Using a Quill Brush (Beginner Watercolor Practice Flower and Leaf Tutorial)

Hi friends! Today we are going to look at the Quill brush. It has a round ferrule and longer hair than a typical round and instead of the normal metal ferrule it is one made of plastic and wire.

This brush holds a vast amount of water and paint making it wonderful for expressive brushstrokes and loose flowers. You can learn how to use it in today’s video and if you don’t have a quill brush simply follow along with a pointy, soft round brush.

*Want to learn more loose watercolor floral techniques? Check out my Watercolor Flower Workshop.

What to look for (affiliate links used)

• Look for a brush with black bristles with the words “synthetic squirrel”The ferrule (the part that holds the hair to the handle) will be a clear plastic tube attached with wire.

• I have the Princeton #4 (#16 round equivalent) Neptune Quill $15 on Amazon, cheapest I’ve seen it!

• And a 20-year-old Winsor & Newton size 0 (#8-#10 round equivalent) *Not synthetic but I still use it because I’ve had it for decades-I won’t throw away a brush and add to the landfill to be a “perfect vegan”

• Another recommended synthetic quill is the Raphael Soft Aqua.

• For my card I used Aquabee 6″x9″ 100% cotton watercolor paper folded in half.

Have fun practicing with your Quill brush if you have one and if not a soft round brush will suffice. You want to get to the point where you can paint graceful leaves with your eyes closed. Train the muscle memory and you will enjoy painting all the more! Happy crafting!