Where do paint brushes come from?

Paint brushes come in many forms. As a beginner, you may choose your brush according to factors like size and shape, but did you know that your brush's bristle material is just as important? 

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Know Your Brush Bristles 

The type of material your brush bristles are made of can affect your painting as much as the size and shape of your brush. Learn what different brush materials can do for your art to help you find the best brushes for your painting needs.  

1. Natural Bristle Brushes

Natural bristle brushes have bristles made of natural fibers sourced from animal hair which can come from hog, horse, sable, and many more. Of course, each type of natural bristle comes with advantages and disadvantages as well as uses. 

Hog

One of the most popular natural bristle materials comes from hog hair. 

Hog bristle brushes are naturally strong and springy with coarse split-ends giving them better grip and less likelihood of skipping. They're also quite affordable. 

However, being made of natural hair means hog bristle brushes shed bristles more easily. They're also not as soft as other natural bristle materials. 

When it comes to uses, hog bristle brushes are great for painting animal hair, fur, and feathers. 

Horse 

Horse hair was and still is a common material used in paintbrushes. 

This natural fiber is coarse, tough, often kinked, and can hold a lot of paint so you won't have to stop painting to reapply paint as often. They're also inexpensive. 

Unfortunately, you often get what you pay for, so don't expect top-quality performance from horse hair brushes as they don't keep their shape very well, even when wet.

Due to their propensity for holding a lot of paint, horse hair brushes are best used for filling in large areas of your canvas more quickly. Their softness also makes them great for adding texture and blending.

Ox (Sabeline) 

Sabeline brushes are made from light ox hair dyed to resemble (the far more expensive) red sable hair. 

Sabeline brushes have softness similar to that of red sable but at a fraction of the cost. 

That said, while sabeline brushes may be as soft as red sable, they just don't come to a fine point, unlike the real thing. They can't compare to red sable brushes when it comes to fine detail work.

Sabeline brushes are ideal if you're looking for a soft natural bristle brush to use for fills, washes, and dry brushing.

Goat or Sheep 

Goat or sheep hair brushes have similar qualities. 

Both have excellent absorbency (sheep being a bit more absorbent) with little to no spring. 

Goat or sheep hair brushes are great for applying washes.

Badger 

Badger hair is one of the oldest natural hairs used in brush bristles. 

Badger hair is naturally strong and springy. They're thinner at the base and wider at the tip giving them a bushy appearance. 

They're ideal for oil painting on canvas.

Squirrel 

Squirrel hair brushes are popular for their sable-like qualities. 

This thin hair has a pointed tip which helps it form a sharp point. Another advantage of this natural fiber is its price compared to sable hair brushes. That said, squirrel hair virtually has no spring, making them somewhat difficult to control.

Squirrel hair brushes are ideal for lettering and for when you need to leave a very smooth finish.

Sable

Sable brushes are by far some of the most sought-after natural hair brushes today. 

The term "sable" can refer to martens of different colors, the finest of which are red sable and kolinsky. Both types have superb springiness (kolinsky having a bit more), have great absorbency, and can still hold a fine point despite being wet. 

Perhaps the only flaw with sable brushes is that they're quite expensive to purchase.  

Because of their springy and absorbent qualities as well as their ability to retain a point, sable hair brushes are great for many painting techniques. 

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2. Synthetic Bristle Brushes

Synthetic brushes have bristles consisting of man-made materials such as nylon, polyester, and more. These brushes are made to mimic or improve the performance of natural fibers. While these synthetic materials may look similar in brush form, they possess unique qualities that make for advantages and disadvantages.

Nylon 

Nylon was first used on February 28, , and has since become one of the most commonly used polyamides. 

As a bristle material, nylon is known for its durability and ability to leave a smooth finish due to its being a very low abrasion material. While you can use nylon brushes with oil or alkyd paints, they're best used for water-based acrylic paints.  

Nylon's ability to load acrylic paint and leave a smooth finish makes it great for many acrylic painting techniques. 

Polyester  

Another popular synthetic brush material is polyester. 

This material holds its shape well, giving you better control. Polyester brushes are also quite inexpensive compared to natural bristle brushes. 

One flaw polyester brushes do have is that they don't pick up paint very well. 

Other Synthetic Materials

Most synthetic brushes use nylon, polyester, or a combination of both. Some manufacturers do use other materials like lycra, spandex, or rayon in their brushes in varying amounts.    

3. Blended Bristle Brushes 

Not all natural or synthetic brushes exclusively use just one. 

You can find natural brushes that combine the springiness of hog hair with squirrel hair's ability to form a point. Of course, other combinations of natural fibers are also possible. 

As mentioned earlier, synthetic brushes can also come in a combination of nylon, polyester, and other materials to mimic the performance of even the most expensive natural brushes. 

4. Natural vs. Synthetic: Pros and Cons

Now that you've learned what natural and synthetic bristles can bring to the table, how do they stack up as a whole? 

On the one hand:

Natural brushes pick up paint exceptionally well. Animal hairs develop split ends naturally, which results in a smoother finish. Natural brushes are also great for brushwork and visible brush strokes.

However:

Since natural fibers are harder to obtain (often not cruelty-free), high-quality natural brushes are usually more expensive. They also require special care to maintain their shape, size, and performance. Additionally, they don't work with acrylic paints very well and they tend to shed.

On the other hand:

Synthetic brushes are very durable and require less maintenance overall. They work well with any paint, especially acrylics, and can create fine details, smooth finishes, and little to no brush marks if you so desire. Synthetic brushes are also quite inexpensive and cruelty-free.

That said:

Do make sure not to expose synthetic brushes to high heat or harsh solvents. 

In Conclusion 

Paintbrush bristles can be made up of natural animal hair or man-made synthetic materials. Each material offers its own blend of unique qualities. These materials can also be mixed with another material to make a brush with the qualities of both. 

We hope that you use what you've learned in this post to find the best paintbrush for your artistic needs. 

Read our blog to learn about what brushes to use on canvas, murals, and more.

We also offer a top-notch quality line of Jack Richeson fine art brushes that you can check out in our shop.  

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Brush for painting

Paintbrush

Paintbrushes

ClassificationBrushUsesPainting

A paintbrush is a brush used to apply paint or ink. A paintbrush is usually made by clamping bristles to a handle with a ferrule. They are available in various sizes, shapes, and materials. Thicker ones are used for filling in, and thinner ones are used for details. They may be subdivided into decorators' brushes used for painting and decorating and artists' brushes use for visual art.

History

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Paintbrushes were used by man as early as the Paleolithic era in around 2.5 million years ago in order to apply pigment.[1]

Old painting kits, estimated to be around 100,000 years old, were discovered in a cave in what is now modern South Africa.[2]

Ancient Egyptian paintbrushes were made of split palm leaves and used by ancestors to beautify their surroundings. The oldest brushes ever found were also made of animal hair.

Parts

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Brush parts

• Bristles: Transfer paint onto the substrate surface
• Ferrule: Retains the bristles and attaches them to the handle
• Handle: The intended interface between the user and the tool

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Trade

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Brushes for use in non-artistic trade painting are geared to applying an even coat of paint to relatively large areas. Following are the globally recognized handles of trade painter's brushes:[4]

• Gourd handle: Ergonomic design that reduces stress on the wrist and hand whilst painting.
• Short handle: The shorter handle provides greater precision when painting small spaces such as corners, trims & detail areas.
• Flat beavertail handle: This shape is rounded and slightly flattened to fit perfectly into the palm of the hand whilst painting.
• Square handle: Square shaped handle with bevelled corners is featured mainly in trim or sash brushes and is comfortable to hold when painting.
• Rat tail handle: This handle is longer & thinner than the standard making it easy to hold to give greater control.
• Long handle: Rounded and thin, a long handle is easy to hold like a pencil giving great control & precision when cutting in & painting tricky spaces.

Brush handle styles

Decorating

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Decorators' brushes

The sizes of brushes used for painting and decorating.

Decorating sizes

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Decorators' brush sizes are given in millimeters (mm) or inches (in), which refers to the width of the head. Common sizes are:

• Metric (mm): 10 &#; 20 &#; 40 &#; 50 &#; 60 &#; 70 &#; 80 &#; 90 &#; 100.
• Customary (inches):

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Decorating shapes

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• Angled: For painting edges, bristle length viewed from the wide face of the brush uniformly decrease from one end of the brush to the other
• Flat: For painting flat surfaces, bristle length viewed from the wide face of the brush does not change
• Tapered: Improves control, the bristle length viewed from the narrow face of the brush is longer in the center and tapers toward the edges
• Striker: Large round (cylindrical) brush for exterior painting difficult areas

Decorating bristles

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Bristles may be natural or synthetic. If the filaments are synthetic, they may be made of polyester, nylon or a blend of nylon and polyester. Filaments can be hollow or solid and can be tapered or untapered. Brushes with tapered filaments give a smoother finish.

Synthetic filaments last longer than natural bristles. Natural bristles are preferred for oil-based paints and varnishes, while synthetic brushes are better for water-based paints as the bristles do not expand when wetted.

A decorator judges the quality of a brush based on several factors: filament retention, paint pickup, steadiness of paint release, brush marks, drag and precision painting. A chiseled brush permits the painter to cut into tighter corners and paint more precisely.

Brush handles may be made of wood or plastic while ferrules are metal (usually nickel-plated steel).

Art

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Short handled brushes are usually used for flat or slightly tilted work surfaces such as watercolor painting and ink painting, while long handled brushes are held horizontally while working on a vertical canvas such as for oil paint or acrylic paint.[5]:&#;51&#;

Art shapes

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The styles of brush tip seen most commonly are:[6][3][5]:&#;52&#;59&#;

• Round: pointed tip, long closely arranged bristles for detail.
• Flat: for spreading paint quickly and evenly over a surface. They will have longer hairs than their Bright counterpart.
• Bright: shorter than flats. Flat brushes with short stiff bristles, good for driving paint into the weave of a canvas in thinner paint applications, as well as thicker painting styles like impasto work.
• Filbert: flat brushes with domed ends. They allow good coverage and the ability to perform some detail work.
• Fan: for blending broad areas of paint.
• Angle: like the filbert, these are versatile and can be applied in both general painting application as well as some detail work.
• Mop: a larger format brush with a rounded edge for broad soft paint application as well as for getting thinner glazes over existing drying layers of paint without damaging lower layers to protect the paintbrush
• Rigger: round brushes with longish hairs, traditionally used for painting the rigging in pictures of ships. They are useful for fine lines and are versatile for both oils and watercolors.
• Stippler and deer-foot stippler: short, stubby rounds
• Liner: elongated rounds
• Dagger: looks like angle with longish hairs, used for one stroke painting like painting long leaves.
• Scripts: highly elongated rounds
• Egbert: a filbert with extra long hair, used for oil painting

Types of brushes Brushes used in one stroke painting

Some other styles of brush include:

• Sumi: Similar in style to certain watercolor brushes, also with a generally thick wooden or metal handle and a broad soft hair brush that when wetted should form a fine tip. Also spelled Sumi-e (&#;&#;, Ink wash painting).
• Hake (&#;&#;): An Asian style of brush with a large broad wooden handle and an extremely fine soft hair used in counterpoint to traditional Sumi brushes for covering large areas. Often made of goat hair.
• Spotter: Round brushes with just a few short bristles. These brushes are commonly used in spotting photographic prints.
• Stencil: A round brush with a flat top used on stencils to ensure the bristles don't get underneath. Also used to create texture.

Art sizes

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Artists' brushes are usually given numbered sizes, although there is no exact standard for their physical dimensions. From smallest to largest, the sizes are: 20/0, 12/0, 10/0, 7/0, 6/0, 5/0, 4/0 (also written ), 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30, 2 inch, 4 inch, 6 inch, and 8 inch. Brushes as fine as 30/0 are manufactured by major companies, but are not a common size. Sizes 000 to 20 are most common.[3][5]:&#;51&#;

Art bristles

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Closeup of an oil paintbrush

Bristles may be natural&#;either soft hair or hog bristle&#;or synthetic.[5]:&#;50&#; Types include:

• watercolor brushes which are usually made of sable, synthetic sable or nylon;
• oil painting brushes which are usually made of sable or bristle;
• acrylic brushes which are almost entirely nylon or synthetic.

Turpentine or thinners used in oil painting can destroy some types of synthetic brushes. However, innovations in synthetic bristle technology have produced solvent resistant synthetic bristles suitable for use in all media. Natural hair, squirrel, badger or sable are used by watercolorists due to their superior ability to absorb and hold water.

Soft hair brushes

The best of these are made from kolinsky sable, other red sables, or miniver (Russian squirrel winter coat; tail) hair. Sabeline is ox hair dyed red to look like red sable and sometimes blended with it. Camel hair is a generic term for a cheaper and lower quality alternative, usually ox. It can be other species, or a blend of species, but never includes camel. Pony, goat, mongoose and badger hair are also used.

Hog bristle

Often called China bristle or Chungking bristle. This is stiffer and stronger than soft hair. It may be bleached or unbleached.

Synthetic bristles

These are made of special multi-diameter extruded nylon filament, Taklon or polyester. These are becoming ever more popular with the development of new water based paints.

Art handles

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Artists' brush handles are commonly wooden but can also be made of molded plastic. Many mass-produced handles are made of unfinished raw wood; better quality handles are of seasoned hardwood. The wood is sealed and lacquered to give the handle a high-gloss, waterproof finish that reduces soiling and swelling. Many brush companies offer long or short brush handle sizes.

Metal ferrules may be of aluminum, nickel, copper, or nickel-plated steel. Quill ferrules are also found: these give a different "feel" to the brush, and are staple of French-style aquarel wash brushes.

References

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• paint brushes at Wikimedia Commons

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