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“Mr. Camel” just so happened to produce soft-haired brushes that are
blended together with numerous inexpensive hairs like pony, sheep, bear and squirrel, hence the
name.
Why camel hair
Yes I know that the name camel hair is somewhat deceiving, but now I am sure you
can see where it is derived from. It is funny really when you look or think about it, as these
brushes are made up of inexpensive hair types. The numerous types of hair used are that of sheep,
bear, Asian pony and a bit of lesser grade squirrel hairs. Right now you are probably laughing to
yourself, but this is the absolute truth. The Camel hair brush or brushes range, do not even
contain the least bit of camel hair. Since there are a variety of hairs that go into the finished
product, the absorbency and texture of these brushes tends to differ. Camel hair is not suitable
for use on brush bristles because it is woolly. There are these brushes that are known as
lacquering brushes, these are produced out of the high class, soft “camel
hair”.
Special features
The brushes handles are
exquisitely made out of a long lasting hardwood and finished off with a seamed metal that is rust
proof just so that your brush can have that edge. The brushes that are produced to be student
quality are economically pricedand of cause also made out of
soft camel hair. What is of note with this type of brush is the fact that it really is a joy to
use, especially if you are using watercolor, tempera and watercolor. There is also another kind
of these brushes as they tend to vary pending to what is your particular style and need. This is
where brush sets like the large area set come into play. This artist brush set is associated
with natural softness that is aplenty and is just the brush you need if ever you want to soften
and blend artificial finishes.
Camel hair in-depth
What you have to know about
these brushes is that the least expensive kind of the Camel hair brush
range is the one that is manufactured out of pony hair which is obtained from its mane or back. You
can find out more information on this and what other people thinkas well by going to this stated link. A pony’s mane,
because of its flawlessness and length is very convenient because as result of this, it is
able to produce a vast number of brushes when later being cut into smaller or shorter pieces.
However because of this the original tip on the hair is eradicated and thus the point
necessary for good performance is removed. The Camel hair brush range of products is
generally preferable for specific applications. They are perfect for things like watercolorwashes especially in the case
of camel hair mop brushes, and squirrel hair for china painting and lettering. What is also
great abut these brushes, is that you can simply mix the hairs to form synthetic brushes so that
you may boost its absorbency rate and also soften the brush whilst incurring very minimal
costs.
Camel hair brushes
So as you have read camel hair brushes are really the
brushes to have if ever you want to do a paint job that should appear as if it were done by a
professional. This I say because you have read above that their “duties”, so to say tend to vary
and even for your added benefit even their composition (the way each is structured) varies pending
to the certain function each brush has been designed for. The range of brushes really takes you on
an artistic painting journey for it takes you from your watercolor washes to painting with acrylics
and tempera, all the way to it being your everyday cosmetics brush.
Summary
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So from what we have discussed above
we now understand what exactly is meant by camel hair
brushes.
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We have extensively talked about their
different uses.
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We have also been told that each one
is specifically designed for a relevant job purpose.
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Also mentioned is the fact that not a
single hair of any form of camel is used therefore dispelling any of the “myths” people
tend to speak.
Other available brands
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Squirrel hair brushes, these in most
instances come from Russia and Canada. Kazan, which is brown and black, Sacamena,
which is blue-black and Talahoutky which is brown are the three main kinds of
squirrel hair used in production of brushes. The Sacamena is the softest of the
lot. What must also be noted is that squirrel hair has great elasticity, and is
perfect for smooth painted finishes.
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Mongoose hair brush, Europe is
known to produce the best brushes, and mongoose hair is known to make quite a
great medium quality brush. What else you must know is that mongoose hair can be
obtained from numerous countries, but it is India that boasts responsibility for
mongoose hair that can be found on many an artists brush. What makes these to
stand out is that their tips are a dark shade of brown, their centre is cream and
their roots are dark. These brushes are stiff between sable and bristle, but they
are also strong and resilient which makes them a good long wearing
brush.
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Red
sable, it is called this because of its reddish-brown
color. These are made up of weasel hair and are therefore ideal for oil painting. This
soft hair brush comes from the Asiatic weasel, which is a type of marten. The hairs on
this particular brush are not as springy or as fine as those that happen to be found on
kolinsky sable and they also come at only half the price. One must be able to
differentiate between the kolinsky brush and the red sable brand
brush.
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Badger hair brushes, are quiet
easy to identify for they appear bushy, because the hair is conic shaped, with a
broad belly towards its tip and thin by the root. Badger brushes are from
different parts of the globe, and are a light gray with a dark brown streak down
the center. What is also of note is that this is one of the most readily available
of all animal hairs. The only kind of let down here is that badger hair can be as
long as possibly four inches and is relatively stiff.
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Ox hair brushes, these offer
the user, in this case the painter, excellent versatility in brush stroke, right
from the finer or exquisite details to impasto (the technique of applying paint so
thickly that brush strokes can be seen). This brush is very lovely to touch
because of its silk feel. It is funny for the hairs are taken from an ox’s ears.
This is another type of brush that is very resilient and strong. The other
difference between an ox hair brush and the others listed above is that the ox one
is not as stiff as the natural bristle, but it happens to be more springy and also
more unbending than red sable.
Additional information
Most people tend to experience problems when its time to choose one product over
the other. The question that normally arises is why not go for the cheaper one than the most
expensive? , why take this when I can have that one? What’s really wrong with the one I have
chosen? , I could go on and on. Any brush is an applicator of paint. However you have to just with
any task pick the right tool for the particular job at hand, so certain hair types and shapes work
best for certain duties. The way you pick a brush
is simply by the following yardstick, the properties of your media, that is the viscosity,
composition, etc. also what you must look at is the texture, absorbency and firmness of your
surface, and also the desired effect you want to pull off.
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