Why I Use Natural Bristle Brushes for Oil Painting - Artist Advice

In this video I explain why I only use natural bristle brushes when I paint in oil.
To watch all my free videos or learn about my private class, go to www.drawmixpain...
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[@rosered103]

Finally an artist who knows what he is talking about with understandable explanations! Thank you.

[@1976kinan]

Finally a proper clear explanation of the difference!!!! Thank you!

[@ollie54able]

Every video that I have view has been and have very valuable information. Your class/individual instruction that you offer are on my real bucket list after I have beaten my cancer, I want to just experience the pure joy of painting and learning that I gather from viewing your videos. Hopefully within the next 8-12 months.

[@reaperput]

Thank you mr.Carder. If I ever have a career in painting, you will be most responsible. It is an honor and a privilege to follow your classes and tips and all your material. A thousand times thanks.

[@johnswaim3919]

Hogs hair are the best brushes in my experience as well. Thank you Mark, for yet another outstanding and informative video. All the best to you.

[@VitalityMassage]

Man this was so valuable. Thank you!

[@EM8844]

Once again a simple, quality video on the topic.

[@shirleypolo6272]

I have natural brushes and have not used them..but will do so now, after seeing your informative video Mark. Filberts are my favorite of all brushes.

[@baharmonyy]

I use synthetic brushes for ethics reasons but I found a brand that makes imitation bristle brushes that are pretty good. It’s called Mimik Hog (:

[@ishheredia9626]

Thanks for this!

[@mugwart99]

@Nickhead87 its not just about the killing but the life and impact.

[@godlessfornicater]

Pretty sure synthetic fibres would be worst for the environment.

[@lauramessy]

@@godlessfornicater it's just not the environment too (I'm not vegan tho)

[@klappaucius]

Thank you 🙏🏽

[@talonbrown4619]

I was actually just wondering this question. Love the way you teach and your cinematography is great.

[@StarBoy4rt]

I love the softness and clean stroke synthetic brushes give, it makes me fall in love every time i push the brush against the canvas and it feels soft like butter... Love it, on the other hand that's exactly what fiber brushes lacks for my taste

[@maryellenhill4121]

Ok. I put away my synthetic brushes and used only hog’s hair the past few days, AND I am suddenly making progress again! I had been stalled creatively. Thanks Mark!!!

[@headingoutside]

I'm so glad to know this. When I first found you, I purchased your suggested brushes, but had a really hard time painting with them. Still today I use cheap Ebony brushes that are supposedly "natural" hairs (but not hog), similar to sable. Occasionally I'll try the hog again, and find I still can't seem to paint well with them. But now that I understand why you like them, I feel challenged to try them again - especially as I'd like to paint with more of an abstract result (less controlled). So thank you for this explanation.

[@maryellenhill4121]

Ebony from Rosemary’s brushes or another source? Hers are not cheap so I am hoping for something less costly.

[@Msannamitta]

I have a set of very old brushes. I don’t know where they came from, no markings. There well made and where well cared for. No art store sells them either. I like them a lot! There my bread and butter. What you said about the difference does make clear sense. The brush work is clearly abstractive. Enjoy your videos and tips. Thanks!

[@sonnyobrien]

Your videos are the greatest series on painting. Thank you for your excellent work.

[@CulturedGem]

If you dip a misshaped bristle brush in boiling water (just dip it and take it out) you can smooth it back easily to its original shape.

[@IFRSKIES]

Thanks Mark for sharing. Always enjoy listening to what you have to say.

[@cloudsofsunset7323]

I do agree with you in this topic. With this video I even learned more things about my brushes!

[@NeccoWecco]

i love synthetics but you've inspired me to try out my bristle brushes!

[@sirwilliamwindmill]

mind blown!!!! I feel like this is one of the key secrets

[@jehovahuponyou]

GOOD VIDEO - I HAVE A FILBERT ARTISAN WINSOR NEWTON BRUSH, SYNTHETIC BRISTLES, BUT THOSE BRAND OF BRUSHES PAINT VERY, VERY NEAR TO A HOG BRISTLE BRUSH, I LOVE IT - THE REST OF MY BRUSHES ARE HOG BRISTLE BRUSHES, AND THAT FOR THE REASONS STATED IN THIS VIDEO - AGAIN, GOOD VIDEO!!!!!!!

[@allenvoss7977]

I like to use all my brushes for each subject usually. It gives Variety and realism

[@Artist_Crafter]

Thanks for explaining it to us! Now I know.

[@lisengel2498]

The meaning of the difference became so clear the moment you demonstrated the abstraction from the bristle brush compaired to the sybthetic - it keeps much more feeling/ abstraction with the natural bristle brush

[@markhoeflinger1040]

excellent description, thank you

[@chrisgriffith1573]

Square brushes are filberts after a few week's use... no shortage of them. Good points about bristols!

[@CJ-dx5mc]

Great videos Mark. I find it easy to find recourses for people who like realistic painting, but not so much for more expressive work. Would anyone know some KZbin channels of painters in oil who are more expressive? The look of realistic painting is wonderful, but I personally am more attracted to the expressive work, and I also have more fun doing it myself.

[@caileanparis9998]

I know you talk about not blending your paint and have put out a video about it, but can you give insight or tips or resources to check out blending techniques. Thank you.

[@bozmundarts2614]

Check steve huston, he balances "gradations" with brushwork and drawing shapes, like,,, a lot. And it works perfectly well, techniques with oil painting can be so much more varied than what some make it look like

[@adamc5489]

Always quality and good information. Appreciate your videos.

[@thijack]

I saw this video by Paul Taggart about brushes, I use filberts and rounds because they create a variety of strokes. My favorite brush to paint with is an egbert or long filbert because they have a lot of expression when I use them.

[@GalleryBry]

Thibaud Sanchez those are great brushes.

[@sujanithtottempudi2991]

Can you please do a video on only brushstrokes?

[@krisannecajano9684]

Great explanation sir... I tried to paint a fine tree using filbert brush with my acrylic but it did give me the resul i want so i end up buying bristle fan brush for me to have a little bit of control when I paint.... Great videos for beginners like me...🤓👌

[@Paula19482]

I totally agree with you. I personally don't buy synthetic brushes! thanks so much for this video!

[@ThingOfSome]

There are new synthetics that have wavy bristles like natural hair. However, I do not think they have the feather/split tip to them.

[@designertjp-utube]

Hi! Great Brush Tip Info! Would like to try a 3/4" inch *Synthetic* *Bristle* *Brush* next I'm up 19 feet on a Ladder painting 9" to 11" tall Precise Letters with Latex Acrylic Paint (lots of times on rough *Masonry* *Walls* ). Thanks to you, it sounds like I'll get much better edge clean line control with the synthetic version.

[@kirkwilliams4942]

Rosemerry Synthetic Evergreens is my go-to brush now.

[@jeffhreid]

Excellent video

[@LiloUkulele]

Love your channel!!

[@AlonzoTheArmless]

Excellent and informative video. Thanks, Mark! I got a lot from it.

[@zeydanwar]

I have more of a general question for your Q&As - how do you approach genre paintings? For example, specifically Academic Orientalist Genre paintings, like The Jaffa Market [1887] by Gustav Bauernfeind? I have no idea how one would even start to compose this, draw in each figure, and so on and so forth.

[@GalleryBry]

Zeyd Anwar generally speaking most paintings can be broken down by working from larger general shapes to finer details at the end. Try breaking your surface into four or five big shapes. And use a large brush or rag to start so you can’t make any details. Try making a monochrome underpainting with an earth tone and focus on values first. Then move onto color.

[@ritamchatterjee1]

It's really good 👍🏻

[@missaysha9713]

Thank you so much sir for your important advice

[@NAVINARTSTUDIO123]

Very good information thank you dear

[@sheneesespiecesart]

I so appreciate this video..thank you

[@davidandclyde]

Thanks love the help 👍

[@mikepelosi9877]

What I've found to be very economical is buying the Simply Simmons Bristle Brushes. They work very well for a certain period of time (6 months to a year or more depending on painting frequency/habits) AND, you wait for the right moment, you can get them dirt cheap. Wait until Michaels Arts and Crafts has a buy-one-get-one deal going on, or you get one of those 40% off your entire order coupons, and then LOAD UP on them. You can walk away paying $2 to $3 per brush or less. These Simply Simmons brushes, as I've found, are used by many artists (professionals like Steve Huston and other respected artists) because they are are (a) very affordable, (b) very replaceable, and (c) very cheap. I would say, for a $2-$4 brush, you're getting a $10 performance. Nothing in the price range of under $10/brush works as well as Simply Simmons Natural Bristle. Maybe the Winsor and Newton Winton line to some extent, but those can still be $2-$3 more/brush. You'd be surprised how much abuse and how forgiving the Simmons brushes are! And when they get old and beat up and no longer have any use, you don't feel nearly as bad throwing away a $2 as you do one that costs $12 or more!

[@ronjohnson4566]

Over the years, I have had more success with ordering brushes online. When I shop for brushes in a physical store many times I'm there to pick up 4 or 5 brushes for maybe 2 or 3 sizes. The brushes in stores are touched by so many artists who want to feel them. They poke, bend and aren't careful. Some of them have a starch (maybe) on them to keep them straight and some have been figured so much they don't resemble the other brushes. So, I walk out of the store with less than I planned. For instance, out of five available one maybe what I am expecting, one I wouldn't buy, one I would settle for one and one would be misplaced by whoever put it back.

[@rbtbuchanan1]

How about using a softer brush such as a sable or a synthetic to scumble over existing paint when painting wet on wet? Bristle brushes seem to drag up more of the underlying layer (?).

[@GalleryBry]

rbtbuchanan1 you can also use a brush with longer bristles such as an Egbert brush. The longer bristles will float more easily over your surface. I’ve heard that synthetics can be damaged over time by solvents and mediums, which is why bristles are traditionally used for oils. It I’m sure a synthetic would work. :) Give it a try and let me know.

[@rbtbuchanan1]

@@GalleryBry Thanks. I’ll try an Egbert and let you know.

[@GalleryBry]

rbtbuchanan1 sounds great!! :)

[@askialuna7717]

This is also the case and natural hairbrushes are damaged by acrylic paints and acrylic media because it pulls the rest of the oil out of the hair and the hair becomes brittle. Both types of brush can be used with gouache and watercolour without hesitation.

[@alvarobrasesco7771]

Thanks for yours useful post!

[@tlhudsonart]

I have both types of brushes. Various sizes. I use the brush that's appropriate for the application of paint that I want.

[@sewoh100]

I use synthetic brushes but only because I paint with acrylics. Natural brushes will get waterlogged if you try and paint using acrylics and wont pick up as much paint.

[@gopinathannottath]

The heading was contradictory to which you spoke. But I liked the presentation and attitude to make the novices perfect like me. Thanks a lot

[@africo9104]

Very interesting observation. Thanks.

[@michaelmcewan432]

Excellent help, thank you so much

[@blane1814]

Thank you teacher

[@bigfootlil]

Much as I agree with you, you seem to be handling the brushes differently in your examples. Do you think the brush is 'forcing' this due to your preference for natural bristles?

[@MangoSmoothieYumYum]

Thank you!

[@melihgumuscay7359]

Great explanation thanks...

[@lutz18692]

I get the point about the abstraction, but the best argument to me in favor of synthetic is their durability. I find the natural bristles become so splayed and unsusable after only a few paintings (even with proper care, i.e. just wiping and brushdip), and considering they are around $10 a piece, I'd rather sacrifice some abstraction in my strokes than buying a new set of brushes every few months.

[@emmettolson3499]

And if you prefer doing hyperrealism, synthetic makes it easier to prevent muddiness and achieving crisp lines. It does take a lot of patience having to be more detail oriented with a synthetic though

[@MrRalvsx]

Great info! Will Geneva ever sell brushes?

[@GalleryBry]

MrRalvsx that would be great.

[@KathyBrooksArt]

Great help this! Thanks

[@i.p.artblog1300]

I definitely will try to find and use real hairs brush, I always used synthetic. Thanks for sharing. I recently started KZbin channel with oil paintings tutorials. Welcome to have a look. 🎨😉

[@felsal20]

2:00 in other words; Natural hog hair bristles with a near microscopic disarray of hair will result in a delightful obscurity of light reflecting into the viewers eye, as opposed to the synthetic hair which let's off a uniformed unnatural flow of paint with each stroke that leaves no room for the delightful obscurity the hog hair offers. In rare circumstances like this chaos can be beautiful.

[@domenhitrec3288]

For painting a perfect straight line I would say synthetic is better.

[@hideentity1518]

Thank you mark

[@kpa-vo4pb]

I'm doing oil painting but I don't which brand to go with.? Velvetouch, Dakota, Aspen, Raphael.? Summit oil paint brushes.

[@heliospantazis216]

Fantastic video, subscribed.

[@123rockfan]

I ordered Da Vinci red sable brushes and they arrived completely stiff. I was thinking of putting them in vinegar to restore them, but am I better off just returning them?

[@Shadow-ew3je]

Usually they dipped the brush with gum arabic or some sort of starch to protect and keep the brush in shape. To remove it, you could just dipped it in warm water.

[@alemassa]

Thanks for the video. This answer a bunch of questions as I was just testing these type of brushes yesterday. Unrelated question: is there a reason why the canvas is stained with a light burned amber value rather than a plain gray?

[@andreascrust8606]

The stain mr. Carder uses is neutral by the means of colour temperature whereas a gray stain is cold.

[@VanNguyen-yt6om]

What kind of canvas that you recommend for portraiture?

[@jenwilly7260]

How do you get rid of the brush marks?

[@theresacoleman-bagley5068]

I agree completely. I enjoy hoghair far better. I feel I have better control.

[@gamingevolution6887]

Nice

[@youssefmansour3027]

Thank you💙

[@allenvoss7977]

My brushes are wearing out fast I use masterpiece classic cotton canvases and it sounds like sandpaper when I’m painting on them. this the problem ???

[@alexandrawalters8953]

Having adopted a vegan lifestyle (I know I can’t be “perfect,” but I’m doing the best I can within what’s available to me), I am trying different synthetic types, in the hope of finding a couple of brands and types that will give me a satisfactory result. It may not be a good as natural hair, but I’m hoping I will adapt my techniques to coax the best results out of my synthetics.

[@josephkim9315]

I have a question, what camera do you use??

[@Thekappa]

what oil paint brushes do you use on the canvas.?

[@florrytsukino2014]

There are many types of synthetic brushes. They’re cheaper, easier to handle and care and it’s hard to damage them. On top of that no animals were harmed during production process. Sure cheap synthetic brushes are crappy but bit expensive ones are pretty good and can compete with natural ones. Just try to find one that are suitable for your work. Synthetic sable differs dramatically from synthetic hog. I never used “natural” brush in my work and I don’t feel like I’m missing something.

[@muhlenstedt]

What about sables?Do they act similar to synthetics?

[@GalleryBry]

muhlenstedt sables are a much softer hair and are used a lot with watercolors. You might be able to use them for fine details with very thin paint. They likely would not work well for impasto paintings with stiff paint. Try it and let me know how it goes. :)

[@muhlenstedt]

@@GalleryBry thank very much, i will try them, one or two sizes,,they are expensive!

[@GalleryBry]

muhlenstedt they are very expensive. Princeton makes synthetic sables and they are less expensive. The Heritage line I believe. These are good for fine details at the end of an oil painting. They also make synthetic mongoose, which is a medium stiffness between bristle and sable. Lots of great brush options. The Synthetic bristle from Princeton is good too. The Dakota line. They are less stiff too and durable. A great brush but expensive. :) cheers.

[@muhlenstedt]

@@GalleryBry Thank you very much for such information, it is a big help!Best greetings!

[@GalleryBry]

muhlenstedt most welcome. Contact me any time if you have questions. :)

[@thebones]

Brush choice is not a binary argument, you simply choose which brush is appropriate for the task at hand, only experience will allow you to make the correct choice between a wide range of brush types. I don't know why the usually sane Mark is limiting the choice so much, there is no need.

[@New-ko5qj]

This is kind of funny, I'm just an amateur but over the years I've slowly drifted to using mainly natural filbert brushes.

[@virginiarparker9503]

Thank you

[@fxrihxmim5742]

Does hog brushes have split ends?

[@SosiCreatesArt]

Everyone’s always recommending natural brushes for oil and acrylic but it never works out for the look and feel I want, it always leaves me frustrated

[@joemorgan117]

I never realised synthetic brushes flattened out strokes & blends like that. No wonder I prefer hogs hair :)

[@ahmedhumayunrasheed2434]

How to make Turquoise Blue!

[@rasplez9889]

I personally can't stand stuff like hog hair, its way too sharp. Everyone has different preferences but gold taklon works best for me, I find it to be so much softer and easy to control. Especially if you don't like harsh brush marks, that hog often makes. As for horse hair, you might as well be painting with a limp half-dunked digestive biscuit. The brush marks from natural bristles rubs me the wrong way, but the softness of the synthetic brush is better for blending and a smooth finish; ideal for highlights and shadows.

[@agiusbennett]

Are there any hog brushes to buy that do not cause abuse against the animal? This may seem like a stupid question, but the only reason I do not use animal hair brushes, is because I paint animals, and I cannot stomach learning abuse to the animals just to make paint brushes.

[@Expressionistix]

I gave up hogs hair years ago. I paint up to 5 to 6 large paintings a month so I burn through brushes fast and the synthetics for the price are much higher quality than similar priced natural hair plus the synthetics are much more predictable.

[@murderballad1154]

personally i worry about the animal cruelty that might go on with natural hair brushes, so i stick with the good old alternative synth ones :0) ♥

[@SpirosVergos]

What about sable ?

[@acaciarogersart]

I definately like using hog bristle for most of the process, but gosh it was so frustrating trying to make smaller controlled marks on smaller paintings or in the detail phase. I need to have both. As nice as that brushy abstract look is, Sometimes smoothness and control is needed

[@tba1879]

I use only synthetics for ethical reasons--plus manufacturers are now making synthetic brushes which remarkably mirror the responsiveness and feel of natural brushes.

[@sends2aaron]

Sanders 2020

[@johnswaim3919]

GTFOutta here with your politicization bullshit! Leave you politics at home or go contaminate some other channel! Asshole.

[@singek976]

Thank you from Brussels if you need pictures for reference for your amazing work or your's students send me a message in Instagram @allalkcolor and I send you the pictures thank you again for sharing this gift- knowledge

[@linzertube]

I think we have to stop using animals without thought to their welfare and life. They are living, breathing, caring, sentient beings. Check out "Dominion" or "Earthlings" to change your life.

[@ninthusiva7546]

Oh shut up.. What is wrong with your brain bitch?

[@Lytton333]

I think we have to stop blubbering virtue signallers from becoming convinced that the entire world should change because they harbour one too many anthropomorphistic delusions..

[@mugwart99]

God it's so hard being a vegan painter!!

[@robinmorgan2713]

Check out Rosemary brushes. They have a large vegan selection

[@mugwart99]

@@robinmorgan2713 Love you!!

[@mugwart99]

@Nickhead87 not at all, in fact I welcome difference of option. I personally like the world weird and think difference is key. I'd recommend it sometime it's very freeing.

[@peekeyeseek]

I thought this was makeup brushes. 😛🤣😂🤣😂🤣🤣😂🤣😂😂

[@salmaosama9218]

Wtf all of that people doesn't realise how cruel that is !... You are not artists guys .. you are bunch of cruel savage awful careless people