Choosing and caring for artists brushes - By: Allan Michael Taylor

An amateur artist can be faced with a confusing range of brushes at the local art store, some have particular functions and all are available in a range of qualities. The two of the best quality brushes to consider are Sable and Bristle.

Sable brushes have been traditionally used for their combination of softness, flexibility and strength. Sable hairs taper to a point, making them extremely good at creating a fine tip - ideal for fine detail. Although mainly used for water colour, they can also be used for any fluid paint, including oils, although great care has to be taken in the cleaning of these brushes.

Bristle (hogs hair) brushes are the mainstay for the oil painter, they're very strong and springy. In the very best types, the point itself splits into several smaller points known as a flags, giving the bristle huge capacity to hold colour. Inferior bristles tend to be less springy and cut instead of flagged. The bristle brush comes into its' own when using stiff paint or dry brush techniques, they also are good for texture effects like stippling etc.

Synthetic hair is a relatively inexpensive alternative to natural hair, they're good for general work and can take more abuse, even so the best cannot match the performance of sable and bristle brushes.

Painters' brushes are made in the following shapes; rounds, mops, flats, short flats (brights), filberts and fans. Rounds are the brushes that taper to a fine point. Mops are round brush that have a domed tip. Flats are fairly short haired brushes that are square and finish in a straight edge. Filberts have the short square heads but finish with a rounded tip. Fans have a thin layer of hair shaped as a fan, the fan is the only brush that is not used for applying paint but solely for blending and softening colour on the canvas.

Cleaning oil brushes

Over time, any amount of cleaning will damage a brush. Therefore, if an artist has to break from painting for a while, it's much better to simply load the brush with fresh paint and wrap it with cling film. If the brush is going to be left for more than a few hours or at most overnight, immerse it in a jar of water to exclude the air. As a precaution, you'll need to make sure the delicate tips aren't touching the sides of the jar, as this will distort the shape of the bristles. You can do this by making holes in the lid that are slightly narrower than the widest part of the brush so that it doesn't drop down, fill the jar to the top so that it completely covers the bristles when the brushes are in place. Some brushes may have a head that is wider than the handle making it difficult to pass through the hole without bending the bristles out of shape. If this is the case, use some stiff wire (gardening wire used for supports is ideal), to bend around the handle, holding the brush securely and supporting it in the centre from either edge of the rim. It's important to make sure that the brushes aren't left in water for too long, as it can cause the ferrules to rust and the bristles to swell.

When you're finished with the brush, clean-off any excess paint using kitchen paper or newspaper, then soak the brush in standard white spirit (reserve your artists quality white spirit for mixing with paints) or brush cleaner. Once the remaining paint has been dissolved, wash the brush using washing-up liquid and then rinse thoroughly. Re-shape the bristles before allowing to dry.

About the Author

Rob Tyrrell is a professional artist specialising in pet portraits. To view samples of his pet portraits and find out more about his work, visit his web site at http://www.robtyrrell-petportraits.co.uk

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