B A C Brush Anatomy 101 D The brush is the most important tool to the Painter and better tools allow for better craftsmanship. A. Brush Head (or tuft) ­ The most important part of the brush, because it carries the paint to the paper! Brush heads can be made of just about anything...so, understand what you are buying so you know that you are getting the best deal. Maintain and care for your brushes like you would take care of your own hair. Imagine painting with limp, damaged, frizzy hair ­ it won\'t get you anywhere. The widest part of the brush head is called the \"belly\" -it is the area that carries color. The fatter the belly, the more color it will hold generally (This will always vary depending on the material). Remember: BIG BELLY = BIG COLOR! B. Roots ­ The root of the hair can be just as important as the tip. It is always important to make sure that paint does not dry in or around the ferrule as this will damage the roots and, ultimately, the whole brush. Allowing paint to dry in the roots will pry the hair apart ruining the tip. C. Ferrules ­ Ferrules are far more important than most people understand. After all, It\'s THE THING that holds the hairs in place. If the ferrule isn\'t good, your brush won\'t be much good for long. Many artists prefer seamless nickel ferrules since they resist rusting and with no seam you have less chance of water making it to the handle and damaging it. You will also see ferrules that are copper, nickel-coated brass and even plastic. For example, Quill brushes are created by crafting a ferrule from a plastic sheath and hand tying it with gold wire. Therefore, never remove the wire... no more brush! Ferrules are often crimped onto the end of the handle to secure them in place. Some you will see are also nailed. Crimped handles are the preferred method for finer makes of brushes. Always inspect the ferrule once you purchase a new brush to make sure that it is on securely, because if it is not you will always have problems. Never keep your fine brushes sitting on their brush heads in solvents or in water for any length of time. This will allow water and solvent to seep in...causing the wooden handle to expand when wet, therefore loosening the ferrule. When the handle dries out it shrinks again, and bye, bye nice brush! D. Handles ­ Brush handles have a vocabulary all their own. We would like to share the basics of what you would need to look for in a brush. Wood is the material of choice for brush handles. Some of the finest brushes made are hand crafted from exotic wood from all over the globe. However, 98% of painters don\'t require that kind of pampering. Always look for a balanced wood handle that has a hearty painted and varnished finish on it. This helps keep water away from the wood when painting. Other really great brushes have plastic handles. Plastic handles are better for folks that are a little harder on their brushes. They resist splitting and cracking because they don\'t swell when left sitting in water for extended periods. Some plastic handles also come with an \"aquarelle\" tip. \"Aquarelle\" is the french word for watercolor and simply means that you have a flattened tip on the end of the handle that is good for scraping. Brush Hairs 101 Why are there so many different types of brush hair? Nylon ­ Brushes that are made of nylon (synthetic fiber) can vary greatly. Nylon is just like a much more delicate version of fishing line. These filaments come in many different shapes and styles. The filaments have no real texture, which is why they aren\'t noted for their color holding capability generally, but they are noted for resiliency. Some brushes will even feature varying diameters of filament to create a softer feel. (Here is some basic information to help you make your purchase more wisely.) White Nylon ­ Raw synthetic filament that has not been treated in any way. Golden Nylon - Synthetic filament that has had its hair done. It has been color treated not only to make it look more like natural hair but also to behave like it. The color treatment pits the surface of the filament allowing it to be not only softer but more absorbent too! Kolinsky Sable ­ This is the top of the line, premier natural hair for watercolor artists. They love it because it is soft, forgiving and carries tons of color, so artists don\'t have to continually go back to the palette to recharge their brush. Just paint and paint and paint and paint. Kolinsky is actually the tail hair from male sables from the Siberian region of the former Soviet Union. Red Sable ­ This is a natural hair also derived from sables, but not necessarily the hardiest ones. Red sable has many of the characteristics of Kolinsky, but not as pronounced a performance. Black Sable (a.k.a. Fitch) ­ This is another variety of sable along the same quality as red sable with very similar characteristics. Blended Brushes ­ Some brushes will blend the color holding capacity of sable with the durability and spring of a golden nylon to provide the best of both worlds in a lower priced brush. Cheap Joe\'s offers several brushes that are a blended brush, like our own Dreamcatcher. Chungking Bristle ­ This hair is the premier bristle of choice among most oil and acrylic painters because of its stiffness and durability. It comes from the ridge on the backs of male hogs from a specific region in China. Some manufacturers will boil or heat treat the bristle to soften it and make it easier to paint with. Bristle ­ This is also a hog bristle but not from the same region as the Chungking where it is much colder. This makes for a softer bristle. Ox ­ Ox hair is pretty coarse and is great for media applied to a coarser surface because it can handle the punishment. It is often dyed to make it more forgiving and softer. You will often see ox used in brushes designed for use with oil or acrylics. Squirrel ­ Many times you need to visualize what each hair will look like to understand how it will perform. A squirrel hair is very absorbent, probably the most absorbent you will find. It is also very soft- bordering on floppy. But, if you have a soft, very organic painting style and love large washes, then a squirrel hair may be for you. Goat ­ Goat hair is pretty soft and pretty absorbent. It is often used in oriental brushes. It often isn\'t the most durable of hairs and does require some care to have it last for several years. Mongoose ­ Also a favorite among oil and acrylic painters but much harder to find. It is popular because of its durability along with its forgiving feel. It is much less coarse than regular bristle and makes for a much softer brush. A very special thank you to for helping us to gather this brush information. Phone: 1-800-227-2788 Fax: 1-800-257-0874 Visit: www.cheapjoes.com Cheap Joe\'s Art Stuff Before You Buy a Brush! 85 Brushes & Stuff