When it comes to artists paint brushes there are few traits you should pay attention to. It is very difficult finding the right tools for working especially if you are just starting out your artist carrier. All the materials you use should be as best as you can afford. When buying your first paintbrush set make sure that the bristles are of a good quality nicely placed into ferrule so they don’t lose their shape or some hair while you are painting.
Also, choose the appropriate length of the handle to suit your working technique. Every part of the brush should be made carefully out of chosen good quality materials to make your painting process more pleasant and not interrupt you in your creative process with little inconveniences. In time, after trying several sets, you will find the one that suits your needs the best.
Some painters prefer brushes with bristles made of natural materials meaning of animal hair while others prefer synthetic ones. Top quality, artist grade brushes are made of natural bristles and always handmade to ensure the best quality. There are many good manufacturers out there so there is plenty to choose from.
Appearance
Artify hog bristle brushes are produced in Beijing. They have long natural wood coloured handles covered with a layer of lacquer for additional protection. On each handle, there is a company logo along with the specific number for each size and the series mark. Since the brushes are handmade the size may vary even in the brushes from a single brush line. Bristles are white natural hog hairs hand placed into a white coppers protective ferrules.
Top quality hog hairs are used for the bristles. They are stiff and ideal for oil painting but can also be used for alkyd and acrylic painting. Even after heavy usage bristles remain unchanged and still can give precise straight strokes.
Brushes come in a set of fifteen pieces of different sizes. In the set, you can find fan size four and eight, flat sizes two, six, ten, fourteen, eighteen and thirty, round sizes two, six, eight, twelve, fourteen and twenty, flat brush number five. Brushes are placed in a plastic protective box practical for carrying them around.
Overall performance
Handles are made of nice quality wood and lay nice in hand when you use the brush. They are long enough which allows you to work a bit away from the canvas. Bristles are carefully placed into ferrules so even after really heavy use they do not change shape and the hairs do not fall out on the canvas.
All bristles are carefully placed and nicely shaped so they are suitable for detailed work also as for thick layering of colour on the canvas. I wish there would be more sizes of brushes to choose from tho.
Also, brushes come a bit too stiff when you first buy them so I would recommend softening them a little before using them. For that, you can wash the brushes with mineral spirits and natural soap, that will do the trick and make them soft enough to work with. If you clean them well enough each time after using them these can last you for a long time.
I can’t say these are the best I have used but I think this is a good enough set for beginners. When it comes to the price they are a bit too expensive for what they have to offer. To summarize ill give you my pros and cons and it is up to you to decide should you try the brushes or not(maybe if you find them on some discount, then I would definitely recommend them).
Pros
- Good quality of bristles
- No shedding or changing shape even after multiple uses
- Nice classy overall look
- Good wooden handles that lay nicely in your hand
Cons
- Price is too high compared to the quality of the brushes
- The plastic box which they come in looks really cheap I have seen many brush sets of lesser quality that came in much better packaging
Alternatives
If you decide not to try these as an alternative I can suggest D’artisan professional Chungking hog bristle brushes that come in a pack of 6 pieces containing filbert brush number two, six and twelve, round brush number one and flat brush number four and eight.
The price comes to be somewhat higher than for Artify hog bristle brush set but then the quality of the brushes is also better. They are quality hog bristle brushes with nice long ergonomic handles. Brushes come packed in a plastic box additionally protected with dust bag.
Another brush that I would recommend as an alternative to Artify hog bristle brushes is actually for one of you who don’t feel comfortable using brushes of animal origin – Adi’s Art Pro paint brush set. This set consists of ten paintbrushes with bristles made of hand-picked synthetic bristles of the finest quality. The set comes with two angle brushes, two flat brushes, three filbert brushes, two round brushes and one rigger.
These brushes can be used for oil painting, acrylic painting and watercolour. Price of the set is more than affordable since the bristles are not of animal origin.
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