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Im trying to get a basic idea for some good brushes for painting that will hold up for Painting mini's, i know there are different opinions so give them all please. I picked up a pack of 10 brushes from a local store to start working with but they freyed out and went to very shortly after, out of the 10 i really only use 2 now. so please give me some tips and recommendations. Thanks for the advice.

Aloha!

I generally recommend to all our students that they purchase Winsor and Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable brushes. They are (in my opinion), the best brushes in the world. They'll also last many many years. I've still got several that have a perfect point on them that I have had 5 to 6 years now.

The main drawback to them is the price. Generally they retail between $15 - $45 per brush depending on the size of brush you get, however, if you are in America, you can get them from Cheap Joe's Art Stuff in North Carolina (www.cheapjoes.com). Joe sells the W&N brushes at about 60% off retail price which makes them a heck of a bargain.

If you plan to get some, I'd recommend getting sizes 000, 00, 0, and 1. If you're going to be doing some larger 54mm size figures, a size 2 brush will also come in handy.

For drybrushing, I hate to say it, but I've actually got to choose a Citadel / GW product here. Their drybrushes are some of the finest on the market and work really well. Just remember, don't use your W&N brushes for drybrushing...you'll trash the brush and basically have thrown away $15.


I hope that helps some. If you have any questions, let me know and I'll be happy to help.

Thanks AG that did help, ill be looking into the W&N brushes here in my local area and go from there =)

Yeah I would go with the GW brushes all around. I have used other brands in the past but they're the only ones that I have liked. Just get the set and an extra or two and you're good to go. That's just my opinion though.

The main thing I would keep in mind is that if you're a bad painter (hypothetically speaking of course), good brushes will not change that. So just pick up the GW brushes. If you take care of them, they'll suit you just fine.

I use Winsor and Netwon Series 7s for most of my painting but I find they are too flexible for detail work so I use Da Vinci maestro brushes for the really small stuff.

Thanks for the heads up on cheapjoes.com btw!! Hell of a bargain.

If you're going to go for expensive brushes it's worth getting yourself a good brush cleaner too, as this will help you get a fair amount more life out of them.

Its possible to buy cheaper brush's but keep them clean so they last longer.

As Natorum said, get some good brush cleaner. Always wash them when your done. Some people just use conditioner but I think you should go something better. Check out your local art shop.

As for brush's, really good ones are better if you want to do blending and very fine detail (pro painting). If you do more plain table top quality then don't spend too much.

I tend to stay away from GW products as they are over priced and not the best quality.

Well, im not a bad painter per say but im not a great painter either. I'd say im right at Table Top quality atm. I juts got back into the hobby and am looking to get some good brushes that will last me as im learning and getting better. For now ill take a look at the W&N brushes and the GW ones along with some Sable brushes. I think ill start with more of a decent priced Sable brush and as i progress ill get the more high end ones for higher grade painting and quality.

I have had a lot of good experiences with Vallejo brushes (which are Kolinsky sable). I have had a lot of good experiences and properly cared for they last a long time. One thing to note though is that GW brushes are better than they have ever been and I do use some (their drybrush brushes are really nice). Anyway just note one thing, Acrylic mini paints are tough on brushes, they dry fast and they often use a ground solid pigment. Wash your good brushes after a paint session, buy some garbage brushes for dirty work, and last of all if you use dense pigment paints (like foundation paints) or metallics, I would recommend a second set of brushes (like the cheaper GW brushes) for the work that wears hard on brushes. Hope that helps.

What is the difference between a Drybrush and say a regular large brush?

I buy the cheapo bargain packs from my craft store and a pack of fine detail that last a couple months. Its so cheap, they don't need to last any longer. I found GW brushes way to expensive.

A drybrush will be stiffer than a regular large brush in general.

I recently bought some of the army painter brushes. I'm not a great painter at all, just looking to replace some withered old GW brushes, but I love the AP's triangular handles. Means even someone with big clumsy hands like me can get decent control over the brush tip..

Dragonchef wrote:What is the difference between a Drybrush and say a regular large brush?

A large brush in genral comes to more of a point than a drybrush, and is softer. A drybrush is going to be more square on the end and alot stiffer.

As to my choice of brushes i go for Reaper Kolinsky brushes sizes 0, 000 and 5 the size 0 for general painting the 000 for things like faces hands ect. The size 5 is for base coating and applyng base colours, for instance Mordian Blue on a space marine. I absoulty love these brushes they have lasted me for years, they come to a solid point, i have created many of my own brushes by chopping and pulling at the bristles. They are made from Sable Hair and i can get then from £5 for the 000 brushes and £15 for the largest types. Anyway this is is becoming a rant but i love em and even my local GW store manager uses them and really dose despise the GW brushes.

Eagle.


(phew my longest ever post )

Thanks all you guys for the tips and recommendations, I picked up some Red Sable brushes from my local craft shop at $4 each and so far they look good and feel much better then my crappy nylon ones. right now i have 0,00,000, 10/0, and a 20/0 so i think those will be a good starting point, the largest of my old Nylon brushes ill be keeping for my Dry brush since it worked nicely for what i was doing. Ill be posting a blog here soon to show my progress from a beginner as I'm learning.

I can recommend Rosemary & Co. Pure Kolinsky Sable brushes. Great quality and very affordable. I went with Series 33, but Series 22 is also very popular. Search CMON or other forums with rosemary for feedback on their brushes - I haven't found anything but positive feedback. See this thread for example. Customer service is great and shipping was very fast - my order was dispatched within the same day I placed it.

AGProductions wrote:Aloha!

I generally recommend to all our students that they purchase Winsor and Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable brushes. They are (in my opinion), the best brushes in the world. They'll also last many many years. I've still got several that have a perfect point on them that I have had 5 to 6 years now.

The main drawback to them is the price. Generally they retail between $15 - $45 per brush depending on the size of brush you get, however, if you are in America, you can get them from Cheap Joe's Art Stuff in North Carolina (www.cheapjoes.com). Joe sells the W&N brushes at about 60% off retail price which makes them a heck of a bargain.

If you plan to get some, I'd recommend getting sizes 000, 00, 0, and 1. If you're going to be doing some larger 54mm size figures, a size 2 brush will also come in handy.

For drybrushing, I hate to say it, but I've actually got to choose a Citadel / GW product here. Their drybrushes are some of the finest on the market and work really well. Just remember, don't use your W&N brushes for drybrushing...you'll trash the brush and basically have thrown away $15.


I hope that helps some. If you have any questions, let me know and I'll be happy to help.

This.

I have to say W&N S7 brushes are awesome. I use aswexpress.com to get em - during their brush sales you can get them $7-9. Blick also has some good deals sometimes.
I have some Raphael 8404 brushes that I love also, but they are typically more expensive here in the US.

Imo, it is definitely worth having at least 2 really nice brushes. If they are really good (see above) you don't even need them to be so small, because the points are amazing. I almost exclusively use size 0 or 1 now.

Rosemary and co.
This is a UK comany, but they are cheep, reliable and above all of the highest standard, on par with Winsor and Newton (argueably the best brushes out there hands down). in other forums we have discussed at length both companies and have 2 camps on witch are the best but the line is so fine its not worth getting into.
anyway there are 3 reasons to get your brushes from R&C.
1. Quality outshines most other companies including GW.
2. cheep.
3. a huge ammout of tips on care and matienance, these people just dont build brushes, they have been doing it by hand for over 25 years and it shows.
Anyway of note are the:
33 Kolinsky sable range (go for the short handels)
the 99 pure red sable range
and the catalog you get for free.

www.rosemaryandco.com

Oh and i agree, the W&N 7's are awesome.

Never heard of R&C. Ill have to check out that one.

As for brush size, if you go too small the brush hold very little paint. If you can keep the fine point on your brush then a size 0 and 1 work really well. So far I use the size 1 for nearly everything. Some pro's like Ana use size 1 for most of their painting.

Remember to keep your brush's clean, and not by just water. Use an actual cleaner as I mentioned before. See your art shop.

Whatever you do, don't buy a ton of brushes. You will need a large brush if you have large models, but besides that, you really only need a good medium sized brush, an old messy brush for drybrushing/mixing, and maybe a small detail brush if you really need it. Some places wanna sell you a 10 piece hobby brush set. Not worth it.

If you don't want to spend the money for the top of the line.
I recommend the Windsor Newton Univerity 233 series you can get them at Crafts 2000 for 6 bucks a brush for most.
They are synthetic though so they also have a slightly stiffer feel to them.

I can't also stress how good The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver is for cleaning brushes and preserving the brush tip.
Les over at awesome paint job did a whole video on how to clean brushes with this stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vC5j4mdlDM

Thanks for the great tips guys, so far the new Red sable brushed are working great i feel i have better control of where i put the paint, and how much of it i actually put on the model.

just remember to read up on how to use a brush properly and how to clean them. I have some that are over 3 years old and in great shape.