9 Tips: Brushes for painting with acrylic paint

There are different brushes to choose from depending on the canvas you want to work with, such as watercolor, oil, or acrylic. Below you will find the basic, most common information about brushes that you can find in art stores or online. In this blog article we mainly discuss brushes for painting withacrylic paint, because these brushes for acrylic paint are included in our Paint by Numbers packages.

You don't need a complete set of brushes right from the start. When starting a painting workshop, you will find that in most cases students will be given about 3-4 brushes, which is more than enough to get started. Brushes are collected over time and sometimes need to be replaced. Depending on what you will be painting on, such as a rough canvas, you may need to replace your brushes more often as the rough canvas can act like sandpaper on the brush.

Tip: Paint by Numbers (also called painting by nymbers and Paint by Numbers) is suitable for adults and children.

Don't know how to start your painting project? You have so many ideas you want to unleash on the canvas, but you don't know how to choose between oil paint and acrylic - let alone know anything about artist's brushes, brush types or drag brushes? Visiting an art store to look around without really knowing exactly what you want can be a chore. The choice is enormous. It may even happen that you end upbuy things that you ultimately don't use.

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That's why it's especially important to read on and learn all about the different brush sets - brush sizes, materials, and brush handles. We wish you a lot of reading pleasure!

Test 2025: The very best brushes for painting with acrylic paint

Before we discuss the very best brushes for painting with acrylic paint, we will reveal a secret. These are the very best acrylic paint brushes. Click on the photo to go tothe product.

Answer this question first: "What do I want to paint?"

You must first choose what you want to paint: acrylic painting, oil painting or watercolor.

Do you want the colours to dry quickly or slowly? - Acrylic paint dries quickly and oil paint slowly. The first thing you should ask yourself is whether you like working with paint that dries quickly. Or would you rather have one that you can take your time and work with for hours without worrying about it drying too quickly. When choosing between acrylic paint and oil paint, this is the very first consideration, especially if you are just starting out with your knowledge of them.

One of the best qualities of acrylic paint is that it dries quickly. An evenly applied coat can dry in minutes! This makes it a very adaptable medium that you can achieve really easily with an acrylic brushuse on paper, planks, gouache, wood panels, on countless other surfaces. It dries so quickly that you can apply layer after layer in a short time with a flat brush.

Tip: There are ways to extend drying time if you don't want to waste paint on the palette. You can add a colour retarder or spray your palette with water.

Cleaning- Oil Based Paint vs. Water-based acrylic paint is another deciding factor for many artists when it comes to brush cleaning. Cleaning an acrylic brush is so much easier than cleaning an oil brush. Are you prepared for the more time-consuming cleaning process?when painting with oil paint in exchange for the longer drying time? Or do you prefer quick-drying but easier to clean acrylic paint?

Do you like to work in thin layers or thick layers? - If you like to paint thick layers and want them to dry quickly, acrylic is a good choice. But if you want to work in thick layers that you can continue over the next few days, use oil and a suitable painter's brush.

Which brushes do you choose for acrylic and oil paintings?

In an artist's world, a brush is like a magic wand - it can create great magic or tremendous tragedy.... An artist's brushes are incredibly important! The question now is, how do I choose the right brush?

The right acrylic brush and the right brush for oil painting - It matters more than you think!

When purchasing brushes for acrylic painting, you can purchase both the stiff bristle brushes used by oil painters and synthetic brushes designed for smooth watercolor painting, which is flat. It all depends on the effect you want with your brushworkreaches. Stiffer brushes leave visible streaks or spots on the painting, while the results are more textured.

What shape should your brush for acrylic or oil paint be?

The type and shape of the brush is important for every painting. Da Vinci, who already used custom paint brushes for his assistants, knew this very well and used the right brushes accordingly.

Do you want to use boar bristles/human hair or synthetic brushes such as those found in the Acrylic Brush Set for Paint by Numbers? Do you only want to go with a roundbrush painting? Here's an overview of all the types of brushes you can use when painting:

1. Fan Brushes - with fan-shaped brush hairs. They come in many sizes and thicknesses and are great for painting branches, grasses, shrubs, blending cloudy skies and highlights. Natural hair is more suitable for soft sweeps and synthetic/brush acrylic is particularly good for textural effects.
2. Beveled - the brush hairs are angled, good when working with an easel, and they give you better control than flat brushes when painting thinner lines as well as large areas.
3. Flat brushes - with long brush hairs and square ends. They take up a lot of paint and can be used for bold swipes or for fine lines. Flat brushes are very useful for covering a large painting area or background. If you are going to paint with a standard DIY brush set, this brush is also included.
4. Round brushes - this brush has a round barrel and a round tip. Hij is verkrijgbaar in verschillende maten. Round brushes are useful for details and lines or edges, small brushes, with a short handle, are very suitable for finishing. Round brushes blend very smoothly, especially if the brush has softer bristles.
5. Rigger of liner - dun en met lange penseelharen, a great tool for painting lines or text.
6. Vierkant penseel - can output all kinds of shapes and widths. Het heeft vaak een korte steel.
7. Oval brush - has rounded edges, a flat clamp and comes in many sizes. Useful for applying large areas of paint, wetting the surface or picking up excess media.
8. Stencil Brushes - usually have short handles and thick, stiff bristles that are all the same length and in a rounded clamp.
9. Household brushes - are useful for quickly covering large areas and laying down coloured backgrounds. They are cheap, but only last a few paintings before the hair falls out or is ruined. They are not suitable for Paint by Numbers or nails with acrylic brush.

Tip: You can also paint with palette knives: Pick up the paint with the knife and apply it to the painting, using the palette knife as a painting tool. This applies before painting with oil paint!

What size does my acrylic or oil painting brush need?

The size is determined solely by you and your motif, or by the sizeof the canvas. Painting with a brush set means that you immediately have different brush sizes at hand. Over time you will find your personal favourite brushes. This is a very individual theme! Our do-it-yourself painting sets always contain 3 different brushes.

The length of your acrylic brush

Here too, you must consider very individually which grip length fits your hand best. You will certainly paint detail work with a brush whose handle is shorter than when painting large areas. In the paint-by-numbers set you will find a single length that is ideal for all preferences.

FromWhat material should your acrylic/oil brush be made of?

Nylon penselen zijn het best om vlakke plekken verf neer te leggen, terwijl natuurlijk varkenshaar een ongelijkmatiger textuur geeft.

Real hair or synthetic - what should your acrylic or oil brush be made of?

Oil painting requires thicker bristles to move the dense and heavy paint. For watercolor painting you need a softer brush because the medium is very liquid. Acrylic paint is softer than oil paint, but thicker than watercolor paint, so the brushes can be somewhere in the middle. Remember that cleaning acrylic brushes is much less complicated than cleaning oil paint.

Hair or bristles - which is better for your artwork?

As already mentioned, it depends on the medium and painting style. You can decide for yourself over time, but the bristles are hard and only suitable for certain brush strokesand techniques. In contrast, acrylic paint brushes with soft bristles are more versatile and creative to use.

Most brush manufacturers make synthetic brushes made specifically for acrylic painting. These are more resistant and resilient than those for watercolor paint. They are durable and keep their shape for a long time, and are a good choice for beginners.

When you first use a brush, it has a protective layer that keeps it in shape. You can use your thumb to break up this stiffness and test the suppleness of the hair. By moving the hairs from left to right with your fingers, you get aidea of ​​the feather properties of the brush hairs and how they will behave as you paint.

Although natural boar bristle brushes designed for oil painting can also be used with acrylic paint, avoid expensive sable bristle brushes.

When painting with acrylic paints, you need to keep your brushes wet or immersed in water for a long time to prevent the paint from drying on the brush, and this excessive moisture can quickly ruin the natural fibers. Brushes for acrylic paint are preferably made of nylon.

The ideal brushes - Painting by Numbers Expert has what you need!

Now you know what is important when it comes to acrylic paint brushes and which models are available. But why do you want to make it difficult for yourself and look for each brush separately? There is a wide choice of useful utensils for painting enthusiasts.

Do you need an easy way to clean acrylic paint brushes or a lightweight easel that you can take anywhere? Should it be a complete professional brush set with 10 brushes for a fair price? You will find what you need there. But don't forget that every set you order from Painting by Numbers Expert already contains five acrylic paint brushes, so you can get started right awaywith this great hobby even if you are a beginner.

Have fun painting your work of art!