oil painting brushes
B. Larson
recommendations regarding brushes. I would like to hear some commentary
on various manufacturers of brushes, bristle, sable, etc. My next major
purchase will be a brush overhaul and I would like some opinions.
Also, is there a newsgroup or bulletin board which deals directly w/
artists materials?
Thanks
Brandon Larson
faugh
B. Larson wrote:
Greetings,
I give it a whack -
Well, in my opinion, every brush has it purpose, even those that have
dried paint in it. It depends on the layer in which you are painting. Sable
brushes are pretty spotty. A bad sable is no better than a good synthetic,
of course you save much more money going synthetic. I found a very decent
manufacturer of sables in Italy. The brushes are fairly inexpensive and
well balanced and sturdy. The hairs are not trimmed. Usually I can get
twice the size of the brush for the same amount of money spent locally. As
far as the bristle, I find few that work well. Winsor Newton rathbone
brushes are compact and work well for finer painting and scrubbing, they
are dense and the hairs keep their shape well, and have a good snap to
them. Grumbacher brushes hold a great deal of paint. The paint stays at the
tip and allows a good broad stroke, good for opague. Isabey's are good too.
Hope that helps.
Scott Burkett
Feel free to hop on over to www.wetcanvas.com, and post a message in our
oil painting forum. We get thousands of visitors each week, one of them is
bound to be a brush-guru... :-)
Cheers.
Scott
Paul Isaacs
For a really good bristle brush try the Raphael brand, somewhat
expensive but worth it. For sables use a Kolinsky (not a brand but a
type) sable for its extra stifness, e.g. those of Rowney or Raphael,
also expensive.
--
Paul Isaacs
PLEASE remove NOSPAM and the extra .com
from the reply address.
Blue Moon
has...@u.washington.edu says...
>
>I would like to ask a general question regarding preference and
>recommendations regarding brushes.
I think that the general rule to follow applies to many
other things artists use too, but especially to brushes.
You get what you pay for!
I personally like Isabey for a reasonably
priced (but not cheap) Kolinskey sable but would never use
them for anything but watercolor painting. The synthetics
are best suited to acrylics and some finer synthetics work
equally well for watercolor. Generally animal hair brushes
work better with oils. Most of the larger mail
order suppliers carry both economy lines and more expensive
brushes and if you are really serious about your 'tools'
you'll stick with the more expensive and therefore generally
better quality brushes, regardless of manufacturer. I apply
this rule to ALL tools -- not just artist's tools.
You get what you pay for!
Paul Isaacs
>
> In article <Pine.A41.4.05.990313...@dante18.u.washington.edu>,
> has...@u.washington.edu says...
> >
> >I would like to ask a general question regarding preference and
> >recommendations regarding brushes.
>
> I think that the general rule to follow applies to many
> other things artists use too, but especially to brushes.
>
> You get what you pay for!
>
> I personally like Isabey for a reasonably
> priced (but not cheap) Kolinskey sable but would never use
> them for anything but watercolor painting.
There are Kolinsky oil painting sables. Naturally you have to use them
with care, but they're great for fine detail work if that's your thing.
Bob C
>
>
> For a really good bristle brush try the Raphael brand, somewhat
> expensive but worth it. For sables use a Kolinsky (not a brand but a
> type) sable for its extra stifness, e.g. those of Rowney or Raphael,
> also expensive.
> --
> Paul Isaacs
>
A local art store used to carry Strathmore bristle brushes which were
long lasting and very good quality at a very reasonable price. They
stopped carrying them and I've not been able to find them anywhere else.
Lately I've been using W&N Lexington II bristle brushes, which I think
are also quite good for the price. I use mostly small to medium sized
flats.
- bob c.
faugh
Blue Moon wrote:
> In article <Pine.A41.4.05.990313...@dante18.u.washington.edu>,
> has...@u.washington.edu says...
> >
> >I would like to ask a general question regarding preference and
> >recommendations regarding brushes.
>
> I personally like Isabey for a reasonably
> priced (but not cheap) Kolinskey sable but would never use
> them for anything but watercolor painting. The synthetics
> are best suited to acrylics and some finer synthetics work
> equally well for watercolor.
I still believe that every brush has it purpose. As you say, generally, but the
stages of a painting will suggest a type of brush. If one needs some transparent
darks, say with a warm brown only, a brush that is capable of scratching through
the paint is most desirable. One may use an unkept brush or pound the daylights out
of a synthetic. It depends on what you need. The finer details require a more
sublte touch and may need a specific touch.
<some snipping>
> Most of the larger mail
> order suppliers carry both economy lines and more expensive
> brushes and if you are really serious about your 'tools'
> you'll stick with the more expensive and therefore generally
> better quality brushes, regardless of manufacturer. I apply
> this rule to ALL tools -- not just artist's tools.
>
> You get what you pay for!
This does not always apply. Expensive brushes do not suggest quality. It may be
function of marketing too. Sable brushes in my area are greatly overpriced for the
quality. The hairs are trimmed and treated with something in order to keep their
shape while on display. Once this substance has crumbled away, the hair resembles
mine when I wake in the morning, mainly going anywhich way. This is an indication
of poor craftsmanship, or a good night sleep :D. Mail order is not always the best
option since you cannot inspect before you buy. If the hairs are clipped, they hold
little paint and what they do hold travels far up into the ferrule making cleaning
impossible.
Degas5
They're my top choice, followed by WN Lexington. Then there's the filberts,
whose shape varies amongst different lines. Rathbone makes a nice "oval"
shape, Degas makes a long filbert and Isabey's Impressionist filbert is my
favorite, since there's not another like it. You would think you're using your
own fingers when you use that one. Princeton and Grumbacher as well as WN
University brushes are good acrylic brushes. For watersoluble oils Galeria
synthetic are good if you can find the Max or Artison line. I could go on to
list watercolor brush favorites, but must go right now. Hope that helps and
seems that other responses concur with my favorites.
Bonnie
Blue Moon
>I still believe that every brush has it purpose. As you say, generally, but
the
>stages of a painting will suggest a type of brush.
You're absolutely right. What works for one person may not work for
another. Hand tools are such a very personal matter, but again I
say that you tie your hands if you try to work with inferior tools.
IMO, most artists who have been at the trade any length of time
as painters have a collection of brushes running sometimes into
the many dozens. I know I do. I'll bet in over thirty years of painting
I've gone through some hundreds of brushes. My current collection
probably is in the 100-150 range. A painter who works in multiple
mediums as I do can NEVER have enough brushes. I'm always looking
for a 'better grade' too. The same holds true for painting KNIVES.
I have another collection of those that server various needs.
gloria
brushes? I'll be in Rome, Siena, Venice and Florence.
Thanks.
Please email direct: glo...@akula.com
Gloria Rabinowitz
http://www.akula.com/~gloria