dainaywWatercolor Paint Brushes, 4 Size Professional Round Squirrel Hair & Horse Hair Synthetic Blend Paint Brush Set for Art Painting, Gouache, Wash/Mop, Artist Quality Supplies

Update: I've had these just at two months and the handles are showing a crack on two of the brushes. I don't paint too often so I've used these maybe four to five times, and not for long sessions either. I also do not keep my brushes in water, even when painting, if I'm not using it I rinse and put aside until needed again. So I was really surprised to find that the paint is cracking on the handle. I'm outside the return window so am stuck with them.I needed some new brushes, having lost four of my favorites during a move. After looking at these on the site and reading all the "positive" reviews I went ahead and clicked buy. I got them today and was all excited to start painting with these new brushes, good professional brushes.These arrived in a very nice black box on a bed of foam, to which they were also strapped down. Each brush was individually wrapped and had a plastic sleeve over the brush head. The company did all they could to protect these during shipping. These would also be appropriate to give as a gift, either wrapped or just a ribbon around the box.This is whereI had to change my review, which at first was not a positive one. I didn't like the handles, they felt too light to be balanced. I also didn't like the way they did the ferrules. I now understand why they were made that way, to prevent rust and ruining the brush. But since actually trying the brushes, I have come to enjoy them. They're real squirrel hair and, I believe, synthetic horse hair. They hold water and paint well with pretty good control. They also rinse and clean easily. They maintain the point very well, going back to looking new after cleaning and drying. I have noticed a few hairs here and there, but I don't think it's anything to worry over. I haven't seen any stray hairs branching out on their own away from the brush head. I'll be keeping them in the plastic sleeves they came in.I plan to order other sets of these to get different sizes, but this is good set to start with. I think the price is fair, given four brushes of real hair, not sable, but still good and still real.

These are great natural bristle brushes that hold a lot of water and produce fantastic results.I’ve seen some reviewers complain about the finish separating from the handles. I have not experienced that and it is usually the result ofleaving them in water which you shouldn’t do with any watercolor brush.Some reviewers also said the hairs fall out. In my experience this is common in the first few uses because they are new. I did not experience excessive fall out but rather one or two hairs on each brush which I expect.The only reason I would ever buy more would be if I lost a brush or gave them as gifts. I think they will last a long time and couldn’t be more pleased,

I do lettering... mostly on brush or with a calligraphy nib. I'm venturing into adding backgrounds myself, without me having to rely on purchasing cardstock with graphics on them.... AND here enter my watercolors. When I was trying to practice some techniques... my waterbrushes just weren't cutting it. (I use Pentel waterbrushes for most of my lettering)... but for backgrounds... they just don't cut it. Then after watching so many YouTube videos... the thought came in that having a great mop brush would be a life saver... and I thought that it was a hype. I got these anyway... and it's made SUCH a difference in the watercolor painting techniques... and it's made the watercoloring process a much more enjoyable experience. These are my first mop style brushes... but if you need something to cover backgrounds... then these are a great range of sizes. If you need them just to paint... they also make great thin lines. Have fun using your paints... and yes, it's true what they say... If you have the right tools... then the job (or art hobby)... becomes a lot easier.UPDATE 3 days later - I noticed that three of the brushes were cracked.... I contacted Amazon... but I'd have to deal directly with the seller.... I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt... I'm going to return this set and ordered another one --- Hopefully... this was just a bad set.... Until this is rectified... I'm changing my rating to a 3 (sadly... I'd like to day that 3 of them are cracked... I've only used them 3 times - no falls, drops, or anything like that... and they are in their case).UPDATE They did do the exchange and sent me new brushes which I am still using years later. Be very sure to never leave them in water or wet as that will contribute to messing them up. The 2nd set I made my own mistake of leaving them overnight in water and that destroyed them. However other than that, these have been a wonderful set to have. I have raised my my rating to 4 because these are good brushes but didn't give them a 5 because they didn't last the night and they cracked the very next day after leaving one of them overnight. I wished that the wood that they used was stronger in case a mistake like this happens. Good luck and happy painting.

At first I honestly hesitated when it came to this set just because I already have plenty of watercolor brushes, both cheap synthetic sets as well as a few natural squirrel hair ones and it was hard to believe natural hair brushes could be this affordable! They preform wonderfully, hold tons of water and paint, and while the quill style does have a bit of a learning curve it's really similar in performance and versatility as round brushes but also can do consistent thin lines like a liner brush! Personally, I am very happy with this purchase and use this set regularly in my professional works as well as practice things, sketchbook illustrations and more.