YasutomoNiji Waterbrush Flat 1/2" x 5/8"

I was pleasantly surprised by all the brushes in the series. All the brushes behave basically the same so I'm reusing the review for each brush. Water flow is different between the round and flat brushes and I'll cover it last.From different reviews around the web my concerns were that the bristles would be too stiff, that the bristles would pull easily from the ferrule, and that the water would not flow at a comfortable rate.When they arrived I was most surprised by the flat brush. Instead of a flat ferrule the brush was actually a full round brush with a snap-off flat adapter. Without the adapter it is dense enough and long enough to act as a very effective mop brush. All the brushes have interchangeable water reservoir tubes; the flat has a purple handle, the rounds have long blue or short blue handles.All the brushes have soft white nylon bristles that spring back nicely. They were quite dense, with enough bristles that the brushes are easy to control in spite of the softness. When the water reservoir is full they have a good weight in my hand, and I can tell by balance when they start to run low. The brushes work well for all techniques I've used including lifting, splattering, dropping, glazing, and washing large areas.I've used the brushes for just over a month. They are still very supple and I haven't noticed any significant change to them over time. I have seen practically no shedding, which surprised me. They are very nearly as full and springy as the day they arrived in spite of my vigorous cleaning habits. They've held up much better than most of the inexpensive brushes I've ever purchased.I use them with Derwent watercolor pencils including their Inktense pencils that will set permanently after their first hydration. Because the brushes keep themselves moist I've found they stain less easily than my traditional nylon brushes. The tips are darkened from use but they are clean; I can soak the brush and rub it on white paper without making marks.Controlling the water flow on the round brushes was easy for me. With a full reservoir I can keep the brush dry enough to just barely hydrate the pencil so it would dry in seconds, if I want. With a mostly empty reservoir I can still keep the brush saturated to leave a heavy trail of water, if I want. It took only a few minutes of experimenting before I could keep the brush at any saturation level I wanted for any speed of stroke. I can keep the reservoir full with the lid on and water does not seep through.Controlling the water flow on the flat brush was a little more difficult. The gasket lets out water more easily than the rounds. It took about a half hour of experimenting before I got the feel of the flat brush's flow. I still sometimes put out more water than I expect. I use the brush as a mop or a wide flat rather than for detail work so this doesn't hurt, but it is a distraction when using it. Like the rounds, I can keep the reservoir full without flooding the lid.I love these brushes. I find myself using them almost exclusively instead of my traditional rounds. I can keep them full without needing to keep a cup of water on hand. They are not a replacement for traditional brushes; none of the brushes will replace a good liner or rigger. When I want a general brush for wetting my pencil work these are my new brush of choice.

This is a good water brush. If you know you want a flat water brush then this is a good option.That said, I may just stick with a more traditional watercolor setup.The main difference between this brush and the traditional flat brushes I prefer is that this brush fans out and the regular flat brushes taper inward to a wedge.I'm just getting used to using water brushes. I sketch and paint on the spot, so need a portable kit. I like these brushes so far, but I'm not really sold on these being particularly advantageous as compared to just using regular watercolor brushes. Here are some considerations and comparisons.Minimal kit using regular watercolor brushes:1 pencil, 1 sketchbook, 1 drawing board, 2 clips, 1 round brush, 1 flat brush, travel watercolor tin, water bottle, paper towels, mixing cupMinimal kit using water brushes:1 pencil, 1 sketchbook, 1 drawing board, 2 clips, 1 round brush, 1 flat brush, travel watercolor tin, water bottle, paper towelsSo almost the same kit. Both are highly portable and there aren't many situations where a mixing cup is much of a hassle. You also have more variety and better brush options in regular watercolor brushes than water brushes. But if you want to ditch the cup then these are a good option.And I am sure that I'll find cases where these are really the ideal tool.Some ideas for some tiny kits centered around the water brush:1 or 2 water brushes, 1 to 6 watercolor pencils, 1 sketchbook1 water brush, 1 fountain pen with water-soluble ink, 1 sketchbook1 to 3 water brushes with premixed thin colors (i.e. red, yellow and blue)... maybe in conjunction with a fountain pen using waterproof black or brown ink.There there are opportunities which I remain excited to try, and others will likely emerge.

The Niji Waterbrush is so nice when I'm out and about and feel like stopping off somewhere to do a little sketching and want to add a little color to the sketch. Instead of toting a bottle of water around with me, I have my handy dandy waterbrushes with the water already inside the brush!I often times enjoy using waterbrushes when I'm working with water soluble color pencils or want to add a bit of color to a drawing without having to pull out too many supplies to do it. And I don't have to worry about the cats knocking the jar full of water.When I'm doing a full traditional watercolor painting I use traditional watercolor brushes. But, for out and about sketches with a bit of color or with water soluble color pencils, when I'm not concerned with too much detail, it is perfect. These brushes are also nice to use if you want to fill them with water tinted with watercolor paint.In addition to this flat waterbrush, I also have a couple round waterbrushes in different sizes.