Art materials are unique to every artist. We all have personal reasons why we prefer one brand/item over another. I would say the single biggest determining factor for most artists in choosing their equipment is their style of painting and what they want to achieve. Some of the questions I get asked the most is, "what brand of paint do you like best?" and "what is your favourite brand of watercolour brushes?"

My own first watercolour brushes were quite nasty, I knew it back then because my dad taught me to paint with sables. The shape was wrong and difficult, it didn’t hold much water and the bristles were stiff and flicky – sometimes I felt there was more paint on me than the painting (I hear you all laughing – stop that!! Xx). My excuse is that was accidental flicking (control yourselves!!). A problem I encountered was being encouraged to paint “Big” but all I had, all I could get, were small brushes – mama mia!! However, I was lucky to be a member of a great local art group through which I met fantastic artists and found my way to their workshops. Interestingly, they all used flat brushes – yay for me!!
  
Brushes: 

Selecting a watercolour brush can be a bit overwhelming especially when you visit an art supply store and see all the goodies!!  

I like to use a combination of both synthetic and natural hair brushes. I love the Daler Rowney Sapphires  and Silver Black Velvet and Princeton Neptune. I also have a variety of natural hair brushes from several different manufacturers like Da Vinci, Escoda and Rosemary.

My first flat brush was a 2 inch squirrel wash brush which cost $300. Since then I have also purchased the 1.5 inch and a 1 inch which I love so much!! They’re synthetic/squirrel blend, very soft and perfect for watercolour because they hold a lot of water and paint for washing and blocking-in and more paint when needed. Their softness also means an easier, more reliable glaze, they won’t lift colour while you’re trying to put it down. I use my 1 inch for about 95% small plein air work.

I also have synthetic flat brushes to hand, 1”, ¾”, ½” and ¼”. They are all different brands Daler Rowney system 3, W&N and da Vinci.

I use a da Vinci #6 squirrel mop, with a lovely fat belly and point, I can paint a complete small painting because of its versatility – fat brush strokes with the belly and detail marks with the point. It’s great for studio painting and en plein air. It has lovely long bristles and the ferrule is positioned to avoid scratch the paper. I also have a #4 but I use it less often.

My detail brushes are from Daler-Rowney, Sapphire S85. I always have #14 or #12, #10, #8, #6, #4 to hand. I love these brushes because they don’t have a point – they’re rounded. They are a sable/synthetic blend and hold lots of water and paint and make interesting shapes.
 
My own style of painting is traditional techniques x10!! I use very loose brushwork in the beginning of a painting then I add calligraphic detail marks toward the end of each painting. I prefer geometric shapes I can create with a flat brush over round brush shapes.
 
Paint: 

I always choose tube colours over pan colours. I've been using a combination of Winsor & Newton professional grade paint for close to 30 years, I started with Cotmans but quickly grew out of it as I discovered it’s limitations. I also love Schmincke but I don’t like their lids as they often stick and require time and additional muscle. Another brand I use is Holbein, although they have a bad rap for using many pigments in each colour, I have never found that to be a problem. I have tried many other brands but generally I have found them lacking compared to W&N or Schmincke. If I have one 5ml tube of W&N, I need 3 tubes of any other brand.

Paper:
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I prefer to paint on Arches cold press medium 300gsm 100% cotton rag. Arches is a company that has been around for a very long time and the quality is always consistent. 
For students and my studio “playing” I recommend Fabriano Artistico Cold press 300gsm 100% cotton rag, it is exhibition grade and takes a lot of punishment but is more affordable.
 

The materials you choose will have a lot to do with the style of your painting and your goals. I suggest doing some exploring on your own to see what YOU like best. In my experience it’s best to get recommendations from other watercolour painters who paint in a style you like. You may start out with one brand, but as your style develops you may find that a completely different type of brush, paper, or paint, is something that you like more.

Paint and paint often. Experiment and play with different types and brands of supplies. Eventually you will land on something that works best for you. 

I received a very kind compliment recently, my paintings remind them of Dan Burt’s paintings. I’d never heard of Dan Burt but, man, I know his work now!! Totally amazing – PLUS totally incredible colour!!

This led me to think about the misconception about watercolour – that it’s wishy-washy, subdued, delicate and painted by Victorian ladies. YES 150 YEARS AGO!!  We’re now in the 21st century and along with my peers, watercolours are now a contemporary medium painted in many styles.

I’m known for my strong colour – that’s how I see the world, that how I want the world to be. I love the challenge of watercolour – it’s not for the faint of heart! If you’re happy to paint on the edge of your seat from time-to-time, watercolour is the best medium! Skydiving is not the only means to get an adrenaline rush!

Many years ago I made a deliberate decision to paint stronger vibrant colour. It was a natural step for me, as I’ve always put unusual colours together. As I embarked on my professional artist’s journey, it seemed that, partly due to the lack of appreciation for watercolours back then, my work needed stronger colour to stand amongst the strong colours of opaque medium.

A tiny 5ml tube of watercolour is confusing, how far will that tiny 5ml tube of paint go? Quite far if you are painting small once or twice a week, not far enough if you paint big every day. Buy artist’s quality paint and the little 5ml tube will go even further. This is going to sound strange but, buy 100% cotton rag paper and you will notice good quality paint goes even further and is more vibrant.

A good practice for the watercolour painter is to start with a tiny amount of paint pigment and add water to make a nice puddle to paint with. Next build up some stronger colour with more paint and less water, then even more paint and much less water = DO NOT ADD MORE WATER, do not “clean” your brush between washes. Please note creating a large area wash is all about starting off with lots of water and then reducing the amount of water while you are increasing the amount of pigment. By dipping into your water pot too often, your brush’s water ratio will be out of whack and in danger of diluting your wash and creating blooms where you don’t want them. This practice will grow your understanding of water-to-paint-to-brush-to-paper ratios.

Further the watercolour painter should be mindful of the same water-to-pigment ratio throughout the whole painting. Even with a good command of values, a watercolour can look insipid without a good variety of pigment strength.

Another weapon in your armoury for vibrant colour is to remind yourself to lay down your colour confidently and then DON’T TOUCH IT! Hands in your pockets – walk away!! Continual fussing and excessive brushstrokes lead to dull colour.

When glazing colour or layering colour, to add richness and vibrancy, consider using the same colours/pigments ie if you are painting a lemon, then paint the same colour in both washes. For example if I underpaint and let blue flow through my lemon and then the second pass (glaze) is yellow, my lemon is unlikely to be a bright saturate colour. I’m not saying it’s wrong, I’m saying think about your colours and how you want to use them, what you want to achieve.

Add a good glob of fresh artist’s quality paint to your palette every week, let it set up overnight. Before you  begin your painting session, give it a spritz of water and you’re good to go! Continual scrubbing at dry paint (aka bird poop = poor quality paint) will distract you from creating.

It’s imperative to use the right brush for the job at hand. A small brush will not help you to lay down a sky wash – it won’t hold enough water to form a bead, your previous marks will dry too soon and you’ll end up with brush marks and blooms. For beginners, too big a brush with a good point and fat belly will do a good job for you. Practice with it and learn how to use it, with a good brush it is possible to paint a whole painting, start-to-finish, with just this one brush. 

ciao cari pittori
let me know what you think in the comments below!!

A new term starting and lots of new students, beginners and not-so beginners, so this is a good time to talk about how to care for your watercolour brushes.

Why?

Because they're expensive - my first natural bristle brush cost $300 - I'd better look after it!!

that was close to 25 years ago and it's still a great brush - because I look after it!!
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1. Rinse sizing out of new brushes. Some new brushes come with gum-arabic sizing holding the bristles together. The bristles will feel hard and crusty and may be stuck together completely. To remove the glue before first use, simply swill the brush around in clean warm water and use your fingers to gently massage the sizing out of the bristles.
2. Prepare your brushes before you start painting by wetting them and letting them absorb a little water. Blot off the excess water and leave them lying flat on a towel (or tip down if you have a brush holder). You want them ready to go so they'll absorb paint and water when you want to load your brush - it's impossible to paint with a dry brush!!​​
3. Always squeeze out fresh, good quality paint at least weekly. I know this doesn't seem like brush care, however, brush bristles will wear and break if continually used to scrub at dry, nasty bird poo.
4. Don’t leave watercolour brushes standing/soaking in water. 
5. When you are finished painting for the day, rinse thoroughly with clear water, blot them gently with a clean towel and leave them to dry flat on a towel. 
6. Don't store your brushes in an airtight container, even if you think they are dry inside the ferrule. Remove your damp brushes from rolls or open brush carriers as soon as you get home.
7. Don’t panic if a natural bristle brush gets schmooshed and dries in a wonky shape, just reshape the brush using warm water. If that’s not enough to do the trick, after a few more paintings and reshaping it will probably behave again
8. Don’t trim your brushes "to get a better point". Occasionally, you will find a brush hair or two sticking straight out to the side, and the warm-water trick doesn’t fix it. In this case, the brush hair may be partially broken, and the best solution is to trim that one hair (or two) off at the ferrule.
9. Never use your good brushes for applying masking fluid! Masking fluid dries fast and is impossible to remove! 

Love your brushes and USE them lots! 

Yes, you might wear them out or even better, your brush miles will make you want a better brush - fantastic!!

ciao cari pittori!!