BRUSHES - SYNTHETIC, NATURAL, OR A BLEND?

There is much debate over which brushes are best for watercolour painting. As you progress you will form your own preferences.

The finest sable hair brushes while excellent to paint with are a great deal more expensive than the synthetic ones. Technology has made rapid advances in developing synthetic brushes for the watercolourist and some leading artists now opt for these. High quality synthetic brushes are very satisfactory as well as being environmentally and ethically acceptable to those who are concerned about the suffering of fellow-creatures used in the production of sable and other natural hair brushes.

What you're looking for in a high quality watercolour brush, whether it is natural hair, natural/synthetic mix, or fully synthetic is a body that will carry a large amount of paint and allow the colour to flow gently onto the paper without dumping. In a round brush a finely pointed tip is very desirable, and in a flat brush, a sharp chisel edge when wet. 'Spring' or 'snap' is also desirable so that when pressure on the brush hairs is released the brush will spring back into its original shape. The brushes made from squirrel hair will not do this.

Squirrel hair brushes are very soft and hold a lot of water, so are often used for large washes. Some are designed as mops, others as finely pointed rounds. They won't hold their shape but are still quite popular with some watercolourists.

Test for brush quality by wetting the brush and dragging it lightly across your thumb. It should spring back neatly. Test a round brush for a quality point by wetting it and painting a fine line with it.

Brushes come in various shapes. Rounds are useful for many applications, including flower painting. Flats are used for architectural type work, for depicting straight edged objects and for painting a thin, fine line if used vertically eg when laying in a yacht's mast. A rigger brush can be added if you want to specialise in landscape work or to add calligraphic touches to your painting. Another popular brush is the hake, which is very wide and flat and is used for large-brush painting in a broad, free style.

The choice is yours and to help you with it here is a list of the currently most favoured brushes in the three main categories - as recommended by a variety of Aquanet artists.

Cheap Joes 'Dragon Tongue' series.

Winsor & Newton Series 7. (Winsor & Newton products are available at a large number of art stores and online suppliers. See list at end of Faq)

Isabey Onyx.

NATURAL/SYNTHETIC BLENDS:

Winsor & Newton Sceptre Gold.

Cheap Joes 'Dreamcatcher' series. This is a sable/synthetic blend with a fine point. It can hold a lot of water and paint and springs back well.

SYNTHETIC BRUSHES:

Two brands stand out as being very highly recommended and are a fraction of the cost of sable brushes.

Richeson 7000 series.

ProArte Prolene Plus brushes in flats, rounds and filberts. The ProArte brushes are available in United States by contacting Jessica Zemsky and Jack Hines, ph.1-800-736-5234.

In England, the ProArte brushes are available from Ken Bromley Art Supplies http://www.artsupplies.co.uk

Ph: 01204-491472.

WHAT SIZE BRUSHES AND HOW MANY

Beginners need a small selection of good quality brushes. Every teacher you meet and every book you open will instruct you to purchase different brushes, and you may end up feeling rather confused.

Here is a suggested list of brushes to start with:

A size 2, 8 and 12 round, plus a 1" wash brush such as a 'Wet Momma' brush available from Big Joes (see suppliers list at end of Faq)

Later you may wish to add a couple of flats and a rigger. It will depend on the type of painting-style you develop and what feels most comfortable for you.

CARE AND STORAGE

Rinse brushes very thoroughly at the end of each painting session. If necessary wash gently in mild soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Dab surplus water out of the hair and shape it neatly between thumb and fingers. If your brushes are in constant use stand them in a jar, handle down. If you are not painting regularly then store the brushes flat rolled up in a rattan mat or cloth holder with a few mothballs included. This will prevent insect damage to any natural hair brushes you may have. If you ever need to store your brushes in an airtight container, make sure they are perfectly dry beforehand.

The better the care you can give your brushes the longer you'll keep them in good shape. The greatest sin is to leave your brushes standing hair-down in the water bowl. We've probably all done this at some time and next day found a good brush ruined. There are a couple of rescues possible if this happens to you and they will be included in the Main Faq.

BRUSH PROTECTION

If your brushes come with plastic covers over the hairs, keep them for future use. Otherwise try making your own covers from wide drinking straws or wrap a piece of paper around the business end and secure with rubber band.

To make you own protective 'brush roll', purchase a rattan mat (Asian stores supply), and weave 1/4 inch (6 mm) elastic in and out along the length of the mat, making one row of elastic a third of the way down from the top and another a third of the way up from the bottom. Secure the two elastics at each end. For storage or travel with your brushes, slip them through the loops in the elastic. Roll up the mat and hold with rubber band, or attach a tie.

Alternatively, make a cloth holder, using strong fabric 21 in x 12 in. Fold up the bottom 4 inches and glue or stitch. Stitch separate compartments for each brush. Attach tapes at the side. To use, fold the top flap over the top of the brushes and roll up. Tie securely with tapes, or use rubber band.