Beginners guide to Watercolour and Gouache Brushes

New to watercolour or gouache painting and unsure which brush to use? Or just looking for a simple guide to help you understand different brush types? No worries - we’ve got you covered!

Choosing the right brush can enhance your painting experience, making it easier to apply colour, blend smoothly, and create beautiful details. Unlike acrylic brushes, watercolour and gouache brushes are designed to hold more water and paint. The brushes help create soft flowing strokes and washes.

In this guide, we’ll introduce you to the different types of brushes, their uses, and how to care for them, so they last longer and continue to perform at their best.

Watercolour Brushes

Watercolour brushes are typically made of two fibres: soft synthetic fibres and natural animal hair fibres. They are designed to absorb more water and hold paint effectively.

Gouache doesn’t need any special brush and uses the regular watercolour brushes.

Synthetic brushes are often preferred over natural animal hair paint brushes by beginners and hobbyists for the following reasons:

  • Durability: Synthetic brushes are long lasting and easy to clean
  • Soft and Flexible bristles: Mimicking the function natural hair, synthetic brushes allow smooth application of paint
  • Great Water retention: Synthetic brushes can help create easy and effortless strokes
  • Cost-effective: Good quality synthetic brushes are much cheaper than natural hair paint brushes.

Handy Hint: Gouache is slightly thicker than watercolour, so choosing synthetic brushes ensures better control while still achieving smooth blends.

What Are Watercolour & Gouache Brushes Made Of?

  • Watercolour and gouache brushes come in many shapes and sizes. Different shapes determines how colour gets applied to the watercolour paper.
  • However, there are three essential shapes that every beginner should have to get started with watercolour and gouache painting: Round, flat and filbert.

Round brushes are one of the most versatile and widely used
brush. It has a tapered pointed tip that allows for both broad strokes and fine details - depending on the size of the brush. Use light pressure for fine lines and more pressure for broader strokes.

What can you create with round brushes?

  • Due to its versatility, you can paint a variety with round watercolour brushes: flowers petals and leaves, clouds and water reflections and fine details and outlines.
  • Round brushes have a pointed tip, making them perfect for fine details, curved lines, and controlled strokes. With light pressure, you can create thin lines, while more pressure allows for broader strokes.

Handy Hint: Use light pressure for thin lines and firm pressure for thicker strokes—this makes round brushes highly versatile!

With straight and square shapes bristles, flat brushes are ideal for covering large areas quickly. They are also great for layering as well as precise edges.

What Can You Create?

Explore large areas with gradient washes, buildings and geometric shapes and more like brick walls, waves and oceans, fences, doors and windows and more.

Handy Hint: Use the flat edge for crisp, straight lines and the wide side for smooth washes - this brush is a must-have for covering space efficiently!

A mix between round brush and a flat brush - Filbert brushes have a rounded, oval-shaped tip and rectangular body. making them perfect for blending, shading, and painting natural shapes. They combine the best features of round and flat brushes, offering both control and smooth coverage.

What Can You Create?

Another versatile brush for beginners, you can use filbert brush to gradients and natural curves like clouds, rolling hills, feather textures and more.

Handy Hint: Filbert brushes are one of the most beginner-friendly brush types, offering smooth blending without harsh edges.

You can make your brushes last for long and give consistent good experience for every painting by taking care of them.

Here are some simple steps to keep them in top condition:

Clean After Every Use

  • Rinse Immediately: Wash brushes under lukewarm water after painting to remove pigment.
  • Use Mild Soap: If needed, gently clean with a mild dishwashing liquid to remove excess paint.
  • Avoid Harsh Scrubbing: Be gentle with bristles to maintain their softness.

Handy Hint: Never let paint dry on your brush - it can become thick and harder to clean than watercolours!

Shape & Dry Properly

  • Reshape the Bristles: Gently reshape the brush tip with your fingers after washing.
  • Dry Flat or Hanging Down: Avoid storing upright while wet to prevent water from loosening the bristles.

Handy Hint: If a brush loses its shape, reshape it while damp and let it dry flat - it will hold its form much better!

Store Brushes Correctly

  • Keep Brushes Upright: Once cleaned and dried, store them with the bristles facing up.
  • Avoid Soaking: Never leave brushes sitting in water, as it can damage the bristles and weaken the glue in the ferrule (metal part).
  • Use a Brush Holder: Helps maintain the brush shape and prevents d amage.

Handy Hint: If your brush becomes stiff with dried paint,
soak it in warm soapy water for a few minutes and gently work thepaint out.While each brush has its own strengths, the best way to find what works for you is through practice and experimentation. There’s no right or wrong choice - you might find that a filbert brush feels more natural for something usually done with a flat brush. Or that a round brush helps you create textures in an unexpected way!

The more you experiment, the more comfortable you’ll get - so pick up your brushes and get started.