Best Rosemary & Co Brushes for Oil Painting – 2026 Recommendations
Over the last year, I’ve explored a huge range of brushes from Rosemary & Co – some kindly gifted and others I’ve invested in myself – to understand which perform best for different oil painting techniques.
Some recommendations remain the same as last year simply because they’ve performed exceptionally well. What has changed is my growing interest in texture, brush shape and expressive mark-making, both in my teaching and my own painting practice.
I always tell my students: buy the best brushes you can comfortably afford. Start with a few versatile, high-quality brushes rather than a large collection and build from there.
Good brushes make painting more enjoyable, give you greater control and allow for more varied, confident marks. Look after them properly and they can last for years.
Masters Choice brushes give oil paint a beautifully ‘buttery’ application.
Fantastic for Alla Prima painting and ideal for creating more confident, expressive mark-making while still maintaining control.
Size 0 - Long Handle
Size 1 - Long Handle
Fantastic pointed round brushes that offer excellent control and pressure for detailed work, even wet-on-wet when refining edges. For me, they outperform the sable brushes I previously recommended, holding their shape better with heavier paint and without shedding hairs.
Size 2 - Long Handle
Size 4 - Long Handle
Size 6 - Long Handle
Size 8 - Long Handle
Really enjoying the quality of the Masters Series brushes, made from a blend of male and female badger hair. They offer a beautiful balance between softness and control, with a buttery application of oil paint. After using them in my professional work for the past year, I’ve now switched from short flats to filberts, which give my paintings softer, more varied edges rather than everything feeling too square.
Size 2 - Long Handle
The same badger fan brush I recommended last year, but smaller. At just 40mm wide, it’s perfect for softer blending and hazing on smaller areas. Brilliant for reducing edges without muddying colours, where the larger badger brush can sometimes be too broad for anything beyond backgrounds.
For anyone wanting to treat themselves to a set without choosing individual shapes and sizes, this is a fantastic starting point and where I began with Masters Choice. Ideal for pushing your painting further, particularly if you want more texture, confident marks and a quicker, more expressive approach.
The Red Dot Series offers a fantastic vegan alternative to sable, with plenty of benefits.
They’re cheaper than real sable, don’t shed hairs and maintain their performance beautifully. Their softness makes them ideal for classical oil painting techniques, particularly delicate glazing and accurate, controlled application.
Size 4- Long Handle
Size 6 - Long Handle
Size 8 - Long Handle
Beautiful brushes for very soft blending and glazing. I’ve been using a size 6 for months and love its accuracy when adjusting edges in still life and portraiture. Just note, these brushes run small—a size 6 is much smaller than a size 6 Evergreen, so check the measurements before ordering.
Size 1/4" - Long Handle
Size 3/8" - Long Handle
Every time I return to still life, softer textures or detailed botanical painting, the 1/4” Red Dot Angular is a favourite. It’s the perfect balance between blending and applying paint, while the angled shape lets you push accurately into corners. I could almost paint an entire 6"×6" panel with this brush alone!
The workhorse of my painting and teaching practice!
Evergreen brushes are still my winner for overall performance. I start almost every painting with them, as their softness allows me to work thinly (when used with turpentine) with plenty of control.
The same recommendation as last year, although I’m now using more filberts than short flats – simply a personal preference for softer, more varied edges.
Size 2 - Long Handle
Size 4 - Long Handle
Size 6 - Long Handle
Size 8 - Long Handle
I couldn’t recommend these brushes more! I’m currently using a size 4 for almost every painting I start – I’ve recently bought ten of them because I reach for this brush so often. Having multiples of your favourite size also helps keep warm and cool colours separate, preventing muddy colour mixing.
Size 2 - Long Handle
Size 4 - Long Handle
Size 6 - Long Handle
Size 8 - Long Handle
Size 10 - Long Handle
I’ve kept the Short Flat in this year’s recommendations as brush shape ultimately comes down to your painting style. I still use these a lot, particularly for larger backgrounds, accurate lines and squarer marks. The same fantastic Evergreen bristles, but a great shape for architecture, landscapes and anywhere you want a little more precision.
Size 1/4" - Long Handle
Size 3/8" - Long Handle
Size 1/2" - Long Handle
A fantastic brush shape that lends itself to almost any subject. The angled edge allows me to achieve more with a single brush, relying less on small rounds and keeping my painting style looser and less fiddly. I also see many of my students using these as a staple in their painting practice.
The Ultimate Bristle Series does exactly what it says – creates rougher, less controlled marks that bring energy and texture to a painting.
Fantastic for brush-mark retention, loaded paint and wet-on-wet techniques. I rely on these when I want to loosen up, particularly for creating energetic under-paintings before becoming more decisive in later layers.
Size 2 - Long Handle
Size 4 - Long Handle
Size 6 - Long Handle
Size 8 - Long Handle
Size 10 - Long Handle
This recommendation ultimately depends on how you like to paint. If you enjoy thicker impasto, coarse mark-making and a looser style, these are the brushes for you. Despite being hog bristle, they have a softness you simply don’t get from cheaper hog brushes – giving you texture and energy without feeling overly harsh.
Size 2 - Long Handle
Size 4 - Long Handle
Size 6 - Long Handle
Size 8 - Long Handle
Size 10 - Long Handle
The same brush type and sizes I recommend, but in a Short Flat shape. This really comes down to personal preference – I use both and often switch between them. If you’re unsure, try a few of each shape to see what suits your painting style. In my experience, these outperform the hog brushes I’ve used from Jackson’s and Pro Arte.
The final category is purely about blending!
I use a range of blending brushes to soften and lose edges, create smooth transitions and blend without muddying colours.
Having dedicated blending brushes is an essential part of my painting process, particularly for portraiture, still life and soft-focus backgrounds.
Size 1/4" - Long Handle
Size 3/8" - Long Handle
Size 1/2" - Long Handle
The best soft blending brush I’ve ever used. The Goat Hair Mop is incredibly versatile, particularly the 1/4" size, and an absolute essential for classical oil painting. Smaller and more precise than a fan brush, it’s perfect for softening edges, turning form and creating distance. I’ve used these for over four years and now own several!
Size - Small
Featured again in this year’s recommendations! I only use the smaller size, but it’s fantastic for reducing surface texture and creating soft-focus backgrounds. The badger hair gently blends without becoming clogged with paint – perfect for creating distance behind foreground subjects. A must-buy for me!
Size Small - Long Handle
Size Medium - Long Handle
Size Large - Long Handle
I wanted to include a synthetic blending option with a little more control. These Smooshing Brushes give you beautiful softness and smooth blending without using natural hair. Another great option is a Red Dot fan brush, which offers similar softness for gently blending and reducing edges.
After another year of painting and teaching with these brushes, my biggest recommendation is still to buy fewer, better brushes and gradually discover the shapes and hair types that suit the way you paint.
There isn’t one perfect brush for every artist. I’m currently moving towards softer edges, more visible brushwork and looser mark-making, so naturally my brush choices have evolved with my painting.
If you’re unsure where to start, I’d recommend choosing a few Evergreens as your everyday workhorses, then adding specialist brushes from the Masters Choice, Red Dot or Ultimate Bristle ranges depending on whether you want more texture, precision or softness.
And finally – look after them! A good-quality brush can last for years when cleaned and stored properly, even with the amount of use mine get through teaching and studio painting.
I’ll continue updating these recommendations as my own painting develops and I discover new favourites.
Thanks, Dan
Cheshire Art Classes
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