Using the proper tools will help you to create your work of art. Choosing good quality brushes can make the difference between the creative tasks at hand being more enjoyable than arduous. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to paint where bristles are either becoming detached, or are matting together too much. Proper care and attention is needed to maintain the longevity of the watercolor brushes being used, and this will come from proper cleaning and drying of the tools. The scale in price when looking for a brush in an art store will vary greatly and should be a good indicator of the overall class of the brush you will be getting.

Traditionally, good quality brushes for use in watercolor painting will be made from animal hairs. This is because the hairs are quite porous, which means that more paint can be held, but they are also able to hold their point much better too. Sable brushes are some of the most eminent in their field, and you can also find many varying qualities of them, depending on the mix of hairs in the brush. You are of course, likely to find some synthetic brushes which will come at a cheaper price. Still, however, these are worth experimenting with if on a budget, because they are practical and somewhat durable. If it is brushes which you do not use often in your work, then buying slightly cheaper ones may be more economical.

Pay attention to what type of brush is suited for a certain technique too. There are brushes for wide flat washes, thinner ones for line work and brushes which are more ideally suited for general stroke work. Round brushes are the staple of a lot of watercolor work, as they narrow at the tip when they are wet to give good control. Flat brushes are good for wide washes, along with texturing techniques such as splattering and lifting. Mops (which are usually made from squirrel hair) hold a lot of water, as do Wash brushes which are good for spreading water wider than normal brushes can. A Rigger is good for very fine line work, as well as a Detail brush for getting those really thin lines and for that final flourish of the author’s signature.

There are plenty of different styles of brushes to work with, and learning to employ them all will help you to convey you idea from your imagination to your paper. Once you have discovered the preferred usage for a certain brush, then you can experiment with different grips in order to get the best out of them. Some grips include the Classic, The Pinch and The Conductor and again, by filling your repertoire with many different watercolor techniques will allow you to communicate your inspiration more accurately.

With all of your watercolor brushes, it is important not to let paint dry upon them. The best way to clean them is to get them under some running warm water, and use a little soap to clean the hairs. As it is likely to be hairs you are cleaning, you will need to be gentle with the cleanser, and the more natural and organic the soap, the better. After rinsing, make sure all water is shaken or dabbed out, for it can collate where the bristles meet the handle. Keep your watercolor brushes specifically for the watercolor paintings, not tainting them with any other type of paint and they should serve you a good long time.