Let's Choose the Best Watercolor Brush: How?

 

 

You want to paint with watercolors, but what brush do you choose? There are so many choices, how do I know which will work best for me? Let's review the many types of brushes on the market and their attributes. Maybe your search can be pared down so you have more time to paint! 

 

You want a brush that loads up with paint well to eliminate constantly dipping the brush into the paint or water.  You want a brush made with natural hair that has a nice "belly" (that's wider in the center and tapering to a fine point).  Various natural hairs do this better than others.  Many artists consider pure Kolinsky sable from the sable marten to be the best.  Its large belly and long, tapered hairs hold a lot of fluid.  These hairs, in the finest brushes, come from only the tail hairs of the male.  So, for a truly fabulous watercolor painting experience, splurge on a Kolinsky sable brush at some point.  These are the best for watercolor.  But, keep in mind that pure Kolinsky sable was banned in the U.S. in 2014.  Pure red sable from the sable marten is no longer available.  Hence, today's Kolinsky sable comes from the tails of Siberian weasels.  Still, they are fine brushes, and the animal isn't sacrificed to harvest the hair.

 

You can certainly find good watercolor brushes without going all out for pure Kolinsky.  These are squirrel, goat, horse and "camel" to name the rest of the naturals.  Then there are the synthetics such as nylon, silicone, and faux this or faux that.  Try as many as you can until you find what works best for you and your personal style.  By the way, earlier you saw that I put camel in quotes.  That is because camel hair brushes are made from other critters' hair such as horse, goat, or squirrel.  Also, many times these mixed hair brushes are just marketed as natural hair brushes.  There is also ox, which comes from inside of cows ears.  Sabeline is ox hair that has been bleached, then dyed to look like red sable. 

 

Other considerations when buying brushes include a well-made ferrule (the metal thing that holds the hairs), short or long handle (short is usually preferred by watercolorists), and handle material (wood or plastic).  The ferrule should be put on, as well as the hairs, with waterproof glue.  The handle should be sealed well if made from wood. 

 

Your brushes will last for many years if you buy good quality and take good care of them.  One more tip: brushes last far longer if you always pull, and never push them across the painting surface. 

 

There are several brands of good quality brushes. In better art supply stores you can find Winsor & Newton, Grumbacher, Princeton, Simmons, and Liquitex, to name a few.

 

 

 

 

Source : articlesbase.com