About 50 years ago, Trevor Haydon started his company by hand-making artist brushes with natural bristles and wooden handles. Nowadays, Haydn offers more than just painting brushes, but that’s another story to tell. Today, we would like to share the ample range of Haydn Artist Brushes, discussing the different shapes, sizes, and bristles, to give you an idea of what to look for and help you choose the right artist paintbrush for your next masterpiece!

Shapes

Sometimes, we feel overwhelmed by the wide range of artist brush shapes, and we end up using the same one for everything, losing detail in our pieces. Allow me to walk you through the different shapes that Haydn offers:

• Round: This versatile brush is the most used in painting. You can find them with blunt tips, which are excellent for filling in colour when used at a side angle in a scribbling motion, creating scratchy, textured marks. They also come with pointed tips, useful for details and creating various line weights depending on the pressure applied.

• Flat: Another versatile paintbrush, ideal for washes using acrylic and water-based paints. It is usually thicker, making it ideal for picking up larger amounts of pigment. This type of brush typically features a square side edge, perfect for creating controlled strokes with a solid edge.

• Bright: This type of flat brush has short bristles, making it ideal for applying short, strong strokes of colour due to their resistance against the surface. When choosing a flat brush, examine the brush head and compare the width of the brush to the length of the bristles to help determine if the range suits your painting style.
• Mop: Another round-shaped type that resembles a mop with soft bristles, enabling it to hold a lot of water. They are usually used for blending, applying colour washes, and various watercolour techniques.

• Other: Haydn offers a special paintbrush set for touch-ups, not only for your masterpieces on canvas but also for lining, pin-striping, and edging on a variety of surfaces. It features high-quality absorbent synthetic polyester filament, a plain wooden handle, and a stainless-steel ferrule.

Sizes

Some brush sizes refer to the width or thickness of the ferrule, or the length of the bristles. In other cases, they refer to the order size of the brushes. For Haydn Artist Brushes, the number imprinted on the handle refers to the width of the ferrule, but this can vary depending on the shape (round or flat) and type of bristle. Therefore, a number five on a rounded brush may appear smaller than a number five on a flat brush.

You may also notice that small sizes increase by increments of one, such as with the Haydn Magnate Series. When it reaches size 10, it increases by increments of two, like 10, 12, 14... This occurs according to the type of bristle used on the brushes, as some are more expensive than others to make.

Types of Bristle

In the art industry, there exist a huge number of different bristles, from natural to synthetic, each offering its own exclusive qualities and purposes.

• Hog: Hog bristles are from the hair of pigs' backs and necks. Their unique springy, coarse hair with natural split ends increases the amount of paint they hold, resulting in even paint distribution. The bristles age well, becoming softer and more responsive with usage.

• Pony: An artist's paintbrush designed for watercolour, water-based paints, and acrylic applications. Made from pony hair, it offers exceptional softness and produces a fine point, resulting in a brush that holds a generous amount of paint and distributes it evenly. Additionally, pony hair allows for quick delivery of paint or ink to the tip.

• Synthetic: Some of the Haydn artist brushes are made from synthetic polyester filaments, offering the most flexibility. Their performance is nearly like natural bristles with the advantage of being smoother and more consistent in shape, making them perfect for final touches and details, providing more precision in application. They are a budget-friendly option and have a longer life as their bristles don’t become dry.