What brushes should I buy?

[blog]

I work with acrylics, but I might buy some oils today. I was going to buy some new brushes today because I've found a new love for traditional painting, in one night, and the brushes i've got currently, are shite! Is it because I just don't keep them clean enough? Its hard to keep acrylic brushes clean! How do I know what kind of brushes will stay soft, andthat will be reeeeeeealy good for blending. Foster and prom, they always talk about using the largest brush you can, so what sizes do you reccommend? I don't know all the factors that go into a really good brush but those pointers seem to be the best I can think of. And also do you think I should buy oils or acrylics cause I need to buy some more paint. Painting is hard enough without the tools getting in your way, so I want the best ones I can get. I'm going to a local art store by the way so I suppose specifications would bemore helpful than say a link. I asked coro about blending and he said, lots of patience and a really soft brush. What kind of soft brush do I need hehe. I'm hoping for someone to be browsing the lounge that really knows about this stuff and think to themselves, I'll give him some help...please do!:teeth:

[Jens]

haha, blog somethimes i think you're so impatient, you want it all at the same time, but mayby that's a good thing :)

I'm only beginning painting myself but mayby i can help :)

When you're using acrylics it's important that you don't let your brushes dry, so always keep them moist, if you wanna move from a big brush to a small, first clean out your big brush.

The size I guess depends on what you are painting, I think what prom meant was if you're painting a shape use a brush big enough so you can cover that shape with amost one sweep. Large brushes can also paint small shapes easily, the other way around it's not as convenient. As your shapes get smaller, more detailed swith to a smaller brush.

Blending, hey be carefull about this, don't think of it as.. oh ok i'm gonna put my midtone value here.. and my shadow value here.. now let's take the blender brush and i'll just gonna beld those two value right there. It's probably better that you mix the transitional values on your palette first, as values often change color when they move from light to dark.

as for brushes, i really have no clue.. i just use whatever what i found in my house.. I use some cheap synthetic brushes and some pighair round ones. I think I only got flat and round. So you'll need someone else for this :)

[blog]

Seen as your still watching the thread hehe, I just wanted to ask you exactly how you do clean your brush? I think I've wrecked virtually all my brushes because I don't know how to clean them,and yes I am very impatient :), which isn't always a good thing!

[Jens]

Umh, I usually clean them when I switch brushes, but somethimes things get a bit hectic and I forget.
If the brush has a load of paint on it i just paint some blank area in the painting or wipe it on my palette. I use a glass to put my water in, I just brush the brush againt the inside of the glass, you can see the paint come out untill there's nothing coming out of it. Then I wipe them on a cloth. Then repeat it or if it isn't necesary just put them in the water again. I don't let them dry when i'm still painting cause there's always some left over.

When I'm done I wash each brush seperatly with soap untill no paint come out.

Just keep them wet with acrylics so they dry before you clean them. Also a good tip to keep your paint from drying is to get a sprinkler and sprinkle the paint once and a while.

It's important that you calm a bit down, it's a way slower process than pencil or digital.

[blog]

Thanks man, it was all very helpful indeed!

[Tobin]

try using warm water and soap. and dont leave brushes in jars and dont leave them to dry leaning on the bristles.

I went through so many brushes because of leaving them leaning... loosing points and bending them and the like.

[Mirana]

For soft brushes, get synthetic/nylon (Sable is amazing, but pricey). The size of your brushes depends on your style and how large you're working.

The type of brush depends on the artist. Flat, round, filbert, shader, etc...it depends on you! Perhaps get an assortment so you can try out all your options. I prefer flat, bright and angluar brushes myself, as you can get a wide and thin stroke.

Cleaning...I hear a lot of people complain about their "crappy" brushes, only to find out they didn't care for them. When you go brush shopping today, pick up a cheap brush holder. This way you can hang your brushes in a cup of water (or turpentine/turpenoid if you paint with oils) to keep them moist, and the bristles from bending, if you have a problem going and cleaning them while painting.

Acrylics dry fast, allow for quick layering, and are water soluble. Oils blend forever and ever, but require a lot of waiting to layer, or to dry (months). Plus, you have to thin them or clean brushes with paint thinner or turpentine.

G'Luck.

[loomer]

Whoa dude..you got alot of questions!
Okay..one thing at a time.
You want a good soft brush for oils or acrylics? I don't use acrylics (except for sketchbook pages) so I can only speak for oil paints.
Everyone has their own personal tastes..I use ALOT of brushes. They are really extensions of your hand when painting, so to be able to several things, you'll need several different brushes. For harder, more prominent strokes loaded with paint I use hog bristle brushes..been really diggin the Silver Grand Prix series. I have sizes 12 -2...mix of flats and filberts.

For softer strokes I've been using Utrecht synthetics for oils - brights mostly. I have a few sable brushes in the mix, but synthetics do the job just fine. If you are really concerned with soft blending a decent fan brush will aid you. But blending isn't so much about the brushes than about the technique. Get your values correct and you'll be able to blend with a bristle brush.

For cleaning I just use a $4 silicoil jar - fill that with Turps (turpenoid) , rub your brush against the coils to get all the loose paint out. Than wash them with soap and water. Some brush soaps on the market are good for conditioning the hairs of the brush, but regular Ivory soap gets the job done.

Apologies if this is extremely vague and general...if you have any more questions I'll try to help. :)

[DavePalumbo]

I can't tell you what brushes to buy, I don't know what you'll like. The key is trying different things and deciding for yourself because there's really no rule to follow. When I started psinting oils, I was told to buy bristle brushes. After about 2 months of hating my inability to get even close to what I wanted, I tried a friends synthetic brushes and said "oh. so that's why..." It's all a matter of taste. But I will tell you what I'd take with me if I were going on a painting trip.

I try to get sable, or synthetic sable. I like my brushes to feel soft but not limp. Many of the brushes I use are actually watercolor brushes (short handles instead of long). I don't use a particular brand, but Princeton seems to be on sale frequently so consequently I have alot of those. Most brands are more or less the same to me though.

Filberts: typically a small (4), a mid-size (6), and a big (8 ). Depending on the size of the piece, I might use an extra big guy (12). I love these for pretty much everything, great for blocking. When I'm working on linen, I may not bother with any other brushes.

Rounds: mostly good with detail work on panels. I think all my detail rounds are watercolor brushes. A superfine (0), an all purpose fine (2), and a mid (6). I own a 22, but I haven't used it in a long time (been awhile since I did any 4 foot paintings)

Odds and ends: I generally have a liner (1), though I don't use it too often. I keep a good supply of blending brushes, which can be anything from mops to worn out rounds. The important thing is that it's soft and can be used delicately. These DO NOT get washed in turp until I'm done painting for the day, which is why I need a bunch (they get dirty)

and that's what I use.

[sve]

Hello, may I ask? knowing that it takes so long for oil layers to dry up, does it mean that it takes months to finish one painting? How do you manage not lose an interest to the painting? Or current mood? Looks like a challenge to stay focus :).

[DavePalumbo]

my paintings are typically dry in about 2-3 days at the most. Dry isn't really fully dry though. It's completely dry to touch, but you don't want to varnish for several months. In any case, you can work right back into it fairly soon. All the same, it still can take months to finish a painting, especially if you have several going at once. Personally, I rarely abandon a painting though loss of interest. One comes to mind that I set down the drawing for last summer and it's been sitting ever since. Other stuff came up. I plan to white it out and use the surface for something else at this point because I have zero enthusiasm left for the idea.

Losing interest? That depends on the person. Antonio Lopez Garcia worked on the same paintings for as long as 11 years, so...

[sve]

Thank you so much, very interesting information. I wonder how impressionists painted on open air trying to catch a mood, impression in one session. I remember they were trying hard to not to lose the sun, or morning light. Is it because they manage to put the brushstrokes near each other, and not to mix them at all? Thanks again for the reply.

[DavePalumbo]

I'm not sure who you're talking about exactly. There are many artists who did paintings in many sessions but for very short periods of time so as to keep the light correct. an example by Sargeant:

http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ViewWork?cgroupid=999999961&workid=13109&searchid=10001&tabview=image

which I understand was painted in something like 10 minute blocks each evening when the lighting was just right

edit: I'm not sure how common this actually was when taken to such an extreme as the last glimpse of sunset. This painting, in any case, is sort of the supreme example. Other artists have certainly used the method (say for a portrait with early morning light), though probably not with such discipline. Most would try to keep the scene in their memory and work as the light changed, though Sargeant supposedly made no compromises.

[sve]

Thank you, Dave, very kind of you to give so much information. So I guess it was several sessions for Claude Monet. In painting like these for example. They have this impression like they were done in one day.

http://www.abcgallery.com/M/monet/monet28.html
http://www.abcgallery.com/M/monet/monet34.html

[blog]

How do you know if a brush is synthetic or not? Shuld it say it on the brush?, The most expensive brushes in the art store cost about £10-£20, seeing as I'm just beginning to paint so do you guys really think i need expensive sable brushes, or do you think I would be able to make a comprimise, considering my ability and age, i.e. I'm a noob so is it really neccessary. And about the soap, will any old bar of soap do the trick, even if the brush is kinda wrecked? Thanks a lot guys, hopefully next time I go to the store i'll know exactly which brush I should get.

And about using oils over acrylics, should I buy some oils? Because I can blend with acrylics, and well I know how to use them. But i don't know a thing about how oils work, again considering my skill with paint what do you guys reccommend?

Thanks!

[Pixeldragoon]

You said you wanted the best stuff... But why? You are really young, so is it worth the money to not just get student grade stuff to practice? That's what I have, just a few 10 dollar brushes, some 2 dollar brushes, and about 8, 4 fl. oz tubes of BASICS acryllic. Works for me.

Good luck with this though

[Main Loop]

i know i said a lot in my PM, but you asked different questions..

rubbing alcohol will get most of the old acrylic out of your brush if it dries, although it will never be quite the same.. best to have a jar of water handy every time you paint..

blending super soft edges with acrylic is near impossible without an airbrush.. most people just give the illusion of soft edges by scumbling paint over the canvas texture as opposed to blending the paint together..

[Mirana]

Synthetic brushes are usually white or an orange-brown and are a consistant color (unlike a bristle/natural brush, which will have variations of light and dark bristles within one brush). They are soft to the touch and cheap. Some brands won't say they're synthetic, but it should be obvious with those indicators. :)

You don't need expensive brushes or paints right now...you really wouldn't know the difference between them and the cheap stuff yet. Better to abuse cheap stuff now and then work up to the 20-euro versions.

Soak your wrecked brushes and see what that clears out. Use liquid soap, not bar soap. ;)

At your age, I would stick with acrylics. However, once you try oils out, you'll understand why a lot of artists prefer them. :)

[waronmars]

While we're talking about brushes, I forgot about a bunch of brushes i had siting in oil paint, and the paint dried on them. Are they ruined or can you get that shit off?

I'm a noob/beginner at painting, and I dont wanna spend lots on brushes either. Just try and find brushes that don't have hairs falling out everywhere. I use pretty crap hog hair brushes for big parts and a few synthetic ones for smaller bits. Seriously, having hairs in your paint is really freaking annoying.

about oils over acrylic: I havent done alot of painting yet, and only recently started using oils. The way i found that suits me best is to use acrylic for an underpainting, then oil on top. That way you don't have to wait ages for an underpainting to dry like you would with oil, but you still get the long time to work on the wet oil over the top.

Anyone correct me about anything, I am speaking as a fellow noob.

[blog]

Synthetic brushes are usually white or an orange-brown and are a consistant color (unlike a bristle/natural brush, which will have variations of light and dark bristles within one brush). They are soft to the touch and cheap. Some brands won't say they're synthetic, but it should be obvious with those indicators. :)

You don't need expensive brushes or paints right now...you really wouldn't know the difference between them and the cheap stuff yet. Better to abuse cheap stuff now and then work up to the 20-euro versions.

Soak your wrecked brushes and see what that clears out. Use liquid soap, not bar soap. ;)

At your age, I would stick with acrylics. However, once you try oils out, you'll understand why a lot of artists prefer them. :)

Well if thats the case I think I've already got one synthetic brush, and its the best I've got so thanks for that! But oils, hummmmmmmmmm, not neccessary huh? Well why does everyone use them then? And I think this thread has generated quite a lot of good info...on brushes!

[Mirana]

A lot of people use oils because they allow for blending...and blending...and blending. It doesn't sound like much, but like I said, if you try them out you'll understand. :) Sometimes going back to arcylic is frustrating because there is such a lack of forgiving blending.

[DavePalumbo]

People use oils because they're different from acrylic. Some people preffer one, some the other. I like oils mainly because I don't want my paints drying within minutes. I also think they tend to have richer subtlety and look better in person. Some artists do really amazing things with acrylic though. Berkey for example, one of my favorite illustrators. The only way to find what you like is to try both.

[blog]

So thats the only difference, that oils basically make life easier then?

[Interceptor]

This is a bit off topic, but I did'nt want to make a new thread for it.
Where exactly are 5H pencils supposed to be used? Just in a regular blackbook? It seems like with these if you don't push down at all, they won't make a mark. But if you push down the slightest bit, it will tear the hell out of your paper.

The reason I ask is because I ordered a ton of 3B pencils online, but now that they're sent, they're almost all 5H for some reason.

[blog]

lol thats like the third time this thread has been hijacked :)

[Mirana]

Er, if you ordered 3B and they sent you the wrong thing...send them back?

[Interceptor]

They did'nt cost all that much, and I ordered them on my birthday over a month ago and just recently got them. I don't wait to wait so long again.