Paint Brush - Know How To Select Brush - Part 2

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Paint Brush

What you need to know about Watercolor Brushes
If you're a watercolor painter, you have two basic categories of brush to consider when selecting the right tool to suit your painting needs. First, you'll need a brush that will deliver enough water and pigment to cover broad areas or washes. The flat, the wash and the mop are all good examples of this type of brush. 
Secondly, you'll need another type of brush for drawing, details and special effects. The round is the most versatile brush in this category, but there are several other specialized brushes you can also check out. To get the best results for your own painting style, you'll want to experiment with several styles of brush in each category.
When shopping for brushes, be sure to evaluate their quality, Many brushes look good in the counter display, but appearances can be deceiving. A truly good watercolor brush doesn't just look good, it must also have snap, retain its shape when wet and have proper loading qualities. Most brushes come from the manufacturer with a coat of glycerine (sizing) on the hair. They look perfect with a fine point and a fat belly, but you won't know the true character of the brush until you've softened the glycerine coating. Especially when you're buying a round brush, ask for a glass of water to swish the brush in. Then try snapping it-literally snapping your wrist to reform the bristles. If the bristles don't return to a point or if there's more than one point, select another brush. This brush will probably never give you the results you want.

Looking at Hair
In the world of watercolor brushes, kolinsky sable is considered the best you can get. In general, kolinsky provides excellent flow, spring and snap as well as a fabulous point. Unfortunately, a kolinsky sable can also be quite expensive, running as much as several hundred dollars for a large brush.
There are, however several other good options to choose from. Sable or red sable brushes are moderately priced and still quite responsive. 


You can also buy squirrel hair brushes, which have nice points and flow control, but little spring. Sabeline and camel hair offer good flow control and loading capacity respectively, but both have little spring or point. Many synthetic brushes now offer good flow control and reasonable spring and point. They also offer wonderful quality at reasonable prices. But because there are many variations in material and manufacture, you may have to try out several synthetic brushes to find one that complements your style.

The Standard Selections
Once you've chosen the type of brush hair you'd like to use, you need to figure

out what shape best fits your painting style. As with oils and acrylics, many artists prefer to have one or two brushes that they use for the majority of their painting, enjoy putting both texture and detail in their paintings, Most artists use the flat or the round as their preferred brush and save the other brushes for specific applications.
The following describes the basic brushes, and what they can do for you:
- Round: A round is considered a good, all purpose brush. It's great for applying a consistent line of color. By changing the pressure you apply, you can vary the line from razor sharp to fat. You can use it for creating detail and infinite textural effects. Round brushes look just as their name implies with the bristles corning to a point at the end.
- Flat: This brush has a point of another sort it's the ridge across the tips of the hair or fiber. If a flat is properly formed, all the fibers fan toward one another making a straight, razor like edge. The edge is an important tool for creating lines or straight edges. Flat brushes are also good for making broad strokes and creating large areas of color.

Special Options
When round brush won't quite do the job, reach for a specialty brush. Following are some of the brushes find most useful for watercolor painting.
- Liner: A liner is great for making a long unbroken line like the ones required for the side of a clapboard house or tree branches in winter. It's also great for lettering and other flowing strokes. The liner looks like a taller and much skinnier version of a round.
- Mop: This brush is a good tool for loosely laying in a wash since it holds a lot of water and pigment. A typical mop brush resembles a messier thicker version of a fan brush, but some also look like a round with a fatter belly.
- Wash: The wash brush is also used for laying in washes since it holds a lot of paint. Most wash brushes look like a thicker fluffier version of a flat.
- Angle shader: An angle shader looks like a bright that's been cut to an angle. It's terrific for creating very precise strokes. It can also be used for laying down a wash for those painters who prefer to hold the hand at an angle rather than straight up.

Making a Choice
Last tip in terms of buying brushes is to buy the best you can afford, especially with the natural fiber brushes. If you splurge on a sable brush, buy a truly good one. It will cost twice as much if you have to replace it too soon.
Your painting deserves the best you can manage. However don't be afraid to try some of the new synthetic fibers. These have been refined a lot in recent years, and I've found they can perform quite beautifully. They may not have the long life of a sable, but they're not expensive to replace and can give you exciting results. Finally, don't be afraid of bigger brushes.
The tendency when painting in watercolor is to choose smaller brushes. The larger brushes will give you just as much control as the smaller types, and you'll enjoy the amount of pigment the larger brushes deliver. 

  
Tips - How To Make Your Brushes Last Longer
A brush will lose its action and response to touch unless it's cared for properly. At the end of your painting day, rinse your oil brushes in solvent to remove the majority of paint. Then wipe with a paper towel or rag and wash the brush again. For natural fibers,rub the brush gently against a mild soap and rinse with lukewarm water repeating the process until there's no residue. Finally, reshape the brush, squeezing out any excess water. When you're done, always lay your brushes flat to dry Standing them bristle end up allows water to drain into the ferrule (where the brush hairs meet the handle), weakening the structure of the brush.
Proper cleaning is also essential to the life of watercolor brushes. While cleaning won't save the tips of your rounds, it will keep the fibers healthy longer and help the brush load paint better. Clean your brushes after each use by moistening them and applying either a non detergent soap or brush cleaner. Then roll the round or massage the flat between your thumb and other fingers until a lather forms. This process will carry the color pigment away from the hair or fiber. Rinse and repeat until the lather has no color. Next cup your palm and rinse the brush in the reservoir in your hand before reforming the brush to its natural shape. Lay flat to dry.