Synthetic Brushes
Synthetic Brushes versus Natural Hair
For many years, a synthetic or manmade brush was considered to be suitable for painting the exterior of a house or similar jobs, but never for creating fine works of art. Modern technology has come a long way, however. Synthetic brushes are now made using a variety of different synthetic fibers, making them a top choice for creating beautiful artwork. Most synthetic brushes are made using polyester, which may be trademarked under various names, like Taklon, for instance.
This Week's Featured Products in Synthetic Brushes
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Winsor & Newton Short Handle Galeria Brushes These strong, resilient brushes were specifically designed for use with acrylic paints. They are particularly matched to the Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic line. Their unique mix of synthetic filaments provides perfect control for thicker application of color while still retaining their shape. The short-handled brushes have a softer head for glazing or watercolor-style painting, while the long-handled styles are made from stiffer filaments, allowing thicker application on tougher surfaces. |
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Blick Scholastic Sable and Taklon Set This set of 6 brushes offers a mixture of natural and synthetic hair, supplying softness and strength. All have long handles: Blick Scholastic Red Sable Bright, Size 2 Blick Scholastic Red Sable Bright, Size 10 Blick Scholastic Red Sable Round, Size 8 Blick Golden Takon Round, Size 4 Blick Golden Takon Flat, Size 6 |
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Dynasty Finest Golden Synthetic Flat Brushes Fine gold synthetic hair is suitable for all types of media and the flat shape provides superb coverage with bold, sweeping strokes. The black lacquered handle offers a sure grip and control. Brushes have seamless nickel ferrules. |
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Synthetic brushes can have many advantages over natural hair brushes, including:
- Synthetic brushes are more affordable. When compared to a natural hair brush, the synthetic hair brush is comparable in quality but costs far less in most instances.
- Synthetic brushes last longer. Manmade filaments are less likely to become damaged by paint, solvents, and so on. They are also less prone to breakage and typically more durable than natural hair brushes.
- Synthetic brushes are easier to clean. Since the synthetic hairs on the brush have no animal cell structure that can trap paint and liquids, they are far easier to clean than natural hair brushes.
- Synthetic brushes are versatile and can be used for a variety of applications. The synthetic brush can be used with oils and watercolors and are well-suited for use with acrylic paints.
It is notable that when working with acrylic paints, the natural hair brush is not a good choice at all. Because the natural PH of the hair in a natural hair brush is the opposite of the PH of acrylic paint, using acrylic paint with a natural hair brush can be destructive to the hairs of the brush. And since acrylic dries quickly it tends to accumulate on the brush during painting, which necessitates submerging the brush frequently in liquid when working with acrylic. For these reasons, if you like to work with acrylic paint (and lots of folks do because acrylics are affordable and easy to clean up), always go for a synthetic brush!
For those who desire the best of both worlds, there are also synthetic/natural mix brushes. These brushes use a combination of natural hair and synthetic filament – resulting in a brush that has increased absorbency (because of the natural hair) while being affordable (due to the synthetic fibers used). These brushes are often the ideal choice when working with watercolors.