Core brushes: overview, types and material used, description, reviews

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

In the fine arts, tools are of great importance. And this is not only paints, it is also paper, pencils, erasers, nags, shading and, of course, brushes. They are different and have their own unique features depending on the material and shape. According to the materials, there are kolinsky brushes, squirrel brushes, bristle brushes (made of artificial or natural bristles), synthetic brushes, pony brushes. Also goat hair, badger, wolf, marten, sable, hare, ear hair, bear hair, Egyptian mongoose or ferret hair, but they are used less often.

Colonier Brushes Overview

The most popular brush material is kolinsky tail hair. Kolonok is a cross between marten, mink and ferret. There are not very many columns left in nature, and only those that live in Siberia, Korea or China are suitable for making brushes. There are kolinsky brushes of 4 basic shapes: round (and variations), flat, oval and fan. Different forms are designed for different techniques and techniques. The most commonly found in stores kolinsky brushes are round. This form is suitable forwork with materials of different nature: opaque or transparent.

Column brushes are very popular due to their versatility. With their help, you can work with almost any material - from watercolor to oil. The hairs of these brushes are flexible and resilient, absorbing water well, but stiff enough to work with covering materials.

Features of working with brushes from the column

When working with watercolor paints with kolinsky brushes, you should take into account that their tip does not gather so well at the point, and it will not work to draw a thin line with a more or less thick brush. You will have to use brushes of different thicknesses to fill large spots and draw details. Compared to squirrel, colony is more suitable for more "graphic" watercolor techniques, such as shading and glazing.

In oil painting, columns are most often used to draw small details or create small sketches. To work with large planes, brushes made of a harder material, such as bristles or synthetics, are used. For gouache and acrylic columns it fits very well. It allows you to work in different techniques and provides a more variable line than synthetics.

According to reviews, the disadvantages of this material for brushes include the fact that kolinsky brushes are short-lived. The hairs wear out and break quickly, and the brush becomes thinner and shaggy at the base. In addition, kolinsky brushes are slightly more expensive than brushes made from other popular materials.

Squirrel brushes: comparison

The material for such brushes is the hair from the tail of a squirrel. There are only round shapes. They are used mainly for watercolor or other water-based media, such as liquid sauce, sepia or sanguine, ink or ink. A distinctive feature of squirrel brushes is that they perfectly retain water, and their hairs do not separate when in contact with paper, so even with a relatively thick brush you can draw a thin line and small details. There is no need to use different brushes to fill in spots and draw details.

Compared to the kolinsky, the hairs in squirrel brushes are thin and flexible, and will not break or come out when used properly. The brushes themselves are too delicate to work with opaque materials and can begin to peel when working with solvents or with too much friction.

Bristle brushes comparison

The complete opposite of squirrels. The basic shape of bristle brushes is flat and variations of this shape, such as oval and fan. Bristle brushes do not gather in a single bundle, which allows you to pick up more paint and apply it evenly. Unlike kolinsky, bristle brushes have very hard and strong hairs, not flexible, rather coarse. Such brushes are designed only for working with heavy opaque materials, mainly oil paints. They are not damaged by solvents and are suitable for priming canvases and surfaces. Such brushes are made from pig bristles, Chinese boar bristles or a synthetic copy. Most often have an elongatedhandle.

Synthetic brushes

Synthetic brushes are designed to work with opaque materials, especially with gouache, tempera, oil and acrylic paints. Made primarily from nylon, they come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Synthetic brushes hold their shape well, but do not absorb water well, so they are rarely used with watercolors.

These brushes are similar in properties to kolinsky ones, but they hold water worse and are harder in themselves. The hairs of synthetic brushes are flexible and resilient, do not break, are not subject to destruction by sunlight, thinner, pinene, white spirit, paints and other liquids dangerous for other brushes. Synthetics are sensitive to temperature and friction, which can fray at the tip. Synthetic brushes usually have a fairly low price.

How to take care of brushes

Kolinsky brushes should be used as carefully as possible, and then carefully and thoroughly rinsed.

Squirrel brushes should be washed well under running water, paying attention to places at the base, then you need to give the wet brush the necessary shape and leave to dry.

Synthetics are extremely unpretentious in cleansing, but the paint is often difficult to wash at the roots. If the synthetic brush is frayed at the ends, you need to dip it in boiling water for a few seconds.

Bristle brushes should not be strongly deformed when working and pressing on them, as hard hair can come out of the base and fall out.

Brushes thatcontact with oil, wear out faster. After working with oil paints, any brushes must be rinsed first in vegetable oil, then in a solvent, then in soapy water, and then rinsed with clean water. If the oil paint has dried on the brush, then the brush must first be soaked in solvent, and then repeat the procedure described in the previous paragraph.

With proper care and careful storage, brushes will serve their owner for a long time. Before starting work with paints, you should carefully select a brush, its type, size and shape, based on the desired properties.