Traditionally
used by Oil painters, the standard oil brush shapes are: Filbert- shaped
like a filbert nut; Bright- flat with short bristle; Flat - flat with
long bristle; Fan - shaped like a fan and sometimes referred to as a fan
blender; Round - shaped like a bullet which comes to a blunt point. Many
oil mediums contain solvents or oils in such concentration that they
could present a hazard to the oil brushes.
Natural bristle doesn't come to a point, it actually has two or three
splits at the end, these are called 'flags'. This allows the bristle to
hold more paint, with use, the 'flags' often change color after being
stained by strong pigment, but this has no detrimental effect on the oil
brush. Besides using bristle brushes for oils, sable & synthetic
mixed or synthetic is also used. The sable and sable/synthetic mix
usually gives a softer, smoother look to the applied paint, these are
also useful for detail work. The synthetic type, range from soft to
bristle effect.
