Which Brush Is Right for Me?

Not sure which Trekell brush to grab? Here's the short version. Every line in this guide is synthetic except Hog Bristle, and every line comes in a bunch of shapes and sizes.

Quick Picks by Paint

Every Brush Line

Brush line How it feels Best for
Golden Taklon Soft and springy. Our best selling synthetic. Every medium. A great first brush.
Crimson Taklon A firmer version of Golden Taklon. Heavier acrylic and oil.
Spectrum Soft and smooth. Leaves fewer brush marks. Every medium, smooth blends and finishes.
Sienna Synthetic red sable. Soft with a crisp snap. Detail work in oil, acrylic, watercolor, gouache and ink.
Protégé Synthetic Kolinsky sable. Holds a sharp point. Detail and watercolor, also acrylic, oil and gouache.
Protégé Plus Our upgraded Kolinsky style filament. Watercolor, gouache, ink and fine detail.
Legion Synthetic mongoose. Springy with a little texture. Oil and acrylic.
Opal Synthetic hog bristle. Firm and strong. Thick oil and acrylic.
Hog Bristle Natural Chungking hog bristle. Stiff with split tips that hold paint. Thick oil paint and texture.
Onyx Synthetic squirrel. Very soft and holds a lot of water. Watercolor, gouache, ink and fluid acrylics.
Mop Synthetic goat hair. Soft and absorbent. Washes and soft blending.

Brush Shapes

The shape of the brush decides the kind of mark it makes. Click a shape to see every Trekell brush that comes in it.

Shape What it looks like What it's good for
Round A pointed tip on a round body. Lines, details and filling small areas. Press down for a thicker line, lift up for a thin one.
Liner Short, thin and pointed. Fine lines, outlines and small details.
Script/Rigger Very long, thin hairs that hold a lot of paint. Long, even lines like branches, hair, rigging on ships and signatures.
Bright A short flat with a square end. Short, controlled strokes and pushing around thick paint.
Flat Longer hairs with a square end. Broad strokes, clean edges and covering large areas.
Long Flat An extra long flat that holds even more paint. Long, smooth strokes and loose, painterly marks.
Filbert A flat brush with a rounded, oval tip. Blending and soft edges. A favorite for portraits and figures.
Long Filbert A filbert with longer hairs. Soft, flowing strokes and blending over larger areas.
Cat's Tongue A filbert that comes to a point. A mix of round and filbert. Fine detail with the tip, broader strokes with the side.
Angle A flat cut on a slant. Corners, curves and crisp edges. Also great for lettering.
Dagger A long, slanted sword shape. Strokes that go from thick to thin in one pass, like leaves and ribbons.
Fan Hairs spread out in a fan. Soft blending, and texture like grass, foliage, fur and clouds.
Grainer A flat with uneven, spaced hairs. Texture like wood grain, hair and grass in one stroke.
Oval A soft, rounded flat. Smooth blending and soft washes.
Wash A wide flat. Backgrounds, big washes and laying down color fast.
Varnish A wide, flat brush made for coatings. Even coats of varnish, gesso or medium.

Brush Sizes

Numbered sizes are used for rounds, liners, filberts and most other shapes. They go from tiny (#20/0, #10/0, #5/0) to large (#20). The bigger the number, the bigger the brush. The zeros work the other way: #20/0 is smaller than #5/0.

Inch sizes (1/8" up to 2") are used for angles, washes and some flats. The number is how wide the brush is.

The number only gets you close. Brush sizes aren't standard from brand to brand, and they aren't even the same from line to line within our own brushes. A #6 Golden Taklon round and a #6 Legion round won't be exactly the same size, and a #6 round isn't the same width as a #6 flat.

That's why every brush's product description lists its actual bristle length and width. Check those numbers before you buy, especially if you're trying to match a brush you already own.

Not Sure Where to Start?

If you're building your first few brushes, this covers most paintings:

  • A small round (around #2) for details and lines
  • A medium round (around #6) for general painting
  • A filbert (around #8) for blending
  • A flat or bright (around #10 or 1/2") for bigger areas

Paint bigger than that? Go up a few sizes. Or skip the guesswork and pick up a brush set, which gives you a mix of shapes and sizes in one box.

Long Handle or Short Handle?

Long handles are made for working at an easel, so you can stand back from your painting. Short handles are easier to control up close, at a table, and are the usual pick for watercolor.

Still Stuck?

Send us a message and tell us what you paint. We'll point you to the right brushes.