HOW TO CHOOSE BRUSHES FOR OIL PAINTING?

By Daniela Ciobanu

Being a painter myself, I know how important choosing brushes whether it's for oil painting, watercolours, or any other medium can. Luckily, working at an art shop in Bournemouth has provided me extra insights and experience into choosing the right type of brushes from all available variety. That's why I want to share it with you - I want to help both beginners and seasoned artists making well-informed decisions that will elevate the quality of their artwork.

Each brush has its own distinct characteristics, from the bristle type to the shape of the tip, and understanding these nuances can significantly enhance the painting process. Whether you are looking for a brush that creates fine details with precision or one that allows for bold and expressive strokes, there is a perfect match out there waiting to be discovered.

Let's look at the most popular types of brush shapes that we can choose from:

#1 Round Brush - Essential for detail work, washes, and achieving thin to thick lines. A versatile must-have in any artist's toolkit.

#2 Flat Brush - Ideal for bold strokes, washes, and filling wide spaces.

#3 Bright Brush - Similar to Flat Brush but with shorter bristles. They offer more control and are excellent for thicker or heavier colour application.

#4 Angle Brush - These brushes have an angled edge, ideal for curved strokes and filling corners, especially useful in detailed character work.

#5 Filbert Brush - With a rounded edge, filbert brushes are perfect for blending and creating soft, rounded edges.

#6 Mottler Brush - Large and flat, mottlers are perfect for priming canvases, especially with oil pain. They cover large areas quickly and evenly.

#7 Mop Brush - Very soft and rounded, mops are used for dusting loose pigment and blending subtle transitions in oil and watercolour paintings.

#8 Dagger Brush - Shaped like a dagger, this brush is excellent for creating sharp, cutting lines with its angled bristles. It's versatile for detailed work and broader strokes in oil painting.

#9 Fan Brush - Used for blending, texturing, or creating natural-looking elements like foliage and hair in oil paintings.

#10 Stippler Brush - Round or Flat with stiff, short bristles, stipplers are used for stippling texture into wet paint, ideal for creating texture in oil painting.

If you're wondering, "Daniela, do we really need all these shapes?" the answer is no. Starting with just round and flat brushes is completely sufficient - they can meet all our requirements!

Natural vs. Synthetic

Wow, let me tell you about the incredible difference between natural brushes and synthetic ones! I absolutely adore how durable natural brushes, such as sable or mongoose, can be when properly cared for. Not to mention, they hold a remarkable amount of paint and offer unparalleled smoothness. It's truly a game-changer! I do however still use some synthetic ones, as they can be versatile, which can be convenient. And also more affordable. Below, you can discover how I utilize the various types of fibers and brushes.

Specialized Painting Techniques for Oil Painting

Each brush is uniquely suited for specific painting techniques:

Priming Brushes: Mottler, Flat Best Fiber Types: Hog, Synthetic

These brushes are large and can cover extensive areas quickly and evenly, with fibers that can withstand heavy body primers. Sketching Brushes: Filbert, Bright

Best Fiber Types: Hog, Synthetic, Sable

These brushes offer fine points and flexibility, ideal for detailed and intricate line work. Impasto Brushes: Bright, Filbert

Best Fiber Types: Hog, Sable, Mongoose

Their stiffness and robust bristles are perfect for applying and manipulating thick layers of paint, maintaining visible brush strokes.

Glazing Brushes: Filbert, Round

Best Fiber Types: Sable, Synthetic, Mongoose

The softness and smoothness of these brushes allow for applying thin, even layers of paint without disturbing the under layers. Scumbling Brushes: Filbert, Bright

Best Fiber Types: Hog

This type of brush can lightly spread a thin layer of paint of opaque paint to cerate a broken colour effect, where the lower layers of paint show through.

Drybrush Brushes: Flat, Bright

Best Fiber Types: Hog

The stiff and rugged bristles are excellent for applying paint with very little moisture, creating a scratchy, textured effect as the brush skips across the surface.

Varnishing Brushes: Mottler, Flat

Best Fiber Types: Synthetic

Synthetic fibers provide a smooth, even application of varnish without absorption, ensuring clear, protective coat over the artwork.

Tips for Beginners

To begin, it may be less daunting to start with a simple collection of brushes. I suggest including a small round brush, a medium filbert, and a large flat brush as they are adaptable and suitable for a variety of techniques and materials. Furthermore, I recommend trying out various brushes to determine which ones complement your style and approach the most. It's important to note that there are no strict rules in this process. This is merely a starting point to help you along! By mixing and matching different brush styles, you can achieve distinctive textures and effects that enrich the complexity and sentiment of your artwork or the message you wish to convey.

Selecting the right brush is more than just a practical decision; it's your choice. Remember, you are the artist! For further details and more in-depth insights on mastering brush selection for your painting, don't hesitate to explore our comprehensive guide that I've made for you which you can find it here.