{"id":5679,"date":"2016-01-03T16:46:11","date_gmt":"2016-01-03T21:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/?p=5679"},"modified":"2016-01-03T16:49:36","modified_gmt":"2016-01-03T21:49:36","slug":"synthetic-brushes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2016\/01\/synthetic-brushes\/","title":{"rendered":"Synthetic brushes"},"content":{"rendered":"

I wrote about my antipathy toward synthetic brushes<\/a>. This photo illustrates the point I made in the linked post. The four synthetic brushes on the left are old and misshapen.  In my experience, synthetics quickly lose their shape and become good for little other than effects or glazes. The best thing about them, by far, is their cheap price.<\/p>\n

But this photo highlights another point about synthetics: they are practically indestructible.  Some of my synthetics are really old, like those in the photo.<\/p>\n

\"Winsor<\/a>
Winsor Newton Monarch brush on the right; old synthetics on the left<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Read more<\/span>Smooth Move—Smooth Painting Surfaces<\/span><\/a><\/div>

Recently, I tried some synthetic brushes from Winsor and Newton. W & N makes solid stuff. Their paints are my choice for mid-range oil paints<\/a>. Their watercolor brushes are first-rate. So I tried their Monarch line of synthetics. One of the Monarch brushes is on the right in the photo.<\/p>\n

I am pleasantly surprised. The brushes are the best-handling synthetics I’ve ever used, although, as one who rarely uses synthetics, my opinion might not be as well informed as some others. Anyway, the brushes handle very well, firmer than sables but less stiff than hog bristle. And–surprisingly–they are maintaining their shape. I’ve used them for a dozen oil-painting sessions and they still look like they did on the day I brought therm home.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/span>Oil Paint Brand Ratings<\/span><\/a><\/div>

On the downside, they are not cheap–around $10 for a #8–but if they are like other long-lived synthetics, they’re certainly worth the cost. They are a viable alternative to hog bristle flats.<\/p>\n

I am going to try other synthetic brands. Maybe the general quality has improved since the last time I used synthetics for anything other than special effect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I wrote about my antipathy toward synthetic brushes. This photo illustrates the point I made in the linked post. The four synthetic brushes on the left are old and misshapen.  In my experience, synthetics quickly lose their shape and become good for little other than effects or glazes. The best thing about them, by far, is their cheap price. But this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":5676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[208,24],"tags":[228,50],"class_list":["post-5679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-materials","category-shop_talk","tag-brushes","tag-painting-material"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/old-brushes.jpg?fit=600%2C627&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8620,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2019\/11\/trekell-fails\/","url_meta":{"origin":5679,"position":0},"title":"Trekell fails","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"November 10, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Lately, I've been spammed a lot by the independent brush manufacturer, Trekell. Oil paint is murder on sable brushes so Trekell's decent quality sables coupled with modest prices led me to past purchases. I have over 20 of their brushes. I also like their linseed oil soap. Readers of my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Grumpy review"","block_context":{"text":"Grumpy review","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/grumpy-review\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/terkell-1.jpg?fit=600%2C301&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/terkell-1.jpg?fit=600%2C301&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/terkell-1.jpg?fit=600%2C301&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8738,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2020\/03\/not-all-synthetic-brushes-are-awful\/","url_meta":{"origin":5679,"position":1},"title":"Not all synthetic brushes are awful","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"March 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I heap abuse on synthetic brushes. But some synthetics are not too bad--for oils. I haven't found any synthetics that can replace sables for watercolor painting. Not even close. These synthetic rounds from Winsor and Newton are OK. Monarch brushes are made from \"synthetic mongoose fibers,\" whatever that might be.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/2020-3-16-a.jpg?fit=956%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/2020-3-16-a.jpg?fit=956%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/2020-3-16-a.jpg?fit=956%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/2020-3-16-a.jpg?fit=956%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13928,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2025\/06\/princeton-monarch-brushes\/","url_meta":{"origin":5679,"position":2},"title":"Princeton Monarch brushes","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"June 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"I routinely disparage synthetic brushes. I've written about this topic several times on this blog. My collection of synthetics quickly resembles the brushes in this photo\u2014mishapen hulks with limited usefulness.\u00a0 My opinion began to change several years ago when I used some synthetics that stood up to the beating from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Grumpy review"","block_context":{"text":"Grumpy review","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/grumpy-review\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602_092517.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602_092517.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602_092517.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602_092517.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/20250602_092517.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6594,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2016\/12\/studio-journal-122816\/","url_meta":{"origin":5679,"position":3},"title":"Studio journal 12\/28\/16","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"December 28, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Euclid Avenue #1 took up my time today. \u00a0Euclid Avenue #1 is part of the Playhouse Square series. \u00a0Push-pull. I've disdained synthetic brushes in the past, but I finally found a model that behaves decently: Escoda\u00a0Primera. \u00a0The\u00a0Escoda\u00a0Primera model, like all synthetics, is rugged. \u00a0It handles well for a synthetic; not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/studio-2016-12-28.jpg?fit=800%2C815&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/studio-2016-12-28.jpg?fit=800%2C815&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/studio-2016-12-28.jpg?fit=800%2C815&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/studio-2016-12-28.jpg?fit=800%2C815&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4516,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/01\/oil-brush-reference\/","url_meta":{"origin":5679,"position":4},"title":"Oil brush reference","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"January 18, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I wrote about oil brushes before\u00a0and it's a good topic to expand. This post is a companion to my\u00a0Oil Paint Brand reference\u00a0and, like that post, I'll update this one as I get\u00a0new material. When I started out, my sole criteria for\u00a0buying brushes was price. Like most in my\u00a0position, I told\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/brushes.jpg?fit=500%2C750&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8131,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2018\/12\/where-am-i\/","url_meta":{"origin":5679,"position":5},"title":"Where am I?","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"December 2, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I haven't posted in a month and some readers might be wondering if anything is up. 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