Quick answer: For oil painting, you need fewer brushes than most sets suggest. A solid starting kit is five to seven brushes: two or three filberts (small, medium, large), one or two flats, a small round for detail, and optionally a liner or rigger and a palette knife. Choose stiff hog bristle or firm synthetic for thick paint, and add one soft synthetic for smoother blending and glazing.
Asking what brushes do I need for oil painting usually leads to a confusing answer: giant sets with 24 brushes, half of which never get used. In practice, most oil painting is done with a handful of shapes in a few sizes. If you would rather start with a set than single brushes, our guide to beginner oil brush sets that cover the essentials shows which sets match the list below.
This guide explains which shapes matter, which fibers suit oil, how to choose sizes, and how to build a kit that grows with you instead of a drawer of unused brushes.
The Short List: What Brushes Do I Need for Oil Painting?
| Brush | Suggested size (typical numbering) | Main job | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filbert, medium | #6 | Main workhorse: shapes, blending, form | Essential |
| Filbert, large | #10 or #12 | Backgrounds, block-in, big areas | Essential |
| Filbert, small | #2 | Smaller forms and features | Essential |
| Flat | #8 | Sharp edges, planes, broad strokes | Essential |
| Round, small | #2 or #4 | Detail, small marks, drawing | Essential |
| Liner or rigger | #1 or #2 | Fine lines, branches, signatures | Useful |
| Soft synthetic filbert or flat | #6 to #8 | Smooth blending, glazing | Useful |
| Palette knife | Medium trowel shape | Mixing paint, impasto, scraping | Essential (not a brush, but needed) |
Size numbers differ between brands, so a #6 in one line may be wider than a #6 in another. When possible, compare widths in millimeters.
Understanding Brush Shapes for Oil
Filbert
A flat ferrule with an oval, rounded tip. It is the most versatile oil brush: the broad side covers area, the edge draws lines and the rounded tip blends without hard corners. If you only buy one shape, buy a filbert.
Flat
Long hair with a square end. Flats make crisp edges, clean planes and long strokes. They are useful for architecture, still-life objects, and blocking in large shapes.
Bright
A short-haired flat. Stiffer and more controlled than a flat, good for thick paint and short, chiseled strokes. Optional for beginners, popular with impasto painters.
Round
A pointed brush good for drawing, detail and small accents. Small rounds are used near the end of a painting. Large rounds are less common in oil than in watercolor.
Liner and rigger
Thin, long-haired rounds for fine lines. A liner is shorter and easier to control; a rigger is longer and holds more paint for continuous lines. Both need thinned paint in oil.
Fan
Hairs spread in a fan shape, used for blending and textures like grass and foliage. Optional; easy to overuse.
Mop or softener
Soft, domed brush used dry to soften edges and remove brush marks. Optional, mostly for smooth, realistic finishes.
Fiber: Hog, Synthetic or Soft Hair?
The fiber controls how the brush handles oil paint as much as the shape does.
| Fiber | Feel | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural hog bristle | Stiff, springy, with split ends (“flags”) that hold paint | Thick paint, alla prima, visible brushwork, impasto | The traditional oil brush; tolerates solvents well |
| Firm synthetic | Stiff, smooth, consistent | Thick to medium paint; durable | Good hog alternative; vegan; easy to clean |
| Soft synthetic | Smooth, flexible | Glazes, blending, smooth finishes, detail | Affordable sable alternative |
| Sable or mongoose | Soft with spring | Fine detail, smooth blending, portraits | More costly; clean promptly |
A sensible beginner mix is mostly hog or firm synthetic, with one or two soft synthetics for blending and details. Painters who prefer smooth, layered work may reverse that ratio.
Handle Length: Long or Short?
Oil brushes usually have long handles. The extra length lets you stand back from the easel and paint with your arm, which encourages looser, bigger strokes and helps you see the whole canvas.
- Long handles: best for easel work and mid to large canvases.
- Short handles: better for small paintings worked at a table, and for detail.
If you plan to paint mostly small studies seated, short handles are perfectly fine.
How Many Brushes Do You Actually Need?
Fewer than you think, but slightly more than one of each. A big reason is color: using one brush for both light and dark mixes forces you to clean it constantly, or risk muddy lights. Many painters keep separate brushes for lights and darks of the same size.
A practical rule: own two of your most-used brush (often the medium filbert), one for light values and one for dark. That alone reduces muddy color more than buying new shapes.
Starter Kits by Painting Style
Landscapes
- Large and medium hog filbert
- Medium flat for skies, fields and water
- Small round for details
- Rigger for branches and grasses
- Optional fan for foliage textures
Portraits
- Small, medium and large filberts (a mix of hog and soft synthetic)
- Small round for eyes and features
- Soft blending brush or mop for skin transitions
Still life
- Medium and small filbert
- Flat or bright for crisp edges of objects
- Small round for highlights and details
- Palette knife for impasto highlights
Loose alla prima studies
- Large flat and large filbert in hog
- Medium filbert
- One small round
- Palette knife
Which Brush Does What in a Typical Painting
Seeing the brushes in sequence makes it clearer why a small kit is enough. Here is how a simple landscape or still life might move through a basic set.
- Toning the canvas (large flat or rag). A thin, even wash of a neutral color removes the stark white.
- Drawing the composition (small round). Thin paint, often a neutral brown, to place the main shapes.
- Blocking in big shapes (large filbert or flat). Large masses of color and value, ignoring detail.
- Developing forms (medium filbert). Most of the painting time happens here, refining shapes and turning form from light to shadow.
- Edges (flat and filbert). Sharpening some edges with the flat, softening others with the filbert or a soft brush.
- Blending passages (soft synthetic). Smoothing selected transitions, such as a sky gradient or a cheek.
- Details (small round, liner or rigger). Highlights, branches, small dark accents and a signature.
- Impasto highlights (palette knife). A few thick touches where light is strongest.
Notice that most of the work uses two or three brushes. The rest are supporting players that come in briefly at specific moments.
Signs a Brush Is Right for Oil
When you are holding a brush in a store or reading a listing, a few signs suggest it will work well with oil paint:
- The hair springs back after you press it lightly against your palm.
- The ferrule is seamless and tightly crimped, with no wobble at the handle.
- The shape is neat, with no stray hairs sticking out at odd angles.
- The listing mentions oil or “oil and acrylic”, rather than only watercolor or crafts.
- The handle is sealed or lacquered, so it will not swell or crack from solvent and soap washing.
Buying a Set vs Building Your Own
Sets can be good value, especially when you are not yet sure which shapes you prefer. The downside is filler: very small sizes, odd shapes or low-quality fibers you rarely use.
When comparing sets, look for:
- At least two or three filberts in useful sizes.
- A balance of shapes rather than eight nearly identical rounds.
- Fibers suited to oil (hog or firm synthetic), not only soft craft brushes.
- Seamless ferrules that are firmly crimped to the handle.
- Long handles if you plan to use an easel.
Our comparison of the best oil painting brush sets for beginners checks sets against these points so you can avoid paying for filler.
What Brush Size to Start With
Beginners often use brushes that are too small. Small brushes encourage fiddling and make paintings look tight and overworked. A helpful rule is to start with the largest brush that can do the job, and only switch to smaller brushes near the end.
| Canvas size | Main brush suggestion | Smallest brush typically needed |
|---|---|---|
| 20 x 25 cm (8 x 10 in) | #6 filbert | #2 round |
| 30 x 40 cm (12 x 16 in) | #8 to #10 filbert | #2 or #4 round |
| 40 x 50 cm (16 x 20 in) | #10 to #12 filbert or flat | #4 round |
| 60 x 75 cm (24 x 30 in) and larger | #12 and up, plus large flats | #4 to #6 round |
When to Add More Brushes
Your kit should grow from need rather than from catalog browsing. A few signals tell you it is time to add something:
- You keep cleaning the same brush mid-painting to switch between light and dark. Add a duplicate.
- Your large areas look streaky or take too long. Add a larger flat or filbert.
- Your edges all look the same. Add a flat or bright for crisp edges, or a soft brush for softer ones.
- Thin lines keep breaking up. Add a liner or rigger.
- You want smoother transitions than your filberts give. Add a soft synthetic blender or a mop.
Brushes You Can Skip at First
- Tiny detail rounds (sizes like 10/0) unless you paint miniatures.
- Specialty shapes like dagger, deerfoot or comb brushes.
- Large fan brushes, which beginners tend to overuse for repetitive textures.
- Expensive sable sets, until you know you prefer smooth, detailed work.
Other Tools That Work Alongside Brushes
- Palette knife: mixing paint cleanly, applying impasto, scraping corrections.
- Rags or paper towels: wiping brushes between colors keeps mixes clean.
- Brush washer: a lidded jar with a coil or grid for solvent cleaning.
- Brush soap: for washing after each session.
- Brush holder or roll: keeps heads straight while drying and storing.
Common Beginner Mistakes When Choosing Oil Brushes
- Buying watercolor brushes for oil. Very soft, floppy hair struggles with thick oil paint.
- Too many small brushes. They encourage fussy painting.
- One brush for everything. Constant cleaning slows you down and muddies colors.
- Neglecting cleaning. Paint drying near the ferrule ruins brushes faster than heavy use.
- Judging only by price. Mid-priced brushes with firm ferrules often outlast cheap sets.
Caring for Your Oil Brushes
Good care stretches even an inexpensive kit. Wipe brushes on a rag, rinse in solvent or a vegetable oil, then wash with soap and water at the end of each session. Reshape the tips and dry them flat or tip-up only once fully clean. Store them where the hair does not get crushed. Treating your few brushes well is usually a better investment than buying more.
FAQs
What brushes do beginners need for oil painting?
A small, medium and large filbert, one flat, a small round and a palette knife cover most beginner needs. Add a liner or rigger and a soft blending brush when you need them.
Can I use acrylic brushes for oil painting?
Often, yes. Firm synthetic brushes sold for acrylic generally work with oil too. Keep separate brushes for each medium, since dried acrylic in a brush is difficult to remove and can contaminate oil work.
Are hog bristle or synthetic brushes better for oil?
Both work. Hog holds thick paint well and shows brushwork; firm synthetics are durable, consistent and easy to clean. Many painters use both.
What is the most useful brush for oil painting?
The filbert is widely considered the most versatile, because it combines the coverage of a flat with the softness and control of a round.
How many brushes should I start with?
About five to seven, with a duplicate of your main working brush for separating light and dark mixes.
Do I need expensive brushes for oil painting?
No. Mid-range brushes that hold their shape and have firm ferrules work well for learning. Spend more later on the shapes you use most.
Next Step
The answer to what brushes do I need for oil painting is shorter than it first appears: a few filberts, a flat, a small round, a palette knife, and a line brush when your subjects call for it. Start there, notice which brush you reach for most, and expand from that.
If you would rather begin with a ready-made kit, browse our top-rated oil brush sets for new painters to find one that covers these core shapes without paying for brushes you will not use.
