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.

Hello all,

Looking for some beginner brush advice.

I've picked up the starter set and the paint and tools pack. There's a brush with it, but seems a bit on the large size for doing detailed work. Based on the tutorials I've watched I'm guessing I'm going to want a small brush and a dry brush to go with it.

I looked at the citadel ones first but they don't appear to have great reviews. People are recommending Windsor & Newton ones but they're a bit expensive and at this stage I'm unlikely to notice the quality. Can anyone recommend a few other ones? I don't want to spend loads on them, but I'm happy paying more than the many budget ones which appear to be all over Amazon!

Also is it worth getting brush soap?

Thanks

brush soap yes, as for others, check out what you can get hold of locally, I'm using the "creative models" red sable kolinsky ones, black triangular handles, they also have white synthetic ones with round green handles. not too expensive and cheap enough to chuck when they split etc

but learn how to clean them, and the rounded tipped drybrushes are amazing

whats good though is to get in person, so you can look at them and not pick up the obviously knackered ones

don't go too small, I have a 0/4 and 0/2 but don't use them much a 0 and a 1 are good, a 2 & 4 do most of the base coating that its done by a larger flatter brush

There are pros and cons to all things, especially brushes.

I’d recommend finding some affordable kolinsky sable brushes at the right size. Either on Amazon or your local art store. I know a store near me almost always had some decent ones on sale.

The last cheep brushes I got were from amazon

https://www.amazon.com/ZEM-BRUSH-Kolinsky-Artist-Detail/dp/B00M7HPVV2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=AB4S2U12F2WQ&keywords=zem+brushes&qid=1691411968&sprefix=Zem+%2Caps%2C375&sr=8-7

They did solid work. Did not hold up as well, or with the body/snap of the W&Ns I’ve got, but at like a quarter the price, hard to argue. Still getting use out of them 3 years later (for rough basecoats, drybrush, etc)

And absolutely get brush soap. Get in the habit of good brush care, even on junky brushes. When you do graduate to better ones, you will have all the right habits.

Winsor & Newton are barely affordable these days, Series 7 have gone up to approx £28-£35 when they were priced at a fraction of that only a few years ago.

If I were you I'd start out with some regular sable brushes until you have picked up good brush habits: don't let the paint get anywhere near the ferule (metal part of the brush), rinse your brush regularly while painting, thin your paints, use brush soap/conditioner, etc, etc! Youtube has some great beginner tutorials.

As long as the brush has a good tip, and you look after it, you won't need the tiny brushes. I've been painting for over 30 years and I use a No1 or No2 for 95% of my painting.

000 and 00 size brushes are a trap, in my humble opinion. I even do pupils of eyes using a size 1.

Kolinsky sable comes from Russia...

Crispy78 wrote:
Kolinsky sable comes from Russia...

It's no wonder that the price has risen then...

My recommendation for beginners and anyone that uses synthetic brushes in their arsenal:

Windsor Newton Cottman 111 round synthetics. Get a couple of sizes but definitely a number 2 and something like a number 5 for basing and priming by brush. Number 2 will do most everything after basing. You will get a slight hook (all synthetic brushes do eventually) at the end but if you care for them it won’t be immediate and you can paint just fine with it.

Get green stuff world brush cleaner. It’s brilliant

Don’t let the paint more than half way up the bristles and don’t let it dry on the bristles.

If you want to dry brush get one of the citadel ones


Automatically Appended Next Post:
I’ve found that cheap kolinsky off Amazon for example is rubbish and doesn’t last more than one painting session.

If you have to use kolinsky then as a beginner buy green stuff world gold series kolinsky. It’s about £7 a brush and keeps a good point (again you have to look after it).

It sounds a little cheap but i have 1 or 2 fine detailbrushes and the rest of my brushes come from a discont store a pack of 6 to 8 brushes for 5 euro and a make up brush for drybrushing. And im very happy. the fine detail brush i use for eyes and other little stuf. and if the brushes dont hold up anny more i will take a new package.

I have Windsor & Newton series 7 brushes but I rarely use them, too scared they'll get ruined. At the end of the day, I found out I really like the recent STC synthetics by citadel, for me, not having to agonize over ruining a brush helps alot, painting the finer details is stressful enough on its own hehehe!

+1 for synthetic from me too.

Their affordability allows you to gain experience with wide variety of brush head types without worrying about ruining them.

No amount of brush care will completely prevent acrylic paints from ruining the brushes - it's simply nature of the medium.

The only way you MIGHT achieve this is if you're switching out your water can after every dip and washing your brush with soap after every stroke - which is extremely impractical where you spend more time cleaning your brush than you are painting.

As for the sizes, I would recommend a 00 and a 1, and short bristled round dry brush. As your brush control improves, you may find even larger brush (size 2-4) to be more useful for most tasks less fine detail work. If working on vehicles, consider 4-6 filbert as well. Size 10-14 flat/filbert may be need for large flat panels to reduce brushstrokes.

 tauist wrote:
I have Windsor & Newton series 7 brushes but I rarely use them, too scared they'll get ruined. At the end of the day, I found out I really like the recent STC synthetics by citadel, for me, not having to agonize over ruining a brush helps alot, painting the finer details is stressful enough on its own hehehe!

I’ve just bought one of the STC brush and have a bit of a play with it and really liked it so far. I’ve mostly used it for applying contrast paints in a more precise manner but I’m going to experiment with it. It looks like it keeps a good point which is a nice change from the old citadel brushes

Thanks all, think it's going to be a case of see how I get on. Better to learn from my mistakes with some basic models and hopefully allow me to make better choices in the future!

Are Army Painter brushes any good? It's another make that keeps popping up, although they seem slightly different to others as they don't appear to list specific sizes (instead they have names).

Thanks

Bertie wrote:
Thanks all, think it's going to be a case of see how I get on. Better to learn from my mistakes with some basic models and hopefully allow me to make better choices in the future!

Are Army Painter brushes any good? It's another make that keeps popping up, although they seem slightly different to others as they don't appear to list specific sizes (instead they have names).

Thanks

I wouldn't recommend Army Painter brushes, I found that they didn't hold their point for very long, but maybe I had a bad couple of brushes. Others may have a different opinion.

I use rosemary and Co brushes huge selection , decent prices and they do have miniature sets if you want.

They are fantastic brushes too!

Rosemary & Co series 33 are my main brushes. I have a 0, 1 and 2, and don't really use the 1. They're very good, but not as cheap as they used to be - probably the cost of the sable increasing. About £7-8 a brush now.

Bertie wrote:
Thanks all, think it's going to be a case of see how I get on. Better to learn from my mistakes with some basic models and hopefully allow me to make better choices in the future!

Are Army Painter brushes any good? It's another make that keeps popping up, although they seem slightly different to others as they don't appear to list specific sizes (instead they have names).

Thanks

I would inquire your local art stores. Not sure about which ones are the 'main' brands in UK, but many of these larger "chain" stores have their "house brush" that are typically cheaper than "name brand" brushes.