Artist Brush Filaments
Natural Hairs
Bristle : This is hog hair and is mainly used in oil painting and ceramics. It is very coarse with a natural belly and taper toward the tip. Fine
quality bristles are "flagged" at the tip which means they have split ends. This is excellent for paint applications
Camel: This is a term applied to many inexpensive hairs used in the manufacture of watercolor brushes. The most popular in this category
are pony and horse.
Goat: This is a step up in quality from camel hair. It is great for watercolors and ceramics.
Ox: This is a soft hair that is used in watercolors and sign making. It holds paint well but is not good for forming sharp points.
Sable: This is the most sought after natural hair used in making artist brushes. It is both soft and resilient with many grades in quality.
The most expensive is "Kolinsky Red Sable". Sable is used mainly in watercolors and oil.
Synthetic Filaments
Nylon: This filament is cylindrical with no belly. Depending on the quality, it may have a taper and can also be "flagged". It is primarily
used in acrylic painting but also has industrial uses due to its toughness. The best is made by Dupont.
Taklon: This is a polyester filament. Japanese taklon is the best and has characteristics similar to "Kolinsky Red Sable" for a lot less money.
It is tapered and considered by many to be the best synthetic filament.