Monarch

Introduction

Monarch is a professional synthetic hair brush that mimics the look and feel of natural Mongoose hair (now an endangered species).

Just like Mongoose hair, the polyester filaments in Monarch provide a stiffer alternative to sable hair but are softer than hog bristle which means this brush is excellent for subtle blending, glazing and fine detail work.  In addition, because Monarch is synthetic   it is more durable than natural hair and has more spring making it better for moving heavy bodied oil colour as  well as being less prone to damage from solvents or  paint.

Monarch is suitable for oil colour, water mixable oil colour or acrylic colour painting.

It has a distinct appearance with hair that is variegated in shades of ivory, gold, brown and each brush has a gold ferrule attached to a long dark brown lacquered handle.

Ideal flexibility

Monarch is made with the highest quality blend of polyester filaments to provide the ideal flexibility needed when working with heavy body colour. Hog can sometimes be too stiff to work colour on the canvas, whilst sable may not be stiff enough to add precision and detail – Monarch’s flexibility is in between hog and sable and so gives the balance.

Use Monarch with oil, water mixable oil, acrylic and Griffin Alkyd Fast Drying Oil colours.

Range

As you would expect from a professional range, Monarch offers a wide variety of head shapes; Round, Flat, Short Flat/Bright, Filbert, Short Filbert, Fan and a Glazing/ Varnishing brush. A description of each, and sizes available are detailed on the reverse.

So, when sable is too soft and hog is too stiff, Monarch is just right.

Care and Cleaning of brushes

To ensure the best performance and long lasting quality, follow these simple cleaning rules. At the end of each painting session wipe excess colour from the brush. Clean the brushes with appropriate solvent (water or turpentine) followed by plenty of warm water and soap. Continue until no further colour comes from the brush. Remove excess water from the brush head and shape. Dry the brush handle and stand in a pot with the head uppermost to dry.

Restoring ‘hooked’ synthetic brushes

Synthetic filaments can become bent and ‘hook’, preventing a perfect point from being maintained. Should this happen, the polyester can sometimes be straightened by holding the brush head for one to two minutes in water which has boiled and cooled slightly. Remove excess water, shape the brush in Gum Arabic solution and leave to dry. Wash the brush before use.

Quick Reference Table

The Range

Click here to see our range of Monarch Brushes