Acrylic Painting, How to buy the Right Equipment for using with Acrylic Paints [Kindle Edition]

I've just added this new report that you may be interested in if you have a Kindle.

It is a collection of articles and reports I have written. It covers acrylic paints, suitable brushes to use with acrylic paints, the best painting surfaces, acrylic mediums, and colour mixing tips too.

Here's the link if you want to check it out

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LO6REI

You may need to copy and paste the link into your browser, however there is also a link on the right hand side of this page too.

How to Make Your Own Rake or Comb Brushes

Rake or comb brushes are very handy when painting textured effects. These brushes have been cut with gaps between the bristles so that they produce grass like effects. They are really convenient when you want to paint rows of lines quickly and easily.

I find them useful for painting the fur in pet portraits.

However the rake brushes I have do have one problem. The spaces between the bristles are all the same size. This makes them excellent for parallel line areas, but not so good for grassy areas where you want some variety in the brush strokes.

I do have one rake brush that has irregular spaces but the majority of the rake brushes seem to have uniform spacing.






So I decided to experiment

I trimmed some old brushes to see how that would work. Don't use new brushes, but if you have some old brushes that are past their best this could be a good project.

As you can see from the photo I cut the bristles to give uneven spaces.


How to make your own

It is probably easier to do this with flat brushes rather than round brushes, although I tried both. Trim the brush across the width of the brush head. You are trying for a thin line of bristles across the width of the brush; this will avoid the final brush being overloaded with paint.

Then cut into the brush head to give the spaces between the bristles. This is a bit like when a hairdresser is making choppy layers in a hair style.

Test your newly trimmed brush to check that you are happy with the effect. If you aren't pleased with it then dry the brush on a piece of paper towel and re-cut it. Repeat this stage until you have a successful rake brush.


When to use them

If you're only painting a small area of texture it'll be easier to just paint it in using a small brush. However when you want to texture a large area it'll be quicker to use this type of brush and you can add several lines with just one brush stroke.

Having made your own brush you will have a more random look to the texture too.

Top Tips for Acrylic Painting – Number 4

The Type of Brushes to Buy

Previous painting tips have mentioned that acrylic paints dry very quickly. If the paint dries on your brush it will ruin the brush and you’ll need to throw the brush away.

The way to avoid this problem is to keep your brushes wet during the painting session. This can be done by storing the brushes in a shallow container. An old ice cube container is ideal as it allows the brushes to be stored on their sides, which stops the brush tips from getting damaged or bent.

Fill the container with enough water to cover the brush tips. Rinse your brush and then store it in this container until you need to use it again.

Choose Nylon Brushes

Buy good quality nylon brushes. Good quality brushes give a better result and are less likely to shred.

Nylon brushes can be stored (on their sides) in water, but other types of brushes would be damaged by this treatment. In particular, sable brushes would not put up with this kind of treatment.

At the end of a painting session you can spend a bit of time and thoroughly clean the brushes before storing them. However I usually just leave them in the container of water until the next painting session, and that works too.

Top Tips for Acrylic Painting – Number 3

Do NOT let the Paint Dry on the Brush

Acrylic paint dries very quickly and it is important not to let the paint dry on your brush.

If the acrylic paint does dry on the brush, the brush will be ruined. If this happens you will need to throw away the brush. This is really disappointing if it is a favourite artist’s brush, and can be expensive!

During a painting session rinse the brush and store the brush in a shallow tray of water, on its side to avoid damaging the tip. This way any residue of paint in the brush will be kept wet.

Give the brush, or brushes, a good clean at the end of the session.

Buying Artist Brushes Information

Artist Brushes come in a wide range of sizes, shapes and materials.

The artist brush is made up of 3 parts.

1. The Tuft which can be natural hair or synthetic fibres.
The tuft holds and applies the paint.

2. The Ferrule which is the metal part that holds the tuft
to the handle.

3. The Handle, a good quality handle is made of hardwood.
Artist brushes can have either short or long handles. Long
handles are for working on a vertical surface when you would
be standing further away from the painting. Short handles
are more suited to close up work.

The tuft can have soft, medium or stiff hairs.

Soft, this is best used with thin paints for blending and
glazing. It gives more control and has a fine point or edge.

Medium, this will hold its shape and usually holds more
paint. It is good for painting with medium to thick paints.

Stiff, or bristle type brushes, that allow you to push and
move thicker paints. These are especially useful when painting
on canvas.

Natural hair brushes are often made from sable. This is a high quality
(and high price) brush that is very good for using with watercolours.
However there are also artist brushes that use other natural hairs like
squirrel hair, ox hair, goat hair and bristle (which is from the ear of a pig).

Synthetic brushes are usually less expensive than natural hair ones.
Synthetic artist brushes are easier to clean as the cell structure of the
hairs is smoother than the natural hair. Synthetic brushes are usually
more durable and can be used with watercolours, acrylics and oils.
Synthetic bristle tends to soften a bit in water.

*Nylon brushes are the best for acrylics. They can be kept constantly
wet so that the paint does not dry in the brush and ruin it.*

The Size System

The number on the brush is determined by the diameter of the tuft
and by the length of the hair. Most manufacturers use the same
standards.

For example a size 2 round brush tuft is 3/32 inches in diameter
and has a 7/16 inches hair length.

The size of brush you chose is usually a personal preference that
comes with experience.

Brush shapes

There is also a range of shapes of artists brushes.
The main ones are -

Pointed, round brushes, good for highlights and applying smooth
paints

Flat, square brushes, good for covering large areas and tree trunks
Bright are shorter versions of a flat which gives more control and is
good with thick paints.

Filberts (flat brushes with a curved end), good for hiding brush strokes

Riggers or Liners, round brush with long hair shaped to a square tip,
good for lettering and detail

Fan brush (curved end), good for grass, clouds, foliage and blending

2 Main Brush Types

There are two main brush types and your choice will depend on
the thickness of the paint you are using.

Water absorbing and releasing brushes
including sable and the synthetic equivalents. These absorb the water
(and paint), hold it in the body of the tuft and release it through the
brush tip. This type of brush is good with thin, fluid paint.

Paste brushes
Like hog bristle and the synthetic equivalents. These brushes hold
the paint in the tip. Good with thicker paints.

Buying Brushes

Always buy good quality brushes. Cheap, poor quality brushes lose
their hair and the ferrules will loosen on the handle.

Surprisingly, putting the brush head onto a handle gives a company
the right to say that they made the brush!

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I paint pet portraits and doing the fur can be fairly time consuming.
Last May I took an old flat brush and cut out sections of the hair. It
was quite successful for painting in cat and dog fur, especially for
longer fur effects.

Of course you can buy brushes like this. They seem to be called
by a range of names; rake, comb and wispy are ones I have see
recently. I bought a couple while we were on holiday and I have
been experimenting with them.

I bought a couple of different sizes and manufacturers to see what
the differences were. One very fine one (meant for decorative painting)
was only suitable for thin paints. The larger ones are more suited to
my painting style.

These brushes also produce lovely grassy effects but this would need
to be used in the foreground of a painting. Remember, there is less
detail in the distance.

I am very pleased with the results. This might be something you
would like to try too.