Why I Make the Silicone Tools & Contemporary Sumi-e Paintbrushes

If you’re new here, welcome. I’m Elizabeth Schowachert, and every brush and mark-making tool you see on my site is one I’ve designed and made by hand. I create professional-quality tools for artists who are serious about their practice and want more than what’s commercially available.

As an artist myself, I’ve always looked for tools that offer both precision and unpredictability—something that invites control but also allows for disruption. Tools that can hold a line, but also let it fray. That can carry ink with confidence, but shift slightly depending on pressure, angle, or speed. These subtle variations matter—they're what give a mark its energy and authenticity.

I couldn’t find that kind of responsiveness in mass-produced tools. So I started making my own.

Each brush or tool is created with intention—from sourcing premium horsehair and carving fire-cured bamboo to shaping the bristle head or silicone tool head. Many of my tools are designed in sizes and forms that simply don’t exist elsewhere. They’re built to help artists create work that’s bold, refined, messy, elegant—whatever the moment calls for.

The organic character of the materials is essential. The slight curve in a piece of bamboo, the way horsehair springs back, or how a silicone edge responds to a plate—these natural variations aren’t flaws; they’re what give the tool its personality. They’re what allow a mark to feel alive.

I make each tool one at a time, by hand, in my studio. When I release a brush for sale, it’s an individual, unique, and made to perform.

If you’re looking for tools with soul—tools that don’t just follow your hand, but also challenge it—I invite you to explore my collection. And if you have questions or need help choosing, I’m always happy to talk shop.

Thanks for being here,
Elizabeth