Brush

A brush is a tool with bristles or wires or other filaments sticking out. There are many kinds. Most brushes have a long part at one end to hold (the handle), on the other end from the head that carries the bristles or filaments. We use brushes for cleaning, making hair look good, painting, and other purposes.

A hairbrush

Brushes for cleaning

Many kinds of brushes are made for cleaning, for example toothbrushes or brushes for cleaning floors.

Paint brushes

We use paint brushes for putting ink or paint on paper. If a brush is dipped 1/3 to 1/4 of its length into a can of paint, a good brush will ideally pick up the perfect amount of paint and spread it on a surface in a film that is smooth and uniform and absent of any drips, dips, or brush marks. Paint brushes typically come in two forms, synthetic, and natural. Synthetic brushes are usually made from products such as nylon, while natural refers to bristles from an animal source. Computer graphics uses digital paintbrushes for making pictures.

Paint brushes can have three shapes:

• Round: The long, close-together bristles of these brushes mean they can hold more paint. This is why many artists like them for painting large things and for color washes.
• Flat: These are good for spreading paint.
• Fan-shaped: These mix paint well.

Brush care

• Clean paint from brushes after you use them. This is very important for oil and acrylic paint because when the paint is dry, taking it off can break the brush.
• Never leave brushes in water (etc.) with the bristle end down. This is because the bristles can change shape.

Sizes and materials

We can buy brushes in different sizes and materials. Here are some sorts.

Decorators' brushes

The sizes of brushes used for painting and decorating (changing the colour or look of a room) are usually in millimeters or inches. This shows how wide the head is.

Here are some sizes:

• 1/8", 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 5/8", 3/4", 7/8", 1", 1​¹⁄₄", 1½", 2", 2​¹⁄₂", 3", 3​¹⁄₂", 4".
• 10 mm, 20 mm, 30 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm, 70 mm, 80 mm, 90 mm, 100 mm.

We can buy brushes with natural or synthetic (man-made) bristles. Handles (the part of the brush we hold) may be wood or plastic.

Artists' brushes

Artists' brushes usually have sizes with numbers, but there is no standard.

From smallest to largest, the sizes are:

• 7/0 (also 0000000), 6/0, 5/0, 4/0, 000, 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30.

We use sizes 000 to 20 most often.

Bristles may be natural—either soft hair or hog (pig) bristle—or synthetic (man-made).

Artists' brush handles (the part of the brush we hold) are often wooden, but the cheapest brushes may have plastic handles. Many cheap handles are made of unfinished wood; better quality handles are of finished wood.