How can you select the best brushes for your next art project? Art rock is Australia’s oldest form of human art and dates back to the continent’s first settlers, according to the Australian government. When shopping for art supplies in Sydney nowadays, you will encounter many options, including brushes. A paintbrush is one of the most classic art supplies.  These various factors are essential when selecting a new brush for your painting surface:

Bristle Material

The main categories are natural and synthetic fibres. Natural bristles include options like hog hair. Meanwhile, synthetic fibres include ones like nylon, polyester, or a combination of the two.

The brush material you pick should be according to the type of paint you’re using. Natural bristles are good choices when adding oil-based paints. On the other hand, synthetic brushes are better for water-based and latex paints.

Painting with the wrong bristle type can cause problems. For example, if you use a natural bristle paintbrush with latex paints, it can cause the bristles to become very limp. That’s due to the bristles absorbing paint water. The result is that you’ll be unable to spread the paint.

Bristle Length/Width

Paintbrushes can include different functions. The main ones involve covering large areas of the painting surface or adding details to small areas. Two of the most critical factors involving bristle basics are bristle width and length. You can find a wide range of brushes with different bristle dimensions in terms of length and width.

Make sure also to consider the type of painting you’re creating. For example, wide bristles would be ideal if you’re painting a large area like a grass field. However, if you’re painting flowers growing in the field, you’ll need narrower bristles to paint the flower’s stems or petals.

Bristle Shape

This consideration is another one when buying a paintbrush. Today, most brushes are square-shaped. This shape makes them practical for holding and adding paint to most surfaces. The main issue with square-cut brushes is they provide less control in certain situations. They include adjacent surfaces, narrow edges/surfaces, or corners. If you want improved control, consider a “sash brush.” This brush type includes bristles cut at a small angle.

Bristle Tips

When buying high-end brushes, you can find bristles with flagged (split) ends. These bristles help to hold extra paint and make paint spreading smoother. There are also tipped ends, which are common among sash brushes. These bristles aren’t cut flat or straight but instead end at a point. This makes them different from standard brushes.

Tipped brushes tend to be more popular among professional painters. That’s because there’s more control and detail when applying paint.

Brush Length

This is another factor to consider when picking paintbrushes. They can range from very short ones stored in travel paint boxes, to very long brushes for large canvases. When determining the right length brush, it’s important to pick one that feels balanced and comfortable in your hand. That’s because you’ll be holding the paintbrush for long time periods.

Brush Handle

The paintbrush handle is often made of painted or varnished wood. Other options include plastic and bamboo. Wood and bamboo are the best options for eco-friendly brushes.

Paintbrushes are one of the main types of art supplies in Sydney besides paint and painting surfaces. The right brush can provide the right painting tool. Features like the bristle material, length, and shape are small details that can have a big impact on creating your next artistic masterpiece.