10 Types of Paintbrushes Every Artist Should Know
It’s likely that Leonardo da Vinci used round paintbrushes made from animal hair tied to the end of wooden handles. The same can be said for Rembrandt, Johannes Vermeer, and countless other painters in the Western world, up until the 19th century. Change came with the invention of the metal ferrule—a small, ring-shaped object that fastens a brush’s bristles and handle together. The innovation allowed manufacturers to create revolutionary new brush shapes, each of which could create a different array of marks. By squashing the bristle end of the ferrule, for example, manufacturers could create flat brushes, which were embraced by the Impressionists, and have become a mainstay in artists’ studios today.
Modern-day paintbrushes come in many shapes, sizes, and bristle types—and all of these qualities can be either an aid or an impediment to an artist, depending on their desired results.
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When it comes to bristles, artists can choose between animal hair (such as hog bristle, sable, and mongoose) or synthetic bristles, which either mimic their natural counterparts or make distinct and novel marks. And in terms of shape, artists must consider what they want from a brush—be that short, thick strokes that show the lines of the bristles; soft, smooth patches of color; long, fluid lines; or something else entirely. The vast quantity of choices can be overwhelming.
To help navigate the wide variety of paintbrushes on the market, we’ve outlined a few of the most common types below, and what they can be used for.
Brushes for oils and acrylics
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Soft bristles make smooth paint strokes. For blended, flat paint surfaces, sable, mongoose, or soft synthetic brushes are ideal. The consistency of the paint needs to be rather fluid for these brushes, as they don’t have the strength to apply heavy body paint (like thick, buttery acrylics). This also means that they’re not useful for layering paint wet-in-wet, a technique that requires firm paint.
Long-bristled, soft brushes are excellent for making irregular, “hairy” marks at the end of a brushstroke—a feature that’s helpful for portraying subjects that require fine lines, such as hair and grasses.
The best acrylic paintbrushes in 2023
Find the best acrylic paintbrushes for your artwork, whether you’re a beginner or a professional.
(Image credit: Princeton Artist Brush Co.)
If you’re planning on painting with acrylics then you’ll need a specialist paintbrush. This kind of paint can be hard on brushes as its texture means it’s tricky to clean off once dry, and you want your brushes to last. Although you can buy brushes with natural hair, the best paintbrushes for acrylic paint are normally synthetic because they’re tougher.
Below, I’ve selected the best acrylic paintbrushes based my own experience as an artist. I’ve tested each of these brush options with a range of acrylic paints and different approaches to evaluate their performance, durability and versatility. I’ve picked out options that I think are suitable for artists with different levels and styles – see the questions section at the bottom if you need pointers on how to choose.
You’ll want to also ensure that you have the best acrylic paints. If you haven’t decided which medium to work with, see our guide to the differences between acrylics vs oils, and check out the best watercolour pencils, too. Finally, you might want to consider one of the best easels to support your work.
The best acrylic paintbrushes available now
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01. Princeton Aspen
Best overall
Quality: professional
Firmness: very firm
I find these excellent synthetic substitutes for hog hair to be very springy and much firmer than others while not as scratchy as hog. They feel smoother laying down paint. These are likely to leave brushstrokes, making them the best acrylic brushes for a textured approach, and they’re robust enough to handle heavy paint and mediums and expressive brushwork.
02. Winsor & Newton Monarch
Best to emulate natural hair
Quality: professional
Firmness: quite soft
These synthetic brushes do a good job of emulating mongoose hair. They have a little extra firmness, which helps push thicker paint around, but they’re still quite soft. The bristles are tightly packed, holding their shape well, which results in a nice, crisp edge. I find these to be the best acrylic paintbrushes for responsive blending and detail work.
03. Pro Arte Acrylix
Best value acrylic paintbrushes
Quality: intermediate
Firmness: medium
This solid, mid-range brush is a little firmer than most but soft enough to blend well. They have a smooth feel, rather than springy and don’t leave much of a stroke. The tip comes to a fine point and holds its shape. They’re also surprisingly good at holding paint, which combined with the long handles, helps to pull longer strokes with precision.
Best for details
04. Royal and Langnickel Majestic Brushes
Best for fine details
Quality: intermediate-professional
Firmness: medium
Though aimed at watercolourists, these are robust enough as paintbrushes for acrylic paint. They’re a little firmer than most synthetic brushes, but still flexible and come to a fine point – excellent for adding fine details. For their price, this range runs a little on the small side, but they’re quite hardwearing, and the large sizes hold their shape especially well.
Best for students
05. Liquitex Basics
Best for students
Quality: student
Firmness: quite soft
These have a more professional feel than most student acrylic brushes. They have a long handle – useful for more expressive mark-making and the bristles are quite soft for a smooth application of paint. This makes them less suitable for use for textural work with very thick paint or mediums. Over time they can start to lose shape.
Best for beginners
06. Royal Langnickel soft grip brushes
Best for beginners
Quality: student
Firmness: quite soft
These brushes are a great cheap-and-cheerful option for anyone starting. A decent choice for clean strokes, the bristles are quite soft, and the soft grip is comfortable to hold. Whilst they don’t hold as much paint as other brands, they typically come back to a decent point after cleaning, and they’re flexible enough to feel quite responsive.
What brush should I use for acrylic paint?
Generally, the best paintbrushes for acrylic paint are synthetic rather than natural brushes since synthetic brushes are tougher, so they can cope better with the medium. All of our choices in our picks of the best acrylic paintbrushes are synthetic – some emulate the feel of natural hair but offer a firmer brush.
When working with acrylics, we recommend using a selection of different shape and size brushes – large brushes are useful for applying broad areas of colour quickly. Brush texture is worth considering too. Soft brushes suit blending and produce a smoother paint surface, while firmer brushes leave expressive marks and produce more textured effects.
How should I clean the best acrylic paintbrushes?
Whichever option you choose as the best paintbrushes for acrylics for you, it’s important to clean your brushes thoroughly after use. Acrylic paints can be particularly hard on paintbrushes and they’re difficult to clean off once dry. Whilst a lot of brushes suitable for oils work with acrylics, both are hard on brushes in different ways. Cleaning undiluted acrylic paint from brushes is similar to oil paint, but you just use water rather than spirit or oils.
Clean off as much paint as you can using a clean cloth or paper towel by wrapping the cloth around the ferrule of the brush and squeezing it with your thumb and forefinger. Work up towards the end of the bristles and repeat as many times as you need. You can use water in a jar or brush-washer to clean as much paint as you can from the bristles, and then use a brush cleaner for a thorough clean (see our complete guide to how to clean paintbrushes for recommendations).
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Lancelot Richardson is an artist, painter, and freelance illustrator based in Brighton, UK. He tutors life drawing at independent art school Draw Brighton, and teaches in their online Patreon courses. He is also a freelance writer, producing articles on art and drawing. He works in both traditional and digital mediums.
- Rosie Hilder
