Finest Blue Squirrel Quills, Set of 3, with Deluxe Palette Box

The Deluxe Palette Box Set:

The finest watercolor brushes from Italy—with a fine cherry wood travel box to match. This set from the artisans at Tintoretto Pennelli features three blue-squirrel quill brushes with satin gold-finish travel handles. These hand-shaped brushes are presented in a gorgeous, two-sided wood case. The brushes are tucked into one side; take them out, flip the case over, and reveal a mixing palette with nine empty half-pan slots.

Each case is made from solid cherry, polished to a durable semi-gloss finish, and fitted with a magnetic closure. The channels inside are perfectly sized for Tintoretto travel brushes, and four holders are also provided to hold wet brushes vertically. A chamois pouch is included for safe transport.

Handmade Blue Squirrel Brushes:

This set contains three luxurious quill brushes (#2, #4, #6 sizes) in natural blue squirrel hair, the gold standard for absorbency and softness. Hand-shaped by skilled brushmakers in Tuscany, these quills feature a traditional thread-bound tip with plastic ferrule. Formerly made from bird quills (hence the name), these loosely bound brushes allow more color to be absorbed into the fiber, so you can paint longer, more saturated strokes.

The other defining feature of quill brushes is their sharply tapered tip, which narrows from the brush's wide belly to a single, delicately shaped point. This classic shape allows for a wide array of different marks and techniques, from fine calligraphic strokes to big, bold washes, all without switching shapes.

Artisan-Made in Tuscany:

You'll find that Tintoretto brushes offer greater control and more predictable performance than mass-produced brushes. This is due to the thoughtful and precise execution of the brush's shape, which can't be duplicated by less labor-intensive techniques.

Add Nine Amazing Watercolors:

Want to fill your Deluxe Palette Box with a lovely nine-color set? We have two options to choose from, both made by Schmincke, the legendary German manufacturers. Both include nine standard half pans in a balanced assortment, chosen by our experts here in St. Louis.

The Akademie set is selected from Schmincke's art-student watercolor line. We've chosen a range of mixing colors, including the important cyan-magenta-yellow trio, so you can make any color from the spectrum. The Akademie colors included in this option are Magenta, Cadmium Red Hue, Indian Yellow, Light Lemon Yellow, May Green, Cyan, Indigo, Ultramarine, and English Red.

The Horadam set is a bit more exciting, idiosyncratic, and a bit pricier as well. These are nine premium colors from the world's leading professional-grade watercolor line: Cobalt Turquoise, Tundra Blue, Indian Red, Galaxy Pink, Volcano Red, Cadmium Yellow Deep, Chromium Yellow Hue Lemon, Shire Green, and Cobalt Green Dark. We've emphasized intensity and texture in this special selection, ideal for urban sketching & travel painting.