Description
There is one mark in watercolour that separates a trained hand from an enthusiastic one: the long tapering line that starts thick, narrows to a point and lifts away without a wobble. It is drawn with a dagger striper, a brush shape that holds a reservoir of pigment along its length and releases it as the wrist turns. The 87DS is that brush, built the traditional way, with a mixed squirrel and goat hair head, a brass ferrule and a smoked bamboo handle.
The hair blend is the reason it behaves. Squirrel hair carries a large volume of water relative to its thickness, which is what allows a single stroke to stay wet from thick end to tip. Goat hair adds the resilience that keeps the point from collapsing when the brush is loaded heavily. The animal hair is degreased before assembly, which is the step cheap brushes skip and the reason they feel greasy and refuse to hold a fine point on the first session.
The brass ferrule is pressed into the shape of the hair rather than being a straight tube, which is the structural detail that gives a dagger brush its snap. A straight ferrule lets the head splay; a shaped one supports the belly and returns the tip to a point after every stroke. The handle is smoked bamboo, sanded smooth and light enough that the balance sits forward, in the hair, where control comes from.
Sizes run from 0 through 12, covering detail work at one end and long architectural strokes at the other. Each brush is hand assembled, so the head is set and pointed by a person rather than cut by a machine, and the difference shows in how the tip reforms after a rinse.
One brush, one stroke, thick to thin. Everything else in the painting is built on marks like that.
Key Features
- Dagger striper head Holds pigment along its length so a single stroke can run thick to fine without reloading.
- Squirrel and goat hair blend Squirrel for water retention, goat for resilience, degreased so the head points from the first use.
- Shaped brass ferrule Pressed to the contour of the hair to support the belly and return the tip after each stroke.
- Smoked bamboo handle Light, sanded and forward-balanced, with the weight sitting in the hair rather than the hand.
- Handmade assembly Each head set and pointed by hand, which is why the tip reforms cleanly after rinsing.
- Eight sizes Sizes 0 through 12, from detail and lettering to long calligraphic sweeps.
- Multi-purpose edge Pin striping, hand lettering, fine detail and single-stroke foliage all from one brush.
- Watercolour optimised Built for the water load a wash brush needs, not for acrylics or heavy body media.
Technical Specifications
- Model: ArtSecret 87DS
- Brush type: Dagger striper, watercolour
- Hair: Mixed blue squirrel and goat hair, degreased
- Ferrule: Brass, shaped to the head contour
- Handle: Smoked bamboo
- Sizes available: 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
- Recommended media: Watercolour, gouache, ink washes
- Common uses: Pin striping, hand lettering, fine detail, one-stroke marks
- Packaging: PVC or PE protective bag
- Care: Wash with mild shampoo, reshape and dry head down
Where It Belongs
This is a brush for the person who already owns rounds and flats and has hit the limit of what they can do. It suits the watercolourist painting foliage, water and architectural lines in single strokes, the sign painter laying a long lettering stroke, and the model maker who needs a fine line that stays consistent for its whole length. It also suits calligraphers working in ink where a brush edge gives a variation a nib cannot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What makes a dagger brush different from a round?
A: A round brush tapers symmetrically on all sides. A dagger is flattened and elongated, so pressing it flat gives a wide mark, turning it gives a fine line, and the transition happens inside one stroke.
Q: Can I use it with acrylics?
A: It works, but acrylic dries in the hair and damages the tip quickly. Keep this brush for water-based media and use a synthetic for acrylic.
Q: How do I stop the tip from curling?
A: Never store it head down in a jar and never let paint dry in the ferrule. Rinse after each session, reshape the point with your fingers and dry it horizontally or head down on a rack.
Q: Is the hair ethically sourced?
A: The hair is a by-product of the brush-making trade and the manufacturer specifies mixed squirrel and goat hair. If sourcing certification is a requirement for your studio, ask before ordering.
Q: Which size should I start with?
A: Size 6 is the practical middle for landscape and lettering. Choose 2 or 4 for detail and 10 or 12 for long sweeps and architectural lines.
Q: Why does the brush smell faintly of animal hair?
A: New natural hair brushes can carry a faint smell until the first wash. It disappears after one shampoo and is not a sign of a defect.
Q: How many strokes should I expect from one load?
A: A loaded size 6 will carry a line of roughly 40 to 60 centimetres before it needs reloading, depending on how thin the paint is mixed.
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