Mercurius’ range of paintbrushes
At Mercurius we have chosen a range of paintbrushes with types of hair and brush shapes and sizes that are particularly well suited for working with water colours and gouache. These are the types of paint we offer in our assortment and with which, among other things, are very suitable for wet-on-wet and veiling techniques.
Let us tell you about our own line of Mercurius paintbrushes and the thoughts behind our carefully chosen selection.
Paintbrush handles
The handles of our paintbrushes are made of a FSC birch wood. The wood is obtained from responsible and controlled forestry in Germany and the Baltic States. The handles are coated with a wax that is made entirely from natural ingredients. The big advantage of this “coating” is that water and paint do not adversely affect the handle and damage it. The handle has a nice natural “look” and feels somewhat rougher than if it was lacquered. This improves the grip.
Most paintbrushes have a straight handle. In some cases, a special handle may be desirable. Such as when developing motor skills in toddlers, who are more comfortable working with a shorter handle.
Paintbrush hairs
The paintbrushes in Mercurius’ range made with natural and synthetic hairs
At Mercurius we have chosen a range of paintbrushes made with natural as well as synthetic hairs that are especially well suited for working with water colours and gouache.
We have paintbrushes with three different types of natural hairs in our assortment and two different types of synthetic hairs. The synthetic hairs are a very good alternative to our brushes with natural hair, sometimes even better!
Synthetic polecat brush on the left, natural polecat brush on the right
Paintbrush Natural Polecat hair
Polecat tail hairs make very excellent watercolour brushes and are used for wet-on-wet, veiling and water colouring. These brushes are very soft but also resilient. They have excellent water and paint absorption as well as a controlled release.
Paintbrush Synthetic Polecat hair
A soft filament brush. Mercurius has been looking for a perfect synthetic brush which can be used for veiling, water-colouring and “wet-on-wet” painting. We have now finally found a brush that is truly a break-through in the field of synthetic brushes. This brush is not only equal to our natural Polecat brush, but even exceeds its capabilities. The brush is soft, flexible, resistant to deformation and the absorption and release capacity is amazingly high.
The synthetic polecat brush is a little softer and slightly longer than the synthetic cow’s brush. This brush is also widely used in painting therapy because of its excellent properties.
Paintbrush Natural Cow/Ox hair
Cow/Ox hair is used for quality school brushes. The hairs are very suitable for water colouring techniques such as wet-on-wet and veiling. Because of their strength and durability, they are very suitable for frequent use in art education in schools. The cow/ox hairs have good water and paint absorption and controlled release.
Paintbrush Synthetic Cow hair
A medium filament brush. Just like its classic equal with natural cow hair, this synthetic brush is very well suited for wet-on-wet or ink washes. The synthetic cow hairs have good water and paint absorption and controlled release. These synthetic paint brushes retain their shape very well even when used frequently in art education. They are strong and the fibres are highly resistant to abrasion and hair breakage. Especially suitable for watercolour, gouache and ink.
Paintbrush Natural Hog/Boar bristles
Hog/Boar bristles are very sturdy and are used for robust brushes and suitable for dry painting techniques such as gouache. With hog bristle, you can apply thicker layers of paint and create clear, strong and expressive brush strokes.
Paintbrush Synthetic Boar Bristle
A hard filament brush. Synthetic boar bristle is firm and springy, giving a high level of control while painting. Compared to cow hair brushes, it absorbs less water and leaves a clearly visible, textured brush mark. Perfect for strong texture work. The brush is especially suitable for opaque paints such as gouache, acrylic, tempera and oil paint. It performs well in more vigorous painting techniques. Brush marks remain clearly visible, while large, flowing colour washes are less easily achieved. For Waldorf students, it is a good next step when moving toward more opaque painting and structured brushwork.
The shapes in Mercurius’ range of paintbrushes
At Mercurius, we have chosen to offer a range of paint brushes with shapes that are particularly well suited to working with watercolours and gouache. In our range you will find round, flat and cat's tongue brushes. With these three shapes you have the most important basis for painting in watercolour and gouache, as well as wet-on-wet and blending techniques. The sizes in our assortment range from #04 to about #24.
Round
Round brushes are round shaped bristles tapered to a sharp point. They can be used in many ways; From very detailed and precise work to washes and filling areas with colour. The round and sharp tip is very good for drawing fine lines and working out details on smaller sizes, as well as thicker lines and contours. The larger sizes are good for filling in larger areas such as backgrounds or large objects and for broad strokes and washes.
Flat
Flat brushes have bristles in a flat rectangular shape. Small sizes are used for fine detail, precise lines and small areas of colour. Larger sizes are for large, straight strokes, lines and edges, as well as blocks of colour and fills or washes over larger areas.
Cat’s Tongue
A brush with a flat, wide base, rounded sides and sharp-pointed bristles. The shape is reminiscent of a cat's tongue, hence the name. A cat’s tongue brush is very versatile: it can be used to create details such as fine lines as well as broad strokes, washes and round and oval shapes.
Round brush
Flat brush
Cat's tongue brush