Watercolour Quill project!
I have lately moved to use more and more quill type of brushes in my watercolour work. Mainly because I really enjoy their sharp points they make and it is also easier for my nickel allergy. So I got bunch of quills in small size, and from different makers. There is synthetic, natural and blended quills, in variety of price groups. At first I was going to do comparison, but I realized brush reviews are not so simple to do, since much of it is about the feel of the brush. So I will review every individual quill and then do comparison.
Since I paint in small scale, most of the quills I got are small size, I usually aim to have 5mm diameter at ferule. Due to being out of stock, some are larger. There is also some cases, that quills were only available in bigger size, like Tintoretto Aquasynth. Some Quills are mops, so they don’t form the point.
How reviews are constructed
There will be own blog post for every quill and Youtube review video. With blog post, I can share multiple close up photos and lot more data. It also keeps information in one place and makes it easier to look back. I hope that brings more value to reviews and really gives in-depth insight about the brushes.
Video will be showing the brush, then I will perform some test for every brush and do the test strokes. I will add voiceover to video. I will do few test paintings to get feel of the brush. And give my verdict about the quill.
In the blog post I will go more detail, how brush is constructed and into smallest detail. I will be keeping structure similar and also looking every part of the brush. How is ferule constructed? Handle? Hairs? Printing? Everything. I also share where brush is available with links, sizes, measurement, pricing etc. I will also comment whole line up, like what sizes are available and share more background information. So the blog post will go more detail than the videos.
What Quills are included:
I will add links to the blog post when they are published, so all can be found here. I add also some hints, what is coming next.
Let me know in comments if there is brush you are interested, so I can bump it up in queue! List is in alphabetical order by brand.
Borciani Bonazzi:
Unico
DaVinci:
Casaneo
Isabey:
6234i Petit gris pur
Jackson’s:
828 Pure squirrel mop
528 Raven
KUM:
Faded Quill
French Aqua
Tinttoretto:
1415 Aquasynth
1337 sintetico Travel
1330 Vajo Blue (natural squirel hair) Travel
1407 Sintetico
Princeton:
Neptune Quill
Aqua Elite
ProArte:
45 Sablesque - imitation sable
Renesance Mop
Raphael:
804 Kaerell
802
Travel Quill
Roman Szmal:
113 syntetic squirrel
112
Rosemary&Co:
Red Dot Collection
Silver:
5025S Atelier Squirrel Blend quill (Quill under testing)
2025s Golden Natural Blend Quill
There is also some individual quills from Jax, Van Gogh and I love art (Gerstaecker house brand) . I have also some cheap Chinese brand Quills. And one mystery Quill I got with 5e and it has no marking other than size.
Where is all the quills come from?
Most of the quills I have bought with my own money, but some of the quills I got from my friend Lana Goes Art .
Latest update: 3rd June 2025 .
