What brushes do you use/recommend the most for Watercolors?


What brushes do you use/recommend the most for Watercolors?

I've been using synthetic golden taklon brushes so far and tried a natural pony hair brush recently on someone's suggestion. It's possible I chose the wrong one because it's surprisingly limp and doesn't have the spring that the synthetic brushes do. 

I've heard Sable hair brushes are the best but I couldn't find them in local stores and they are way too expensive to buy without trying them out :-D

Would love to hear what brand of brushes you use and if you recommend a different set of brushes for different techniques. 

Image credit: http://www.trueart.info/western_brushes.htm

Comments

  1. Adding Andy Walker Cathy Johnson Julie Gilbert Pollard Mark Mitchell Vinita Pappas for your expert advice :-)

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  2. I'd like to hear more about this. My instinct gives me a specific answer, but in this case "instinct" is how I call my lack of knowledge.

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  3. I use Graduate brushes at the moment as they are cheaper to buy thought would like to get a set of Terry Harrison brushes when I can afford too. I use  1/4 Angle brush,1/2 flat,1 round, various fan brushes, spotter, oval wash brushes, Rigger brush and a rough foliage brush for most of my paintings. like the angle brush the most as get quite a few effects using it. Where as my wife can't get on with the Angle brush at all.
    More Ideas on which brushes to use would be useful!!

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  4. I really like the 'mop' big brush I have and try to use it in backgrounds, and a few bold places on larger paintings. In smaller sizes, I like the flat and angle brushes. Will use a 1/2 inch flat and for the black and white class I had in illustration, we used a #3 Winsor Newton Series 7 - one for white, and another for black. Still use some of those techniques today.

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  5. John Williams Virginia Rinkel you guys should post a demo on how to use the angle brushes. I stick to rounds and flats because I can't figure out what to use the rest for :-D

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  6. Pooja Srinivas , I haven't bought art brushes in a long while, but I remember from the days that I did that camel hair brushes are good. Most student's art supplies shops and even local stationers used to stock them.

    Mostly, I used to find the brushes more usable when they'd got a bit worn down (usually by one whole size). :D

    Also, if you plan to do water colours, buy Whatman's paper. No 1 is the best (and most expensive grade), but in water colours, unlike oils, you move from the best paper as a beginner to less good quality paper (when you have more confidence). Whatman's is acid-free paper, so it's good over time, too. Normal 'chart paper' or artist's paper pads are usually not acid-free, so they turn yellow over time.

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  7. Jyoti Dahiya 
    haven't heard of the Whatman's brand. Do you get that in shops in India?

    Shoot... late to the party. It's been discontinued :-/

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  8. Nooooo! Let me ask around for replacement paper.

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  9. Arches and Canson are what I've tried so far. I usually buy blocks but recently got a set of full-size sheets and have tried a few "odd" sized pieces. 

    Would be interested in hearing about other papers that have worked with the natural hair brushes.

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  10. Did you get the comment I wrote here? Maybe I was writing it in a different spot, and didn't know it?..

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