Cotman Watercolor Brush Review: Which Is The Best Size To Buy

Winsor & Newton make affordable watercolour brushes, but which are the essential sizes for a a beginner? Let's find out.

I wish someone made this article (and video) before I spent a small fortune on watercolour brushes.

In my opinion, if you can only get one Winsor & Newton Cotman watercolour brush, it should be the Cotman 111 Round Brush Size 10.

This brush size gives you the best balance between being able to make thin lines and thick, juicy lines.

Other good sizes are the 1 round brush for detail work, and maybe a size 4 or size 6 round.

To sum up: The best beginner sizes for a Winsor & Newton starter collection of watercolor brushes, in my opinion, are the Size 10, the Size 4 and the Size 1.

Here’s a comparison chart for Cotman brushes, starting at a rigger 333 size 0.

This set does not include the bigger sizes, but having a square is useful and it has some good small sizes…just have a look here. (Amazon link. Disclosure: I am an affiliate cause I gotta pay for all these supplies somehow!)

Want to see how these paint? Check out my Cotman Watercolor Brush Review video:

Happy painting!

Helen