Painting Made Easy: How to Choose the Right Paint Brushes for Your Project

Professional artists are already familiar with the fact that not all types of brushes can be used for different paints, and not all of them will give you the same effect and benefit, much like working with different drawing pens. The truth is that choosing the right brushes for painting can directly impact the application, finish and the overall painting experience and painting quality.

According to experienced painters, different paints and projects require the use of specific brushes in order to achieve specific effects, so understanding the types of brushes offered on the market is paramount in helping you achieve the needed effect.

What Is the Best Brush to Use for Painting?

Given the fact that brushes for painting are an important tool for any painter, it’s worth looking deeper into their types and models in order to find the right set for your projects. Generally speaking, you can choose from the many types of brushes for painting designed for oil, acrylic, and watercolour paints. Additionally, you should also know that not every brush is good for every medium, which explains the fact why you should go over them and pick the ones that will best meet your needs.

Acrylic Brush

Those of you who find satisfaction in painting with acrylic paint should certainly invest in synthetic paint brushes since they can resist any chemical that comes in contact with them. Taking into consideration that acrylic paints have a high pH and the alkalinity can damage natural hair, making it brittle and fall apart eventually, it goes to show why the use of synthetic brushes is the best solution. Stiff polyester brushes should be used when painting with thicker paint since they also have a good snap, while soft-bodied brushes should be used for more fluid paints.

Oil Brush

As oil paints are based on oil, using both natural and synthetic brushes is completely acceptable. When it comes to choosing natural brushes, the natural hog bristle brushes are the most common choice since they have good stiffness and can hold more paint than synthetic brushes. For creating fine details and glazes with oil paint, it’s recommended to use red sable brushes or soft synthetic hair brushes that have a good spring.

Watercolour Brush

When it comes to choosing the right brushes for watercolour paints, you should certainly stick to the use of natural ones, as they can provide you with greater paint control. Unlike natural brushes, the synthetic ones tend to absorb less water, making the watercolour gather excessively at the tip, which will result in running quickly. In other words, synthetic brushes offer no paint control. In case you can’t find natural ones in the time you need them for your project, you can always invest in brushes that are a combination of synthetic and natural fibres.

Important Things to Look for in Painting Brushes

Regardless of the type of brush you want to invest in, there are some important things that you should take into account to make the right choice:

• Look for a brush that can maintain its performance and retain its shape no matter how often you use it.
• Look for paint brushes that have good paint hold capacity and paint release.
• Look for brushes with elastic and strong hairs, ones that are quality enough to provide you with the needed effect.
• Look for ones that can be used on the medium you plan to paint.
• When in search of a synthetic one, make sure to choose chemically resistant brushes in order to allow for cleaning with solvents.

Natural vs. Synthetic

Truth be said, both of these brushes have their pros and cons, and there really isn’t a right or wrong type. Today’s synthetic brushes can even imitate natural brushes in appearance and touch, which means that they can successfully do their job. The pros of natural hair brushes are their amazing capacity to hold water and paint, giving you complete control over everything.

Depending on the type and model you choose, you should keep in mind that some of them can leave hair behind when painting, which means that they are prone to shedding. These painting supplies also seem to be pricier than the synthetic ones, however, if you need them for painting with watercolours and oil paints in particular, they are the best. In the end, it’s the results you want to see, so it’ll certainly pay off to invest in them rather than synthetic ones.

Synthetic hair brushes, on the other hand, have greater chemical resistance, making them perfect for acrylic paint. They can also be used when working with lacquers and varnishes of different kinds. Unfortunately, they cannot hold up much paint because of their hair, meaning that it is impossible to provide you with the same painting effect. In those times when you need both of them, you can always invest in a combination of both synthetic and natural hair brushes for greater effect.