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.

Does anyone use Michaels for a local paint brush supplier.? I feel like many of us in the states use this store on occasion for supplies and it would be great to be able to have a listing of available products that we use day to day while working on minis.

1. IN specificI have been trying not to use GW products if possible and i was just wondering, in specific if any of you have found a good detail, larger detail brush and a good dry brush at Michaels crafts stores
If you do, can you please either post a photo or a link to the item on Michaels website and describe how it has worked for you. i.e., a short review of the product.

Good? Not really. Serviceable? Definitely. Quoting myself from other threads, to save time:

If you want a cheap placeholder that functions roughly like a good brush, I've actually had decent luck with the cheap watercolor round 4-pack from Michaels (the store brand - Artist Loft). They occasionally need a bit of careful trimming to get them in good working order, but they keep decent tips for the first few months, with proper care, and the larger sizes have reasonable bellies (thin, but long). They're not high-quality Kolinsky sable brushes, by any means, but they work as well or better for our purposes than any of the synthetics or blends sold at craft stores that I've tried; plus, the 4-pack cost me as much as a single small round from the racks above them.

They're a far cry from high end sable brushes, but they beat the heck out of every <$5 synthetic/blend I've tried and the 4-pack costs as much as many singles of comparable size (coupons sweeten the deal, but the'yre pretty reasonable, even at list price). Rifle through the packs until you find a good looking one (some have visible stray hairs or have bucked their covers in the sleeve and gotten creased/splayed in shipping). With moderately careful cleaning and perhaps a minor trim at the start, they'll last for a reasonably long time with reasonably good results. At the very least, they behave more like "real" brushes than shorter, thicker synthetics that can push house paint, but hook and get bushy after the first week.

I use the Artist Loft watercolor rounds from Michaels as my "serviceable low- to mid-range" brushes, since they're cheap and easy to get. Tried a few of the more expensive singles from the top racks early on, but didn't find them to be significantly better - certainly not enough so to justify the cost (one of those brushes costs as much as a 4-pack of the house brand and nearly as much as better brushes ordered online). The AL rounds are skinny and straight-sided, which I might consider a boon for edgelining (assuming you paint with the edge, as I do). The length, as much as the width, determines the volume of paint that the belly will hold, so I can use the 5/0, 3/0, or 0 just as easily, simply choosing the size that holds the amount of paint I want.

Drybrushes are much easier. I've used everything from cheap hog hair chip brushes (for rough jobs, at least, like basing/terrain) to white nylon flats and stencil brushes (designed for stippling - very fat, round head and a shallow, conical tip). Swing through the Clearance aisle before you hit Fine Arts, if you're looking for drybrushes - they're semi-disposable painting tools without strict qualifications, so grabbing an assorted handful for a few bucks isn't a bad idea.

I use plenty of other tools and materials from Michaels for hobby-related tasks, but they really aren't the greatest source for miniature painting brushes. I have bought and will likely continue to buy brushes from them, on occasion, but not my "good" brushes - for those, I'll go online and order from one of the more reputable lines (W&N Series 7, Raphael 8404, Rosemary & Co. S.33, etc.).

I've been getting my brushes from Michaels for years now, along with a small bottle of brush soap to clean them.

You can get the cheap packs, but if you invest a bit more in individual brushes you get brushes that will stand up to years of use, so long as you take care of them.

These brushes?

So i got a set of 4 for less than 1$ each. the tips are pretty sharp and as said, they have strait sides. I tested them out and I have to say, for the money they seem like they are pretty fair detail brushes though they done hold as much paint as i would like. This may also be due to the fact that GW paints seem to be fairly thick but thin on pigment.

For dry brush I use whatever, long hair, short thin or thick. For extreme detail I'd do yourself a favour and get a Series 7 brush, you won't be disappointed. High end sable requires more care, so make sure to get a brush cleaner puck.

I like the 'american painter' ones, the purple handled ones. On sale they're 2-3 dollars each and they have held up well for me.

 sennacherib wrote:
These brushes?

So i got a set of 4 for less than 1$ each. the tips are pretty sharp and as said, they have strait sides. I tested them out and I have to say, for the money they seem like they are pretty fair detail brushes though they done hold as much paint as i would like. This may also be due to the fact that GW paints seem to be fairly thick but thin on pigment.

I've got a ton of those, I use them for throwaway brushes. They do fine for grunt work, and I'm not afraid to not be perfect at maintaining them since they're so cheap. Not bad at all, yeah.

Not quite what I was talking about. Same pack, but those are for acrylics (synthetic, probably Golden Taklon), not watercolor (unidentified natural hair). Shape is slightly different, too - the watercolor brushes have much longer bristles, more like riggers than normal rounds.

I'm sure those would work just fine, for a while, but I've found natural hairs to be far more resilient than synthetics, assuming proper care. Both Artist Loft and American Painter/Golden Taklon and white nylon brushes have first hooked, then turned into brooms on me. The natural hairs never hooked and took easily three times as long to become unable to hold a point.

Some people are perfectly happy doing general with synthetics. I'm not one of them. Unless I need the resistance to solvents or expect a short life, anyway (i.e. drybrushes), I go with natural hair, even for "beaters."

To clarify something, I have two Kolinsky brushes I use for most standard brushwork. I just use the bulk brushes for things like Liquid Metal, drybrushing, washes, some basecoating, etc.

Honestly Hobby Lobby and Michales have good brushes..not the Bulk Taklon Packs (Great for Terrain,BaseCoating PVA etc)
But the Single Kolinsky-Sables are good to excellent if you look them over first ..

I will have to look into those next time i get back to Michaels mofydd. Thanks for the tip.

To which brushes do you refer? The bulk packs with the range from a sponge brush down to medium details? I use these for basecoats and drybrushing. Even the big ones can be used for scenery and such. The singles are a much better deal than Citadel and muxh better quality. Some are expensive, but with the Brush Cleaner, they will serve you well for good detail work.

I bought a citadel detail brush. it was without a doubt the WORST brush i have ever purchased. Too long. Not good for anything. I ended up cutting it down and using it for a stippling brush.