Hello friends! Today I am sharing a few different examples how to use a water brush for watercolor. A water brush is easier to carry around for painting anytime!
Learning how to use a water brush for watercolor will change the way you paint! These brushes are portable and so convenient to use, I use them while sitting at coffee shops, libraries, and airports.
What is a Water Brush?
A Water Brush is a kind of paintbrush that can be capped and it comes with its own refillable water barrel. They have a cap covering/ protecting the bristles and have a reservoir of water which makes them perfect to use while painting on the go.
Water Brushes are also commonly called Aqua Brush, Refillable brush or Portable paintbrush.
Since they are generally the size of a pen they can be carried around in your pencil pouch. Since the barrell holds water, you don’t need a bowl of water to paint using these.
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The best way to understand how to use a water brush for watercolor is to see them in action!
Watch this video: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxw6AxfnoKn/
Different sizes of Water Brush
Water Brushes come in various sizes- and the Water Brush Set I have comes in 3 sizes- a small round, a medium round, and a chisel/flat brush. Different tips are useful for different illustrations.
how to use a water brush for watercolor
Since a Water Brush has a reservoir of water attached, you only need to gently press the barrel of the Water Brush to drop water onto the paper. The amount of pressure you apply determines whether you create a small drop of water or a flood of water. This completely eliminates having a water bowl on the side like when using a paintbrush.
To clean off these Water Brushes, simply press the barrel to release water and then wipe the bristles clean with a paper towel or cloth.
You can easily squeeze droplets of water using the Water Brush and then blend colors on the paper itself.
The smaller size brush has a brush tip that is really thin and that makes it useful to color in tiny areas.
The chisel/flat tip is my least used brush, I mainly reach for it while creating color swatches. They can also be used for chisel lettering, drawing flat lines or stripes or creating water washes.
Tips on how to use a water brush for watercolor
- You will want to refresh the water in the barrell every few weeks if you are not using it often.
- You can swap water with ink or liquid watercolor to create beautiful art.
- Make sure to open the cap of your water brush away from the art you are working on. Sometimes there might be a little water trapped in the cap/ bristles that will splash out.
Cons of a Water Brush
- The bristles tend to stain easily. While unattractive that doesn’t affect how they work.
- The tips do fray quicker than regular paintbrushes as they are synthetic.
- The sizes of the brushes are limited to 3 sizes only.
I hope you enjoyed this how to use a water brush for watercolor tutorial, and if you have any questions leave a comment below and we can discuss further!
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