Friday 12 January 2018

Product Review - Jackson's brushes for acrylics and oils

Happy new year! I hope everyone had a bit of time off work and some rest and aren't finding the return to a normal routine quite as tough as I did but that's what you get for sleeping 17h a day over the break!



So, I have just posted a video in which I review the wonderful (and pretty) line of brushes for acrylic and oil from Jackson's Art Supplies. They have quite a number of different brushes and I have described them all below and included a link so that you can buy them. I also use some other products in this video, which I have also linked in case you are interested. The gold taklon brush I used in this video was from the economy line by Daler and Rowney "Simply", which are cheap and cheerful and come in multipacks - so I could not give you a normalised price for them. The Dina Wakley Media Acrylic Brush is from her short-handled set (1" flat, 3/4" flat, 3 Round, 6 Round) by Ranger.

In this video, I use cheap canvas panels - my favourite are the Jackson's one, which are quite economical but amazingly good quality compared to most "own brand" products. The heavy body paint I use is CRYLA - Daler and Rowney's professional brand. The fluid acrylic is by DecoArt Media.

To compare the brushes in terms of price and use, I've done a little table for you! You can buy these brushes using the links in the table to view each line OR you can scroll down where most of the lines have got sets you can buy very economically (many with free shipping!) - there are some really great deals INCLUDING a set that contains 1 of each of the Jackson's brushes (except for Onyx).


Vegan?LineFibre6 Flat costUses and notes
NoShiro White HogUnboiled white hog bristle£4.70bStiff and very high quality. Brief bleaching.
NoBlack HogBlack hog bristle£5.20cSofter than white hog but stiffer than black sable(e).
YesOnyxStiff mixed synthetic£5.20aShort handled, stiff, well suited to both fluid and heavy-body paints.
YesShinkuRed soft synthetic£6.20bHas good spring. Softer than hog.
YesAkoyaStiff white synthetic£6.20bDeveloped as a "vegan hog" and really delivers. Stiff.
YesProcrylAcrylic£6.30dSpringy and absorbent so can be used for v fluid washes.
Comparison brushes:
NoCRYLAMedium stiffness synthetic£9.50cSynthetic. The professional acrylic brush by Daler and Rowney.
NoMonarchFaux mongoose£12.15cStiffer than sable but softer than hog. Good snap. Winsor and Newton

FOOTNOTES
The prices given are for a 6 flat (about 1/2" or 1.25cm wide) where available but not every brand sells every shape of brush, so the full details are:
a - price for a 1/2" flat.
b - price for a 6 bright.
c - price for a 6 flat.
d - price for a 6 long flat.
e - "black sable" really means polecat ("fitch") hair.

PLEASE NOTE Jackson's offer FREE international shipping for any brush-only orders valued at £20 or more which is an absolute bargain! You can buy any of the brushes mentioned here using the links below.

Jackson's Oil and Acrylic Comparison Set
[£23.00 or US$31.59 or EUR25.90 - this set is eligible for free international shipping as long as you don't buy any non-brush products in your order]
This is a great idea - a set of 5 number 6 flat brushes in Black hog, Shiro white hog, Shinku, Akoya and Procryl, which is a great way to test out all of the different fibres (except for Onyx) economically and given you get free shipping, what's not to love? I think this would also make a great gift. Not suitable for vegans (contains hog). If you want to compare different brush shapes rather than fibres, try the Procryl set (scroll down a little).

Jackson's Shiro White Hog Set of 5 Brushes
[£15.00 or US$20.60 or EUR16.89]
I was really impressed with the quality of the white hog brushes especially when you consider the price - these are professional quality brushes at the price you might usually pay for student grade ones. This set contains 5 Shiro white hog brushes: a 4 Round, 1 Bright, 6 Bright, 2 Filbert and 8 Filbert. This would again be a great gift for an oil or acrylic artist of any level, or just a good way to try out this line. If you buy them with the set below, you can get a really good flavour of the Shiro line AND get free shipping anywhere worldwide! Not suitable for vegans (contains hog). If you are looking for a vegan alternative, look at the "Akoya" line (below).

Jackson's Shiro White Hog Set of 7 Brushes
[£39.00 or US$53.54 or EUR43.91 - this set is eligible for free international shipping as long as you don't buy any non-brush products in your order]
As I said in the blurb for the above set, the quality of Shiro for the price is fantastic. This set contains 7 Shiro white hog brushes: 1 Round, 6 Round, 12 Round, 4 Bright, 10 Bright, 6 Filbert and 12 Filbert - which makes it a REALLY useful and "complete" or well-rounded set in my view! Coupling it with the set above would leave you with a totally perfect set for any artist from beginner to pro in terms of just about all the useful brush sizes and shapes. Not suitable for vegans (contains hog). If you are looking for a vegan alternative, look at the "Akoya" line (below).

Jackson's Black Hog Set of 4 Brushes
[£15.00 or US$20.60 or EUR16.89]
This is a little less stiff than white hog and this set has 4 Black Hog brushes: 2 Round, 6 Round, 6 Flat, 8 Filbert. Coupling it with the below set would leave you with a totally perfect set for any artist from beginner to pro in terms of just about all the useful brush sizes and shapes. Not suitable for vegans (contains hog). If you are looking for a vegan alternative, look at the "Onyx" or "Procryl" lines (below).

Jackson's Black Hog Set of 7 Brushes
[£39.00 or US$53.54 or EUR43.91 - this set is eligible for free international shipping as long as you don't buy any non-brush products in your order]
Per the above set, this is a softer bristle than white hog and this set contains 7 Black Hog brushes: 2 Round, 4 Round, 10 Round, 4 Flat, 10 Flat, 6 Filbert, 10 Filbert they are worth almost £55 (US$75.50, EUR61.88) if bought individually! Not suitable for vegans (contains hog). If you are looking for a vegan alternative, look at the "Onyx" or "Procryl" lines (below).

Jackson's Shinku Red Synthetic Set of 4 Brushes
[£15.00 or US$20.60 or EUR16.89]
These are a very nice red synthetic with a lot of snap to them and the very glossy fibre means the brushes glide through the paint and gives you work a very smooth and clean look. This set contains 4 Shinku red synthetic brushes: 0 Round, 6 Round, 8 Bright, 4 Filbert. 100% vegan friendly!

Jackson's Shinku Red Synthetic Set of 9 Brushes
[£39.00 or US$53.54 or EUR43.91 - this set is eligible for free international shipping as long as you don't buy any non-brush products in your order]
These are a very nice red synthetic with a lot of snap to them and the very glossy fibre means the brushes glide through the paint and gives you work a very smooth and clean look. This set contains 9 Shinku red synthetic brushes: 0 Round, 2 Round, 6 Round, 10 Round, 4 Bright, 8 Bright, 12 Bright, 2 Filbert, 10 Filbert - this is a pretty complete selection of brushes and they are worth almost £55 (US$75.50, EUR61.88) if bought individually! 100% vegan friendly! 

Jackson's Akoya White Synthetic Bristle Set of 4 Brushes
[£15.00 or US$20.60 or EUR16.89]
A perfect vegan alternative to white hog! This set contains 4 Akoya white synthetic bristle brushes: 2 Round, 6 Round, 6 Bright, 4 Filbert, which is a nice selection to get started with, or you can buy the larger set (below) if you want a bit more flexibility - but this would make a nice gift for a student of oil or acrylic painting, particularly a vegan student or anyone else just trying to avoid using hog. 100% vegan friendly!

Jackson's Akoya White Synthetic Bristle Set of 6 Brushes
[£39.00 or US$53.54 or EUR43.91 - this set is eligible for free international shipping as long as you don't buy any non-brush products in your order]
A perfect vegan alternative to white hog! This set contains 6 Akoya white synthetic bristle brushes: 0 Round, 6 Round, 4 Bright, 12 Bright, 4 Filbert, 10 Filbert - a really useful selection and a perfect gift too! 100% vegan friendly!

Jackson's Procryl Set of 4 Brushes
[£23.50 or US$32.27 or EUR26.46 - this set is eligible for free international shipping as long as you don't buy any non-brush products in your order]
This is another great value set, again with free shipping as an option. This contains 4 Procryl brushes: a 6 Bright6 Filbert6 Long Flat and 6 Round. Again, a great way to try a new fibre out. 100% vegan friendly. 




1 comment:

  1. Pretty! This was a really wonderful post. Thank you for your provided information. cool desktop
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