Lettering Brushes

Lettering brushes typically have very long hairs, generally of natural fibers, although the scarcity of some natural fibers has fostered the development of synthetic alternatives. A lettering brush has a round ferrule like the liner, but the end of the hair is shaped flat instead of pointed. This long hair gives them high color carrying capacity, useful for producing large block letters with a single stroke. Lettering with brushes requires more skill and patience than lettering with pens.

Two types of brushes are common to lettering. One type brush is red sable brushes with round ferrules and square tips, this brush is called a rigger. The second type of preferred brush is red sable brushes with flat ferrules. These brushes are held in the same way as pencils or the artist may use a two-finger grip on the middle of the ferrule. The brush bristles should form approximately a 90-degree angle to the lettering surface.

Brushes made of soft natural fibers, such as squirrel and sable, perform best on smooth surfaces such as glass, plastic, vinyl, or metal. For abrasive surfaces, such as rough wood, ceramics, or acrylic primed canvas, choose a brush with a more durable fiber, such as bristle or synthetic. Soft hairs deteriorate rapidly on a rough surface.