Drawing brushes for painting. Paint brushes

05.04.2019

6 brushes, different pile.

An overview of brushes with different bristles, as well as palettes for painting. Which brush is better: squirrel, goat, kolinsky, pony, bristle or synthetic?

Which brushes are ideal depends on the quality of the brushes, paints (watercolor, oil, gouache, etc.), and the habits of the painter.

Squirrel brushes are the softest, most plastic. Kolonok is soft, but resilient, it is harder than a squirrel. Modern synthetics are approaching the column in quality. It does not wear out as quickly as brushes made of natural bristles, and it can be even more convenient in work, because it has a smoother pile. Most artists prefer to work with natural brushes, and synthetic brushes are also great for children's drawings.

For watercolor painting, brushes are used: squirrel, kolinsky, synthetics.

Kolonok suitable for any style of painting, but it is also one of the most expensive. If in doubt which brush to choose, you can take the columns.

Squirrel good for watercolors, synthetics - for acrylic painting. The tip of the squirrel hair brush is sharp and has the same fluidity control as the kolinsky, but is not as flexible as the kolinsky.

Pony usually taken when there is no way to take columns or squirrels. Ponies are tougher than squirrels, they are closer to the column.

Pig bristle brush best suited for acrylic and oil, it allows you to work even with very thick paint.

Badger brush good for soft paints, it is very easy to work with.

Sable according to its properties, it combines columns and a squirrel, number 2 can be used to write both miniatures and large works.

Nylon bristles (synthetic) not suitable for watercolor, but great for acrylic.

The brush should not be too soft, but not too hard either.

Squirrel brushes


Brushes with different pile.

The traditional, well-known squirrel brush, it is soft, thin and elastic, the strokes are juicy and bright. It usually consists of a wooden stylus, a galvanized braid that clamps the squirrel's hair.

The squirrel brush holds its shape perfectly, does not break, absorbs moisture well and is easy to clean under running water. When in contact with paper and other surfaces (porcelain, faience, wood), the hairs do not separate and lead a clear line, without "stripes".

The brushes from the upper part of the tail of the Siberian squirrel are considered the most valuable among artists. The best pile is located in tail squirrels, hairs there are the longest.

Squirrel fur has good moisture retention performance, which compares favorably with kolinsky hair when working with watercolors, tempera paints. When wet, a squirrel brush gathers into one dense bundle, which is suitable for painstaking contour work. It can be kept in water for a long time.

Squirrel brushes are mostly round, but squirrel brushes can also be made into other shapes.

So: squirrel brushes are mainly used for watercolors and water-based paints. For oil paints squirrel brushes are not suitable, they are very delicate and immediately begin to crawl out of the solvent.

Squirrel brushes need to be looked after, washed after use, dried, put in a box.

Column brushes

Kolonok is an animal from the weasel family, its wool has excellent properties - it is soft, elastic. The bristle of a kolinsky brush perfectly adheres to water, improves the fluidity of the paint, and is suitable for working with watercolors (including professional ones).

Kolinsky brush is the leader among brushes. The hair of kolinsky brushes is thin, elastic and has a conical shape. From the tip of the brush, the paint flows in a continuous stream and with the best consistency. Differ in a combination of elasticity and elasticity, at the same time remain soft.


From top to bottom, in the photo of the brush: nylon 7, goat 7, synthetic 6, synthetic 5, kolinsky 4, squirrel 7.

Kolinsky brushes are designed for artwork With watercolor, oil, tempera, gouache and acrylic. IN oil painting they are used when performing small parts. There are round and flat.

But who is this speaker? Few have heard of this animal.

Kolonok (lat. Mustela sibirica) is a valuable fur trade animal, from the genus of weasels and trochees, its fur is highly valued, and long hairs from the tail are used for brushes for artists. Kolinsky fur is very thick, soft, warm, lush.

Kolonok is a red-haired animal, smaller than a cat, flexible, with a black “mask” on its muzzle. He preys on relatively large animals: hares, black grouse, capercaillie. It does not eat plant foods, in extreme cases it can eat insects. All winter he sits in a hole, moves, if necessary, under the snow. In the snowy tunnels, the columnar catches voles. He stores his food for the winter and arranges entire warehouses.

You don't have to buy very expensive brushes. But - cheap ones are almost never of high quality, so you should not buy the cheapest ones, even for a child. You can choose the average price category. The main thing is that the brushes in a dry state have a uniform bunch of pile, without protruding hairs. good manufacturer protects his brushes with special caps - so that the pile does not fray.

How to choose brushes for painting with acrylic paints? To date, the choice of brushes for painting can confuse anyone. If you do not follow this constantly and do not collect a mega-collection of brushes from different types, sizes, materials and shapes, and most of us just belong to this group, then the purchase becomes far from a trivial procedure.

So, let's try to formulate a problem, for example - I need good brushes for drawing pictures by numbers. Note that, as a rule, three brushes are already included with the picture. They quite cope with the task of drawing the entire this picture and can be used further. But here appearance they have, and the quality itself is unlikely to inspire the conquest of the next creative heights! Therefore, let's try to satisfy the needs of perfectionists, but let's approach the selection process systematically and highlight the criteria that are really important to us.

A little theory to understand "what we draw." Acrylic paints are water-dispersed paints based on polyacrylates. Translated into Russian or for the especially gifted creative people this means that they can be diluted with water, tinted with aqueous pigment pastes, mixed with each other, and after drying they become quite resistant to water. Paintings created with acrylic paints, depending on dilution with water, special thinners or solvents, pastes, gels, etc., can also look like watercolor work, and oil images, and even have their own unique color reproduction. However, according to professional artists and painting experts, painting with acrylic paints (the technique of making a stroke, applying paint to the base, pouring large areas etc.) is closest to painting with oil paints. Based on this, we will begin the choice.

As a rule, artistic brushes for drawing are divided by purpose, type of hair used and shape. Consider where to look for the brushes we need.

By appointment

This includes brushes for watercolor and nail design, for gilding and stencil, for makeup and body painting, for acrylic and oil, for calligraphy and graphics, and many others. It is important for us to find our group - for acrylics and oils, or just a group of brushes for oil paints. There is no task to embrace the immensity and tell about all the differences, the main thing is that there is a clearly defined segment and, believe me, very big choice even within this group. Again, choosing from this group, you will get the maximum wear resistance of the brush and will not be upset due to rapid abrasion or lint loss.

By type of hair used

Here come the brushes from natural hair squirrels, column, martens, sable, ponies, goats and other quite exotic options. In addition, this includes brushes made of pig bristles and synthetic fibers. The main group of choice for us is columns, synthetics or bristles. As an optional recommendation, you should pay attention to synthetic brushes, usually made of nylon. At a relatively low price, they have significantly the best performance wear resistance and retention of the shape of the brush with repeated use.

By shape

Here the flight of fancy is also unlimited - fan-shaped, round, lampemsel, inclined, oval, flat and many others. The main idea is that the specific shape of the brush allows you to perform a specific stroke in the most comfortable way. To get started, we recommend paying attention to three types of brushes - round, flat and oval. For paintings of small sizes (30 * 40, 40 * 50, 50 * 60 cm), brushes from the 1st to the 3rd number are suitable. As you increase your drawing experience, consider fan brushes for blending paint.

The choice of a brush is always a very subjective process, because even the same brushes in shape, material and number give a different feeling depending on the length of the handle of this brush, and if you add different manufacturers to this, then the choice of this brush even in a good art salon-shop becomes ambiguous. By the way, high price on a brush is not at all an indicator of its suitability specifically for your tasks. It is worth looking at cheaper analogues, trying it out and only after that buying really expensive models.

Summary

For comfortable painting by numbers with acrylic paints, it is advisable to have several brushes that differ in shape and type of hair used. Our recommendation is synthetic brushes with a short handle from 1st to 3rd number of three shapes (round, flat and oval).

Both a beginner little artist and an eminent master know that the main tools for drawing are brushes, paints, pencils and paper. Of course, a lot depends on the paper. For example, to draw watercolor paints necessary

choose special paper of different density and a certain texture: smooth or textured, thick or rough.

But first of all, you need to choose the right brushes. All brushes used for painting vary in appearance, type and size.

Professional artists use round, flat and oval brushes. Round brushes for drawing are the main tool. They are necessary in order to apply large volumes of paint. It is advisable to have round brushes in size 8 on hand, and for very large paintings- 10 and 12.

A flat brush is needed to wet the paper with water. Master artists use brushes from 0.5 to 1 inch. They always have in stock flat brushes made of synthetic fibers with a turnable end for cleaning, scratching, polishing or other actions.

Oval brushes for drawing will help to draw all the details on large

formats. They are good to add a large number of paint or water on paper. But if the drawing is applied to a small surface, such a brush may not be useful.

In addition to the main one, you should always have in your collection to perform certain tasks. thin brushes for drawing neat lines and drawing details. And also wide three-inch brushes, very convenient for drawing on large format paper.

Real, high-quality brushes are made from the pile of animals and are chosen depending on how the drawing is done - in oil, watercolor or gouache. The properties and quality of the bristles are the main selection criteria.

The most common brushes for painting from the pile of squirrels. It is from it that the softest and smoothest brushes are obtained, used for oil painting, they are completely unsuitable, since they will immediately begin to crawl out of the solvent and will soon become worthless. They wear out quickly, but with proper care they will last a long time. Similar in their properties to marten squirrel brushes, however, they are rarely found on sale.

Wool column is ideal for tassels. It wears off much longer, almost does not come out, a little tougher and harder than squirrel. With such a brush, you can paint not only with watercolors, but also with oils. The elastic brush is ideal for drawing even and clear lines, as well as for graphics and calligraphy.

But the best

and brushes for painting from sable pile are considered. They say that with one such brush you can paint a temple, and then continue to work. It is practically not erased, does not climb, is soft, but at the same time quite elastic, holds fine clear lines well, but also allows you to work in other techniques. One of its drawbacks is that the price is too high, so even professional artist it is extremely rare.

There are also bristle brushes, goat, dog, synthetic and others. However, in painting they are usually not used by masters, and they are not recommended for children.

Drawing is one of the most fascinating and diverse types of creativity. You can draw not only with paints and pencils, gouache or felt-tip pens. Apart from classical drawing The brush can also be used with other tools.

Young children will be interested in such unusual species drawing, like a milk drawing, symmetrical or dotted. And how much joy the blotting or waxography will cause! You can create a picture with splashes, palms or using a hole punch. The main thing is that such “drawing” brings joy, develops the imagination, awakens the fantasy. And, who knows, maybe a professional will someday grow out of such a small “artist”.

It's no secret that the brush is one of the main tools of the artist. Of course, there are other ways to apply paint to canvas, such as a palette knife, a sponge, or even fingers, but these materials are used by professionals primarily for graphic effects, while most of paintings are still created using brushes for drawing and painting.

Approaching the issue of choosing an artistic brush, one should understand for what purposes and paints it will be used. This will determine not only which form of brush to give preference to, but also the pile from which it is made. For convenience, you can mentally draw up a small plan for yourself, starting from which, the process of selecting the right brush for painting will become much easier. Point 1. Length Let's start with a simple one - by determining the length of the handle of an artistic brush. If you plan to paint on an easel, then it is most convenient to take a brush with a long handle so that you do not have to reach for the canvas.

One of the most famous are squirrel hair brushes. These are soft elastic brushes of dark, almost black color. They perfectly hold the tip and lead a smooth nice line. Because of their ability to hold water well, these brushes are great for painting with watercolors.

The most unprofessional, but, nevertheless, actively used, are pony hair brushes. Brown or blond hairs are very soft, do not hold their shape as well and do not have a sharp tip.

The stiffest bristle can be used to create texture or use it for a "dry" drawing technique. Brushes made from synthetic materials have gained immense popularity among artists. Elastic durable synthetics allow the brush to hold the tip well and be resistant to solvents, insects and factors environment. Artificial brushes are ideal for painting with oil, acrylic or tempera paints, but depending on the composition, they can also be suitable for watercolor.

Flat brushes are ideal for covering large areas of work or painting with geometric strokes. Such brushes are widely used for filling background color, arts and crafts, priming surfaces or varnishing.

Retractable brushes are flat brushes with a bevel. These brushes are also called retouched. They allow you to draw beautiful strokes or draw pronounced lines.

Font, they are linear brushes (liners) are similar to round brushes, but have more elongated hairs. The pile absorbs a large amount of paint and allows you to draw really long lines without adding.

A special brush holder will be a handy accessory, suitable for taking tools with you on the road or in the open air. Very often you can find brushes in beautiful wooden boxes that will please anyone and can serve great gift artist.

Visitors to this page most often choose in the online store:

Acrylic brushes are different. The nylon brush proved to be the best, but it is not suitable for all types of work, therefore it cannot become the only one in the artist's arsenal. Before buying a particular brush, you should figure out whether it is suitable for acrylic and for specific features specific artist.


Before buying a brush, you should figure out if it is suitable for acrylic

Brush shapes

You can work with acrylic with a tool of any shape, but each of the brushes is capable of performing a certain amount of work while painting. It is very easy to spoil the picture if you choose the wrong shape of the brush for certain strokes.

  1. Round. This tool is considered universal, suitable for any paints and techniques. They can be used to draw details or fill, depending on the number of the brush. The round shape is achieved by enclosing the pile in a rounded cage.
  2. Flat. To create this shape of the brush, a flat clip is used. Brushes can be wide and narrow, long and short. They are convenient to use for painting large areas of the picture with plain paint, including acrylic.
  3. contour. The shape of these brushes is similar to a flat one, but the tuft is shortened and wider, which makes strokes easier to control. It is also convenient to create color brushes with contour brushes.
  4. Brush in the shape of a cat's tongue. The shape of such an instrument resembles a dome or an oval. It is considered a compromise solution between round and flat tassels, because depending on the position it leaves different strokes. For beginners, the tool is not suitable, since its use requires some skill.
  5. Linear. To create such a brush, a long pile is taken, and the thickness of the tool is very small. The brush is more suitable for inscriptions or very thin, small details.

There are several other types of brushes, such as stencil or type, but they are much less suitable for painting acrylics than those described above.

Types of brushes

Both hard and soft brushes are suitable for painting with acrylic paints. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages and is used in certain techniques.


To work with acrylic paints, you can take both hard and soft brushes.

Soft brushes

Instruments that are mostly made from natural materials, perfectly hold paint and are suitable not only for acrylic, but also for watercolor, gouache. Artists use them to apply thin, neat lines or to depict translucent tones. With a soft brush it is convenient to draw small details.

The best natural, soft brush is sable. However, acrylic paints easily spoil this type of pile, so it is not recommended to use it. Alternative option a tassel made half of sable, half of synthetic material is considered. Well, a cheaper and more common alternative is a synthetic brush.

Hard brushes

In addition to weightless layers, acrylic paint used for thick strokes. With the help of acrylic, you can apply various relief and rough techniques, which require hard brushes that hold a lot of paint, and the strokes are clearer.

A brush for painting with acrylic should not only be hard, but also elastic and flexible enough so that the strokes are even and do not spoil the picture.

Modern painting tools match desired characteristics and are made from synthetic materials. Depending on the techniques used by the artist, a hard brush can be large or small, have a different width and length of the handle.

Brush sizes

To determine what sizes of brushes are needed for a particular style of acrylic painting, you need to gain some experience. When choosing a brush number, you should take into account the fact that the numbering may differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, therefore, having found the best option for drawing, you should buy tools from only one company.

The numbering of brushes starts from one and goes up to 16 (sometimes 14). The thickness of the stroke increases accordingly. However, the difference between the brushes is not only in the width, but also in the length of the handle. Soft tools are shorter, hard tools are longer, which allows you to draw at some distance from the canvas and better evaluate the picture.


Soft brushes are shorter than hard brushes because they are painted last some distance from the canvas.

Nylon brush

A nylon brush is considered the best option for beginner artists who prefer acrylic. It is synthetic, has many varieties of shapes and sizes.

The main advantages of a brush made of nylon bristles:

  1. Elasticity. The material from which the tool is made has high elastic properties, does not break when bent and is quite elastic and elastic. The strokes of paint that such a brush leaves are smooth and clear. The nylon brush is easy to paint even for beginners, as it is a medium between hard and soft.
  2. Strength. The main problem with natural brushes in acrylic painting is the need to keep them in water. Due to this attitude, the pile falls out and deteriorates, which, however, does not apply to this synthetic brush. From a long stay in the water, the tool will not serve less, therefore it is suitable for acrylic.
  3. Ease of care. Due to the fact that the brush is made of synthetics, it is easy to clean it from acrylic, which is famous for its fast drying and sticking to the pile. Natural brushes are very difficult to tidy up because their texture is not as smooth as nylon. To care for such a brush, it is enough to rinse it after use with a stream of water.

It is worth noting that the nylon brush, although very good, cannot be an alternative to all other types of tools. Experienced Artists, in any case, will have several other types of brushes in stock, for some specific techniques.


Nylon brush - the best option for emerging artists

Brush care

Acrylic paint is different in that no matter what technique the artist uses and no matter how much he is carried away by the process, he must ensure that the brushes do not dry out. Acrylic dries very quickly and then the tools can be considered damaged. To prevent this, you need to keep the brushes in the water while painting, which gradually spoils them, but at least does not disable them.

The process of cleaning the brush after painting:

  • excess paint after work must be removed with a rag or thick paper, carefully wiping the brush on them;
  • then the brush is lowered into the water, and rotational movements are made, with the help of which acrylic is removed from the pile;
  • the tool is wiped with a cloth and soaped with soap;
  • then the soap must be washed off, making sure that it gets between the pile and under the clip (in order for the brush to last longer, even the slightest traces of paint must be removed);
  • the brush should be washed until clear water, after which it is wiped dry and the pile is left to dry (the beam should be directed upwards, and the brush must first be given the correct shape).

If the acrylic is still dry on the brush, you can try to remove it by soaking it in a special cleaner, and then carefully remove the remaining paint with a wooden toothpick, after pressing the brush against a hard surface.

In general, for, you should use synthetic brushes. The shape and size are selected individually, but for beginners it is best to purchase several standard brush options. When working with acrylic great attention pay attention to the care of tools, as the paint dries quickly and spoils the pile.



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