Best Watercolor Paint Brushes for Beginners

The best watercolor brushes, for beginners and professionals, are those that hold high amounts of water and paint, and offer predictability. The sworn enemy of a watercolor artist is unpredictable movement of paint due to inferior product. 

Having been an oil painter and charcoal enthusiast for most of my life until last year (high maintenance mediums), watercolor was uncharted territory. All I had ever heard was how difficult a medium it was. There’s no eraser, it dries quickly, it’s difficult to control, etc. Every mistake is permanent unless dealt with in seconds. It’s intimidating.

Watercolor takes finesse, undivided attention and quality products. I cannot stress that enough. Especially when you are still learning the medium. Using poor quality paints and brushes results in poor quality work, which will rattle your confidence and potentially ruin your painting. 

While it will take you and me years to master watercolor, there’s a simple solution to this problem. Going the extra mile, spending a little bit more money on tools than usual, will go a long way in creating eye-popping colors and lively paintings. When it comes to brushes, I prefer to use authentic squirrel hair brushes by Dainayw. Why? They’re highly absorbent. They hold an ungodly amount of water (and thus paint) and make cross-canvas washes a cake-walk. The predictable application leaves lots of water on the paper, which in turn leaves you time to work the paint and finish your masterpiece!

Trust me, go with the high-quality products at the onset. You’ll thank yourself (and hopefully me) later.

All the best,

Sam Bell