Charles Reid - Watercolor Basics: Learn To Solve The Most Common Painting Problems

Brushes are your most important consideration. You can use cheap paper, plastic palettes and student-grade paints, but you must have good brushes. There are four choices when choosing a brush: natural sable hair, natural hair from other animals, a combination of sable hair and synthetic fibers, and completely synthetic fibers. These brushes come in two shapes: round and flat. I use only round natural sable brushes (often labeled kolinski, after the little animal whose tail is used to make sable brushes). Although Im not qualified to comment on the other brushes mentioned above (Ive never used any of them), I will make some observations. Synthetic brushes are inexpensive, but they dont seem to hold much water and paint. Squirrel quills hold lots of paint and water, but theyre rather lank and lack spring, and theyre almost as expensive as sables. If you cant manage a natural sable, a round brush with a mix of natural and synthetic fibers would probably be your best bet.

There are many fine natural sable brushes available. You can purchase them from any artists catalog. Sable brushes can seem very expensive when compared to synthetic brushes, but Ive found that a good sable brush will last and give you more painting pleasure than synthetic brushes. My favorite is the Da Vinci Maestro. It has a very full body and points beautifully.

A no. 8 would be a good size to start with. This is the size I use the most. Once youve made the plunge and decide to purchase another brush, Id backtrack and buy a no. 6. If youre delighted with your sable brushes, you should add a no. 10 to your next Christmas or birthday wish list. I use a no. 12, but you really dont need a sable larger than a no. 10. If you are painting a large area and need a big brush, use a squirrel quill or sable/synthetic brush.