Da Vinci Watercolor Brush Travel Round
Cosmotop Spin
Sizes 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
Made in Germany
The da Vinci Cosmotop Spin Rounds are my go-to workhorse brush, and have been for years. They have an excellent snap and a wonderful point that offer wonderful control and crisp details. If you take care of these, they will last you for years. The Cosmotop Spin line is made with synthetic fibers of five different diameters, which makes water absorption very efficient.
The Travel Brush body is made to mimic natural horn, and is hard plastic. I vastly prefer this style of travel brushes to the metal casings you see elsewhere. I feel they have a better balance (they aren't as long as the metal ones). These are also just less flashy, which I feel lowers the pressure to create "important work".
Travel Brush Tip: When possible, it is always best to let your brush dry before storing it in a travel case. However, this is not always possible when you're painting on the go, so the travel cases feature an air hole to aid in drying. I still suggest helping your brushes out by removing them from the case for the evening to dry completely overnight.
Tip: To extend the life of any paintbrush, use a pocket mister to spray down your watercolor pans a few minutes before you dive in and begin using them. This saves your brush bristles from the extra fatigue and wear-and-tear of re-wetting each color.
Brush Care: After use, simply rinse your watercolor brushes in clean water, reshape the point with your fingers and, if possible, lay them horizontally with heads off the edge of your surface to dry completely. Avoid storing wet brushes in any kind of sealed container to prevent mold or degradation of the glue at the base of the bristles.