Hi everyone! Kaley here with the Hobby Lobby Creative Studio! Have you ever wanted to try
your hand at painting but just didn't know where to get started? Never fear! Because
today I'm going to give you a rundown on paint brushes and get you one step closer to creating
your very own masterpiece. First off, let's go over the anatomy of a
paint brush real quick. Here you've got your handle, crimp, ferrule, and bristles or hair.
The crimp connects the handle to the ferrule, which holds the bristles in place and is typically
made of metal. The bristles themselves are broken down into the heel, the belly, and
the toe. Now if you look at a brush's handle, you'll
usually see a number printed there. See that? The length, diameter, and width of the bristles
determine this number within each brand of paintbrushes.
Notice how I said within each brand? That's because there's no industry standard when
it comes to numbering these guys. A number six brush in one brand, for example,
is not necessarily the same size as a number six brush in another brand. So just keep that
in mind, because it can get kind of confusing otherwise!
Something else that's pretty important is what type of bristles or hair your brush has.
Traditionally, brushes were made with hair from animals like hogs, badgers, camels, oxen,
and sables. But today, synthetic bristles are leading the pack in popularity and availability.
That's because manufacturers are now better able to make synthetic bristles that replicate
the benefits of natural hair. This gives artists the performance of animal hair combined with
the durability and affordability of synthetic bristles.
For example, natural hair tends to hold onto paint better for a more slow and even release
of pigment. Now good synthetic bristles can do that too. And because synthetic bristles
are typically made from nylon or polyester, they also stand up to oil and acrylic paints,
cleaning solvents, and rough painting surfaces. For more help choosing just the right brush
for your painting project, take a walk down the paint brush aisle at Hobby Lobby. There
you'll find placards with specific information on the brushes available.
When it comes down to it, though, picking the sizes and bristle or hair type of your
brushes is mostly personal preference, so do whatever feels best to you!
Alright, now let's get into brush shapes. The most common types are flat,
bright, filbert,
angular, fan,
round, liner,
and mop. How about I break each one of these brushes
down for you and show you what they can do? First up is the flat brush, appropriately
named for it's wide set, flat arrangement of bristles. The one I have here is pretty
large, but you can get them in a bunch of sizes. Flat brushes produce a range of strokes,
from thin lines to bold strokes. They also work for painting large areas and for blending.
To make this mountain scape, we used a combination of flat brush techniques.
Brights are pretty similar in style to flat brushes, but their bristles are shorter. That
makes them really good for smaller, controlled strokes. Brights are also commonly used for
blending on a smaller scale, laying on the paint nice and thick, or subtly switching
back and forth from thin to thick strokes. With just this one brush we were able to create
this realistic water here. The filbert brush has a characteristically
oval shape, which makes it a really diverse brush. For example, filberts can hold a lot
of water, so they're good for washes. Plus their bristles stay together well when wet,
so you can use them for smooth blending and stroking. I really like this brush for painting
leaves, flowers, figures, and other elements, like this pineapple.
Remember that flat brush we used earlier? Well this brush is a variation on the classic
flat and is called an angular brush because it has, you guessed it, angled bristles. Its
clean-cut edges make precise stokes and coloring in tight spots a cinch. Angular brushes work
well for curves, too. Look at how all these strokes from an angled brush came together
to create this flower! Next up is the easily recognized fan brush.
It's fanned out bristles are perfect for soft blending and smoothing without harsh lines.
And don't forget about the textures fan brushes are capable of. They're a popular choice for
making realistic grass and trees—like these examples here.
Round brushes are next on our list. These are excellent for a bunch of techniques, including
thick-to-thin lines, washes, and fills. See how easy it is to get that variation in line
width? This brush I have here is pretty standard, but you can also find pointed-round and detail-round
brushes like these, which will give you a wider variety of effects. To make this greenery,
I just pushed down with my round brush and let up as I moved out from the center.
This thin brush I have here is called a liner. You can use it for intricate outlining and
detailing, and it's a great brush for lettering, too. Liner brushes can actually hold a good
amount of paint for being so little, which is how you can create both smooth, continuous
strokes and many short, fine detailed strokes. See how we used those for our bear's fur?
Check out this guy. It's called a mop brush and its soft bristles are most often used
for adding color over large areas, and for softening harsh edges, as well. If you've
added too much water or medium to your project, you can use the mop brush to remove it. Try
dabbing a mop brush to create fun texture, or twirl it to create perfect circles, like
I've done with these grapes. Isn't it great that there are so many brush
options? If you don't know which ones to choose, you could always pick up an affordable variety
pack with several different kinds and find the sizes and types you like best.
OK, before I go, I want to give you a couple basic tips for caring for your brushes so
that you get the most use out of them. First off, don't let paint dry onto your brushes'
bristles or ferrule. Clean them mid-project if you have to. You'll also want to avoid
letting brushes sit in water because that will cause them to warp, bend, and fray. After
they're clean, let them dry horizontally.
Watercolor and acrylic paints can be cleaned off brushes with water and, if necessary,
hand soap. For oil paints, though, you'll need a cleaning solvent since water just won't
cut it. Remember to follow the precautions on the container and you're good to go.
Who knew there was so much to learn about paint brushes! I hope this gave you the confidence
to start your next—or first!—painting project. For more tutorials and inspiration,
be sure to check out our other videos, and I'll see you next time here at the Hobby Lobby
Creative Studio!