The size guide has a basic starting point of 0 and can rise to as high as 30, however as there are many manufacturers and multiple brush styles, no size guide has ever been universally accepted and so investigation is required to ensure that you get exactly the brush you want.

 The smaller artistic brushes are based on multiples of 0 (00,000,etc.) and the more 0’s then the more intricate the brush.

 When choosing the brush that is right for you it is advisable to think off the measuring system as a guide to help you choose rather than a sure-fire system. Choose a supplier that you are happy with and seek out professional advice, as they can tell you how different the brushes will be from one another. The measurement of the handle is also part of the issue. Brushes can have either long or short handles and this will aid or detract from accessibility, you must be aware of your own needs before starting to paint and make sure that you are aware of how heavy the brush is, how delicate the tip is and how it will aid in your performance.

Here is a basic size guide:

Always remember that to get the best out of your paintbrush, use a different brush for different paints, oil colors and water based paints should never be on the same brush and could make a mess of work you are doing. Always use separate brushes for solvents and cleaning products.

 Don’t let the paint stand on the brush and be allowed to dry, as this can damage the bristles and the paint may never wipe off. Treat them delicately when cleaning, don’t crush the bristles with your fingers when you are trying to get the paint out, just keep rinsing it, this should remove the excess paint. Some brushes can be softened by a cleaning oil such as natural bristle brushes, and synthetic brushes. They can also be reshaped after washing and by soaking in hot, not boiling, water.

 To ensure you get the best results before washing you should take a clean cloth to your brush and wipe off any excess paint and gently squeeze the bristles towards the tip to coax the paint out, but be aware that too hard and you damage the bristles.

 Rinse the brush in clean oil or turpentine for oil based painting and lukewarm water for water-based, never apply hot water as this can damage the bristles.

 Once this is done wipe once more to ensure that all paint is gone and then wash the brush gently with soap and lukewarm water, dabbing the brush with a miniscule amount of soap and working up a lather, you should repeat this until you can see no more color. With several uses you may find the brush is stained but repeat the cleaning process to ensure that the paint is gone.

Rinse the brush in lukewarm water to get rid of all the soap and shake the brush, after this, using your fingers you should reshape the bristles into the perfect shaping. This can be achieved by placing the tip in tissue/toilet paper.

Leave the brush to dry at room temperature and stand the brush on the handle, never on the bristles, as this is damaging. If you are afraid of toxicity (and we all should be) then use gloves and protective clothing and keep yourself safe.

 Following these guidelines you should have your wonderful brushes for many art sessions in the future.

Paint brushes are the main contributors to any good painting. It is for this reason that painters take special care in selecting a paint brush. There is wide variety of paint brushes that are available in market but it must be kept in mind that different paint brushes fulfill different needs. A typical painter uses many different types of brushes on one painting alone. Some brushes have stiff hairs while other have soft ones. If you wish to give a great detail to the painting and spread the color easily then the brushes with soft hairs are meant for you. These allow precise painting due to the sharp edge of the brush. On the other hand if you want to push around thick painting and want to give develop brush marks in your painting then the brushes with hard hair are ideal for you painting.

There are two types of hairs used in brushes that give them the soft or hard characteristics. The hairs used in any paint brush are either natural hairs of some animals or synthetic hairs. But you must keep in mind that both of these have there own advantages and disadvantages. Just a few years ago the synthetic hairs in a brush used to be very hard to touch but with the advancement in technology you will succeed in finding somewhat soft synthetic brushes. However, no matter how much the technology advances there is no beating the softness of natural hairs. They will provide you with great flexibility and control over the way you paint. Due to its soft nature you will be able to paint in areas in which it would be a bit difficult to reach the edges.

Given below are some of the natural hairs that are being used in paint brushes

• Sable Hair: although a bit expensive then other natural hair brushes, sable hair brushes are renowned for the flexibility and its softness. These hairs taper naturally therefore when they are put into a brush they make a point naturally.
• Squirrel Hair: squirrel hairs are also very soft and if you can not afford to buy the sable hair brush then squirrel hair brush can stand in its place. But while purchasing a squirrel hair brush you must keep in mind that it would be better to buy larger squirrel hair brushes because they larger mass means more support.
• Camel hair: these do not literally come from camel hair as camel hairs are not suitable for painting.
• Ox: these give you long hairs that are strong and springy.
• Pony: these hairs are used in cheaper brushes and do not form a good point.
• Goat: these are ideally found in Chinese brushes and calligraphy. Although they lack spring like the ox hair but they provide you with good point in a paint brush.