After presenting my actual palette, the next step is of course talking about brushes. So, i own a lot (too much). They have been accumulated over time and discoveries. Here you have some of them, my most favorite and used ones.
Natural hairs
- Raphaël, Petit gris pur 903, Nº12
- Escoda, Reserva, nº6
- Raphaël, Le “803”, nº3/0
- Raphaël, Le “803”, nº2
- Escoda, Reserva, nº10 (central pointed tip)
- Escoda, Aquario, nº18
Synthetic hairs
- Escoda, Último, 1″ (flat)
- Escoda, Último, nº8 (rigger)
- Escoda, Versàtil, nº12
- Escoda, Versàtil, nº8 (rigger)
- Escoda, Versàtil, nº6
- Escoda, Versàtil, nº2 (rigger)
- Princeton, Neptune, 1/4″ (flat)
- Silver Brush, Black velvet, 1/4″ (Dagger shape, blend of synthetic and natural hairs)
My favorite brushes
For a long time, I was using almost just the Escoda Versatil brushes. They are so good ! they contain a lot of water, the fibers have just enough spring to stay in a perfect shape all the time but they can also make very free and lively brush strokes. The brush are flexible enough to bend as you want on the paper, but as soon as all pressure is removed it goes back into his initial shape.
But since a couple of month, i use more and more natural hair brushes, like the Escoda Aquario. The capacity of retaining water of those brushes is unbelievable and it becomes easy to paint big washes. The hair are very very flexible and they can be deformed easily. This brushes are very sensitive to pressure. They can be used for flat washes as well as for details. And they are perfect for organic brush strokes.
Natural hair brushes can be quite expensive, but there is synthetic imitation which are less expensive and almost as good as natural hair, like the Escoda Último brushes. Their fibers are as flexible as natural hair and they can hold also a lot of water. I own those two brushes for not so long time so i can’t tell about the durability of this kind of brushes.
For each brush a purpose
yes, i have a lot of brushes, but i also have a lot of different shapes. I’m convinced that one brush can be enough (a wash brush like the Raphaël 803 for example), other brushes in different shapes can make painting easier.
Flat brushes are very useful for landscape with a distant background. They can create a mountain or a forest in a few brush strokes. When the side is used, they can make very fine line and when the flat part is used they make beautiful big flat washes.
The riggers, as they are very flexible, are best for creating lines and curves, perfect for organic shapes.
But the essential part is to know your brushes and try them in different situations. This way you will learn what you love about them. Because what’s working for me isn’t maybe what will works for you. That’s part of the reason why i have so many brushes : with time i’ve learned what i like about my brushes and also what i didn’t like. And now i’m more able to choose a new brush efficiently.
Other tools for painting
There is lots more tools than brushes that can be used for painting ! The list depend of your imagination ! So here you have a selection of tools that can be useful when i paint. Sponges, foam, nib, tooth brush, spray bottle, gaze, fabrics… Lot’s of everyday object can be used to create effects and textures. I’ll certainly make a video with some of this tools !
And you, what’s your favorite brush/tool to paint with ?
