Whether you’re painting with acrylics, gouache or oil paints, having the right type of paintbrush is crucial to your artwork. In this article we go over all the brushes I reviewed, and listed the ones I found to be the best.
In this comprehensive guide to the best brushes for water soluble oil paints, I’ll show you the best paintbrushes on the market and give you some advice when it comes choosing the right one. Let’s get started!
IN A HURRY? HERE’S OUR TOP PICKS…
| Name | Our Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|
Natural Bristle Oil Paintbrushes | 5/5 | Click for Price |
| Golden Maple Pointed Brushes | 4.5/5 | Click for Price |
| Transon Artist Paint Brush Set | 4/5 | Click for Price |
1- Natural Bristle Oil Paintbrushes
This paintbrush set is perfect for water soluble paints, and one of my top recommend picks. It comes with 15 brushes, so you will definitely have every size and shape you need.
This set includes a Fan Brush #1, Round Brushes #4, #8, #10 and #16, Flat Brushes #2, #6, #10, and #14, Angled #8 and #12, Filbert #6, #10 and #14, and Chip 40MM. So you see you have options ranging from detail sizes, to the ones you can use for wide filling.
The set is also made of hard natural hog bristles, so it’s able to hold a bit more paint that nylon brushes. The actual handle is real wood and it features a nickel free plated ferrule. These brushes are also long handle, so if you are looking for short handle brushes, I also recommend some below.
What We Like
Long handles, natural hog bristles.
What We Don’t Like
Only comes with 1 fan brush.
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2- Golden Maple Pointed Brushes
This Golden Maple Paintbrush set is also one of my top picks! The hog bristles are super high quality and will not shed. You can use this set for oils, acrylics and even gouache.
The brush sizes are: #2 4 6 8 10 12, and it has a long handle like the one above. What I like is that the wood is polished birch wood, and it gives it that nice luxurious feeling. This set is really good for water soluble paints, and can also be used with other media.
What We Like
Excellent type of brush for water soluble paints.
What We Don’t Like
Only comes with 5 brushes.
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3- Transon Artist Paint Brush Set
Transon is an amazing brand that always produce high quality paint brushes. I have personally used this set in the past, and the bristles were amazing! I felt like I was painting with extremely high quality and high price brushes, for an affordable price.
It comes with 12 brushes, including flat, filbert, angle, round, liner. You will notice that this set comes with more detail size brushes than my previous two. I especially liked the liner brushes becauseI was able to get those fine details on my painting.
The brushes are premium nylon with an ergonomic handle grip. The wooden handle is actually a 5 layered finish, with double-crimped aluminum ferrules.
I definitely recommend this set if you’re looking to do more detail painting, or want premium quality nylon brushes.
What We Like
Wide variety of sizes and shapes.
What We Don’t Like
No fan brush.
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4- Arteza Paint Brushes
Arteza is one of my favorite brands out there. I currently have this set and it’s beyond amazing! This set offers a high quality feel when you’re painting. It’s prefect for acrylics, oils, water soluble paints and much more.
The set includes 3 Round brushes # 1, 4, 8. Two Angular brushes # 5, 1, Two Filbert brushes #2, 7, Two Flat brushes # 6, 11, One Cat’s tongue # 8, One Rigger # 0, and One Fan brush (# 8).
One thing I love about Arteza is that it was designed and created by artists. As an artist myself, I can truly say this set is one of the best I have used. The fine bristles offer premium gallery quality results.
What We Like
The amount of brushes the set comes with, and the fine quality.
What We Don’t Like
We like everything abut this set.
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5- Creative Mark Pro Stroke Paintbrush
This brush is a single water soluble paint brush. I chose this one because if you don’t want an entire set, you can opt in to have only one. Sometimes we don’t need a whole new set, but only one new brush. It’s very high quality, and can also offer gallery like results.
This brush can also be used with oils, water soluble paints, and even acrylics. The secret to this paintbrush is the proprietary combination of 3 separate diameters of synthetic hair filament.
This combination gives a silky smooth feel, good absorbency, superb structural ability, and excellent rigidity. The bristles are mounted in nickel-plated brass ferrules on a long, matte black handle.
What We Like
Single great quality brush.
What We Don’t Like
It’s a single brush, not a set.
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What to Look For in a Paintbrush for Water Soluble Oil Paints
To find the best paintbrush for your needs, consider the following major aspects before finalizing a purchase.
Bristles
The quality of the bristles is extremely important when choosing a water soluble paintbrush. You need to make sure it’s soft and not a natural bristle, which tends to be more stiff. Always go with a silky and smooth brush, to ensure your water soluble oil project turns out great.
Quality
The overall quality of the paintbrush is also very important. The long handle, the soft bristles and the ferrule are all important when shopping for a specific paintbrush. It’s up to you if you prefer a short handle vs a long handle, but always make sure you choose soft and silky bristles.
Best Water Soluble Paintbrush Brands
Arteza
Arteza is a company that is designed and was created by artists. They have over 1,000 products and always growing. They believe art can heal, and believe art should be available to everyone. Their supplies are affordable but premium quality, which is rare for a company nowadays.
Their customer support is also very good, and if you have any issues with your products, they are there for you.
I use Arteza Acrylics, Gouache and Watercolors on most of my projects, and I can honestly say the quality is beyond amazing. Most of my paintings that are on display at the gallery linked below, were done with Arteza.
FAQ
How Do You Clean Water Soluble Oil Paint Brushes?
You can use regular Dawn dish soap to clean your brushes, or you can also use a paintbrush cleaner like this Pink Soap Cleaner & Conditioner. I use this for my oil paintbrushes as well as acrylic, and it gets all the paint out without harming my brushes.
What Brushes to Use With Water Soluble Oils?
You will want to use soft and silky paintbrushes. Natural stiff bristles will not give you the the results you’re looking for, and may even ruin your painting.
What Brushes Do Professional Oil Painters Use?
Most professionals use Winsor & Newton, and Grumbacher paintbrushes. These two brands are the most popular and of highest quality within the art network. I have personally used both brands and they are equally amazing in quality and feel.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for the best watercolor soluble paintbrush, my top recommendation is the Natural Bristle Paintbrushes we went over in option one.
My second pick would be Arteza, because their quality is amazing and the bristles are super smooth and silky. All the other choices were excellent options as well for water soluble oil paints.
Whichever paintbrush you choose for your project, I hope this guide has been helpful in your purchasing decision. Make sure to follow all my tips and recommended products to ensure your water soluble paint project turns out great!
Also, don’t forget to check out my other articles for all your painting Q&A’s. Happy painting!