The Oil Painting Blog

Question: What kind of Paint Brushes to I need?

Ive started the wet on wet technique of painting and have found the first two 2" brushes I bought were pretty useless even though they were described on the packet as being for that particular form of painting. Could anyone tell me exactly what to ask for please? What type of bristle and what length of bristle etc. I could get the Bob Ross ones but they are very expensive. I want one that size mainly for when I put in the sky and water. The ones I have now don't hold enough paint and I get a very blotchy result - they seem to be far too soft. Do any of you use ordinary household Paint Brushes for this or would they be totally wrong?
I'm actually from the U.K. and will give household brushes a try but I'll not go for the really cheap ones. Thanks for the advice.

Answer: Yes you can use ordinary household Paint Brushes if they are good quality ones so the hairs don't come out. If you use oils I think you have to use some sort of thinner. I use waterbased Oil Paints (Windsor & Newton), so you just use more water for wet on wet. The longer the bristles the more paint it will hold. If you are doing a large painting you could use a 3 or 4 inch wide brush. I was told by my art teacher (oil) that household Paint Brushes are fine and they sell them in the art store (Atlantis Art Supplies, Whitchapel, London) but as you are mentioning Bob Ross I am thinking you are from the USA.