Da Vinci Paint Brushes

When it comes to art supplies and tools it is very difficult choosing the right ones for your work. We all know the importance of good quality materials and tools for creating art since you do not want to be distracted in your creative process by tools and mediums that do not give you the desired or expected effect. It can be a real challenge finding good brushes that will help you get the best results. For oil painting, I can recommend Da Vinci paint brushes because those are the ones I have been using for many years and was always very satisfied with them.

When it comes to brushes there is a choice between synthetic or natural bristles. Also, there are many different kinds of natural bristles which you can choose from depending on your technique or the medium you are using for painting. There are boar bristles, mink, badger, squirrel and sable which are the best and the softest for watercolour painting. Hog bristles are the best for oil painting because they can carry a large amount of thick oil colour due to their stiffness and thickness of bristles.

Even then when you choose between synthetic or natural bristles and between softer or thicker ones there is still a choice of the shape of the bristles. There is always a certain shape of the brush you will use the most depending on your painting style and techniques you prefer.

I am one of those that prefer natural bristles to synthetic ones. I don’t say synthetic ones are not good just that I love my tools to be made with utmost care and precision and you get that when buying artist grade natural bristle brushes.

Those are hand made and every part of them is very carefully picked and placed to make you one perfect tool to use. So it is really worth paying that little bit extra and getting yourself an artist-grade hand made natural bristle paint brush.

Da Vinci company is producing artist grade paint brushes since the 19th century. They use the best materials and traditional craftsmanship in order to produce the top quality artist grade paint brushes. When buying a product made by a well-renowned manufacturer you can never make a mistake. Nevertheless having few heads up always helps.

Appearance

Da Vinci Maestro 2 hog bristle brushes are made to last. This is an artist grade paint brush hand made out of carefully chosen materials and can be used for oil painting, acrylic and alkyd paint.

Brushes have long red and black handles with the corresponding name written along them followed by the name of the company and special marking for the series. Handles are anatomic and pleasant to use and since they are long that means that the hand is farther away from the canvas while you paint which is something most painters prefer.

Bristles are made out of top quality Chinese Chunking bore hair which is elastic, very resistant and long lasting. Bristles are white, double boiled for additional spring and endurance and hand placed into the ferrules interlocking allowing them to carry large amounts of paint.

They are deeply embedded into brass, nickel plated seamless ferrules so there is no chance of hair falling off or bristles losing the shape. Ferules are also rust resistant so its really easy cleaning the brushes.

They come in several different sizes and shapes so you can easily find a brush that will suit your technique and style in this series. There are bright extra short, bright medium, filbert medium, flat long, fresco filbertXL, fresco round medium, long filbert, round, extra long filbert, slanted edge, extra thick straight chisel edge, straight edge spalter, slanted edge spalter.

Since the brushes are hand made there can be small variations in shape and sizes even in the same series but this is something that happens in any handmade brushes.

Performance

Whether you use them for oil colours, acrylics, alkyd or any other colours their performance is excellent. Carefully chosen Chungking bristles allow you to carry large amounts of paint and apply it to the canvas but since the bristles are double-boiled and carefully chosen, meaning all the thicker hairs are removed they are very elastic as well so can be used for thin spreads of paint also.

After cleaning bristles regain their shape and elasticity, but you have to make sure to clean your brushes properly after every use using odourless mineral spirits or turpentine, wash them with lukewarm water and mild soap and leave them to dry placing the bristles up away from any surface that can damage their shape.

Since the bristles are deeply embedded into ferules there is no loss of hairs while you work which can and does happen with brushes of a lesser quality and is very annoying when you are working. Also, ferrules are corrosion resistant meaning no flaking of the ferrules which can be an additional inconvenience when you go for the cheaper option of brushes.

The wood used for the handles is of the best quality, bristles and ferrules also so these are the brushes that are meant to last and if you treat them properly they will serve you good for many years.

Of course with good quality comes a bit higher price but when it comes to brushes it is definitely worth buying professional paintbrushes than having to deal with ones of lesser quality so I would highly recommend you getting a few of these if your budget allows it. There is always an option of buying brushes with synthetic bristles for those of you with a limited budget since they can be almost as good as the ones with natural bristles and are much cheaper than them.

These definitely have one big yes from me and I would highly recommend them. If you have any questions about the subject or feel there is something more that I should have said about the brushes feel free to leave your comment below and I will be more than happy to help.