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Im going to start on my gd entries soon ( never been before so though id give it a shot this year ) i am looking for some good quality brushes, dont mind paying upto £10 a brush, cheaper if possible though lol. I want some better than gw as they dont hold thinned paint all too well and the snap back isnt very good. I have had a look on the net but trying to decide whats good quality or not is hard. Maybe you can recommend some intermediate/high quality brushes for me. I like really small guage brushes for extra detail but want a range

thanks in advance ( tried searching forum but didnt come up with much )

I use Galleria brushes No. 00 and 3, they are great, and are perfect for detail. The 00 size cost me 7 euro, and the size 3 cost me 4 or 5 euro. I hope this helps.

iwata hp-cs...i love it.

Windsor Newton series 7 Kolinksy sable brushes are pretty much the standard for professional level mini painting brushes.

Raphael makes Kolinksy sable brushes that are as good or better depending who you ask.

Sable brushes run between $10.00-20.00, and are well worth it.

Terraformer wrote:Windsor Newton series 7 Kolinksy sable brushes are pretty much the standard for professional level mini painting brushes.

Raphael makes Kolinksy sable brushes that are as good or better depending who you ask.

Sable brushes run between $10.00-20.00, and are well worth it.

Thanks for that, sounds like just what im looking for and the price is ok. Ill see if i can find a retailer and try them out.

For really good brushes, look for a local art supply store. Not sure of what the major UK art suppliers are. I'll be getting mine at the same place I got my micropens. :-)

But I'd def recommend the W&N sables. Very nice bruses. 0, 00 and 000 for mini detail work.

The 000 can be hard to find.

Winsor and Newton are a British company, so you should have no problem finding them there.

Sorry, but Galleria aren't even close.

Series 7 really are the best.

I second the use of the Winsor and Newton Series 7 size 0 and 00 brushes. However, we tend to run out of these in the U.S. until I found Rosemary & Co Kolinsky sable brushes. I was surprised at their quality and found them to be just as good as the W&N brushes. http://www.rosemaryandco.com/

You do have to take care of them, cleaning them properly with good brush cleaner and then conditioning them afterwards.

BloodQuest wrote:Sorry, but Galleria aren't even close.

I'm sorry but am I not offering advice on what may be good?

Maxstreel wrote: I found Rosemary & Co Kolinsky sable brushes. I was surprised at their quality and found them to be just as good as the W&N brushes. http://www.rosemaryandco.com/

I agree most wholeheartedly with this bit. Rosemary and co are a brillaint company and cut out the middleman so you save a fortune in brushes but are of a very high quality. Their series 98, triangular, sable brushes are brilliant. http://www.rosemaryandco.com/pure-sable-series-pure-sable-triangular-handle-c-76_226.html

I would not say however that they need any special cleaning other than what you would do normally.

Also a fan of the rosemaryandco brushes, fantastic value for money.

Size 5/0? Wow!

Very nice. Thanks for the link.

Tyranid Horde wrote:

BloodQuest wrote:Sorry, but Galleria aren't even close.

I'm sorry but am I not offering advice on what may be good?

I'm not trying to be rude - Galleria are okay brushes, but they are synthetic and the points will hook after a while

The series 7 are hand-made sable and will last a lot longer for a little more money.

I bet you could buy series 7 mail order from the UK for not much more than price you're paying for Galleria brushes in euros.

I should've been more clear. RosemaryandCo brushes do not need special treatment or care to work like W&N brushes.

What I should have said was: To make good brushes maintain their quality, sharp points, and really last, you'll want to keep paint from getting into the ferrule by cleaning them with good brush cleaner, allowing them to dry and then storing them properly. I learned the hard way by treating a good set of kolinsky sables as if they were regular GW brushes and basically tore them up!

I found the 0 and 00 were perfect sizes. I can't hold a brush still enough to use the 000 or smaller.

Have to say the Rosemary and Co brushes do look like a reasonable alternative to W&N.

@Maxstreel: did you get yours from the UK or is someone stocking them over here?

Maxstreel wrote:I found the 0 and 00 were perfect sizes.

Funny. My workhorse is the size 2. I barely use the 1 anymore. I like the 3 a lot too.

Here in the states I use a brand called Preston. Can be found at most local quality art supply stores. I really like the bristles on the the brush and they make sizes as small as 18/0, which really helps in terms of facial detail.

Maxstreel wrote:I should've been more clear. RosemaryandCo brushes do not need special treatment or care to work like W&N brushes.

What I should have said was: To make good brushes maintain their quality, sharp points, and really last, you'll want to keep paint from getting into the ferrule by cleaning them with good brush cleaner, allowing them to dry and then storing them properly. I learned the hard way by treating a good set of kolinsky sables as if they were regular GW brushes and basically tore them up!

I found the 0 and 00 were perfect sizes. I can't hold a brush still enough to use the 000 or smaller.

Once I tried the Rosemary and Co brushes I snapped off a couple of ferrules from my GW brushes and use the handles to mix paint and epoxy and binned the rest ! I kid you not. Will never use a GW brush apart from dry brushing. Ever.

If you're after tighter control, the triangular handle on the series 98 works a treat, it's easier to hold and less shake in my ageing hands. Sounds daft but it works.

Kolisky brushes all the way!

Elmodiddly wrote:

Maxstreel wrote: I found Rosemary & Co Kolinsky sable brushes. I was surprised at their quality and found them to be just as good as the W&N brushes. http://www.rosemaryandco.com/

I agree most wholeheartedly with this bit. Rosemary and co are a brillaint company and cut out the middleman so you save a fortune in brushes but are of a very high quality. Their series 98, triangular, sable brushes are brilliant. http://www.rosemaryandco.com/pure-sable-series-pure-sable-triangular-handle-c-76_226.html

I would not say however that they need any special cleaning other than what you would do normally.

Those are cheaper than gw brushes, are they really that much better? im not disputing it lol just curious thanks for the link, if i cant find any w&n ill have a go, for that price silly not to

Well, they are actual Kolinsky sable brushes, so yeah, provided the construction is decent, those should be pretty good brushes.

Hello,
I use Kolinsky as well, however the ones I have are produced by Reaper, I use the 10/0, 20/0, and 30/0. They make a 40/0 zero, but even I dont know where I would use that. You can get them online this way

Regards,
Carl

as far as sizes go i prefer 3/0, 5/0, and 10/0

Calibanite Lion wrote:

Elmodiddly wrote:

Maxstreel wrote: I found Rosemary & Co Kolinsky sable brushes. I was surprised at their quality and found them to be just as good as the W&N brushes. http://www.rosemaryandco.com/

I agree most wholeheartedly with this bit. Rosemary and co are a brillaint company and cut out the middleman so you save a fortune in brushes but are of a very high quality. Their series 98, triangular, sable brushes are brilliant. http://www.rosemaryandco.com/pure-sable-series-pure-sable-triangular-handle-c-76_226.html

I would not say however that they need any special cleaning other than what you would do normally.

Those are cheaper than gw brushes, are they really that much better? im not disputing it lol just curious thanks for the link, if i cant find any w&n ill have a go, for that price silly not to

Most definately. Like I said they cut out the middleman so can offer massive savings. Their brushes are excellent quality and are recommended by professional artists as well as modellers.

I cannot stress it enough. They are cheap BUT not tacky they are professional quality.

I think it's worth pointing out that these are RED sable, which is not the same as Kolinsky sable.

Nonetheless, at those prices they've got to be worth a try.

I am not trying to say that they are Kolinsky but the brushes I link to are very, very good.

Whilst kolinsky sable brushes are considered the best in the world it is purely for their ability to hold a good belly of water for watercolour painting.
For acrylic painting, where the brush isn't loaded the same as for watercolour any decent sable is a world apart from any of the crud that GW peddle.

The Series 98 brushes are popular with professional miniature artists so that should tell you all you really need.

I really like the Windsor & Newton Series 7 brushes. With care they last for years.

Windsor & Newton's Scepter series is very good as well and not quite as expensive.

There is also a Scepter Gold II series made from Golden Taklon, which is cheaper but won't last as long. I can get about two regiments out of one before its frazzled.

+1 on the brush soap. Its a must.

Any good quality brush that keeps its point is what you're after. I too use Kolinsky Sable brushs.

Personally, I dont see the need of any brush in the zero's (size, 0, 00 and 000) as the points on large brushes can do the job. Hell, thats why you pay so much for them!