Trekell Protégé Watercolor Brush Review + Tree Portrait Watercolor Painting
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- čas přidán 20. 11. 2021
- Trekell watercolor brushes have been recommended to me on many occasions. So I decided to give their Protégé line (synthetic kolinsky) a try with this tree portrait painting. I'm always on the lookout for excellent pro-grade synthetics that mimic the water handling and point bearing characteristics of Kolinsky Sable.
Trekell Brushes Website - Trekell.com
(I am not sponsored by Trekell nor do I currently receive any compensation from viewer purchases of their brushes)
(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for looking.)
My Amazon Store of Favorite Products:
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Trekell Brushes are available now through Amazon in limited sets - amzn.to/3iLJLZq
Sample Sets of other brushes mentioned:
- Sterling Edwards Blending and Glazing Brush - amzn.to/3xBF87D
- Silver Brush Black Velvet - amzn.to/30NPJjK
- Princeton Neptune - amzn.to/3x3y2so
- DaVinci Cosmotop Spin - amzn.to/3cvcqvB
- Princeton Aqua Elite - amzn.to/3x5muES
Schmincke Super Granulating Paint:
- Tundra Violet - amzn.to/3kWYGhy
- Glacier Brown - amzn.to/3oWZxAm
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I never thought a tree could look this gorgeous!
I could watch you paint or draw trees all day! I love how detailed, yet simple looking they are. I keep practicing, but they are just so hard for me. I think I need to just let go and not focus on making them perfect...since they aren't perfect in nature. I love this painting though!
Your tree looks amazing. Love the shadow. Have watched a few times and still can’t get over how a few strokes all of a sudden is a tree, then the knot appears. Such beautiful work. Thank you for sharing your talent with us all.
I love tundra violet! Their super granulating colors are great! Schminke!
You are definitely the master of spontaneous watercolor painting.
Thank you for the brush review. I also enjoy the tree.
very good teaching, thanks 🙏
If you feel happy with that painting just imagine that page... It was bought and had no idea she was about to become such a beautiful thing. Image it landed on a 16yr old who wants to paint but still has a big journey ahead. Ahaha this looks glorious and the page should definitely be proud!!! 😁
This is one for me today, thanks Steve. Gorgeous.
Thank you very much, Steve. I learned a lot and love your tree portrait!
Amazing tree. I love watching you paint and seeing your paintings come together.
I loved watching you paint this. I'm very encouraged by this. It's time to dust off my art supplies! ☺️
Beautiful painting! Thank u for sharing
Thank you, Mr. Mitchell, for another amazing video - I really have stressful weekends right now, and I am glad that I can finally take my brushes from the shell and relax with your new tutorials and tips 😊 this tree looks truly fasinating
The tree is so gnarly I love it.
Love this tree.
Thank you, love your tree.
Oh boy looks like you will have to hack that curl off. I had an Escoda versátil #8 round curl somehow I clipped it just right but yes I think they get stretched. Love the tree. I had ordered some Rafael soft brushes, I have many also my favorite being my Isabey #6 pointed round. The brush was better quality than another Isabey that I have and a bit longer and I really really love it. I have used Escoda ‘’s Reserva but wow this brush, the Isabey has kicked it up a notch. I would never buy a flat sable and waste money on that but I do try a couple whether synthetic or sable once in awhile. They get hidden when the painting crew comes over. Yes the area is overtaken by brushes. I usually wash them then slide them through the Pebeo brush olive oil soap and make a fine point. Once dried they stay pointed in my brush holder. Amazing how much paint the ferrules hold.
In recent months there have been so many new brush companies selling super cheap fairly decent brushes. I'm very particular about my brushes, and I'm always searching for my perfect, and I've purchased $200 brushes i ended up not enjoying as much as some of my $20 brushes. So far my princeton neptunes are my favorite even though they don't have that super sharp point. I love the black velvet, but I prefer a shorter bristle on my round brush. I'm sure I'll find a perfect brush someday. In the meantime I donate all my less favorable brushes to other struggling artists, which includes my kids.
wow ! you are incredible💖 I like your video 😊💖 looking forward for your next one
Those DO look like good brushes! I'm going to research them now. Thanks for the video and that was a cool little tree!
Your perspective on art is refreshing❤️...... What a breathtaking piece of artwork.Just want to say I love your artwork soo much ... So thankyou for sharing ❤️YOU HAVE A GREAT FUTURE AHEAD!❤
Really nice tree, I enjoy watching your videos. I like to learn with you.
I love an unboxing video. In fact I'd go so far as to say they're my CZcams guilty pleasure. 😊
That's a nice tree portrait, picture, the brushes seemed to work well, I like the background, I think it's sometimes hard to establish a good background, I might try to paint,something similar. Thankyou
Your artwork is great 👍
I have Princeton Aqua Elite brushes as well as daVinci Maestro brushes and to which I use daVinci Maestro as my go to brand. The brush snaps back to a great point by clicking it on my waterjar container.
Thank you Steve for this great review. I'm having a hard time finding a decent rigger/ liner as they all seem to wear out quickly and like you, I take very good care of my brushes, but the riggers don't last that long. I will invest in a few of the Trekell protégé line and perhaps their protégé plus and see what they're all about. Once again, fantastic skills in rendering the tree. Thank you Steve!
Wonderful! I've missed seeing your posts, whether it is YT, or my viewing habits, but I've been wondering when I would see the next post! Back in the 80s, I switched from oils/decorative painting, to craft acrylics for the same and the brushes were terrible. They curled quickly. Leow Cornell finally came out with some that lasted longer than a month! I know that acrylic paint - especially that old craft paint, was extremely hard on brushes, but they all splayed out at the tips - rounds and flats. I was smart enough to put away the brushes I had used with my oils - mostly Kolinsky sable. I thoroughly cleaned them and still used them now! Not bad after 47 years! No, my W&N Series 6, size 5 no longer has a point. I remember picking up brushes that fascinated me back in those poor starving student's wife days. I have Shiva, Grumbacher and many others that I love more and more because I've been using watercolors since the mid 90s. I appreciate your search for good brushes that we can find. Where I live, I no longer go to where art supplies are located for other reasons, so it is all mail order.
Thanks! Try clicking the notification bell by the Subscribe button. You'll get notified of every episode. I've been uploading weekly and only occasionally miss a week. 😊
@@mindofwatercolor Yes, sometimes, it works and sometimes it doesn't. And then there are the times I get too many notifications and miss things I really want to see. I need to un-check that on a few - and unsubscribe to many more. I've been watching YT for too many years! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
All artistists want to try all brushes they hear are good! Just can’t help it 👍😁
Off to buy some. Thanks
Love this! I actually have a photo of a similar old gnarly tree I'd love to try painting.
I use Trekell Kolinskys and love them, but I've been curious about the Protege line because Trekell is phasing out all of their animal-sourced brushes. I also like Silver Black Velvets (love that big oval wash brush!) and Escodas. Thanks for doing this. I can't wait to hear how you like them down the road.
Formidable, como todos lo que he visto suyos
I have tons of brushes too, but I still order these after your video. Ugh... Glad I have a full-time job, so I can pay for my art.. LOL
I love Princeton Elite brushes. They really keep their point I have different sizes and when ready, I order more as I fear everything will be synthetic. I hate using them on tutorials where the background is dry and my watercolor calls for not a lot of water in my pallet and brushes can have some water to it ON cold press Arche's watercolor paper. ABSOLUTELY love the tree. It has character. I also have that same paint pallet. I really like it so much so, I bought another one. I like the pallet because it has deep wells.
I am an avid fan of the Terkel kolinsky brushes. It is an investment worth the money. 👍👍 Thoroughly enjoyed your demo. 🥰
Probably great but they will no longer carry them.
Well I’m glad to know I’m not the only one that gets so irked by that hook! I love pointed rounds, too. My Princetons have been really disappointing. So far the synthetic ones that have held up best for me are Raphael Kaerell. No hooking yet, and I’ve been painting with them for about a year. True Kolinsky sable can no longer be imported into the US due to the expiration of a treaty, so unless you can find back stock, plain sable will have to do. But I will be anxious to hear about these brushes in a few months to see how they hold up.
I don't like that they have copied the design of silver black velvet. Hooking points is why I stick to kolinsky sable. Love watching you paint the tree, great.
They're great brushes
wow, I can only agree with all that has been previously written
It looks like the brushes did what you wanted them to do. The wash just flowed seamlessly. Best test is that you go back to them again and again because there is an ease to their use. Silver Black Velvets always perform well. Princeton Aqua also great. Love this video. I would love to see how you store your most reached for favorites. Thinking if nothing else I should pick up the #2 round for testing purposes of course!
Mostly store flat in a drawer or point up in a cup (if dry).
Love this video. Gives me a fairly well rounded via of many of the brushes that are available. Thank you.
I wonder if you could make a video on the care of watercolor brushes including how and what to use to clean them. I am fairly new to watercolor (about 4 years) and I suspect that I have been unkind to my brushes due to ignorance.
Steve has already done a great video on looking after brushes. You'll find it if you search the channel.
❤️❤️❤️
I don't know if it's the case with brushes as it is with long pile fabrics (such as faux fur), but with those fibers things the biggest things that cause curling, wrinkling, and bending include friction and temperature. With synthetic pile fabrics you can *carefully* use directed heat to reshape them. I never really connected it, but perhaps I could try the same technique with one of my older, most-hooked synthetic brushes and see what happens.
If you truly have "too many brushes," what about selling/auctioning off some extras for charity? Picture it: "This brush gently used by THE Steve Mitchell" ...
I'm only half kidding - might be a fun way to de-clutter! 😁
Love this tree portrait! How do you know where to put in those early shaping strokes? I'm never happy with my trees because they look so one dimensional. Yours have so much depth and interest!
Thanks! I guess just forty years of painting and drawing trees. And just looking at and studying them wherever I go.
@@mindofwatercolor Ahhhh! I forget that I'm comparing my 2 years experience with your 40! 🙄
Thanks Steve, I might try some of them. I have had the same problem with escoda and the Neptune brushes getting
That hook at the tip. Someone said to dip them for a few seconds in hot water. Tried it, nope..
Yeah I tried boiling water too, same. No joy.
Very interesting and helpful, I once ask alan owen a few yrs ago about how he keeps his brushes pointed and where he buys his brushes and he replied back I was super excited ( hero art paintworshippering) he replied that after the brushes start wearing down he trims them up to repurpose them into shapes he likes and points he needs, I thought this was a great idea to upcycle.. so cause I'm on a limited budget I'm going to try this when my few brushes I have the points starts failing it's hard to give up a favorite brush that has a good weight feel to them in your hand as I'm quite older and sometimes I get arthritic feelings in my fingers the brush weight and size is really important to me.do you like the shorter handle or longer ones..also I mightve missed it twice to see if you mention this and another question I was wondering so I rewatched but are these brushes made in usa?,.. thanks again many art blessing over Thanksgiving holiday to you and others thru out our art community...🎨✍
Love your videos! Love your demo paintings! Do you ever offer your demos to your viewers for sale?
Not if they are in a sketchbook, no. Any loose painting I might sell but I'm not very good at listing them. I need to get caught up with that.
I was so excited about these brushes, prices were reasonable too. So i threw three small rounds in my cart and just about fell over when i got to the postage price to Australia US93-120 😭
Oh no! I got a note from another viewer in Adelaide, Australia. She's a watercolor teacher and says the brushes are available through local stores. Might want to check that out.
Ah, someone who knows what they are talking about. GREAT channel. Thanks for this review, important to me.
I've always wondered after a brush has lost it's point if anyone has tried to get haircutting scissors and reshape it. Possible?
Most of the fibers are tapered so they get thicker further up, but what you suggest can work a little. It usually doesn't produce a fine needle point though. And there is no fix for splayed or frayed tips. Common with synthetics.
I was wondering if you use a brush cleaner or just rinse your brushes after use. Thank you for all your great tips and beautiful demos.
Just rinse.
I so love your videos ! Thank you so very much for putting the work in to educate us! I have a question: Does Watercolor paper expire? How can you tell if it is too old to use? Have you done a video on this?
It doesn't.
I live in Vermont with lots of old maple trees nearby and your tree portrait is such an inspiration. Thank you! Can you please tell me the size of the rigger you are using, I couldn't find it in the video. Can't wait to try these brushes!
The rigger is a #2
hi how are you steve plz did you use wet on wet or dry to paint the tree trunk becuz i am confused and thanks
Mostly wet on dry.
Hi Steve , thank you for your great review and i love the tree, amazing !!
I can’t find the vidéo where you had presented your water pot😩. Can you please tell me where I can purchase them?
There's a link in the Christmas gift episode a couple weeks before this one. Thanks! czcams.com/video/eueYI-rP3IE/video.html
@@mindofwatercolor Thank you very much Steve!!
I have such limited brush experience but i am loving my princeton neptunes and was under the impression they have great points! You mean it gets better? I did buy one size 7 expensive sable raphael.....that is nice but i do not use it for my pointiest things because its a bit big.....maybe i will try that. I still go back to my cheaper small brushes for detail. Having such trouble with getting small areas consistent looking though....i wanted soft edges so tried wetting paper first....in small areas this seems to mean small amounts of water in brush and dries so fast and then when i reload brush sometimes the paint is a little darker or lighter than last time. Ick. Maybe a bigger brush is the answer? Oh and obviously i love love that tree! But you knew that.
Thanks! Yep, bigger brush is usually the answer to uneven washes. There may be a pointed Neptune but all I have are the rounded variety. They basically came with no point to begin with.
What kind of tape are you using and where do you buy it (white tape used for the border in this video)? Love your work and instruction. Just bought your 10 color M Graham WC set and a few Silver Black Velvet brushes. My wife is making me wait till Christmas though 😤
This kind. You'll see different widths also. amzn.to/3xYV6ZR
Re adding fine branches being a design issue, I have a book by a highly respected painter who describes how trunks "divide" into limbs and branches and twigs, the angles of the division depending on how high up the tree it is etc etc. I followed his instructions and the result may have been "botanically accurate", but oh, so static and boring! Like so many things, I am learning, untouched nature looks great in nature - but it doesn't always look so great in paintings!
I just got a 1/2” Princeton Neptune Oval Wash/Cat Tongue. You didn’t mention that one. Have you tried it. I am just getting into deciding what are my favorite brushes.
Yes, have used it in a few paintings. I love it. I tend to use the larger ones even more, the 1" and 3/4".
I use all synthetic and I definitely have that problem with hooking. Definitely obnoxious.
Hi Steve, how have you been? Trust your family is well. I was having a conversation with Marty over at Owings Art about being intimidated by drawing from real life. The thing that scares me is messing up proportions. At least when I draw from reference I can recheck. But Plein Air is not so much stagnant. Any advice on how to get proportions in plein air?
Hi Dawn. We're all well thank you. Proportions just take time and practice. In plein air I do quite a lot of comparing. This object with that object etc. You can also measure anything with your brush handle held at arms length and mark with your thumbnail along the handle. Comparative scale helps a lot when you're on location,.
I like using a proportional divider when its important to me to get it very close.
I'm just sad that Rosemary and Co. can't send Kolinsky sable to the US anymore.
Yes.
Interesting that these say they’re for oil, acrylic and gouache
They are listed in the watercolor section also.
Why do they sort of look like Silver Brush Black Velvets?
Great idea on the tree. I really like it. What’s it take 2 own that? 🤷♂️
I think I have a brush fetish. I just can't get rid of ones I bought but don't use because they will eventually comevon handy for something I think. Ugh.
Can you tell which color did you use??
I mentioned it in the video. Two colors only. Schmincke Tundra Violet and Glacier Brown. Both are from their super granulating line.
Why did Trekell copy Silver Black Velvet's wide silver bank?
They aren't the only one. Many brushes have that color scheme.
Steve, did you get the Protege or the Protege Plus? Nevermind. I should have waited until the end to comment.
All my synthetic brushes hook. Every. Single. One. 🤬
These are the Protege. I have some plus on order. Didn’t even notice them at first. The plus only have a smaller selection of rounds available.
@@mindofwatercolor
I saw that but if these are good enough I'd rather save the money buying the Protege. I'll await your review though before buying.
I'd love to try Trekell's products but not when they charge $40 shipping to Europe. I'll just have to do without. 😁
$93-120 to Australia, quickly closed that tab and will make do with what i can get locally 😭
@@nataliedubious5241 IKR? It's horrendous.
Another viewer from Australia said Trekell is available in local stores.
It boils down to the filaments. Everyone uses the same filaments. The only difference is whether they blend or the over all shape of the brush. Escoda, Silver Brush, Princeton, Rosemary and even the cheapos you get at department stores. The truth is you will get the same filament performance no matter who's name is on the handle.
Well thats not actually correct. It may be true with cheaper synthetics and perhaps even Golden Taklon, a common filament for mixed media which is mostly the same. However, the trick with higher quality, synthetic kolinsky sable mimics are in the tapers, diameter mixes and flexibility. All filaments are not created equal at this level. Real kolinsky fur has a natural taper and a scale that retains water better. Attempts have been made to replicate these factors with synthetics and advances have been quite noticeable. I know that many maker's top line watercolor brush formulas, especially the kolinsky mimics are closely guarded secrets.
As far as your brush slightly curving the same as the hair on your head, moisture and air will have an effect on the final outcome. Look in your mirror on a daily basis and you will see what i mean...lol. Unless of course you are bald.
So much over packaging.