Oil Painting Brushes?!?!!

[ben adelmann]

Does anyone know what oil painting brushes are of the highest quality?
I just started painting, bought some high end (meaning expensive) kolinsky sable brushes, made by Escoda. They fell apart on me the second i started using them, fraying and falling off into my painting. I have no clue what to buy or trust now that this happened, since it Escoda was supposed to be a great brand, or so the art store people say. Frustrating to say the least.. just need to know what is out there at the top of the list, money is no option for me when it comes to tools.

[HunterKiller_]

Don't always listen to store representatives. Many of them either don't know shit, or say anything to make you buy the product.

Do your own research before purchasing expensive things.

[DSillustration]

Ben,

What brushes are good depends often on the way you paint...
not the brand you paint with.
Different brushes do different things.

For instance,
if you paint on really rough surfaces (like a course canvas), natural sable brushes will fall apart rather quickly.
Instead, try using bristle brushes.
They are great when laying in fast areas.

Soft brushes are reserved for a smoother stroke.
Personally, I like synthetic sable.
It lasts longer that a natural sable and can take a lot more abuse.

For both I prefer Utrecht Brand brushes.
They are the generic brushes the store makes, but I like them more than any others I've tried.
(and I've tried just about everything)
For the cost, they are awesome.

Here's a link to the ones I use:
http://www.utrechtart.com/dsp_view_products.cfm?classID=1210&subclassID=121013&brandname=Utrecht

[Lukias]

Yeah after using cheaper brushes for a while I decided to splash out on some expensive ones(5x the price)... I found no fundamental difference(of course this doesn't mean its true in every case). They had pretty much the same life.
You don't neccassarily need expensive gear.. I know that Morgan Weistling uses cheap brushes and Windsor & Newton paint(which cost wise, is very much at the low end of the spectrum) and yet the results speak for themselves. Considering you're starting out I'd keep it simple and slowly build on your knowledge of equipment. trial and error.

...take DSillustration's advice. He knows a'plenty.

[sweetoblivion314]

I actually use Escoda brushes and love them. i have never had a bristle fall out. But it really all depends on how you paint with them. Kolinsky sable is a very delicate brush. You aren't gonna use it like a house painting brush or use very much pressure at all or you will kill it. Treat it as if you are painting with a babies head.
Also you should make sure you aren't getting paint into the ferrel (the metal part that holds the hair) this will cause the paint to dry in there and and lower the spring and response of the brush. Also dont get turp into the ferrel because it will eat away at the glue and cause the hair to fall out.

the only brushes i have really had problems with are Langanickle (even though both Richard Schmid and Jerremy Lipking love them, they lose hair very easily but the response and spring are very nice for their painting style). I also have found that Isabey flats and brights flare out even though they are advertised as interlocked bristles.

[Elwell]

For both I prefer Utrecht Brand brushes.
They are the generic brushes the store makes, but I like them more than any others I've tried.
(and I've tried just about everything)
For the cost, they are awesome.

Here's a link to the ones I use:
http://www.utrechtart.com/dsp_view_products.cfm?classID=1210&subclassID=121013&brandname=Utrecht

I second this recommendation. I'm especially fond of their "Manglon" (synthetic mongoose) brushes, in flats and filberts. For detail work, nothing beats a nice sable watercolor round, but you have to be aware that they won't last more than a few paintings when using oils.

[Dave Kendall]

I find the continual replacement of brushes to be the unavoidable, major expense of traditional painting. Don't throw away the old brushes though, as they are great for texture effects, and can do certain jobs better than new brushes.

[arttorney]

"kolinsky sable brushes, made by Escoda." Very nice for watercolors.

The natural hair that seems better for oils to me is the hog bristle brush. They seem to clean out more thoroughly than the synthetics. I use the synthetics too. When they get all splayed I just save them for drybrushing and stuff. Oil is brutal to sable brushes unless you dilute it to be all juicy like watercolor.

[Andrew]

Choosing brushes relies heavily on trial and error. For myself, I have purchased high-end big name brushes and recieved crap, and I have el cheapo brushes and have been pleasantly surprised. What makes it difficult for me, is that for most of my brush purchases, I need to rely on mail order. So I take advantage of any deals I can get.

One of the best bargins are the "odd lot" orders where you get big wad O' brushes for under $20. I typically get 1 or 2 great brushes, 4-5 really good brushes, and the remainder are adequate. The last batch I ordered it was around 25 brushes for $12.95. The majority were bristle, and all were natural hair. Beside the outstanding ones, I a bunch of "scrub-in" fodder for around$0.50 each.

My best recommendation would be to keep your eyes on the catalogs, and get on their email lists ( I get better coupons/bonus offers that way than by mail from many major supply houses). Then take on a brush or so with each order. Or if you have a good art supplier nearby, pick up an experimental brush occasionally to find the ones that work for you.

Andrew

[chaosrocks]

weird
I inhereted my brushes from my mother in law
Ive had the same brushes for 20 years
they don't fall apart
I am fairly light handed, and I am totally anal about cleaning my brushes

[ben adelmann]

WOW, lots of good advice.. thank you guys. Thinking I'll opt for the more hardy synthetic types(sable, mongoose) and hog bristle from what I'm gathering, looks like I've been too rough with the poor things. I'll order an assortment of others as well, getting the picture that its trial and error for the style involved.

Do you guys recommend any websites that produce good deals, varieties to choose from? Have been using dickblick.com but they don't have too great a variety.

DSillustration, Lukias and SweetOblivion314: I really didn't know which brushes were appropriate and have been using sable in no light manner (the babies head analogy was unknown to me, would have many bruises).. mystery solved Enlightenment much appreciated.

Thanks Elwell, going to use that advice directly.

Andrew and everyone, thank you. Heading towards correct knowledge now

Have to say this place is freakin great. No idea i could find such a gathering of exceptional artists always willing to help.

[Goog]

I have another quick question...whats the best way to clean your brushes once you are done using them? I've heard several methods, but they don't seem to work to well...A certain kind of soap maybe?

[deepbluehue]

I have another quick question...whats the best way to clean your brushes once you are done using them? I've heard several methods, but they don't seem to work to well...A certain kind of soap maybe?

Clean as much oil off the brush as you can with vegetable oil, and then follow that up with Murphy's Oil Soap, or dish soap until your brush rinses clean. You can give your brushes a quick swirl in turpentine to thin the paint from the brush before you use vegetable oil if you like, but it's very toxic and flammable. You really, really want to avoid having flammable rags hanging around your house as much as possible, and should soak turp rags in water and lay them out to dry. Aquasol is non-toxic and works pretty well to clean your brushes.

I really like hog bristle brushes for oil painting, they are very durable and hold paint very well. I like sable and synthetic sable for details. Brushes are tools. If you buy crappy tools, they won't respond the way you want them to. They don't have to be expensive to be good. Look for the ones that have a lot of hair in the ferrule for the type and size you want. Avoid brushes that look shaggy, that have random hairs sticking out, and that don't keep their shape when handled. It's harder to know what you're buying when you purchase brushes through a catalog. cheapjoes.com is another source for art supplies.

[Elwell]

You can give your brushes a quick swirl in turpentine to thin the paint from the brush before you use vegetable oil if you like, but it's very toxic and flammable. You really, really want to avoid having flammable rags hanging around your house as much as possible, and should soak turp rags in water and lay them out to dry.

Actually, oily rags are more of a fire hazard than solvents. Solvents evaporate relatively rapidly, and will only ignite if exposed to an open flame or spark, while oil soaked rags can spontaneously combust from the heat generated in the drying process.

[deepbluehue]

Actually, oily rags are more of a fire hazard than solvents. Solvents evaporate relatively rapidly, and will only ignite if exposed to an open flame or spark, while oil soaked rags can spontaneously combust from the heat generated in the drying process.

Thank you, I didn't know that.

[Naomi Ningishzidda]

Thanks for the tip on the Manglon brushes, I'm going to buy a bunch and see how they turn out, the brand I'm using just wasn't working out and sables are so touchy.