Product Review: Princeton 6300 Brush

The only synthetic bristle for oil painting

Product review of the only synthetic bristle brush suitable for oil painting. A better, longer lasting bristle brush that cooperates better than natural bristle across a broad range of mediums. Modelled on the look and feel of hog bristle, series 6300 is a perfect brush for painters switching from oils to acrylic or water miscible oil. A real work-horse in even heavy bodied acrylics and suitable for use with gels and impasto mediums. Oil painters are catching on to 6300, realizing that it wears much better than natural bristle.

Princeton 6300 Brush Review by Doug Swinton

Over the many years of running an art store I have been very lucky to receive samples of anything and everything to do with art materials. I get to try just about everything that comes down the pipe. Though it’s a fantastic adventure to try new and different products, one thing I can say for sure is that it never hurts to stick to the tried and true.

My old art teacher use to say “it's better to stick to the devil you know then the devil you don’t know.” All too often, switching products and trying new colours all the time can lead to confusion and frustration. I firmly believe that sticking to what you know and trust leads to better results. That being said, after years of standing on my soap box and crabbing about how synthetic brushes don’t work for oil paint, along comes the Princeton 6300 Synthetic Brush.

After devoting myself to using only natural hog hair bristle brushes for oil painting, I gave one of these Princeton 6300 a test drive. The results were surprising. This is the first synthetic brush I have ever found that is as essential as the natural bristle brush.

Princeton 6300 brush was originally designed for use with water soluble oils but I find it to be spectacular for regular oil paints. Made from some sort of bizzaro synthetic fibre, the hair on this brush is just stiff enough to provide resilience when laying down the paint and just soft enough for super blend-ability. It's the ideal brush for manipulation of edges. Perfect companion to a regular hog hair brush. It’s stiffer than a sable brush, required for more control, but soft enough to achieve the delicate effects achievable with a sable.

I use the Princeton 6300 after the paint has been applied with a natural hog hair bristle brush to soften edges and manipulate passages.

This brush is great for:

• Blending skies

• Softening clouds

• Misty affects

• Portraits

• Fur on animals

• Delicate placement on flowers

• and anywhere else that requires a delicate touch.

But wait! Don’t order yet! This brush works equally well for acrylic paints, making it a truly universal oil and acrylic brush.