The right brush decides the future quality of the painting as much as well stretched and primed canvas and artist-grade paint. Over time, you will learn what shape is good for what kind of work and what shape and size really work for you.
A beginner can start by buying some essential brush shapes and sizes or to buy a good affordable set. The best brush for acrylic paint on canvas is a synthetic, stiff, and very durable paintbrush, like Princeton. If you don’t want to learn all shapes right now, buy a good set where you will have all your painting needs covered, like Mont Martre Paintbrushes set of 15.
Shapes, sizes, material – all of this and even how all parts of a brush were made are important for a good artist. It is not easy at all to pick a good brush today – there are tons of offers and of course, they will all state great quality and numerous features.
I will give you The best brush in my opinion and the best brush set, but I will explain why: in my article, there are no long text paragraphs, but each brush or brush set contains easy-to-read Pros and Cons and about 11 alternatives for brushes. I am sure after reading my Buyer’s guide you will be very confident about your brush choice.
TAKEAWAY: To start get 3 types of brushes: round one, flat, and a detailed round brush. Or, another life hack could be just to get a brush set with all shapes at once.
There are 8 main brush shapes that you will discover learning and experimenting with:
Usually, when you’re buying a set of brushes, you will have all the main shapes and sizes.
Brush shape
Use and description
Round
Has a large belly with a fine point.
– can cover large areas easier – good for detailed work – create thin to thick lines
Must have: a mid-sized round brush.
Use with thinned paint
Pointed round
Has a sharp pointed tip.
– good for detailed work, retouching – good for portraits
Flat
Has square, flexible ends
– can make long even strokes – good for blending in large areas – good for painting large areas – toe and sides can be used for detailed work – good for thicker application and impasto – good for varnishing
Bright
Flat with edges curved inward at the tip, with shortish hairs.
– good for thicker application – good for close work – short and controlled strokes
Filbert
Flat and oval-shaped end with medium to long hairs.
– good for blending – can be used both for detailed work and large areas
Angular Flat
Flat with angled hairs at the end.
– good for curved lines and filling corners and small areas – can cover large areas as a flat brush
Fan
Flat brush with spread hairs.
– good for textural effects
Detail Round
Round, hairs shorter in length. shorter handle.
– good for fine lines and detailed work
What sizes do I need?
The size of the brush includes length, diameter, and width. Every shape can be in different sizes. The size of the brush it is a number: #8, e.i.
Normally,
small-size (#0-#6) brushes are great for detailed work
mid-size (#6-#14) brushes are quite universal, good for underpainting, coloring areas, and sometimes for details too
large-size (#14 +) brushes are great for painting large areas and washes. I use large brushes for abstract painting a lot!
These “numbers” are not universal for brands, some brands may vary and if you are used to #4 of one brand, don’t assume it is the same for others. What to do with it? Make notes about brush sizes, check the product details about the length, diameter, and width of the brush before buying.
Short or long handle?
Brushes with longer handles are useful for easel work when you want to paint from a distance that allows you to see the whole work at once.
short handles are recommended for table-top painting where the artwork lies flat, especially with water media.
The width of the brush stroke is not equal width of the brush itself!
The actual width of the stroke varies according to the amount of pressure used, the angle at which the brush is held, the media used, and the flexibility of the brush hair.
The brush stroke will vary depending on how you hold your brushes too. Holding your brush close to the ferrule gives you the most control, great for painting details; holding near the end gives you lose strokes.
Natural or Synthetic Bristles?
TAKEAWAY: Choose synthetic brushes for beginners for acrylic painting.
Natural-hair brushes are not recommended for acrylic paint, because acrylics can damage natural bristles over time. They are better for oil painting and, in fact, can be more expensive than synthetic brushes.
Synthetic-hair brushes are made, generally, from nylon, taklon, or polyester and can be soft or stiff. They imitate nature hair but are easier to clean and perfect for acrylics. Synthetic brushes can handle water, while natural ones don’t like it.
As a beginner, you will have more controlled strokes with synthetic bristles.
What Brush do I need for acrylic painting?
TAKEAWAY: You need a brush with firmly connected parts, no rust on the ferrule, no falling bristles. If you are pressing the bristles against a flat surface, they do not bend too close to the ferrule. Check that there isn’t a gap between the bristles and ferrule, where paint could accumulate.
A paintbrush has 4 main parts: a handle, a crimp, a ferrule and bristles.
A handle helps us hold the paintbrush. It can be long or short, wooden or plastic.
A crimp secures the handle and the ferrule together.
A ferrule is a very important part – it firmly connects bristles and the handle. A good ferrule doesn’t rust or loosen.
Bristles are hairs of our paintbrush. With bristles, we apply the paint. Good quality bristles don’t fall. Can be natural or synthetic, for acrylic we choose synthetic, but we’ll talk about it later. Bristles have a belly – the wide center part of the brush, and a toe– the very ending of the brush bristles which actually touch the surface.
A great choice for beginners and intermediate painters. The manufacturer, Naohide Takamoto, produces brushes for 5 generations already – imagine the quality!
Buying brushes or sets depends not only on shapes, sizes, and hair material but on your budget. Some brands are more expensive, like Da Vinci
We picked some great brushes already, let’s have a look at good alternatives. Here is the recap table of all alternatives followed by a review of each of them. As we know, the price is very important for beginners, so I mention the price for flat brush #6 for each brand and the general price range to give you an idea.
Paintbrushes for acrylic painting
Price for #6
Princeton Velvetouch Series 3950 Synthetic Brushes and Set (BEST)
Grumbacher is one of the most famous brands when it comes to art supplies.
PROS:
synthetic durable bristles
controlled soft strokes
comfortable handle
CONS:
only limited sizes are available
expensive
Blick Masterstroke Golden Taklon Brushes
PROS:
Taklon bristles
bestseller
great control and absorbency
a big choice of shapes and sizes
CONS:
no sets
Blick Master Bristle Brushes
PROS:
high-quality hand glued brushes
high-quality durable bristles
bestseller
Lifetime Guarantee
one of the widest choice of shapes and sizes
CONS:
expensive
only one set of 4 shapes is available
Blick Scholastic Wonder White Synthetic Brushes
PROS:
cheap
full range of sizes and shapes
sets available
good durable Taklon
CONS:
student-grade quality
Da Vinci Nova Synthetic Brushes
PROS:
responsive and controlled strokes
short and long handles are available
wood for the handle is from sustainable forest
CONS:
not all shapes have all sizes
Da Vinci Top Acryl Synthetic Brushes
PROS:
extra-strong, extra-smooth synthetic bristle
very durable hairs due to the “interlock” effect
short and long handles are available
good for heavy-body paint, thick application, and impasto
sets available
CONS:
not all shapes have all sizes
not all shapes are available
Loew-Cornell American Painter Brushes
PROS:
synthetic golden Taklon hair
handmade brushes
controlled strokes
high dexterity
good for heavy-body paint, thick application
CONS:
extremely small size and shapes range – only filbert, wash, and shader shapes available in 1-2 sizes.
Royal Langnickel Zen All Media Brushes
PROS:
lightweight
the handle is durable and waterproof
controlled strokes
cheap
CONS:
not all users liked the bristles
Utrecht Manglon Synthetic Brushes and Sets
PROS:
nice design: each shape has its own colored tag
excellent paint capacity
good with all kinds of acrylics, including heavy-body
deep double crimping, very durable brushes
CONS:
only one set of 4 is available
pricey
Winsor & Newton Artisan Brushes
PROS:
retain spring after contact with water
controlled stroke
durable and last long
easy to clean
CONS:
only available for North America
expensive
Winsor & Newton Monarch Acrylic Paint Brushes
PROS:
long handles
variety of shapes and sizes
good quality natural bristles designed for acrylics
very responsive strokes
CONS:
expensive
not available in sets
The Best acrylic paint brushes for beginners
Quick reminder: the best acrylic paint brushes for beginners are synthetic brushes of main shapes and sizes. Definitely pick some round, flat, and detail brushes to start your creative journey. You will need some small-sized brushes #1-3 for detailed work like round brushes, and sizes #6-12 to cover larger areas evenly.
The best acrylic paint brushes for beginners will come in sets. If you’re just starting, you don’t know yet techniques and how comfortable handles and sizes are. Grab an affordable but durable and performant brush set and figure out your painting style through some tutorials. Then, you’ll be ready for Premier League and you are free to buy brushes of specific sizes and shapes individually depending on your project.
This is the set of 15 brushes: 2 filbert (#4 and #8), 4 angle (#2, #5, #10, #12), 2 round (#3 and #7), 2 flat (#6 and #11), 1 fan, 1 rigger (#3/0), 1 liner and 1 mop brushes – all you need to start painting.
This is the set of 6 main shapes: 2 round (#6 and #16), 2 flat (#8 and #10) and 2 filbert (#8 and #10) brushes – all you need to start painting.
PROS:
great for beginners
cheap
good quality Taklon bristles
good paint absorbency, smooth application
CONS:
only for beginners
Royal & Langnickel Short Handle Acrylic Paint Brushes
This is the set of 11 detail and short liner brushes in sizes 5/0, 10/0, 0, 20/0 and 3/0. It is not a universal set to go for a beginner.
PROS:
Finest quality soft synthetic bristles
short handles
good set for fine work
rust-resistant ferrule
CONS:
only for detailed work
limited sizes and shapes
Jerry Q Acrylic Paint Brushes
It is the set of 12 brushes: Round (# 10/0 #3/0 # 0), Flat (#2 #4), Long Liners (#20/0 #10/0 #5/0 #0 #2 #4 #6).
PROS:
cheap option
nylon bristles
nice variety of brushes
long handles for comfort
CONS:
only for beginners
no larger size is available
da Vinci Acrylic Paint Brushes College Set
It is one the most well-known manufacturer and they offer several types of sets for beginners. The College Starter Set includes 5 brushes: 2 round (#2 and #6), 3 flat (#4, #8, #12).
PROS:
wood for handle from sustainable forest
the handle has a grip for more comfort
durable synthetic brushes
controlled strokes
easy to clean
CONS:
personally, I don’t like grips on handles, for me they are uncomfortable
pricey
This brand also sells brushes individually and they are extremely good.
LorDac Acrylic Paint Brushes Set
LorDac Set contains 7 brushes of different shapes: 3 Round, 2 Flat, 1 Filbert, and 1 Angular.
PROS:
decent durable bristles
smooth application
Travel Kit case included
Money-Back Guarantee
eco and vegan friendly
easy to clean
CONS:
only in sets
Komina Acrylic Paint Brush Set of 15
The Komina set is great for beginners, especially for children and students. This set includes 15 brushes and a brush holder. The brand says that these brushes are good both for painting on canvas and body.
PROS:
handmade nylon brushes
protective brush holder included
30 days money-back guarantee
15 brushes included: all 8 main shapes and different sizes for round, flat, and angular flat brushes
affordable
CONS:
only in sets
I don’t really trust such cheap and multi-purpose versatile sets, but they are good to start for kids
Dainayw Artist Paint Brush 12 Pcs
This is a student grade set of 12 brushes: flat, filbert, angle, round, liner, and oval in different sizes.
This set is amazingly full different sizes: size:#1,#2,#3,#4,#5,#6,#7,#8,#9,#10,#11,#12 for for 2 main shapes – round and flat.
PROS:
extremely cheap
1-year replacement guarantee
wide range of sizes
CONS:
such a low price makes me question the production cost and quality.
the brand says the shapes in the set are round and flat, but for me flat doesn’t look flat at all, as bright – maybe.
only 2 main shapes
D’Artisan Paint Brush Set of 15
A professional artist set of 15 brushes with a carrying case: 4 flat paintbrushes, 1 fan brush, 3 round brushes, 4 filbert brushes, 1 angle brush, 1 rigger brush, and 1 wide brush.
Adi’s Art Pro Paint Brush Set of 12 for Acrylic Paint
Great set for a beginner! You have brushes, a case, but also a palette! The set includes 12 brushes: 1 angle brush, 4 flat paintbrushes in different sizes, 1 filbert, 4 round paintbrushes, 1 liner brush, and 1 fan brush.
PROS:
simple palette, Pop-up Carrying Case, and sponge included
good quality durable hand-picked brushes
double crimped ferrules
1-year money-back guarantee
CONS:
a bit more expensive because the case and palette are included
maybe not what a Pro expects, but great for starting painting!
Benicci Artist Acrylics Paint Brush Set
Another great option for a beginner is Amazon Editor’s Choice by the way. This set can cover all needs of a beginner: 24 paint tubes, a palette knife to mix paint, a sponge, and 12 different sizes and shapes brushes are included. This is all you need to try acrylic painting.
1 palette knife, 24 acrylic paints, and sponge included
good quality durable double-clamped bristles
strong ferrules
1-year money-back guarantee
CONS:
I would not expect much from the paint quality in the set for $17
if the set costs $17, how much do brushes really cost?
only for beginners
How to store and clean acrylic brushes
The 2 main ways to care for acrylic brushes are proper cleaning and storage.
The better you care for and maintain brushes, the longer they will last without falling apart because acrylic paint is very rough and harsh with bristles.
Cleaning
Always clean your brushes right after you finish the painting session. If you will leave them with acrylic paint on them – it will destroy bristles very quickly. Never let you brushes dry with paint.
You can use water and soap or a special Master’s brush cleaner (painters all over the world really prefer this one). I recommend double washing brushes every time.
During painting, always keep 2 separate containers with water: one use to clean brushes and another to just have clean water to dip and wet brushes.
It is vital that brushes dry properly after cleaning!
