CMP Review 2026-01-28

January 28, 2026

Brushes and paints for nature journaling.

Watch the video for the scoop! If I had to choose just a few brushes and a handful of paints for my family, I’d go with:

Pointed round watercolor brushes ( #4 and #6 are my personal workhorses, but anything #3 through #10 are good as long as you have a smaller & larger brush. Brushes shown here are Silver Black Velvet, those from Simply Charlotte Mason’s brush drawing supplies set, and IKEA Måla set).

Gansai Tambi Japanese watercolors (A basic set of 12 retails for under $20. The pans are really large and the colors are highly pigmented, lightfast, easy to blend or lift off, and have less flow than Western watercolors, making them easier to control. Charlotte Mason’s preferred watercolor technique of brush drawing for nature journaling has its roots in Japanese brushwork, making these a doubly-good fit.)

Obviously, there are a lot of good paints and brushes out there—these are just some good quality products that I find contribute to nature journaling success. Please comment your faves along with any other questions.

Find our Brush Drawing Resource page here!

@rbaburina