Which Paint Brushes to Use for Acrylic & Oil Paints

Often when people are just starting painting, they experience the same phenomena of walking into an art supply shop and being overwhelmed with the number of brushes available.

In this video I want to go through the different brushes I use and I recommend you get to get started with painting, or to expend the collection of brushes you already have. Let’s get started.

I know how intoxicating, and also slightly intimidating, it can be when you walk into an art materials store and there might be a wall of different brushes for different types of techniques and they’re all different shapes and sizes.

Today, let’s break them down and have a look at the types of brushes I use all the time in my studio.

Video Transcript: Which Paint Brushes to Use for Acrylic & Oil Paints

I thought I’d start with my favorite type of brush which is a bristle that’s made out of synthetic material. It’s called a Taklon bristle. I’ve got really oversize brushes here today to show you so that you can see the difference shapes I’m talking about.

Round Brushes

I thought I’d begin by talking about this round brush.

You can see how it’s round at the end. This is a really common style brush that comes in all different sizes. They’re great for doing line work with. They’re great for doing straight lines as well as beautiful curvy lines if you choose.

To be honest, I probably use round brushes only about 10% of the time in my studio practice. The type of paint brush that I use even less than that, even though it’s a beautiful brush and when you need it it’s fantastic to have in your tool kit, is a Filbert brush.

This has got a more of a straight sort of flat edge there.

You can see it comes up and it’s just curved at the top. This brush is beautiful for making dubbing marks with. It’s lovely for both acrylic and oil painting.

Again, I don’t use this brush all that much because when I’m trying to make a straight line or to create even a curve to put a smooth edge, I tend to rely on a flat brush.

Flat Brushes

This is called a flat brush because it’s cut right across the top. It’s usually fairly narrow. Again, I’ve got an oversized one so that you can see it on the video. I use flat brushes all the time. Well, about 80% of the time, I’d say.

They have so much control in the way that you can just edge your hand across like this if you’re trying to make a straight line, or you can drag it slowly like this and that will give you a different effect. Then they’re great for blending.

I would recommend going out and getting yourself an assortment of flat brushes.

You can get these packs of them these days. The packs are really economical.

This one has got 5 flat brushes in it. Even though it says they’re for acrylics, you can still use them for oil paints if you choose to embark on such an adventure of painting with oil paints. (And I highly recommend that you do!) Don’t mind that it says acrylics only, you can use them for oils.

Taklon & Hog Hair Bristles

So, that’s the assortment I wanted to show you with the Taklon style bristle.

Alternatively, the brush that I learnt to paint with, and that I still use in my studio particularly when I’m working on acrylic paintings are these hog hair brushes.

These are the really budget style brush you can pick up. Quite often you can get a brush like that for about $1.10, or maybe 85 cents. They are the ones we used when I went to art school. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with them. They’re just a little bit coarser in the bristles, and that’s why I like using the Taklon, because it has a smoother finish.

If smoothness isn’t what you’re after, if you’re looking for some texture or if you’re looking for very gestural marks, the hog hair brushes are going to work perfectly fine.

Again, you can pick these up really accessibly from your discount $2 shop. They stock them like they’re going out of fashion.

Wide Brushes

The last brush I wanted to tell you about, and I highly recommend you get, is this 3 inch flat brush. I used to use just ordinary house painting brushes all the time in my studio practice, but then I started to buy these ones.

What I love about them is how narrow they are. This means that when it comes to washing your brushes, you’ve got a lot less paint stuck in the bristles, and so you waste a lot less paint. It’s easier to clean up rather than using the big fat house painting brushes I was using.

House painting brushes are also perfectly fine.

If you’re not worried about wasting paint, then absolutely go ahead and use them. Over time, however, you’ll find these narrow ones will save you in the long run. This one here is a Taklon bristle as well, so it’s got very fine and smooth bristles that give a lovely smooth effect in my paintings.

This is the brush that I use when I’m blending my oil paints and blending my acrylics.

There you have it! There’s 3 different types of brushes for you.

You’ve got the hog hair, the flat Taklon and then all the different shapes and sizes of the ordinary Taklon brushes as well.

If you’re looking to dive in to get started with painting and creativity, I’ve created a free 10-day e-course that you can get started with right away. That’s at nicolanewman.com/flourishwithpainting and I’ll pop that link down below beneath this video.

I’d love to hear about your experiences with brushes in the comment and sharing what brush you particularly like or maybe struggles you may have with brushes. I’ll be able to jump in there and help you out.

I’m wishing you a fantastic week.

Be kind to yourself, nurture your creativity, and I’ll see you later.

-Nicola

Did you miss last week’s post? Check it out here: How Caring for Your Soul Expands Your Creativity

P.S. There are only two places left in my Intuitive Painting Workshop next month.

Be sure to secure your place today if you’d love to spend a day painting in my studio with my gentle and fun-filled guidance along the way. You can get all the details and join us here.