When It comes to quality there are two things you probably shouldn’t skimp on; paints, and brushes. Even if you have just a few ‘good quality’ brushes, it’s better than a ton of low-quality that shed bristles or don’t hold paint. It can make a difference in feel, control, and response. I’m not saying that a good brush will make you a better painter, but it can help make the art-making process a little easier. Good quality brushes don’t necessarily have to be expensive either, though some are.

The brushes and brush brands I use for watercolor, ink, and gouache are different than what I prefer to use in oil painting. For oil painting, I prefer Rosemary brushes as mentioned in [this post], but for watercolor, I have 3 brands I like to use: da Vinci, Raphael, and Isabey. Daniel Smith was also on the list but they no longer make brushes.

Da Vinci brushes compile the bulk of my watercolor brushes. I have 2 rounds (#16 and #6) and 2 flats (#12 and #4) in the Maestro brand, which are natural Kolinsky sable. These brushes hold water perfectly and provide just enough feedback and spring for a variety of techniques. Because they are genuine Kolinsky sable, they tend to be on the more expensive side. They are a natural bristle, so if you’re against using real sable, which is completely valid, there are plenty of good imitation sable or synthetic brushes which I’ll mention below which I also use.

Da Vinci Cosmotop Spin synthetic brushes.

I also like to use Cosmotop Spin brushes by da Vinci. These are synthetic brushes and provide a lot of snap and control and are less expensive than real sable brushes. For instance, a #12 round Cosmotop Spin is about ($20 at Jerry’s), while the same size brush also by da Vinci Maestro in sable costs about ($189) I have a variety of the Cosmotops in rounds and flats. They are great for traveling and you can abuse them a little.

Next up is Raphaël. Raphaël offers a great variety of imitation sable brushes called Kaërell. If you’re looking for a real sable alternative then look no further, plus they are super inexpensive. Raphaël brushes are great and I have a number of these. They are the closest thing to actual natural sable on the market (according to Blick) and I wouldn’t disagree. They also offer real Kolinsky sable as well and are comparable to da Vinci at the higher price-point.

Daniel Smith had made a few good brushes in the past. Daniel Smith had a physical ‘brick & mortar’ store in Seattle and they sold a large variety of art supplies as well, including their own branded supplies aside from paint and pigment, which is what they are known for. I used to have an art studio in the Northwest, so I’d often go there for my art supplies and occasionally I’d test out one of their branded brushes. I prefer da Vinci and Raphael for most things, but Daniel Smith had some nice specialty brushes, like the scrubber brush above (which resembles a hog brush for oil), which is great for removing paint or adding texture effects, and the wide flats, like the 2” flat below. That one is great for larger washes. They are both no longer available as far as I can tell now, as Daniel Smith has restructured and is only in the paint and pigment business now. If you can find some of their brushes someplace, they are worth investigating further. Their paints and pigments are top-shelf and I’ll be posting more about their watercolor and oil paints later.

Finally, the last one in my collection worth noting is the Isabey #8 6234 Petit Gris mop brush I got a while back. Handmade from Siberian Blue Squirrel and assembled with a goose quill, and this thing is a beast. It can hold a tremendous amount of liquid, and the tip is pinpoint sharp, and despite how much water it holds, it’s extremely precise. I paid a ridiculous amount for it as a gift to myself on one of my birthdays. However, now this brush is around $125 USD at Jerry’s, or Blick.

That’s about all I have to say about brushes at the moment. I can see why YouTube videos are so popular. Who wants to read about this stuff, when a much more entertaining and dynamic video probably exists. However, here it is… :-)