How to choose the right brush for you?
When you start painting, you often wonder which brush to choose and why. Indeed, we can get so lost in the face of the various materials, lengths and shapes of brushes available in shops specializing in the sale of fine arts materials. Why this diversity and what are all these artist brushes really for? All the explanations and tips in this article.
The composition of a brush
To begin, let's review the composition of this tool so
precious to painters.
A brush is divided into three parts: the tuft of bristles
used to paint, the handle or shaft, to hold it; and the ferrule, the metal part
connecting the tuft to the handle.
There is also another type of brush, which is the water
reservoir brush. It has a body that can hold water. In general, this type of
brush is divided into two parts: the head where the hairs are fixed, as well as
the body, consisting of the reservoir, which also acts as a handle. This type
of brush is very convenient for on the go.
For oil paint and acrylic paint
We can note some differences between brushes for oil
painting and brushes for acrylic painting: the former have much stiffer and
much larger bristles, while the latter are much finer and more flexible. That
said, and in general, oil paint brushes can be used very well for acrylic
painting projects.
You just have to know that stiff brushes leave more traces
on the canvas. If that bothers you, then go for brushes that are suitable for
your project. However, there are many acrylic paintings painted with oil paint
brushes, which have a really impressive rendering.
Long or short brush
The other obvious difference about artistic paint brushes
is the length of their handle. In this specific case, the choice depends on you
and your way of painting. Brushes with short handles are more practical for
artists who like to work on details very closely. Indeed, if the brush handle
is too long, it may get in the way.
On the other hand, if you are an artist who prefers loose
gestures or if you prefer to stand back from your canvas in order to see the
result clearly, or if you are painting a very large canvas, then brushes with
handles long are more recommended for you.
The different brush shapes
As for paint brush shapes, there are several, the main ones
being: cat's tongues, which are slightly rounded; flat brushes, pointed
brushes, thin brushes, and sometimes even very thin ones, wide brushes, and even
very wide ones, bevel brushes...
If you are new to painting, you are advised to opt for a
brush kit. Thus, you will have in your hands different shapes that you can try
and test as you wish. This is the best way to know what suits you the most, in
relation to your practices.
But in general, here is what brushes are used for,
depending on their shape: the square brush, the short flat brush and the long
flat brush are the most used to create backgrounds and flat areas. Round
brushes are intended for modeling shapes and executing details. Pointed brushes
are also used to fine-tune details and they are also very useful for touch-ups
and finishes. Fan brushes, on the other hand, are made for blending and
blending.
hair fibers
The point here is not to compare natural brush hairs and
synthetic brush hairs, because in the end, both work just fine, as long as they
are of quality. It should however be mentioned that in the family of brushes
with natural bristles, there are fairly rigid bristles, such as those made of
hog bristles; the fine hairs that come from ponies, goats, polecats or
mongooses; and extra-fine hair from sable or squirrel.
Now you have elements that will help you choose the right
types of brushes for you. You just have to remember to clean your brushes well
after finishing a painting project. This is the best way to keep them as long
as possible, because the paints stuck to the bristles quickly damage them,
whatever type of brush you have in your possession.
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