CHOOSING THE RIGHT OIL PAINT BRUSHES

Choosing the right brush is important and with 150 years of brush making experience Winsor & Newton offer a number of brushes that are ideal for oil painting.

Although as artists we are seduced by colour, it is important to be as equally attentive to our brush choices. Fundamental to the creation of our paintings and integral to our style, finding the right brush often makes all the difference.

When choosing a brush to use for oil colour, you need to think about a brush with hair that is able to move thick, viscous colour e.g. Hog hair. However, if you plan to use thinners to alter the properties of the colour you will then need to consider using another type of hair, Sable hair for example.

Top of Form

There is one main benchmark for brushes that are used with thick or viscous colour; the thicker the colour, the stiffer the brush needs to be. A heavy paint like oil requires a brush with enough resilience to manipulate the colour with complete control.
However, a colour that has been thinned will need softer tuft (e.g. soft hair or filament) and a colour that has been thinned to a fluid consistency needs a brush with flow control (e.g. synthetic or natural hair brush such as sable).
Therefore brush characteristics to consider are:
• Firmness of bristle – Is the bristle capable of moving heavy-bodied colour over the surface with authority?
• Tip control – Does the bristle or hair allow for subtlety in blending? Does it give fine control when creating detail?
Oil colour brushes are generally made from three different types of hair, Hog, Sable and Synthetic hair.

Hog

Properly dressed, the finest quality Hog brushes offer superior firmness and flagged ends for control and blending. Hog bristle is good for use with thick colour. The hair is extremely resilient and the most important characteristic is that it is ‘flagged’ or split at the end.
These flags carry more colour on the brush and apply it evenly on the surface. The very best Hog brushes have over 80% flagged hairs. In the Winsor & Newton Range, our Hog brush is the Winton Hog Brush, however we also offer one synthetic brush which resembles the properties of Hog but can with stand being used with water – Artisan Brushes. Artisan brushes are suitable for use with both Traditional Oil Colours and Water Mixable Oil Colours.
At the top end, a good quality Hog brush is made from the stiffest strongest hair, giving plenty of flag. Hog hair has a natural curve and a quality Hog brush is made carefully so that every hair curves inwards. This gives control when pressing on the canvas, the brush tip widens only to the size of the ferrule in general use. The strong, curved hairs stay in the brush head, no strays trailing colour where you don’t want it. The best quality Hogs also wear down gradually, maintaining their shape but getting smaller. These often become beloved brushes, you can’t make them like that without years of painting! So here again we find that the higher priced brush has more value as it will outperform a cheaper one and last much longer.
A mid range Hog is excellent value when your budget is restricted. It will be a little softer and will not wear as nicely but it is perfectly serviceable. The cheapest Hogs are soft and weak and splay when used.

Sable

The second choice for oil colour painters is a sable brush. These are used when the painter needs more control of colour when it has been thinned down with solvents. The high quality hair gives the brush excellent shape retention and allows the artists to paint intricate detail. This makes it the ideal complement to a Hog brush in an oil painter’s studio.

Synthetic

High quality synthetic fibers are especially good if the brushes come into contact with water. As with our Artisan Water Mixable Oil Colours, where the brushes can be cleaned with water it is important that the brushes remain strong and durable and appropriate for painting with thick bodied colour straight from the tube.

Sizing

One last thing to remember too, the sizing of brushes differs in different makes. Make sure you are comparing like for like before you invest.

Care of Oil Brushes

Rinse remaining colour from brush using Winsor & Newton Artists’ White Spirit, Sansodor or Brush Cleaner for oils and alkyds, water for Artisan. To ensure the best possible performance and longest life for your Hog brushes follow these simple rules:
1. Always clean brushes immediately after use (see below).
2. Never leave brushes resting on their bristles.
3. Shape up bristles with your fingers after cleaning.
4. If you are storing Hog brushes for any length of time, make sure they  are clean and perfectly dry and keep them in a box with a tight fitting lid to avoid moth damage. If the brushes are not absolutely dry they may develop mildew.
5. Paint should never be allowed to dry on any brush. Should this happen household paint stripper could be used to soften it, however the brush is unlikely to return to its original shape afterwards.

Cleaning of Oil Brushes

1. Wipe excess colour from the brush using a rag.
2. Rinse remaining colour form brush using Artists’ White Spirit or Sansodor for oils and alkyds, water for Artisan.
3. Next, clean the bristle with brush cleaner or household soap (not detergent), working up a lather and rinsing the brush under warm (not hot) water. Repeat this until there is no trace of colour. Ensure all traces of soap are removed.
4. Finally, shape up the brush, dry the handle and rest the brush bristles uppermost in a pot or jar to dry.

Cleaning of Synthetic Oil Brushes

To ensure the best performance and long lasting quality of this particular brush range, follow these simple rules:
1. Always clean brushes after use with plenty of soap and water or brush cleaner until all traces of colour have gone.
2. Remove excess water and re-shape the head.
3. Never leave the brushes standing on their head.
4. Store the brushes carefully, head uppermost.