Pure squirrel (petit-gris) flat wash brush — ultra-soft, holds a large reservoir of colour for long, smooth washes.
The Raphael 916 is a pure grey squirrel brush — "petit-gris" in France — in a flat wash format. Squirrel is the softest natural hair used in brushmaking, with almost no spring; its strength is capillarity. The hollow hairs draw up and hold a large reservoir of water and colour, letting you lay long, continuous washes without returning to the palette to reload.
That makes the 916 a wetting-and-flooding brush, not a precision one. It is at its best on broad flat washes, soft gradients and atmospheric passages where you want colour to flow and blend of its own accord. Because the hair is so soft it will not hold a crisp chisel edge or take scrubbing — it gives its best on wet paper with a light touch.
What makes this brush special
Pure grey squirrel (petit-gris) — the softest, most absorbent natural hair. Exceptional water and colour holding for long, unbroken washes. Very little snap: colour flows rather than snapping to an edge. A specialist wash brush, not a detail or edge tool.
Medium compatibility
Watercolour
Smooth flow for washes, controlled lines and fine points.
Gouache
Handles opaque water-based paint when thinned to a brush-friendly consistency.
Ink
Good for fluid inks; clean promptly after use.
Great for
Large, even flat washes and skies
Soft gradients and wet-in-wet blending
Wetting and flooding paper before glazing
Watercolour, ink and other fluid, water-based media
Technique & use
Basecoating
Glazing & Blending
General Painting
Less ideal for
Crisp edges and precise, controlled strokes — squirrel has no snap
Detail or line work (reach for a pointed sable)
Drybrushing, scrubbing or lifting — the soft hair damages easily
Heavy-body acrylics or rough handling
Size chart coming soon — variant dimensions not yet populated for this series.
How to care for your brush
Squirrel is delicate — treat it gently. Rinse in clean water after use and never scrub. Reshape the flat edge with your fingers and dry it flat or hanging, never bristle-down in a pot. Keep it away from harsh solvents and metallic paints, and store it flat or in a brush roll.
