WATERCOLOUR BRUSHES GUIDE
Like most things when purchasing any sort of art supplies, there are a multitude of watercolor brushes to choose from. Maybe you're not a painter yourself but you've a relative or friend who is just starting out and you want to buy some brushes as a gift...? What we're going to look at are some basic facts, so hopefully you'll spend a lot less but get watercolor brushes that are right for you (or your friend!) Better still, buying the right items at the outset will mean those brushes can give years of good service, even when other brushes are added in the future. 1
KOLINSKY SABLE If this is out of your price range, look out for sable brushes that may use a slightly lower quality hair. These are still first-rate watercolor brushes, considerably cheaper than the top of the range, but still quite a bit more expensive than synthetics.
SYNTHETIC BRUSHES
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They pretty durable and will take a fair amount of punishment. They're less likely to get paint clogged in the ferrule, thus splaying out the filaments and ruining the brush, ironically because they don't hold it quite as well as the natural hair.
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MIX OF SYNTHETIC AND NATURAL FIBERS
Also, manufacturers have come a long way in closing the gap between the quality of real hair watercolour brushes over their synthetic counterparts. As a compromise, you can get art brushes with a mix of synthetic and natural fibers, giving some of the qualities of both.
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ROUND AND THE FLAT I find most people start to learn to paint with rounds and flats and then acquire other brushes as they progress. Other brush shapes such as those found in oil paint brushes can be used for particular watercolor effects.
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THE ROUND BRUSH All good quality round watercolor brushes will have a seamless nickel or coated brass ferrule (the metal tube that joins the bristles to the handle) to prevent rusting and hair loss.
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OVAL WASH BRUSH The large round-headed brushes are made from much softer squirrel hairs or similar. These are much less springy than the sable and don't return easily to a point.
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POINTED WASH BRUSH However, they are ideal for putting down really broad areas of watery wash very quickly - skies for instance and therefore don't need to have a hairs that return to a fine, sharp point.
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CONSIDER THE SIZES! No 12 or 14 Round No 6 or 8 Round No.1 or 2 Rigger 1/2 inch Flat 1 inch Flat
No. 6 Squirrel Mop, or 11/4 inch Hake or â…ž Inch Flat Wash Brush - the hairs have a rounded appearance rather like a make-up blusher and often sit in a flat ferrule to spread the filaments for better coverage.
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