Why Professional Paint Brushes are a Must for Beginners and Which Brands make the Best Oil Paint Brush

Have you ever noticed that when walking down any craft store brush aisle, the brushes are usually labeled: Beginner, Level 1; Student, Level 2; Professional, Level 3? I am not sure who came up with this marketing ploy, but it was a very clever way to get a lot of people to waste a lot of money on really terrible brushes. Today we will be going over why we should be skipping to the top of the brush ladder, which brush brands I recommend, how to purchase your first set of brushes, and when to use which brush. Heavens, that's a lot. Let's get to it.

To Cheap or Not to Cheap, that is the Question

The long and short of it is that paint brushes are expensive. They usually only have a 40 hour painting lifespan, and, therefore, are a continual expense. However, purchasing level 1 brushes does not save you money in the long run. The cheaper the brush the faster it will die, and more importantly the poorer of a painting tool it will be. Many a beginner artist's painting ambitions die on the proverbial level 1 brush hill, because level 1 brushes are significantly more difficult to use. They do not pick up paint well, they do not move the paint well, and they do not create crisp lines, blend paints, or create details well.

I fear that many an artist stops in their art-making journey because they do not feel like they are getting better, without realizing that it is their tools that have become a hinderance to their progress.

Purchasing a professional brush is more expensive, but it will also help you to make the art that your heart feels like you can make.

Sable Brush Brand Recommendations

Many moons ago I found a poll that the website WetCanvas had done about brush brands. This post, sadly, no longer exists. I do, however, have a screen shot of their poll results.

I have used a few different types of brushes throughout my years. You can't really go wrong with any that are on the above list. However, below I have listed my top three brush brands and the brush lines that I would recommend:

• Black Gold by Dynasty - A very soft brush that is predictable, easy to care for, and can take abuse.

• Monarch Series by Winsor and Newton - The Brush! A medium soft brush with good snap for crisp lines and perfect blends. Unfortunately, the brush has been having some quality issues, read more below for how to correct this.

• Legion by Trekell - A good compromise between soft and hard of the first two, I have yet to purchase a bad Trekell brush. I also use Trekell's Gold Taklon 20/0 and 10/0 round for small details.

Hog Bristle Brush Recommendations

There is only one brand of hog brush that I have found worth purchasing.

• Robert Simmons. They do what they are supposed to do. They don't shed, they move the paint, and take a beating.

Purchasing your First Set of Sable Brushes

If you don't know what type of brush you like to use (I personally exclusively use flat brushes mixed with very small round brushes for tight detail work), take a look at my post, "Types of Oil Painting Brush Shapes," to read about the different brush types and their uses. Regardless of which brand you decide to go with, I would recommend following the selection of one of these two Black Gold brush Sets:

Bright, Round, and Filbert Set, Set of 5

Basic Watercolor Brushes, Set of 5

The variety here will help you learn which type of shape you like and which you don't.

Once you know which shape you like, start experimenting with different sizes. You will want at least two brushes in each size you purchase. One brush for lights and the other brush for darks.

Purchasing your First Set of Hog Brushes

Unless you decide you love the intensity of hog bristles, I would just get a size 10 and a size 6 filbert.

Which Brush to use When

There are two simple rules to follow, and then break:

1. Start your painting by using hog bristle brushes, such as in the underpainting, to get on thin layers of paint quickly without distracting yourself with the details. Then paint your top layers using the softer, smoother sables for blending and detail work.

2. Always use the largest brush possible. It is silly to paint a vast background using a size 2 brush. Pick up that size 12 and have at it. That being said, sometimes the 2 is the largest brush for the job.

How to Purchase the Best Paint Brush Every time

Over the last couple of years the quality of the Monarch Brushes have become varied. It is very frustrating to place an order for ten brushes, then get three of the ten whose bristles are so spread that they are unusable. But, you can avoid this.

To get the best brush possible, no matter the brand, find a local store that sells the brush you want. Go to their stock, and look for brushes that come to a good point. When no one is looking, lick the tips of your fingers and glide them up the bristles to force a slightly wet point. One of two things will happen:

If the brush comes to a point with little effort, its a goodie.

If it doesn't come to a point, its a baddie. (This is actually a really old brush, but it shows what i mean.)

If you purchase your brushes online, like I do, and have some brushes that spread, you can try correcting them by using Trekell's Brush Restorer. It won't always work, but like 80% of the time I can correct the brush.

So, what you do think? Any brands that I was remiss to leave out? Let me know in the comments.

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