Rating Watercolour Brush Names

My Ratings

A warning: this article is no substitute for a good guide to watercolour brushes, something that would explain not just the shapes, but the different materials they are made of, the vocabulary used to discuss them, etc.

No, this is just a list of all the brush shape names I have encountered, rated.

My rating criteria include how accurately the name matches the shape and/or behaviour of the brush, and, of course, the name’s coolness. The usefulness of the brushes plays no role in the rating, since it is incredibly subjective (unlike the accuracy and, particularly, the coolness of each name). 

The Round Ones

THE ROUND

What a boring and semi-inaccurate name for a surprisingly unboring brush, one capable of great accuracy!

Anyway, the round is, of course, the ‘default brush’, the one that artists in cartoons hold in the hand not holding a palette, or perhaps tuck behind an ear next to their beret. And yes, it is ‘round’, but only in one sense: it has a circular cross-section, so the ferrule (metal collar)  is round. The tip, however, is pointy! Well, unless something has gone horribly wrong. With its pointy tip and round body, the humble round is capable of all sorts of marks, although painting straight-edged rectangles is a bit finicky.

Name score: 3/10 (accuracy 2/5, coolness 1/5).

THE MOP

My first impression: wow, what an uncool name. It makes me think of Cinderella. Second impression: it describes the way this brush behaves perfectly! Mops are very soft brushes that flop about on the paper (almost) like a mop. Good for washes and loose painting.

(Note that this looks a lot like a regular round, but only until you use it and it gets all deformed. So I believe it is different enough to warrant its own entry.)

Name score: 5/10 (accuracy 4/5, coolness 1/5)

THE RIGGER

This name correctly describes one of the main use-cases of this long round brush: painting rigging. Which is immediately cool to me, since it makes me feel like I am on a ship during the Age of Sail or an early Polar explorer, documenting my journey. Like they used to do! Seriously, some of those guys used to sit around on the ice drawing the Northern Lights and the penguins and their ice-trapped ship. I rest my case.

Name score: 9/10 (accuracy 4/5, coolness 5/5).

THE LINER: 

A boring and clearly inferior name for the noble rigger. At least it’s accurate, since a rigger CAN (and SHOULD) draw lines.

Name score: 5/10 (accuracy 5/5, coolness 0/5).

The Flat Ones (Normal)

THE FLAT

The flat is also boringly named, but at least this time the name is accurate. This brush is flat in cross-section, with a flattened ferrule, and has a flat top. It is great for painting straight-edged shapes and filling in large areas evenly. 

Name score: 6/10 (accuracy 5/5, coolness 1/5).

THE ONE-STROKE

A longer flat, one that allows a sign-writer to paint a whole letter in a single stroke. How efficient! But out of context the name is pretty confusing and uncool.

Name score: 4/10 (accuracy 2/5, coolness 2/5).

THE BRIGHT

A shorter flat, where the length does not exceed the width. If I ever find out where that name comes from, I will say so here. (Gemini says it is because it puts down brighter colour, which is one of its more ‘creative’ ideas. I think it might be an anglicization of ‘breit’, broad?) Anyway, these brushes are less common in watercolour than in other media, except perhaps for Rosemary’s Eradicator, a very short flat that can be used to lift highlights (I own one and find it works very well). 

Name score: 3/10 (accuracy 0/5, coolness 3/5 because it sounds cheerful).

THE WASH BRUSH

A bigger flat, usually not that long, which is used specifically for big washes. Also called a Hake brush, but I won’t rate that one because it is a Japanese word (pronounced Ha-keh) and so outside my expertise.

Name score: 6/10 (accuracy 5/5, coolness 1/5).

The Flat Ones (Weird)

THE ANGLED BRUSH

Like a flat, but cut at an angle. Yawn. I think abstract floral painters use this for some types of petals and leaves.

Name score: 5/5 (accuracy 4/5, coolness 1/5).

THE CATS TONGUE

A flat brush that rounds to a pointed tip. The flat/rounding part does sound like the tongue of a cat, but I am less sure about that point. I researched the matter by examining one real-life cat and 100 internet cat pictures, and I do not see it. But I actually really like these brushes – they can act like a round but are better at straight lines. I could see myself using one as my only brush.

Anyway, I guess the idea of painting with a cat’s tongue like you’re licking the paper is… cool? Cute? Disturbing? Not boring, anyway.

Name score: 7/10 (accuracy 3/5, coolness 4/5).

THE FILBERT

A cat’s tongue brush without the small point on it. (So, actually like a cat’s tongue.) It is named after a tasty and cool nut; ‘filbert’ is another name for hazelnut. Only… the nuts do have a subtle point on one side, and they, are not flat. Well, unless something has gone horribly wrong. So it’s not the most accurate name. Also, nuts are hard and don’t seem like great paint applicators. 

Sorry, I am getting too detailed here because this set of names frustrates me.

Name score: 4/10 (accuracy 1/5, coolness 3/5).

THE OVAL

As far as I can see, this boring brush name can refer to either of the above two shapes. Note also that some sources use all three names interchangeably.  I give up.

Name score: 0/10 (accuracy: 0/10, coolness: 0/10).

The Ones I Cannot Use Properly

THE SWORD AND THE DAGGER

Immensely cool names, which can lead to proportionally immense disappointment. They’re kind of an asymmetric rigger/angled hybrid, sometimes with a bit of a curve, capable of very interesting marks in a trained hand, and hilarious messes in an untrained hand. (So maybe they are like a sword/dagger, after all? By the way, I think the dagger is just a shorter sword.) These martial brushes are well-loved by botanical artists, but some more generalist artists use a dagger as their only brush. Whenever I try that I end up with a few unwanted marks made by the wandering tip. Eh.

Name score: 6/10 (accuracy 1/5, coolness 5/5).

Note: the sword is sometimes called the swordliner, because it draws lines, but I refuse to dignify that with a rating.

The Highly Specialized Ones

THE FAN

A fan-shaped brush. I have seen it used for trees and foliage, but have never tried it myself (oh no, what sort of landscape artist am I?) so I am struggling to decide whether the name evokes cool images of fancy balls and/or Japanese military signals, or whether it is just a boring descriptive term. I will split the difference.

Name score: 7.5/10 (accuracy: 5/5, coolness 2.5/5).

THE COMBER

Another specialized brush, used to quickly draw grass, hair, water ripples, wood grain (more on that below), etc. Named for its shape, so yeah, that’s not too inaccurate. 

I have never tried one but after listing all the uses above I kind of want to.

Name score: 6/10 (accuracy 4/5, coolness 2/5).

THE GRAINER

A more specialized name for the comber, one that leaves out many of its uses, and is thus less accurate.

Name score: 4/10 (accuracy 2/5, cooless 2/5).

The End

And… that brings me to the end of my list! Please let me know if I am missing any more obscure shapes, and I will try to add them in for completeness. (Note: I left the quill out on purpose, as I am not sure it is a shape as much as a different way to construct the brush, with wires rather than a ferrule. The quills I have seen are all rounds or mops.)