One feeling you may begin to have about this article is that perhaps it is meant for beginners. Wait until you discover that even experienced painters and artists still find it hard to choose the best paintbrush for each stroke. They have various shapes, lengths, sizes, textures, origins, and age options. The more votes, the more difficult it may be to choose which paintbrush works best. So, whether you have just started painting or have experience, this article can help you. Below are the essential factors in choosing the right paintbrush for your project.
Choice of Paint
The paint is an essential part of how a paintbrush functions. So, the first question is, what type of paint will you be using? Oil color, acrylic paints, or watercolor. If you choose between acrylic or oil-based paints, using synthetic brushes is your best bet.
Synthetic paints are also great if you use solvents to dilute or wash off the paint. On the other hand, the oil or acrylic paint chemicals can erode the bristles of natural brushes. And the next time you try t s it, you find out that the entire strands are falling apart.
However, if you will be working with watercolor or gouache, you can use natural fiber paintbrushes. Natural paint brushes are often soft and delicate with use on paper. An example of a natural fiber brush is the Sable brushes, which are also perfect for watercolors being very soft and smooth. They also can hold a lot of water. Therefore, your choice of paint will inform the kind of paintbrush you should use.
Furthermore, you can now buy synthetic sable paintbrushes, which are increasingly becoming more prominent. Besides, it uses watercolor and is even cheaper than natural sable paintbrushes. There are many more good things out there about this crop of paintbrushes, and affordable for use. But the question is that how can you also spot the difference between synthetic and natural paintbrushes.
The paintbrush can also show different properties, including various colors such as grey, black, orange, and brown tones. In other cases, many art shops carry the label of what the brushes look like and what they can do. Therefore, you can get a piece of good information on its nature before you buy the paintbrush at all.
Handles
Paintbrushes can come in different sizes and shapes in their handle. Therefore, you should care about the length of the handle that is most comfortable for use. By tradition, paintbrushes with long handles are better suitable for oil painting. But over time, artists have developed ways of using these brushes for oil and acrylic painting. Moreover, paintbrushes with long handles can also be difficult for beginner artists.
Over time, they can get used to the length of the paint brush. A paintbrush with a long handle is specifically designed for use with the easel to create the needed distance. The artist and the easel on which the canvas needs to have a particular space apart. Whereas you can see the entire picture of the painting with all the details intact from more minor to more considerable work. You can read about materiality and meaning: The Illegality Condition in Street Art by clicking here.
Size
Another essential feature of the paintbrush is the variation of brush sizes. In other words, there are different sizes of the paintbrush that one has to pick from. The choice of the paintbrush stems from the extent it has, whether large or small, and can cover additional coverages and backgrounds.
As for the detailed work, you can also arrange tiny brushes to enhance precise details. However, you should avoid using small brushes, which could quickly spoil during transportation. An excellent way to protect your brushes during transport is to keep them in enclosed plastic tubes.
Five Basic Types of Paint Brushes for Beginners
Five core paint brushes are more appropriate for beginners to stay motivated about painting. Moreover, it gives you a broad scope of offers to the artist, and an array of brushes is vital in painting. Similarly, you cannot afford to just pick any type of paintbrush when you are still a beginner. Before buying any paintbrush, the following are the top 5 options.
- Small round paintbrush
- Medium-sized round brush
- Medium-sized filbert brush
- The Medium-sized angled flat brush
- Large-sized brush
The five paintbrushes above can guarantee confidence and flexibility. At the same time, as you develop the methods and skills that you need as an artist. Whereas each brush can perform different tasks and are for other purposes. Apart from the five types above, another handy paintbrush type is the fan brush. This brush usually takes the shape of a fan and is the ideal choice for producing a light texture.
Usually, the beginner artist gets a pack of paintbrushes, which is more economical than buying each paint brush. Therefore, a wise decision will be to look for a package that contains all these five types of paint brushes. Some shops can refer to these packs as starter packs. However, one must confirm that it must carry these five top paintbrush types. Remember that the brushes come in different sizes while others can have similar dimensions.
Conclusion
On a final note, you should carefully consider the synthetic paintbrushes side by side with the natural brushes. Besides, synthetic fiber paint brushes are less expensive than natural ones. Still, some pro artists prefer natural fiber brushes. Meanwhile, synthetic fiber paint brushes are regarded as all-purpose brushes because you can practically use them to apply any type of paint. You can find some of this essential information in our other articles. We have published articles on the important ways to care for your paintbrushes. In addition, you can also find bad habits that artists have that can damage their paintbrushes.
Resources
What Paint do Brushes Work for each Painting Style?
What are the best paintbrushes that are suitable for your watercolor painting?