Oil Paint

Bob Ross Blender Brush Vs. Background Brush: What Is the Difference?

Bob Ross's soft blender brush smooths transitions; the firmer background brush covers larger areas and moves thicker paint during wet-on-wet work.

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The main difference between the Bob Ross blender brush and the background brush is the brush hair's softness. The background brush hair is a little bit harsher than the blending brush. So the background brush is easier to apply for long areas like the background, and the soft blending brush is for highlights and details. 

However, if you have a good experience, you can use a background brush as a blending brush. But the two brushes make for 2 different purposes. 

There are more differences like uses, hair material, coverage, details, blending, cleaning, cost, and more. I will describe it below.  

I already explained in other article:

The Bob Ross blender brush vs. background brush 

The softer blender brush smooths delicate transitions, while the firmer background brush covers larger areas and moves thicker paint more easily.

GradeNote
Bob Ross blender brushArtistic GradeApply for highlight
Bob Ross background brushArtistic GradeApply for background

Bob Ross blender brush vs. background brush: Key points

Compare the brushes by bristle stiffness, paint load, pressure, blending control, and use on broad backgrounds or subtle transitions in oil painting.

Background brush Blender brush
UsesMaking background Highlights the painting 
CoverageLong areaShort area
Hair softnessHarsher than a blender brush Soft hair 
Hair materialNatural & synthetic bristle Natural bristle 
Highlights effect Not good for highlights Best for highlights and effects
BlendingNot goodBest
Cleaning difficultyEasy Little bit harder 
CostCheaper than blending brush Expensive 

What is the difference between a Bob Ross blender brush and a background brush?

The background brush has firmer bristles for broad application; the softer blender brush feathers paint and smooths transitions in wet-on-wet scenes.

Uses

Background brush is mainly used for creating the background of a painting. Experienced people can also use the brush as a blending brush, but this use is not good for beginners. A Bender brush is used for blending and highlights.

Coverage

The background brush had big coverage. Harsh hair helps the brush cover a long area very first. The blending brush is very soft and good for short area covers like highlights and blending.

Hair material

Background brush hair manufacture with natural and synthetic hair mix combination. That's why it's a little bit harsh. And the blending brush hair is natural bristle hair.

Cost

The background brush is cheaper than a blending brush. But the difference is not so big. Prices difference around 2-3 dollars.

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