How to Use Brusho Crystal Colours: A Complete Guide
Brusho Crystal Colours are one of the most exciting and versatile art materials you can buy. Whether you are a watercolour painter, a card maker, an art journaller, or a mixed media artist, Brusho can transform a blank piece of paper into something vibrant and unexpected — often with just a pinch of powder and a spritz of water.
This guide covers everything you need to know about using Brusho, from opening your first pot safely through to advanced techniques like bleach resist, stencilling, and mixed media applications. It is written to answer the most common questions people ask, whether they are complete beginners or experienced artists exploring Brusho for the first time.
What is Brusho?
Brusho Crystal Colour is a water-based, highly concentrated ink and dye in powdered crystal form. It is manufactured exclusively by Colourcraft Ltd in Sheffield, England — a British company that has been making art materials for decades. The full range includes 34 colours, sold individually in small plastic pots or in sets of 12 or more.
Each pot contains far more colour than it appears. Brusho is extraordinarily concentrated: a tiny pinch goes a very long way, and a single pot can last for hundreds of uses. The crystals dissolve immediately on contact with water, producing vivid, transparent washes of colour that spread and bloom in organic, unpredictable ways.
One of the most interesting things about Brusho is that each "colour" is not a single pigment — it is a blend of several different dye crystals. This means that when a green Brusho dissolves, you may see blues, yellows, and even hints of black emerging and separating as the colour blooms across wet paper. This multi-tonal quality is a large part of what makes Brusho so distinctive.
What Can You Use Brusho On?
Brusho works well on a wide range of surfaces, including watercolour paper (recommended, especially 300gsm or heavier), card and cardstock, cartridge paper, wood (use on light-coloured close-grained wood to preserve the grain), fabric (100% natural fibres such as cotton work best; note that Brusho is not a permanent fabric dye and is for decorative use only), and gift tags, envelopes, and journals.
Heavier paper handles Brusho better because it absorbs the water without buckling. If you are new to Brusho, start with a good quality 300gsm watercolour paper — it will give you more control and much better results than thin paper.
How to Open Brusho Pots Safely
This is the first and most important thing to know: do not simply pull off the lid of a Brusho pot.
The powder is extremely fine and highly concentrated. Opening a pot fully is almost guaranteed to result in spilled pigment, stained surfaces, and a cloud of colour you did not ask for.
Instead, use a pin, a cocktail stick, or a small nail to poke one or two small holes in the sealed lid, turning it into a controlled shaker. Many artists use a colour-coded push pin, which also acts as a plug to keep the hole clear between sessions. A little Brusho really does go a very long way — always start with less than you think you need.
The Four Core Brusho Techniques
1. Sprinkle onto Wet Paper (the Classic Brusho Method)
This is the most popular and characteristic Brusho technique, and the one that produces those wonderful blooms and bursts of colour.
Wet your paper thoroughly with clean water using a large brush or a spray bottle. The paper should be evenly damp but not pooling. Shake or tap a small amount of Brusho crystals onto the wet surface and watch as the colour spreads, bleeds, and blooms. Add more colours while still wet for blending effects, or allow sections to dry before adding further colours for harder edges.
The wetter the paper, the further the colour will travel and the softer the result. Use less water for sharper, more textured effects. Tip the paper to encourage the colour to flow in a particular direction, or blow gently on wet crystals to move the colour before it sets.
2. Mix into Liquid Paint
For the most control, dissolve Brusho crystals in water on a palette or acrylic block before applying to paper. Sprinkle a small amount onto a palette, add a drop or two of water, and mix with a brush to form a liquid paint. Adjust the concentration by adding more water for pale washes or more powder for richer colour, then apply to paper as you would conventional watercolour.
This method gives you the closest experience to traditional watercolour painting. Any mixed Brusho that dries on your palette can be reactivated with water at a later session — there is no waste.
3. Sprinkle onto Dry Paper, then Spritz
Leave your paper completely dry, sprinkle the Brusho crystals onto the surface, then spritz lightly with a water spray bottle to activate the colour. The type of spray bottle makes a difference: a fine mist gives a delicate, controlled bloom, while a more powerful jet pushes the colour and crystals around more dramatically.
4. Sprinkle Through a Stencil
Lay your stencil flat on paper (spritzing the paper first helps it adhere and prevents shifting). Sprinkle Brusho over the stencil openings, then spritz with water to activate the colour. Use caution with the amount of water — too much will cause colour to seep under the stencil edges. Leave the stencil in place while the background dries if there is excess water on the surface.
Advanced Brusho Techniques
Salt effects: Adding table salt to wet Brusho works exactly as with conventional watercolour — the salt crystals absorb moisture and pull the pigment, creating starry, textured patterns. Sprinkle salt onto the wet surface and allow to dry fully before brushing off.
Plastic wrap texture: Scrunch a piece of cling film and press it onto a wet Brusho wash. Leave it in place while the paint dries, then peel away to reveal complex, organic texture. Particularly effective for foliage, ice, or abstract backgrounds.
Bleach resist: Allow a Brusho wash to dry completely, then apply a small amount of diluted household bleach or a bleach pen to the surface. The bleach removes or lightens the colour, leaving pale marks against the dark wash. For a pure white effect, apply bleach while the Brusho is still wet. For a warmer, slightly yellow-tinted result, apply after the surface is fully dry. Always use bleach with good ventilation.
Wax resist: Apply a wax resist crayon or candle wax to paper before adding Brusho. The wax repels the water-based ink, preserving the paper beneath — useful for masking highlights or creating texture.
Mixing with other mediums: Brusho can be mixed into PVA glue for a tinted transparent adhesive (add sand or rice for texture), stirred into acrylic mediums or gesso for coloured grounds, or mixed into modelling paste for dimensional coloured work.
Using Brusho with Watercolour
Brusho and conventional watercolour work well together. Use Brusho for loose, energetic backgrounds or sky washes, then work into the painting with watercolour for finer detail. The two mediums behave similarly and are fully compatible.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brusho
Is Brusho the same as watercolour? Brusho behaves like watercolour but is dye-based rather than pigment-based. This means the colour is extremely vivid and transparent, but Brusho is not considered archival or fully lightfast. For work intended for sale or long-term display, protect finished pieces with UV-resistant glass or a UV varnish spray.
Can you mix Brusho colours? Yes. You can sprinkle different colours onto the same wet surface and they will blend and interact as they spread, or mix colours on a palette before painting. When working with multiple colours on a wet surface, start with the lightest colour first and work towards the darkest.
How long does a Brusho pot last? A very long time. Brusho is so concentrated that a single pot can last for hundreds of sessions. Store pots in a cool, dry place with the holes sealed between uses.
Does Brusho work on Yupo paper? Yes. Because Yupo is non-absorbent, the colour sits on the surface rather than soaking in, creating different effects from paper. The colour can also be removed or repositioned more easily while still wet.
Is Brusho toxic? Brusho is non-toxic and acid free. However, the powder is very fine — avoid inhaling it when sprinkling, and work in a ventilated space.
What paper is best for Brusho? 300gsm cold-pressed watercolour paper is the ideal starting point. It handles large amounts of water without buckling and gives colour plenty of space to bloom. Thin cartridge or printer paper is not recommended — it will buckle and tear.
A Simple First Exercise with Brusho
Take a sheet of 300gsm cold-pressed watercolour paper and wet the entire surface evenly with a large flat brush and clean water. Choose two or three Brusho colours — Ultramarine, Purple, and a touch of Black makes a dramatic sky. Shake a tiny amount of each colour across the wet paper, starting with the lightest, then tip the paper gently to let the colours flow and blend. Allow to dry flat.
The result is a vibrant, multi-tonal background that can serve as the starting point for a painting, a card design, or an art journal page.
Shop Brusho at Craft and Canvas
We stock the full Brusho range at Craft and Canvas, including individual colour pots and sets of 12 colours or more. Available in our Hebden Bridge shop at 3 Carlton Street, and online at craftandcanvas.co.uk with UK delivery.
Craft and Canvas | 3 Carlton Street, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8ER | craftandcanvas.co.uk