2025 Recommended Oil Painting Brushes

After a year of successful painting, I've simplified my recommended brush list to feature only the best: Rosemary & Co brushes. These brushes are an investment, but with proper care, they will last a lifetime. Keep in mind that brushes are a very personal choice—whether you prefer a short handle, stiffer bristles, or something in between, these are the brushes I personally recommend and use regularly.

These brushes are perfect for beginners and experienced artists alike. They’re soft enough for beautiful blending, yet firm enough in the short flats to apply paint with ease. Around 90% of my students prefer softer brushes for oil painting over traditional hog brushes, and the Evergreen series strikes the ideal balance between softness and control.

We’ve also decided to skip half sizes, as the dimensional differences are too minimal to warrant purchasing every brush in the set. My personal favourite from the Evergreen series is the #6 Short Flat—it’s incredibly versatile and a must-have in your kit!

These brushes are similar to the Evergreen Short Flats, but with the added benefit of a tapered corner, making them ideal for creating precise, angular strokes. The unique shape allows for easy application of sharp edges and corners, while still providing enough flexibility to maintain pressure and control. Whether you're defining hard lines or sculpting crisp shapes, these brushes are incredibly versatile and effective.

I use the Ultimate Bristle Short Flats almost like a second phase in my paintings, especially when I want to add more movement, texture, and thickness—particularly in areas of bright highlights or saturated colours. The firm bristles are ideal for creating expressive, dynamic strokes and adding visual energy to your work.

These brushes are also excellent for alla prima painting, as they enable you to work wet-on-wet, layering thick paint without creating muddiness. The bristles hold enough paint to deliver rich, textured strokes, while still allowing you to work efficiently and with precision. If you love capturing the boldness of oil painting in its truest form, these brushes are a must-have in your toolkit.

If you’re looking to perfect your fine details and create the sharpest lines, these long-handle detail brushes are the perfect tool. Whether you go for the Size 0 for precision or the Size 2 for a bit more versatility, I’m confident these will quickly become your favourites as well.

If you're looking to add the finest details with extreme precision, the Micro Red Sable Series is the perfect choice. Whether you're working on delicate features or tiny elements in the background, these brushes will allow you to paint with unparalleled accuracy. Just be prepared for the patience required to reload your brush and maintain consistency!

One standout from the Rosemary & Co. lineup is the Series 37 Badger Fan Brushes—essential for anyone looking to create flawless blends with ease.

These brushes are truly unique, thanks to the soft yet resilient badger hair. Unlike traditional brushes, the Badger Fan doesn’t get clogged up as you work, allowing you to blend colours effortlessly without pushing them around. The result is a smoother, cleaner blend, making these brushes perfect for atmospheric backgrounds, soft transitions, and subtle effects.

The size you choose depends on the scale of your work, but personally, I favour the Large size for its versatility and capacity to cover larger areas without sacrificing control.

The Mundy Mops are fantastic for creating realism in your work. Their soft, fluffy bristles make them ideal for blending and softening transitions, especially when you want to smooth out harsh lines or blend colours seamlessly. Whether I’m painting detailed still lifes, refining a portrait, or softening the background of a landscape, I always reach for a Mundy Mop. I use these brushes on every painting I do, in every size, and I can’t imagine working without them.

A brush case is a must-have for any artist who wants to keep their brushes organized, protected, and ready for use. Not only is it perfect for transporting brushes to and from classes or workshops, but it also helps you stay organized while you paint. I personally use mine to store clean brushes, so I don’t risk muddling them with dirty ones and having to re-clean everything. This simple solution helps me keep my workflow efficient and ensures that my brushes stay in top condition, ready for the next stage of my painting.

For those who have joined our classes or courses, you'll know that a palette knife is an absolute must-have tool in my painting process. It's essential not only for mixing colours on the palette but also for keeping your brushes clean and your palette organized.

I find using a palette knife to mix paint the easiest and most effective method for maintaining a clean workspace. It prevents the paint from getting stuck in your brushes, which allows for smoother transitions between colours and keeps your brushes free from excess paint. For beginners, I also recommend using a palette knife for colour mixing. It’s a great way to understand the proportions of paint and see how colours shift and change in a more methodical way, giving you a clearer understanding of colour theory.

My personal favourite is the Tear Drop M palette knife. I love it so much that I have four of them in the same size! The shape and flexibility are perfect for mixing, scraping, and even adding texture to your paintings. I highly recommend this tool for all levels of painters to enhance your colour mixing and streamline your workflow.

Thank you all for reading our 2025 Recommended Oil Paint Brush blog! I hope these suggestions help you enhance your painting experience and elevate your work in the new year. Stay tuned for our next post, where we’ll dive into studio essentials—from easels and pots to lighting and mediums. We’ll cover all the must-have tools and setups to create the ideal space for your art.

Happy painting in 2025, and we’ll see you soon with more tips and recommendations!