The Lady Cartoonist

While wandering around Tokyo, I happened across this amazing little brush shop, tucked in an alley not to far from Akihabara (the electronics district). It was filled with wooden drawers and cabinets, in turn filled with hundreds of different pigments and thousands brushes of every shape, size, and hair.
I spoke little Japanese, and the man who owned the shop spoke little English. We managed to get across the basics- we happily pantomimed and guessed our way through the delicate and important business of brush selection.
Essentially, there are few animals from who’s hair decent brushes can be made, and each has their own characteristics. Sheep’s hair holds a lot of water, is firm, but won’t hold a point; squirrel is the same but softer; sable is superbly springy, holds water well, and has a great point- but is expensive; etc.
He pulled out drawer after drawer, pulling out brush after brush (reminding me very clearly of harry potter), helping me find the perfect brushes for my needs. One brush had a little more sheep’s, for mopping; one a little more sable, for stiffness; long and thin to short and squat. Pantomiming the animal the hair came from was fun for both of us, and at the end of the day, I spent a little over a hundred dollars on brushes (some of which were for my father, also a painter). I mailed these Japanese brushes to myself and have just retrieved them.

Here’s the line up, with some of my regular brushes. From left to right:
- Mop, mostly sheep with some sable in the center. Holds lots of fluid, medium point, bamboo body.
-mop, mostly sable, with some sheep around the outside. Medium springy, medium fine point.
- ‘chisel’ brush. sable. Excellent for edge work and fills. Springy, but not much fluid retention. Neat bamboo construction.
- Liner. Boar hair (I know!), excellent springy-ness, amazing point, makes a damn find line, but steers like a cow (wont do sharp corners- to much springy-ness)
- regular American mop. Cheapest sable you can buy. Loew-Cornell. This is my mop-workhorse- readily available, will hold a decent point if you aren’t too fussy about it.
- Windsor-Newton series 7, size 1. Beloved series 7. One of the few times where the expense justifies the cost.
- Windsor-Newton series 7, size 8. I effing love this brush. It was a whole weeks food budget in one go, but I lucked out and got a anniversary pack of two (the other is in storage). Most of my thesis was painted with this brush and I guard it with my life and a small, lock-on tip protector.

So there you go. I love my brushes. I have far more, but these are the chosen ones that follow me everywhere.