Paint Brush - Know How To Select Brush - Part 1

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Paint Brush
Know-How to select the brushes that gives you the painting results you're after, whether you work in oils, acrylic or watercolor. No other piece of an artist's equipment is more important than a quality, responsive brush. You may have a beautifully prepared canvas, perfect working light, brilliant pigments and a sturdy easel. But if your brush doesn't perform, chances are that your painting won't be as good as it could be. After all, the brush is the tool that most directly transfers your ideas, your touch and your passion onto the canvas or paper.
If your brushes aren't performing up to expectations, you'll probably waste a lot of time and effort, and lose the thread of what you're doing in the process. Fighting your brushes to get the effect you want isn't worth the battle, and with the quality and quantity of choices available now, it's not necessary, either.
Instead, use your time to figure out what type, size and shape of brush will help you get exactly the results you want no matter what look you're going for. All it takes is a little experimentation. Whether you work in oil, acrylic or watercolor here you'll find all the steps you need to take to find the brush or brushes that are perfect for you.

What you need to know about Oil & Acrylic Brushes
When you enter an art supply store, there are two key decisions you'll have to make to select the brush you need. First, you have to determine what style or shape of brush you're after. Brush shapes can vary from flat and round to fan and filbert and more. Next you must decide what fiber (natural or synthetic) you prefer.

Brushes made out of a good, natural fiber usually hog bristle-have been the favorite of oil and acrylic painters for decades. (While brushes made with hog bristle are considered the best, other popular choices include badger and sable.) The best natural fiber brushes are handmade, which means the bristles are matched and placed with the natural curve turning inward. This placement will prevent the sides of your brush from splaying.
In recent years, technological advancements have also improved the quality of synthetic brushes. Since polyester for example, is produced with a wide range of diameters and springiness, it can accommodate oils and acrylics of almost any consistency.

Doing a Test-drive
Unfortunately, there are no shortcuts you can take for deciding which bushes are right for you in terms of shape and fiber. Simply put, you must try out many different brushes to determine which performs best for you and your painting style.

To begin this weeding out process, staying away from the specialized brushes for the time being. Instead, select one or two of the most popular brush shapes to try, such as the flat, bright or the filbert. (At some point, you'll also need to experiment with the fiber options.) Then take the brush home and work with it. Discover how many tasks the brush will perform for you. Really experiment with it and learn to master its properties. Most artists use one brush for the majority of their needs. They call this the workhorse brush. 

Some swear by the flat some the bright, some prefer using the filbert.

Basic Brushes
Here's a brief rundown of the most popular brushes used for painting in oils

and acrylics, together with a description of what you can do with them: 

Flat: This versatile brush has long bristles that come to a straight, sharp line. It's capable of holding a lot of paint and creating long, fluid strokes. The chisel end also allows you to create thin lines and sharp details. You can learn to use the flat by making long strokes across the canvas, pressing with the entire belly of the brush. Then try loading just the chisel edge with color to see the sharp lines and details you can accomplish.

Bright: The bright is very similar to the flat, except for its shorter bristles. While these bristles mean the brush holds less paint than the flat, they also add more spring as well as more control and snap for flat strokes. Overall, it's a bit less challenging of a brush for a beginner to learn how to use. Artists who prefer a staccato application of paint often choose the bright.

Filbert: This brush is a flat with rounded edges. It's versatile because it can be used like a flat or turned perpendicular to the surface and used like a round. Plus, the tip can be used to create fine details.

Specialty Brushes
As mentioned earlier, There are times, however when you may need a more specialized brush to get the effect you're after.
 

Here are a few to try:  

Fan: This brush is shaped just like its name with a thin layer of bristles fanned out in an arc. Fan brushes don't carry a lot of paint, but they're the perfect brush to use if you need to blend colors, soften edges or obtain a slick, softened surface as in the pear above.

Round: While there are still uses for the round brush in oil painting, it's becoming a less popular choice for many painters. some Painters using small round brushes for very detailed work and signature.
Last, also keep a few old, worn-out brushes in your studio. they're perfect to use for scrubbing out areas of paint where you want the canvas to show through. also use these brushes to help create certain textures, such as the woven look of a tapestry background in a still life.

Quality Control 

The final recommendation to you when buying brushes is to not skimp on quality, Buy the best you can and take good care of them. When they cease to perform their expected task, replace them. keep only a few of your old brushes, and use them for specialized jobs, not day-to-day painting. A good brush should retain its shape and responsiveness. Good brushes that are properly cared for will do this and give you the performance you want.