As probably you did read on the sidebar, I made the following tweet a couple of days ago:
I got a couple of waterbrushes from my beloved girlfriend. Thank you! I'll be checking them out.
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Vinyl Eraser (@vinyleraser) January 06, 2012I was using the waterbrushes in a sketch, so I have decided to write a post with some initial comments about their usage. The waterbruses are a Pentel Aquash (top) and a Kuretake Zig BrusH2O (bottom). Both have synthetic brushes with a quality similar to my regular synthetic brushes.
The Pentel has a fine brush and it could be equivalent to a regular brush size #2. It is pretty good for filling small zones and details. I noticed that when you squeeze the barrel for cleaning the brush, this waterbrush keeps more water in the inner mechanism than the Kuretake. If you are applying washes, it is very convenient, but you could consider remove some water with some tissue paper if you are detailing.
The Kuretake is smoother than the Pentel. The synthetic fibers are different and the brush size is also larger, it size could be equivalent to a regular brush size #6. It seems the water flow is more constant in this waterbrush than the Pentel. It is perfect for washes and for painting shadows. I’d like to check out a Kuretake with a fine brush or a Pentel with a large brush in order to compare both systems and fibers but they seem quite similar.
And this is the drawing in which I was testing the new waterbrushes. I used the Kuretake with the crimson, the cadmium red, the violet (crimson and cobalt blue), the ultramarine, and also for the gray in the edges. The drawing is inspired by a zentagle pattern.
You can see more photos of these waterbrushes and my other art supplies on Flickr. I will be uploading more photos in the next few days.
