Which brushes for watercolor painting?

Which brushes for watercolor - Wondering what the right brushes are for your watercolor artwork? You will find the answer in this article!

Which brushes for watercolor – We think everyone knows from childhood what a brush is. In kindergarten you probably painted many colorful paintings with this tool, which allows you to suck up liquid paint and then release it onto the paper. Back then, there was one thing you probably didn't do: worry about whether you were using the right brush.

Now, a few years later, you may have decided to paint a watercolor - and unlike before, there are a lot of things to decide. You need to decide on your watercolor, the right paper and of course the right brush.

You may have noticed that there is also a huge choice of brushes: Real hair or synthetic, round brushes, flat brushes, fan brushes, cat's tongue brushes or French watercolor brushes, in different price ranges. The list can be extended, but one thing is certain: the question of which brushes to buy for watercolor painting is not that simple! Don't worry, we will give you the answer to the question: Which watercolor brushes should I choose?

Which brushes for watercolor - What should you pay attention to when buying a brush

Before you go to the art supply store or to aonline store with the intention of buying brushes, there are a few things to think about and five things to keep in mind:

1. What tip should my watercolor brush have?
2. What hair should my watercolor brush have been created?
3. What size should my watercolor brush ?
4. How do I distinguish good from bad quality?
5. How do I properly care for my brush?

Rest assured, you don't have to think about these questions alone. Let's go through these five points together and work our way, step by step, to the perfect watercolor brush for you and your work. Ultimately, one thing is always true: every artist and every work of art is different. Ultimately, you will have to find the brush that is ideal for you - probably through trial and error.

Tip: For the Paint by Numbers when using acrylic paint, we always recommend synthetic brushes on.

Which brushes are actually available for watercolor? - The 5 basic types of brushes for watercolor

Let's start with the question about the tips of watercolor brushes. The choice of brush tip has a major influence on how you paint on paper. The brush tip also determines the name of the brush, such as round or flat. So, what brushes are there for watercolor and what is each brush good for?

The classic brush for watercolor painting - The round brush

The default watercolor brush is the round brush. It is so called because the brush hairs are in oneround opening, which then converge into an increasingly thinner point.

When should you use a round brush? When you want to paint fine details in your painting, a small round brush is great. Larger round brushes, on the other hand, are very suitable for priming or painting large areas, because the brush can absorb a lot of water and paint.

If you want to buy a round brush, check whether the tip of the brush has many hairs and whether you can see a real point. Only then will you really enjoy painting!

Also interesting: Watercolor Flower Painting - 8 Tips on Watercolor Flower Painting.

The flat brush variant for watercolor - The flat brush

Let's move on to the next brush variation: the flat brush. In contrast to the round brush, the flat brush does not have a pointed, but a broad tip. The hairs run evenly forward and end in a flat opening (wide at the top, very flat at the sides).

Wondering when the flat brush is your go-to brush for watercolor painting? We recommend using a flat brushuse if you want to paint the corners and edges in your painting. Unfortunately, flat brushes can't really hold much water.

Jet Brush Bristles - The Fan Brush

The problem of "little water and little paint capacity" also exists with the fan brush. This is because with a fan brush - as the name suggests - the brush hairs are arranged like a fan around the brush opening.

The Fan Brush is a great watercolor brush if you want to paint trees, leaves, or meadows, or if you want to spice up your painting with effects like blending or blending.

In addition to a selection of watercolor brushes, it doesn't hurt to have an old toothbrush in your watercolor kit. You can achieve cool effects by drenching the hairs with paint and then stroking the hairs with your thumb. This way you splash individual drops of paint on the canvas and give the painting its own unique touch.

Interim conclusion to the question "Which brushes for watercolor"?

Round brushes - Details and larger surfaces.
Flat Brushes - Corners and Edges.
Fan brushes: Trees, leaves, effects.

Also nice to read: When is something art?

Real animal hair or rather artificial hair - What hair should your watercolor brush have?

Now that we know which points watercolor brushes can have and when which point is suitable, let's move on to the 2nd point you should consider before buying them. Should your watercolor brush be made of real animal hair or artificial synthetic hair?

First of all, the hair issue is often also an ethical issue of animal welfare.Personally, we only use synthetic hair, but we believe that everyone should decide for themselves whether they buy a brush made of animal hair or synthetic hair. Ultimately, the only important thing is that your watercolor brush is made of soft fibers.

The animal hair variant - Brushes for watercolor made from sable hair

Human hair watercolor brushes are classically made from sable hair. Many brushes use the hair of the Siberian Kolinsky red sable. The tail hairs are particularly long and soft, which makes the brush really great, but also expensive. Due to their special structure, the hair can hold a lot of waterabsorb and release it slowly without dripping.

The alternative - Synthetic hair watercolor brushes

If you don't want to use animal hair brushes or don't want to invest a fortune in a brush, you can buy synthetic hair watercolor brushes.

Synthetic brushes still not quite as good as animal hair brushes. Synthetic hair brushes are usually a bit more elastic and compact and cannot absorb as much water as animal hair brushes. Nevertheless, the brushes are very good.

Curious about the most beautiful museums in Germany? Read: 15 German museums that everyone should visit.

How big should your watercolor brush be?

Now that you have hopefully decided for yourself which tip and which hair your watercolor brush should have, it's time for the next question: How big should your watercolor brush be?

First of all, there are 2 different points to consider when it comes to size. On the one hand, you have to consider whether you prefer to paint with a long brush handle versus a short one. Secondly, you mustdecide how wide your brush should be. But how can you determine the width?

Watercolor brushes size

You can find the answer to this riddle by looking at the number printed on the brush handle (e.g. 10 or 24 mm). In principle, the wider the brush, the more water and paint it can hold. At the same time, the wider the brush, the less control you have over it when painting.

Which brushes for watercolor - How can I judge the quality of a brush?

So we have now clarified which brushes for watercolor you can useto elect. The question remains: What should I pay attention to when buying brushes to ultimately enjoy painting with them?

In principle, we would recommend that you spend a little more money and buy high-quality watercolor brushes rather than cheap products. This doesn't mean you have to invest a fortune, but you should pay attention to the following quality criteria when buying:

1. The bristles of the brushes should be fine and soft so that the brush is flexible.
2. The tip of the brush should be pointed (for round brushes), have no protruding bristles and be protected by a plastic tube.

The Proper Way to Handle Your Brush for Watercolor - Care is Everything

And so we come to the final point of our excursion into the world of watercolor brushes. Once you have chosen a high-quality watercolor brush, it is important to take good care of it so that the painting pleasure lasts for a long time. That's why I want to give you a few care tips at the end:

1. The brush should be washed quickly after each painting - atpreferably with extra brush cleaner soap.
2. After washing, the tip must be reshaped.
3. Let the brush air dry, preferably lay it flat.
4. Store the brush in a dry place, preferably in a brush case or with the point up in a jar (not with the point down!). Animal hair brushes in particular have a tendency to rot quickly.

If you keep this in mind, you will enjoy your brush for a long time. After all, finding your perfect watercolor brush wasn't an easy path.

Conclusion: Brushes for itpainting with watercolor

En daarmee zijn we aan het eind gekomen van onze excursie naar penselen voor waterverf. Wij hopen dat wij je konden helpen een antwoord te vinden op de vraag "Welke penselen voor waterverf moet ik kopen?".

We leerden over verschillende penseelpunten met ronde borstels, platte borstels en waaierborstels. We bekeken wanneer welke penseelpunt je helpt met je schilderwerk. We bekeken ook het verschil tussen dierlijk haar en synthetische borstels, en de verschillende maten borstels die je kunt kopen.

To ensure that you enjoy your watercolor brushes for a long time, I have also given you a few tips on how to recognize good quality brushes and how to care for your newly purchased brush.

Also nice to read: 5 Tips: Paint by Numbers to combat stress.

Frequently asked questions

Which brushes are good for watercolor?

Are watercolor and watercolor the same?