Most watercolor artists use round brushes or mop brushes where both types have a round ferrule. Brushes with round ferrules are very versatile when painting in watercolors because they allow the painter to create a variety of strokes, wide strokes for backgrounds and thin ones for details. There is a slight difference in the size of the barrel where mop brushes are wider than round brushes which can be quite narrow. This means that mop brushes retain more water and paint than round brushes.
Flat brushes have a flat ferrule and a chisel top. I am mostly familiar with those from painting in acrylics and I haven’t used them in watercolors. However I recently came to discover that they are very good for creating flat washes that have very little variation. I love my paintings with lots of variations and textures and therefore I don’t have a need for the time being to create flat washes which can be seen mostly in landscape paintings.
However I do have a small flat brush that I love to use for creating splatters.
These also have a round ferrule but are long and thin and perfect for creating thin lines and details in a painting. Every watercolor artist will not have a use for this type of brush unless they include fine detailing in their painting, such as veining in leaves or small details in butterflies.
From bottom to top: Synthetic Dagger Brush, Camel Hair Mop Brush, Synthetic Grainer Brush, Imitation Sable Wash Brush, Synthetic Deer Foot, Synthetic Fan Brush, synthetic filbert brush and (goat hair) hake brush
There are many more specialised brushes including wash, daggers, fans, filbert, deer feet, to name a few. I will admit that they look interesting and I find it quite tempting to try them. But, they are so specialised that very few artists would be making full use of them.
The size of a paint brush and type of hair it is made of determine the amount of watercolor paint that brush is going to hold.
When it comes to size, it is easy to picture that a larger brush will hold a larger amount of water and paint. Larger brushes are very useful in painting larger surface areas, while smaller brushes are convenient for smaller areas and details.
In regards to hair type, I’ve discovered four different types:
- Synthetic
- Natural
- Imitation of Natural and
- A mix of Synthetic and Natural
Synthetic brushes are usually made of Nylon or a similar material called Taklon. Synthetic brushes hold very little amounts of water and paint, and therefore need to be reloaded with paint very frequently, a process that can be disruptive to the painting process.
When painting in watercolors, one of the things we want to do is minimise disruptions in the flow of paint on paper because this is when we end up getting finishes and other details that we may not necessarily want in the painting. Seamless finishes are better obtained in one stroke of paint. And that way, we can add textures and details deliberately afterwards.
I personally do not use synthetic brushes, but I imagine they can be useful for some types of painting that involve detailing.
At the top of the natural hair brush ladder are the most renowned, and pricey ones, made from kolinski, sable or squirrel hair. These brushes are usually exquisite and very well manufactured for longevity. They are the preferred brushes among many professionals not only because of the way they’ve been manufactured, but also because of the amount of watercolor they are able to hold which makes painting easy and pleasurable.
Along the same line of brushes are less pricey ones that are made from camel hair which tend to have a similar effect.
Brushes made from natural hair have recently become associated with animal cruelty and many artists and paintbrush manufacturers have sought and created alternatives. Imitation Sable or Kolinski is very similar to the natural one, with the advantage of being cruelty free and offered at a lower price point.
Brushes made from natural hair have recently become associated with animal cruelty and many artists and paintbrush manufacturers have sought and created alternatives. Imitation Sable or Kolinski is very similar to the natural one, with the advantage of being cruelty free and offered at a lower price point.
Paint brushes with a mix of synthetic and sable hair offer the best of both worlds. They hold more watercolors than purely synthetic brushes, but less than natural ones. I find them really useful for creating details in my paintings.
When investing in your first paintbrushes, the most economical brushes that will offer quality painting are round brushes that are made from imitation sable. They offer the same great qualities as the pricier Kolinski and sable brushes but at a more reasonable price.
Buying them in multiple sizes including 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 will ensure that you have a range of brushes to create a variety of different paintings.
As you become more familiar with watercolors, you can begin to explore other brushes, such as mops, wash, flat and the rest.
