Speaking of traditional brushes, this watercolor I started using a traditional 1/2" flat in the endstages, for the wash of the sky and a few details. Mostly however, I used my waterbrush.
This second painting was done purely with traditional brushes. Actually, it was all done with my 1/2" flat. I really liked working with a flat, but it didn't hold water very well. It's a cheapie brush meant to be used for all mediums such as acrylic and oils. It came in one of those packs of four to five brushes you can get for about $5 - 10. I haven't worked with one of the larger rounds or puffs before, so I'm not sure if I'd like that more than a flat, but for now I like the idea of using a flat. Even if mine doesn't work so well.
I'm hoping to upgrade my brushes when I get my student loan money return. I won't be buying any 1" Kolinsky sables ($55! Kill me now, please), but for some of the smaller rounds the sable is only a few dollars more expensive than the synthetics. It might be reasonable to purchase those KS. I'm a bit torn between synthetic, synthetic blend, and Kolinsky sable (KS). I know watercolor brushes are supposed to be soft, but the one time I used a sable it was so soft I felt I couldn't control it. It just flopped around. I've never been a painter, but I'm more used to stiffer acrylic and oil brushes. On the other hand, I'm a bit leery about a synthetic. I've used the cheapie 1/2" flat synthetic I have right now for all of an hour and already want to replace it. Its water retention is decidedly lacking. However, this was also a very cheap brush that's meant for all mediums, so I'm not sure how much to attribute to the quality of the brush and how much to attribute to the type of fiber. But it does make be reconsider using a synthetic. I've heard their water retention is decidedly less than natural, that's why KS is considered by most watercolorists to be the "premium" fiber. It is also why it hasa premium price.
Right now I'm leaning towards a synthetic blend. It has better water retention than a purely synthetic brush yet has the body of an acrylic brush.
