Watercolor Artist Tools - Watercolor Brushes

Do you happen to possess any Russian sables running around your community? If so, you have got at your fingertips the finest material for producing your own watercolor brushes.Any authentic artist or craftsman will affirm that the tools of the discipline are especially essential. In this case we are referring to watercolor brushes. Quite basically, low-cost brushes usually prove to be a misuse of money, so when you need a brush, save up until you can purchase the absolute best. Outstanding brushes will prove to be a sensible investment. You won't need many, and, given reasonable care, they will last quite some time. The kind of watercolor brushes is what is in question. Here's a little suggestion. It practically never hurts to check out your local art dealer. You know the saying, "Birds of a feather..."? Most certainly you will discover some very knowledgeable people at the local art shop. Artists who are striving to earn a living monetarily will choose to work at an art store simply because they are surrounded by their interests and individuals of similar pastimes. They love to chat about their work, and they will give you some very valuable insights about your buys. The art clerks can review for you the distinctive kinds of brushes they have in stock. Of the many types frequently offered, painters differ as to choice. As you will see before long, selection will vary with the style of watercolor painting you are doing. You may like to know that even in this time of computer systems, lasers, and mass production, the majority of watercolor brushes are still hand-made. This consists of even the less costly ones. As a result, what you are paying for is traditional design and a fairly labor-intensive production technique.As noted, brushes differ in level of quality. There are natural hair brushes, the finest being from a tiny animal know as a sable. And by comprehensive agreement it has been established that the best watercolor brushes are made from the hair located on the tips of the Russian male Kolinsky red sable's wintry weather fur. This unique hair has become renown for it's capacity to hold a load of paint and keep a resilient, sharp, and durable point, that always snaps back. Other natural fiber paint brushes come from the likes of mink, ox, squirrel, and goat. Synthetic fibers are another option that is usually less costly than natural hair brushes. Red Sable Brushes - Brushes of red sable are popular for many kinds of work. Of these, the round, sharply pointed ones may perhaps be the most valuable. Some painters use almost nothing else but the Red Sables. A superior sable brush of the round variety should, incidentally, be evenly round, and should keep a sharp point at all instances. Unlike the cheaper "other" animal hair brush, which is flabby and isn't able to hold a point effectively, the red sable brush ought to be springy and strong. Sable brushes come in a lot of measurements; producers vary in their methods of designating such sizes, but there is normally a number to signify size. The watercolor artist should have a minimum of three: small, medium and large. As a secure guideline, he will usually use the biggest brush available for a particular portion of watercolor work. Excepting for fine detail, the small brushes call for the watercolor painter to dip the brush much too often and are very likely to cause the artist to implement perfectionist techniques, which are not generally the favored method for painting with watercolors. For all-around work, a relatively substantial brush is superior. For quick, bold sketching, and for building big washes (as on skies or backgrounds), a huge brush is incredibly useful, but they run you so much in sable that a person usually feels compelled to substitute an item that is less pricey, like camel's hair or squirrel's hair, or possibly a synthetic composition. There are special needs where flat, square-pointed sable brushes are possibly much better than the round-pointed type. They are fantastic timesavers, for example, when it comes to the representation of buildings or equivalent subject matter where squarish forms are necessary. A single stroke can represent a window shutter, the side of a chimney, or even a large roof area. Three or four of these are, consequently, really worth having; they could range from 1/8" to medium size in size. Bristle Brushes - For selected approaches, and especially for scrubbing out highlights or fixing flawed watercolor applications, bristle brushes can easily be utilized. These are more often used in oil painting, and they are considerably stiffer than sable brushes but otherwise seem very very much the same in form. They are perfect for correcting some errors. The flat types have been usually preferred, though anything depends on the end usage. Care of Brushes - As previously described, fine watercolor brushes can give a lot of years of service but only if they get correct treatment. Rinse them often as you use them. For most efficient service, wash them completely with mild detergent and warm water whenever you put them away. Shake each one out don't squeeze it. Using this method it is going to maintain a normal form. Do not permit brushes to stand on their hairs for long, and do not allow them to dry in cramped or unnatural positions. Do not try to soften hardened watercolor paint on your palette or color box by scrubbing it intensely with your best brush. Do yourself a favor and maintain different brushes for each medium you use as an artist. All these tools are much too expensive to use them improperly.One final hint - moths are far too fond of costly sable brushes!