Watercolor Brushes are one of the essential tools in any watercolor artist’s kit
Watercolor Brush Basics
Watercolor Brushes are one of the essential tools in any watercolor artist’s kit, as they make painting much simpler and more enjoyable. But finding an excellent watercolor brush doesn’t have to break your wallet! Finding an exceptional brush doesn’t require breaking your savings account either!
Basic brush components include the handle, head and ferrule (a metal piece that holds hairs in place). Heads may consist of natural or synthetic fiber or even both types. Hairs affect absorbency (how much water a brush holds), snap (how flexible the tip is; stiffer brushes offer greater control), point (how fine a line you can create), and absorbency.
Professional watercolor brushes should be able to hold plenty of water and paint easily and precisely while producing thin lines with ease and precision. A Kolinsky sable natural hair brush might cost more than its cheaper counterparts at craft stores but is worth the additional investment in quality.
Selecting the ideal brush depends on your style of painting and size of paper used for the work you intend on producing. Round brushes with their rounded tips are among the most versatile types, perfect for both fine and thick strokes. Other popular shapes include flat brushes that have squared-off tips used for quick washes as well as dagger brushes whose diagonal slant allows them to create long thin lines.
The type of hairs in a brush also plays an integral part in shaping color bleed and texture of your paintings. While top-quality sable remains the gold standard, there are now several good synthetic brushes which perform almost as effectively.
Another aspect to keep in mind when selecting the ideal brush size is its shape and dimensions. Unfortunately, brush sizes do not abide by standardized practices across brands and mediums — a size 1 watercolor brush from one brand may differ considerably from an acrylic one from another manufacturer.
Beginners should start out using a size 6 or 8 round brush; this allows for flexibility when painting small details or large washes and gives an opportunity to grow into various sizes over time.
Once you’ve discovered the perfect brush for yourself, make sure it stays that way by properly caring for it! First things first — remove that little cap on the end of its handle. While it was probably installed to protect the bristles during shipping, putting it back on will only damage them further and encourage mold growth. With its cap removed safely store your brush until ready for use using one of my recommended tube storage options until then; be sure that every use it gets cleaned as per my guide on caring and cleaning brushes — an enduring good brush can last years but only perform to its maximum capacity when properly cared for properly! A well-treated good brush will last years but only perform at its peak performance when treated correctly by its owner.