Natural hair brushes difference
Hello!
First post here, sorry is I'm doing something wrong or this question was here already, I just couldn't find it.
I was wondering is there a difference between squirrel, kolinsky and sable brushes? Do they have a diffenente feel? Are some better for certain techniques over others?
I've had one squirrel brush for 10 years because that's what my art school teacher told me to buy, but i see a lot of masters using kolinsky or sable brush. I my area at least kolinsky is way more expensive then other brushes. Are there any benefits to using it over other natural hair brushes?
Also as a fun discussion - how do you test brushes in the store? What first thing you check and look for?
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I’m gradually replacing my Kolinsky sable Escoda Reserva brushes with synthetic Escoda Versatil. Escoda has worked hard to produce several lines of synthetic brushes that paint out almost like sable, and I am liking the easier care of the Versatil, and I want to preserve the life of my travel brushes for outdoor work—plus, the price is better! I do have to say that for quite a while, my Escoda Reserva Travel Set of five brushes has been my favorite brushes. I reach for them at home, even though they fold up into tubes! They are weighted just right for my hand and paint beautifully. I’m getting the Versatil one at a time in regular short-handle because I’m painting more at home. I will still use the Reserva in the field.
I should mention that my artist friend (professional watercolorist, paints several hours every day) has turned me on to the Escoda Versatil. She has always painted with sable but has had great difficulties with her dry climate in Santa Fe, NM wreaking havoc on her natural-hair brushes. Some of them look moth-eaten over time! So a word to the wise: climate might be a factor in whether you use natural-hair or synthetic. LOL, I have an image in my head that I may put into a sketchbook of high-desert squirrels walking around with their hair standing straight up, due to the heat and staticky nature of the atmosphere there!
I also should mention a blended brush that I am trying out that I am starting to love: the Dream Catcher line by Cheap Joe’s Art Supply. These brushes are a 70%/30% blend of nylon and Kolinsky sable—and they do seem to paint “like a dream!” I have the 12 and the 6 rounds, and I’m beginning to rethink my commitment to Versatil purchases.