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ART TIPS

Top 5 Brushes to
Use When
Painting Fur in
Acrylics – and
how to use them!
! JANUARY 31, 2020 Studio Wildlife

Painting fur is one of the main reasons I love

depicting wildlife; it is so easy to get lost in
building up the textures and colours that can
be found there.

However, it can at first seem quite

overwhelming if you don’t know where to
start. If you’re struggling to achieve the
realistic fur look that you’ve been aiming for,
part of the problem may be that you’re not
using quite the right tools for the job.

Brushes I use most often

for wildlife paintings
Flat

Round

Filbert

Angle

Detail

Choosing the right brushes (and using them at

the right time), is key if you want to create a
genuine sense of texture in your artwork. Of
course, the textures found within fur vary
enormously throughout the animal kingdom.

Hair lengths also vary so much within the

subject itself, and selecting the right brushes
can really assist with capturing the fine details
that will bring your painting to life. To help
when it comes to your own work, I have put
together a brief guide on the brushes that I
use most often within my wildlife acrylic
paintings:

Flat

Before I even think about painting the fur, I

have to make sure that I have the right base
coat in place. This is where the flat brushes
come in.

Looking at my reference, I block in the darkest

shade I can see within the different areas of
my subject.

It doesn’t need to be perfectly blended at this

stage, as the next layers of the painting will
mean that only a hint of the initial base coat
will show through. The main idea at this early
stage is to simply block in the darkest
shadows, so that the details and highlights
can be built on top.

I find that a large flat brush is the best way to

create a block-in quickly and effectively, and if
you are aiming to have a smooth texture to
your final painting, the flat brushes will allow
you to manoeuvre the paint very evenly.

Filbert

After the flat brush, the next brush I move on

to is the filbert. This is an oval shaped brush
that, when used flat, I find is perfect for
creating soft marks to mark the direction of
the fur.

When used on its side, filbert brushes are also

great for establishing the long, sweeping hairs
such as those found in a lion’s mane.

I usually reserve these brushes for creating

the mind-tones, leaving the highlights for the
next stage.

Round

Round brushes consist of densely arranged

bristles shaped into a pointed tip. Once the fur
direction has been established with the filbert,
I find that the round brushes can be used with
greater precision which is needed to start
building the highlights.

They hold much more paint than the detail

brushes that I will come back to later, which
mean that it is easier to create more gestural
marks that the brightest highlights can then
be built on top of.

Whilst it is tempting to reach for the detail

brushes straight from the offset- building
softer layers with a round brush initially can
help create more depth to your work.

Angle

Angle brushes are shaped similarly to the flat

brushes, but the ends of the bristles are
slanted at a 45 degree angle.

In comparison to the round, I find angle

brushes create slightly sharper and more
definitive marks. Since they hold less paint,
they are ideal for shorter-haired animals, but if
the paint is thinned sufficiently they can also
be used to create the final loose strands on a
longer haired subject.  

The shape of this brush allows for a high level

of control, which is ideal for creating precise
curved lines found so often within the fur.  

Detail

Even in my largest works, I will use a size 1 or

0 detail brush to pick out the lightest hairs on
my subject, which I find really brings out the
depth and contrast within the fur.

It is also worth keeping in mind the condition

of these brushes in particular; as once they
lose their point they can definitely
compromise the scale and shape of the
individual hairs.

It is not unusual for me to retire this type of

brush to less detailed work after using it on
just one painting, as even the slightest
amount of fraying can make achieving a
realistic fur effect far more difficult. 

A detail brush that has become blunt can still

be useful for other areas where softer
blending is required, such as when painting
eyes and noses.

What types of bristle are

there?
Perhaps the most commonly used bristle
types for acrylic and oil painting are hog and
synthetic. Hog brushes are made up of coarse,
thick bristles that are ideal for applying an
even coat of paint over large areas.

They are most commonly used in oil painting

due to their stiffness and durability, but I have
found that they can also be useful in the
blocking-in stage of an acrylic painting too. 

Depending on the quality, I have also found

synthetic brushes to be very durable, but the
real advantage of this types of brushes is their
softness.

You do not want the brush to be so soft that

you cannot make a definitive mark, but when
aiming for blended areas, their smoother
bristles can leave less obvious brushstrokes in
comparison to the hog.

I have no real preference between the two

bristle types, when choosing a brush this
simply comes down to the particular section
or stage of the painting I’m working on. If you
paint in both oils and acrylics, it is generally
advised to keep separate sets of brushes in
order to keep the brushes in the best possible
condition for that particular medium.

Which bristle type should

you use?
I have both hog and synthetic varieties of
most of the brushes that I own. I find that the
hog brushes are ideal for covering large areas
in the earlier stages of the piece, as the split
ends (known as flags) hold more paint and
allow for more fluid application.

I reserve the synthetic versions for creating

softer brush strokes on the final layers, as this
way the strokes are far easier to blend. For the
fine details I use only synthetic brushes, as
they can hold a finer point and allow me to
position the hairs more precisely.

For the same reason I also use synthetic detail

brushes to complete the whiskers, or
alternatively a rigger brush for longer
continuous strokes on a larger piece.

Taking care of your

brushes
 To maintain my brushes for as long as
possible, I make sure to wash them in warm
soapy water after each painting session, very
gently rubbing the bristles so that they retain
their shape.

This is more than enough to clean the brushes

when working with acrylics. If I have been
working in oils then the cleaning process
takes a little longer. I firstly remove as much
excess oil paint as possible using my paint
thinner and wipe them with a paper towel.

After rinsing them in warm water, I then use

soap to work deeper within the bristles,
rinsing and repeating until no evidence of
paint is left when wiped on a paper towel.

If you’re aiming for realism, recreating

authentic fur texture can really make or break
your artwork, and I hope that this guide gives
you more confidence when choosing the right
brushes for your work.

Of course, there are no hard and fast rules

when it comes to creating art, and you may
find that your technique is best suited to one
brush type over another. The most important
thing is to keep experimenting and finding out
what works best for you and your style!

Make sure to share your paintings with us by

tagging our Instagram page
@StudioWildlife_art and let us know if you
found this useful.

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Tagged Acrylic, animal, Art, artist, Brushes, Fur,
Paint, Painting, Wildlife
" 3 Comments

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3 Replies to “Top 5 Brushes to Use

When Painting Fur in Acrylics – and
how to use them!”

Anna siciliano says:

February 1, 2020 at 5:42 pm

Thank you this was a good article!

Pingback: Tiger Stripes to Leopard Spots – Top Tips

for Painting Big Cat Markings - Studio Wildlife

Childrens Place Locations says:

November 7, 2020 at 4:30 am

Hello buddy,
I really enjoy your blog and your work is very
interesting. I have to appreciate your work
and efforts . It is extraordinary.
King regards,
Thomassen Valenzuela

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