By The ARTnews Recommends Editors

Hake brushes are the perfect implements for painting large areas with smooth, even strokes. Traditional hake brushes are made with soft goat-hair bristles stitched and glued into a long, broad wooden handle. They originally were used for sumi-e painting, but their fine, soft bristles and consistent application of wet media have made them a staple for painters and ceramic artists. These brushes hold ink, paint, glazes, and water extremely well, perfect for painting even washes, applying slips and glazes to ceramics, sizing and priming, and brushing away dust, eraser crumbs, and excess pencil. Buy a hake brush, and before you know it, it will be a go-to tool in your artistic practice. Below, read about the ones we like best.

If you are a ceramic artist who loves to apply slips and glazes using a variety of techniques, this set of hake brushes will soon be your favorites. The bristles are soft, thin white goat hair stitch-tied to premium wooden handles. They hold glaze and apply it smoothly with ease. They can also function as workhorse brushes, cleaning kiln shelves and molds. These brushes are excellent for painting washes and watercolor glazes and for performing subtle blending. This set features 1-inch, 2-inch, and 3-inch brushes with long, smooth handles that are comfortable to hold.

This high-performance hake brush is made with fine, natural goat hair and premium wood. Its soft bristles are attached to its natural wood handle with a high-quality aluminum ferrule, so bristles won’t shed onto your artwork. Ideal for painting washes, sizing, and priming canvases, this 1-inch brush holds wet media well and treats large surface areas with minimal strokes. It performs nicely with blending and glazing paint, ink washes, and ceramics glazing.

This set of three hake brushes are ultra soft, all natural, and handmade. Fine goat-hair bristles are hand-stitched onto well-designed wooden handles; they are made to withstand heavy use, making them ideal for students and busy artists. This set includes 1-inch, 2-inch, and 3-inch brushes, perfect for painting washes, applying ceramic glazes, and priming canvases. The brushes hold paint and distribute it evenly with minimal brushstrokes, performing well with ceramic glazes, slips, and all kinds of paint. These eco-friendly brushes are safe and nontoxic, great for beginners and young artists. 

All natural, this hake brush is made from bamboo and soft sheep hair. The bristles and handle are 1⅞ inches wide and are constructed in a way that allows the brush to be snapped apart to make smaller implements. The wide, flat handle sits comfortably in your hand and allows excellent control when making wide, sweeping strokes. The bristles hold a lot of paint, and applying washes, sizing, and glazing ceramics is effortless. When dry, this is an excellent brush for brushing away eraser and pencil crumbs without smudging drawings. It works well with delicate handmade papers.

Ron Ranson popularized the use of hake brushes with his renowned “fast and loose” watercolor painting techniques for expressionistic and representational landscapes. This brush is specifically designed to Ranson’s high standards and is handcrafted in the United Kingdom. It is excellent for sizing and stretching paper and for applying washes and glazes with a few strokes. This 2¼-inch brush features soft goat-hair bristles and is also available in three smaller widths. 

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