How to Choose the Right Paint Brush: A Kiwi Buyer's Guide

Walk into the brush aisle and you'll see flats, rounds, filberts, fans, liners, riggers, mops, and angles — in fifteen sizes each, in sable, hog, taklon, squirrel, badger, and synthetic blends. Add price ranges from $2 to $200 and "just buy a brush" becomes a research project. Here's the plain-English version.

A note from the shop floor — the number-one mistake I see new painters make is leaving brushes bristle-down in water for hours. We've sold replacement size-8 rounds twice as often as any other brush — usually to the same people, twice a year. Save your brushes; jump to the care section if you take nothing else from this guide.

Brush anatomy (so the rest makes sense)

• Bristle — the hair part that holds paint
• Ferrule — the metal ring that clamps bristles to handle
• Handle — what you hold; long for easel work, short for desk work

Shape — what each one is for

Flat

Square ends. Lay down broad strokes, sharp edges, large washes. The workhorse for backgrounds and bold shapes. Gets used in almost every painting.

Round

Pointed tip, fuller belly. Versatile — varies from thin lines (tip only) to broad strokes (whole bristle). The most "all-round" beginner brush.

Filbert

Like a flat but with a rounded end. Makes soft, organic edges. Loved for portraits, organic forms, anything "natural". Sometimes called a "cat's tongue".

Fan

Bristles fanned out. For texture: foliage, fur, hair, stippling. Niche but indispensable when needed.

Liner / Rigger

Long, thin bristles. For long thin lines (rigging on ships, hence the name). Detail work, signatures, cracks in wood.

Mop

Soft, full belly. Holds lots of water/paint. For watercolour washes — sky, water, large soft areas.

Angle

Flat with bristles cut at a 45° angle. Precision edges and sharp corners. Trim work, lettering.

Size — the numbers

Brushes are numbered 0 (smallest, sometimes 0000 or 5/0 for very small) up to 24+ (huge). The number relates to the width of the ferrule. Here's the practical translation:

• Sizes 0–4: Detail work, fine lines, eyes
• Sizes 6–10: Mid-range work, most of your painting time
• Sizes 12–16: Large areas, backgrounds, big skies
• 18+: Wash brushes, very large canvases

Buy a small (4), a medium (8), and a large (12) of the SAME shape (e.g. round) before you collect different shapes.

Bristle type — what they're made of

Synthetic (taklon, nylon)

Modern, affordable, durable. Suit acrylic paint perfectly because acrylic is hard on natural bristles. Mont Marte's Signature taklon brushes are the entry point — and they're what we stock most of.

Natural — hog

Stiff, holds heavy paint. Traditional oil painting brush. Good for impasto in acrylic too. Bristles split (called "flagging") which holds paint well.

Natural — sable / squirrel

Soft, holds water. The classic watercolour brush. Sable is expensive (real Kolinsky sable can hit $100+ for one brush). Synthetic sable mimics 80% of the performance for 5% of the cost.

Mixed bristle

Combines synthetic and natural for in-between performance. Many Mont Marte brushes use this approach.

Match your medium

• Acrylic painting: Synthetic (taklon) flats, rounds, filberts. Sizes 4, 8, 12.
• Oil painting: Hog bristle flats and rounds; synthetic for detail. Long handles.
• Watercolour: Soft synthetic or sable rounds and mops. Sizes 4, 8, 12.
• Mixed media / experimental: Cheap synthetic — you'll abuse them.

Care & cleaning (make brushes last)

• Never let acrylic paint dry in your brush. Rinse mid-painting if pausing.
• Wash with mild soap (dish soap is fine) under lukewarm water.
• Reshape the bristles to a point before drying.
• Lay flat or hang upside down — never stand brush-up in water (warps the ferrule and splits bristles).
• Replace synthetic brushes every 12–24 months with regular use; sable can last decades if cared for.

Best beginner brush sets in NZ

Mont Marte Signature 4-Piece Taklon Set (sizes 4, 6, 8, 10) — what we recommend for most adults starting acrylic. Around $9.99.

Mont Marte Premium 11-Piece Taklon Set — broader range including filbert and detail brushes. Around $24.99.

Mont Marte Watercolour Brushes — synthetic-sable blends, perfect for student watercolour. From $12.99.

Browse all painting brushes or jump to watercolour brushes.

Bottom line

If you're buying your first brushes, get a Mont Marte taklon round size 8 + flat size 8. Two brushes, under $5 total, will get you through your first 20 paintings. Build from there.

About the author — Namra Shah is the owner of Handy Mandy Craft Store in West Auckland. We stock Mont Marte across NZ with same-day dispatch before 11am NZT and free shipping over $75. Questions? Email hello@handymandy.co.nz or DM us on Instagram @handy_mandy_stores_.