Explore an Age-Old Medium with the Best Brushes for Ink Painting

Given the fluidity of ink painting, it’s imperative that painters be armed with trouble-free brushes. Whether used for ink-and-wash painting (sumi-e in Japanese) or calligraphy, these brushes typically have relatively long bristles that respond well to the artist’s hand, moving pigment with little drag. Traditionally, there are two main types of East Asian ink painting brushes. White “goat’s hair” brushes, made from sheep’s wool, goat hair, and sometimes the h