Using the right brush sizes for oil painting

Using the right brush sizes for oil painting can make a whole lot of difference. Firstly, your painting looks better if you use the right brush size. Secondly, it’s so much easier and quicker to paint if you use the right brush size at the right point.

What are the available options for brush sizes for oil painting?

I personally use a lot of flat brushes in my oil paintings. However, I also use some other types like filbert, fan or round brushes at times. When it comes to oil colours, different brands have their own system of numbering their brush sizes. Hence, it’s advisable that

you check the size in inches or centimetres instead of the number printed on it. For the purpose of this article, I have used terms like smallest, medium, large to give you a comparison of sizes from a standard set of brushes.

Why the brush sizes for oil painting matter?

Every tool serves a purpose and has its own importance. As they say, you can’t fit a square peg into a round hole. Similarly, you can’t expect the same result from brushes of two different sizes.

Let’s take an example:

Let me explain the importance of brush sizes for oil painting by taking example of some of my own paintings. If you look at the fine detailing of the butterflies in “Mutual Admiration”; you will realise that you need a fine brush for it. I used the smallest brush to achieve the finest details of the butterflies like the dots or the tentacles or the lines.

Was this possible with a thicker brush? Probably. However, a wrong size brush or a thicker brush for fine detailing would have consumed so much more time and still not that accurate. Why waste time with a wrong brush when you can achieve the same effect with just one or few brush strokes of the right brush size?

Additionally, consider a painting like “Fantasy of a butterfly” of “The Butterfly Series”. If you look at the background, you will realise that you require lots of colour for that wide area. Is it wiser to use a small brush or a bigger brush that can cover lot of area in a single stroke. The answer is obvious. Choose a brush that can hold more colour at a time rather than a smaller brush.

Also look at the hanging triangular garden in the foreground. What do you think is the best size for that area? A brush that is medium in size is the best. You need a brush that’s neither too big nor too small. Here, you need to pick a brush that’s not too big to let the colour go out of the purple triangles. However, it should be not so small that you take hours to finish the portion. The size should be just enough for giving the required shading effects.

Use your tools wisely:

Above examples make it a point that each of the brush sizes for oil painting has its own purpose. Furthermore, there are a lot of other instances, painting techniques and styles where a particular type of brush or size of brush is preferred. So, next time when you are tempted to finish the whole painting with just one brush; take a pause. Consider whether you can use a better size to achieve what you want. Let your brushes help you in the best way possible.