How to Hold a Watercolor Brush

Proper grip of the brush in watercolor painting allows an artist to paint longer, with greater control and less fatigue in the fingertips and wrist. A quality watercolor brush tapers at both ends and is thickest in the middle. This creates better balance and comfort while applying delicate strokes of the watercolor. A controlled grip is especially important for two main techniques for applying color: crosshatching and pointillism. Crosshatching involves the application of thin, overlapping strokes of watercolor to the paper. Pointillism is a technique for applying dots of color either separately or close together to create textures. Other grips allow different strokes and methods of expression in applying color to the paper.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Watercolor brushes
• Art paper
• Watercolor paint

1. Pick up the brush and grip with the thumb on top for balance.

2. Hold the brush stem between the index and middle fingers, the same way as a pencil, but about one-third of the way back from the bristles and just in front of the thickest part of the brush.

3. Vary the brush grip with an underhand hold, curling the four fingers on top of the brush and placing the thumb on the side of the brush to balance and control the watercolor strokes. This grip forces simplicity on the painting due to the limited amount of control over the brush.

4. Create fast, expressive watercolor strokes by gripping the brush between the index finger and thumb just behind the bristles.

References

• Watercolor techniques