How Many Brushes Do you really need?
I read somewhere that a poor craftsman (mechanic, carpenter, etc.) blames his tools. While searching for the source of that old saw I found this on Hacker News:
“It’s a poor craftsman that blames his tools” does not mean, as so many seem to believe, that tools don’t matter at all, only skills do, so if someone failed it can’t possibly be their tools, only their skill.It means that part of being an expert craftsman is having the experience and skills to select excellent tools, and the experience and skills to drive those excellent tools to produce excellent results. Blaming your tools means either that you lack skill, or that you chose your tools poorly because you lack the experience and skills to choose correctly.
Some of My Brushes
I have never met a brush I didn’t want to acquire. So how many and what brushes does a watercolor painter (I hesitate to use the word “artist”) really need?
Edgar Whitney and his disciples swear by large brushes, including the inexpensive “hake” brush. Hazel Soan and Robert Wade are sable advocates, while Alvaro Castagnet and Joseph Zbukvic would never go out without their squirrel mops. I’ve tried them all and can confirm that it’s not the brush (tool) but the craftsman that is responsible for the end result. No matter what tool you acquire, if you don’t learn to use it correctly, you will never become a craftsman, or craftswoman.
That said, I like the hake for its forgiving nature. Using it is almost like finger painting. I like the squirrel mops for their ability to cover large areas and hold a lot of paint. On the other hand, if you’re not careful most of the paint ends up at the bottom! Sables, to me, are an unnecessary expense. I get better results (easier control) with synthetics or mixed sable/synthetic brushes.
My newest favorite brushes are the white bristled Perlas from Escoda. They are so easy to use and their points are exquisite. And my new Squirrel Mops from Escoda just arrived this week. Can’t wait to try them.