Art Brush

Our Brush' detailed description:

BRUSH HAIR

Hair for artists brushes can be divided into five categorises:

1. NATURAL SOFT ANIMAL HAIR

Red Sable: High-quality red sable brushes are considered to be the best for watercolor.

Ox Hair: hair ,generally taken from behind the ears, is silken and durable in strength,

but lacks a fine tip.

Camel Hair: Hairs commonly used in camel hair brushes include ox, goat, squirrel and pony hair.

Squirrel Hair: Squirrel hair is often simply categorized among camel hair brushes but also merits individual mention because it is used in so many styles of good quality brushes for a variety of tasks.

Red Sable, ox, and Camel hair are the broadest groups of natural soft hair brushes. Others of value include Fitch ( grey or black weasel). Skunk and Badger which are often used alone or in combination with other hairs to make brushes suitable for work in oils where blending and texturizing are of primary importance.

2. Bristle

Bristle is a stiff hair derived from a hog, pig, or boar. Its resilience is ideal for oils on canvas

3. Synthetic filaments.

The word nylon is often used to generically represent synthetic fibers. In artist brushes this synthetic fiber is actually a polyester.TakLon is a tradename commonly used. Synthetic filament, being manmade, is less prone to damage from solvents, bugs. Or paint, easier to clean, can be used with both watercolors and oils and are better suited for use with acrylics.

4. Synthetic Bristle-For painting on rougher surfaces. White synthetic bristle is also available. They are ideal for fabric applications, stenciling and unicue effects on hard surfaces.

5. Natural and Synthetic Mixes. In the search for the best brush, natural and synthetic hairs are also being used in combination.

HANDLES AND FERRULES

Traditionally, manufacturers have provided artists with two lengths and tapers of brush handles. Short-handled brushes are the choice when holding the brush close to the tip as you would manipulate a writing instrument. Watercolor, tole and decorative, and craft and hobby brushes all have short handles, as paint is generally applied while working on a table or on a slightly slanted table, such as a drawing board. Long-handled brushes are usually reserved for easel work, so the artist may distance himself from his work.

Metal ferrules are either copper. brass or aluminum. Brass, an alloy metal, is the strongest of the three. Though sometimes left plain or with a clear or gold colored coating, copper and brass ferrules are usually nickel-plated for appearance and corrosion resistance. Aluminum ferrules are much weaker but cheaper to produce and appear on lesser quality brushes.

In some brushes, a flexible natural or plastic quill is used in place of a metal ferrule.