Light Sources

If you ask two painters about the ideal studio light, the answers may range from Josef Albers' claim that paintings should be painted in the light in which they will be exhibited, to Edwin Dickinson's advice that only under north light can a painter learn to see true tonalities.  Advocates of natural light still complain bitterly when museums exhibit paintings executed outdoors in artificial light.  In the studio, some painters prefer a light source coming in from a single window, others from several windows and yet others from a skylight.  Clearly, the best light is that which suits an artist's personal taste.  Even here, the argument can be purely hypothetical because more often than not circumstance dictates the painting light.  There have been artists who can afford the ideal light, and yet prefer a cramped, familiar, lived-in environment.  The light source, in other words, is important, but poor conditions should not inhibit you. 

Tools

The choice of studio tools and supplies--brushes, painting knives, palettes, canvas-- does not present the same problems.  The only difficulty is finding suppliers who carry a wide range of materials, so that you have a real choice.  If your art supplier has only a small variety, ask to look at the catalogues.  Chances are you will find what you want, and the supplier will be glad to order items for you.  Furthermore, at least two mail-order art suppliers send out free catalogues-Dick Blick in Chicago and Utrecht Linens in New York.
 

Brushes

The production of brushes is a much more complicated procedure than might be imagined.  Upon entering a brush-making factory, you confront a complicated machine, with belts revolving on two levels, that blends, combs, and cleans the assorted bristles and hairs used in brushes.  Skunk, squirrel, and ox hairs in various combinations are thoroughly mixed to produce one uniform color and texture.

Red-sable brushes are hand-produced in a series of delicate operations.  Tufts of hair, shaved from the tails of red sables (Tartar martens), are graded according to five or six sizes.  The tips of the tails have the longest hairs, but the best points come from the center.  After grading, the hairs are submerged in water, allowed to dry, and then baked in an oven for 36 hours at 200 degrees, a process that stiffens each hair.  The last operation in preparing a brush pint is called knifing.  Small bundles of hair are tested for resilience with a steel comb; those that are too wild or unmanageable are extracted with a knife.  In this way, more than half of the hairs are discarded, leaving only the soft tips.

Small metal cups, whose inner shapes correspond to the exact negative of the desired brush, serve to form each of the various types.  These negative shapes range from long and pointed to flat and stuffy.  The groups of hairs thus molded are snapped into metal ferrules.  These brushes, as yet without handles, are transported to another section of the factory, where resin (Nylox) is poured into the ferrules to glue the tops of the hairs together.  To ensure adhesion, the glue is set by heat, the brushes being baked again, this time for four hours at 375 degrees.  The final procedure, crimping, involves the fastening of wooden handles to the ferrules by a machine that firmly stamps the metal ferrule around the wood.

Various types of hog hair and sable brushes for use with oil paints:

The above illustrates the various shapes of hog hair and sable brushes manufactured for use with oil.  Which are the best types?  Again, few painters will agree, although many are adamant about their persona choices.  Some refuse to use sable brushes with oil paints; some find particular shapes more useful than others.  One painter believes that the secret of Spanish brushwork (Velazquez, El Greco, and Goya) was to be found in the painters' use of extra long, floppy bristles.  The long-handled French bristle brush also has its adherents, as do all the types illustrated.  And housepainters' brushes, some very expensive and expertly made, must certainly be added to your list.  No matter how experienced they are, painters always look for a magic brush.  In reality, because artists imagine future works in terms of chosen tools and materials, a new brush broadens the imagination.  You should, therefore, buy samples of all the brush types.  Play with them in order to discover whether a particular type is useful to you.  Remember, too, that tools that you do not know how to use or dislike today may be your favorites in a year's time.

Finally, a word about quality in brushes-- cheap brushes are no bargain.  They do not hold their shape and fall apart in short order.  Comparing an imitation sable, made from ox hair and tinted to match red sable, with the genuine product is a revealing experience.  The real sable is more obedient to the touch, and snaps back to its original shape after each stroke.  The ox hair, by contrast, tends to resist, making it harder to maneuver on the canvas or paper.  In the end, it is cheapest to buy the best quality, for performance can only be guaranteed with good brushes.
 

The Care of Brushes

If properly cared for, good brushes will last for years.  The best treatment is to wash them at the end of you painting day.  Following is a list of dos and don'ts for oil brushes.

• Don't let paint dry on the hairs. The strong solvents needed to dissolve dry paint weaken the brush.
• Don't let brushes rest on their bristles for days at the bottom of your turpentine jar.  They will become misshapen--a problem difficult to cure.
• Don't allow brushes to stand in turpentine with the level of liquid higher than the top of the metal ferrule.  The wood will become impregnated with turpentine, which will eventually loosen the bond between the metal and wooden parts.
• Don't wash brushes in hot water.  This will loosen the resin that holds the hairs together.  Cool water is best.
• Don't store brushes in a closed paint box until they are absolutely dry, for otherwise mildew will appear.
• Do wipe the brush clean of paint first.
• Do clean next in turpentine or paint thinner, then wipe clean again.
• Do follow this step by washing with ordinary household or laundry soap.
• Do work the lather into the bristles on the palm of your hand.
• Do repeat soaping until the brush is clean.
• Do shape the brush when you finish.

Small, discarded pieces of soap can be stored in a closed jar half filled with water.  As the pieces dissolve, they produce a strong, soapy syrup that is excellent for washing brushes.  When it comes to shaping brushes, do not--as some earlier painters did--shape them in your mouth.  This is a dangerous practice because of the possibly poisonous content in some of the pigments.

Brushes for Acrylics

Follow the same procedure as for oil brushes, substituting water for turpentine.  But be especially careful not to use hot water, for heat makes the acrylic paint coagulate.

Brushes for Watercolor

Do not use soap.  Clean only with cool water, and shape very carefully.

Painting Knives

A contemporary painter who favors . . . coming soon

Palette. . . coming soon
 

Repairs. . . coming soon
 
 

Care of Paintings. . . coming soon