In this age of high technology, the production of such a simple thing as a brush seems to be a simple matter. However, creating a quality art brush is quite a serious job. Three centuries ago, artists had to make their own brushes, and only then did artisans appear who began to produce these tools for artists.

Today, the brush-making process combines both traditional methods and cutting-edge modern technology, offering all professionals and amateurs of artistic creation wonderful tools for painting.

Art brushes are produced in a wide range of sizes, types and materials. How to understand this diversity?

Let us first consider what main parts an artistic brush consists of:

• hair bundle / head (working part of the brush) consists of natural or synthetic hair, collected in a bun of a certain shape and size,
• metal clip / ferrule (capsule, sleeve) provides structural support for the hair bundle, serves to shape and connect it to the handle. The clip, as a rule, is made of metal resistant to corrosion: brass, copper, aluminum. A high-quality clip should be all-metal (seamless).
• handle / handle (shaft) It is produced mainly from hard wood (birch, aspen, beech, alder). There are exceptions, such as watercolor brushes with acrylic handles. Wooden handles are usually varnished to protect them from paints and liquids.

Let us now dwell on the main forms of artistic brushes.

From the whole variety of shapes and sizes, we distinguish 2 main types of brushes - round and flat. Round brushes have a cylindrical clip shape, and flat brushes have a flattened (flat) shape. And round and flat brushes are also divided into subspecies depending on the length and shape of the beam.

Perhaps the most versatile. The hair bundle is compressed into a cylindrical clip and forms a rounded tip when wet.

A high-quality round brush allows you to create a wide range of shapes and effects, holds water well, absorbs excess paint and rinses easily. The extraordinary elasticity of such a brush allows you to display every gesture of the artist who wants to achieve a special expressiveness of the stroke. A good round brush has a sharp tip, which allows you to perform the finest detailed work.

By the way, in the old days, it was round brushes that were the most common, because. the consistency of traditional oil paints at that time was more "creamy". held more paint and gave clear juicy lines.

There is a wide variety of round brushes, their thickness and size depend on the area of ​​artistic creativity they are used in: for miniature works, fills, fonts, liners.

Miniature brushes- thin and the shortest of the round brushes, having a fairly short or medium length pile. They are used for fine, meticulous work. Such brushes allow you to put the thinnest dot or draw the thinnest line of small length.

Fill brushes- thick round brushes made of soft pile. Used in watercolor painting to fill large areas with color, as well as for basic dense strokes.

These are flat-rimmed, straight-edged brushes that were originally popular among the Impressionist painters of the late 19th century. They are versatile enough to hold a lot of paint and are good for both filling large areas and creating crisp broad strokes. Almost all strokes made with a flat brush form an angled or straight edge, so they are often used “wet on wet” (which masks or softens the characteristic hard edges). Flat brushes are in great demand in architectural painting.

The forms of a flat brush stroke are varied and depend on the material from which the beam is made, on its rigidity, as well as on the technique of applying the stroke.

contour brushes- a type of flat brushes that has a shorter bunch. This gives them greater resilience and better control over the quality of flat strokes. In addition, shorter hair makes it easier to create a smooth transition from one color to another and highlights the contour well.

Angled brushes (retouching)- flat brushes with a beam beveled at an angle. Used to create sketches and sketches, they allow you to draw very clear lines, outlining sharp corners.

Cat tongue (oval, filbert)- a flat brush of domed or oval shape, beloved by many artists. This brush is versatile and is suitable for both large strokes and small details, combining the properties of both a flat and a round brush (when held perpendicular to the surface). With this brush, you can easily move from thick to thin lines without taking your hands off, as well as create transitions from one color to another.

Most of the work, as already mentioned, requires two or more basic - round and flat brushes. In addition, there are a number of special brushes, which are not needed so often and are designed to create any specific effects.

retouching- the best brushes for a very precise stroke. They resemble a flat brush cut at an acute angle. The tip of this brush allows you to quickly and confidently change the volume of the hair or bristle that carries the paint, so this brush is an excellent tool for creating color transitions in hard-to-reach, narrow areas of the picture, as well as for drawing contours.

Stencil- voluminous dense brushes of round shape, have a blunt flat tip of the hair bundle. Brushes are used to apply paint through a stencil with vertical strokes. They are also great for glazing or loose layers of paint.

Fleitz- a wide flat brush designed for applying wide layers of paint in one stroke and for free painting with fills. Mainly used with watercolor as it can hold a lot of paint; With just a few movements, you can create large textures.

fan- flat brushes with a thin bunch in the shape of a fan. They are designed to blend the paint already applied to the base. With the help of these brushes, you can make a sophisticated color stretch. They are also suitable for blending, softening contrasts and textures. Used to create special effects in portrait, landscape and abstract painting.

(mop) - a round brush made of soft natural hair, able to absorb a large amount of paint. It is used to work on large areas, wetting the surface, removing excess moisture.

To finally decide which brush is needed to work with certain paints, knowledge about the nature of the pile from which the brush's hair bundle is made will help.

Font brushes (schleppers)- round thin brushes with long pile for working with liquid paints. They are used to apply thin even lines, inscriptions, to create illumination. The elongated hair tuft serves as a reservoir for paint, allowing you to draw a long line without refilling the brush.

Special brushes with long bristles (from 10 mm to 25 mm), often used in airbrushing to emphasize contours, for drawing very long lines of uniform thickness. The base of the brush tuft serves as a reservoir for paint, "feeding" the elongated core, which allows you to draw a thin continuous line for a long time without additional additional paint.

Once upon a time, it was quite difficult to buy a good brush. In shops and stationery departments of the Soviet era, there were only skinny spreaders made of white bristles of unknown origin. It was impossible to draw a thin stroke with such a brush. Watercolor paint flowed from it in a muddy puddle, and the paper was scratched. By the way, it is worth remembering the colors themselves. Bricks are in a cardboard box, hard, dry ...

You can order all the mentioned brushes in the online store for artists.
http://www.kraski-kisti.ru/

Tassels were ordered to the capital for sent relatives. Sometimes, very rarely, they managed to get a treasure in their city - a squirrel brush, soft, fluffy. It was especially difficult to acquire a large thick squirrel brush. And the column ones were a dream at all ...

Now is another matter. Spreaders and now you can buy in the store, they are very cheap. The cheapest ones are made from who knows what. And those with which you can really draw something worthwhile, you still need to look for and choose the right one.

Widespread tassels of hair, oddly enough, pony horses. It sounds exotic and tempting, but they are not suitable for working with gouache paints. Too soft. Not elastic enough. Wipe off quickly.

The same can be said about goat brushes. Soft, do not gather when wet into a bunch with a sharp tip. Is it possible to paint over large spaces with them - they take a lot of water and paint.

The squirrels are good. Gathered with a sharp tip, give an elegant smear with a clear edge. And the colors capture enough. Perfect for watercolor work. True, their elasticity is sometimes not enough, and when writing with gouache, brushes from squirrel tails are wiped off and deteriorate rather quickly - it's a pity.

Kolinsky brushes (hair of the animal column) are considered the best for watercolor painting, and for gouache, and for oil. Elastic, durable, with pile gathering into a sharp tip. The disadvantage - if it is a disadvantage - is one: they are expensive. Look for kolinsky brushes in specialty paint shops.

Stiff bristle brushes of different sizes are also needed. For painting with oil paints, acrylics. For gouache, when it is a little dry and you need to mix it with water...

Now there are brushes on sale that combine very good qualities - strength, durability, elasticity - with a low price. These are nylon tassels. You will recognize them by the light sheen of the hair and its reddish color. When picking up paint, the tip of such a brush, as expected, is sharp, a good smear is obtained. Synthetic brushes come in different sizes and different shapes, round and flat. In school supply stores, you will find two or three sizes that are quite suitable for work, and in artists' shops, professional brushes and sets are somewhat more expensive.

For watercolor and gouache - round brushes.

For oil, gouache, acrylic, tempera, both round and flat are suitable. What task do they have to perform. Paint over the background or work out the details ... And you need different sizes. However, usually two or three pieces are enough for work: one round thin, the other up to a centimeter thick, and a flat one, from a stiffer hair.

The length of the brush - as you or your child is more comfortable, usually twenty centimeters, so that it enters a box of paints or a pencil case.

And remember, brushes after work need to be washed. If you paint with acrylics, you will simply ruin them if the paint remains on the hair. You should not leave the brushes in the jar with the hair down and generally store them so that the hair remains bent. Treat your artist's tool with care and it will last you a long time.

Drawing is a rather interesting and exciting hobby, but if you want to achieve really serious success in it, you can’t neglect any details.

For children's creativity, parents usually first of all select paints, but brushes have a huge influence on the quality of the implementation of creative ideas.

Types and their purpose

Brushes are very different, but the baby is unlikely to need professional models at the training stage. It is worth paying attention to art brushes of a relatively small size - these are sold in any store for goods for creativity. All parts of the brush are of great importance, but the characteristics of the hair bundle, with which the paint is applied to the painted surface, are of fundamental importance.

Size and shape are of the utmost importance, because small brushes are much easier to draw fine details, and large ones are better suited for toning large areas.

The stencil brush differs even in such details as lack of sharp endings in the hairs- they are flat and blunt, due to which the coloring of the figures through the stencil is faster and more uniform. For direct application of paint to a drawing, sometimes, by analogy with brushes, even sponges are used.

An important role is also played by the choice of a specific material for the hair bundle - the convenience of working with a particular type of paint, as well as the durability of the product, depends on this. For serious artistic needs, it is better to purchase more than one brush, and not even a couple, but a whole set.

The base of the brush may seem primitive, but it also determines how good this tool is. It must securely connect the handle and the hair bundle to each other - the life of the brush depends on this. The seam on the surface of the plinth can make the drawing process less convenient, so it is better not to have it.

Even the handle has certain requirements. First of all, its surface must be smooth- this will allow you not to rub or scratch your hand, even with a huge amount of time devoted to your favorite pastime. In addition, the length of the handle is selected in such a way that it is most convenient to hold the tool in the hands of its future owner.

What paints are used?

You can choose different parameters of the hair bundle at your own discretion, however, professional artists have long developed general recommendations for choosing a brush for each type of paint, thanks to which the palette is better revealed and details are drawn more clearly.

For example, for oil paints, natural hog bristle brushes are preferred, which can absorb paint. Mongoose hair is also acceptable, except for the toughest varieties.

In our country, badger hair is often used as a material. Synthetics are traditionally considered a lower quality substitute for natural raw materials, but a nylon-based brush is one of the rare exceptions to the rule, allowing you to write in oils without losing quality.

For water-based paints, the selection of a brush will be easier, but here you need to take into account some features. For example, squirrel hair is great for watercolors, but synthetics are not suitable (but they are considered an ideal choice for painting with acrylics).

Production material

Materials differ in paint absorption and stiffness, which cannot but affect the final result. To date, there are at least a dozen different materials, and almost every variety has its own advantages:

• The most versatile option is a kolinsky brush, which is widely used by professionals in their field, but such a product is rarely bought for children - it is too expensive.
• Squirrel hair is the best option for painting with watercolors, and therefore is one of the leaders in the field of children's creativity.

• The pony is another animal that produces inexpensive wool well suited for painting. In general, this material is also quite versatile, but compared to the column, it is somewhat inferior in quality.
• For oil paint, they never came up with anything better than pig bristles.
• Badger hair is considered a good option for almost all types of paint, provided that the consistency is sufficiently liquid.

• Sable wool is quite versatile and suitable for all types of paints, but it is not used for drawing small things, and such a tool is very expensive.
• Artificial materials are not very popular among professionals and are used more for acrylic-based paints, but nylon brushes stand out from this list, as they allow you to paint oil paintings.
• Unusual options, such as rubber or silicone brushes, can give a completely new, unlike anything, which is actively used by modern artists, but can only interfere with the child in the process of learning to draw.

Dimensions

If parents are going to buy just one brush for a small child who is taking only the first steps in drawing, it is better to stop at an average in shape and size option from a universal material, such as pony hair.

However, for serious painting, brushes with different sizes are needed. When compiling your own set, you need to remember that you will have to draw both small details and large monochromatic ones, so the minimum set should include at least one large and one small brush.

Serious art teachers usually tell their students right away what tools they should get to achieve the expected result. They usually call brushes by numbers - for example, "round number 3". Theoretically, this means that any brush with a rounded hair tuft with a diameter of 3 millimeters is needed, unless the teacher named a specific name along with the brand.

In the case when the shape of the brush differs from that for which the concept of diameter is appropriate, the number most often indicates the width of the hair bundle.

At the same time, it should be borne in mind that numbering is actively used not only in the colloquial speech of people close to painting, but also by the brush manufacturers themselves, and this is where the catch lies. Although the number of millimeters is not difficult to measure, measurement standards may differ in different collections of the same manufacturer.

Forms

The skill of the artist is not to paint the whole world around with the same brush, but to be able to choose the most suitable tool for the transfer of each individual object. This is another reason why not one brush, but a whole set is needed to achieve success in painting.

Professional artists use the main types of hair bundle shape as follows:

• The round brush is the most common option that many parents purchase for their children as well. Such a tool is optimal for painting small details with bright color - for the so-called "dotted" pattern. For the gouache painting technique, such a tool can safely be considered the main one.
• Flat brushes are distinguished by a somewhat flattened shape of the hair bundle, due to which they resemble a tongue in their appearance. This arrangement of bristles makes the whole tuft more elastic, making it easier to make long tangential movements, so this variety is also used quite often - for example, for painting large objects in a picture.

• Brushes called "flutz" are also very thin, but at the same time they are much wider, somewhat reminiscent of a comb and a paint brush. Their use is limited to large-scale painting, they are painted mainly using watercolors and gouache.
• Type and line brushes are distinguished by an extremely small area of ​​the hair bundle, reduced to the size of a small round dot, and the difference between them lies in the fact that the bristles of the first variety are much longer. This design helps to draw fine lines and write exquisite patterns, and is also most suitable for learning calligraphy.
• Fan brushes could be classified as flat, if not for one “but”: their bristles are arranged in the shape of a fan, that is, the general end of the hair bundle does not look like a straight line, but like a roundness, in which only the center is guaranteed to touch the surface of the canvas, and the flanks - only with a stronger pressure. Such a trick is used by those artists who seek to reduce the contrast between the details of the picture and provide a smoother transition of colors.

Other characteristics

Among other small characteristics that affect the final result, first of all it is worth highlighting the hardness.

Prefer softer materials, because the elastic bristles better feel the smallest changes in the position of the hand and allow you to draw the smallest details.

Stiff bristles, when pressed hard, can even slightly damage the paper on which the drawing appears, and although some modern artists use this as another artistic technique, children are unlikely to need this feature.

Since we are talking specifically about children's creativity, you should not ignore the strength of the product: a low-quality product can quickly break in half, and the bristles can easily pull out of the base. A child's tool must be prepared to endure this kind of challenge, or at least be cheap enough that its potential replacement does not look like a problem for the parent's wallet.

Which is better to choose?

If the child has already achieved relative success in drawing, it is better to entrust the choice of professional tools to the child himself, because only he knows what he needs.

But most parents, when buying brushes, do it for kids who can’t draw yet, so you have to make the choice yourself. Considering that adults themselves often do not have a direct relationship with painting, the task only becomes more complicated.

The minimum set for drawing should consist of at least two brushes, one of which will be small, for drawing contours and small details, and the other large, for sketching surfaces.

If there are only two brushes, then it is better to choose the same material, ideally universal, suitable for different colors. In the case of teaching children, pony hair looks like an ideal “candidate”. However, all these considerations are relevant only if the kid takes drawing lessons as part of the comprehensive school program; for any more serious courses, a larger set will be needed.

The choice of material here will also depend on the type of paints and the type of basis for drawings, so special brushes may be better suited for painting on canvas - not the same as for painting on fabric. When choosing brushes for additional classes question about specific models better to ask the teacher.

Recently, the art of calligraphy has also become a fashionable trend, which is taught even to children in our country today. Here, with the choice of brushes, of course, it is a little easier: for them, the main selection factor is the minimum size of the beam with a high density of bristles and their sufficient softness.

Useful little things

Most people think that paints, a brush, an album, and a glass of water to rinse the bristles are enough for drawing. Professionals from the art world will be able to name several dozen different items that are not strictly necessary to create a masterpiece, but can somewhat simplify and make the process of creation more enjoyable.

For example, for children's brushes, a special case or case could be a very useful addition. It will save the tool itself from breakage, excessive tornness of the beam and pollution, and the briefcase from the inside and things in it from paint if the child forgets to wash it off.

If there are quite a lot of brushes in the kid's arsenal, it makes sense to give a package for the whole set - such pencil cases will allow the kid to quickly find the brushes in the bag.

A special stand for brushes will help not to stain the table during the drawing process. It allows you to keep the correctly mixed color on the bristles, which is not needed yet, and at the same time not to stain everything around with it.

When painting with acrylic paints, it is very convenient to use a brush washer, when using which the brushes will always be in limbo - so the pile will not touch the bottom and will not deteriorate.

Looking for a good watercolor or oil brush? Do you want to know how the columns differ from squirrels or bristles? Looking for a brush that's easy to write fine lines or fill large spaces? Do you have a desire to get acquainted with different types of this instrument and learn about its features? This article has answers to most questions regarding brush selection.

How to choose a brush for oil, watercolor and other paints?

Looking for a good watercolor or oil brush? Do you want to know how the columns differ from squirrels or bristles? Looking for a brush that's easy to write fine lines or fill large spaces? Do you have a desire to get acquainted with different types of this instrument and learn about its features? This article has answers to most questions regarding brush selection.

What should a good brush look like?

Each brush consists of three elements: a handle, a hair bundle and a clip (base). It depends on their quality whether it will be convenient to draw and how long the brush will last.

A pen

How to distinguish a quality pen?

1. The brush should be pleasant to hold in your hand. Despite the subjectivity, this criterion is important, because you don’t want to write with an instrument that you don’t like.
2. A good pen has a smooth surface without defects. It can be varnished or painted. Such brushes are the most durable, because they lose their shape less from exposure to moisture. However, many artists prefer simple wooden handles.
3. The base must be made of hardwood, such as birch or oak. Such brushes last longer, they do not change shape under the influence of water and other substances.
4. Convenient length. Children and schoolchildren are usually recommended brushes with a handle up to 15 cm. Adults should take a tool about 20 cm long to work with watercolors, and 30-35 cm with oils.

What should be the base?

1. A high-quality clip tightly wraps around the handle, connecting it to the hair bundle. The plinth must not hang or rotate. If the brush has these disadvantages, it is not suitable for painting, because you will not be able to control the shape and strength of the stroke.
2. A good clip has no seam, making the brush comfortable to hold in your hand.
3. Most often, this part is made of brass or nickel with a chrome or other protective coating. A high-quality clip is designed for contact with liquids, it will not rust over time.

hair bundle

This part of the brush is the most important, its quality determines how comfortable and controllable the stroke will be. The hair bundle may differ in length, shape, material, and other qualities.

How to distinguish a brush with good hair?

1. The hair must be elastic.
2. The shape of a good brush is retained when wet.
3. High-quality fastening of hairs: they should not fall out when touched.
4. The glue with which the hairs are fixed should not go beyond the edges of the clip, this impairs the flexibility of the brush.

Which brush should I use for watercolors, oils and other paints?

To choose a suitable brush, you need to pay attention to the hairs from which the bundle is made. Below we will talk about which art tools are best suited for oil, and which ones are best for other paints.

natural brushes

The bundle in such products is made from the wool of various animals. These brushes are presented in a large assortment, among them you can find an option for working with acrylic, tempera and other paints. Drawing with this tool will be convenient for both beginners and professionals.

Universal

Kolonok- one of the most popular hairs. The best kolinsky brushes are made from the winter skins of male animals. They are considered universal and suitable for oil or acrylic painting (for writing out small details). You can also paint them with water-soluble paints.

The hairs of the column are thin and elastic, it will be comfortable to work with them even for novice artists. Brushes of various shapes are made from it.

For watercolor

squirrel hair The brushes are thin and soft. It makes it possible to control the fluidity of the paint. The brushes are great for painting small details. But due to the softness, it will take some time for beginners to master this instrument. The brush can work with watercolor, gouache and tempera.

Goat tassels are inexpensive and suitable for those who try themselves in watercolor. Although they are inferior to squirrel in softness, they are comfortable to draw with. Goat hair is also suitable for calligraphy, ceramic painting, waxing, as it can withstand high temperatures well. Such a brush is soft and at the same time elastic, it holds the paint well, but absorbs a small amount of water. They are often recommended for teaching children.

Sable tassels are an expensive art tool, they are durable and highly valued by professionals. In terms of softness, they are in the middle between the squirrel and the column. It is convenient to draw thin lines with brushes, they are suitable for glazing, because they do not affect the lower layers. Sable absorbs a large amount of paint and evenly stains the surface. The brush allows you to work with both dry and wet techniques. It is suitable for gouache, watercolor and tempera.

Pony- This is a common type of elastic brushes, they create drawings in watercolor or gouache. The peculiarity of the hairs is that they quickly absorb the paint, but give it away slowly. They keep their shape well, but do not have a pointed tip.

For oil

Bristle brushes elastic enough. Due to the fact that some hairs are slightly split, they quickly absorb the paint. Brushes have an affordable price, but during use they quickly lose their quality. Mostly they paint with oil or acrylic. You can also try them for working with gouache. Brushes can be flat or round. A good bristle brush must be processed: digestion and bleaching.

Mongoose brushes hold paint well and are elastic. In terms of softness, they occupy an intermediate position between sable and bristles. They are suitable for working with oils and acrylics. It is easy to distinguish such brushes due to the characteristic black and white coloring.

badger hair softer than bristles, it is suitable for mixing oil or acrylic. The brush has an unusual shape, the thickening of the hair is closer to the edge, due to which the brush is fluffy. Often, flutes or fan brushes are made from such hair.

Suitable for painting with oil, gouache or other dense paints ear hair. It is resilient, durable and can have sufficient length. These brushes do not taper towards the tip. Most often, thick brushes are made from them to cover large surfaces.

This review of the main types of natural brushes for watercolors and other paints can be considered complete, but let's not forget that you can also find more exotic tools with sandstone, hare, bear, fox, marten and other animal hairs in stores. Each of them also has its own characteristics.

Synthetic brushes

Such artistic tools are widely represented, among them are brushes for oils, watercolors and other paints. Due to the fact that the production technology is well mastered, today they are almost in no way inferior to natural ones. In addition, synthetic brushes have a low price, which makes them in demand among both professional artists and amateurs. They are also often bought for children. Artificial brushes with white hairs are especially convenient in work, they allow you to accurately see the shade of paint.

The characteristics of these artist's tools depend on the material. So, nylon hairs are suitable for heavy paints. For watercolor, it is worth buying tools made of polyesters. Among the shortcomings, it should be noted that such brushes are less resistant to mechanical stress than natural ones. But they can withstand bright light, contact with thinners, moisture, etc. well.

The Watercolor Brush is one of the main tools of the artist. She is an extension of the hand, which is able to draw ingenious strokes on the canvas. Whatever brush you buy, expensive or not, the convenience of using it depends only on you. Even with the most expensive brush, you can feel like an unhappy artist. Therefore, it is important to choose “your” brush correctly.

Brushes differ in the shape and thickness of the brush, as well as in price. Each brush is designed for a specific style of drawing. To choose a good brush, you need to know for what purpose it is needed. Each brush creates its own unique pattern on the canvas.

Which watercolor brush to choose for painting

The artist chooses a quality brush of medium and high cost, which are sold in specialized art stores.

A quality brush should have the following characteristics:

1. clear shape which should hold both dry and wet. Flat brushes have a flat shape, while round brushes resemble the shape of a needle. The hairs should not stand out from the bundle and be perfectly even. It is very easy to check the clarity of the form. To do this, we lower the brush into the water, and then we make a movement with our hand, shaking off this water. The shape of the brush should be correct, and the hairs should not be knocked out.

2. brush capacity must be large enough to hold paint or water. But it is worth noting that brushes of the same size and type can have a different volume of fluid retention. It depends on the quality and type of hair. For example, a thick natural hair brush holds more paint than an equivalent synthetic fiber brush. The length of the stroke depends on the volume of the brush and the larger it is, the longer the stroke.

3. Uniformity of smear application. This means that a brush with paint at a 45 degree angle and with gentle pressure should draw continuously. When drawing a line, the brush should not skip or leave drops of paint on the canvas. Such shortcomings are present in a dry or overflowing paint brush. In addition, this disadvantage occurs with any brush if diluted paint is used. A high-quality brush will not allow errors in the form of white spots and drops of paint.

It should be noted that the density of the smear along the length and width should remain the same. The exception is the use of slightly diluted paint or when it is over on the brush.

4. Depending on the tilt of the brush (vertical position or at a flat angle relative to the paper) and the degree of pressure on the brush (harder or weaker), the thickness of the stroke and the amount of paint applied to the paper are adjusted. For example, when the brush is placed vertically, the stroke becomes thick with a lot of paint, while when placed parallel, it becomes dry and sharp.

5. Moisture retention. A high-quality brush with a full amount of paint should not drip onto the canvas. It should absorb all the liquid.

6. Sharp lines. The contour, which is drawn with the tip of the brush, should be clear, thin and uniform. If strokes are made, they must also be identical. The thickness of lines or strokes changes only when the amount of paint, the degree of pressure and the speed of applying a stroke change.

7. Elasticity level brush hairs allow them to move together and move in a given direction. Upon completion of the application of strokes, the brush should return to its previous shape.

8. Although there are many types of brushes, one brush can perform several different types of strokes. It depends on the angle of the brush, the amount of paint and paper.

9. The handle of the brush should be comfortable - not too thick, but not too thin. It should be comfortable for the hand.

10. A high-quality brush has not coarse hairs, and their thickness is proportional to the size of the bundle, i.e. the thinner the hairs, the smaller the bundle, the shape is slightly convex. When choosing a brush, it is worthwhile to carefully study the bunch of kolinsky and sable brushes. They have softer, shorter and more flexible hair along the edges compared to the middle. It is difficult to determine the quality of a brush by color, because they can be dyed. Therefore, the main thing is that the hairs have a glossy, clean and healthy appearance. The tips may be slightly darker than the base. The main thing is that there are no spots. In addition, high-quality hairs do not have damage and bends. The hair bun holds its shape well, both wet and dry.

11. There should be no paint left on the brush after use. To do this, it is washed under water and wiped dry with a napkin. After such procedures, no paint should remain on the brush, and the hair should become clean and not dyed.

12. The handle on the brush is made of wood, the main enemy of which is water. A quality brush does not have this problem. The wooden handle does not deform after using water, the metal clip does not rust, and the lacquer coating does not crack.

13. High-quality production of the brush does not lead to hair loss during washing or painting. This is only acceptable in squirrel brushes or Chinese-made brushes, but not in large quantities.

14. The brush should be able to withstand frequent use. A good artificial brush lasts six months, and a natural one two years. At the same time, throughout the entire period of use, it retains its shape and elasticity.

Which watercolor brush to choose - expensive or cheap

In the arsenal of a true artist should be and expensive and cheap brushes. Expensive brushes last long enough. Inexpensive brushes help you do the hard stuff and still save other brushes.

Unfortunately, choosing a brush that meets all of the above criteria is quite difficult. In some brush, some criteria are clearly expressed, and in some others. Kolinsky and sable brushes are much more valued than synthetic and squirrel brushes.

To understand which brush is better, just compare it with the same brushes in the store and with your old brush. When applying a stroke with a new and old brush, the difference will be noticeable.

What kind of paint brushes should an artist have?

For the artist, there is a basic set of brushes, which includes the following types:

• small and medium round sable brush,
• big sable brush,
• small flat synthetic,
• large flat natural brush,
• medium squirrel brush
• sponge.

Each of these brushes is designed to perform certain tasks in drawing (outlining, washes, strokes, glazing, etc.)

What brush size to choose

Why didn't we specify brush sizes? Because the size of the brush depends on the style of painting and the size of the paper canvas. In addition, it is not necessary to use a brush for the indicated drawing styles. In the art school, there are styles of drawing that use brushes from other styles. For example, in the "dash and splash" style, which is inherent in the artists of the 30s of the 20th century, large brushes are used for all purposes.

Which brush is better - synthetic or natural

Many beginning artists prefer to use synthetic brushes first because they are not expensive and can be quite good quality. But time passes and you have to buy brushes with natural fiber. The difference between the brushes is felt immediately. Therefore, we recommend buying natural brushes from the very beginning. First, natural brushes contribute to the development of experience. Secondly, experience is acquired quickly. Thirdly, the cost of brushes is fully compensated.

Many artists recommend that you first try painting with synthetic brushes, so that when a brush with natural hair is in your hands, a person will feel the difference and appreciate it. If you use brushes with natural hair at the very beginning, then the artist will not appreciate this and understand why for some of his comrades a brush is valued like gold.

Another advantage of a natural brush is that one brush can be used for different types of work. This is due to the fact that the brush is able to hold a lot of liquid compared to the synthetic “girlfriend”. With the help of one brush, it turns out to direct a thin contour and make expressive strokes. Therefore, an experienced artist has 2-3 brushes in his arsenal and this is enough for him. At the same time, a novice master has a whole set of brushes, but over time, having changed more than a dozen brushes, he will understand the advantage of a natural brush and will use the minimum number of brushes.

Remember - the use of a particular brush depends on the style of painting, the effects that need to be achieved and experience.

Where to buy good paint brushes

When you have decided on the type and size of brushes, you can proceed directly to their purchase.

There are two options for buying brushes - order online or buy in a store. The first option is beneficial in that you do not have to look for an art store in the city, but do it all quickly without leaving your home. After delivery, test the brushes and if they do not fit, return the order back. A real artist resorts to the second option - looking for an art store where you can pick up brushes and other necessary tools for painting. Unfortunately, having found a suitable brush, it will not be possible to test it. In stores, sellers do not allow brushes to get wet, and many of them are sealed in a dense shell of starch or gum arabic. Therefore, the only way to check the brush is to run the brush along the back of the palm and trust your feelings. You can’t take the brush by the pile with your hands, because dirt and grease remain on the hairs, which worsens its quality.

First, you can purchase one or two brushes you like. If after using them you like the result, then you can buy new brushes. If you don’t like it, then we use the old ones for glazing, and we go to the store to choose new brushes.

When choosing brushes, remember that this is the main tool of the artist.

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