The Complete Guide to Choosing Paint Brushes: Everything to Know

You’ve made the (awesome) decision to get your party pants on and order a Creatively box for your very own paint party. We won’t blame you one bit for tearing open the box to see what’s inside as soon as it arrives at your mailbox. You’ll find that your Creatively box comes with almost everything you need to create your own masterpiece. This includes a canvas, five pots of acrylic paint, palette paper, a disposable smock, step-by-step instructions, a reference picture, a design outline, graphite paper and an easel.

Did you notice what was missing from that list? You aren’t going to get very far without a set of paint brushes to work with. 

If you aren’t sure what to look for when choosing paint brushes for your paint party, don’t panic! We’ve got you covered with the basics below.

Let’s talk brush anatomy. 

Before we get into the types of brushes, let’s break down the different parts that make up a paintbrush.

The very top of the brush (or bottom, depending on how you look at it) holds the bristles. These can be synthetic, natural, or a combination of the two.

Connecting the bristle with the wooden handle is a silvery piece called a ferrule. A crimp at the end of the ferrule keeps it nice and tight on the handle.

The paintbrush ends with a handle, which is the part you’ll control to make the magic happen. There’s a good chance the handle on the paintbrush you choose is made of either acrylic or wood.

Choosing paint brushes is not as scary as you may think!  

Paintbrush lingo is the easy part. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, we can take a look at the types of paint brushes you can use to create your artwork.

Paint brushes come in tons of shapes and sizes, each with its own special use. Once you know a little bit about the types of brushes used for acrylic paint, you’ll be able to choose your own like a pro.

Wait. So, all paint brushes aren’t the same?

You’ve got that right! There are a few ways that paint brushes can vary from one another.

Four characteristics can impact the way your brush puts paint on your canvas.

• Bristle type
• Shape of the bristles
• Thickness of the bristles 
• Handle length 

We’re going to focus our attention here on what works best with acrylic paint. The material that makes up the bristles can change the paint application. For newbie painters, versatile synthetic bristles are the way to go.

When it comes to the brush handle, a longer one is great for working on an easel while a shorter one tackles detail work. This is because you can get closer to the canvas when using a shorter brush.

The shape and thickness of brushes are where the real fun begins. Let’s look at some common brushes used for painting with acrylic paint.

Round Brush

The person who named this brush didn’t go out on a limb with the name. This brush is, well, a round brush.

A round brush is one of the OG brushes for painting with acrylics. You’ll want it in your paintbrush arsenal for detail work, outlining, and sketching.

Go easy with the thickness of the paint you pick up when using this brush. Keeping the paint on the thinner side can help make crisp, intricate details.

Pointed Round

Think of this brush as the round brush’s little sister. This brush is thinner than the round brush and with a very pointed top. You can use the pointed round for any fine details or thin lines on your painting.

Flat Brush

This brush knows how to multitask! You can use the long, rectangle bristles for lots of fun techniques. The flat top can make defined lines or bold strokes depending on how you hold it.

Angled Brush

An angled brush looks like a flat brush but with an angled end. Use the tip to get into tiny spaces or turn the brush flat to cover bigger areas of your canvas. This brush is excellent at adding shading to your painting.

Fan Brush

The fan brush really loves the outdoors. The fanned-out bristles make painting things like trees, grass, and shrubs a breeze. This is a great tool for blending backgrounds or adding beautiful details. 

Filbert Brush

If a round brush and a flat brush had a baby, it would be a filbert brush. This brush has flat bristles that round out at the end instead of going straight across.

Filbert brushes do a stand-up job blending and creating a soft effect on your canvas. Because of the shape of the bristles, they are good at both covering a large space and adding detail.

Spotter and Liner Brushes

These little babies are the smallest paintbrush sizes you’ll work with. These guys are pretty similar in size, but a liner has longer bristles and a spotter has shorter ones.

You’ll use these for the smallest of details or outlines on your canvas. Don’t sweat it if it takes a few tries to get the hang of this brush. There’s a definite learning curve because of the size!

Bright Brush

The bristles on this brush are dense but not too long. This brush means business and is best used where you want thick layers of color on your canvas. 

That’s a lot of brushes! Which ones do I really need to get started?

We know this is quite the list, but you can create some pretty great work with just a few brushes. 

If you were stuck on a desert island (with your Creatively box of course) and could only bring two brushes along, we’d suggest a large flat brush and a small round brush. This combination will give you the best versatility with your painting. As you get more comfortable, try out other brushes on our list and see how you like them.

Going to the store for brushes is fun and all, but we’ll do you one better. You can order the perfect pair of brushes to get you started right from our site! 

It’s time to get painting! 

When choosing paintbrushes for your party, you always have to keep the main rule in mind; there really are no rules. Although this guide will help direct you to brushes that can give you a specific result, don’t be afraid to get a little wild and experiment.

Now that you know all about the types of paint brushes to use, it’s time to get your party started! Order your Creatively box today and get ready to have the time of your life!