Sketching with a Water Brush
When I first encountered the Pentel Water Brush many years ago, I wasn’t very impressed. Since then, I’ve changed my opinion of it and find it to be the perfect sketching companion. But how did this transformation come about?…
The reason I was underwhelmed by it in the first place was because it just looked a bit cheap and nasty, and I couldn’t see how it might possibly replace a proper brush. In those days, I would take a small sketching kit out walking with me, consisting of paintbox, brushes, a container for carrying water and something to put the water into. It didn’t take a lot of space up in my rucksack, and when I arrived at my location, I would have everything I needed with me; all I had to do was arrange my workspace and I’d be ready to start painting…
To be clear, this arrangement worked successfully for me for many years, and mostly still does. I rejected the idea of a Water Brush on the grounds that I simply didn’t need it, and nothing could replace the proper painting kit that I so diligently carried with me.
Fast forward about thirty years, and the penny finally dropped for me. A ‘Water Brush’ – the one I have is made by Pentel, but there are many manufacturers of almost identical items – is a self-contained, single tool made of plastic, that carries its own well of water (or any other soluble medium of your choosing) within its handle and comes to a soft, fine nylon tip at the business end. In one swift operation, I can whip out a sketch pad and a small paintbox, activate the Water Pen by squeezing it to charge the tip, load it up with paint and mix it in the travel palette as I would with a brush.
When I’m ready to change colour, a simple squeeze of the handle flushes the tip through, cleaning it, and making it ready to go again. Another worry of mine back-in-the-day was running out of water, but I’ve found it can easily last me for a whole day’s sketching trip.
The main difference between this and using a proper brush is logistics. I can hold a sketchbook and paintbox in one hand and the Water Brush in the other, and paint without ever having to even sit down, should space be limited or a seat be non-existent. With it, I can paint up a small sketch, accompanied by a pencil or an ink pen, without ever having to worry about water… because it’s all built-in.
In short; I’ve come to love my cheap-looking Water Brush, and carry it with me whenever I’m out and about. Of course it’ll never replace a proper set of brushes and painting setup, but for extreme portability, spontaneity and convenience (all important requirements for an Urban Sketcher), the Water Brush takes some beating. Some folks carry several of them, perhaps of different sizes (I use the largest one I can find), I’ve also seen them pre-loaded with ready-mixed watercolours, but – for me – that rather misses the whole point of just how convenient and bizarrely brilliant they are.
