{"id":9442,"date":"2021-04-24T16:36:48","date_gmt":"2021-04-24T20:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/?p=9442"},"modified":"2021-04-24T16:43:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-24T20:43:27","slug":"sable-brushes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2021\/04\/sable-brushes\/","title":{"rendered":"Sable brushes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sable brushes are the best. There’s no debate about this. Sure, there are some use cases where the benefits of sable are irrelevant. The fine control provided by sables is lost on large-format oil paintings, for example. So on large paintings, why go to the expense? And–oh boy!–sable brushes are expensive. I paid $60+ over ten years ago for the Isabey 8 in the lower foreground of the accompanying photo. That Isabey brush is $72 today on one of the online bazaars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Isabey brush along with the brushes in the coffee can is part of my watercolor kit. I’ve paid a lot for the precision and control that good sables provide. Watercolors benefit from those qualities and so the expense is worth it. Besides, that Isabey brush is over ten years old and is still going strong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Read more<\/span>In the Studio Oct. 14 2012<\/span><\/a><\/div>

Sables are great for oils too but I will never use my watercolor brushes on oil paintings! Oil painting is murder on sables. Solvents and driers just kill them. I always dip my brushes–all brushes not just sables–in oil when I put them down. Even with this expedient, oil painting shreds sable brushes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a class of sables made expressly for oils. They’re considerably cheaper than good watercolor sables. The brown, long-handled brush in the photo is one of these oil-purposed sables. Notice that this class has longer handles than the watercolor sables. The cheaper price means that it’s less painful to replace them, which is an important consideration. Even with dipping them in oil and washing them with a mild linseed-oil soap, the oil sables eventually get interred in my brush graveyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more<\/span>Smooth Move—Smooth Painting Surfaces<\/span><\/a><\/div>

Unfortunately, the prices of the oil-purposed sables are climbing. Some brands have doubled in price over the past year. Because of the rising prices, I did something that I’ve never done: I bought a brush kit of modestly priced sables. I paid $29 for the four silver, stubby brushes you see–sizes 2,4,6,8. I normally use 6’s and 8’s. They’re even shorter than the normal watercolor brush. That’s one way to cut costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I used the new brushes today on the painting in the background–Woman in a Striped Dress<\/em>. They handle acceptably, not great but OK. The true test will be their durability. If they fall apart after a couple of sessions, the modest $29 is a waste. If they survive for as long as my other sables, they’re a bargain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more<\/span>In the Studio—10\/28\/12<\/span><\/a><\/div>

I don’t mind the stubbiness but if you do, then you won’t be interested. The brand? AIT Art Russian Sable<\/strong> (Russia is known for its sable). The brushes are made in Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sable brushes are the best. There’s no debate about this. Sure, there are some use cases where the benefits of sable are irrelevant. The fine control provided by sables is lost on large-format oil paintings, for example. So on large paintings, why go to the expense? And–oh boy!–sable brushes are expensive. I paid $60+ over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":9445,"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":[208,24,19,1],"tags":[228],"class_list":["post-9442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-materials","category-shop_talk","category-studio","category-uncategorized","tag-brushes"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/cheap-brushes.gif?fit=800%2C496&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4516,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/01\/oil-brush-reference\/","url_meta":{"origin":9442,"position":0},"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":4452,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2014\/12\/oil-brushes\/","url_meta":{"origin":9442,"position":1},"title":"Oil brushes","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"December 11, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I have a lot of oil brushes, as can be seen in the accompanying photo. I have another much smaller group for watercolor. I NEVER use my watercolor brushes for oil painting. Watercolor brushes are more expensive and should, with proper care, last a long time. Some of my watercolor\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\/2014\/12\/brushes1.jpg?fit=600%2C526&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/brushes1.jpg?fit=600%2C526&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/brushes1.jpg?fit=600%2C526&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":9442,"position":2},"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":8717,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2020\/02\/bristle-brushes\/","url_meta":{"origin":9442,"position":3},"title":"Bristle brushes","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"February 23, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Even though I sometimes disparage bristle brushes, I use them all the time. I use them for medium or broad passages--not for finer areas. Like most students, I was taught that real painters used bristles ('hogs'), and the bigger the better. Of course, this only led to frustration on those\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\/02\/2020-2-23.jpg?fit=1164%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/2020-2-23.jpg?fit=1164%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/2020-2-23.jpg?fit=1164%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/2020-2-23.jpg?fit=1164%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/2020-2-23.jpg?fit=1164%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4625,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2015\/01\/oil-brush-update-13015\/","url_meta":{"origin":9442,"position":4},"title":"Oil brush update 1\/30\/15","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"January 30, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"I've bought brushes marketed as 'Russian-made sables' at different times and from different vendors. The actual manufacturer is obscure. Their only identifying marking is the distinctive logo, which you can see in the accompanying photo. In addition to the logo, the brushes have long, mahogany handles. They are excellent brushes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Russian-made, long-handle sable brush","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/sable-russia.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9690,"url":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/2021\/07\/death-of-a-brush\/","url_meta":{"origin":9442,"position":5},"title":"Death of a brush","author":"Tom Hudson","date":"July 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Serves me right. After I bragged about how rugged the Old Holland sable oil brushes are, this brush died, as you can see. It lost too many fibers and lost its usefulness. It lasted longer than most comparable oil sables, however, so I'll buy more of them. In defense of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "materials"","block_context":{"text":"materials","link":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/category\/materials\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/brush-dead.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/brush-dead.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/brush-dead.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/brush-dead.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Gw6F-2si","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9442"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9449,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9442\/revisions\/9449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thomasparkerhudson.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}