Premium Horsehair Sumi-e Brush with Burned Bamboo Handle

This handmade Sumi-e brush combines my premium horsehair bristles with a burned bamboo handle. The generously sized, rounded brush head has an excellent balance of softness, flexibility and spring, giving it an unusually broad range of marks.

The brush can move from bold, saturated strokes to fine separated lines simply through changes in pressure, angle and movement. The horsehair has enough spring to respond directly to the hand while remaining soft and flexible enough for fluid, expressive gestures.

The tips of this brush have been trimmed to establish its rounded profile while retaining considerable softness and flexibility through the ends of the bristles.

The bamboo handle has a deeply burned finish that creates warm amber markings against the dark surface. Small engraved dot details add subtle texture to the handle, and a leather loop allows the brush to be hung for drying and storage.

Best For

Sumi-e and ink painting
Expressive mark-making
Enso and circular gestures
Broad, fluid strokes
Fine linear marks
Dry-brush and broken textures
Abstract and gestural painting
Watercolor and fluid acrylic

Performance

The premium horsehair bristles give this brush an excellent balance of softness, flexibility and spring. It responds immediately to changes in pressure, angle and movement, allowing a wide range of marks from a single brush.

With more pressure, the full brush head opens to create broad, saturated strokes and strong gestural marks. With lighter pressure, the bristles naturally separate, producing multiple fine lines, broken edges and varied textures.

Turning or rotating the brush while moving across the paper creates even more variation. The generous brush head also holds a substantial amount of ink, making it particularly effective for long, continuous gestures.

The horsehair provides more spring and recovery than very soft natural bristles while still allowing the brush to move freely and respond to the hand.

Specifications

Bristle: Premium horsehair
Bristle shape: Rounded
Bristle feel: Soft and flexible with good spring
Bristle length: Approximately 3.75 inches
Handle length: Approximately 6.5 inches
Overall length: Approximately 10.25 inches
Handle material: Bamboo
Handle finish: Burned pattern with engraved dot details
Hanging loop: Leather
Recommended media: Sumi ink, India ink, watercolor, gouache and fluid acrylic

Measurements are approximate.

Care

Rinse thoroughly with cool to lukewarm water after use. If needed, gently clean the bristles with a small amount of mild soap. Rinse completely, reshape the brush head with your fingers and hang to dry.

Do not leave the brush standing in water or allow ink or paint to dry in the bristles.

See the Brush in Action

Watch the video below to see the range of marks this brush can create through changes in pressure, angle and movement. Notice how the bristles move from broad, fluid strokes to separated fine lines and textured marks within a single gesture.