It's surprising how many deft hand skills it takes to produce a paintbrush. (Link to video)
(Link to video) This video shows some of the steps.
(Link to Part 2) The manual dexterity and expertise explains why brushes cost as much as they do.
Previously: How to Clean Out a Brush
Article on Brushes on The Artist's Road website
1 comment:
Thank you for your blog-entry.
Today, I am able to add a little story which might interest you.
Right in my neighborhood, there is a little family business, a company (zirbelnuss(dot)de), where they handcraft all kind of brushes since 225 years! Yes, twohundred...
When I moved into the neighbourhood in 2014, my son was 10 and I thought it may interest him to learn more. The truth was, it was me who was really eager to see what they are doing and how, so I called.
Three days later we were invited.
Two brothers run the company nowadays and they and their familied are very kind people.
One brother was so proud being able to show us everything. He took all the time to show us the rooms, from office to coffee-room for the employees, the history and the different processed how to make different brushes.
With some pride I was told that their brushes are qualitatively so good that they are even used for ships and so because they loose no hair.
We were shown the stores, the materials and were allowed to have a nice chat with the people to work there.
It surprised me how much handcraft is still done and what skills people needed to make those brushes, but most of all I like that we always greet and smile at each other, even we live in a town, where you expect less "neighbour feeling".
By the way "Zirbelnuss" (=cembra nut) is typical for Augsburg. You find it in stone or marble in historical buildings, in old paintings, on old metal ornaments, it is part of the municipal coat of arms and goes back to the thousands of year old connection between Augsburg and ancient Rome. The cembra nut was the field sign of the Roman's camp between those local rivers Lech and Wertach, when this area became part of the Roman province raetia.
As always, I am losing track, from brushes to history, yet: things belong together.
Have a lovely day and may you, your family and friends and of course whoever may read this stay healthy.
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