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I've recently got back into painting and, having never been very good to begin with, I've decided to try and practice to a decent tabletop standard. I found before that my brushes never seemed to keep their points and water often didn't seem to get all of the paint off of the bristles. So, I have decided to get some new brushes, the question is, however, which brushes should I get?

Do I need to get sable brushes or are other fibres just as good?
Which brand is best/best value?
How should I look after the brushes so that they keep there point?


EDIT: I've found a company called Rosmary and Co who do some quite reasonably priced brushes that are mixed sable/synthetic, has anyone had experience with these?

I like the army painter brushes and find there not to expensive either.

Also invest in some brush cleaner, that tends to gee the paint off much better.

I can't stand the army painter brushes, seem to be poor quality and didn't last long except for the small drybrush which is good.

Citadel brushes I've gotten on very well with.

The reverse is true for paints, GW ones suck (except for the base paints and washes), AP ones are brilliant.

I've got a good fine detail brush from a local art store. Sable hair for 3€. Works like a charm.

Also, a flask of acetone gets paint out of brushes in no time.

Kolinsky Sable brushes.

Master's Brush Cleaner to clean and then preserve the point after use.

Kolinsky sable is the gold standard. I just got some and it's a HUGE difference. Most people would say go for the Windsor and Newton Series 7 or Raphael 8404 series. Online the Series 7 was very expensive but the local Jerry's Artarama had them for 12 bucks.

I find I prefer the Rafael because they seem to hold more paint.

Rosemary and Co are currently my favorite brushes.

Really like their Series 33 pure kollinsky hair.
Have tried Series 101 pure red sable ; not so keen on these, but really like the handles.
Series 401 sable/synthetic blend are my most recent addition; theyre cheap cheap compared to the kollinksy, and well I like them. Just dont seem to hold the point as long as the 33's are. Theyre making good basecoat brushes to save my expensive kolinsky's for finer work.

Rosemary & Co. are great, especially since you're in the UK. Picked up a few to try and I plan to keep buying from them, even with transatlantic shipping factored into the cost and delivery time.

The synthetic blend, however, wasn't one of those that I got, so I can't comment on its quality. Generally, though, natural bristles - specifically sable and especially Kolinksy sable - are better suited to the majority of miniature painting tasks. I only use synthetics when 1) I lack the desired brush size/shape in a natural material, 2) I'm using solvents that would damage hair, or 3) I'm doing rough tasks (spreading glue, drybrushing, etc.) best left to cheap, disposable brushes (which many of my synthetics are - inexpensive nylon and the like).

Like HairySticks, I use their Series 33 Kolinsky brushes and think they're great. I've actually used the Series 99 (red sable rounds) more, simply because I got a larger size. One of the two 99s is starting to show its age, though. Still perfectly usable, but it seems that, even with moderate care, the red sable may have a somewhat shorter lifespan than the Kolinsky. Even so, you're getting plenty of bang for your buck. Even if W&N Series 7s or Raphael 8404s outperform them, Rosemary & Co. brushes are still of very high quality and lead the "big two" in value by a long shot.

Oh, and I also swear by Master's Brush soap. Cleans well, can be left in as a conditioner and tip shaper, inexpensive (considering how long one small puck will last a painter using tiny brushes), smells nice... It's just all around great stuff.

My experience with army painter brushes has been pretty bad.

Right before Miniwargaming closed the online store I got about 10 army painter brushes in various sizes to burn my remaining store credit. I have had the ferule simply pop off 3 brushes after about a weeks use ( I don't paint a lot, but o go in spurts, in the last 2 weeks I have done 6 jetbikes and 3 Marine HQs for example.) The bristles lose the point very fast and you get bristle curl/hook very quickly as well.

yes they are cheap but that's because they will not last at all.

I would say shop around, go to a local art store and look. Sable and synthetic have very different properties, so find brushes you can afford and that compliment your painting style.

Thanks for the information guys, I think I will order some Rosemary and Co Series 33.'s then.

EDIT: One more question, Long or Short Handle? I can't seem to find actual lengths for either.

Typically short handle are in the 20cm range and long over 30cm.

Be glad you're on that side of the pond right now. We can't get Kolinsky Sable in the States currently thanks to some ignorance based regulations on their import. Thankfully I have several well cared for Raphael and W&N that should be able to hold me over for quite some time.

Definitely get the short handle. They're pretty standard for brushes of this size - about 16cm to the tip of the ferrule.

R&C handle lengths of a few brushes I've got (... I think I have some sort of brush purchasing problem!)

 Rusty Robot wrote:
Kolinsky Sable brushes.

Master's Brush Cleaner to clean and then preserve the point after use.

Master's brush cleaner is great.

I ended up buying some winsor newton series 7 (and series 7 m) - they are horribly expensive here though

That, plus a wet pallet setup, and non-GW paints made such a difference to my painting - though the GW brushes were OK too, but they fishtail pretty quick.

Like many others I Winsor and Newton Series 7 with Masters Brush Cleaner. Yes they are expensive but if you don't press too hard on the bristles they will retain their shape and last a very long time.

Not only do their retain their shape so easily but they also hold a lot of water whilst tapering to a fine tip at the end of the brush.

Another +1 for Windsor and Newton. Lovely brushes. That being said I save mine for finer work eg. highlighting, blending and whatnot, and use something cheaper for basecoats and the like.

I'd agree with the general sentiment of avoiding GW brushes. However their dry brushes and wash brush are both pretty decent. Avoid their standard and detail brushes like the plague though. Truly awful brushes.

Ivanzypher wrote:
I'd agree with the general sentiment of avoiding GW brushes. However their dry brushes and wash brush are both pretty decent. Avoid their standard and detail brushes like the plague though. Truly awful brushes.

GW Starter brush is perfect for Maskol

I do as much as I can with the GW brushes as I ended up with 2 full sets of them anyway, and then like you focus on important or detail work with the W&N - that is mainly by being a tightarse and not wanting to overwork a $30 brush

It's also dependent on your budget and skill. I'm not a great painter so I buy cheap brushes. Does the tabletop standard I want. But if you can afford it why not.

I find that those cheap bristle brushes very useful for dry brushing.