Introduction
Oil painting is one of the most ancient art forms in the world. Oil painting originated in the Bamiyan region of old India in the 7th century. Buddhist artists used oil from walnuts or poppies to paint ancient cave paintings in Afghanistan. Many famous artists have always used oil paints to make great masterpieces.
If you are also an art enthusiast, you might wonder how to paint great oil paintings for many days. The most important thing to paint is the paint brushes. Using the right paintbrushes for oil painting is very important because it directly affects the quality of your image. You must have complete knowledge about which type of paint brushes you should use to paint oil paintings. You can have natural or synthetic brushes. In the following section, you will find the best oil paint brushes.
Understanding Oil Paint Brushes
Before choosing any paintbrush, you should know some essential factors regarding oil paintbrushes. In the following section, you will understand them -
- Spring and shape resiliency- The brush should respond well to your hand so that you can make smooth and good strokes with it.
- Bristles- Oil painting paintbrush bristles should be heavy bristles. Natural hog bristles are great as they are very stiff and can hold more paint than synthetic paintbrushes.
- Brush handle- Oil painting brushes naturally have long and wide brush handles. The long handles give the painter a clean and broad look at the whole painting, making it easy to use and handle.
Importance of brush quality in oil painting
Brush quality is a significant factor in oil painting because it ultimately affects the outcome of your oil painting. You should always buy
- great quality brushes. Good oil painting brushes -
- They are well constructed with sturdy ferrules.
- Don't leave extra bristles stuck with the paint on the canvas.
- Hold more paint and apply it evenly.
- Cleanses easily
Choosing the Right Oil Paint Brushes
It would help to remember some essential factors before choosing your oil paint brushes. In this blog section, you will find the answer with an explanation.
Spring
If you are using a brush for oil painting, you should know that if the meeting responds well with your hand, you can use the brush to paint oil paintings.
Bristle quality
Bristle quality is a critical factor for paintbrushes. You must choose only paintbrushes that are firmly anchored to the paintbrush socket and don't fall out easily.
Shape
The paintbrush shape depends on the output type you expect. If you want crisp lines, you should go for thin brushes, or if you wish to paint broad areas, it is advisable to use broader-shaped brushes.
Size
The brush size depends on the canvas size. Using broad and long best brushes for oil that would make the task more accessible if you paint on a large canvas. Brushes' measures are more significant than six and are suitable for broader area coverage. Usually, artists use sizes 3 to 6. Brushes sizes less than three are primarily helpful for finer, crisp areas.
Recommendations for different types of oil painting projects
Initially, you may need more ideas about what to paint with oil paintings, so you will find other ideas for oil painting projects in this blog section.
Scumbling
This technique is a beautiful way for newbies to start with oil painting. The method involves the application of thin paint on the canvas using a dry, hardened paintbrush. The outcome could be smoother; it looks like an unfinished painting. A famous English romantic painter, J.M.W Turner, was an avid fan of this oil painting technique.
Underpainting
Underpainting is one of the most valuable ways for beginners to start with oil painting on a large canvas. This process is beneficial because you will apply a thin layer of color on the canvas, do your rough sketch over it, and start with the principal painting coloring.
Chiaroscuro
This technique comes from the Renaissance period; this Italian word means "light and dark." This technique involves the balance between light and dark in a painting. This contrast creates a 3D illusion. Rembrandt was one of those who used the approach to develop a lot of oil paintings.
Alla Prima
This technique involves putting in layers and, at the same time, not allowing the base layer to dry thoroughly. It is also referred to as the wet painting technique. Many artists also liked this technique. This is one of the most straightforward oil painting techniques for amateurs because, initially, blending would be intricate with oil painting. After all, some paints dry out quickly.
Impasto
Van Gogh abundantly used this oil style in his famous oil paintings. This technique involves first painting a thicker foreground on the canvas, then carefully thinning out the artwork.
Grisaille
The French word Gris means "grey". In this technique, painters use shades of gray, white, and black to create a monochrome illusion. They use these three shades to portray the light and dark fantasy of the painting. Using this technique with underpainting is advisable because that will involve great depth in the picture.
Glazing
Glazing is a brilliant form of oil painting for newbies. This technique applies a transparent layer of paint over a dried layer of paint. The transparent layer is usually made up of a single pigment. This technique allows preliminary layers of color or value to influence the top-most visible layer.
Best Oil Paint Brushes for Professional Artists
As a new artist in the world of oil painting, selecting paintbrushes is a hardle. Well, in this blog section, you will find out the best paintbrushes, explaining why they are them and if they are even suitable for your usage.
Winsor & Newton Winton Long Handle Brushes
These are some of the most famous paintbrushes among artists. These brushes are very resilient, featuring high-quality hog hair bristles. These brushes provide excellent durability. They are easy to firm and affordable and come in various sizes and shapes. These are some of the best brushes.
Source: Amazon
Pros
-
- Affordable
- High-quality bristles
- Fine pointed, excellent spring
- Good paint holding capacity
- Long handles provide a great grasp
Cons
- Brush might shed
- Shape is loose
Da Vinci College Oil Paintbrush Set
They comprise a comprehensive collection of oil paintbrushes made from various bristle types. Brushes are crafted with high-quality materials to provide a premium quality feel while using them. The bristles include natural hog bristles red stables, and they also come with synthetic fibers.
Source: Amazon
Pros
-
- Premium quality brushes
- Good quality
Cons
- These brushes hold less paint.
- The shape could be more crisp.
Rosemary and co.
This is an ancient oil paintbrush-producing company since 1988. They produce unique and premium crafted paintbrushes perfect for oil painting. These paintbrushes are made with synthetic hair-sourced brush bristles, including hog, synthetic bristles, etc.
Source: Amazon
Pros
-
- Craftfully selected materials ensure brush collection with superior durability.
- The finest natural and synthetic hairs, including hog, stable, and synthetic bristles, are sourced for their brush bristles.
- Various shapes and sizes are available.
Cons
- Expensive.
- It may not hold up vigorous brushwork.
- They may be difficult to clean.
Escoda oil paint brushes
These are some of the most famous and finest oil paintbrushes. They have diverse brush sizes, shapes, series, etc. These are the best brushes for oil that help artists make tremendous oil paintings, especially artists who sells artwork.
Source: Amazon
Pros
-
- Escoda uses various bristle materials for their brushes, including. Natural bristle brushes such as hog bristles and synthetic fibers.
- Excellent control and precision and hold-on paint.
- Durability.
Cons
- Expensive
- High maintenance
Blick Masterstroke oil paintbrush
These are made with the best brushes for oil. Blick provides natural or synthetic brushes. Oil brushes. These are available in different shapes and sizes. The bristles are very steady and stable.
Source: Blick
Pros
-
- Made from high-quality brush fibers.
- Bristles hold their stiffness, are durable, and hold and distribute paint efficiently.
- Consistent and smooth color application
Cons
- Sometimes, loose hairs.
- Ferrules may fall off.
Princeton oil paintbrush
Princeton is a well-known oil paintbrush company. They have a wide range of brushes, including natural and synthetic. They develop the best brushes for oil, which are excellent. These are natural bristle brushes.
Source: Amazon
Pros
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- Includes various ranges of sizes and shapes
- Have both synthetic and natural hairs
- Remarkable paint retention, control, and durability
- They are committed to sustainability
Cons
- They might spill after extensive use
- The brush will be damaged if it stays longer in the water
Oil Paint Brushes for Beginners
There are different types of paintbrushes available for beginners in oil painting. To choose whichever to use, you must know every aspect about them. The following section will explain everything you need to know before choosing oil paint brushes.
● Stable: For starters, you can look for durable best brushes for glazing. They come in different shapes and sizes: round, flat, or filbert. Sizes available are 00,4,8,12. Always remember that other brand's sizes differ from one another.
● Hog: They are rigid, irreplaceable brushes usable for multiple works. Their sizes range between 00,4,8,12. You should use these brushes exclusively for priming. Try to label and keep them aside for priming brushes.
● Mongoose: They are duplicate brushes for stable brushes. They can be used for glazing also. Their sizes range from 00,4,8.12.
● Synthetic: These are cheaper alternatives for durable and other brushes. They are synthetic soft brushes. Sizes are 00,4,8,12.
Benefits of all these brushes
● Hog: These brushes are less expensive than mongoose brushes. They are suitable for sketching and impasto when brush marks make the artwork. They are for priming.
● Synthetic brushes: These brushes are much stronger than natural bristle brushes. You can use it roughly without risking the fibers.
● Mongoose: These are smooth and fine brushes. These are perfect for portrait or detail works on large canvases. They are also very stable and have excellent durability.
Transon Detail Model Paint Brushes
These are some of the most affordable and best paintbrush sets. This set comes with seven pieces of 000,00,0,1,2,3,4 set brushes. Every brush is excellent for fine-tuning painting. They are one of the most used paintbrushes for oil painting among artists.
Source: Amazon
Pros
-
- They have fine tips made with synthetic taklon, which is excellent for fine detail work.
- Handles are solid and easy to grip.
- Ferrules are made from nickel-plated copper, so they are more durable.
- Very versatile brush.
Cons
- Sizes are very similar to every brush, which might cause issues.
Acrylic Oil Watercolor Paint Brush Set
These are made from high-quality boar hair. They have excellent, smooth, and long-lasting bristles. This flat brush set comes in assorted size ranges, including 0,2,4,6,8,10,12 and 14,16. These brushes are multipurpose; you can use them in oil painting and for gouache, acrylic, etc.
Source: Amazon
Pros
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- Assorted in 9 different sizes and shapes.
- Soft hog bristles, high-quality brush hair.
- Birchwood handles provide tightly adhered brushes.
Cons
- The brush isn’t that smooth
Artist Paint Brushes Set
These are an affordable set of flat paintbrushes for oil painting. The bristles are made with premium taklon hairs. This set comprises of 2,4,6,8, 10,12. They are multipurpose paint brush sets as well as great for oil painting.
Source: Amazon
Pros
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- Premium nylon brushes
- Assorted set of 6 different sizes of flat brush
- Seamless aluminum ferrules hold the bristles stronger
Cons
- Shed hairs
BOSOBO Paint Brushes Set
These are one of the most famous and affordable ranges of oil paint brush sets. It has sizes ranging from ⅝, 8, 6, 4, 5, 3, 2, 2, 1. 2/0. It comes with two packs of a ten-piece flat brush set. They are made with high-quality nylon brushes. The ferrules are made with rust-proof nickel and sturdy wooden handles. Always make sure to clean the brushes after using them.
Source: Amazon
Pros
-
- These are premium quality filbert brush sets of ten with two packs.
- Nick ferrules hold tightly, so shedding is less.
- Short wooden handles with a wooden finish.
Cons
- It might shed a bit.
Transon 14pcs Art Painting Brush Set
These are assorted brushes, including 14 round, flat, angle, and filbert brushes. They are made with high-quality taklon, soft, and absorbent materials that provide great versatility to your oil painting masterpieces. The set comprises round - 1,3,6,8,10,12, flat brushes- 4,8,10,12, filbert brushes- 6,10, angle - 6,12.
Source: Amazon
Pros
-
- They are made with fine synthetic bristles, which are great for oil painting.
- Ferrules are more durable, as they are made with double-crimped ferrules. Nickel-plated aluminum ferrules are corrosion-resistant and easy to clean.
Cons
- Bristles might shed.
The Impact of Brushes in Oil Painting
You must understand the impact of using good brushes in your oil paintings. In the following section, you will find out the impact of brushes on oil painting.
Paint hold capacity
An excellent brush for oil painting will have a good paint hold capacity. Because you are painting an oil painting, you will need a brush with thickly applied oil paint holding capacity like anything. Oil paints are heavier than any other type of thick paint.
Brush structure stability
You will use oil painting brushes for various strokes; they can be bold, broad, stretched, even crisp lines, etc. To make such versatile strokes, you will need a brush that can easily change shape to give your painting a flawless finish.
Different shapes
Oil painting brushes come in different shapes, for example, rounded; those brushes help fill large areas, apply washes, draw, etc. Filbert brushes are best for glazing, precision techniques, landscape paintings, etc. Flat brushes with squared edges are best for blending paints, filling broader areas, etc. Bright brushes are similar to flat brushes. They are great for moving oil paint over the canvas without blending them. Fan brushes are best for making hair, grasses, thin branches, etc.
Types of Brushes for Oil Painting
In this blog section, you will find a complete guide regarding brush usage in oil painting.
Natural brushes
The most classic brushes for oil painting are made from pig hair. Some ordinary hog bristles are - round, bright, fan, filbert, and flat.
Round brush
Round brushes are best used for delicate and detailed work in oil painting. Round brushes come in larger sizes also. Different artists use different types of round brushes as per their preference.
Source: Google
Bright brush
These are flat brushes with squared edges, best for moving colors over the canvas without blending them. It is different than you will always need to mix colors; it depends on your desired outcome. They are one of the best types of brush for oil painting.
Source: Google
Large flat
These brushes come in different sizes for various purposes in oil painting. The hog bristles do wonders to paint a large area, for example, a sky. If you move them gently, they will remove the brushstrokes and create a smooth surface.
Source: Google
Fan brush
Fan brushes are mainly used for painting landscapes, grasses, etc., and hair in portraits. They can add delicate detailing in all these areas, which improves the liveliness of the painting.
Source: Google
Flat brush
Flat brush also comes in various sizes. These are best for covering large areas. However, you can use smaller sizes to paint delicate details.
Source: Google
Filbert brush
These are versatile brushes and perform wonderfully for almost any painting style. They are available in various sizes and can be used for multiple tasks.
Source : Google
Synthetic brushes
Synthetic brushes come in various sizes and shapes. You will find every needed detail in this part.
Flat synthetic
These brushes are best for detailing and covering larger areas. They work great for structures and other objects with clear and sharp edges.
Linear and Rigger
Linear and rigger brushes are thin bristles. The length of these bristles holds a large amount of paint, making it easy to create long lines with one brush stroke. You should use these brushes with linseed oil to make wonderful oil paintings.
Soft bristles
These mop brushes are best for blending and mixing colors. Try to use them gently over the canvas. You can use them for varnish and glazing.
Angular brushes
These are exceptionally versatile for creating precise detailing and filling large areas with oil paint. These brushes come in different sizes. They have other names, such as angular, dagger, sword, etc.
Round synthetic
These small round brushes are great for minute detailing in various forms of painting by oil paints.
Synthetic fan brushes
They are great for gently smoothing brushstrokes and painting trees, hairs, etc.
What Makes a Brush the Best for Oil Painting?
You need to understand why a brush is best for oil painting. In the following section, you will understand the reasons behind it.
Paint retention
Hog hair has been the traditional paintbrush hair for years. Paintbrushes are made with these hairs. The paintbrushes should have excellent paint retention so that your excess paint doesn't go to waste and can be used for all of it.
Bristles
Natural bristles, such as hog bristles, sable, or taklon, are the best for oil painting. Bristles should be tightly arranged to stay in the same position for an extended period.
Shape and size
Oil painting paintbrushes have many sizes and shapes. It would be best if you looked for these paintbrushes of various sizes and shapes for their versatile power.
Conclusion
Oil painting is one of the most delightful forms of painting. Choosing the best paintbrush for your artsy journey is very important. Always remember to keep in mind all the essential factors regarding oil paintbrushes. The output of your desired art directly depends on the paintbrush you use to make it.
You can't use any random paintbrush for a particular oil painting. You must have a clear idea. Always read and research before choosing any paintbrush. The article has covered every aspect of this. Have an incredible art journey.
