are synthetic brushes ok?

what's the difference between sable and synthetic brushes artistic wise? Do the sable brushes "paint" better? Just curious..

Depends.... technique has pretty much everything to do with how you can make the brush work for YOU. I like Sables as I can control them - but it took a lot of practise to "get it"!

You need to try them all to see what works best for you... some of us like sables better, others swear by synthetics...

that's what I thought. I am going to have to practice then!!! any tips for working with synthetic brushes? are some brands better than others?

I am vegetarian (15 years) so I am kind of morally opposed to using sable due to the way it is obtained (but I have some I bought not really thinking clearly at time) .. I will keep them and continue using them but I am positive I won't be purchasing more sable in the future!

Well... I don't mind using sables... vicious little rodents.

My personal favourite multi-purpose synthetic is a cat's tongue which is a type of filbert. It is Taklon (the gold coloured fibers.)

You can do thin or thick lines and all sorts of shapes with this.

cool. I will check it out!

I LOVE taklons! they're awesome for tear drops and swirls

I'm a big fan of white taklon, but I've never really tried a natural brush.

My trouble is my fav brushes have wooden handles and they're starting to wear pretty bad. I have been considering this stuff I saw when I worked at a hardware store. It's rubber grippy stuff you can dip tool handles in. Any thoughts/suggestions?

I use nail polish on my wooden handles... once the paint starts to flake I remove all the loose and then paint them with nail polish... Works great! and it seals the wood completely as long as you make sure to cover the edge of the ferrule too (the metal part) to make sure it is sealed.

I like the golden synthetics... my favs! I also like the kolinsky sometimes.. but almost always synthetics for me.. they are also cheaper to buy

Thanks Shannon! I'll try that!

Everyone has faves and uses different brushes to get the same result. Best is to try them out - see if you can do a few swirls wit someones!

I have a mix; some synthetics are better for some paints or some effects and some sables are better for others...

As long as they have a good point (if round), etc...

cat x