Raphaël: Le Voyager Softaqua

Brand name: Raphaël

Line name: Le Voyager

Hair type: Synthetic, SoftAqua

This has soft synthetic hairs and sharpish point, size is decent for small sketchbook work. It is one of the few travel quills that are available.

Raphaël is France based company with long traditions in brush making. Sadly, they currently have no website available.

This is bit different than other quills in this review, I have bought it years ago and it has served years as my only travel quill. It has come to me to art studies and traveled in many places, and still it holds well.

Stroke test

This brush is on the very soft side and small. While this quill has point, it is so soft that it is harder to control, which causes accidental thicker lines. But with steady hand at practice, it can produce fine lines. But due to its softness, it has sometimes harder time to collect itself back to shape.

I also noticed this brush tend to release water quickly and it runs dry surprisingly quickly. This is very apparent in string of leaves, where there is darker spots. I haven’t noticed this in normal painting.

Review video has real time commentary with this stroke test, so I recommend checking it out!

Size:

Hair type: Synthetic hair, Raphael SoftAqua

Reviewed brush size: 000

Size available: only size as travel brush

Measurement info from Jakson’s Art site:

Brush Length: 16.9cm

Brush width: 0.8cm

Hair Length: 2.1cm

Brush tip width: 0.6cm

Hair Width: 0.48cm

Hair Length: 2cm

Total Brush Length: 17cm

Softaqua is available as normal quills (Raphael 805 Softaqua ) and also super short handle format. But sadly travel quill is only available in one size, which is pretty small. It is comfortable at A6 size, and A5 is doable, if you are not doing full spreads.

Hair properties:

Softness: Soft

Thirstiness: Thirsty

Individual hair width: Very fine

Tapering hairs: Yes

Brush head color: Brown on the base, blackens towards the tip

Softaqua is synhtetic hair and it is very soft and needs light touch to work, it can feel too soft when doing tiny details.

Also noticed while testing smallest size I had, which I had in short handle format, that it was bit too soft and felt like it is collapsing. So hair might not work so well in really small quills.

General Quality:

Handle: Travel handle in rose gold color

Handle is similar than in other travel brushes, it is beautiful rose gold color. Sadly, there is no markings outside, so if you have other brush same color, there is no way to tell them apart. There is hole for brush to dry. Cap is quite narrow, so putting cap on can be bit tricky. Wooden part is matt black and it has Raphael branding in rose gold. I would like to have some branding outside too, so brush would be more easier to tell apart from others. Cap hold nicely on place and it is not too tight or loose.

My brush has been in use for while, but cap still holds securely.

Ferule

Wire wrapping: Tight

Has extra thread underneath: Yes, white thread is showing.

{close up of ferule]

Ferule is transparent and wrapped with silver colored wire in four spots. There is white thread showing underneath and there is visible glue line. Wires have not moved or losened, this brush has been in use about a year. I have not give any special treatment to this brush, it has been capped wet and let to dry in my pencil case, and there is no issues with the ferule.

Price at 2025:

Availability:

Jackson’s Art: 17.62€

Pros

Has nice point

Good quality handle

Solid built quality

Cons

Only available in one size for travel

Has not branding outside the cap

Hair can be too soft in some cases

Overall

Recomended? YES

If you like soft quills and sketchbook work, this will be great workhorse. But since size is small, it might not work so well if you like paint bigger than A5 size. It is also brush that is not easy to handle, because it softness, so it might take some time to get used to.

But it is one of the few travel quills that is available, so there is not much choices in this category.