Best Brushes For Acrylic Paint

When painting with acrylic paint you want a brush that’s not too stiff or too soft. There are many brushes on the market and you don't need the most expensive ones. 

For oil painting you want a brush that is kind of stiff with thick bristles to move the heavy paint like a hog brush. With watercolors you need a soft brush with longer hairs that can hold a lot of water like a sable (mink) or squirrel brush.

Synthetic brushes usually have a blend of natural hair and synthetic bristles or sometimes they are made of pure synthetic. They are the best brushes for acrylic paint in my opinion and good for oil too. You can get them in long handled or short handled, whichever suits you best. The long handled ones are good for when you’re standing up at the easel and for general work. The short handled ones are better if you’re working on a flat surface or for fine detail.

Brush Sizes

The paint brushes for acrylics come in different sizes, 1, 2, 3, etc. the smaller the number, the smaller the brush. Some are smaller than zero. For example, 2/0, 5/0, in this case the more zero’s, the smaller the brush, 5/0 is smaller than 2/0.

If you’re going to be priming, staining or varnishing, you would want a bigger utility brush. These are measured by how wide they are. For example, 1 ½ inches, 2 inches, etc.

Brush Shapes

Here is a handy brush guide that should help you see the different shapes each of the brushes has and what they are used for. Below that you will see some ideas on where to get some great deals on paint brushes for acrylics.

A round brush is for detail, outlining, sketching, and for filling in small areas.

A flat brush is for filling in wide spaces, bold strokes, and straight edges.

A fan brush is perfect to add leaves to distant trees.

A filbert brush is for blending and softening edges.

An angular brush is for lines, curves, and reaching corners.

Artify 12 Pcs Paint Brush set with Pop-up Stand Carrying All in One Case with free Palette Knife, A Large Flat Brush and Sponge - $16.99

8 kinds of brushes in various sizes including, liner, flat, angular, filbert, dagger, round and fan. 

Perfect for all your painting needs.

Made from soft, synthetic nylon material that won’t shed. 

The carry case can be used as a pop-up stand and can also be folded shut and used for travel. Also including an additional carry pocket for storing your paint palette, palette knife and other additional supplies.

Short handles provide you with maximum comfort.

Perfect for Acrylic, Oil, Watercolor and Gouache.

Heartybay 10 Nylon Blue Paint Brush Set - $5.98

High-quality material, excellent workmanship, professional grade quality brushes! Good idea as gifts for beginners, kids and artists or keep for yourself.

Use with Acrylic, Watercolor, and Oil Paint for Crafts, Art, Painting, etc.

Seamless nickel ferrules won't rust or split. They are double-crimped to last longer and won't come loose after a few uses.

Brushes don't shed hairs. No more frustration trying to get brush hairs off your artwork.

Easier to clean and won't deteriorate as quickly.

Short wooden handles with a smooth finish, perfect for greater control over small details.

Larger area paint jobs will require larger brushes. May I suggest:

Art Alternatives Utility Brush

Ideal for base coats - glazes - varnishes - staining

Perfect for indoor or outdoor projects. Synthetic brush, short handled.

 

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