle is used in Chinese calligraphy brushes. Hog and ox bristle is used for thick paints like oil and gouache.

Synthetic bristle: varies greatly in firmness and in quality. Relatively stiff nylon paint brushes are meant for acrylic paints and they are flexible enough even for thin acrylic ink. I use Winsor and Newton Galeria paint brushed for Speedball ink and clean them with Speedball pen cleaner.

Size: paint brushes have sizes, the smaller the number the smaller the brush. A flat paintbrush size twelve is about 3/4" wide. A round number ten is 1/4" in diameter, a round number 1 is 1/16" (at the opening of ferrule). People often use several paint brushes in different sizes. I use #1 and #5 with my ink.

Paint brushes come in several shapes. Watercolor, acrylic, oil and inking brushes all can be round. Flats and brights (the shorter and therefore stiffer flats) are not used for thin paints. Filberts (tapered flat paint brushes) are used with oil and acrylic paint. Angled and fan paint brushes come useful in craft projects.

Care: never dip paint brushes down to the ferrule. Paint will get inside and never get out. Dried up paint in the ferrule will force bristles out of the alignment. Wash with warm soapy water, avoiding getting ferrule too wet. Hot or just excessive water will eventually loosen the wax glue. There are paint brush soaps in art stores, but some people just use shampoo with conditioner for natural bristle paint brushes. Reshape after each use. Let dry head up. Some Chinese calligraphy brushes come with a loop for hanging them bristle down.

Paint brushes are assembled by hand. The price of the brush reflects the price of bristle and the care with which the paint brush was shaped. A Kolinsky sable round #2 costs $15. A nylon round #2 by the same Winsor and Newton costs $4.