Bill Buchman "Zen" Sumi Brush 1 - Medium - China

As with any tool the question is: what do I intend to do with it ?On his DVD's you see Bill Buchman working on large format sheets. I know the advantages of working on large format sheets, and working standing: you can use your whole arm, work more freely and this gives better quality lines, so I do that when I attend model/portrait drawing/painting courses. But, as a hobbyist, when I draw/paint at home I find the large format sheets inconvenient, e.g. your drawings take up too much storage space. So at home I usually work at A4 or A3 size (one or two regular book pages) so I can work sitting at any table/desk I want; simply for convenience (not for the best possible drawing conditions). Further, different from the drawings Bill Buchman shows on his DVD's I like model drawings that have a head and hands and feet, and further I like to draw/paint portraits.What does this have to do with the Zen brushes ?In my opinion even the smallest brushes, the number ones, are too big to work on this A4 or A3 format; I know how to vary line thickness, but still in my opinion the lines are too thick/wide to draw details such as fingers, eyes, etc. on these sheet formats.At my local art supplies shop I buy Chinese brushes that are roughly "one size" smaller than the Zen brushes nr 1. For the size I want to work on, and the detail I like, these brushes suit me better. Note I don't mean those mini calligraphy brushes, I mean similar brushes as the Zen brushes but simply roughly one size smaller.Regarding the quality of the brushes: I don't notice a big difference between the brushes I buy at my local art supplies store; I am really happy with those, and the Zen brushes, and the price at the local store is lower and no delivery costs; so in the quality/price ratio the local brushes are better. I haven't tried the extra fine Zen brushes; they are very much more expensive.

holds a good amount paint beautifully well, and are able to make lots of different 'marks' with it. I did find that it lost one or two hairs - but not a major problem.

Great

I bought this after reading other reviews as i had never bought a sumi brush before . I was not disappointed. I am able to work from the toe of the brush through the belly to the heel effortlessly. I have been delighted with how expressive I can be with this brush and though I am no expert in this field I would certainly recommend this brush to any one.

This is a really beautiful brush and at an excellent price. It holds a lot of water which a novice would find difficult to use but for anyone with some experience of watercolour, I think they'd love it. It points well and although large can produce quite fine lines.

Washed in lukewarm water to remove the protective starch,gently flicked the brush to remove excess water,retrieved brush head from sink,some hair still attached to handle,completely Knackered,never managed to use so no glowing review of how wonderful this cheap and nasty brush is.

No need to visit China to get the quality of this brush. New to the art of Chinese Brush Painting, get the 'right tools' to gain interest and practise.

Great brush - perfect for using in stone lithography for painting tusche onto the stone but also good as a calligraphy brush!