As a beginner, I really had no idea what to buy as far as brushes were concerned, and also it was more important to me to go with high-grade paint. Brushes are a lower priority. I also heard that every brand uses their own sizing so that a “4 Flat” is not the same size across vendors (which I have since found — by buying different brands — that is not exactly true.)

So, based on the photo below, the closest brushes to the camera are from Blick and they’re hog bristles. In my beginner hands, and because I bought the bigger sizes (10, 12) I find them somewhat difficult to use. Currently I use them mainly to paint base coats on to my canvases. (I don’t ever use them for painting gesso coatings — I have a set of cheap Blick utility brushes for gesso.) They are very easy for me to clean with dishwash soap.

The Princeton Aspen brushes are synthetic; they feel somewhat “plastic” to the touch — that is something I like. The little brush is a “2 Bright” which is just too tiny for me, but I like the other two very much. Very easy to clean either with dishwash soap or The Master’s Brush Cleaner & Preserver.

I bought the Silverwhites at Jerry’s Artorama. I don’t use them much — that the bristles are white turns me off because they never seem clean. Plus the bristles are super soft.

The Creative Mark Pro Whites have firmer bristles than the Silverwhites, but I have the same aversion to “dirtying” the bristles. I’ve really only used the 10 Flat, which is permanently stained.

Last but not least are my current favorite brushes: the Creative Mark Staccatos. I love the firm bristles, and I don’t have any hang-ups about staining the dark bristles, lol. You can tell from the handles full of paint that I use them constantly, and I prefer the flats to the filberts.

So those are my current thoughts about brushes for acrylic painting, which will likely change in 6 months or so. What brushes do you prefer?