Choosing the right brushes can make wet-on-wet oil painting much easier for beginners. The wet-on-wet technique uses liquid clear or medium to help the flow of paint on the canvas. This is usually done with a 2 inch brush. The medium or liquid clear is applied with a thin layer just to wet the canvas. If to much is used the paint will be to thin and will run. Having a few useful brushes matters more than owning a large collection. You do not need expensive brushes or dozens of shapes to get started.
With the right basic brush set, beginners can blend skies, shape mountains, paint trees, and create soft backgrounds without frustration.
Natural bristle and quality synthetic brushes can both work well. Natural bristle brushes are the ones I prefer.
The Best Brushes Beginners Should Start With
Two-Inch Flat Brush
A two-inch flat brush is one of the most useful tools for wet-on-wet painting. It works well for:
Painting skies
Blending clouds
Covering backgrounds
Softening large areas
Used in mountain making
This is often one of the first brushes many beginners should buy. You will be using this brush probably more than any other brush in your paintings. I prefer brushes by Bob Ross, with proper care they will last a very long time.
2. One-Inch Flat Brush
A one-inch brush gives more control than a larger brush. It is useful for:
Smaller skies
Water reflections
Mid-size blending
Edges and transitions
Some trees
Brush and bushes
Grassy areas
Its a strong second brush and highly recommended for beginners.
3. One-Inch Round Brush
A one-inch round brush helps with detail work and natural shapes. Also used for:
Highlight trees
Bushes
Grass
Background landscape areas
Fog and mist
Foam on waves
A medium round brush is a smart starting size.
4. Fan Brush: For beginners doing wet-on-wet oil painting, a fan brush size #4 or #6 is usually the best place to start.
Best Beginner Choice
#6 Fan Brush
Best all-around size because it can handle:
Trees
Brushes
Grass
Soft Clouds
Water Highlights
Blending Edges
Water Falls
#4 Fan Brush
Good if you paint on smaller canvases like:
8×10
9×12
11×14
Gives a little more control for detail work.
If buying only one get a #6 natural bristle brush. Cheap fan brushes that are too floppy can be frustrating to paint with. A medium-firm bristle fan brush works best for wet-on-wet.
If you are interested in learning more about brushes, be sure to read my main guide. The Only Brushes You Really Need to Start. It explains the basic brushes that can handle most beginner oil painting techniques, including wet-on-wet.
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Oil painting brushes are an investment.If you clean them properly, they can last for years. If you don’t, they can be ruined in a single session.
Learning how to clean oil painting brushes the right way is one of the most important habits for beginner artists.
Oil paint does not dry like acrylic or watercolor. It hardens through oxidation, which means it slowly cures over time.
Because oil paint is made with oil-based binders, water alone will not clean your brushes. If paint dries inside the bristles, it becomes stiff and permanently damages the brush. That’s why proper cleaning is essential after every painting session.
Common Mistakes When Cleaning Oil Paint Brushes:
Even beginners can damage their brushes without realizing it. Avoid these common mistakes.
Leaving brushes sitting in solvents for long periods of time
Using hot water , which can loosen the glue inside the ferrule
Crushing the brushes while cleaning ( pushing straight down on the bristles )
Waiting to long after painting
Letting paint dry inside the brush
Taking that extra few minutes to clean your brushes will save you money and they will last a long time and perform better.
How to Clean Oil Paint Brushes After Every Painting Session — Step by Step This is the process you do every single time you finish painting. It takes about 5 minutes and it’s the difference between brushes that last 10 years and brushes that are stiff and ruined after 3 months.
Step 1 — Wipe the brush on a paper towel first
Before touching any solvent, wipe as much paint off the brush as possible onto a paper towel. Press the bristles flat and drag them across the towel in one direction. Repeat until most of the color is gone. This saves your solvent and makes the cleaning faster.
Step 2 — Swirl the brush in mineral spirits
Pour a small amount of Gamsol or odorless mineral spirits into your cleaning jar. Dip the brush in and swirl it gently against the coil or screen at the bottom. The coil loosens paint from deep inside the bristles. Do not jam the brush straight down — this bends and permanently damages the bristles. Use a gentle circular motion. Wipe the brush on a paper towel after swirling. Repeat this step until the solvent runs mostly clear when you swirl. For heavily loaded brushes this may take 2 or 3 rounds.
Step 3 — Wash with The Masters Brush Cleaner
This step is what most beginners skip — and it’s the most important one for long-term brush health. Wet the brush with lukewarm water, then work the bristles into The Masters Brush Cleaner soap using a circular motion on the palm of your hand. You’ll see color coming out even after the mineral spirits cleaned it. That’s residual pigment deep in the ferrule.
Rinse under lukewarm water, reshape the bristles, and repeat until the lather runs clear.
Step 4 — Final rinse and reshape
Rinse thoroughly under lukewarm water. Gently squeeze the bristles from ferrule to tip with your fingers to remove water. Reshape the brush to its original form — flat brushes go flat, round brushes go to a point. This is critical. If you let them dry in a bent shape they stay bent.
Step 5 — Dry flat or hanging bristles down
Never store wet brushes bristles up — water runs into the ferrule and loosens the glue that holds the bristles. Lay them flat on a towel or hang them bristles-down until completely dry. Once dry store them bristles-up in a jar or cup.
How to Clean Brushes Between Colors During a Painting Session You don’t need to do a full clean every time you switch colors mid-session.
Here’s what to do instead:
Wipe the brush thoroughly on a paper towel to remove as much paint as possible. Then swirl briefly in your mineral spirits jar and wipe again. This is called a mid-session wipe and it’s enough to keep colors from muddying while you’re actively painting.
Save the full 5-step clean for the end of your session.
Doing a deep clean between every color mid-session wastes solvent and slows you down.
How to Restore Hardened Oil Paint Brushes
If you’ve made the mistake of letting paint dry in your brushes — and most beginners do at least once — don’t throw them out yet. Here’s how to bring them back: Visit our FAQ page for more information.
Work The Masters Brush Cleaner deep into the hardened bristles dry first, without water. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. Then add lukewarm water and work it into a lather on your palm. The soap is specifically formulated to soften dried paint. Rinse and repeat.
For badly hardened brushes this may take 3 or 4 rounds but it works on brushes that look completely destroyed.
For brushes with completely hardened, rock-solid paint, soak the bristles only — not the ferrule — in Winsor and Newton Brush Cleaner and Restorer for several hours. This is a stronger solvent-based restorer designed specifically for this situation.
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The Bottom Line
Cleaning your oil painting brushes properly is not complicated but it has to be consistent. Wipe, swirl in Gamsol, wash with The Masters, rinse, reshape, dry flat. Five steps, five minutes, every single session. Do that every time and your brushes will outlast your interest in oil painting by a decade.
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This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.
Just getting into the wet-on-wet technique? The brushes below work for general oil painting, but if you’re focused on wet-on-wet specifically, check out my wet-on-wet starter brush kit for the exact brushes designed for that style.
Starting oil painting as an adult beginner can feel overwhelming. Walk into any art store and you’ll see dozens of brush shapes, sizes, and brands. The truth? You only need a few essential brushes to get started.
This simple guide will help you choose the right brushes without wasting money, like I did in the beginning. I suggest you try both of the styles in this list and go with the one you feel comfortable with. You can expand later on.
Why Brush Choice Matters: Oil paint is thicker and heavier than acrylic and watercolor. That means your brushes need:
*Firm bristles to move the thick paint
*Good spring( they snap back into shape )
*Strong ferrules ( the metal part ) to handle solvents and oils
For beginners, its better to buy fewer, better quality brushes than a large cheap set.
The 4 Essential Oil Painting Brushes to Start: Here are the only brushes you need to start. Get comfortable with these and then you can move on and experiment with other ones. I wasted a lot of money buying all different kinds of brushes.
Flat Brush (medium size) numbers on the brush go from smallest 00 as the number increase the brush gets bigger. With that the cost of the brush also goes up. Or in some cases it can go the other way. A flat Brush has a square edge and longer bristles. Best for: Blocking in large areas, painting backgrounds, creating sharp corners and building structure in landscapes and still life. Start with a size 6-8 flat. This will handle most of your early paintings. Size #8 for larger canvases and to cover more area quicker with the same features as a size #6.
Filbert Brush ( medium size ) slightly has a rounded tip, mostly looks like a flat brush but with the tip rounded. Best for: blending, creating soft edges, portrait work, and shapes such as clouds, trees, and fabric texture. This brush is considered the most versatile according to many oil painters. Start with a size 6.
3. Round Brush: (size 2 or 3) A round brush has a pointed tip.
Best for: Fine details
Lines
Highlights
Small adjustments
Round brush size #2 and round brush size #3 on a larger canvas I would use a #3 it all depends on what you are going to use it for. Either one will work, I’m just giving you the choice.
Example of Brush Sizes and There Best Use:
2-3 fine details and highlights
4-6 general painting and blending
8-10 blocking in shapes and mid-size areas
12+ backgrounds and large coverage
If you’re brand new, avoid buying only small brushes. Many beginners make that mistake and end up painting too tight and stiff.
What You Don’t Need ( YET )
fan brushes
specialty texture brushes
dozens of tiny detail brushes
expensive sable brushes
Keep it simple. Master the basics first. Patience will pay off and save you money.
Final Thoughts for Beginners of Any Age Starting Oil Painting: Just from my experience with oil paint brushes and any product you decide to purchase, if you try and save money with low end products it will show on your finished product. I’m not saying go out and buy Artist grade products. My goal is to guide you in the direction, so you’re learning experience is enjoyable and you wind up with a finished painting that looks the way you want it to, with the least amount of unnecessary frustration using poor equipment and wasted money in the long run.
Don’t over complicate it. A few well-chosen brushes are all you need to get started.
Understand the numbers. Choose the right bristle type. Practice consistently.
Oil Painting rewards patience and repetition-not a drawer full of tools and money wasted.
