Olino Hemp Paper | Handmade Hemp Paper A4, 200gsm, 10 Sheets

Brush Hair Types

The hair or filament of a brush affects how much paint it holds, how softly it applies color, how well it springs back and how much control it gives you. There is no single “best” brush hair for everything — each type has its own purpose.

🐾 Sable / Kolinsky Sable

High-quality natural hair known for its spring, shape retention and ability to hold a fine point or clean edge. It is excellent for watercolor, inks, detail work, line work and techniques that require precision.

🖌️ Red Sable

Natural hair with performance close to sable, usually in a more accessible price range. It offers good control, spring and durability, depending on the quality of the brush. A good choice for details, lines and general painting.

🌿 Camel Hair

The term Camel hair does not necessarily mean the hair comes from a camel. In brushes, it is often used for soft natural hairs or blends of natural hairs, such as pony, goat or ox. It is soft and suitable for gentle applications, watercolor, inks, lettering, washes and smooth color laydown.

💧 Squirrel Hair

Very fine and soft natural hair with excellent water and color holding capacity. It is ideal for watercolor, inks, large washes and techniques where you want generous color flow and soft transitions.

🎒 Pony Hair

Soft and economical natural hair, often used in scholastic, educational and budget-friendly brushes. It is suitable for simple watercolor, tempera, ink and general color applications.

🧱 Ox Hair

Natural hair with a fuller body and good durability. It is not mainly used for very fine points, but works well in flat, wash and similar brushes where stability, filling and even color application are more important.

🎨 Hog Bristle

A firmer natural bristle, traditionally used for oil and acrylic painting. It holds and spreads thicker paints well and is great for expressive brushstrokes, texture, dry brush, impasto and techniques that need more pressure.

✨ Synthetic / Taklon / Nylon

Synthetic filaments, usually made from nylon or polyester, designed for durability, control and easy cleaning. Taklon is one of the most common synthetic filaments and can be soft, medium or firmer depending on the brush. Synthetic brushes are an excellent choice for acrylics, watercolor, tempera, mixed media and everyday use.

🌱 Synthetic Sable / Synthetic Kolinsky

Advanced synthetic filaments designed to behave like natural sable hair: good point, spring, control and smooth color flow. They are ideal when you want high performance without natural hair.

🔀 Natural & Synthetic Blends

Some brushes combine natural hair with synthetic filament to bring benefits from both categories. Natural hair helps with water and color holding capacity, while synthetic filament adds spring, stability and durability.

🧩 Silicone Tools

Silicone is not brush hair; it is an application and shaping tool. It is mainly used with pastes, gels, mediums, acrylics and mixed media techniques to spread, push, carve or create texture.

🌿 What is Hemp Paper?

Hemp paper is paper made from industrial hemp fibres. Hemp fibres are rich in cellulose and can produce paper with good strength, natural texture and a distinctive character.

📜 A short history of hemp paper

Hemp is one of the oldest plant fibres used by humans. Long before it was connected with papermaking, it was used for textiles, rope, nets, sails and everyday objects that needed strength and durability.

Its connection with paper begins very early in China. Archaeological finds show that early forms of paper appeared as early as the 2nd century BC and contained hemp fibres. Later, around 105 AD, Cai Lun is traditionally associated with the improvement and spread of papermaking during the Han dynasty, using plant fibres such as tree bark, textile scraps, fishing nets and hemp.

Before wood pulp became dominant in industrial paper production, many papers were made from old textiles and plant fibres such as hemp, linen and cotton. These fibres produced stronger papers, suitable for writing, records, documents, books and applications that needed to last over time.

💪 Why is it interesting as a paper?

Hemp paper stands out mainly for its strength and natural feel. Hemp fibres are strong and can produce paper with beautiful texture, stability and a more “alive” surface than standard industrial paper.

Industrial hemp is also a fast-growing plant, which makes it interesting as a natural and more sustainable raw material for paper. Today, hemp paper is not usually used for mass-produced everyday paper, but appears more often in specialised applications: writing papers, envelopes, archival papers, art papers, bookbinding and handmade papers.

🎨 What can it be used for?

Hemp paper works beautifully in projects where you want a natural character and a different feel from standard paper.

It can be used for:

• writing and notes
• sketching and drawing
• stamping
• cards and invitations
• tags
• bookbinding
• collage
• art journaling
• mixed media
• creative printing

Depending on its weight and finish, it can be used with pencil, ink, pen, stamps, pastels, acrylics or light wet techniques.

✨ Why choose it?

If you want a paper with a more natural look, beautiful texture and an eco-conscious character, hemp paper is a very interesting choice. It has history, strength and an earthy, handmade feel that makes it ideal for projects you want to look thoughtful, natural and distinctive.