Watch this BEFORE Buying Princeton Aqua Elite Watercolor Brushes

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Күн бұрын

In this video, I test two Princeton Aqua Elite watercolor brushes, the #20 Round and the #12 Round. I discuss the benefits of these high quality synthetic brushes that are made to mimic expensive Kolinsky Sable brushes. #princetonbrushes #watercolor #aquaelite
The brushes I use in this video:
Princeton Aqua Elite Round #20 - amzn.to/3hl2l7S
Princeton Aqua Elite Round #12 - amzn.to/3bk0UTI
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This channel is all about tools, tips and tutorials for growing in watercolor. If you would like to "binge watch" all the videos on my channel, you can find them here:
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Basic supplies in my watercolor studio include:
Baohong 140lb Cold Press 100% Cotton Paper - amzn.to/3Kk34T0
Arches 140lb Cold Press 100% Cotton Paper - amzn.to/2AoQzGj
Stephen Quiller Porcelain Palette - amzn.to/2Zugg2u
Daniel Smith Watercolor Paints - amzn.to/2LrwmBK
M. Graham Watercolor Paints - amzn.to/2YZbY3c
Princeton Neptune Watercolor Brushes - amzn.to/33L1oRH
Princeton Aqua Elite Watercolor Brushes - amzn.to/3KrzJWD
Princeton Neptune Quill Brushes - amzn.to/3GK3bF3
Mijello 2-Liter Water Bucket - amzn.to/2ySbz7N
Stephen Quiller Color Wheel - amzn.to/3fDCE0v
If you'd like to learn more about how I set up my watercolor studio watch: • Watercolor Artist Stud...
I am not paid to review the products in this video. However, I receive a small commission for sales resulting from the links above. Thank you for supporting this channel. Have a great day!

Пікірлер: 50

@madmax7201 8 ай бұрын

Goodness thank God finally a video with actual use of those brushes. Watched a dozen in a row videos about watercolor brushes types and none of them actually showed what they really do, those brushes. All talk and dry information. Like show them in action. Like here. Thank you!

@KrisDeBruineStudio 7 ай бұрын

Glad I could help.

@56sleepy Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the review! Going to give these a try

@KrisDeBruineStudio Жыл бұрын

Hope you enjoy!

@appleknocker56 2 ай бұрын

My Aqua Elite #20 just came in & love these brushes! Thank you as can see it has a great point for its size!

@KrisDeBruineStudio 2 ай бұрын

Great to hear!

@sandrajones3455 2 жыл бұрын

I have a set of these and I reach for them more then any other brushes. I love the smooth almost rubbery feel of the handles and the bristles have just the right softness and just the right spring back for me. No need for Sable.

@KrisDeBruineStudio 2 жыл бұрын

I agree.

@ae6888 6 ай бұрын

I am new to watercolor, and didn’t appreciate the differences in each hair type and how they would behave. Thank you so much for all this helpful info and demonstrating the versatility of the Aqua Elite brushes. I got several Neptune brushes at first and enjoy them, but purchased an Aqua Elite 12 Long Round after another KZfaqr (The Mind of Watercolor) suggested it. The brush is amazing! I reach for it almost universally for everything from medium washes to finer details.

@KrisDeBruineStudio 6 ай бұрын

thanks for watching and sharing

@jupiterscorpio4206 2 жыл бұрын

I bought the 8, Quill 6 and Oval Wash. I really love these brushes. Great review

@KrisDeBruineStudio 2 жыл бұрын

Wonderful. Thanks for the feedback. I LOVE these brushes. Painting with them right now in my studio!! :-)

@SarahAndBoston 2 жыл бұрын

I have the #20 and just bought the #6! I love them

@KrisDeBruineStudio 2 жыл бұрын

I agree. I like to use a combination of these stiffer brushes with a nice set of the Princeton Neptune, which mimic squirrel hair and are much softer. I tend to use the softer brushes first, for the initial loose wash....then move to these stiffer brushes for the finer detail. Glad to hear you like them. Have a great day.

@babycakes1949 2 жыл бұрын

I just bought some of these a few months ago and oh my! They are fantastic brushes. I’ve never been able to afford sable and I think maybe these brushes are the next best thing. They hold a ton of water, they hold an extremely fine point, they have a little snap but not too much. Everything I was looking for.

@KrisDeBruineStudio 2 жыл бұрын

I completely agree. Thanks for watching!!

@lindaruss3772 7 ай бұрын

I just purchased 2 of these brushes New Year’s Day, at Michaels. I had some gift cards, or I probably wouldn’t have spend that much of my own $! All I can say is that painting with these brushes, compared to painting with my same ol’ run of the mill brushes I’ve used for decades, is remarkable! Now, I don’t just enjoy What I’m painting only, I’m really enjoying how it FEELS to paint! Love these brushes!!

@Swan-rb4yg 6 ай бұрын

No, they are better than sable because animals didn't suffer for them.

@SuperCutealien 2 ай бұрын

My favorite brush.

@KrisDeBruineStudio Ай бұрын

Yay!

@SuperCutealien Ай бұрын

@@KrisDeBruineStudio The day after this I got access to a liquidation sale. Got 7 new Aqua Elites for a really good price.

@davidc7269 Жыл бұрын

I just bought some of these Aqua Elite brushes; can't wait to try them out! Just two quick questions - do you ever stretch your paper with glued paper tape or stapling it to a piece of plywood? If not, how do you deal with the wrinkles in the paper when the painting is dry?

@KrisDeBruineStudio Жыл бұрын

Hi David. Great question. I do not use glued paper tape. I find it TOO STICKY and very hard to get off my board when I am done. I also don't staple. If I tape, I use blue painter's tape. Another option, taught to me by Andy Evansen is to wet the back of the paper and then place the paper on a board. It will automatically stick to the board because of the water; it doesn't budge. Also, by wetting the paper on BOTH sides, it keeps it from rippling as much. The water on both sides equalizes the paper. Hope this helps.

@Bearwithme560 8 ай бұрын

Oh, thank heavens. I just splurged on my first AE and when l saw the headline "Watch before buying", l thought l'd made a bad mistake. Feeling relieved. :)

@KrisDeBruineStudio 8 ай бұрын

Oh no. Sorry to scare you. All is well. You chose a great brand of brush!! I use them all the time. :-)

@Bearwithme560 8 ай бұрын

@@KrisDeBruineStudio No worries, and it did catch my attention, didn't it? First lesson l learned was to use the best paper one can afford, and the second is that good brushes also hasten the learning process. Thanks! ❤

@KrisDeBruineStudio 8 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing your "aha" moments with others.

@judyseyfert7193 3 жыл бұрын

Excellent review. It makes me want to go our and buy one. Unfortunately, I have way too many brushes already. I just bought the Da Vinci cosmotop spin #20, #16 and #6 brushes. These aren't synthetic kolinsky. We have a lot in common. I am a retired teacher who is now a professional artist. I love your videos.

@KrisDeBruineStudio 3 жыл бұрын

Hi Judy. Very nice to meet you. Thanks for leaving a comment. I too have too many brushes. But they are fun to collect. You never know when you'll find your new favorite. :-)

@adrianla-garde7733 2 жыл бұрын

Love your videos and how you explain your process, rather than just watching a fast forward like a lot of people do. Just wondering out of the Aqua Elite and the Black Velvet you previously recommended, which would you say is your favourite today?

@KrisDeBruineStudio 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Adrian. Thanks for watching. As you've probably noticed, my supplies and preferences have changed over time as I have evolved in my practice. While I still like the Silver Black Velvet brushes and can still recommend them heartily, I have mostly switched to Princeton brushes. Having said that, I would probably not compare the Black Velvet to the Aqua Elite. They are two different classes of brushes. The Aqua Elite mimics a Sable brush. It is stiffer. The Black Velvet uses a combination of real and synthetic squirrel hair, which makes it MUCH softer. I use squirrel hair brushes for big washes and sable brushes more for details or smaller washes where more control is required. In the Princeton brand, the Neptune series is their squirrel-like brush. I LOVE those too. So, I'm using mostly Princeton but have LOTS of different brands in my studio. Hope this helps.

@adrianla-garde7733 2 жыл бұрын

@@KrisDeBruineStudio Thank you so much for your quick reply, that is so helpful. So many people rave about the Silver brushes but I do have squirrels so I think the Elites are what I need for my work. Once again thanks!

@KrisDeBruineStudio 2 жыл бұрын

You are very welcome. Let me know what you think of those Aqua Elites.

@adrianla-garde7733 2 жыл бұрын

@@KrisDeBruineStudio Actually I ended up getting a couple of Escoda Versatil as they were easier and cheaper to buy in the UK and I can thoroughly recommend them. From reviews they appear to be very similar in performance to the Elites. Even tho I ended up buying a different brush, opinions like yours are always appreciated when making choices!

@KrisDeBruineStudio 2 жыл бұрын

Good to know. I'm glad you found something to work for you. I have considered the Escoda brand, but they are very expensive here in the US. Happy Painting!

@davidkreitzer6712 Жыл бұрын

I decided to buy a few of these brushes. I’m just beginning and I like them very much but being a beginner I don’t know what I don’t know. How would you compare the Aqua Elite to the Silver Black Velvet line of brushes? TIA

@KrisDeBruineStudio Жыл бұрын

I have used both the Aqua Elite and the Silver Black Velvet. The brushes are quite different -- kind of like comparing apples and oranges. AE are made to mimic Sable. They are fairly stiff. The Silver Black Velvet are a mix of natural squirrel and syntheic squirrel. Therefore the SBV brushes are very soft. So they would be used very differently. I encourage my students to have BOTH - soft squirrel and stiff sable brushes. The only thing I didn't like about SBV is that the handles are lacquered/painted and the paint tends to chip off after time. That doesn't happen with the AE brushes.

@dawnepoole3098 9 ай бұрын

Love my 6 and 12 however the six has developed a hook and it’s only 2 months old. 😫

@KrisDeBruineStudio 9 ай бұрын

Oh no. I'm so sorry to hear that. I assume you are laying them flat as they dry. And not setting them tip down in the water can?? I haven't had any problems with misshapen brushes. But I do follow some strict rules, such as those above. I wish you all the best in your watercolor journey!!

@greekveteran2715 7 ай бұрын

Raphael 803 and Isabey series 6234 Squirrel Quills, are THE best you can get. Princeton is 3 to 4 brands, after the best, Raphael,Isabey, Da Vinci, Escoda etc Don't get me wrong, Princeton is a really good brand, however, they are not as good, as the brushes I mentioned.

@KrisDeBruineStudio 7 ай бұрын

Yes. I have some Escodas. They are great. I haven't tried the other brands.

@Lea-zf7lm 7 ай бұрын

Not everyone can afford the Raphaël or Isabey brushes, especially those of us starting out and painting for fun or because our fingers have itched to do so all our lives 😉 Brushes seem to be priced differently around the world. I have one Aqua Elite so far and am waiting to splurge on a quill brush. I'm still debating on which brand for the quill. Any thoughts? Next up is really good paper because I've been told that I have talent. Who knew!

@greekveteran2715 7 ай бұрын

It all depends on what you paint mostly,that will determine what brushes you need.If you want the classic Quill mop, for painting skies on landscapes,wet on wet etc, the Raphael 803 with natural squrrel is the best option.Then a best seller,that many people use from the synthetic category, is the Da Vinci Casaneo 498 Quill. that in No2, is a dream to use! If you live in the States, then Princeton is the best brand, that you can build a set of brushes from. Silver Black Velvet series, are also a famous brush in the USA. Here is a video, that will help you even more: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/mpaEl7Goyq2poKs.html@@Lea-zf7lm

@rylaashley8157 2 жыл бұрын

what is better for detailing silver black velvet or princeton elite?

@KrisDeBruineStudio 2 жыл бұрын

Hi Ryla. I would recommend Princeton Aqua Elite for detail work. The Aqua Elite brushes are made to mimic Sable brushes which are stiffer and hold a point better. By contrast, the Silver Black Velvet brushes are a mix of real and synthetic squirrel hair, which is much softer. Hope this helps.

@rylaashley8157 2 жыл бұрын

@@KrisDeBruineStudio what size do you recommend when im working on a 10 in by 7in watercolor paper?

@KrisDeBruineStudio 2 жыл бұрын

@@rylaashley8157 I don't usually paint that small. But I would suggest you try Round Size 6, 8 and 10.

@rylaashley8157 2 жыл бұрын

@@KrisDeBruineStudio oh okay thank you for replying 😊💞