What Makes Jackson’s Synthetic Brush Fibres Special?

Jackson’s Synthetic Brushes are made by some of the world’s leading brushmakers and chosen by our in house team of experienced painters. The range includes brushes for oil, acrylic, and watercolour: from mottlers and watercolour brushes to synthetic mops and fine-detail brushes. Synthetic brushes must perform in different ways depending on the needs of each medium. Here we take a closer look at the different characteristics of fibres and how they complement a range of painting styles.

Jackson’s synthetic brushes are made using one type of fibre, made of the compound PBT (polybutylene terephthalate). PBT is common in everyday objects – it can be found in anything from swimwear and toothbrushes to false eyelashes and computer keyboards. It is particularly useful as a hair replacement because it is strong, has excellent stain resistance, and good machining characteristics. This allows the fibres to be easily manipulated and helps in the treatment process.

The fibres are also treated with a special process that frees the micro-synthetic fibres of any static electricity. This enables the hairs to smoothly and precisely react to any kind of stroke.

All Jackson’s synthetic brushes are made with this type of fibre, which is then treated in different ways. Each type of treatment results in different surface textures. The different surface textures are referred to as Shiny, Dull, and Full-Dull.

Brush Fibre Treatments:

Shiny – The smoothest and slickest fibre surface
Dull – A mid-way point between Shiny and Full-Dull. Small micro-craters ensure a higher surface area than Shiny fibres, but overall smoother than Full-Dull
Full-Dull – Covered in tiny micro-craters, this increased surface area maximises holding capacity.

The fibres of some Jackson’s brushes are also manipulated to produce different effects:

U-Shaped Fibres – U-Shaped fibres are designed to hold more paint. The channel or ‘U-shape’ profile maximises how much paint is collected, laying it down smoothly and evenly.
Crimped Fibres – Crimped fibres have a wave in the filament which causes them to flare out at the end, giving the feeling of a more densely filled brush. Some fibres may have a more significant wave than others, depending on how the brush is designed to perform.

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Shiny

Close-up of the Shiny fibre surface

The smoothest synthetic fibre treatment available. They are smoother than Dull and considerably smoother than Full-Dull. The smoothness of these fibres means the hairs are very glossy. This helps achieve smooth and fresh brush marks.

Jackson’s Shinku Brushes are made up solely of the Shiny fibre type. Shinku is the only Jackson’s brush range which has non-mixed fibres – all other ranges of synthetic brushes are made up of a combination of different fibre treatments.

As a result of using these fibres, the Shinku range has good spring with a lot of snap. They are softer than hog and the very glossy fibre means the brushes glide through the paint, giving your work a smooth and clean look. They are particularly good for blending and glazing with oil paints.

Jackson’s Akoya, Procryl and Onyx are all examples of mixed fibre brushes. Each one uses a blend of Shiny fibres with either Dull or Full-Dull fibres, which helps to replicate the natural variation of real hair.

Jackson’s Shinku – Shiny fibres result in smooth, glossy brush strokes

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Dull

Close-up of the Dull fibre surface

Dull brush fibres offer a midway point between Shiny and Full-Dull. Jackson’s Procryl Brushes use a combination of Dull and Shiny fibres which results in a natural and moderately springing feeling. They are nicely absorbent, while the softness of the hairs makes this a great choice for soft blending. Strokes feel very responsive and they are capable of blending to a very high standard, as well as producing fluid washes. The combination means brush strokes feel soft but firm – the edge holds its tight shape while loaded with paint, producing a clean, chiselled edge where necessary.

Procryl is also unique because it’s the only range to use a mix of Crimped Fibres. The crimped fibres have a wave in the filament which gives the feeling of a more densely filled brush. This is important for certain applications and enhances the softness, while removing some of the ‘slickness’.

Procryl Brushes – Available in: Mottler, Bright, Long Flat, Filbert and Pointed Round

Dull Fibres are also used in our Icon Quill and Raven Brushes alongside Full-Dull fibres. This pairing helps to increase the surface area of the fibres and results in greater colour holding than the Shinku, for example. Retaining the use of Dull Fibres means these brushes still retain a good amount of springiness. They hold a lot of water and paint which enables watercolourists to produce colourful washes and long, flowing strokes.

Jackson’s Raven – Mixed fibres means an excellent take-up and release of colour and water for big washes and long, flowing strokes

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Full-Dull

Jackson’s Akoya, Icon, Raven and Onyx all have Full-Dull fibres, in combination with other fibres. There are a number of challenges when trying to replicate the benefits produced by natural hair brushes. Take for example, artists looking for maximum paint/water holding and release. Kolinsky is the only natural hair that manages to do all this well, due to the unique structure of the hair. It has very fine cuticles along the follicle which controls the pick-up and release of paint. Full-Dull fibres aim to replicate this scaled texture, as the below image shows. The surface is covered in micro-craters which each hold a great deal more paint than the smooth surface of the Shiny fibres.

Close-up of the Full-Dull fibre surface

Jackson’s Akoya and Onyx brushes both combine this micro-cratered surface with Shiny fibres, helping to create brushes with excellent spring and also good colour holding and releasing abilities.

Akoya was developed as a ‘vegan hog’ and delivers on stiffness and spring. Unlike watercolour brushes such as a sable, which has soft hair as its main component, hog brushes have bristles which allow artists to paint with oil colours which are much thicker. Jackson’s synthetic alternative keeps its shape very well and stands up to tough applications of paint. Because of this, the Akoya range is useful for thick, impasto techniques in oil or acrylic.

Jackson’s Akoya – Full-Dull and Shiny fibre combination results in a stiff yet springy brush which nicely retains brush strokes

The Onyx combines these unique characteristics but with one key difference – the range uses a mix of U-Shaped Fibres. U-Shaped fibres are designed to hold more paint. The channel or ‘U-shape’ profile maximises how much paint is collected, laying it down smoothly from the root to the tip of the fibre. This gives the Onyx range an added dimension which enhances its colour holding and releasing abilities. The result of combining these fibres is a stiff-haired brush which has a great spring, holds its shape well, and has excellent colour holding capacity.

Whatever medium you’re working in, it is worth taking the time to consider what brush and fibre are best for your style. Some will enable you to work with thicker or more vigorous brushstrokes, whereas others are better suited for soft blending and washes. Through our range we have sought to cover all bases, meaning artists can work with brushes that best suit their own working methods.

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You can browse our range of brushes, including those mentioned in this article, by clicking here.