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Author Topic: Brush bristles  (Read 926 times)

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Offline Faeluchu

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Brush bristles
« on: July 4, 2015, 04:02:24 PM »
Hey there,

while visiting an arts shop nearby I've noticed that there are a plethora of brush bristle materials that I haven't really ever noticed before, like pony hair and whatnot, so I'd like to ask you people about your experiences with various materials/brands. Which ones are good? Which ones suck? Why?

Personally, apart from the GW brushes which everyone probably knows, I have tried the local Magpol brand - they don't really give the brush material of the brushes I've used on their website, but as far as I remember it was made either from wolverine or was synthetic - aaand, well, I'll have to say I was not amazed, as the bristles separated too easily to my liking and were generally a nuisance. Although I'll have to admit that, given that the brushes were relatively cheap, they are holding up quite nice, so they're at least somewhat durable.

(I really hope someone tried pony hair, because I've seen a lot of those, so they might be my next step if they turn out to be okay)
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Offline Mr.Peanut (Turtleproof)

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Re: Brush bristles
« Reply #1 on: July 7, 2015, 06:09:04 PM »
I am not well versed in materials but I have been painting for a while, I can say that synthetic is fine but it is somewhat easy to tell if something is junk by looking at it.  Really lousy brushes will have thick, stiff, plastic bristles that aren't good for anything but a child to slam paint onto a macaroni Moses.

I pulled out a "quality" brush that I'm not happy with: the handle says 12 Pro Art 4001 China.  I'm not proud of buying a brush that was probably made by slave labor but I probably bought this in college years ago when there was  a firesale on art supplies in town.  I said that stiff bristles are really bad, this one has bristles that are so soft that it's almost impossible to use.  It's so soft that it can't be "trained," it prefers to bend or sag in the wrong direction rather than make a consistent tip.

Buy some brushes that don't cost $66 and test out your preferences, in my mind it's about finding bristles that are the right length, softness, and cost.  I have a 2 Royal Gold RG 585 brush that I am very fond of even though it's a a full 1" long (rather long for a mini painting brush, it would scale up to a pin-striper's brush on hot rods, motorcycles, and such).  I don't use it much but when I do it does justice for me.

Don't be afraid to buy the cheaper brushes at art supply shops, so long as you can inspect them before buying (never, ever get brands designed to be sold to children).  I have several brushes that are trash but they're the right size and still work fine.  Half of brush work has, for me, become slowly twirling the brush around in the paint to get the tip into the right shape, similar to how vital it is to get the right mix between paint and water.
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