How do Daler Rowney’s Georgian oil painting brushes hold up? You will find out in this edition of my Painting Brushes 101 series. I have two extensive videos below for you to see these brushes in action. So let us dive in and get to know the Georgian chungking bristle brushes a little better.
That’s What I Want
Maybe the best things in life are free, but when it comes to premium artist’s paint brushes they are certainly not. Free that is. They can be rather pricey and you may opt to take the cheap and cheerful variety instead. That would be a shame, because there is only cheap and nasty. Thankfully there is an alternative that slots in in the middle somewhere. Perhaps a bit higher, but still, the Georgian range of brushes looked like a good deal to me. So I got my mitts on a bundle of brushes from Art Savings Club to test out. Basic Training To recap from Part One. For me an oil painting brush is a hog bristle with good spring and interlocking hairs. If that sentence sounds weird then you understand I may be a tad OCD about this topic. Anyhoo … The bristles must not fall out in shock when they see a canvas. The brush must wear down through old age and not fall apart in its youth. In a nutshell I want to paint happily without thinking: “This brush is ….!” A Handy Brush Selection While there are many to choose from my selection consisted of a:
If you have this selection it will be sufficient to meet your oil painting needs for a good while. Take a close look in this video:
Brush Performance
As you will see in the next video the larger size 8 brushes were used in a small painting of about 6”x 8”. Which does illustrate how versatile a large brush can be. Not to mention forgiving when it comes to painting in a loose style. Use a larger brush than you think you need. Overall I am happy with the Georgian bristle brushes. They felt comfortable in hand. The long handles are a plus and the brushes are rather handsome too. A nice touch. The bristles behaved. They could work with large amounts of paint and returned to shape. I have cleaned the brushes in turps and the brushes were in good shape the next day. So the interlocking system does work. Watch the full demonstration and verdict below: Any Downside? Well, if you have used top range boutique made brushes then you will notice a difference. Perhaps in the perfection of the bristle arrangement in the ferrule? Possibly in the smoothness of the stroke? Little things like that. For professional artists in the world these things are important. But for the keen amateur, semi-professional and even many full time artists, the Georgian bristle brushes will be lovely to use. In fairness Daler Rowney does describe this range as student quality. In truth these brushes are a huge step up from the typical fare sold at local art shops. If you are a keen artist looking to improve then start with a brush upgrade. It will lift your game and you will feel better for it. Conclusion I will be interested to see how long the brushes hold up with the hard use that I tend to put on brushes. If they keep themselves together then they will be a bargain. Find out more about the full range of Georgian brushes at Art Savings Club ( South Africa) and other good art stores in your region. Looking to improve your brushwork?
Confident and loose brushwork does take deliberate practice. But you also need to know what to work on and why. Brushwork is so important that I focus on it in my course How to Loosen Up Your Painting. Take a close look at this course and see how it can help your painting improve.
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AuthorMalcolm Dewey: Artist. Country: South Africa 
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