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Watercolor BrushesBy Mary Ann BoysenWhat makes good watercolor brushes? It depends on what you want to use it for. Most art supply dealers carry many brands of brushes, and some of them have brushes made under private label by the best manufacturers. Sable is used less and less in brushes due to the high cost. The word “Kolinsky” tells you nothing about the quality of the brush. Many manufacturers are mixing sable and synthetic and coming up with decent brushes that hold a shape and hold enough paint and water for the application. Your choice of watercolor brushes is extensive. There are many companies out there competing for your business and they all have very good products. It is almost a personal decision. Remember that you cannot paint a sky with a “0” brush, so don’t be afraid to purchase large brushes. I tell my students to use the largest brush they can; until they can’t!
The one thing you need to know if you are going to paint…..Craft brushes that you buy for a dollar will NOT do! Frankly, they aren’t much good for crafts either! However, you need not spend a fortune for good brushes.
For beginners, I recommend that you have only three of four brushes. One round brush, size 8 or 10; one flat brush, size 1/2 or 3/4 inch, and a good large wash brush (either a squirrel mop, or a Hake). The size will eventually determine just how large or small you can work, and you may expand your supply of brushes as you become more familiar with painting.
The photos in this article are of my own personal (well-used) brushes. I have also marked the ends of the handles with red paint so that I can identify them when I lay them down in a room full of students. I suggest your doing the same, perhaps with a bright acrylic paint. It save the heart ache when you misplace your favorite brush. This way they are readily identifiable. Some even have my name on them, if the ferrule is large enough. Watercolor Brush TypesFirst lets discuss the types of brushes. They all come in sable and synthetic bristles. Round Brushes:
This means that the ferrule (the metal part that holds the bristles) is round. These brushes must come to a very fine point when dampened and should hold that point during the painting process; or easily bounce back to a point. These are the brushes with which you can do fine detail (no matter how large the brush). They come in sizes from “0” to “24” and larger. The first one pictured here is made by Royal Majestic and it has the slanted end on the handle which is perfect for scraping designs in wet paint (like tree trunks and textures).
All the Royal Majestic brushes have this feature. The others with black handles are made by Silverado.
Flat or chisel edged:
This is exactly the description of the brush. The ferrule is more oblong or flat in shape, thereby holding the bristles in a flat formation much like a house-painting brush. The difference is that the flat edge of the brush must come to a very fine chisel edge. In my opinion, this is the most versatile brush made. You can consider each side of the flat part to be a point. Held in one fashion the brush makes a wide flat shape when dragged across the paper. Held in another way, it can make a fine line. When used in a calligraphic way, it is like writing with a calligraphic pen. What else do you need?
These are made in sizes: 1/8 inch, 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch, and 1 inch.
In my opinion, this is the most versatile watercolor brush made. You can consider each edge of the flat part to be a point. Held in one fashion the brush makes a wide flat shape when dragged across the paper. Held in another way, it can make a fine line. When used in a calligraphic way, it is like writing with a calligraphic pen. What else do you need?
Filbert:
This is much like the flat brush, but instead of being straight across the end of the bristles, it is rounded at the tip of the bristles. Nice for painting trees in the distance without having them look like boxes. These also run in most sizes.
Rigger:
This is a lettering brush, but has been used by watercolorists for many years in the painting of grasses and tree branches. However, it is so much fun that you can end up riggering the painting to death!
There is another brush that I have found that is much more versatile. It is called a“lizard lick”….and made exclusively by Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff. Joe says it can hold so much paint, that you can draw a fine line around the world three times without re-loading.
The rigger is so thin that it cannot hold much pigment. Though they both can do the same thing. Travel Brushes
There are several kinds by several manufacturers. They have short handles and are great for painting in sketch journals. You can also take them on an airplane without fear of being confiscated. Some have a cover for the bristles that when removed and placed on the opposite end, acts like a handle. These are a bit more expensive, but none of the travel brushes will break your bank account.
The different BristlesThe following brushes have different bristles…..anything from oxhair to squirrel.
Hake:
A Japanese flat brush, that is very soft and is an excellent brushfor initial washes of water or color.
The less expensive Hake brushes have the metal ferrule. It rusts after a while, but I have not known that to affect the painting. The others are hand stitched and can be a bit more costly. You must expect all of these brushes to lose a bristle or two when painting. That is just the nature of the beast. Squirrel Mop:
These are extremely soft bristles that do not hold a shape verywell, but they are great to paint with in spite of that draw back. They hold plenty of water and do nice washes of color across a page. They can even be used with heavier pigment for a mixture of smooth and dry brush effects. Several foreign companies manufacture these, and now Winsor Newton has a series of them.
Then there are the “tricky” brushes, like the fan brush, which you have seen on television. Frankly, trees made by the fan brush all look alike, therefore I do not recommend their use. The striper is used by people who decorate cars with long swirled lines. Watercolorists do not need to invest in these specially shaped brushes.
Sponges:
These, of course, are not watercolor brushes but some craft people seem to think that they can make great trees. They are awful! And, if I see trees made by fan brushes or sponges when I am jurying a show entry, the painting gets tossed. Sponges, however, can be useful for wetting your surface, blotting you brush and other tasks, but not for painting. Fritch Scrubber
These are a selection of several sizes of brushes that are made just for scrubbing out color (or mistakes) that won’t damage your painting surface. I am pretty sure that the only place to purchase a set of these if from Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff. I tried making my own, but when you cut the bristles of an oil painting brush, they are very sharp and will tear into the paper surface. These have been specially formulated to avoid that problem.
The Manufacturers:Winsor Newton, one of the world’s largest art supply manufacturers, has an array of very fine watercolor brushes. They are most known for their fine sable watercolor brushes, titled Series 7. But these are quite expensive, and if you are a beginner, you certainly do not need to invest the money in these products. They also make very fine synthetic brushes that hold enough paint and water to do the trick. The round brushes also hold a nice point, which isessential to painting.
Silverado: This is a brush that comes from Japan, and is imported by the Yasutomo Co. of California. They are wonderful synthetic brushes, but not all art supply stores sell them, so they are sometimes difficult to find. Cheap Joe’s watercolor brushes: They have several very good brushes that are made exclusively for them. The Lizard Lick, of course (mentioned before), and the Dream Catcher, a round brush that comes to a very, very fine point….even size 18.
Then there are other private label brushes made for well-known artists who lend their name to the brush, like Robert Simmons, who has an entire series of watercolor brushes and Frank Clarke from Scotland, for whom Winsor Newton has made brushes, I am not as familiar with many of these as I am with the ones mention above. Whatever brush you decide to use, remember it should be for watercolor and have a reasonably long handle (not as long as the oil-painters use). It should also have long enough bristles to be flexible; without a fast snap back like acrylic brushes.
The “snap-back” should be a bit more gentle….or you will find yourself flinging paint all over the page!
When purchasing your watercolor brushes at an art supply store, remember that the clerk may not know much about watercolor brushes; or watercolor paper for that matter. I have had many students come to class with a brush that was recommended by the clerk when they couldn’t find what I had recommended. It was always the wrong kind; and that goes for paper also. Make sure they know something about watercolor brushes. Ask if they paint in watercolor for starters!
Unlike Winsor Newton sables, they produce a series of flat sables, and they are wonderful for washes and applying color to large areas. They have a 1” wash brush that is the shape of a filbert brush with a rounded tip.
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