da Vinci Watercolor Series 418 Petit Gris Pur Paint Brush, Wash/Mop Pure Russian Blue Squirrel, Size 2 (418-02)

I have five da Vinci Pure Blue Squirrel brushes. (while I'm at it, I should mention that I have one Raphail, One Winsor Newton, and two Isabey Pure Squirrel brushes. (If I find one on sale, I pawn one of my grandkids to buy it). Truly, it is the Pure-Blue-Squirellishness of them that is most remarkable. I had been told they were worth the price and held more color (or water) than any other brush. I should, and will, measure the difference in capacity. But on sight, holding two brushes in a glass of water and then squeezing the water into empty paint pans, I was shocked to see a whole lot more water from these beautifully made Pure Blue Squirrel brushes. One interesting note: no matter how heavy the load of color in the bristles, they don't drip. Getting the color to flow requires touching the tip to a surface. Aesthetics: As an artist, you'll benefit from the physical look and feel of da Vinci's Pure Blue Squirrel brushes. The handle shapes and lengths have a wonderful feel. All the brushes in this series have beautiful hand wound bindings, da Vinci 418-5 Pure Blue Squirrel Quill-Petit Gris Pur Watercolor Mop and high lacquer sheen and sloping shaped handles. Holding one in your hand is soooo nice. I won't say that these brushes completely eliminate the need for a rigger, mainly because I don't have a broad enough experience to make such a statement. But I can tell you that I don't have to find a different brush to complete exquisitely tiny detail. The bristles come to an excellent point, and that point can hold a lot of color. Let's see... what else? Oh! The way the brush bristles feel as you stroke it onto paper. I don't know how to explain the difference between this and sable or this and squirrel with most excellent synthetic fibers. It feels more flowey. I've heard that they don't hold up as long as sable or synthetic/squirrel mixes. I don't know that to be true. Frankly, I don't care. Not that I'm rich. I have to save up to get these brushes. Makes them just that more a joy! Art is more than creating a product. It is being present for the creation, These brushes enrich that experience.

It's delightful painting with this brush! Feels so good in the hand, and the small size of the brush makes this keep its shape more than I'd expect from a squirrel brush. Holds water well, has a nice point and a plump belly. This is an amazing brush for the price! Get it while you can at this low price. It's more than worth it! I have a small Isabey travel squirrel brush. I thought that since it was such a small brush it somehow necessarily sacrificed quality. Not so! This brush is very well made. Not a travel brush, but it has become my go-to brush when working on smaller pieces. I've included two photos. One when it is dried naturally, and another when wet. I have three of these. One of the brushes came to me damaged. I found it hard to believe that a paint brush, particularly with soft hair, would be mailed without any protection. The brush was pressed against the box so that the hair had an L shape to it. I thought it was ruined, but luckily I was able to get it back into its proper shape and working for me as it should. One of the advantages this brush has over other squirrel hair brushes I have is that the hairs are arranged perfectly, with a plump belly and a sharp tip. Being that it is small in length, the brush keeps its shape more than my larger squirrel hair brushes. It performs perfectly, and better than I expected. The way it holds its shape seems halfway toward what you'd get from a sable brush and the usual squirrel hair brush. I've never had one work so well for me than this one. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I purchased this brush because I wanted to splurge to experiment with a natural hair brush. This brush is great. It holds water very well. I like to use this to cover large areas in inks or dilute the ink with water. It's great for carrying color and water, so for me it is great for laying ink lightly over previous color to make it deeper. I also got a set of Zem cat tongue brushes which was 3 for a few dollars more than the price of this, but I will say there is something great about those in their own right (value and holds more pigment better) but this brush is worth the price especially if you are using them for watercolor. I bought the round brush in the size 4 and am considering getting a smaller brush or a different type of brush to experiment with. ---- With all that said, the way this brush was packaged annoyed me to no end. It came in a huge box by itself, no protection for the bristles so some came out, and it was stuck under the bottom flap of the box. The brush retained shape once I wet it and put some conditioner on it. I cut a straw in half to protect the bristles from now on. I have noticed it sheds every so often, but I use it to paint on wood, which I am not sure if it is rougher on the brush, so I think that is worth taking into consideration. Besides the way its packaged (or lack there of), the product is great. I highly recommend it.

This #2 squirrel mop brush is excellent for watercolor painting. It arrived on time and was well packaged. It holds a lot of water and pigment and is easy to use and maintain. The real squirrel bristles should hold up for a long time. I've already used this brush for a few weeks, and I am very happy with it.

This is a wonderful mop brush. As such, it was difficult for me to use when I first bought the size 2 mop as a beginner watercolorist - the large amount of water it holds, the way the bristles bend to one side after a stroke and stay that way, all proved difficult for me. After a year and longer of practice, I went back to it and could finally experience the benefits in precisely those features. It really does allow a thinner sharper line than any other brush I have, and unlike a liner, it doesn't need re-loading because the brush can carry plenty of water and allow the full pigment strength of the watercolor to stay just on the tip, when needed. I loved the effect so much with the size 2, I came back to amazon and bought a size 5, which is a great size for painting anything from 5x7 to 9x12. If you're a beginner, you may find it unwieldy, so get some practice first, and watch the way experienced watercolorists employ the mop brush, how they stroke, how they allow it to deposit puddles in one spot and skip across another. For more control and precise work, I've been very happy with the Grumbacher Taklon brushes, but to go more loose and expressive with stroke, definitely this mop brush.

AMENDMENT 08/22/2013 I have painted with it and I do really like this brush BUT.... Take care when after you rinse it clean to make sure you hang it upside-down to dry and make sure it is STRAIGHT otherwise the brush will tilt to one side which is NOT good. If that happens DO NOT leave it like this, wet it again and re dry properly. Do not know if this is a flaw, probably not as others will do the same that are Sable or a Sable mix and the very thin synthetics, like the liners. A great item to buy from the cosmetics area is the Benjabelle Mini Brush Tree holder, which allows you to hang your brushes tip down. There is one for thin handled brushes named above, which I would recommend highly and one for thick brush handles which I just bought. The original is more expensive and I think these other two are better. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Complete review after I paint with a few times but seems like an excellent brush and price is great! It seems well made and not factory seconds which I was worried about due to the price, which I paid $55 and some change for it. It has a nice really full belly but does need to be soaked to remove the stuff they put on new brushes to hold the hair in place until it is ready to be used. I forget what it is called. The handle is solid and sits well and balanced in my hand. Has a pretty good point but I will be using this for washes or broad stroked on large paintings so that was not necessary. I think this usually sells for well over $100 even on sale, to the price on AMAZON cannot be beat! If after painting I see issues, I will amend this review. But, Da Vinci Cosmotop Mix B as supposed to be one of the best mixed hair brushes out there for watercolour and some artists actually use the whole line instead of the Rolls Royce of Kolinsky Sable. I have both, this make in this size and size 10, to see how it holds up to my Kolinsky, but I also have Winsor and Newton Series 7 Kolinsky brushes in 6 ($95) and 10 $289). In addition I have Raphael Rhapsody Kolinksy in sizes up to 8, hundreds of dollars there also. So, I hope this stands up to the hype because the Kolinsky brushes break the bank. I have also recently bought SilverWhite Synthetics for detail work and loooove them, they are white nylon. You can get them at the "Brush Guys", an online store that have amazing prices, got a bunch in fact all that I needed for under $30 to include shipping. They also have a brand called Richeson Extreme Kolinsky that are supposed to rival the Winsor and Newton's Series 7 and will eventually buy one to try, the prices are really, really inexpensive for pure "male" Kolinksy sable brushes, so a little skeptical, but I have a feeling I will be switching. Issue about shipping... For some reason when you choose free shipping it now takes 2 weeks to get your stuff and this has been a consistent issue for 6 months now. I think that management has changed their philosophy about free shipping as before I would ALWAYS get my stuff within 5 days. NOT anymore, so keep that in mind when purchasing and opting for free shipping. I think that it is their way to in a passive aggressive manner get us to pay for shipping or join "Prime" for $80. Just my 2 cents.

I love this brush. It is very well made and hand tied with linen cord and wrapped with brass wire.I bought the size 4, which is roughly equivalent in size to a 12 in a round brush. It's made of pure squirrel, so be aware before buying that this type of hair is very absorbent and soft. When wet it comes to a wonderful point for doing finer details but it also tends to stay in one position until you roll it to a point or wet it again. That's just the way that extra fine squirrel behaves, it doesn't have snap. This drinks water and pigment and releases it steadily. I love painting with this, every time I rewet the brush it comes back to a beautiful point. It's also wonderful for washes. I'd recommend getting the 0 for finer painting and the 4 & 6 for larger washes of color. My size 4 is the happy medium size. It's big enough to do loose smaller washes of color and the point is fine enough to add controlled detail. I highly recommend this brush, the price is very fair.

What a lovely brush. Just what I needed!

Da Vinci markasını sulu boya ile ilgilenenler bilir. Çok kaliteli bir Alman markasıdır. Usta sulu boya sanatçılarının çok tercih ettiği bir model olan mob fırçasında ayrıca tanınan bir markadır. Ürüne gelince; kaliteli malzemeden yapılmış. Sincap kılı sulu boya için çok kullanışlı, bol su (ve boya) tutan, verdiğiniz fırça manevrasının karşılığı boyamayı en iyi veren bir kıldır. Kaliteli boya ve kaliteli sulu boya kağıdı ile sonuçlarınız çok daha iyi olacaktır. Fiyat olarak amatörler için biraz pahalı olabilir. Yarı-amatör ve profesyoneller içinse kesinlikle tavsiye edilir.

Excellent!

I own several sizes of these brushes in the round style so I wanted to try the quill ones. I was extremely impressed with the care and consideration in shipping, it was protected and wrapped in bubble wrap and shipped in a cardboard box rather than a bubble mailer this makes a difference and shows quality suppliers. Took a while to get here but it was coming a great distance so that’s forgivable!!

Pincel profesional , yo lo utilizo para acuarela

Ottimo pennello per acquerello