Natural Hair Brushes ⁽¹⁴⁸⁾

Our natural hair brush collection currently focuses on Art Spectrum and Princeton brushes, led by hog-bristle options for oils and heavier acrylic applications. Watercolour-specific natural-hair availability is more limited and changes with stock. Right now this collection leads with Art Spectrum hog bristle for oil and heavy-body acrylic work.

Which natural hair brush suits your paint

Start with what you want to paint, then pick the hair. Sable and squirrel hold water and release it smoothly, which is why they belong with watercolour. Hog bristle is stiff and springy, built to move thick oil and heavy-body acrylic without flattening out. Goat is soft and absorbent, best for broad washes and sumi-style work.

If you paint in oils and want a sensible starting point from this grid, the Art Spectrum Series 900 Interlocked Hog Bristle in a round or filbert size 4 will cover most everyday jobs. For watercolour, browse our  watercolour brushes collection for the currently available Taklon sets, or check the sable, squirrel and kolinsky collection for limited natural-hair availability 

Natural hair brushes compared

Sable and kolinsky brushes

Kolinsky sable is the benchmark for watercolour. It holds a lot of water, releases it evenly and springs back to a sharp point. Red sable does a similar job for less money, with slightly less snap. Both are also handy for fine line work in oils where a hog bristle would be too stiff.

Be honest about the work you're doing. For most hobby and student watercolour, a good synthetic sable will do the job and cost a fraction. Natural sable, squirrel and kolinsky brushes availability is currently limited, so check the linked collection for live stock before choosing a size. 

Squirrel and mop brushes for washes

Squirrel hair holds more water than almost any other natural fibre. That's why watercolourists reach for a squirrel mop or quill when they want a flat, even wash across a large area. The trade-off is spring. Squirrel is soft and floppy, so it's not the brush for controlled detail or dry-brush texture.

Mop and quill shapes come to a loose point when loaded and spread wide on the paper. If you paint loose, atmospheric watercolour, a single squirrel mop will do work that would take several stiffer brushes to match.

Hog bristle brushes for oils and acrylic

Hog bristle is stiff enough to push thick paint around without collapsing, which is why it's the standard choice for oil painting and heavy-body acrylic. The bristles are naturally split at the tip, so they carry more paint, and interlocked construction holds the brush shape as it wears in.

The Art Spectrum Series 900 Interlocked Hog Bristle covers the Art Spectrum Series 900 range includes rounds, filberts, brights, flats and fans, with available sizes varying by shape, which is enough to build a working oils kit from scratch. For soft blending between passages, the Series 1000 fans in sizes 2, 4, 6 and 8 are worth a look. See the full oil painting brushes range if you need more variety.

Goat hair brushes

Goat hair is soft, absorbent and holds a huge amount of liquid, which makes it the right pick for broad watercolour washes, hake brushes, sumi work and gilding size. It lays colour down evenly and leaves no brush marks when used wet on wet.

It's a specialist choice rather than a general-purpose brush. Goat has very little spring, so it won't hold a point for detail or push stiff paint around. If your work is wash-heavy or you paint on larger paper, a goat hake earns its place..

Natural or synthetic brushes

Natural hair still wins in two places. One is water load for watercolour mops, where squirrel is hard to beat. The other is long oil sessions, where good hog bristle holds its shape better than cheap synthetic.

For everything else, a quality synthetic is often the better buy. Quality Taklon and synthetic-sable brushes can hold a point well, often shed less and cope well with regular acrylic use. Durability with solvents varies by brush, so check the manufacturer’s medium and cleaning guidance For beginners and for most acrylic work, we'd point you at our synthetic and blend brushes first and save the natural hair budget for the brush that really needs it.

Caring for natural hair brushes

Natural hair lasts for years if you look after it. Two things kill a brush. Dried paint at the ferrule, and sitting in water or solvent.

1. For watercolour or acrylic, rinse immediately with water before the paint dries.
2. For oils, wipe away excess paint first, then use a suitable brush cleaner or solvent according to the paint manufacturer’s directions.
3. Wash gently with mild soap, working from the base of the hairs towards the tip without forcing paint deeper into the ferrule.
4. Reshape and dry flat.
5. Never leave a brush standing on its bristles in a jar.

Student or artist brushes

Beginner. Start with a quality synthetic or an affordable hog bristle set in a few shapes. You'll learn more from using one brush well than owning ten you never touch.

Student. Art Spectrum Series 900 hog bristle covers oils and acrylic honestly at a fair price. For watercolour, step up to a mid-range sable in sizes 2, 6 and 10.

Artist. This is where kolinsky sable and good squirrel earn their price. Better hair holds its point, sheds less and keeps its shape over hundreds of sessions, so the per-use cost works out lower.

Why shop with Riot

• 40+ years in art and craft supporting Australian makers at every level.
• House brands including Holcroft, Art Star, Birch and The Paper Mill.
• Support Monday to Friday with a one business day reply aim.
• Clear shipping and returns including change-of-mind conditions.

FAQs

Are sable brushes worth it?

Sable brushes are worth it if you paint watercolour seriously or do fine detail in oils. The point holds, the water load is generous and the brush lasts years with care. For casual painting, hobby work or acrylic, a good synthetic sable will do the same job for less. Match the brush to how often you paint and what you actually paint, not to the price tag.

What is the difference between kolinsky and sable?

Kolinsky is the trade name for brush hair traditionally obtained from the tail of the Siberian weasel. Despite being sold as Kolinsky sable, it does not come from a true sable. It holds a finer point and springs back more sharply than standard red sable. Red sable is softer, cheaper and still a very capable watercolour brush. If you want the sharpest point and the longest working life, go kolinsky. If you want most of the performance for less, red sable is the sensible pick.

What is the best brush for watercolour?

For watercolour, start with a round sable or quality synthetic sable in sizes 6 and 10, plus a mop or large squirrel for washes. Sable holds water well and comes to a point for detail. Squirrel carries far more water for loose, broad work. Browse the full paint brushes range if you want to compare shapes side by side.

Are hog bristle brushes only for oils?

No. Hog bristle is designed for thick paint, so it works equally well with heavy-body acrylic as it does with oils. The stiff, split tips carry plenty of paint and leave visible brush marks, which suits impasto and textural work. Hog isn't the right brush for thin washes, watercolour or fine detail, where the bristle is too coarse to control the mark.

How do I clean natural hair brushes?

Rinse the brush straight after painting, before anything dries at the base. Work mild soap or a brush cleaner through the hair with your fingers, right down to the ferrule, until the water runs clear. Reshape the point while damp and lay the brush flat to dry, or hang it bristle-down. Never store a brush standing on its tip in water or solvent.

Do you deliver paint brushes across Australia?

Yes, we deliver paint brushes Australia-wide. Shipping options, costs and estimated timeframes are shown at checkout and on our shipping information page. Change-of-mind returns are accepted under the conditions listed on our returns page. If you have a question about a specific brush before you order, our team replies within one business day, Monday to Friday.

You might also need

• Sable, squirrel and kolinsky brushes
• Goat hair brushes
• The Art Studio bristle brushes
• Synthetic and blend brushes
• Watercolour painting brushes
• Oil painting brushes
• Brush cleaners and conditioners