Best (and most affordable) Watercolor Brushes - Matthew White

Watercolor Brushes are an investment. There are so many options it is hard to know which ones to spend your money on.

Today, I'm going to show you some of my favorite brushes that are also the most affordable.

[octoBadger]

I'd love to see the brushes with paint on them. The fine liner looks like Tina Turner's hair do when it's dry like that - hard to imagine what it looks like in use, or the marks they make.

[karlaaraujo]

I've been painting watercolor for about a year and I absolutely love it. ❤ Learning from you Matthew is a great previlege. Thanks a lot.

[johannawilson]

It would be so helpful to see each brush in use, like you did with the mop brush.

[Tugboat-R-Us]

We have a cheap joe’s art store where I live. I must have watched this video bc every brush Matthew recommended I had bought 😂. I purchased the Raphael soft aqua quill 3/0 to try out and it took me a while before I started using it. I was blown away once I started using it and actually found that I use it much more often than my other brushes. I have better control with this brush but im still able to paint loosely if that makes any sense lol. I also bought a cheap bamboo calligraphy brush that they were practically giving away and I love it. It’s hairs are kind of sparce probably why it was on sell but it’s awesome to use for leaves on a tree. I also like the princeton aqua elite long round brush that has a sharper point. I use this one for the bark on the tree. I like my tree bark to have a little definition not as smooth and this makes the bark looks so beautiful, especially if im doing wet into wet. It also is nice for defining the outline of the tree. I’ve wanted to try the escoda line, the versatil and the perla but I have heard others complaining about receiving brushes that were in horrible shape. I think I might go to Cheap Joe’s and see if they carry it or can order it. I think that I would feel better seeing the brush before I commit to the purchase.

[jencoleman]

Thank you so much! I have a Princeton Velvetouch size 8 round and the size 12 blooms filbert, which are great. I picked up a Winsor and Newton Cotman mop brush at Michael's because they didn't really have anything else in store and it's fine but has no shape. I'm dying to get my hands on that pointed mop brush for landscapes!

[sarakatharina]

I was looking for mop brushes and I found a set I really like: it's from Meeden and contains 3 mop brushes I use all the time.

[zzdoodzz]

The timing on this is great. I'm just getting back into watercolors and started with a real basic set, I quickly realized I needed something better. I'm investing in the better brushes that you have suggested here, the Raphael SoftAqua mop 8 and a Silver Brush Limited 12. Thanks so much for all of your videos, you do a wonderful job.

[dschmid]

I’ve found that round brushes work best for me, because you can pretty much do everything with them. The Princeton Neptune brushes are pretty good, but expensive. I agree with Matthew concerning the mop and mid sized brushes. You don’t need many brushes. However, it’s difficult for many of us in Canada to get good brushes, because there are few art supply stores. So, one has to order online from stores operating in large cities or from the US, which adds to the cost. The problem is one can’t see or feel the brushes that way, so deciding on and purchasing brushes becomes a guessing game.

[corallall]

Please Matt create a tutorial of how to paint massives of greens, foliage. Real problem...😢

[stephenj]

I actually discovered my local art store (that supplies the university) have there own in house watercolor brush brand and believe it or not, have sabel 100% natural hair brushes for a fraction of the price of the main brands. Been using them for years and theres have been performing just as well as my WN series 7.

[stephanieashworth]

So much more info than the big box store!

[stormmoster]

The brushes that have suprised me most when it comes to performance versus price are the IKEA kid's brushes. They hold water really well and with a steady hand ou can paint fine lines. I think they are made of the same type of fibers as Escoda perla but the perlas have sharper points. The main downside is that the short handles makes them a bit uncomfortablefor adults to use for longer period of times.

[methatronn]

Thank you Matthew so this information…

[augustoluna]

Oh man... I just bought some brushes last week.

[tsmall]

Matthew, I appreciate your videos! I have been painting for about 5 years and always learning. I was wondering what size paper you generally use for watercolor and what paper do you favor? Thank you!

[SBakos-sj]

I love your videos. I am a new watercolor painter. I've been doing this for almost 2 years. Most of the things I paint are 4x6 or 5x7. Can you suggest what would be your suggestions for the types of brushes for smaller paintings. I was going to order with your link to Amazon but then I thought maybe these brushes are too big for smaller pics.

[rodstewart]

What is your opinion of flat brushes? I find a small one is handy for scrubbing away hard edges and painting corner shapes. Also, these brushes look great for larger size watercolor paper. I paint scenes and subjects that are about 8" X 10" framed...and these brushes might be to large or too long for me? What brushes would you recommend for smaller paintings? Great video!

[annalamaq]

Thanks for tutorial, Matt. Can you please, tell us which site to buy this brushes from. I can't find anywhere the Raphael brush cheaper then £50😢

[RuthJohnstonaworldofgoods]

$56 for one brush is your idea of affordable??? Maybe for a successful youtuber selling his wares on Amazon, yeah. But not the average artist!

[denisebanning]

For all the vegans out there: chinese (japanese) calligraphy brushes most of the time are made of animal hair of different kinds