Best Watercolour Brushes for Pet Portraits (Tested by a Professional Animal Artist)

In this guide to the best watercolour brushes for pet portraits I'll give you my honest review of brushes I've used and owned. I have a jar full now of all sorts of brushes I've accumulated over the years, but I have a few favourites that I reach for every time.

What makes a brush good for pet portraits?

Your choice of brushes will depend on your technique and preferences, but I can share my own experience.

Oil and acrylic brushes have stiff bristles to move thicker paint around canvas and board, but watercolour, as its name suggests, is very fluid, and so your brushes need to pick up and hold enough paint to allow it to flow with a delicate uniterrupted touch across the delicate paper.

If you're an oil or acrylic artist and experimenting with watercolour painting, or just starting out on your artistic journey and wondering what to buy, these are the brushes I’ve personally used for painting animal fur and detail.

Best overall brush for fur texture

Silver Black Velvet Round no 8

This is the one I use the most. It holds plenty of water in its belly for washes yet comes to a nice point sharp enough for detail work. Its soft enough to allow for glazing layers without disturbing the colour underneath. A lovely multi-purpose brush, and I often find myself using it for most of the body and fur, since I tend to stick to around 25 x 25cm for watercolour paintings. If I plan to paint larger, I'd perhaps pick the no 12.

Being a blend of squirrel and synthetic hair, it makes it a good mid-price choice for both beginners and professionals.

This Silver Black Velvet Round no 8 is one of my most used brushes

Best brush for fine whiskers

Daler Rowney Aquafine Script Liner no 2

This is sometimes called a rigger brush. It's long and thin and comes to a point. Being synthetic, it has a little more spring than sable, which I find useful for quick strokes and steady lines. The length means it holds plenty of paint to give you lots of fine, flicky whiskers before you need to re-dip. It can splay a bit sometimes; the trick is to make sure you rinse and shape it properly before it dries.

A rigger or liner is good for whiskers. I use this Daler Rowney Aquafine Script Liner no 2

Best budget option

Fuumuui 8pcs Professional Sable Watercolour Brushes

These are soft and fluffy sables without the hefty price tag of more premium brands. The hairs do tend to shed a little, but if you're just starting out, these would give you a better experience than cheap synthetics. I still have a few I sometimes use for washes. This is the set I bought and it has a variety mix of shapes and sizes to try.

This set of Fuumuui 8pcs Professional Sable Watercolour Brushes was one of first purchases

Synthetic vs Natural

Typically, sable or squirrel, natural brushes are the traditional choice for watercolour. They hold ample water for washes and can be shaped into precise points for detail. They are less durable than synthetic brushes and so need a bit more care to keep in condition. Since I bought mine, I've learned that it's often difficult to be sure they are entirely cruelty-free. At best, I believe they are a by-product of the fur industry, so choose with care if this is important to you.

Modern synthetic brushes are extremely close to mimicking the performance of natural brushes, and many professionals use synthetic brushes. They might not quite match the water capacity and will have a little more 'snap', but are more affordable, easier to care for and will last you longer.

Final Recommendation

If I were starting pet portrait commissions today, I’d probably buy the best quality synthetic I can afford. You only need a few watercolour brushes to get painting, so choose quality over quantity. Choose a set that includes a rigger or liner (size 1 or 2), like this Jackson's Studio Synthetic Rigger Size 1, a medium round with a fine point (size 8), like this Jackson's Studio Synthetic Size 8 and a large soft mop or for washes, like Jackson's Raven Sythentic Mop Size 6.

Also see my guide on why watercolour paper matters

Also see my comparison of student vs professional watercolour paint.

Save this guide to your resources and share with fellow artists who are growing their watercolour skills.

Some of the links above are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend brushes I personally use and trust.