Watercolor Quill Brush Comparison [main vid]

[@Blick_Art]

This is really great, not just for the demonstration of quill brushes as a category, but also the discussion of synthetic vs. animal filaments. We think craftsmanship counts a lot in brush quality, and much of the shape retention and feel of a brush has to do with how it's constructed. The filament type is definitely important, but today we believe there are so many good synthetics, any artist should be able to find excellent brushes that satisfy their preference and personal ethical standards. The quill ferrule, BTW, is also something that might be either natural or synthetic. Even after seamless metal ferrules were invented, feather ferrules continued to be preferred for painting porcelain, because the soft ferrule doesn't make a permanent mark on ceramics like metal. Artists who paint on hard, abrasive clay or gessos ground may want to try quill brushes for that reason, too!

[@PaintinHiding]

thank you! 🥰 oh yesss, you bring up a great point about quill ferrules that can also be either natural or synthetic. i don't think it's something watercolourists pay much attention to but that's very insightful to know that ceramic painters prefer such brushes. interesting!

[@arro6592]

Animals are usually trapped in the wild and are generally skinned alive after suffering for days in a trap. Otherwise they come from FUR farms. Just as people find fur coats abhorrent, anyone who cares about animals might avoid animal fur brushes due the the really extreme cruelty and suffering. When comparing real hair from a living being to synthetic it’s good to point out the amount of suffering that goes into a negligible difference in paint handling.

[@jennw6809]

You know I'm such a quill brush fan and I've been looking forward to these videos from you! My favorites are real squirrel quills. The best way to get fine lines with this type of brush, by the way, is holding the brush at the end of the handle and flicking the tip lightly. A lot of people don't understand how to work with a real squirrel brush, but just like Chinese calligraphy brushes, you have to shape the brush as you load it. The fact that it has zero spring is a feature, not a bug. You can splay it out and use it as a comb brush and get crazy marks. The things you pointed out about the Raphael real squirrel - the amazing point, the characteristic fat belly - that's because it's the real squirrel one. Not particularly because Raphael's quality is so much better. My Raphael Soft Aqua synthetic squirrel quill has no point or belly. I've tried almost every synthetic squirrel fiber out there, and none of them feel like real squirrel to me. Most have terrible points as well. If the quill brush doesn't point, it's just a mop, but at this size, it's not even a good mop. At this small size I see no use for a non pointy quill. It seems like there's at least four major factors in mimicking a squirrel brush. First, the water capacity. Second, it needs a great point. Third, flexibility and softness of fibers (so as not to disturb earlier layers). Fourth, smooth laydown of pigment with no big drops. I suppose different people prioritize these factors differently, but it seems to me the synthetics can't do all of these things well at once. On the first factor of water capacity, I've never seen synthetics that can outperform the natural fibers they are made to mimic. The Tintoretto holds a lot more water in the largest long liner shape than the smaller size. My impression may have been skewed due to that. On the second factor of sharp point, that's why I love the Tintoretto ones. They are clearly the pointiest in your own test! I've been loving my Tintoretto 3/0 and 2/0 and painting with them a lot! There is actually a smaller size, the 5/0, but it's a little dry for me. On the third factor of softeness and shapability, none of the synthetics are as soft and malleable as real squirrel. Princeton Neptune is the closest, but also doesn't point. They look like a wet seal, and make me uncomfortable, LOL. On the fourth factor of smooth laydown and no big pigment drops. Real squirrel lays down pigment smoothest of any fiber available. Again, no synthetic can do this like natural hair. You know I love the Tintoretto long liners, and I've often said they are my FAVORITE synthetic squirrel, but I don't think they are exactly like it. They have more spring, and actually more fun and expressive. I have a DaVinci pinstriping brush made from very long natural squirrel hairs, and it's not as fun as the Tintoretto, because it's too floppy at that length. The Tintoretto fibers have enough spring to be fun and make those superfine lines that Irit and I love to make. I'm sorry I hyped up the Tintoretto to you so much, then it wasn't your cup of tea. But I'm not sure you are being fair evaluating your test sheets. I mean first, you did mention this, but you just can't compare brush sizes from different manufacturers. That's comparing apples to oranges. If you say, "This one is a size and shape that I prefer, and holds the amount of water that I want and expect it to for this size brush," than that's another matter alltogether! With that said, in comparing it to the Jacksons, they both seem about the same in the line test at the top of the page. I'm not sure comparing your gradient tests was fair, because you didn't do a standard width. If you drew a measured box on the page it might be more fair. I get that liking a brush is MOSTLY about liking how it feels when you use it, and that's just totally personal! I'm sorry it was a letdown!! Sometimes things I get and don't test well, I end up loving anyway (like my M. Graham paints). Or I like them, then they don't test well (like my Hahnemuhle books). You know, I have sometimes loved fibers on one brush in a line, but hated them on another. My Escoda Optimos are a great example. I like the 16 mop, but hate the size 6 travel round. Maybe this is a case of that. You know I'm a huge fan of Rosemary's natural brushes, and think their prices are amazing. But, I am not impressed at all with the Red Dot, and even less impressed with the Sienna (yes, it's DOMED not pointed! Also HORRIBLE pigment drops at beginning of strokes.) I much prefer the Princeton Aqua Elite to the Red Dots. My impression is that the big companies get custom made fibers that are better than what Rosemary can get. It sounds like though it performs fine in a test, that you don't love the feel of it when painting. I do think that their golden fibers are just as good as Princeton Heritage or any other Taklon brush. I love my new travel cat's tongue in Golden fibers. I'm an outlier and I hate my Raven Quill. No point whatsoever. I also hate my Icon flat brush and would never buy another Icon. You cannot make a smooth flat wash with it. It squishes paint to the sides and makes streaks. Hmmmm. Now I want to do more brush tests 🙂

[@awatercolourist]

WOW! This is … this is … this is quite the post 😂. I’m sure I’ll get through it by next week 😂

[@jennw6809]

@@awatercolourist I think it might be a record 🤣😂 But it was in proportion to Vee’s video’s length!

[@awatercolourist]

@@jennw6809 I’ve seen many long videos, but never a long comment. It certainly is a record 🏆

[@PaintinHiding]

i shall try to remember to come back and read this properly when i get home!

[@jennw6809]

@@PaintinHiding I'm not sure how I wrote a whole novel LOL

[@twicebittenthasme5545]

Very interesting and quite informative. Great video! Thank you for sharing!

[@geefull]

Thank you, I just recently got a couple of the Jackson's icon quill brushes and I love them.

[@PaintinHiding]

oh! are u a quill lover too? XD

[@drJohnPDX]

Thanks for the detailed reviews!

[@PaintinHiding]

thanks John ;D

[@martinanelsonartandpsychol6478]

Is there a difference between a mop and a quill brush?

[@PaintinHiding]

“quill” just refers to the style of ferrule which is wire-bound. “mop” i’d say refers more to the shape of the brush/ability to hold a large amount of water/pigment. so i would say all of the brushes shown here ARE quills but i wouldn’t consider all of them mops. hope that makes sense. ☺️

[@Blick_Art]

@@PaintinHiding Perfect explanation!

[@jennw6809]

I think of it this way - A mop can mean either a big quill brush (bigger than this, IMO) or a big fluffy brush that can be used to, say, wet a full imperial sheet of paper. If you look up Windsor and Newton goat mops you'll see that other classic mop style.

[@jennw6809]

You have so many that are nearly the same size, LOL! 🤣 But I guess this is your favorite size, and it does help to compare brushes of similar sizes. I did buy 3 spare 10/0s from Rosemary because I do love this size too.

[@PaintinHiding]

yep! these are like my go-to "round" brushes. but i think i also like to collect quills. i have a few on my list i'm working towards collecting. not too may more so my collection shouldn't be much bigger. you bought 3 spares?! haha~ i can say the same for you too then, u have so may of the same size! ;P

[@jennw6809]

@@PaintinHiding LOL fair enough hahaha. I was using it to paint fruit studies and it was perfect, saw there were a few left and I panic bought! Natural hair brushes do wear down after a while and eventually lose some of their point. So I figured I was buying a lifetime supply LOL

[@isabellalucia7820]

You didn’t add something important about the Tintoretto - you made significantly finer lines with it. I noticed this with the 0 quill that came with my AGallo set, which worked beautifully to create a background wash around the edges of a floral painting. Not sure how long this tip will last, but it’s made it my go-to quill atm.

[@jillbalsam2507]

Hi. Thanks for sharing this. I love quills. Are you aware of a long, thin quill brush, like a rigger or liner? I saw someone use one in a video but I couldn't catch the name on the brush. Thanks.

[@PaintinHiding]

tintoretto 1408. jacksonart has it :)

[@jillbalsam2507]

@@PaintinHiding Thanks so much. I’ll check it out. Although I’m in the US.

[@PaintinHiding]

@@jillbalsam2507 lots of my american viewers purchase from jacksonsart. but i understand if ur not about buying abroad :) have a good day!

[@jillbalsam2507]

@@PaintinHiding Thank you. I just ordered them from Jackson. 😉

[@Zippypep]

Thanks a mill. My favourite part was the favourites... so the conclusion. Would be so helpful if you could please type out your favourites in theor groups... because I honestly don't know which name is which by now :) ... thanks for all your efforts...

[@PaintinHiding]

you're welcome! i'm glad you found this helpful :D i updated the description box, grouped the brushes in their groups as i mentioned in the conclusion part. hope that helps. feel free to let me know if it's not clear :)

[@susanavenir]

Thank you for thinking of us, Vee! I'm only now learning you've been so ill. Take good, good care of yourself, please. I'll be thinking of you.

[@PaintinHiding]

ur choice of vid to comment on is hilarious! ;P thank you susana! i'm recovering but it's slow since energy depletes when i take care of mom. i shall reply to your email after i fully recover if that's okay, LOTS OF INFO on there that i want to go tthrough

[@susanavenir]

@@PaintinHiding LOL, I think I got lost. Maybe your recent video was coming to an end and this one popped up? Anyway, I am glad you are doing a bit better. Be gentle with yourself, my friend.

[@greekveteran2715]

I don't think that it is the same as the Raphael. Raphael already showed way better prrecision/control and I'm 100% sure,it will last way longer. Brushes especialy quils,that aren't made by Raphael,Da Vinci etc,they fall apart sooner or later. A good brush will perform better overall and will last longer. You get what you pay for with brushes.

[@skrewler]

Some other quills to try: Rosemary Series 1 Kolinsky Sable makes 3 different sizes of quills Rosemary Series 170 Squirrel (seems to not be made anymore?) but they have the Jean Haines Isabey makes a vintage looking one as well as a more normal quill. series 6234i Roman Szmal also makes a good quill. Princeton Neptune is a popular synthetic in the US. also, the Tintoretto brushes I feel the build quality is it's best feature. it is up there with Escoda / Isabey / Raphael. but I use larger size I'm surprised you like using the smaller sized brushes. Seems the trend is to using huge brushes.

[@PaintinHiding]

haha, well, i guess i go against the trend. lol. thank you for the recs!

[@awatercolourist]

I think there isn’t THAT much of a difference between goat’s hair and squirrel hair, especially if used as a mop. Squirrel hair tends to hold its tip point much better than goat’s hair, but squirrel hair is still difficult to use for detail because it is too soft and flimsy and while it does not dump paint, it does release a lot of paint so for me it is more difficult to control.

[@PaintinHiding]

if used as a mop, then yeah, not much difference. but for my personal usage, i'd most likely still stick with squirrel. i think the "difficult to control" is what i like. just letting the water and paint do its thing~

[@jennw6809]

I recently got the Tintoretto #8 goat mop - not sure I would buy more, but I do like goat hakes and fluffy mops. It's cheaper than a squirrel mop, but not as pointy.

[@awatercolourist]

@@jennw6809 True!

[@jennw6809]

@@awatercolourist I should really take it for a test drive on big paper. I love doing ink paintings with goat.

[@awatercolourist]

@@jennw6809 Like Asian art?

[@hectorsilva3726]

Porque no lo traducen al español? Uds. están en Uruguay!!!😢

[@PaintinHiding]

i'm in thailand. not uruguay.

[@monsoon_magic2874]

First!

[@awatercolourist]

I missed this one! Good for you Upendra!

[@PaintinHiding]

🥇😁

[@awatercolourist]

@@PaintinHiding Is that for me or for Upendra? 😆

[@PaintinHiding]

@@awatercolourist don't be greedy now, you know very well who it's for ;P

[@awatercolourist]

@@PaintinHiding Whats wrong with being greedy 😜😁