da Vinci Rabi Alieva Signature Set 4185 New Edition – watercolour brushes

da Vinci Rabi Alieva Set 4185 – flat and wash brushes for expressive watercolours

The da Vinci Rabi Alieva Signature Set from the 4185 series (New Edition) consists of two watercolour brushes for broad areas of colour, bold strokes and soft transitions. It was developed together with the Munich watercolour artist and author Rabi Alieva and reflects the demands of her expressive portrait painting.

The extra-long flat brush in size 16 was developed specifically for the artist. It has CASANEO synthetic fibres and a gold ferrule. The traditionally bound MIX B wash brush in size 2 complements it for soft colour gradients and controlled pick-up of water and colour.

Which brush for which task?

With the size 16 flat brush you can make sweeping strokes and cover larger areas evenly, for example backgrounds or skin areas in portraits. The MIX B wash brush in size 2 is your tool for gentle transitions: it takes up water and colour in a controlled way, so you can soften edges and let colours blend smoothly into one another. This lets you switch between strong accents and flowing gradients.

Trying out the set

Test both brushes first on a separate piece of watercolour paper. Vary the amount of water and the pressure on the brush to get a feel for laying down flat areas of colour and soft transitions. After painting, rinse the brushes in clear water and leave them to dry lying flat, so that no water runs into the ferrule.

da Vinci Rabi Alieva Set 4185 product details

• Manufacturer: da Vinci, series 4185 Rabi Alieva Signature Set – New Edition
• Contents: 2 brushes
• Flat brush: size 16, extra-long, CASANEO synthetic fibres, gold ferrule
• Wash brush: MIX B, size 2, traditionally bound
• Set dimensions: 275 × 50 × 16 mm (length × width × height)
• Use: watercolour painting, watercolour portraits

You will also need: watercolour paints, watercolour paper and a glass of water.