Sorry for not having published any videos for so long but at long last here is video number two in my introduction to Watercolour painting on brushes for beginners.
There are many different types of watercolour brushes with differing types of bristle or hair and different shapes in the way the bristle is bunched together . Basically a brush is made up of the HANDLE (usually wood but may also be plastic or bamboo), the FERRULE (usually metal and this holds the bristles together) and the BRISTLES.
The bristles can be synthetic such as nylon, or animal fur, such as Goat, Horsehair, Camel, Badger, Squirrel or the most expensive Kolinsky Red Sable. Some brushes use a mixture of natural fur or a mixture of synthetic and natural hair.
Shapes of brushes: ROUND, which come together in circular ferrule and come to a fine point at the tip. FLAT, which have a flatter ferrule to hold the bristles together and have a flat chisel shaped tip. BRIGHT, these are similar to the FLAT but have shorter bristles. FILBERT these again are a flat brush but instead of having a chisel edge they have a rounded flat tip. Within each of the above there are variations and specialist brushes. For instance among the round brush category can also be found the MOP brush which is ideal for painting large washes for skies, sea etc. The RIGGER is a fine brush with longer bristles than the average round and was originally used for depicting the ship's rigging in a painting, also useful for painting fine straight lines as the longer bristles give more precision to your painting stroke. The FAN brush which is shaped like a fan and is ideal for adding foliage to bushes or trees or grass. There is also the SWORDLINER which holds more water/pigment than a brush with a similar sized small point, agan great for grasses or wave shapes. Within the flat brush range there are also COMB or RAKE style brushes which are flats that contain two different types of fibres and have a comb like effect at their tip. These are again good for grasses or reeds. SPONGES can also be used, either natural sponges (more expensive) or synthetic variety. Both give different results. I use sponges for foliage on trees and bushes and also for adding the effect of shingle on a beach.
Whenever you get a new brush always make sure to wash it well before use as new brushes contain starch to keep the bristles together and to ensure they don't get damaged before use. Always wash your brushes well after use and DON'T USE BRUSHES WITH MASKING FLUID! Unless they are specialist brushes for this purpose or else very old brushes, and always wash them immediately as Masking Fluid will kill your brush! My big rule learned from experience NEVER LEAVE YOUR BRUSHES IN YOUR WATER POT! Not even for a few minutes or you will get into the habit of doing this. The reason is that brushes left standing in water will develop a "curl" which will NEVER come straight again.
When starting out buy two or three good synthetic brushes rather than a whole set or "bargain Artists" brushes, they are rarely a bargain! I suggest ' Rounds' in one of either sizes 7, 8, or 9, for washes, whichever you think suits your style most. A size 4 or 5 for medium work, and a 2 for finer work. Synthetic brushes are the cheapest and go for recognized makes such as 'Daler-Rowney', 'Winsor & Newton' ('Cotman' series is their student range and contains a good variety of brushes). The SAA also have good ranges of synthetic and sable brushes. If I think of more information that I think you might find useful I will add it to this section.
I hope you enjoy the video and find it useful and if you do please consider subscribing to my channel and give the video a "like"!
The next video in this introduction to watercolour materials will be on choosing paints.
Happy painting and hope to see you soon.
Carie. x

https://www.cariesauzepaintings.com
https://www.cornwalldmc.co.uk