Suggested Brushes

Brush Uses

Above are the main brush shapes I use. The filbert is good for blending. The flat and angle are good for blending OR creating a straight line edge. They also cover ground. The round is best for details or drawing a line. The fan brush works for softening the look of brush strokes after you’ve blended the paint with other brushes. (I usually only use it on the first coat.)

Brushes I use less:

A bright (not pictured) is like a flat, only with shorter bristles. It has the same qualities as a flat, except that it’s not ideal for covering ground. A mop is for softening, but I never use one because clean-up is a bear.

Brush Sizes

Every company sizes their brushes differently, which is annoying. Generally, a zero, one, and two brushes will be small. Less than zero (00, 000, etc.) are for tiny details. I mostly use ones and twos for details. Four and six are medium sizes (which is relative) and from there it depends on the company.

Suggested Brushes

Here are some brushes that I’ve used with some success. Remember, everyone’s taste in brushes is different. Note: I don’t recommend hog’s bristle for the kind of painting we do. A synthetic for acrylic or oils is preferable, or a sable. Watercolor brushes tend to be too floppy.

Red Dot brushes (only come in bulk)

Not bad! $4 each.

Inexpensive small kits

Royal Langnickel Value Pack. BK607. 4 piece set of medium-small to detail sizes.

Princeton Real Value. Item 9136. 4 pieces, size 8 to size 1.

Princeton Real Value. Item 9105. 3 detail brushes.

Other Princeton Real Value kits might be worth trying, but the ones above were the only ones I liked.

Higher quality individual brushes

Raphael Precision Martre Imitation Sable

Princeton Kolinsky Sable

Princeton Velvetouch

Princeton 4000B

Windsor Newton Monarch

Escoda Prado Sintetico

Silver Bristlon

Silver Ruby Satin

Highest Quality

Windsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable. Designated for watercolor, but the smaller ones are primo for details.

Watch the video about why they are the most expensive brush in the world.