How to choose your paint brushes

I might be a good artist but sometimes I wonder if I’m doing things the right way…

Are you using the right brushes?

“What, anyway, is the right brush? Brushes are the same anyway”

Well, no. It depends entirely on what kind of painting you’re doing. Watercolours require entirely different brushes than oil or acrylics. Decorative paintings like tole painting has a set of specially designed brushes to make certain kind of strokes. Once you know what kind of painting you’ll be doing, therefore what kind of brushes you need, my recommendation is to purchase the most expensive brushes you can afford. It’s better to have a few high quality brushes, which are responsive, last longer and don’t shed bristles than owning a bunch of less quality ones that don’t do what you want.

Here are the kinds of brushes recommended for different types of colour mediums:

1. Acrylic paint

Synthetic brushes that have bristles made of nylon or polyester are ideal for acrylic paints. They are as good as natural brushes in holding paint and retaining their shape. They are easier to maintain and wash. They are also relatively more economical.

2. Oil based paint

Most professionals choose a natural China bristle(hog hair) brush for oil based paints. If you are painting a smooth surface with oil based paint, a natural white bristle paint brush is your best choice because it’s soft and supple.

3. Water based paint

Nylon bristles are recommended for water based paint, though most can also be used with oil based paints. This type of paint brush is not recommended for applying shellac or lacquer. Nylon/polyester brushes combine two synthetic fibres to help maintain the brush shape.

Thankyou for reading. Hope i helped.