If you are wondering what the best acrylic paint brushes are, look no further. It’s important to have the right brushes for your medium of choice. There’s plenty of options for the best brushes for acrylic paint specifically, and we’ve got the top options laid out for you.
Top Picks
Here’s the rankings and what we think they are best suited for:
  | Best Overall: Royal & Langnickel Short Handle Acrylic Paint Brushes Our best paint brushes for acrylic painting comes from Royal & Langnickel. This is a great set for a great price and gives you everything you need to get started. On top of that, they come in a carrying case, making them super handy. |
  | Best Affordable: Jerry Q Acrylic Brushes Our budget brush pick. Only $9 for 12 brushes that handle better than you’d expect from the price. They take a beating and keep on coming back to the palette for more—surprising performance for the price for sure. |
  | Best Professional: Grumbacher Goldenedge Acrylic Brushes Our most splurge-worthy on the list, these are pricey per brush but give a phenomenal result. They sport a bristle drop-resistant non-glare ferrule that is great for landscape artists or artists who often work outdoors. |
  | Best for Acrylic: Princeton Aspen 5 Piece Acrylic Paint Brush Set This is the most useful and best curated set on the list. Everything you need, nothing you don’t, with supreme quality. Surprisingly, tough and well-made, they even feature advanced paint holding tech to make them a dream for acrylic paint. |
  | Best for Beginners: Mont Marte Gallery Series Acrylic Brushes Get a full set at a reasonable price. Mont Marte will also give you great results when you’re first starting. Each set contains a decent selection of everything you’ll need, and they won’t fray or drop bristles in your paint. |
A Closer Look: Best Acrylic Paint Brushes
When you want to perfect your latest painting, it’s all in the details. Below we’ve dove into exactly that.
1. Royal & Langnickel Short Handle Acrylic Paint Brushes
The best acrylic brush set overall
Brand: Royal & Langnickel | Sizes: 12 | Styles: Bright, Flat, Round, Angular, Fan | Material: Hardwood, Soft Black Taklon | Price: 💰💰
The best acrylic paint brushes brand, Royal and Langnickel, is an art supply production house that has been doing business since the 1950s. These short handle brushes are extraordinary for both large pieces and more detailed artworks. The set has 12 brushes of different sizes for varying applications and several valuable tools.
Included in the set are 12 Golden Taklon brushes (shader 4, 8, 10, 12; wash 3/4-inch; round 1, 3, 5, 8; liner 5/0, 1; fan 4), palette knife, wooden stylus, 12 acrylic paints, apron, plastic palette, graphite pencil, white eraser, acrylic painting booklet, and the wooden storage box.
The wooden storage box measures roughly 14x7x3”. For the price, it’s worth it just for everything included. It’s even more amazing that the brushes are high-quality.
The brushes themselves have short handles but maintain a pleasant hand feel even in long painting sessions.
The ferrule is produced using a dark-covered metal, giving it a smooth and expensive look while giving plenty of hold for the bristles. They don’t rust or drop bristles.
Discussing the bristles, they are a blend of different types of filaments. They guarantee great snap, firmness, fine points, and sharp edges. This is a great set for painters who aren’t careful with their brushes.
Reviewers Like
- The handle is very comfortable
- The brushes don’t drop bristles
- The bristles are solid and strong
- The set contains everything you need to do an entire painting; from sketch to finished piece
Reviewers Dislike
- The box isn’t very sturdy
- The brushes need working before beginning use
2. Jerry Q Acrylic Paint Brushes
The best budget acrylic brush set
Brand: Jerry Q | Sizes: 12 | Styles: Round, Flat, Long Liners | Material: Wood, Synthetic Hair | Price: 💰
For individuals who need to save a couple of bucks but also want a decent quality series of brushes, Jerry Q is our pick. With nylon bristles and 12 unique brushes in the set, these brushes are sufficient for both students and experts alike.
Included in the set are:
- Round # 10/0 #3/0 # 0,
- Flat #2 #4,
- and Long Liners #20/0 #10/0 #5/0 #0 #2 #4 #6.
Not only do these work well for acrylic, but unlike some of the others on this list, these brushes also work for watercolor.
The most impressive aspect of this acrylic brush set is its modest sticker price. With a sub $10 cost for the set, you are just paying about $0.75 for each brush. The price is super low, but you aren’t sacrificing quality. These have a great application.
However, these are smaller brushes and more well suited for detail work, but they perform like the big boys.
The assortment of brushes is great for most pieces. The brushes have long handles that are comfortable even through long painting sessions.
The bristles are tightly packed, avoid shedding, and work like a dream. They are made out of nylon and are truly tough. They did a great job of holding the paint, shading, smooth application, and going through repeated washing without wear and tear.
Great for beginners, or those just starting with acrylic paint as a medium, these are a quality set of brushes for the price.
Reviewers Like
- The brushes have long handles
- It is extremely affordable, less than $1 per brush
- In this set, you get 12 brushes with a good variety
- Nylon brushes are durable and have a decent grip on acrylic paint.
Reviewers Dislike
- Some reviewers have experienced fraying soon after purchase
- They are not meant for professional work and handle like beginner brushes
3. Grumbacher Goldenedge Acrylic Paint Brush
The best professional acrylic brush set
Brand: Grumbacher | Sizes: 8 | Styles: Bright | Material: Toray Filaments | Price: 💰💰
Grumbacher is one of the most renowned brands in art supplies. The Golden Edge series paint brushes have bristles made to endure the abuse of acrylic painting and beyond.
Golden edge paint brushes are available in 9 unique sizes for every application. Every one of them is easy to work with, gliding effortlessly across, avoiding fraying, and maintaining comfort even in the longest painting sessions – particularly for beginners.
Don’t worry about repeated washes and rough drying. These hold up to the abuse of a working artist. The Golden Edge metal ferrule holds the bristles tight together and doesn’t allow them to slough off or fray away.
Reviewers Like
- They can take multiple washings without wear and tear build-up
- Synthetic bristles are super strong and give a great look to your painting
- Performs truly well with acrylic paint, the paint holds well, stays wet, and the finished product is truly smooth and even
Reviewers Dislike
- On the expensive end per brush
- The size options are limited. There are only 9 sizes, but this will do well for most painters.
4. Princeton Aspen 5 Piece Acrylic Paint Brush Set
The best brush set for acrylics
Brand: Princeton | Sizes: 5 | Styles: Round, Bright, Flat, Short Material: Aspen, Synthetic Hairs | Price: 💰💰💰
The Princeton Aspen set performs extraordinarily well for a synthetic bristle brush. The brushes offer an advanced paint release quality that allows acrylics to stay wet longer and go on any surface more evenly and smoothly.
The non-glare ferrule makes the set ideal for outdoor painting environments. The bristles allow your pigment, oil or acrylic, to stay more pigmented through each stroke and apply more product than its competitors.
The synthetic bristles withstand the rigors of various mediums and solvents and the constant washing and drying required of acrylic painting.
Reviewers Like
- The handle is comfortable and easy to use
- It has plenty of sizes and shapes to accommodate every need
- It features excellent quality synthetic bristles that perform well
- Resistance to solvents makes the bristles extra strong, and the brushes last a very long time
Reviewers Dislike
- The cost is higher than other 5-piece sets
- The set contains most brush types for all potential textures
5. Mont Marte Gallery Series Acrylic Paint Brush Set
The best acrylic brush set
Brand: Mont Marte | Sizes: 6 | Styles: Round, Flat, Filbert | Material: Wood, Taklon Brushes | Price: 💰
Mont Marte is an Australian art supply brand making a splash by making their motto “Taking Art to the People”. Their goal is to create quality art supplies at an affordable price for every artist.
The Gallery Series Acrylic brushes are no exception and offer impressive quality and performance at the extremely affordable price point of under $10 for 6 brushes.
It’s a well curated set containing:
- Round 6
- Round 16
- Flat 8
- Flat 10
- Filbert 8
- Filbert 10 brush
The set features ultra-fine Taklon brushes in a matte black metal ferrule. They are double crimped to avoid shedding.
They make a great set for a beginner artist, expert, or anyone in between. These perform well on canvas, wood planks, gesso board, and more.
Reviewers Like
- The brushes look smooth and lovely with a gunmetal finish
- No bristle drop and smooth application regardless of surface
- The sizes included are a great selection of go-to sizes with no throw aways
- Good quality for the money
Reviewers Dislike
- Some have had issues with broken brushes upon arrival
- You cannot buy the brushes individually; they only come as a set
- These do not hold up to astringent mediums like paint thinner or acetone
Which Will You Pick? Happy Painting.
We chose all the brushes that we believe are the best for acrylic painting. We read through tons of different products and hundreds of reviews to bring you the best. You’ll be happy with any of the picks on this list, and they’ll make your artwork shine. Did we miss your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
Further Reading
