Recommendation for watercolor brush for fine details

[Tedos]

I’m after a fine watercolor brush for fine details and looking for some recommendations.  I need the brush to spring back to a fine point as I’m drawing thin lines.

As its a fine brush (and there is not much hair on it) I’m wondering whether it’s worth spending US$10+ for one or do you get cheap ones (like in bulk from the likes of aliexpress) and then just throw them out and replace it when the point is no longer sharp?

Any recommendations of which brand I should get.   I know brush sizes can go to like #0000 but some brushes have sizes in fractions eg 1/30 … what does this mean?  Are they even finer than a #0000?

Thanks

[Yorky Administrator Ormskirk]

You need a #2 rigger brush. Small fine brushes don’t hold enough paint to paint any length of line, whereas a rigger has longer bristles and hols more paint.

Doug

We must leave our mark on this world

[Mullanphy]

Doug hit the nail on the head and drove it all the way in.  A liner/rigger brush is the way to go for fine details and skinny lines.  Unless you enjoy dipping the brush into the pool ever 2 seconds. ?

Princeton brushes are good – they have several lines they grade as best for watercolors. Here’s the link to their wc lines https://www.princetonbrush.com/brushes-princeton-brush-company-art-brushes/watercolor-princeton-brush-company-watercolor-brush/

Princeton’s  Heritage™ Series 4050 – Synthetic Sable are reasonably priced and hold tons of paint.  The #2 liner (rigger) is under $10, and might be found other places for less.

Another brand for a good rigger is Mimik Creative Mark synthetic sable.  Check Amazon for better prices than Jerry’s Artarama on those.

Something that always amazes me is the control many watercolorists have using #6 or #8 rounds.  Through practice they’ve learned to draw such narrow lines with exquisite control with those big brushes. ?

Save lives, mask up. ?

[Kaalia]

It is worth investing in better brushes if you wish to paint fine details.  W&N series 7, Raphael, and Rosemary are all considered some of the best when it comes to fine/small brushes.  Rosemary is the most affordable (although take shipping into consideration) and W&N is the most expensive of the three.

Rigger brushes are good for painting longer thin lines, but these can be more expensive that small rounds which are better if you’re doing lots of shorter lines.  It really depends on what you need them for.

Those hyper small brushes like 1/30 or even 1/100 are indeed smaller than #0000, but they are honestly not good for watercolour.  Those sorts of brushes are most often used for painting things like Warhammer miniatures which are often painted in absurdly fine and realistic detail.  Speaking of Warhammer though, that is usually done in acrylic, but seasoned painters often prefer one of the three brands I’ve mentioned above, and most report getting around a year of use out of the brushes.  Watercolour is much gentler and you should get just as much life if not more out of these brushes with good care.

 

[Tedos]

Kaalia wrote:

Rosemary is the most affordable (although take shipping into consideration)

thank you.  Which rosemary do you recommend?

[Yorky Administrator Ormskirk]

Incidentally, for straight lines I use a ruling pen which can draw the finest lines when filled with watercolor or diluted masking fluid.

Doug

We must leave our mark on this world

[Tedos]

Does masking fluid clog a ruling pen?

[Yorky Administrator Ormskirk]

It doesn’t matter, it is metal and easily cleaned. I have a pen with a moveable side which makes it even easier. Check out my video

Doug

We must leave our mark on this world

[Mullanphy]

Yorky Administrator Ormskirk wrote:

It doesn’t matter, it is metal and easily cleaned. I have a pen with a moveable side which makes it even easier. Check out my video Doug

I had one of those – the rolling ruler – almost 40 years ago.  No idea what happened to it, but I just had to see if they were still around – they are!  $10 on Amazon for a new one and as low as $3.00 for a used one on ebay.  I think I paid almost $20 for the one I rarely used and lost in one of our frequent moves.

Cool video, too.

Save lives, mask up. ?

[Author]

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