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ARTIST PAINT BRUSHES BY PURPOSE
Knowing about artist paint brushes can save an artist money, precious time and a lot of frustration. While you need a variety in different types and sizes, some are better suited for a particular technique than others.

PRINT THE INFORMATION FOR BRUSHES BY PURPOSE

SIZE NUMBER
Ever wonder why some paint brushes are referred to as 1/8", 1/4", 1/2", etc., while others are assigned a number?

The first measurement refers to the width of a brush in standard measurement while the latter refers to the metric width in millimeters.

So that means a 1/2" flat brush is roughly equivalent to a 12mm or a #12 flat.

PROJECTS

FOR ACRYLICS
If you’re a painter who prefers to use bottled acrylic paints, we recommend artist paint brushes with SYNTHETIC HAIR. They’re durable, absorbent, have excellent spring and maintain their chisel edge with minimal care. They perform well on just about any surface you can imagine. They're manufactured in a wide variety of sizes and they’re affordable.

Another good choice for you is the mixed hair types of paint brushes, also known as SYNTHETIC BLENDS. This brush contains natural as well as synthetic hairs, which means more absorbency (natural) and more durability (synthetic). The synthetic blend is ideally suited for most media and comes in an affordable price range.

FOR OILS
A painter using oils would have better results using NATURAL HAIR. Natural hair brushes are softer and much more absorbent than synthetic blends or pure synthetics. The hairs usually come from sable, squirrel or camel to name just a few critters. These artist paint brushes also can range from affordable to very expensive.

CERAMICS, ETC.
If you’re into ceramics, fabric painting, or you craft on rough surfaces, brushes with synthetic bristles are right for you. They're extremely durable and in some cases can be used for some interesting special effects. Usually these artist paint brushes are in an affordable price range.

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Also derived from animal hair, brushes with natural bristles are stiffer and are usually used for special effect techniques. Their strength and durability means they can be used in heavy media over rough surfaces. The hairs could be from ox, horse or hog bristle. These range from affordable to expensive.

CRAFTS
Craft brushes can be tempting to buy because of the lower price tag. These are really geared for kids and the occasional hobbyist. Any painter, even one who is just starting out should avoid these completely. Cheap! Cheap! Cheap....they do not belong in your paint room or workshop. But do leave them in the kid’s craft room.

FOAM PAINT BRUSHES
Foam paint brushes are great for covering large areas when you're base coating or for kid's to use. Though not intended for detailed work they do come in handy for big strokes. These are not very durable but they are inexpensive and disposable.

PARTS OF A PAINT BRUSH
You know what a paint brush looks like. It’s a simple tool made up of a handle, a ferrule and some hairs. The handle can be made of wood, plastic, bamboo, etc.
The ferrule is the metal part that holds
the hairs in place. The hairs can be synthetic or natural. When you see
the words Flat or Round, it just
means that the brush has either a flat (crimped) ferrule or a round one.

PLUS MORE!

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Because we do receive new items every week and cannot always get the details on the website as fast as we would like, these pages are designed to provide some information only and may not always have specifics about vendors or merchandise.  To inquire about items in our stores, please call a store to see if we have a certain product or carry merchandise from a certain vendor or manufacturer in which you are interested. Thank you!