Tools of the trade...
These are a few of the watercolor paint brushes I use in my paintings. I like to see the brushes when I am painting and this pot also serves as a way to store brushes. The pot was a painting project that I did a few years ago. Not only are my brushes displayed but the cup serves a third purpose, a drying rack between uses.
Most painters prefer the natural bristle brushes over synthetic bristle brushes. The price range for brushes is pretty wide. A high end natural bristle brush may cost as much as $25.00 and at the lower end a synthetic brush may be $3.00. In my opinion, the natural brushes hold water better and they are easier to work with. Experimenting with the different types of bristles and brushes is really the best way to find the ones that work best for the art you create. One watercolor instructor, Frank Clarke, host of Simply Painting (see link below), prefers goat hair bristles. This part of the creative process is a personal preference.
The length of the brushes in the photo above are basically two sizes. The longer brushes are a recent purchase because I needed a larger fan brush and got the rest with the package. I find that using the longer handles allows me to be further away from the paint that may splash onto my paper by accident. The longer handles make travel a bit harder. Recently I painted at our local lake and my normal bag would not hold the longer handled brushes. I ended up carrying them separately wrapped in a hand towel to protect the bristles from damage. In a few weeks I hope to be painting at the beach and I will be packing only the shorter handled brushes that will fit in my travel bag.
There are several styles of brushes. You have rounded, liners and squared off brushes of varying widths and lengths. The brushes in the pot above are of varying styles. I use a different brush to get a different result. To paint a sky in I like to use the 1 inch squared off brush. To paint grass in a painting I use a liner brush. Having a variety is a good idea for any painter. Anyone just starting out should stick with a liner, 1/2 in and a 1 in squared off brush. Adding different brushes as you go. I would add in different types of brushes, like a round brush with a point, fan brush, varying sizes of liner brushes and the dagger brush are very useful brushes.
Some watercolor painters prefer to use a haik brush for wetting down the paper. I have a generic or utility 2 inch version of this brush and use it for larger paintings or for removing eraser remnants.
Proper care of the brushes will extend their life. This Winsor Newton website provides some great tips:
http://www.winsornewton.com/na/discover/tips-and-techniques/other-tips-and-techniques/care-and-cleaning-of-brushes-us
Painting is not about having all the right tools, the most expensive tools or the newest tool out there. Start with the basics, have fun. Painting is a relaxing hobby.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnaC1Vfk_RY
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