Art 101: Top 5 Tips in Picking Out a Watercolor Paint Brush
1. It is extremely important to buy a brush that is specifically meant for water color because you need brush that holds water and releases water. So a bristle brush like a hog will not work. You want more of a soft hair like a sable or mink. A squirrel or ox brushes holds more water in the hairs then sable or mink but they aren't as soft.
2. The two main types of water color brushes are rounds and flat brushes. The reason why the round brushes are more tear dropped shaped is because the belly holds the water like a reservoir- and releases the water with your fluidity of your stroke.
3. A watercolor brush uses a shorter handle because it requires a firmer grip causing the water to go to the tip of the brush.
4. Synthetic versus real hair. Synthetic is an easy choice because it is a cheaper brush. If you do buy a synthetic typically it will not last as long as natural hair because it will not retain it's shape and will not be as springy and firm. If you are just starting out- these are the way to go and I have some synthetic brushes that have lasted a long time- but if you plan getting a ton of wear and are hard core go for the real deal.
5. #8 round and 1/2 inch flat are great starter brushes and will not disappoint if you just want to dabble with water color.
Happy creating! Psst If you want to read more in this non art school series- click here.
7 comments
oh good to know. i always think about doing watercolors because i think it is more difficult to mess up. such good info about the brushes, i never thought about WHY you mind need an actual watercolor brush, i thought it was just related to the brush strokes.
Thanks, I've had a couple of watercolour projects completely ruined by running water. I think I will invest in a pair of natural hair brushes!
Brilliant tips! Getting the hang of watercolour is hard to me x
Katrina Sophia Blog
Oh, thank you for those! I seriously love painting but have no idea of what I'm doing. Even thought about going back to school for this (Arts school).
Thank you for these tips! So helpful as I am still new at working with watercolors! Such a fun medium to work with!
Whoa, I am definitely bookmarking this! Thank you for posting this series! I am having a blast playing with painting, but I so appreciate some guidance with supplies!
This is a great post with very useful information. I had a hard time figuring out brushes and am still in that phase as I'm very new to painting as of just last November. I'm a pencil/marker gal. Love the watercolour and so I got a pamphlet on brush choices but it doesn't explain reasons for each as you do. I bought an awesome round natural hair then went cheaper and got a set of taklon ones for those I won't use as often. I'm learning as I go along and having a great time!
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