If you’ve done any figure painting at all, then you will know that brushes wear out, even the best ones. After a little over 3 years, my Raphael 8404 Kolinsky Sable No. 1 no longer holds a good point. That means it is time to buy a new brush. With prices rising on just about everything and Republican tariffs about to make them worse, there’s even more bad news about Kolinsky sable brushes. Global warming in the artic indicates the decline in the quality of sable hair.
With all of the above, I thought it would be a good time to revisit synthetic brushes. Synthetic brushes have two basic flaws, one is that they often have trouble keeping their shape or snap during use and the brush point develops a curve. The big advantage synthetic brushes have over natural hair brushes is that a single synthetic brush will cost less than a single natural brush. This advantage disappears over time as a cheap Wal-Mart brush will need to be replaced in a few weeks while a good sable brush will last years. Rather than buying a cheap synthetic brush, I decided to try some brushes labeled specifically as synthetic Kolinsky sable brushes. I purchased 4 brushes from Jerry’s Artarama. Three Creative Mark Mimik brushes in sizes 0, 1, and 2 at $6.50 each. The fourth brush is a high-end synthetic from Escoda at $17.00.
Typically, a synthetic brush’s point begins to curl after a week or two and the brush becomes useless for anything other than painting terrain within 3 to 6 weeks. So, I’m going to use these synthetic brushes as my main brushes beginning today to see how long they will last. If they last long enough, I may switch to using them as my main brushes.
It may seem odd to take pictures of brushes, but I kind of want to see how they hold up over time.
After first use, they feel different than sable. The snap doesn’t feel as stiff if that makes any sense. However, I do like the Escoda brush. I just hope they last longer than 6 weeks.
What are some of your experiences in finding a good brush? Let me know, your comments are always appreciated.
I spoke with an artist at a Southwest Art Market several years ago, I wish I could remember her name. She made and sold Pueblo pottery. I asked her how the ancients painted their pottery, and she said that they chewed stems of plants to make their brushes. If you’ve never seen Pueblo pottery in person, it is very beautiful.
Atomic Floozy Adventures 