20 Best Watercolor Brushes For Beginners (2023 Updated)

I was introduced to this brand during a watercolor class and haven’t looked back. They’re big-bellied, regardless if size, and hold so much color! Smooth-flowing. I really think my work has improved since I started using them.

My instructor seems to think so, too! Highly recommend them.

Great brushes. I just learning to watercolor and these brushes have made a huge difference in my water coloring. Highly recommended. Great prices here at Cheap Joes.

I have been watercoloring for about a year, and have tried different kinds of brushes. Omg! Silver black velvet are the best brushes I’ve ever used. So silky smooth and holds plenty of paint. Spreads and blends so smoothly and seamlessly.

My paintings drasticallt improved. I DEFINITELY recommend spending the money.

I used this brush with acrylic paints so keep that in mind. This is a nice soft brush with a nice but not strong springy snap just enough to help with tip control but not so much that it flicks off the surface at all or forces it sell straight on the surface.

Its got a real pointy tip with a little bit a guide hair thing but I only noticed because i paint very small. It holds liquid well for a synthetic but does not compare a natural bristle but for what I want its perfectly adequate.

Over all the feel is closer to a sable than a synthetic you can tell its synthetic it feels really great and luxurious. The handle is closer to a stain with a bit of wood texture feel compared to the glossy paint dip handle that I am used to which to me is not a plus or minus just notable.

If the tip holds up with care this brush is really in incredible value at 5ish dollars im definitely going to replace this brush with another of its kind when it wares out.

FUNNY ENOUGH, I got this for my makeup routine to be able to do hair strokes on my eyebrows. It is thin enough to do so! Better than any other brush I’ve bought at makeup counters. I do art as well and you could definitely use this brush to paint the tiniest details.

The only thing about it is that it’s so tiny that it only holds about 2 swipes worth of product, so you have to dip back in frequently. It also does take some time to achieve the look you want since it’s so small.

These are my first non synthetic brushes and it took some getting used to them but I love them. I love how they hold water and move the paint. They keep their shape and do just what I ask.

I’m learning watercolor. I have used fine brushes in the past, 50 years ago. No kidding. As a learning tool they are ok. Or maybe my control of them is just ok. As an aid to my learning they are making me more patience and that is a good thing.

This was the first time I have used nonsynthetic brushes and they took awhile to get used to but I really like them! They hold a lot of water too #sweepstakes

I love these brushes! They have been a game-changer for my watercolor paintings, and they have a noticeably higher quality than the brushes that I was using before. Their design is beautiful, they hold water well, and I like the variety of brush shapes and sizes that came in the set.

These are good for painting backgrounds as well as finer details. If I was making a list of pros and cons about this brush set, one minor thing that I would put on the “con” side is that I found a few more bristles on the page as I was painting than I’m used to.

That may have just been because the brushes were new, though, and it’s been a while since I used new brushes. Other than that, I have no complaints. Overall, my experience has been positive. I would definitely recommend this product and brand to anyone looking for high-quality brushes for watercolor painting.

The brushes seem like they will last for a long time, and if for some reason they don’t, they come with a generous warranty. I also like that there are instructions for taking care of the brushes on the back of the packaging for anyone who’s new to painting or needs a refresher.

The advice about running the brushes through water before using them and thoroughly cleaning the paint away from the ferrule is very useful for getting the most out of your brushes, but it’s also not exactly intuitive if you haven’t taken an art class before.

These brushes seem like a good choice for watercolor beginners. The set has all of the sizes that you would need to get started, and they seem like they will hold up over time.

My experience of using the ZenART Supplies Black Tulip Brush Set was great. When I got them they were in their package and it didn’t take up much room and it had all the information I needed. When I started to use them with watercolor on my first painting which was the humming bird with the splashes.

I used the number 2 brush, the number 8 brush, and the number 10 brush. I found that the brushes held the watercolor nicely where they would pick up the watercolor and distribute it evenly. They were nice to hold and weren’t too heavy.

The second drawing was the antlers with the flowers. The brush that i used was the number 2 brush in the set and it worked perfectly when going from wide to thin lines. The third painting was the hand and butterfly which I used the number 8, the ¾ brush, and number 2 brush.

The ¾ brush I used in the beginning to lay out the base shape and color. The other brushes I used to make and design the smaller details and to build up layers of color. The last painting was of the humming bird and the lavender.

It was the most complex out of all the paintings with the details and colors. I used the brushes 10, 8, 2, which helped when needing to make the smaller details. Overall the brushes were great and by far the best brushes to use when doing watercolor.

With them holding the watercolors even when distributing them and the way the brushes conform to the pressure you use when using them. I would be happy to buy them again with no problems.

For me, making educated choices when purchasing art supplies relies heavily on reputation, so I think it would be useful to mention first and foremost that these brushes are comparable in price and quality to mid-range options offered by more well-established paintbrush manufacturers such as Princeton and Windsor & Newton.

What I mean by this is that they are a safe bet from an up and coming brand, and not so much a gamble like so many unfamiliar art supply brands available on Amazon. I’ve tested these brushes in several wet mediums: watercolor/gouache, and fluid acrylic.

They even work well for heavy-body acrylic! What stands out the most for me is their load capacity. These brushes can soak up a surprising amount of water or paint, which is perfect for long, consistent and bold brushwork.

In watercolor this translates to beautiful washes and seamless wet on wet technique. In gouache, this load capacity makes it possible to make rich, bold and opaque strokes well over 15″ long, assuming you use a quality brand of paint with a rich pigment load.

They are most well suited for very wet mediums, however, for certain applications they also perform very well with acrylics. When using them with acrylics, be sure to reserve them for the wettest of techniques: glazes, watery wet on wet blending, or graphic-like shapes.

Certain techniques used by acrylic painters such as dry-brushing or scumbling would damage the soft, synthetic bristles of these brushes, however, the set overall makes a good addition to any painter’s collection.

Just be careful to not let any acrylic paint dry in the ferrule: this is probably the leading cause of death for paintbrushes, especially synthetic ones. Now about the brushes themselves: the design is simple and elegant.

The set includes two rounds, two flats, one rigger (liner brush) and a “cat’s tongue” brush, which is essentially a pointed filbert. The brush handles themselves are actually considerably longer than most other brushes sold as “short handle”, which is actually great.

This extra length allows you to hold the brushes in other ways besides how you’d hold a pen, which is a bad habit many beginners struggle to shake. The bristles are soft enough to allow paint to flow with minimal “streakyness” while at the same time being stiff enough to maintain a good “spring”, which helps keep an expressive control of your brushwork, and is an especially important quality in riggers.

All in all: ZenART Black Tulip watercolor brushes are a great beginner’s set for the aspiring watercolor artist, and a good addition to an acrylic painter’s set for certain techniques.

Ok I need to get this out first. I ordered an 4, 8, 12 pointed rounds to try and they are over half the size smaller so my 8 was like a 4 and my 4 maybe even less than a 2. The 12 was laughable so maybe I overpaid.

The tips look great. Oh and I ordered a mop brush size 2 which actually has a beautiful point and holds a lot of water and pigment. But I was expecting the sizes to be comparable to others and these are not.

But they feel good in my hand and I will let you know when the point wears out. Double your size for ordering. I am planning to use the very pointy mop and compare it to my full belly size 5 Isabey to see how comparable the loading and dispersing is.

I have to remember that synthetics do like to dump their load at the beginning compared to a sable which is more consistent so just for kicks I will check back. I see nothing wrong with these and I actually needed another couple of tiny ones.

#sweepstakes.

This is the brush Ive been waiting for. Background info: I (try) to paint watercolors in the style of Zbukvic and Castagnet, which means That especially in the early stages I like to utilize a large squirrel quill brush.

However, I wanted to use synthetic hairs, but not sacrifice any performance. I had previously been using the cheap squirrel quills, which i felt guilty about, and they had performed decently but i couldn’t help but notice a difference in the look/length between them and the hard to afford Raphael/Isabey versions.

These new synthetics first of all are made by Raphael, and the brush heads look just like their real squirrel hair brushes in pointedness and length. But lastly and most importantly, these synthetic hairs FEEL and PERFORM better than the cheap version of the real hair brush.

Liquid retention is identical, or close enough that my naked senses cant tell any difference. The hairs softness feels the same too, but the major improvement in performance is that they hold a sharp tip as you paint.

Lastly is price: these cost about the same as the cheaper real hair brushes, but perform like Ive seen the expensive real hair brushes do in tutorial videos.

Block sent me one, freebie trial, I tried it and used and used it, then wanted smaller sizes. I use them exclusively now!!! I bought 3 sets of 4 sizes so I have one to share. LOVE THEM SO MUCH!!! Water retention, ease of application of paint, pick-ip, release.

ALLLLLLLLLL.

Trekell brushes kick *** – (5-Stars) I am so stoked and have been using them like an animal, yes an animal of art. These brushes have such great qualities that they make me feel like a master in my own right!!!! Keep buying Trekell this company is cutting edge and is always working to bring the best quality, longest lasting durability and they have tons of support, videos, and love art just as much as the artist.

I buy Trekell products and oh also they are very affordable because you know as an artist sometimes we need keep a tight budget in these tough economic times. Keep making art and keep buying Trekell we need to keep them in business so they can keep crafting their magic products!!! yay.

After testing a few sets of brushes I am making the leap to about 75 % Trekell brushes, they work so well I can’t give them up. I am Art the Artist and I approve this message!YAY!.

I am so happy. The brushes are in great condition. I have been using Trekell for a year now. I love their products. And I get to give this great product to my art teacher. I hope they like it as much as I do.

I think they were very small. much smaller than I had expected. In the meantime I found my original watercolor brushes. I decided to keep yours anyway. I wrote you that I found them overpriced. I have been buying brushes for over fifty years, good ones, and yours are simply too expensive.

Take care and perhaps you should rethink your prices.

This is one of the better brushes I’ve gotten in a long while. I originally picked one up on sale to try since I pint semi professionally and chew threw a lot of brushes doing various projects. I was impressed by the quality and value.

This brush handles a huge range of surfaces and textures with ease. It works well with just about everything from ink to glue. I haven’t had any issues with the head falling off after excessive use or hairs splitting or falling out.

The bristles are super resilient and forgiving while consistently producing really clean fine details. This brush has even put some of my high-end expensive brushes to shame. It’s become my new go to brush.

I’m in love with this model of brushes. I have been trying a lot of different types of synthetic brushes, but no one is good as these. Also, they are so beautiful. I bought three sizes of the model pointed round, and they are perfect for details.

I’m achieving easily the effect of texture in my botanical watercolors. Now, every time that I feel that I want to treat myself, I think that I will buy another one until I have the whole collection.

These brushes have a slightly firmer spring than natural sable upon touching the paper and they release water perfectly. The color carrying capacity when compared to sable is almost identical and they have the most amazing point, from a round size 16 down to the size 1.

Even the color of the fibers mimics natural sable. I find this to be an extraordinary innovation in synthetic brushes. The handles are extremely comfortable to hold as well. I have tried the synthetics from the best manufacturers from Spain, Germany and England in the past and I am confident to say these Winsor & Newton brushes are far superior to all of them.

Congratulations Winsor & Newton!.

I bought the synthetic sable pointed round size 4 b/c the Princeton long rounds were temporarily not available. I’m disappointed. The hairs come apart very easily, it does not hold its shape. And now, after only one use, there is a stray hair I can’t fix, even with Speedball Brush Shaper.

This was a pricey brush. I’m going to order the Princeton size 4 long round now that it’s available again.

Great number and variety of brushes for the price, though I didn’t realize that the “regular” brushes had such long handles. Perhaps the brush lengths could be added in the product description. Some brushes also didn’t have the best “formed” tips upon arrival.

I haven’t yet tried out the brushes so can’t speak to their durability and quality.

I quite enjoy these brushes- good quality for a good price! The bristles on the bigger brushes would be a bit too harsh for watercolor but for acrylic and oil it will do great! I’d say just be careful with using the edge of the square brushes directly on said water color paper because it could rip or damage the paper.

Excellent value for how many different brushes you get and a very good quality. I love the sales coupons and especially the buy two get three free canvases. Store has everything you would need as a novice painter.

Go Joanne’s!.

I love a nice soft brush that holds a lot of water and pigment and these perform so well in that regard. I have tried several brands of professional grade watercolor brushes and I always come back to these.

While it’s true they don’t hold the finest point, I don’t have any trouble achieving the detail I want–for finest details I just go down in size. This particular line has a really nice assortment of brush types, too, which not all lines have.

For comparison I also have some Escoda Versatils, bought on the recommendation of friends in the watercolor community. The Escoda Versatils have more snap and a finer point, but I find I cannot control them as easily, perhaps because I used these (Neptunes) first and have the most practice with them.

As an in-between I have used the Princeton Aqua Elite, but those are more expensive and when I go to look at brushes I want to try, I find myself drawn to the lower priced Neptunes. The Aqua Elite’s do have a nice point and a little more snap than the Neptunes.

The price point on the Neptunes is so good, however, that I’ve purchased many more in this line than any other brand or line. Before I bought my first professional grade watercolor brushes, I did a lot of research into what professional artists use.

Time and time again I saw these brushes listed on blogs and in YouTube descriptions as the favorite brushes of artists I admired. When I saw how affordable these brushes are, that made the decision easy! I also have a few sable from Rosemary as well as some Silver Black Velvet brushes.

I always come back to my Neptunes. I just prefer them. Because they are synthetic, they hold up very well. And I don’t have to worry about animals being killed just so I can paint pretty pictures. #sweepstakes.

Since using them for over a week, the brushes bristles shread alot. Not very good to paint as you have the bristles of your brush shreading onto your paper. The brush tips are refined or pointed to get a finer ink onto paper.

I wanted to like them but they just did not work for me- the quality not good.

Really disappointed with these. Opened after Christmas to do some water Colour painting in a journal and the brushes shed bristles everywhere

I don’t know how long this type of brush has been around but it’s such a clever idea allowing you to change from thick to thin strokes without changing brushes. There is no limit to the colour effects you can come up with when blending 2 or 3 colours together combining that with altering the width of line work.

I found them especially good to use for folk art. I can guarantee you’ll have fun just experimenting with them at the start and won’t be disappointed that you purchased them.

I thought Princeton might make a Kolinsky as well as their synthetics. I was wrong. This brush cannot be tamed! I’ve included a pic. In the pic, the Princeton is on a ‘roll stopper’ (which is really a Hotwheels track connector) with a WN Series 7 #2 round.

The other three (from right to left) a da Vinci Kolinsky #1, a BROKEN WN series 7, and a Silver mix #1. All throughly wet and flicked (some lightly finger shaped). When I received this brush, I washed it lightly with water (same as the others).

However this brush was different. What looked like oil (maybe conditioner?) washed out. When it was clean, which took I added it to my brush stroke legend. The point, which was never really a point more like a few points, was gone after 1 stroke and a fluid, solid stroke was also impossible.

This brush is going back ASAP! Maybe someone else will have better luck. I believe this isn’t a Blick issue. It’s a Princeton one.

I bought the round 6. I don’t recommend this product because the brush was shipped to me damaged the first time (several bristles flaring out in different directions), then the replacement I was sent was also damaged (same issue).

Michael’s refunded everything, thankfully. On top of that, neither of the two brushes I received hold a point when painting, and I don’t think that was due to the delivery damage. Just save your money, buy a synthetic brush for significantly less money, or buy a different brand of Kolinsky sable.

I do use Princeton Heritage brushes and love them; just skip this line.

From the beginning, I have dreaded signing a painting so thanks to Princeton’s 003 detail brush the problem is solved. Painting grassy fields in landscapes was also shortened and improved by a new rake brush from Princeton.

Those two solutions illustrate why I return to Princeton for specialty brushes that do the job well but at the same time do not cost a small fortune.

The brushes are high quality and hold a point. They do not hold much water though, and when you get them wet with watercolor it is quick to dump the color out when it touches paper. This is pretty normal for this type of synthetic, but because it said also good for watercolor I have to disagree.

The princeton heritage and neptune brushes were really great for watercolor. The summit was much better for acrylic.

I use these brushes with acrylics, usually when it’s been thinned down and for glazes, but they work ok for heavy body acrylic as well. I mostly use Princeton Velvetouch but I have a few of these Summit brushes and I like them a lot, definitely recommend trying them out.

I needed 300 paint brushes to use with watercolor pencils for an Art Literacy project at the middle school. I had already blown my budget on the watercolor pencils and the brushes in the art closet were a mess.

These brushes worked out great. The bristles are a bit stiff, but most of the students didn’t know the proper way to use a paintbrush anyway. These can be recycled! Please recycle plastic.

Purchased these brushes for DayCamp suncatcher craft this summer at my church. Tried them on my sample project and I’m very pleased with the results- even the small kids will have no problem using them.

Washed them out afterwards and none of the bristles came out!! great brushes at a great price. Thanks Oriental Trading.

These were used to enhance centerpieces at an art auction event. I haven’t used them to actually paint a picture – seems a little chintzy for any real artwork. Best for the kiddos’ fridge art. Great value on bulk though.

Reasonably priced and nice handle. I do a lot of fine lines and detailed work so I was looking for some more round brushes just to try out a different brand than my usual. Trying to pinch some pennies and this was a good bargain and quality.

I purchased a variety of sizes to see what would work for me and I would purchase them again.

I really do not have extensive experience with watercolor brushes but knew I needed better brushes than I had. These brushes fill the bill. The amount of water and color that they hold is amazing. I am very satisfied with their performance.

And the pricing allowed me to buy one of every size.

I do a lot of watercolor and I have a lot of brushes. I was skeptical of buying these because, I thought, what does a stamp company know about watercolor brushes. They went on sale and I caved. They.

Are. Excellent. The tips are pointy, they carry a good deal of water, the handle feel really good in the hand, the grip is great because it is easy on tired or arthritic hands. And they come in this lovely case that folds open to stand up, saving sed space.

I. Love. Them.

I haven’t been impressed with the quality of my old brushes but avoided picking out a set. I shound have ordered these sooner. This set is a great addition to my tools. They are extremely comfortable to use and do not roll off the table! I love using them for painting tiny areas and bought a second set to give my son who does miniature models.

I think these brushes preform well for him too.

It is taking me some time to get used to the way the handles are sculpted, but the brushes themselves are quite wonderful. They are so much easier to use than the brushes I have had in the past. It is easy to get the curves just right, and they are simply fun to use! Thank you Altenew!.