Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm curious because I was discussing this with someone on a different forum not dedicated to miniatures who is losing their mind that I use a size 0 brush. He thinks all you need is a size 1 and claims I must be using cheap brushes if I use anything else (which I am not, I use W&N red sable hair brushes)

I believe a size 1 is good for the brunt of the painting but I use my size 0 for small details and edge highlighting. I also have a size 3/0 for eyes and stuff. I also have a wash brush, several sizes of drybrushes and cheap brushes for odds and ends stuff.

So what size brushes do you guys use?

Most of what I do I use a size 1 Kolinsky brush. I have a 4/0 Raphael 8404 which I whip out for fine details, but rarely find the need. Also have a few synthetic brushes for using with enamels.

Most else of what I do (drybrushing, washing, etc) I use either old or cheap brushes.

I prefer a larger brush with a good point as it has a good paint reservoir and the paint flows better. I can do better multi color eyes with a pointy 3 or 6 than I can with a 000.

I use a winsor newton 1

Which comes out to the same size as the citadel large brush iirc. and i use that brush for everything.

Anything larger then bikes i use an air brush to base.

I use brushes from 1/4" flat all the way down to 20/0.

Of course, there's little to no consistency in brush sizes between ranges. One range's 20/0 is another range's 1.

Mainly 1, usually a 0 for particularly fine details, occasionally a 2/0 (eyes and the like).

I think the new brush I got is a 18/0 Golden Taklon. Not sure though.

 SQRT(-2) wrote:
I prefer a larger brush with a good point as it has a good paint reservoir and the paint flows better. I can do better multi color eyes with a pointy 3 or 6 than I can with a 000.

On what size model?! I can't fathom attempting to do the eyes of say a standard Malifaux model with anything bigger than a 0.

 sockwithaticket wrote:

 SQRT(-2) wrote:
I prefer a larger brush with a good point as it has a good paint reservoir and the paint flows better. I can do better multi color eyes with a pointy 3 or 6 than I can with a 000.

On what size model?! I can't fathom attempting to do the eyes of say a standard Malifaux model with anything bigger than a 0.

When it comes to painting something small, the point is much more important than the belly on a brush. A quality made natural hair brush will have an extremely fine point.

I use a 1 or a 0 for everything outside of working with oils, enamels, and other non-acrylic stuff.

A 00 and a 1

2 on occasion.

Size, at least within a brand (for the sake of consistency), just denotes rough hair count and ferrule diameter (or length, if you aren't talking about rounds). For details, having a very fine point is more important that having fewer bristles. My old 10/0 nylon doesn't even have a taper - it's just ~3/64" all the way down its length. My R&co. S.99 #2 has an infinitely finer point, let alone the S.33 #0. For some tasks, a 1/2" flat or even a 1" chip brush will do you just fine.

Horses for courses, I believe the saying goes. It's possible to go too small or too large for a given task, but if it works for you... you're fine.

Personally, I do most of my work with brushes in the 0-2 range. They're decent quality, of course, so they perform better than the previous lot that ranged from 00-20/0, plus a few larger ones. If you're trying to paint the trim on a SM's shoulder pad with a 2" brush, you're an idiot. If you're catching flak for using ONE size larger than another guy, that guy is an ass that thinks he knows everything. Switching brands is likely to cause more of a size discrepancy than going up or down by a single size rating.

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:

 sockwithaticket wrote:

 SQRT(-2) wrote:
I prefer a larger brush with a good point as it has a good paint reservoir and the paint flows better. I can do better multi color eyes with a pointy 3 or 6 than I can with a 000.

On what size model?! I can't fathom attempting to do the eyes of say a standard Malifaux model with anything bigger than a 0.

When it comes to painting something small, the point is much more important than the belly on a brush. A quality made natural hair brush will have an extremely fine point.
.

I know that, but the point of my W & N S7 size 2 is almost the size of the average Malifaux figure's eye. I genuinely can't see a size 3 or higher being any use in that situation, no matter how fine the point. It' footprint when any pressure is applied would simply be too great.

Its not the size of the brush that matters, but what you can do with it

 sockwithaticket wrote:

 ScootyPuffJunior wrote:

 sockwithaticket wrote:

 SQRT(-2) wrote:
I prefer a larger brush with a good point as it has a good paint reservoir and the paint flows better. I can do better multi color eyes with a pointy 3 or 6 than I can with a 000.

On what size model?! I can't fathom attempting to do the eyes of say a standard Malifaux model with anything bigger than a 0.

When it comes to painting something small, the point is much more important than the belly on a brush. A quality made natural hair brush will have an extremely fine point.
.

I know that, but the point of my W & N S7 size 2 is almost the size of the average Malifaux figure's eye. I genuinely can't see a size 3 or higher being any use in that situation, no matter how fine the point. It' footprint when any pressure is applied would simply be too great.

Malifaux eyes (and models) are soo itty bitty o.O I use my W&N 0 for them usually, and for a lot on those models in general, except the very first base coat.

Generally, I use size 2 brushes for basecoating and maybe the first layer on something that's a large part of the mini (like a coat/cloak). Otherwise I use 1s for everything else. Rarely I use a 20/0 or such like, and if I do it's just for eyes or eye-sized tiny details.

Of course, for vehicles and terrain I use a larger brush, also for drybrushing, generally. My favorite is probably my mom's camel hair brush, that's probably a size 6? or so.