brush hair

BLICK offers a large selection of natural hairbrushes and choosing the hair that best suits yourpurpose can save you time, money and trouble. Onerule that you can follow to avoid disappointment is tobuy the best-quality hair that you can afford.

kolinsky sable — is not really from a sable atall, but comes from the tail of a species of mink thatis a member of the weasel family found in Siberiaand northeastern China. It is generally conceded tobe the best material for oil and watercolor brushesdue to its strength, spring and ability to retain itsshape (“snap”). It holds a very fine point or edge.This is considered a professional grade of hair, and ifproperly cared for, Kolinsky will last for many years.

red sable — is obtained from any member of theweasel family with “red” hair — not at all from the ani-mal known as the sable. It is found in a variety ofbrush styles for many varied mediums, with qualityand characteristics varying greatly. A good-quality pureRed Sable is a good alternative to the more expensiveKolinsky, with similar performance and durability.Often, weasel hair is blended with ox hair to make amore economical brush, but the fine point is sacri-ficed.

ox hair — the best quality comes from the earsof cattle or oxen. The hair has a very strong bodywith silken texture, is very resilient, has good “snap,”but it lacks a fine tip. Therefore, it is most useful inmedium-grade wash brushes, or flat-shaped brush-es. Frequently, ox hair is blended with other naturalhair to increase the resiliency of a brush.

fitch hair — a traditional hair for oil paintingsimilar to Mongoose and Sable. Fitch is supersmooth, ideal for blending and portrait painting.Sourced in Europe, fitch is a more affordable substi-tute for Sable and great for detail.

squirrel hair — gray squirrel, most highly indemand for lettering brushes and quills, is native toRussia and nearly always in short supply. Brownsquirrel is more readily available, and is used mainlyfor medium-quality and scholastic watercolor brush-es. A very fine, thin hair, taken from squirrel tails, itpoints as well as Kolinsky, but has very little “snap”(or memory) because the hair is not very resilient. Itworks best with liquid paints and inks.

pony hair — soft but strong, from mature ani-mals at least 2 years of age. It is primarily used forscholastic-grade brushes, but often blended withother hairs for inexpensive watercolor and touch-upbrushes. Pony hair lacks “snap” (or memory) andwill not return to a point after a brush stroke.

camel hair — does not come from camels atall. It is found in watercolor and lettering brushes andusually made of squirrel, goat, ox, pony or a blend ofseveral hairs, depending on the desired softness andintended cost of the brush. Camel hair lacks “snap”(or memory) and will not return to a point after abrush stroke.

hog bristle — obtained from hogs in severalparts of the world, the most sought-after comingfrom China. Bristle is unlike any other natural filler inthat it forms a V-shaped split or “flag” at the tip andtends to have a natural curve. The best grade has“interlocked” bristles, with the curves formed inwardto the ferrule, has a natural resistance to fraying andspreads medium to thick paints smoothly and even-ly. A selection of pure hog bristle brushes is recom-mended for oil, and is a far less expensive alterna-tive to good-quality softer hairs.

how to measure a brushTo be most accurate, measure brushes according to the following:

length — the distance from theedge of the ferrule out to the tip of thehair in the center of the brush.

diameter — the distance of thehair at the opening of the ferrule.

width — the distance across thehair above the opening of the ferrule.

Measure brushes while they are dry.Width is not the width of paint strokethat the brush will make. The width ofa brush stroke will vary according tothe amount of pressure used, theangle at which the brush is held, themedia used and the flexibility of thebrush hair.

The charts should help you to determine the size brush you need to purchase. If you would like to meas-ure a brush you already own, use thecharts this way:

1). Lay your brush on the line sothat the line is just above theedge of the ferrule. Use verticalline to measure width or diame-ter, horizontal line to measurelength. Check each side to besure it lies straight.

2). Do not apply pressure or tilt tothe brush. Brush hair should notbe spread.

3). Follow the line over to read themeasurement, or, if it fallsbetween two lines, move on tothe next chart with smaller incre-ments until you find the exactmeasurement.