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So, my Citadel brushes are finally giving up the ghost. To be fair to them, they've served me well getting me into the hobby, but they're starting to get a bit worn. Now I'm a more proficient painter, and more meticulous in my brush care I feel I'm ready to get a higher quality brush. Trouble is, I've no idea which brand to get. All I know is that I'm looking to get a fine detail, detail and standard brush. Now, I've heard that Kolinsky Sable is the way to go, but I've no idea where to find a supplier. So, if anybody can point me in the right direction, it'd be much appreciated. I should note that I'd prefer a UK based supplier.

I've no problem with GW brushes, the problem is their quality control.
Go into a GW store or independent GW retailer ask for a pot of water and pick one with a good point and no splits or licks.
You'll get one good one in every 6-10 brushes.

Oh, I'm quite happy with Citadel brushes and I'm keeping them as a reserve choice, but I was wanting a higher quality brush simply because, as with every thing, you get what you pay for. If I spend a little more on a better brush, it'll last me longer. I tend to use a detail brush the most as I find the size and fine point is perfectly suited for painting most Space Marine sized models. Now, if I could get a standard brush with a fine point I'd be most pleased, but none of my Citadel brushes held their points too well. The problem with Citadel is that I've got no local GW or even independent GW stockist, so I have to rely on the online store - giving me no choice regarding quality.

I use pure red sable brushes from turners art supplies they are based in Derbyshire but they do deliver. Kolinsky sable is what the majority of people will recommend tho mainly the series 7's

@soitra - Is that the Winsor &Newton ones? They're the only ones I have looked at so far - approx £13 a brush?

My favorite and most used brush is a Kolinsky sable, love it to bits. Synthetic brushes are also very good these days, tend to have white bristles.

Lots of art shops in the UK carry Kolinsky sable brushes. Hobby Craft do too, if you haven't got a friendly local art shop.

Yeah still can't bring myself to spend that much on a paintbrush tho

Yeah, W&N series 7 sable hair.

You do get what you pay for. If you look after them, they'll last and last and will really show their quality while painting. A higher quality is what you said you're after, so it seems the kolinsky brushes are your ticket.

Take a look at this video for a look at some kolinskies plus some other options.

Also, make sure you do keep a hold of your older brushes. Some brushes perform just as well, or better even, when they're worn a little (read: drybrushing, stippling). Need a brush for PVA glue for basing/terrain? Grab an old worn one. There's always a job to be found for your old brushes.

Hmm, I may settle for getting myself a couple new citadel brushes as my main ones, and a single Kolinsky for the finer details.

 soitra wrote:
Yeah still can't bring myself to spend that much on a paintbrush tho

Buying a bunch of cheap brushes will ultimately be more expensive than buy one or two high quality brushes. If you take care of them, and you should, they can last you a long time. I've been using the same Raphael 8404 size 0 brush for almost 2 years and I just recently bought a new one to eventually replace it, even though it still has a great point on it.

 Warpig1815 wrote:
Hmm, I may settle for getting myself a couple new citadel brushes as my main ones, and a single Kolinsky for the finer details.

There is no need to do that. If you buy a high quality brush and take care of it, you can use just about any size to do fine detail. It is a common misconception that you need itty bitty brush to do fine detail; larger brushes can do detail better than smaller ones if you select the proper one. Meg Maples, who used to be a studio painter for Privateer Press and who runs her own blog/commission service (Arcane Paintworks), paints near exclusively with a Windsor & Newton size 2 brush. She actually wrote a pretty good article about brushes and brush selection recently, I highly recommend reading it.

The bottom line is: buying one or two quality brushes is one of the best things you can do for yourself as a painter.

http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/

This is where I buy my brushes, a wide selection of different types, qualities, price ranges and they are UK based.

I love my W&N Series 7 but I have a selection of cheaper brushes when I do things like painting on abrasive surfaces and other slowed things that come to mind

+1 for W&N Series 7. I've punished my No. 1 & No. 000 for all of last year and they STILL have sharp points as if they are new.

I wash them using General's Brush Cleaner & Preserver after every session.... when I remember

I use the GW bascoat brush and Wash Brush specifically for those tasks but for layering, highlights and all fine work, the S7's are my go to brush. They have never disappointed!

So, having watched Les Bursley's Brush video, as provided by Anfauglir, and read Meg Maples article as provided by ScootyPuffJunior, I've settled with getting a Winsor & Newton Series 7 2/0 as my fine detail brush. However, not being fully clued up with how each model sizes up in real life, could anybody point me to a decent brush I can use for my 'main' work such as base- and maincoats? Now I have taken Scooty's advise into consideration, but it kind of misses the point for me:

ScootyPuffJunior wrote:

 Warpig1815 wrote:
Hmm, I may settle for getting myself a couple new citadel brushes as my main ones, and a single Kolinsky for the finer details.

There is no need to do that. If you buy a high quality brush and take care of it, you can use just about any size to do fine detail.

I'm the other way round, currently, because they're all worn out, I tend to use my Citadel Fine Detail brush for all my work (On Space Marine sized models at least) - be it basecoating all the way through to highlighting. Hence, I'd rather like to find myself a dedicated basecoat brush that's reasonably large, but holds a good point. I presume W&N will have one, but which is it?

Army Painter brushes are good. I don't like the insane detail brush because mine has a wild hair and is basically useless. The range lacks a good mid-section, unlike GW, which has two or three that are perfect for just about everything. I might end up buying a GW Large, medium and fine brush in the near future, because they're wonderful.

I quite like the Creative Models Kolinsky Sables - the prices are very reasonable (~£3 per brush) and I've found that they hold up well without me being terrified of wrecking them through improper care, like the W&N ones.

http://www.creativemodels.co.uk/brushes_creative_models_brushes-c-5_8_145.html?page=2&sort=2a

About the size for basecoating is hard. I use the airbrush mostly but around a No.4 size should be perfect for a little bigger jobs.

The problem with sizing is that there is no standard. Width, length and shape varies from brand to brand and from series to series. That is why I like the images on http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/brushes-ken-bromley-artists-value-round-profile-brushes.htm . These give you a comparable size estimate with the scales in the background.

would this be a good investment for a begginner?

http://www.creativemodels.co.uk/creative_models_1855_kolinsky_sable_brush_set_large_0_1_2_4-p-12991.html?oscsid=4b52f837881a5f0cb5bdfe62508d40d6

Many thanks

Legendmir wrote:
would this be a good investment for a begginner?

http://www.creativemodels.co.uk/creative_models_1855_kolinsky_sable_brush_set_large_0_1_2_4-p-12991.html?oscsid=4b52f837881a5f0cb5bdfe62508d40d6

Many thanks

It's hard to say since I have no knowledge of this particular set. But if it really is kolinsky it looks like a pretty good rounded starter set.

I would pair this with a brush cleaner to get maximum life out of your brushes. There are liquid cleaners that do excellent work removing paint but to really give your brushes some love I suggest a block of brushsoap. When you are done getting the paint out you get a little clean foam going and use this to shape the perfect tip on the brushes. Now just put them away. The soap will help maintain a good tip since they bristles are "glued" in position. When you want to start painting next time just stir the brush in some clean water an the soap disolve and will not mess with the painting.

Legendmir wrote:
would this be a good investment for a begginner?

http://www.creativemodels.co.uk/creative_models_1855_kolinsky_sable_brush_set_large_0_1_2_4-p-12991.html?oscsid=4b52f837881a5f0cb5bdfe62508d40d6

Many thanks

I have some of the triangular handled Creative Models Kolinsky brushes and I like them.

Don't forget Rosemary & Co. Based in the UK, high quality, and surprisingly inexpensive. They're not quite comparable to Series 7s or 8404s (supposedly - I won't pay their prices for the sake of a test, since I'm already happy with my R&Co brushes, but that's the internet scuttlebutt), but unless you're already using one of those two, odds are that they're better than what you had. The Series 99 (red sable) size 2 has become my workhorse, so much so that I rarely find myself reaching for the smaller Series 33s (Kolinsky) I got specifically for detailing.

A quick Dakka search should net you more reviews, if you're curious - I'm not the only one who recommends them.

W&N series 7 are just amazing. I used to work with cheaper brushes and I was changing them all the time. My 0 brush is holding the tip just fine almost a year without any problem. It worths every dime spend on it.

Well, it seems W&N are still in the lead regarding good reviews, although I have to say I am interested in the Rosemary and Co's that Oadie has suggested. I think I'm set on getting a W&N, but nevertheless, thanks for all the suggestions people!

im on the R & C site but finding it hard to know which brush to get... can anyone recommend a good main workhorse brush and a fine detail brush for a begginer wh40k painter please?

fyi oadie sent me this via PM (hope you dont mind me sharing oadie!?). It was very useful to me so seemed worth sharing here:

this is advice for a new WH40k painter:

"Their most popular brushes, at least for miniature painters, are the Series 33 Kolinsky rounds. I also use the (even more) inexpensive Series 99. The red sable hairs of the 99s don't have quite as much snap as the Kolinsky sable of the 33s, but they still hold a fine point and have a good belly. If you want a general use brush that you can afford to abuse, a little (I'd still recommend taking care of them as best you can, of course - Master's brush soap is my weapon of choice), they'd be my recommendation. The 33s may make for better detail brushes, as the stronger snap gives you slightly better control when working exclusively with the very tip of the brush.

Regarding sizes, I'm not sure what you're used to using, but I generally find that people assume (as I did, starting out), that since our models are small, we should also be using really tiny brushes. In truth, we're usually better served using something a bit larger - as long as the brush can fit into the areas you're working on and still comes to a fine point, the larger belly (paint reservoir) is a good thing to have. When basecoating, it allows us to hold more paint per brushload, meaning we work more quickly. When washing, glazing, or wet-blending, being able to cover entire areas without reloading the brush gives more even results. When doing tiny details, having a larger load of paint than necessary keeps it wet and flowing off the brush - tiny drops of paint on tiny brushes have a tendency to dry on the tip before you get them on the model.

Personally, my workhorse is a size 2 - I use it for basecoating, washing, and basic detailing. A detail brush doesn't generally need to be any smaller than a size 0, but you may be more comfortable using a 00 or 3/0. If you're looking to pick up the very basics, I'd suggest a size 0 Series 33 and a size 2 Series 99 - that would run you all of 6 pounds/10 USD, plus shipping. For a little more range, switching the size 0 to a Series 99 and grabbing a 2/0 Series 33 for fine detailing adds $3-4 to that cost. Not a bad way to start, as that's about the cost of a single Series 7 or 8404 brush!"