Brushes for oil - painting some in a wide range of shapes, sizes and qualities. Each is designed to make a different kind of stroke and with experience, you'll be able to tell which ones are suited more to your method of painting. The cheaper ranges are made from nylon and the quality of them has improved in recent years. They come in the same shapes as the more expensive hog - hair and sable brushes, and provide a good, economical alternative as long as they are cleaned and stored properly.
If you are just starting out with oils, there is no need to buy expensive brushes, as you may find that after experimenting for a while, you would prefer to use watercolours or acrylics. Cheap sets of decorators' brushes are handy for applying primer to canvases, and for painting on large areas if you are working a large canvas.
Bristle brushes are stiff and hard - wearing and are ideal if you want to apply thick amounts of paint. They are good for actually moving the paint around on the canvas. These are made of stiff, white hog bristles. Sable brushes are soft and very similar to ones used in watercolour painting but their handles are longer.
Brushes come in flat, round and filbert shapes. Flat brushes have squarish = shaped ends and long bristles. These are very versatile as they hold a large amount of paint, which is ideal when you are covering a large area and blending a lot. Brushes with stiffer bristles are called brights. They make a different stroke although they are still a flat brush. They are ideal to use with the impasto technique where paint is applied thickly. Round brushes have bristles which curve inwards at the ends. The larger rounds are good for covering large areas, and the smaller ones are ideal for drawing in the outlines of a painting.
Filberts are somewhere between a flat and a round brush and the shape tapers to a point. They are very versatile as they produce differing strokes. If you decide to buy the most expensive sable variety of brushes, they must be looked after well in order to keep their shape. They are not for heavy use. Fan - shaped brushes come in hog, sable and synthetic varieties and are ideal for blending and to give a fine finish.
Brushes should be cleaned at the end of your session, or at least at the end of each day's painting. Rinse in a container of white spirit and wipe on a rag. Rinse under a warm running tap while working in some soap and rinse thoroughly. Shake dry and smooth the bristles. Stand bristle - side up in a container until dry and then store flat if you wish, but don't put away until really dry to prevent any mildew forming. If you attempt your painting with a sub - standard brush, the result will be poor, so it is in your interests to keep your brushes in a good condition.The sizes of the brushes are indicated by numbers on the handles, the smallest being 00, and the largest being around 16. It's important to remember that the sizes are not standardized between brands and they will vary.
An alternative to using brushes would be to use a palette knife. This is handy because not only can it be used for painting, but also for scraping paint off a canvas for reworking, and also for cleaning your palette after your sessions. Palette knives come in different shapes and sizes, so again, it is only with trial and error that you'll get a feel for them and to see whether the effect they can give is the effect you're after. Whether your decide to paint with brushes or a palette knife, with your care they will last you for years.