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I am going to buy some new brushes today from a big art supply store. Is there a brand (i am in the US) you would suggest. I am going to get 3 a 2/0, a 0/0, and a flat size one for dry brushing. I wont be going there till after 3pm est so if you know a brand let me know. Trying not to spend more than $15 on a brush but I will if it is the best.

Normally I use just a citadel fine detail brush and I just bought a new one and have not used it yet but since I am going to the art store for more paint for my tank I might as well grab a new brush or 2.

I read that a Sable type is best but I know as much about this as I do about stuff I don't know about so any help would be appreciated.

I dont know about in the US, But here in the UK.. theres mostly 2 brands of reputable art supplies that get stocked everywhere;

Windsor and Newton
&
Daler Rowney

Other manufacturers are out there, but almost all shops here stock one of those two. In the US you may have Liquitex too?

Anyway... as for the brushes, Windsor and Newton do a couple of pure sable ranges in the watercolour brushes sections, the tippy top is Series 7 Kollinsky Sable and the more affordable (still not cheap mind you) ones are labeled as 'Artists Water Colour Sable'

Daler Rowney's line of pure sable is called Diana if memeory serves.

I'm not sure if Liquitex do actually deal with sable brushes becasue they don't actually do water colour paints?

if your getting organic hair brushes also pick up a Winsor & Newton brush cleaner and preserver.
its a soap and conditioner which will really help preserving your brushes!

saber is really nice and comes in different qualities... just be sure that it has a good tip and it will generally stay that way if you treat it right!

Kolinsky Sable is the best quality, normally used for watercolours and excellent for well diluted acrylic such as GW paints. Mongoose should also be considered as it is also excellent for acrylic paint. Firmer than Sable, it is also more resilient and that may suit your painting style more.

If you can order online and don't mind the wait, I recommend "Rosemary & Co" series 33. The points are sharper than GW brushes by a country mile, and the bellies are fuller so they hold more paint.


This is a quick picture of the ones I got recently. From top to bottom,
Rosemary & Co series 33 no. 2
Rosemary & Co series 33 No. 1
GW general purpose brush (Orange end)
Rosemary & Co series 33 No. 3/0
GW Fine detail brush
Rosemary & Co series 33 No 10/0

The only brush out of these to have been used before this picture was taken was the GW general purpose brush, the darkening of the ends is an artifact caused by taking the picture on my portable DVD player screen so I could get them almost in sillouette to better show the point and belly of the brush

Take a look at https://www.rosemaryandco.com/ to find out more.

Don't forget, how you look after your brushes is almost as important. Get a decent brush roll to look after the points, bamboo helps natural hair to dry and therefore helps resist mildew and mould if put away damp.*


* I am in no way affiliated with this company, I get no incentives from them, I just want to share their quality as I think they can't be beaten.


I tried D&R brushes before getting Rosemary & Co ones, and wasn't that impressed.

I like the Army Painter brushes... but I've never used non-GW before. Suffice to say I've been using them about two months, washing them in White Spirit after a session of use, and they are pretty much as good as new, with their point maintained (unlike Citadel).

Don't buy paintbrushes from the big chain arts & crafts stores (well, the cheap synthetics are okay for using oil washes). They are typically junk and not suited at all for miniature painting.

The big names are Rosemary & Co. series 33, Raphael series 8404, and Windsor & Newton series 7. A lot of independent game shops will usually carry one of these brands, and of course they can be found easily online. Do yourself a huge favor and buy a quality brush and some brush cleaner/restorer to take care of them. You have no idea how much a good brush can improve your painting until you try it.

I personally use the Raphael 8404 brushes size 1, 0, and 2/0. Apart from big, cheap brushes for drybrushing terrain and synthetics for making oil washes, those are the only sizes I use to do any painting (with the size 0 to do 85% of the workload). I even use the size 0 for painting eyes, writing on parchment, etc. Again, I cannot stress enough to treat yourself to a nice brush. You'll thank me later.

Oh good advice. I haven't gotten a chance to go today unfortunately but this is not a Micheal's I am going to its a professional art store. I like the idea and the some of having mongoose brushes. Mmmm mongoose.