KUM watercolor brushes

 

 

 

 

 

The combination of high-quality craftsmanship and the selection of the best materials ensures the first-class quality, durability and functionality of the KUM® brushes. We work closely with leading brush manufacturers and artists to create brushes that meet the needs of the creative community.

Created in collaboration with artists

We appreciate this cooperation very much and are pleased to be able to present our innovative and newly developed products to you.

All our artist brushes are made entirely by hand in Germany.

Brush Guide

ELASTICITY

Elasticity is a crucial property for all types of brushes. It determines how well a brush responds to pressure and returns to its shape.
A brush with high elasticity is easy to control and ensures an even distribution of color while returning to its fine tip after each stroke. A brush with low elasticity is more flexible to pressure and less controllable, creating unpredictable, dynamic brush strokes.

ROUND

An “all-round” brush is suitable for different techniques and mediums. The more an all-around brush is, the more versatile it is and allows for a wide range of techniques for different mediums such as watercolor, acrylic, and oil paints. In contrast, brushes that aren’t all-around brushes specialize in a specific medium or technique.

CAPACITY

The capacity property refers to how much water and pigment a brush can hold. A high-capacity brush can absorb a larger amount of water and paint, allowing for longer, uninterrupted brush strokes and smoother transitions. Brushes with a smaller capacity are better suited for detailed work or for techniques that require more control over smaller amounts of paint.

DEGREE OF HARDNESS

The hardness of a brush’s fibers determines how it behaves under different mediums and techniques. Stiffer brushes are less flexible and are ideal for working with thicker, pasty paints such as acrylic and oil paints, where controlled, textured strokes are important. In contrast, softer brushes are more flexible, making them perfect for watercolors.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT WATERCOLOR BRUSHES

 

What features should a watercolor brush have?

A good watercolor brush is characterized above all by its high absorption capacity of water and paint.
This allows you to paint over a large area without having to constantly pick up new paint.
It is also important that the watercolor brush releases the paint evenly, otherwise it will result in a streaky result.
In order to be able to paint fine details in addition to large areas, a fine tip is extremely important.
With good watercolor brushes, both thin and thick lines can be painted with the same brush by applying different amounts of pressure.

Which is better?
Synthetic hair or human hair?

Human hair brushes have proven themselves for centuries and have a good reputation.
However, these are also very expensive and especially at a time when animal welfare is becoming more and more important, the question of alternative watercolor brushes arises.
In recent years, synthetic fibers have been developed further and further and are now hardly distinguishable from human hair brushes.

Watercolor brushes with synthetic hairs are not only an inexpensive, but also a good and vegan alternative. In some cases, however, the synthetic fibers can also surpass the human hair brushes, as they are easier to clean, for example.

How important is the quality of the brush?

Hardly any other brush has such a high price range as watercolor brushes. Especially as a beginner, it is difficult to figure out which brush to buy. Even if you want to ‘just try it out’, it’s still important to pay attention to a decent quality, as poorly made brushes can frustrate in so many different ways. Brushes that either lose hair or stick it out tangled quickly take away the desire to paint.

Which watercolor brush do you use for which technique?

There is not just one watercolor brush, but a variety of different ones. Which one is right for you depends entirely on the technique and individual preferences. If you want to paint very detailed and realistically, round watercolor brushes with a fine tip are particularly suitable, which have a slightly higher elasticity. For large-scale backgrounds, French wash-up brushes are suitable in addition to large flat brushes. The fluffy brush hairs not only store a lot of water, but also blend the transitions very softly.

An assortment – as versatile as your creativity

KUM Memory Point

All-round brushes for watercolor, gouache and acrylic
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Hardness Medium
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Perfect Synthetic Imitation of Kolinsky Hair

KUM Faded

Unique watercolour brush for the highest demands
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Hardness Medium-Soft
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perfect for modern watercolor painting

KUM French Aqua

Synthetic wash-out brush
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Soft hardness
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Surpasses traditional wash-out brushes made of natural hair in many properties