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If you all had to pick what is your recommendation for a good painting kit? All one type, a mixed bag? Tools for eyes, do you have a set kit? I'd like to hear from you guys, everyone out there has so much info on paint brushes, but every person i talk to including the GW guys have so many different opinions. What is yours? I want to learn from the best all you guys out there!

There's a bunch of good threads on this here in the search engine....
http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/jforum.page?module=search&action=search&forum=8&match_type=all&search_keywords=brushes

I find the key is to take good care of your brushes and they will last a long time, but mostly I just use GW brushes they're the easiest for me to come by and the best quality I've found in the local area.

Winsor & Newton Series 7

I really like the La Cornielle line. I also like Master's Touch with golden taklon bristles, but they also tend to have very short handles which lead to hand cramping.. so the La Cornielle more, I think.

The only ones I really avoid are the clear-plastic, rubber-grip, white-bristle ones that my local craft store often has on discount. I don't have my bag with me tonight at work so not sure who makes them, but those have a real tendency to curl at the end quickly and easily. Bleh.

I should also point out I've really only tried maybe 5 or 6 brands of brush and don't have too much experience period, so my opinion probably isn't worth much in this arena.

bubber wrote:Winsor & Newton Series 7

Without a doubt...

I love raphaels 8408 series. W&N series 7 is also good but I like a larger brush and the raphael 8408s have longer bristles for the same size category.

Then again that's only for standard and detail painting. For large work and drybrushing I use a larger variety of brands and sizes. Princeton umbria series for example.

Being the type who never bothers to inquire into things, I just take the safe option and buy GW... the only time their brushes ever failed me was when (and I have no idea how the heck it happened) I was in a slowed state of mind and didn't clean my brushes... they got encrusted in paint... when I got the paint off all I had left were stumps; good for painting weathering/battle damage though ;P

bubber wrote:Winsor & Newton Series 7

Definitely with this. I have a 1, 0 and 00. I don't usually find much use for the 00 and am usually using the 1 mostly. Pink Soap I find is great for washing brushes and keeping them in the proper shape as well.

I need a good brush for dry brushing, anyone have any recommendations of size / shape?

I've actually found a reasonably cheap, natural hair brush works for drybrushing. Just the sort you find in your local painting store for basic handicrafts, not the expensive fine sable brushes. They work quite well and are going to get a bit rough and splayed anyway. As long as it doesn't have plastic bristles and the bristles will stay in the ferrel without falling out all over your first tank, you're fine.

You guys are great thanks!!!

I use the bargain bin brushes from Michael's Craft Store....then I started to care about the quality of my work. So, I used the Winsor brushes and have only one for extreme detail painting. I recently started using the GW Brushes and switch out with Loews Brush when doing less detail work.

personally I feel that GW's (well, citadel's) brushes are most sexellent as long as you take care of them. Most other brushes I've bought have been more expensive (said to be better than GW's) but ended up giving me all sorts of hell. Same goes for cheaper than GW brushes (these are based off my experiences).

bubber wrote:Winsor & Newton Series 7

I have only heard wonderful things about the Winsor & Newton line. I still need to go through the effort of getting some for myself.

I also like Army Painter's line of brushes. They're quite nice.

However, I usually just go into a craft store and pick up some brushes made from sable. I find that almost all sable brushes are very good for painting.

W&N7's for me too. I got 0, 00, and 000 for X-mas last year and gurgled in delight when I opened the package. I'll admit that I've used the 0 the most since it held it's shape the best. While I've taken great care of them (Old Master's Soap is the bomb) GW's Foundation paints have taken their toll and I've asked the jolly man in red for a new one this year.

That said, the wife picked up a mixed bag of brushes from the Wally World with a variety of sizes and materials: foams, plastics, coarse and fine natural fiber, even some hair/fur brushes. They range in size from large enough to do wood trim to a GW detail brush (say about 1 or 0. They're great for laying down basecoats and painting terrain and are affordable enough in quantity that I don't mind losing them to drybrushing.

I got some GW brushes for my B-day.

They have been kept clean, and have served me well. The GW ones are about the only brushes I have ever used, however.

my favourite brush set is a painta lexus set comes with 4 brushes
1 finer then GW fine detail
2 3 medium
4 large

I keep distroying cheap brush sets on the primer when I apply my base coat or do dry brushing. I had a good army painter brush just to try and I loved the product. Unfortianatly I hit a patch of not so dry Zap a Gap and it ruined the brush. I will be buying more though.

<.< My good WN brush is admittedly only used on my fine detailed watercolours and botanical art. I've been too nervous to use it painting models in acrylics. I'm beginning to think I should give it a try...

ounumen wrote: I had a good army painter brush just to try and I loved the product. Unfortianatly I hit a patch of not so dry Zap a Gap and it ruined the brush.

Heh, heh. I've done this at least 3 times.

I went out and tried a variety of brushes. I think by far the worst is the testors!