China Craft & Art Supplies

Watercolor brushes are traditionally made of the red sable hair that comes from the pricey little critters of fur coat fame. Over the centuries artists have winnowed out the best materials for their tools. And by consensus it has been determined that the finest watercolor brushes are made of the hair found on the tips of the russian male Kolinsky red sable's winter coat. This particular hair has become reknown for it's ability to hold a load of paint and keep a resilent, sharp, and durable point, that always snaps back.

The russian fur farm industry declined from being the number one source for mink and sable in the 1980s to barely surviving by 2002. Political factors and their economic repercussions had descimated the once thriving 400 fur farms to leave around 40.

So, the best Kolinsky sable is extremely expensive. Import/export is subject to strick international regulation and control and quantities of the finest hair are in short supply. "Lesser" quality sable brushes use a mix of male and female tail hairs and many have excellent working qualities. Some don't. Cheaper still are "the generic red sable" which may use the lowest quality hairs available.

Most of the generic sable brushes are excellent for craft or tole painting purposes. Rummage through your local craft and/or art supply store and examine closely before your buy.

At the low end of the spectrum are the synthetic filament brushes. They continue to improve as servicable watercolor brushes and are an economic way to buy larger sized rounds and great "sky" wash brushes which are wide flats 1"-3" in width.

Squirrel hair "mops" and goat hair bamboo sumi-e brushes, round and flat are all useful for certain effects of line and stroke only these brushes afford.

Watercolor brush shapes usually found in a watercolorist's arsenal are rounds, flats, with the addition of mops and riggers.

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