Brushes, Brushes, Everywhere!

Brushes, Brushes, Everywhere!

I LOVE PAINT BRUSHES!!! For an artist, there are tons of different supplies available so that you can create literally anything. It’s like being a kid and having lots of fun toys to choose from. Paint brushes are some of MY favorite toys! There’s something very special about paint brushes. Ask most artists and they will tell you they have their favorites - for reasons that are as different as the artists that love them. But then, there are so many choices!! 

Brushes come in a variety of thicknesses, brush hair types, lengths, shapes. Some have long handles and some short, in wood, plastic or acrylic. There is a brush for every job - literally! You can have one for oil paint, one for acrylic paint and one for watercolors, just to name a few. So how do you know what kind you need?

Honestly, you need to try different kinds until you find something that you like. Not quite the answer that you were hoping for, is it? Lol! But, really, that’s my advice. Do your research, but, ultimately you need to test drive them. You really can’t know if you will like a brush until you actually paint with it. I’ve tried lots of different brushes over the years. I started with cheap brushes out of necessity because I was broke. However, I learned quickly that you really do get what you pay for. Cheap, basic brushes tend to shed and there’s nothing more aggravating than trying to pick little hairs out of your painting! So I went in the other direction and bought really expensive brushes. They were good, but soooo expensive. I have found a middle tier line of brushes that I absolutely love. I only discovered them about 9 years ago, but they’re the only ones that I’ll use now.

Which leads me to my next piece of advice. Use your paint brushes for whatever you want. There are those that say you should never use expensive brushes for cheap paint or never use an oil brush with acrylic paint. You know what? It’s your money, your art, your energy. Use it however you like! For example, most of the brushes that I use for my oil paintings are actually watercolor brushes! I have ZERO interest in painting in watercolor. Lol! I have tried, but I’m oil and it’s, well, water! Lol! Point is, although they are “supposed” to be for watercolors, I use them for oil. In my opinion, they hold shape the best and are really durable. They’re easy to clean and don’t shed! *very important!! 

I do have seperate sets of sets of brushes as well. One set is for oil and one for acrylic. That is something that I am adamant about - I don’t mix the mediums. I also have some cheap brushes that I hang onto for crafts. Hmm, so I have three distinct sets of paintbrushes. Obsessive much? Bahahaha!!

<---oil paint and brushes

acrylic paint and brushes-->