The best brushes for gouache are springy synthetics in a few shapes: a round that comes back to a point, a small flat for even color fields and a fine brush for details. In several of my gouache Shorts I paint with LOBEO ART brushes, so they come first here, followed by three researched brush sets on Amazon from Princeton, Silver Brush and Winsor & Newton.
The LOBEO section says only what my published Shorts show; I have not written my own notes on these brushes yet. The three picks are research-based: compared from each maker’s listing (hair, shapes, sizes, media) and checked on each listing for the exact variant on October 27, 2026. Not tested hands-on. The advice on shapes and care is established practice. LOBEO is a brand partner; I have no partner code with Princeton, Silver Brush or Winsor & Newton. My method.
The short answer
- You want the brushes from several of my gouache ShortsLOBEO ART brushes, sold through LOBEO’s own store; my partner code gives 10% off.
- You want one small set for gouache fills, edges and detailsthe Princeton Velvetouch 5-brush set: two rounds, a filbert, an angle shader and a spotter.
- You paint gouache thin, in washes and soft skiesthe Silver Brush Black Velvet 3-round set, a soft squirrel-and-synthetic blend made for watercolor that the maker also names for gouache.
- You need first brushes for a first gouache setthe Winsor & Newton Foundation set: three small rounds and three small flats.
What makes a brush good for gouache
Gouache is opaque watercolor: at full strength it is a creamy paste, thinned with water it flows like watercolor (see what gouache does). A gouache brush has to handle both.
- Synthetic hair with spring. Synthetic filaments push thick paint around and give clean edges on flat color areas. Very soft natural-hair blends hold more water and shine when gouache is thinned for washes.
- A point that comes back. A round should snap back to a point after each stroke, for lines, grass blades and small highlights.
- Short handles. Gouache is usually painted on paper at a desk, close to the page; long handles are for easels.
- Small to medium sizes. On a sketchbook page, a round 2–8 and a flat up to about 1/2 inch do almost everything.
Round, flat or filbert: the gouache brush shapes you need
| Shape | What it does in gouache |
|---|---|
| Round | Lines, details, grass blades, leaves; a big round also fills |
| Flat | Even color fields, skies, hard edges and straight lines |
| Filbert | Soft-edged strokes: foliage, clouds, rounded shapes |
| Angle shader | Crisp corners and edges in one stroke |
| Spotter / liner | The smallest details: eyes, highlights, fine lines |
| Mop | Wide, wet washes when gouache is thinned like watercolor |
Three brushes cover most paintings: a medium round, a small flat and a fine detail brush. In my Only Yesterday paint-along I lay the sky gradient with a wide flat brush, block in the distant hills with a round brush, and finish with fine dark grass blades.
My LOBEO art brushes on camera
LOBEO ART is a brush brand I partner with. I have unboxed several batches of LOBEO brushes on my channel and painted gouache scenes with them; the Shorts below are what this section is based on.
- Tree painting tutorial and unboxingI unbox some new LOBEO brush lines, then paint a purple tree in gouache with a dark wooden-handled brush, from the foliage down to the branches.
- Ghibli grass with a LOBEO brushI unbox a boxed LOBEO calligraphy and brush set, then paint clumps of grass in greens, with fine grass blades pulled up from the base.
- New brush collectionsI unbox new LOBEO brushes, including a wide flat, and paint blue and yellow-green grass shapes with a pink-handled round.
- New brushes and an autumn paintingI unbox more LOBEO brushes, including an SR26 brush, then paint an autumn waterfall scene in gouache.
- More unboxingsLOBEO calligraphy brushes, so many paint brushes, paint brushes, part 2, a LOBEO art brush unboxing and another one.
A LOBEO ART 20 mm flat brush also sits in my desk photo, in the
MEEDEN brush wash bowl review, next to a brush tube of LOBEO brushes.
LOBEO sells through its own store, which lists round, flat, mop, detail and calligraphy brushes; I did not find LOBEO brushes on Amazon US when I checked on October 27, 2026. My partner link and code:
LOBEO ARTGet 10% OFF with my code: hoongana
These are partner links and codes: I earn from purchases made with them.
Researched picks: brushes for gouache on Amazon
These three are research-based: compared from what each maker’s listing states and checked on each listing for the exact variant. Not tested hands-on.
Research-basedPrinceton Velvetouch Series 3950 Mixed Media Brush Set, 5 Brushes
Best all-round set for gouache
Paid link · I may earn from it
- Brushes
- Spotter 5/0, angle shader 1/4 in, round 8, filbert 8, round 2
- Hair
- Blend of synthetic filaments
Princeton's mixed-media synthetic line in five shapes: two rounds, a filbert, an angle shader and a tiny spotter. Princeton describes a resilient snap, precise tapering and good color holding, and names gouache among its uses.
Princeton’s Velvetouch line is a blend of synthetic filaments made for mixed media, and the listing names gouache among its uses alongside watercolor, acrylic and oil. This set’s five shapes, per the listing: round 2 and round 8, a filbert 8, a 1/4 inch angle shader and a 5/0 spotter. That is a detail brush, a fill brush, a soft-edge brush and a hard-edge brush in one small box, which suits gouache painted at full strength.
Good fit if
- Gouache painters who want one small set covering fills, edges and fine details
- Painters who move between gouache and acrylic and want one set of brushes for both
Skip it if
- You paint big washes or skies; there is no wide flat or mop in the set
- You want a round larger than size 8
All maker specs
- Brushes
- Spotter 5/0, angle shader 1/4 in, round 8, filbert 8, round 2
- Hair
- Blend of synthetic filaments
- Handle
- Short, satin-finish FSC wood (per listing)
- Media
- Gouache, watercolor, acrylic and oil (per listing)
Worth knowing
- Wash acrylic out before it dries if you share brushes between gouache and acrylic.
Specs are the maker's own figures from the product listing, not my measurements. Listing checked October 27, 2026 for this exact variant: 5 brushes: spotter 5/0, angle shader 1/4 in, round 8, filbert 8, round 2 (model 3950CASET).How I pick
Research-basedSilver Brush Black Velvet Watercolor Beginning Round Set, 3 Brushes
Best for gouache washes
Paid link · I may earn from it
- Brushes
- Rounds 2, 6 and 10, short handle
- Hair
- Squirrel hair and black synthetic blend
Three soft rounds that hold a lot of paint. Silver Brush makes them for watercolor and also names gouache, so they suit gouache thinned for washes, skies and soft glazes.
Silver Brush makes Black Velvet for watercolor from a blend of squirrel hair and black synthetic fibers, and lists gouache, liquid acrylics and inks as other paints it suits. The maker says the brushes carry a lot of color from palette to paper and are soft enough not to disturb earlier layers. That makes these three rounds (sizes 2, 6 and 10) the pick for gouache thinned into washes, gradients and soft skies, not for thick, flat color.
Good fit if
- Painting gouache thin and wet, as washes, gradients and soft skies
- Watercolor painters adding gouache who want one set of rounds for both
Skip it if
- You paint gouache thick and flat; a firmer synthetic gives cleaner edges
- You want a flat or angle brush; this set is rounds only
- You avoid animal hair; the blend includes squirrel
All maker specs
- Brushes
- Rounds 2, 6 and 10, short handle
- Hair
- Squirrel hair and black synthetic blend
- Media
- Made for watercolor; gouache, liquid acrylic and ink also listed
Worth knowing
- Soft squirrel blends do not suit acrylic paint; keep these for water media.
Specs are the maker's own figures from the product listing, not my measurements. Listing checked October 27, 2026 for this exact variant: 3 short-handle rounds: sizes 2, 6 and 10 (model WC-3205s).How I pick
Research-basedWinsor & Newton Foundation Watercolour Brush Set, Round & Flat, 6 Brushes
Best first set with flats
Paid link · I may earn from it
- Brushes
- Rounds 2, 3 and 5; flats 3, 5 and 6
- Hair
- Golden synthetic
A student starter set of three small rounds and three small flats in golden synthetic, from the maker of Designers Gouache. The flats lay even color fields; the rounds do edges and details.
Winsor & Newton’s introductory set, which the listing names for watercolor and gouache: golden synthetic rounds 2, 3 and 5 and flats 3, 5 and 6, all on short handles. The three flats are the point: they lay even fields of gouache, which rounds struggle with. The sizes are small, so it suits sketchbook and journal paintings. Winsor & Newton also makes the 10-tube Designers Gouache set in my beginner gouache guide.
Good fit if
- Beginners buying a first set of brushes to go with a gouache set
- Small paintings in sketchbooks and journals
Skip it if
- You paint larger than a sketchbook page; the biggest brush is a size 6 flat
- You want artist-grade brushes; Winsor & Newton pitches Foundation at students and beginners
All maker specs
- Brushes
- Rounds 2, 3 and 5; flats 3, 5 and 6
- Hair
- Golden synthetic
- Handle
- Short
- Media
- Watercolor and gouache (per listing)
Worth knowing
- The listing names watercolor and gouache; it does not list acrylic.
Specs are the maker's own figures from the product listing, not my measurements. Listing checked October 27, 2026 for this exact variant: Short handle, golden synthetic: rounds 2, 3 and 5, flats 3, 5 and 6 (model 5295015).How I pick
Three gouache brush sets, makers' specs
| Set | Brushes | Hair | Media | Price | Shop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| My pickPrinceton Velvetouch Series 3950 Mixed Media Brush Set, 5 Brushes | Spotter 5/0, angle shader 1/4 in, round 8, filbert 8, round 2 | Blend of synthetic filaments | Gouache, watercolor, acrylic and oil (per listing) | $50.95as of Nov 3, 2026, 11:36 UTCDetails | View on Amazon |
| Silver Brush Black Velvet Watercolor Beginning Round Set, 3 Brushes | Rounds 2, 6 and 10, short handle | Squirrel hair and black synthetic blend | Made for watercolor; gouache, liquid acrylic and ink also listed | $55.67as of Nov 3, 2026, 11:36 UTCDetails | View on Amazon |
| Winsor & Newton Foundation Watercolour Brush Set, Round & Flat, 6 Brushes | Rounds 2, 3 and 5; flats 3, 5 and 6 | Golden synthetic | Watercolor and gouache (per listing) | $19.99as of Nov 3, 2026, 11:36 UTCDetails | View on Amazon |
Gouache brushes vs watercolor brushes
There is no separate kind of brush for gouache. Watercolor brushes work, and two of the three picks above are sold as watercolor brushes. The difference is in how you paint: thick gouache wants a springier synthetic and a flat for even fields, while thinned gouache behaves like watercolor and likes a soft, absorbent round. If you also paint watercolor, one soft round and one synthetic flat cover both.
Acrylic is different: it dries permanent and ruins soft brushes if it dries in them. Synthetic mixed-media brushes like the Velvetouch handle both; keep soft squirrel blends for water media. See gouache vs acrylic for how the two paints differ.
Cleaning brushes after gouache
- Rinse often, in two waters. I use a two-compartment brush wash bowl: one side to rinse brushes, the other for water to mix paint.
- Do not let gouache dry near the ferrule. Gouache rewets, but paint built up at the base of the hair splays the brush over time. Rinse before you change colors.
- Do not leave brushes standing in water. It bends the tip and can loosen the handle.
- Reshape and dry flat. After a gentle wash with mild soap, reshape the point with your fingers and lay the brush flat or hang it tip-down to dry.
Questions
Can I use watercolor brushes for gouache?
Yes. Gouache is a water-based paint, and watercolor brushes handle it well, especially when it is thinned. For thick, flat color, add a synthetic flat.
Are synthetic brushes good for gouache?
Yes. Springy synthetics push creamy gouache around and keep edges clean, and they cost less than natural hair. Soft natural-hair blends are worth it mainly for thin washes.
What size brush should I use for gouache?
For sketchbook-size paintings, a round 2–8, a small flat and a fine detail brush cover most work. Larger paper calls for a bigger flat or a mop for skies.
Where can I buy LOBEO art brushes?
From LOBEO’s own store, through the partner link above, where my code gives 10% off. I did not find LOBEO brushes on Amazon US when I checked on October 27, 2026.
Can I use the same brushes for gouache and acrylic?
Synthetic brushes can do both if you wash acrylic out before it dries. Keep soft squirrel-blend brushes for gouache and watercolor only.