How to make a tassel from threads. Step-by-step master class in photographs

The old masters made their own paints and brushes. The technology for making brushes is not complicated, but it is responsible and requires delicacy. This is an unusual business, so few people know the secrets of this craft. However, you can make brushes even at home. So, what is the technology for making art brushes?

1. Harvesting hair or bristles.

The hair of animals contains down and straight hair, which is thicker than down and stiffer. I wrote about what hair and what animals classic brushes for painting are made from. When harvesting hair, you need to sort it by length. The hair bundle should consist of hair of approximately the same length. The ends of your hair should never be cut. I wrote why this is important.

2. Forming the basis of the future brush.

Next, the hairs in the hair bundle are aligned in some small cylindrical vessel. The bottom of such a vessel should be flat. The hair descends with its trimmed part to the bottom of the cylinder. Now, it needs to be leveled by gently tapping the bottom of the cylinder on the table. The hairs will settle and become even. After this, they are tied into a bun and combed with a fine-toothed comb to remove unnecessary hairs.

3. Degreasing and tanning.

Degreasing is carried out by soaking the hair bundle in gasoline for 3 days. After this, it is washed with clean gasoline and dried. After which, the workpiece should be boiled in a 10% solution of potassium alum. This is called tanning. Tanning is necessary in order to make the hair non-hygroscopic, flexible and durable.

4. Hardening.

This procedure is necessary to give elasticity to the hair. The hair of a painting brush should be moderately elastic and hard, moderately elastic. To harden, the hair of the future brush is wrapped in thin paper, for example, newspaper and tied with thread. Next, the hair is hardened in an oven with hot air at a temperature of 150 degrees. This is done for about an hour. The time and temperature are not the same for different types of hair and depend on their type. The temperature can be determined by the color of the paper: if it turns slightly yellowish, then the temperature is insufficient. If it turns brown, the temperature is over 150 degrees. In this case, the hair will become brittle, so do not exceed the temperature. After the initial hardening, the hair is combed to remove unnecessary hairs and the hardening is repeated. The quality of hardening is checked by wetting the future brush in water. If the hairs on the surface of the bundle become curly, then the hardening is insufficient.

5. Knitting the brush.

After all procedures, the hair bundle is untied and placed in a cone of the appropriate size with the hair ends down. Next, tapping the cone on the table, you need to straighten the hair. The hair bun should take on a conical shape (if the brush should be round or elliptical). After giving the desired shape, short and unnecessary hairs are combed out of the hair. Then the hair bundle is finally tied with thread. The bandaged area is impregnated with glue.

6. Securing the hair in the capsule.

The capsule is a metal part of the hand that looks like a conical tube. The hair bundle is placed into the capsule on its wide side, after which the hair inside the capsule is filled with glue. (By the way, capsules can be used from old and damaged brushes, after first clearing it of glue and hair.) The length of the hair of the future brush must be adjusted depending on its purpose. Too long hair makes the brush soft and unable to hold its shape well, but it is flexible and holds a large amount of paint. On the contrary, short hair will make your brush hard and unyielding.

7. Securing the capsule to the handle.

Finally, the capsule is placed on a wooden handle. First, glue is instilled into the capsule. After this, the capsule is pressed onto a wooden handle. The brush handle can be tinted, painted and varnished.

If you do everything correctly, the brush will turn out no worse than the factory one. Therefore, I wish you success in this rare craft!

Let’s try to figure it out together with you how to make a paint brush in five minutes.

Everything is in stores now! Buying any brush quite cheaply is not a problem, but imagine this situation. You need to paint something. Literally two brush strokes. After such short-term use, you will have to throw away the brush. It’s a shame, but there’s nothing you can do, it’s not easy to wash it by hand.

And in this situation, this article will come to your rescue.

How to make a paint brush with your own hands, very simply and cheaply, that does not need to be thrown away and does not need to be washed, with detailed photographs will be described in it.

What can you make a brush from?

This does not require a lot of time and materials. An old dried brush or any other pen that is comfortable to hold in your hand while painting and a few more details will be enough.

We disassemble the old brush so that the handle remains intact, and throw away the rest.

Next, select an ordinary office clip of the width you need for the brush, and adjust the width of the handle to the width of the clip. It’s better not to cut the handle with a knife, but to saw it off, it will be neater, and there’s no risk that the wood will break off in the wrong place.

To secure the clamp to the handle, you need to select two small and not thick screws. Depending on the diameter of the screws, you need to take two drills. The larger one is for drilling the clamp, and the smaller one is for drilling a hole for the screw in the handle (so that it does not split when tightening the screws).

We drill holes.

Screw the clamp to the handle.

Cut the foam to the required size and insert it into the clamp.

The brush is ready.

The brush for painting is made by yourself, you can use it indefinitely and not worry that the paint will dry out and you will have to throw away the brush. After painting, you simply throw away the used foam rubber, and just wipe the handle lightly to remove traces of paint. You don’t even have to throw away the foam rubber, but leave the brush as it is.

In order for the brush to be ready for further use, simply replace the dried foam rubber with a piece of new one and the brush is ready for use again. You can take any foam rubber, such as you have.

If foam rubber is not found, then you can use a piece of old fabric folded in several layers, a piece of felt or something similar.

As you can see, there are no hopeless situations.

Even the smallest nail brushes I can find are often too big for me. I know you can order fairly small brushes online, but I don't like ordering online and waiting for everything to arrive, it literally drives me crazy. I once ordered a sable fur brush from the Sally Hansen online store, painted one stripe with it and dipped it in acetone to clean it, as I usually do with all brushes, and when I took the brush out of the acetone, I discovered that all the lint was gone - I'm not kidding . Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed. I think another reason I don't like ordering online is because the mail isn't delivered directly to your home and you have to pick up the packages from the branch... but that's a whole different story.

In any case, I'm more inclined to look in the art departments of big box stores or specialty art stores along the way to see what brushes they have on sale. Usually you can find brushes there for one or two dollars. So, if you can’t find a brush small enough for nail design, you can make your own quite easily. All you need are nail scissors, or, what I prefer, cuticle clippers.

Having bought a cheap brush, I simply take my pliers and run them around the base of the handle, cutting off small sections of the hair, gradually moving towards the middle. I try to keep the cut edge more or less the same width so that when I get the brush to the thinness I want, the remaining hair will be in the middle of the brush and not pushed to the side.

Continue trimming small sections of hair evenly around the entire circumference of the brush until you feel it is thin enough for you.

Below are a few of my brushes, you can see how thin some of them are. You will also notice that among the five brushes I photographed, I have two similar brushes with black handles. The only difference is that I trimmed the bristles of one of the brushes more thinly.

In general, when I find a good cheap brush, I usually buy a few of them so that I can make several nail art brushes of different sizes and have spare brushes in case one gets too worn out, or I end up ruining it or losing it. .

There are a huge variety of brushes now, and the most unusual ones. Once again, going through my brushes, I decided to figure out the types of bristles, what exactly is suitable for what. After all, we draw so often that we no longer think about why a squirrel is used or how a kolinsky differs from a bristle.

Squirrel

One of the most famous brushes with which many begin learning to draw. They are made from hairs from the tail of a squirrel, and the hair taken from the top of the tail is much more valuable. Such brushes are only round, very soft and elastic; they can also be used to make flute-shaped brushes (but the width of the flute is limited). They are mainly used for working with watercolors and water-based paints, because these brushes hold water well. At the same time, the protein is too delicate for oil and may begin to come out from the solvent. Squirrel hair retains its shape perfectly, does not break, absorbs moisture and washes well under running water. The squirrel brush allows you to paint without uneven stripes and blurry spots due to the fact that when in contact with paper, porcelain, earthenware, the hairs do not separate and lead a clear, directional line. Squirrel brushes need to be carefully looked after. The squirrel's hair is very thin, blue, black or brown.

I read here that the material for these brushes can be the bristles of different breeds of Siberian squirrels.

For example, the hair of the CASAN breed is considered the thinnest. It is used to make tools used to paint ceramics and porcelain. The bristles of the TALUTKY breed squirrel are longer and are used for brushes used for calligraphy. CANADISCHE squirrels are valuable for their short, black hair. Each of their hairs has a thin tip. Therefore, this breed of squirrel makes excellent watercolor brushes.

Columns

Brushes made from its bristles are considered very valuable. The kolonok is a cross between a ferret, a marten and a mink at the same time. There are only a few of these animals in nature, and besides, it is not so easy to prepare. For example, the ponytail of a Siberian weasel produces no more than 2 g of bristles, suitable for brushes. It will make 3-4 thin brushes and 1-2 large ones. For brushes, fur is taken only from its tail and only from animals living in the river valleys of Siberia, China and Korea. Kolonkovy hair is very elastic, light and has a sharp tip. The best quality kolinsky brushes are those made from male hair caught in winter. By the way, a pile column suitable for painting is called spine. Hair color may vary. It depends on the season in which the animal was caught, generally it is golden brown in color. They are similar in quality to squirrel ones, although there are differences. The villi of the column at the very base are much stiffer and thicker, and at the tip they are softer, very elastic and elastic. The brush can be cylindrical or flat, in different shades from light red to dark brown. These brushes are used for both thin and thick paints. In oil painting they are used when making small details; core brushes are also convenient for glazing techniques on wet surfaces.

Sable

The golden mean between soft squirrel and elastic column. The peculiarity of sable brushes is that they are very durable and almost do not wear out, even when working with rough surfaces; they are made from sable tails. The brush is very flexible, picks up a large volume of paint and releases it in doses. Because of these qualities, such brushes allow you to work in various techniques, from “dry” brushes to wet techniques. Everything can be done with one brush, which is very convenient. The best choice for working with watercolors, egg tempera, gouache. Sable brushes are quite rare and quite expensive, but they are worth it.

Marten

Made from the hair of marten or the weasel family. Brushes made from marten hair differ in their properties, depending on what kind of marten it is: lowland or mountain. Brushes made from plains marten hair are as soft as squirrels, but brushes made from mountain marten hair are a little more elastic. On sale, such brushes are less common than squirrel brushes.

Weasel

An alternative to pile column. The hairs are red-brown in color, with a good sharp tip, good fullness, but not as long as that of the Kolinka.

Bristle

Quite tough, elastic and long. It is sorted by shade (available in black, gray and white) and length, treated with chemicals and bleached. The prepared bristles are doused with boiling water, after which it becomes more elastic. When finished, it has a light color. High quality bristles are produced in China and Russia.

You can distinguish this brush from others by visual inspection - the pig's hair is split at the end. It was this feature that led to the use of pig hair - the specific tip allows the brush to absorb a large volume of paint and apply it evenly, without dipping the brush again. The best brushes of this type have up to 80% split hairs, but for art brushes, calibrated unsplit bristles are still better. These brushes are chosen for painting with oil, acrylic (you don’t need to dilute), gouache and tempera. These brushes have a peculiarity - there is no ending at the beam, thanks to this the brush is able to pick up a fairly large amount of paint and retain it. The basic shape of the brush is flat, although there are cylindrical and fan shapes, as well as fluted ones.

Pony

Soft pile with a cylindrical tuft, absorbs water well. The bristles that grow behind the ears or on the back are used. Brushes are often used in schools and kindergartens to teach watercolor techniques. Brushes made from pony hair absorb paints well, but give them off worse than they absorb, they gather into a cone shape, hold their shape well, but do not have sufficient elasticity. This type of hair, like that of a pony, is classified as a decorative hair type, since it does not have a sharp tip, which is why these brushes are not very suitable for professional work. May be brown or white. Designed for working with water-soluble paint: watercolor, gouache or tempera.

Goat

Goat hair is elastic, resilient and quite long, and comes in white and yellow shades. Softer than pig bristles. The brushes retain their shape, absorb paint and water perfectly, resulting in smooth strokes. They are used in watercolor painting, calligraphy, batik and ceramic painting, and Japanese painting. It is noteworthy that for calligraphy, brushes are used mainly with bamboo handles because of their lightness. This brush is suitable for batik work because it can withstand hot wax.

Ear hair brushes

Such brushes are made from hair that is taken from the inside of the ears of oxen and cows, the quality of which is determined by the breed of the animal. Typically, such brushes are inexpensive, but durable, elastic and sensitive in use, give good results and retain their shape well. The hair has a silky texture. They are made flat and round, and brushes are also made for covering large surfaces. Oxhair brushes are used to work with oil paints, acrylic, tempera, and gouache. Cow hair brushes are used to work with almost all types of paints: watercolor, gouache, tempera, acrylic, oil paints.

Mongoose

Mongoose brushes are easily distinguished by the color of the bristles; the tip is dark brown and the base is black and white or grayish. Brushes are cylindrical or flat, elastic and slightly hard. They are usually used when working with thick paints (for example, oil and acrylic). From my own experience, I can say that it can also be used for painting with watercolors using a dry technique; it holds its shape well and has a thin tip, but does not hold water very well.

Wolf

Rather exotic for us, but quite common in the east. These brushes are made from wolf hair. They are distinguished by their special elasticity and elasticity, thanks to these qualities, such brushes are mainly used for calligraphy and guohua painting (a style of traditional Chinese painting in which ink and water paints are used on silk or paper), brushes made from Chinese yellow wolf, which is essentially a columnar.

Bear

Made from processed brown or polar bear hair. Brushes made from polar bear hair are flat in shape with a long or short hair tuft; brushes made from brown bear hair are round, as in the photo above. These brushes are less rigid, but more elastic compared to bristle brushes; they have high elasticity and softness. Used for “heavy” types of paints: oil paints. gouache, etc. Brushes made from brown bear hair are round in shape and are more soft and elastic. Used for working with tempera, watercolor, ink, etc.

Badger

The hair for these brushes is taken from the tail of a badger. Due to its properties, badger fur has become an ideal material for making butter tools. Brushes made from badger hair are softer than bristle brushes, have a conical shape, and are distinguished by their “fluffiness.” The best badger fur brushes can be identified by their white tip and a stripe in the middle.

Manufacturers sometimes imitate them by dyeing pig bristles or goat hair brushes. However, the latter cannot compare with a badger hair brush in their working properties. If you are not sure about the authenticity of the brush, pay attention to the following: if the hair does not have a “belly” or tip, and there are twisted and curled hairs along its length, then it is a goat hair brush; if there are split hairs, it is hog bristles.

Synthetics

Synthetic brushes are made from nylon, polyester and other fibers.
Synthetic hair based on nylon is hard and does not release water, so it is not suitable for watercolor painting, but for oil paints and acrylic this quality is just appropriate.
Synthetic hair based on polyesters provides varying degrees of elasticity. Hairs of different lengths and diameters are collected into a bundle, which gives a capillary effect, which allows you to use such brushes even in watercolors.

Such brushes are less prone to destruction under the influence of thinners, insects, paints, and direct sunlight. But due to mechanical stress, these brushes are inferior in wear resistance to natural ones; the bristles quickly wear out and become soft. There are many variations of mixed types of brushes made from different bristles. They mix both natural piles and combine synthetic and natural ones. Recently, the production of synthetic brushes has been actively developing and high-quality synthetics may well replace or complement natural bristles over time.

A short guide to different materials and types of pile.

Oil - brush bristles, kolinsky, ear hair, synthetics, badger.
Tempera - synthetic, badger, squirrel, brush bristles, kolinsky, ear hair
Gouache - ear hair, synthetics, protein, bristle brush, kolinsky
Watercolor - brush squirrel, kolinsky, synthetic imitation.
Acrylic - synthetic, brush, squirrel.

In addition, there are brushes made from fox hair, hare hair (these brushes are made from a special subspecies of the wild hare), raccoon, rat fur, wild horse mane, camel hair, otter, ferret, pharaoh mouse, young seal, sandstone, Chinese Angking hog , rabbit, ermine, deer, from plant fibers, from chicken fluff, etc.

In Petrykivka painting, craftsmen themselves make brushes from cat fur hairs, the so-called cats. I even found a master class for those who like experimenting.

And here's how the brushes are assembled.

While I was writing this post, I was thinking a lot about the ethics of making natural brushes. It is clear that the technology has been developed for centuries and brushes are often made from fur production waste, but at the same time it is clear that demand can increase harvesting volumes. No one will catch animals and cut off the required amount of hair from them from the required places. Therefore, it’s like with natural fur coats - beautiful, comfortable, but how humane? I personally switched to synthetics and imitation a long time ago; natural brushes are rather rare, but I calmly paint watercolors with synthetics, not disdaining the cheapest brushes. I really hope that over time, synthetics will replace natural fibers and they will become more exotic than a necessity.

For hats or bacti, sometimes you want to make tassels. Well, for example, like this:

Let's study!
Making a brush with your own hands is not difficult. All you need for this is nothing: thread, scissors and a piece of cardboard!

Threads and scissors are understandable, but cardboard is needed for a template; you need to wrap it around something. The width of the cardboard should be several centimeters greater than the desired length of the brush. So, in advance we will cut a piece of thread on which our tassel will actually hang. The length of the piece is approximately, well, 30 centimeters. Don’t be sorry, the thread should be longer than the tassel, then you will understand why. Place the cardboard on top and wrap a thread around the top, something like this:

When you decide that you have wound enough threads, cut them and tie the pre-cut piece into one knot. Remove all the threads from the cardboard and then tie the knot tightly and firmly:

Cut it like this:

Now you need to decide what kind of brush you will make, simpler or more complex. It is better to make it simpler with thick threads. Why am I talking about this now? Because there will be a small difference: where to put the fastening thread, up or inside.

So, more simple option.

Cut another piece of thread and tie the tassel with a tight knot, like this, the thread that holds the tassel goes up:

Then wind several rows, tightening them tightly, and tie them carefully again:

If you have thick threads, then you can stop there, just trim the ends evenly and get a simple, but no less beautiful one (I didn’t trim it in the photo):