How to choose between natural and synthetic brushes for watercolour painting

Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve already mastered the technique, choosing the right brush can make all the difference in your artwork. In this article, we’ll guide you in choosing between natural and synthetic brushes for watercolor painting based on your style and needs: natural or synthetic, which is better for you?

Discover the key differences between them. If you’re looking to choose a brush based on your type of work and want to know which fibre, shape, or size is right for you, we recommend the following article: “How to Choose the Best Brush for Watercolour Painting.”

Natural hair or synthetic fibre: Which are the differences?

Before choosing a brush, it is important to understand the characteristics of natural hair and synthetic fibers. There are several differences to consider, such as absorption, brushstroke, maintenance and price, among others.

In this article, we explain the key points to keep in mind and some other details that might surprise you.

Absorption. Natural hair usually retains more, with some exceptions

Do you need a brush that works well with a lot of water? If so, then natural hair brushes might be just what you’re looking for. By their nature, they tend to retain a greater amount of liquid and pigment.

However, at Escoda, we have been innovating for years and we are pioneers in the use of synthetic fibers; we believe they are the present and the future of the brush industry. We know that some differences still exist between them, and that is why we opt for constant investment and innovation to improve and significantly reduce the consumption of animal hair. In fact, 80% of our annual production is already synthetic!

An example of this innovation can be found in our Último Evolution brush, made from Tendo synthetic fibre. Thanks to its special design with holes in the ferrule, it achieves an absorption comparable to that of a squirrel hair round mop.

Below, you can watch a video by artist Claudia Llobera where she talks about Último Evolution and compares it to a similar natural hair brush:

Brushstrokes. Texture in every stroke

How do you want your brushstrokes to look like? If you want textured, full-bodied brushstrokes where the form is more defined, you can opt for natural hairs. If you want a softer, less defined finish, choose a synthetic brush.

On the other hand, it’s also worth mentioning that the flexibility of natural hair is slightly greater than that of a synthetic brush. Even so, at Escoda we offer a wide variety of series that will provide you with excellent performance in each of your works.

Maintenance. Why use a good soap and conditioner to take care of your brushes

We think of the bristles of a brush as if they were our own hair. We wash our hair several times a week to keep it clean, so we should do the same with our beloved brushes.

Natural bristles require extra care, as their characteristics make them somewhat more difficult to clean compared to synthetic ones because paint and other pigments become embedded more easily between the filaments.

We recommend that you consult our “How to take care of your brushes” section for more information on maintaining and caring for your brushes over time.

Price. There are several options in natural hair and synthetic fibers to suit every budget

To choose the best brush for watercolour painting, we recommend considering one that fits your budget. Synthetic brushes are currently more affordable than natural hair brushes, especially if we’re talking about Kolinsky-Tajmyr sable or squirrel hair, among others.

Which brush will you choose?

Previously, it was thought that synthetic brushes couldn’t compete with natural hair brushes and that their quality was inferior. However, over time, research and development of synthetic fibers have allowed for the production of high-quality synthetic brushes, which can even improve upon the results sometimes offered by natural ones.

The choice between a natural and a synthetic brush will depend on many factors. The type of absorption you’re looking for, whether you need more or less control over your strokes, and whether you require more or less spring will be some of the key factors to consider. Even so, among our synthetic brushes, we offer a wide variety of series that also provide these characteristics to suit every artist.

In short, if you’re starting out in the fascinating world of watercolors or trying our brushes for the first time, we highly recommend you go straight for synthetic fibers. At Escoda, we were pioneers in introducing synthetics to our catalog, and they are our commitment for the present and future.

We hope this article has helped you choose between natural and synthetic brushes for watercolor painting.