Often
called Red Sable because of its reddish-brown color, brushes made of
weasel hair make for practical oil painting brushes. This soft brush
hair comes from the tail of the Asiatic weasel, a type of marten. Golden
red in color, the hairs are not as fine or springy as kolinsky sable and
are only half as expensive. The finest brushes get damaged quickly in
the solvent and chemicals used in oils, so the cost-to-quality savings
is a nice benefit for using Red Sable brushes.
Offering snap and resiliency, they handle oil or acrylic beautifully.
They can cost up to 40% less than a Kolinsky brush of the same size,
while it still retains some or most of the desirable traits of a more
expensive brush. It is very important to be able to distinguish between
Red Sable Brush and Kolinksy Brush. Sometimes brushes made of Red Sable
are passed off as Kolinsky brushes, which carry a much higher price tag.
Brushes
used for acrylics have long handles that allow the artist to work at a
distance from the canvas. Acrylic paints are more caustic than oils, so
acrylic brushes are designed with synthetics and bristle. Acrylic
brushes are usable in other mediums, particularly oils, while brushes
designed specifically for oil painting and watercolors are unsuitable
for acrylics. Artists can very effectively use glazing and layering
techniques when using acrylic brushes.
Both natural and synthetic bristles can be used with acrylics,
depending on the artist's preference. But, acrylics, being alkaline in
nature, can be hard on natural hair brushes. Those made with high
quality synthetics have excellent durability and offers excellent
stiffness, snap and hair shape retention for maximum control. The
brushes must be kept clean. If acrylic paint dries in a brush it is very
hard to get out without using strong solvents that might damage the
brush. Brushes are cleaned promptly by washing them with warm water and
mild soap when finished painting.
