Best Paint Brushes For Beginners



Brushes, the choices are overwhelming. Which ones are worth your hard earned money?

Good Brushes are essential for great looking paint application. The best brushes are well designed, well shaped, and easy to use. An important factor when purchasing brushes are the quality, are they built to last? Each brush has a specific job and use.

A synthetic brush made of high-quality polyester or a blend of nylon and polyester is better suited to latex (water-based) paint because natural bristles soak up water, becoming limp and less. Best Sellers in. Artists' Paintbrushes. BOSOBO Paint Brushes Set, 2 Pack 20 Pcs Round Pointed Tip Paintbrushes Nylon Hair Artist Acrylic. Soucolor Acrylic Paint Brushes Set, 20Pcs Round Pointed Tip Artist Paintbrushes for Acrylic Painting.

Let’s go over the types:

^ Angled Brush: Good for curved strokes and filling corners. Can reach small areas with tip. A great tool for butterflies, cat ears, and is a great tool for the one stroke technique.

^ Filbert Brush: This brush is a combination of round and flat design. Teardrops, petals or masks, it’s a great multipurpose tool! It’s a very popular brush which you should have in your kit.

^ Fan Brush: Good for smoothing, blending and feathering. You can get a similar result with a rake brush, it’s not a highly used tool in our arsenal.

^ Liner /Script Brush: Great for a tiny touch of outline, so that you won’t overwhelm the design.

^Flat Brush: One stroke floral designs, bows (hello kitty), hearts, and other larger designs. Great for painted eyeshadow using the one stroke technique. These are also good for covering larger areas quickly.

^ Foam Brush: Adds texture to body art, we don’t use it very often.

^ Kabuki Brush: You can use this for powders or dusting. kabuki brushes are short, with a flat base.

^ Petal/Flower Brush: Round in shape but specifically designed to form a perfect petal. Highly used in our kit!

^ Round Brush: This brush will make the perfect teardrops, dots, and can be used for outlining depending on the thickness desired.

Parts:

  • bristles – hairs: can be natural, synthetic, or a combination
  • ferrule – the metal piece that connects the bristles to the handle
  • crimp – the part of the ferrule that secures it to the handle
  • handle – typically made from wood or acrylic

Size:

The brush sizes you choose depend on which designs you will create, so its great to have a variety of sizes. It’s important to note, that as you improve with practice you will be able to achieve many looks with just a few brushes. A large design can be done with a small brush, so don’t get caught up in having every single brush there is, for the sake of doing it “the right way”. Size can improve your speed, however, so it’s a good idea to have a variety in your kit. Smaller brushes have greater precision and allow for more detail. Larger brushes are able to load more paint and cover a greater surface area. Another thing to consider is the sizes of faces you will mostly work on. Some businesses are directed at children, like kids birthday parties. If your business is, you may want to focus on smaller brushes to accommodate the faces of the children. If you are learning to body paint, you would want to look at larger brush sizes.

Price:

While price will factor in which ones you choose, don’t automatically assume the most expensive brush will work the best. The typical face painting brush is usually in the $3-$10 range and works very well. The expensive brushes you see in the Michaels or Hobby Lobby are made for oil painting, watercolor or acrylics. If you take a look around brand names and materials drive up the price. While they are amazing at doing their job, there may be better options. With this said, you don’t want to go to the dollar store and get the cheap paint kit designed for children. You may find that with cheap brushes the hairs will come loose from the ferrule. The strand could end up stuck in the paint you just laid down in such perfect form. Then as you begin to pick out the hair, your design is smudged. That is just not worth the cheap price. They often are made from rough nylon bristles. This can make sloppy work and be uncomfortable on your client! Brushes have also been known to come apart where the ferrule meets the handle, not something you want to happen in front of your clients. For most cases, a mid-range brush will suit your needs and you won’t break the bank with expensive tools. Additionally, many craft stores offer coupons you can use to reduce the price of a mid-range priced brush or set, bringing it down to the cost.

Materials:

Look for synthetic hair, not real hair bristles. This may go against common sense to an artist, but from experience, synthetic brushes transfer paint wonderfully on the skin. Real hair is much too soft and when you touch the face to make a circle or dot, the real hair bristles will sag under the weight. Think of a piece of paper, its hard against the table and creates resistance for the brush. On skin, there is cushion, and if you brush also has cushion, it’s not going to create the form you wish. It’s feel and pressure can be referred to as malleability, you need certain amounts of pressure to be able to paint strokes as beautifully as they are in your mind. Synthetic/golden taklon is something you want to look for while shopping. They are notably great for teardrops and swirls. You can most certainly use sable brushes, but as many have noted, it takes a lot of practice.

What is Taklon?

Taklon is a smooth, and soft polyester derivative void of any protein or allergen elements. It is used in the cosmetic industries as a vegan and allergy-free alternative to animal hair brushes. Don’t worry about harming our cute, furry little friends- synthetic is best here!

Best professional paint brushes

Length:

Brushes come in different styles and sizes, and this is going to depend on your preference. While they do give balance, they can get in the way face painting. There are times when we have been in a great hurry due to a long line, and I knocked our brush cup due to the long handled brushes that were in the way. The shorter handled brushes are great for those who travel and do festivals.

Shape:

There are different to brushes which can help you improve your technique. Some brushes are sharper, and others have more rounded points. We have noticed the blend of the bristles makes a difference in how much paint is loaded. Experiment with a few different brush styles and shapes and see what fits your style. As you mature as an artist your style goes through changes and your favorite shapes may change too. Longer bristle brushes hold more water and can make one stroke designs hard to master.

Handles:

Brushes can be made with wooden or acrylic handles. Both work well, and we have both kinds. Wooden absorbs water, so you will see cracks in the finish on the handles after heavy use. To remedy this, allow the brush to dry out completely before storing. Try not to let water get down in the metal ferrule. Laying brushes flat to dry and not allowing them to stand in water will prolong the brush’s life.

Best Acrylic Paint Brushes For Beginners

Use:

Will you be working at festivals or birthday parties? This will determine the amount of wear and tear on the brushes and if you should invest in more expensive ones. Many festival painters find they need to replace their tools more often than a party painter. Will this alter your decision on which brushes to buy?

Kits:

We have purchased kits before and it is a great way to build your collection at a cheaper price. There are a variety of brushes that come in packages, and you very well may find a new favorite that you wouldn’t have chosen by buying singles. Another plus to a package brush kit is- accumulating duplicates. That may sound unnecessary, but if you have a really detailed design you are working on and it requires multiple colors you can use both brushes to get the look done more quickly. But, again that depends on the event you are working on.

Personal Preference:

Depending on your style your brush preference will be different from another painter. Do you have a light touch or a heavy hand? It’s neither right nor wrong, but this can help determine brush choices. If you are soft or light hande, longer bristles like Loew Cornell 7000s or Mark Reid Signature could work for you. If you need a softer touch to offset you heavy-handedness, look for Wolfe Face Art FX or Loew Cornell Comfort brushes.

Brands:

Best Beginner Paint Brush Set

  • Majestic Royal and Langnickel
  • Simply Simmons
  • Mehron Mark Reid Signature Brushes
  • Loew Cornell
  • Royal Brush Soft Grip
  • Master’s Touch
  • American Painter

What Paint Brushes To Buy For Beginners

Places to find:

Remember, some of these stores use coupons. Check before you shop!

  • Hobby Lobby
  • Michaels
  • AC Moore
  • Walmart
  • Amazon

Best Paint Brushes For Beginners

Sponges and applicators:

I know, these aren’t brushes, but if you are a beginner these are great tools to add to your collection! Sponges can cover a large area and give a smooth finish. Sponges are disposable, so depending on your event and budget they can be a great tool to have. Hope this helped break down the different brushes that can be used for face painting.

If you only have a few cheap brushes, please don’t get frustrated and head to the store if it’s not in your budget. A talented artist can use anything to make a work of art.

Enjoy painting!