Which WATERCOLOR BRUSHES Do I Need? (My 10 Favorite Brushes)

[@ShazAtts]

Thank you Paul for sharing with us your favourite brushes :) being one of your students my favourite is also the 00 but like yourself all the others have their uses and moments. I was waiting for you to say 'replicator' as you normally do and you didn't in this video LOL You will be pleased to know I AM keeping my brushes wet which is keeping me a bit quiet on Social media :) So this was a lovely little video to watch before I head off to bed to dream of ... wet brushes haha x

[@TheDevonArtist]

Hi Shaz, thank you so much for your kind, lovely comment and has started my weekend off with a smile. Yes, I did forget to say my 'replicator'! LOL Keep those brushes wet, Paul 🎨

[@ShazAtts]

@@TheDevonArtist ❤👍😁

[@lisasternenkind6467]

When painting or using masking fluid for whiskers, or for extremely thin and very long lines, I like to use a calligraphy pen. They come with a variety of tips to use, and work fine not only with ink, but also with watercolor, masking fluid, or fluid acrylics. I also use an empty calligraphy pen before covering an area with rather dry watercolor, to add fine marks to the paper, that won't pick up any color later. So I sort of push the paper down with the calligraphy pen, to leave these very fine lines of dense paper. I like to do this for grass and fields in landscapes, mostly after a first wash, to keep the very light lines even when adding multiple other layers on top. I hope this is understandable. 😬 I love your precise explanations and the great variety of information. Your videos are very much appreciated. Regards from Thuringia, Germany. 👋🏻

[@TheDevonArtist]

Thank you very much. Yes, I use a dip pen occasionally so very similar to you, as you say good for masking fluid. I've never considered using it for indenting the paper though, good idea. 💡

[@lisasternenkind6467]

I like to use a cheap cosmetic brush for blush and powder makeup. You can buy these brushes for little money in big drug stores and in discounters. I also use them for blending, especially for blending backgrounds, when painting with acrylics. These brushes for blush and makeup have loads of hair.

[@TheDevonArtist]

Believe it or not I used to paint with oils and did the same thing with some cheap makeup brushes. 😁

[@75Butterflyangel]

Magic in your brushes!! I simply adore my 'double 00' ..detail, detail, detail 🧡

[@TheDevonArtist]

Thank you so much!, so do I :-)

[@TheBeverleyann]

You my friend are a Treasure ! Fantastic tips ! Thank you !

[@TheDevonArtist]

You are so welcome, I'm glad my video gives you some ideas. 💡😀

[@user-ko8hp1rc6y]

Thank you very much for the link to the brushes you use especially the Replicator brush. You replied to my query in hours. Amazing! Love your tutorials.

[@TheDevonArtist]

I do try to keep on top of the comments here, I'm glad my little video has given you some ideas. 😊

[@colleenmcchesney1482]

Wow this was a fantastic informational video for beginners especially. I wish I had found this one when I began painting this time 4 years ago. Luckily my first set of brushes was a rather reasonable price set of 10-12 round brushes from size 1-16, so I can make those other 5 brushes after watching the next video. I didn’t use a lot of the old first brushes. Thanks for sharing this valuable information with us.

[@TheDevonArtist]

You are so welcome Colleen, yes any old brushes that you will never use and are inexpensive, plus destined for the bin), are ideal for turning into fun technique brushes. Keep those brushes wet. Paul 🎨

[@creativecolours2022]

My favourite brushes are waterbrushes, those with the reservoir at their handle. And that because they have a great point, they have great flow of paint ( because of the reservoir at their "handle"), they make me work faster and they can give me great control on what I'm painting. I use the Pentel ones but the other brands are great too. Here are some tips on using these brushes. In order to last longer you have to wash them in a water container. If you do so the dirty ( coloured) water remains in your water container and the clean water in the reservoir of the brush. And the bristles last longer because they don't wear out as they do if you try to clean them by rubbing them on a towel. I also spray in advance my paints with water. So the paint is already wet when I start painting and the bristles of the brush are already wet too. The only thing I have to regulate is how wet I want the bristles to be and I'm doing that by wiping the sides of the brush on a clean cloth ( an old bath towel or paper towel- cloth towel is more environmental friendly! ). Waterbrushes have their own cap and I don't have to worry if they are wet or dry or how to store them and such things. If I want to work in dry brush style I remove the water from the reservoir or I leave there some drops of water. The more water is in the reservoir the more flow you get. If I want to paint abstract backgrounds I pre wet the surface of the paper and I drop paint with the waterbrushes. Then I let the paint do its own thing. For pre wetting my backgrounds I use a hake brush and occasionally a synthetic 12 round. And for my very fine details I have some W&N series 7 Kolinsky brushes a no 1 and a no0. I use a latex brush for applying masking fluid. Those that are used for blending pastels. I have of course plenty of other kind of brushes, flats and sable ones, the Loew Cornell ultra round, some petit gris mops and similar but the waterbrushes are the most convenient by far. I paint mostly portraits and botanical illustrations.

[@TheDevonArtist]

This is such lovely advice, especially using a water brush, something I've never really delved into trying. I have seen others ho they can achieve some lovely effects and techniques using these. From what I've heard, some cheaper ones tend to allow the flow of water far too much, so they are difficult to control. Thank you for your lovely explanation. Paul 🎨

[@creativecolours2022]

@@TheDevonArtist There are some tricks to increase or decrease the flow. If the brush is too runny then you don't fill with so much water the reservoir and you have to avoid squeezing it . If you want to make the brush have more flow you can reverse the valve that is inside the front part of the waterbrush. When you do so the valve stops regulating the flow and the brush flows water with the slightest squeeze on the reservoir. This is very helpful for abstract, wet on wet or background applications. And I never throw the old and wear out waterbrushes because they are great for lifting colour. I have a dozen of them for all purposes. ( along with regular brushes). Their biggest advantage is that they have the properties of a good Kolinsky brush, great flow with large amounts of colour and they are cheap and replaceable. Their disadvantage is that you have to learn how to use them, as they work differently from the regular brushes and that their larger size is the equivalent of a no 6-8.

[@TheDevonArtist]

@@creativecolours2022 Thank you very much for taking the time to post all this lovely information. Paul 🎨

[@creativecolours2022]

@@TheDevonArtist I want to thank you for your informative videos. I'm always interested to see how other artists work as I can always get some good ideas or learn perhaps a new technique. As for the information about waterbrushes... you've asked for it! You share and I share! Greetings from Athens Greece. Marialena.

[@patriciamclaughlin9812]

I enjoy your sense of humor and art. This video reminds me of my Dad in his younger years, who threw out nothing and fixed everything with it! Thank you for these memories. I chuckled my way through this video. Blessings and health to you.

[@TheDevonArtist]

That's very kind of you Patricia. I do like to enjoy myself when recording a video for here, or my main videos on my website, just me being me. LOL Paul 🎨

[@punjabpainting2002]

Wow wonderful painting dear friend..stay connected always

[@TheDevonArtist]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@rebeccawong1]

So much learnt just from one single video 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@TheDevonArtist]

Thank you so much Rebecca 😊

[@TheDevonArtist]

What is the one brush that you would never want to be without? *Leave me a comment* , I would love to know. If you fancy making 5 unique brushes for just 50p, check out this video next: bit.ly/2VL20CW

[@kairanewland7751]

Which brand are each one? Or does it not matter as long as it’s the size you suggest?

[@TheDevonArtist]

Hi Kaira, I do use quite a lot of Rosemary & Co brushes www.rosemaryandco.com/ some sable, some synthetic. For me, it depends on both the price and how well they work. My advice would be to purchase synthetic brushes as these can give a good snap back rate from when you pull the brush off the paper, so back to a nice fine point and nice and straight. The finer detailed brushes tend to be size 00 which I love to use. I do have a list of the materials I prefer on my website if it helps you get some ideas. devonartist.co.uk/materials-i-use-or-recommend-for-realistic-watercolour/ Thanks for asking, Paul 🎨

[@kairanewland7751]

@@TheDevonArtist awesome! Thank you so much. I’ve been watching all your videos and see you talk about the paint consistency being milky watery or thick. Can you have those consistencies with half pans or does it need to be tubes? Thanks so much!

[@TheDevonArtist]

@@kairanewland7751 You're welcome Kaira, I mostly use half pan paints (Winsor & Newton), with the odd tube sometimes used for large backgrounds only. As long as you don't add too much water, you can achieve a creamy consistency. 😀