[Aquanet] Brushes

Mon Mar 23 13:41:57 EDT 2009

Back in 2003 I wrote a short article on brushes that I had tested, and I
insert below a bit of it relative to Kolinsky sable brushes.  I can send the
rest of it to anyone by direct request.  Since that time there have been
some new lines of brushes, but I haven't updated the article or done
extensive testing.

****

When precise shapes are important in your painting (as opposed to very
loose, splashy work), there is nothing better than a high quality Kolinsky
brush.  These hold a lot of paint, release it very steadily and predictably,
hold their points well, and offer enough resistance and resilience to make
them very predictable in building shapes. No synthetic brushes that I have
tried perform as well in these aspects, although some synthetics made with a
variety of diameters of fibers (for example, Richeson 'Quiller' Series 7000
or ProArte Prolene series 101) may perform acceptably.  I have not used
DaVinci Cosmotop Spin, which should perform about like Prolene or 7000.   In
between one finds sable/synthetic blends, such as W&N Sceptre Gold or Cheap
Joe's Dreamcatcher. These blends may perform almost as well as low-grade
sables.  The most noticeable shortcomings of synthetic brushes will be
dramatically less paint per load, 'dumping' the paint at the start of the
stroke, and inferior pointing.  I do often pick a #6 or so Quiller or
Prolene round for minor re-touching or gentle scrubbing or lifting.  Also,
the synthetics are much to be preferred for work with acrylics, because of
the wear and tear on expensive sables.

Among brands of Kolinsky rounds, one still finds a wide range of prices,
with quality tracking price to some extent.  Further, sizing is quite
variable - one manufacturer's #8 may be close in size to another's #12.  The
prices result from marketing and promotion costs as well as selection of the
hair to be used and the care in building the brush.  Kolinskies come from
all across northern Asia. The best and most scarce are generally considered
to come from the long, stiff tail hair of winter male Siberian Kolinsky
weasels - some of the manufacturers using this select hair are Kalish,
Winsor&Newton Series 7, and DaVinci Maestro.  Other brushes labeled Kolinsky
may come from other areas (Tajmir, even China - Harbin), may be from females
caught any time of year, etc., or may even be mislabeled.  These brushes may
still be pretty good and distinctly superior to synthetics.  The largest W&N
Series 7 I have used is #2; it does not seem any better than my small
Kalish.

I can recommend Kalish Series 1 (generously sized), DaVinci Maestro Series
35, or Daniel Smith Autograph Series 44-14 as all being very fine brushes,
wonderfully pleasing to use, although expensive.  Close behind come Escoda
(Spanish) and Cheap Joe's Dragon Tongue (which I think may be made by
Escoda).  These are reasonably priced, and may be as much as most painters
would want.  They are sized somewhat smaller, and don't have the length of
the top class Kolinsky brushes.  Richeson 6228 Kolinsky brushes seem to me
to be of slightly lower quality (spring, pointing, length of hair), but
maybe available at very good prices for Kolinsky and are still good quality
brushes.  One supply house is marketing the DaVinci  Maestro 35 as a
"Charles Reid" brush.

Barry D. Lindley
Paintings and Drawings
www.BarryLindleyArt.com

  _____  

From: aquanet-bounces at thedigitalbraintrust.net
[mailto:aquanet-bounces at thedigitalbraintrust.net] On Behalf Of Annette
Compton
Sent: Monday, March 23, 2009 12:14 PM
To: watercolorist at artmaker.com
Cc: Aquanet at thedigitalbraintrust.net
Subject: Re: [Aquanet] Brushes

I've demonstrated at Jerry's Art of the Carolinas for five years with
Richeson brushes. I can't say enough about the quality of them. Both their
acrylic line and their Kolinsky line are extremely good value for the price.
The Richeson Signature 9000 is a wonderful entry level brush with a nice
spring. I find acrylic blends are often great for beginners. As hand-control
increases, sables offer the sensuality and the flow many of us really love.

Isabey Kolinskys are still my favorites which is distributed by Savoir Faire
who also distribute Raphael. I cherish three sizes of 6227Z's that I use
daily.

I think investing in a good brush is still the most wonderful thing a
watercolorist can do for herself. Glad to hear you are doing that!

I'm eager to try some of the other suggestions.

Annette

Annette Compton

Compton ART

PO Box 162

Woodstock, VT 05091

(802) 457-2020

www.comptonart.net

info at comptonart.net

On Mar 22, 2009, at 6:58 AM, Cecilia Price wrote:

I've recently bought some Richeson and Raphael brushes, some are Finest
Sable and some are labeled Kolinski.
So far I have seen a definite improvement in my work. I'm wondering what
brushes are your favorites and
your opinions on them.

Thanks!
Cia

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