Home Forums Explore Media Oil Painting Psst! can we talk about BRUSHES please??

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  • #984590
    Yokovich
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        Hiya folks–You know, I just want to know what you all like and why–I want to get a bit more serious. What are your recommendations? I currently have an assortment that could probably be called “cheap” –the best ones I own are some bob ross brand (don’t laugh–they really are pretty nice and have kind of a “squirrel” quality) trouble is, I have several the same shape and size.
        Now that I am willing to invest in better equipment I feel a little lost. Are you happy with synthetic? What brand do you like? Where do you obtain them? Your input appreciated. I looked for brush reviews in the review section, there weren’t any. Thanks in advance! (I am painting with winsor newton and m graham regular oil paints and I occassionally dabble in acrylics)

        #1042243
        Sandra B
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            Celestia,
            You have unwittingly opened a can of worms here! :) You will get a vast range of responses as each artist has his/her own style and preferences.

            Now, for my 2 cents…
            I probably have 200 paintbrushes, most of which are in buckets and drawers collecting dust. I even have a Bob Ross “Tree” brush (it actually has “trees” printed on the handle – part of a lucky flea market find) :D
            For me, cheap hog hair filberts are the ticket. I use two sizes, 2 & 4. I find I can paint anything with a filbert and in buying the cheap-o’s I have no problem throwing them away. I say put your money in the best paint and supports you can afford. Most art supply stores sell inexpensive sets of brushes. With these you can experiment with different shapes and sizes without making a big investment. Don’t get bogged down with brand names yet, just find what you like and go from there.

            www.K-9Art.com

            "When you're happy dance round and round and wag your body all over"

            #1042266
            Jaysen
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                Okay, here’s my skinny on brushes…. DO NOT look at the price tag. Just because a brush costs more, doesn’t mean it’s any better. I inherited a full set of W&N Lexington brushes and a few other “expensive” brushes, and I also bought a set of 10 boar bristle brushes for $7.99. Guess which ones I use the most? Well, I mostly use the largest three of the cheapos. For details, I use the small lexington or one of my russian sables.

                #1042252
                Tony11214
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                    Hi;

                    The brush hair should be stiff enough to work, for you, with the stiffness of the paint you want to use. Keep in mind that, for a given type of brush hair, brushes with long hairs will be softer then the ones with shorter hairs.

                    Sable is for very liquid paint (thinned a lot with medium and thinners). I almost never need to use sables.

                    Mongoose is for semi-liquid paint (not so thinned out).

                    Bristle is for stiff paint.

                    Different brush shapes help you do different things, but I think round brushes with a point are the most useful in general.

                    Learn what you can about brushes and then go out and get ONLY two or three, at first. Then try them out for a while and see if they work for the way you paint. Don’t go out and buy like 12 expensive brushes, because if you find that they don’t work for you you’ll be stuck with them (and out lots of cash too).

                    Tony

                    #1042304
                    WV.Artistry
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                        Trench Report

                        I’m pretty rough on brushes (shoes, relationships, etc.) but I’ve had some success with Princeton brushes. They clean up, and hold their form well even with my abuse. Their bristle (hog hair) brushes are for the initial paint phase because they tend to get more paint on the canvas, and their synthetics are useful for stiff, putty knife, sculpting, scraping effects. Primarily, I’m using the #2 and #4 filberts of both the bristle and synthetic, but I also like a few others for more specific things.

                        I regularly shop the “bucket bargains” for .50 cent fan brushes, that are stiff, bristle (hog hair) and then discard them after use.

                        For finishing (upper layers of paint), the sables of Isabela are wonderful because they give me absolute control — they are unfortunately, fragile things in my hand. I use the #1, #2 filberts, and #1 bright for minute’ details. I like their #4 filbert. NOTE: One push, and they are destroyed. Sawing, rolling, scraping, sculpting, and other techniques should be done with other brushes.

                        A Badger Brush for smoothing costs about $75+ (I don’t own one), but use a a Goat Hair that costs about .50 cents and discard after use (if I use it at all).

                        Lowell & Corning make brush packs, both in synthetic and bristle (broom), that can be discarded. They are good for experimenting, mediums, varnish, glazes, gesso, and things that destroy brushes.

                        Richard

                        #1042264
                        gunzorro
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                            Glad you asked! I love brushes, and am bocoming quite the collector (and user!). I must have at least 200 quality brushes, and keep weeding out the cheapos. I buy most brushes on eBay, but secondarily from ASW. I use white chungking bristle the most, next would be synthetics (usually for acrylics), and the least use is my collection of Black Sable and sable.
                            Here is how I would rate the brushes I have, in order of quality, regardless of price:
                            Excellent quality:
                            Isabey Special (fantastic, especially the filberts — but bristles fall in larger sizes — great suppleness and bristle alignment)
                            *Raphael (love the quality, not the bristle shape — bristles tend to splay outward)
                            *Escoda (just recieved — very high quality!)
                            Richeson Signature (surprised me with its excellent suppleness and bristle alignment)
                            older Grumbacher — Gainsborough, Degas and Pre-tested (all superb — stiff and excellent bristle alignment — very durable)
                            Simmons Signet (Great brushes — stiff, but slightly less well aligned than those above)
                            W&N Rathbone (ditto)
                            Leow-Cornell Arttec (fantastic brushes and possibly the best value — they look identical to W&N Rathbone)
                            *da Vinci (simply need more experience with these, what I’ve used have been excellent)

                            Good, to Useful Quality:
                            Creative Mark Pro-Stroke (ASW house brand — very good brushes, especially the huge selection up to size 24!! Frequent 2-for-1 deals with great prices)
                            Johnson Art
                            Dick Blick Masterstroke — (I was disappointed. Smaller ferrule, shorter handles)
                            new Grumbacher — Gainsborough & Degas made in India (no better than Princeton 6200 and 6300)
                            Princeton — no pretense, just decent brushes, often at a very reasonable price
                            Grumbacher Eterna — cheap but useable, the older manufacture the better — definitely better that the Leow-Cornell low end brushes.
                            “No-Name” Chinese bristle, especially in sets — some are decent, especially for preliminary work or underpainting.

                            *European sizes are smaller than equivelent US/British sizes. A daVinci #30R is like a #10R.

                            If I were just entering the bristle field, I would chose ASW’s Creative Mark Pro-Stroke or Princeton on the lower price end, and either the Escoda (harder to find?), Richeson or older Grumbachers.

                            Just for info — the Raphaels are probably the most expensive listed here.

                            Always use the best brush you can afford. I believe it is more important than your paint choice! A well cared for brush can last many, many years. Have fun! Jim

                            #1042247
                            lotusguy
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                                My tuppence worth

                                Get a couple of hog bristle brushes. Learn to use them. Get a couple of synthetic brushes. Learn to use them. Get a couple of sable brushes. Learn to use them and throw away your synthetics.

                                TTFN,
                                Dennis

                                #1042259
                                Yokovich
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                                    helpful answers!!! thanks so much! I might go to the store today and will report back!

                                    #1042248
                                    Mikey
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                                        My favourite brushes for oils and acrylics are Escoda Tadami Mongoose synthetics. The only problem is if acrylic paints gets into the ferrule they split badly.

                                        Mikey

                                        #1042244
                                        WFMartin
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                                            I found that I like brushes by Loew Cornell better than most other brands in their price range. I haven’t a clue of what they’re made, but I test them by pressing them on my hand before buying. They basically are either sable, or some sort of synthetic which imitates sable. I don’t use bristle brushes much at all anymore.

                                            I owned a couple of Loew Cornell brushes that lasted a very long time, and they were flats, that had gotten so worn down from use that they were shaped like filberts. So, after deciding that I really liked the worn down shape, I have now begun to buy filberts. I enjoy those brushes, and buy both the long and short handled versions, and in several sizes.

                                            Bill

                                            wfmartin. My Blog "Creative Realism"...
                                            https://williamfmartin.blogspot.com

                                            #1042267
                                            DGCrum
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                                                Celestia,
                                                You have unwittingly opened a can of worms here! :)

                                                Has anyone tried painting with worms? Wait a minute, seriously, has anyone tried painting with worms. I’m thinking now! My next canvas is ready. I am going to buy 6 dozen worms, dip a dozen each in the primary and secondary colors and set them free on the canvas. If they die, then I am simply going to paint over them where they stopped. If they don’t die, well how will they know I didn’t give them credit for their work?

                                                Okay, I am stuck on filberts. Right now I have a 6 and an 8, and I have a sort of cutter brush that I use to put sharp edges on things. I like it a lot as well. I intend to get several more brushes, mostly Loew and Cornells to do fine work, like leaves etc. To me, I have to hold the brush in my hand and see how it feels. I tend to paint holding the very end of the brush to give me more control and I have some brushes that simply are not comfortable to use. So, I tend not to use them.

                                                I once had a brush with the law but we won’t go into that.

                                                DGCrum

                                                Who puts the can in canvas! We won’t go into that!

                                                #1042242
                                                torncrow
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                                                    This is from an artist that is an extreme technical painter. I deal strictly with ultra-fine detail.

                                                    About brushes? You can’t get detail with hog bristle. I use strictly soft synthetic brushes (Robert Simmons white synthetic, right now). I don’t have to over thin my paints and I don’t have to press hard to get the paint on the canvas. Synths they hold their shape really well if you don’t overly abuse them. And, if they get caked with dried paint. Soak them in some regular paint stripper (semi-paste works the best) for a short time and work the paint right out. Natural hair brushes will fall apart if you do that.

                                                    Don’t get caught up thinking you need a dozen different shaped brushes either. I use Flats, Rounds and Brights up to #12. I get my bigger brushes from a hardware store.

                                                    Always remember the most important thing. “It’s not the brush, it’s the person using it.”

                                                    #1042254
                                                    dcorc
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                                                        my current brushes: W&N Artists Hog, and ProArte Acrylix

                                                        The ProArte brushes are synthetics which are made for acrylic painting, but I like them for oils – they are softer than the bristles – I do most of my painting with them, they are good for tight-detailed, smooth-surfaced layered painting, including glazes – bristles are good for blocking-in, large format, and impressionistic/alla-prima styles.

                                                        Dave

                                                        #1042260
                                                        Yokovich
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                                                            oh dcrum you are such a jokster–lol..worms
                                                            these are great answers–why didn’t I ask this question sooner??
                                                            I do like the look of your synthetics dcorc–I didn’t get to shop for them yesterday..maybe today..I will see if they have any proartes..I do love one brush I picked up called artisan by w&n—but it is for water soluable paint?? (do you suppose that matters at all that I don’t use water soluable?)

                                                            #1042253
                                                            Tony11214
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                                                                Hi;

                                                                The worm thing has been done. It was done in the late 1960s (maybe early 1970s), it got some attention and sold a few paintings.

                                                                The guy said he used some vegetable based paint.

                                                                Tony

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