Brushes

You’re going to need something to get the paint on to the paper and swoosh it around. That means a brush. Likely more than one. Brushes are a personal thing and there are more brushes to choose from than you’d think. You'll use paint up and buy more, but your brushes should last a long time if they are treated well. That means you can pay more to invest in a high quality brush and if treated properly it will last a long time. It also makes the choice of what brand to buy more difficult. Plus, there are all sorts of choices as to materials, shapes and sizes. You really need to know what you're looking for first. You'll also need to decide what you like. How much water, how stiff or soft the brush is, how pointed, etc. Some people also have issues with hair brushes from animals. I don't. Animals are not killed for their hair to make brushes. They are killed for other reasons. I feel it honors and respects an animal more to use a brush made from their hair than to have it wasted and thrown away as trash. If an animal is to be killed for a reason, then every possible part of that animal should be used. I also feel that animals that are bred for slaughter should be treated well while alive which is why I don't eat CAFO meat. But I do eat humanely raised meat. I do not know how humanely some of the animals were treated before their hair was made into brushes so I do not buy cheap unbranded brushes or those made in China or Asia. I trust Rosemary & Co to responsibly source their materials so I own quite a few of her brushes.

Be aware that "sable" is a generic term for hair sourced from various rodents such as muskrat. They are not just sourced from an animal called a "sable." Many of these animals are classified as "vermin". The are not raised to make brushes and are killed anyway because they are considered vermin. To me using a brush made from their hair honors them but you may feel differently for whatever reason. If so, there are many man-made fiber brushes that perform as well as natural hair brushes and some synthetics perform better than the poorer quality natural hair brushes.

I like the Connoisseur Gold Taklon blend brushes but DaVinci Casaneo and Escoda Versatil and Perla are very fine synthetic hair brushes. I do not care for Princeton, Raphael or Winsor and Newton brushes but many do and you may. Just make sure you are buying professional quality and not student grade. For Winsor and Newton that means avoiding the Cotman line in both brushes and paint.

Your brush should be able to hold a good amount of water and release it evenly. It should hold its shape. It should feel good in your hand. If you are buying in a store, at least you can hold them and see if they feel good in your hand. The hairs will have sizing on them so you won't be able to judge anything about that. If you have to shop online, you just have to trust in the reviews you read that led you to that brand. Jane Blundell reviews brushes periodically. But you can tell a little from just looking at it. Is the ferrule, the metal collar that holds the hairs, attached straight? If it's crooked, move on to a different brand. Is the handle cheap? If so, the brush probably is too. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is, I.E. crap.

You have the choice of the shape of the brush; round, flat, long, short, filbert, rigger, risson, cat’s tongue. There are a plethora of specialty brushes and I have quite a few, mostly from Rosemary.

You have the choice of material; synthetic or natural. Natural includes anything with hair: sable, squirrel, goat, ox. Mixtures of two or more. Mixtures of natural hair and synthetic. If you have issues with natural hair there are plenty of modern synthetics that are as good or better than some natural hair brushes.

There are different sizes. Round can go from 10/0 or 0000000000 to a size 14, 16, 20 or 36. Flats can go from 1/6 to 2, 3 or 4 inches wide. Riggers can be quite long. Mops can be small to very large, blunt or pointy. The mid ranges tend to be the most economic. Once you get very small or very big the price goes up. It is not unheard of to pay $150 or more for one brush.

If you want to dig into the manufacturing, et al, of brushes, I'm sending you back to Handprint. That guy is awesome.

Brushes can be quite pricey. Price doesn’t always mean quality. You may find you go through quite a few different brands of brushes before you find one you really like. You may find you like rounds from one manufacturer and flats from another. You may find you like working with flats mostly and can do everything you need with one. Or you may find you can do it all with a mop. You may find you need an entire set of rounds. I have quite a range because the size of brush I use varies in proportion to the size of paper I am using. The larger the paper, the larger the brush.

My advice is still to buy the best brushes you can afford. But not yet.

I’d advise you to start with a few cheap, student grade basic brushes to see what you like. A number 6 and a number 10. Then a flat, from 1/2 to an inch. Once you have determined what you prefer, you can buy a few really nice brushes in the size, shape and material you favor. While I like Kolinsky sable for some of my brushes, I have a few that I prefer in synthetic. This is because "Kolinsky" and "sable" don't really guarantee quality and will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Also the technology for manufacturing the synthetic hairs for watercolor brushes has advanced quite quickly in the last few years. There are some very fine synthetic brushes and some very mediocre Kolinsky sable brushes.

There are plenty of good manufacturers out there and several that I don’t really recommend.

Don’t go to Michael’s and buy Princeton, Loew-Cornell or even Winsor and Newton (Cotman) brushes when it comes time to get a serious set you plan on keeping for years. They’re fine for a few beginning brushes to see what you like, but only if you can score a great sale, such as 50% off or buy one, get one. Even their “artist grade” aren’t that good in my opinion.

I started with a set of Loew-Cornell La Corneille gold Taklon brushes and I still have them and use them occasionally. They are budget brushes and not quite professional grade but still perform pretty well. Better than the Princeton. They're fine for traveling as I wouldn't cry me a river if they were lost or stolen on a trip.

Rekab is a step up and a bit pricier but still a fine brush.

Once you know what you like in rounds, flats, etc. you can move up to better quality brushes. If you’ve got a Blick’s you can go there to look at choices. And there is always amazon. Escoda makes some fine brushes but they are very pricey. I have a set of Escoda Versatil travel brushes which are synthetic that I like quite a bit. I’ve also used the Joe Miller 50/50 from Cheap Joe’s. I have a set of Connoisseur line brushes from Loew-Cornell that are gold taklon, a synthetic that I started with. But I don’t use them much any more. Now I use the Escoda, some Tintoretto brushes I bought in Italy (I haven’t found anywhere local that carries them) and some brushes made by Arches that are  discontinued now.

Cheap Joe’s line of Legend Kolinsky brushes is actually quite nice especially if you can get them on sale; they are a better deal as they are still pretty pricey. They are made in Germany but I don’t know by which company.

I have a few Isabey but don't really recommend them. While I don't not love them, I've found other brushes I like better. I have one mop that just doesn't point like my Arches and I have two travel mops from Rosemary & Company that have taken the place of the one Isabey travel mop I bought because it was the only travel mop I could find at the time. So skip Isabey. Some people love them but I think they have more hype than they deliver.

To start, I would suggest a #6 round. If you want to add to that, add a #2 for detail and a #10 for larger washes. If you want to try flats, then add a 3/4 or 1 inch. You may or may not want to add a mop.

I have quite a few brushes from Rosemary & Company in the United Kingdom. Her brushes are hand made and the cost is competitive with Isabey, Escoda and some of the other brands. She also carries some unique brushes. I like to have a set of travel brushes and she carries a small and medium mop which I always include in my travel kit. She also has a comb in a travel.

I really love my Arches mops but unfortunately, I don't think Arches makes brushes any more. I think The Fine Art Store has the remaining new old stock, which seems to be on sale until they sell them all. Anything out of stock never becomes available again. I love their #3 squirrel mop so much I made a travel brush out of it.

Depending on where you live you may have to buy brushes online.

So bottom line is I don't use paints from several manufacturer but I sure do for my brushes.

I prefer hand made brushes such as Rosemary & Company and quality reputation like Escoda.

After making that investment in a quality tool, your brushes will live a long and happy life if you treat them properly.

I don't like rolls. I keep the protective plastic tubes that came on the tips on my brushes on them except when in use. I keep them in a case that doubles as a stand. I have a designated masking fluid brush that I coat with soap before using and clean thoroughly afterwards. It's one of my cheap student brushes that I kept for that reason. I never use my good brushes for masking fluid or to use with any other medium. They are watercolor only.

Don't let them sit in the water. The water will swell the wood, the ferrule that holds the hairs will loosen and either fall off or the hairs will come out.

Wash them occasionally with a good brush soap. Even if they look clean, just rinsing them in water isn't enough. Don't over do it but do wash them occasionally. I've found The Master's Clean-up Survival Kit to be my best buy. It has a small container of brush soap that will last you quite a while as you don't use that much to clean your brushes. I still haven't replaced mine. Plus it's small enough to fit in with your supplies if you travel. Speaking of traveling, it includes a stain stick. That saved my bacon when I went to Italy. The last thing is a small travel hand soap which feels just wonderful.

Don't use your brushes to scrub the paper if you are lifting or doing some other effect. You can get specialty brushes to do that. Check out Rosemary & Company.

Don't twirl your brushes into your half pans to dig out paints. It's bad for your brushes and your paints. Stroke the top of your pan. If the paint isn't lifting then either your brush needs more water or your pan is dry. Keep a spray bottle with your kit to rewet your palette.

Don't point your brushes by putting them in your mouth. Your brushes will hold paint residue and you have no idea what toxic substance might be in there. If you use cadmiums or cobalts that is a big no-no.