Let's talk, brushes...

[Dindrenzi]

Hey folks,

 

I purchased some Games & Gears brushes a while back, when I first started thinking of getting back into painting (the ones with the click on lids as I travel and thought they'd be good...) But I'm not a fan really.

 

The number 2 brush is excellent, but it appears to hold a lot of water (I think I've dried the brush compltely on kitchen paper, no water being absorbed from the bristles. Then 10 seconds later, the tip has water about to drop from it.)

 

The other brushes don't seem to be on the same level (the number 1 appears to be split)

 

I'm going to order some kolinsky sable brushes from Rosemary & Co. (I drive through where they are located daily) and wondered what people would class as 'must haves' brush wise?

 

https://www.rosemaryandco.com/watercolour-brushes/pure-kolinsky-sable/pure-kolinsky-designer

 

This is the range I'm going for. Definitely a number 1 and 2. But what would you use as a wash brush (no. 3 or 4?)

 

Or would one of these be better for washes? https://www.rosemaryandco.com/watercolour-brushes/pure-kolinsky-sable/pure-kolinsky-onestroke

 

Just wondering what everyone else uses...?

[Razblood]

A 2 will be a good workhorse brush, for basecoating, larger highlights.

 

A 1 will be good for midsized details, edge highlighting and such depending on your brush control.

 

Pretty much any shape brush is suitable for washes, however it depends what kind of washing you're looking to achieve?

If you are recess shading then a 0 or 1 would be best to give you fine control, if looking to mop the wash on then a 3 would do the job well (which is what I generally use for that purpose)

 

Not had the chance to use them myself yet, but I've heard a lot of good things about Rosemary & Co. brushes, so any you get should be great.

[Gordon Shumway]

I would just use whatever cheap brushes you have available for washes. The paint will get into the ferrule because of the capilarry action and eventually go bad, so might as well go cheap there and spend more on the good brushes.

[Dindrenzi]

Cheers guys.

 

I went for a pure sable 0, 1 & 2 and a red sable 3 for washes.

 

Just to wait for delivery now

[NiceGuyAdi]

I went with Rosemary & Co series 401 brushes (sable mix) when I started back up in the hobby. The only thing I can compare them to are my very hazy memories of Citadel brushes in the late 90s, but I really like them, and they're well priced against the brands that normally get thrown about.

 

Looks like you've got a good start point there, you may want to later add a 3/0 for small detail like eyes etc, and I've found their series 768 flat size 6 handy for base coating marines (make sure you thin your paint first though or you'll gum up all the detail). I bought a series 768 size 4 which has been a waste though; the bristles are so short paint just goes straight in the ferrule, and it doesn't hold much more paint than their 2, anyway.

[White Wolf]

Rosemary and Co brushes are very good, and the turnaround is very quick although not applicable to you.

I don't think they are as good as W and N Series 7 sables - I use both brands and I think the W and N brushes are better quality and seem to be longer lasting.

With both brands I use the shorter bristle "miniature series" as I'm a bit cack handed now I've got older and I find the shorter bristle brushes easier to control. I think both companies market them as "miniatures brushes" although in this context the "miniatures" relates to oil painting miniatures rather than miniature figurines.

With any sable brushes I would recommend getting some artist brush soap - it really helps in keeping the bristles soft and the ferrules clean. I also use a lot of flow enhancer and retarding medium in my palettes - I used to use a wet palette exclusively but now I've moved to plastic artists palettes which you can pick up for £1 in Hobbycraft - allows you to pool and thin paint, which if you use a retarder lasts for a while. It also means that you're not dipping the brush in up to the ferrule which helps keep it clean.

ATB WW

[Dindrenzi]

I went with Rosemary & Co series 401 brushes (sable mix) when I started back up in the hobby. The only thing I can compare them to are my very hazy memories of Citadel brushes in the late 90s, but I really like them, and they're well priced against the brands that normally get thrown about.

Looks like you've got a good start point there, you may want to later add a 3/0 for small detail like eyes etc, and I've found their series 768 flat size 6 handy for base coating marines (make sure you thin your paint first though or you'll gum up all the detail). I bought a series 768 size 4 which has been a waste though; the bristles are so short paint just goes straight in the ferrule, and it doesn't hold much more paint than their 2, anyway.

Cheers. I looked at a flat brush but couldn't decide lol. I see a lot of tutorials using flat brushes as base brushes so may order one of those.

Rosemary and Co brushes are very good, and the turnaround is very quick although not applicable to you.

I don't think they are as good as W and N Series 7 sables - I use both brands and I think the W and N brushes are better quality and seem to be longer lasting.

With both brands I use the shorter bristle "miniature series" as I'm a bit cack handed now I've got older and I find the shorter bristle brushes easier to control. I think both companies market them as "miniatures brushes" although in this context the "miniatures" relates to oil painting miniatures rather than miniature figurines.

With any sable brushes I would recommend getting some artist brush soap - it really helps in keeping the bristles soft and the ferrules clean. I also use a lot of flow enhancer and retarding medium in my palettes - I used to use a wet palette exclusively but now I've moved to plastic artists palettes which you can pick up for £1 in Hobbycraft - allows you to pool and thin paint, which if you use a retarder lasts for a while. It also means that you're not dipping the brush in up to the ferrule which helps keep it clean.

ATB WW

I have some masters brush soap, came with the Gear & Games Ichiban set I got. See, I've just started using a wet palette and I'm really not sure about it. I'm using Scale 75 paints and I find it tries to thin them way too much, to the point where it looks like I'm painting with washes. I've got some of those plastic palettes in the post, pretty sure I'll be switching to those until I'm competent enough to try NMM, then the wet palette will be in it's element

[Stoic Raptor]

If you have a problem with consistency on a wet palette, you've oversaturated it.   It's a tricky balance, but once you get the hang of it you'll wonder why you didn't start using one sooner.

[Bloody Legionnaire]

Never used Rosemary & Co. Windsor & Newton kolinsky sable are the only brushes I will ever buy again for painting. I would definitely give them a try!

[Verger]

I use ProArte Acrylix series brushes.  They're designed for acrylic and they take a LOT of abuse, too.  Very durable.  ProArte also do a "Minature Painting" series - but frankly - they're :cuss.

[White Wolf]

@ Dindrenzi, I use scale 75 paints for a lot of my brush painting stuff - it works way better in the plastic palettes that the wet palette - although I still use the wet palette for other makes of paint like Vallejo metallic which I swear by.

ATB WW

[Imren]

I have used both:

• W&N series 7, size 1
• Raphael 8404, size 1

And I can say that these two are pretty much equal in terms for quality, ability to hold point, paint flow and bristle rigidity. The Raphael have a slightly slimmer handle. The difference is the pricing, The Raphael cost around USD 9 and W&N s7 cost around USD 13 (Price reference: Amazon today).

 

So those of you that really like the W&N series 7 I can highly recommend to try out Raphael 8404 that cost way less but is pretty much the same brush.

[Semper Fortis]

I like the W&N series 7 best, regular size not the miniature ones. The miniatures have a much smaller belly and a size 1 holds very little paint. Raphael 8404's are a close second IMHO. Haven't tried the Rosemary brushes but will at some point.

 

Broken Toad brushes not so much. I bought one that started to splay almost immediately -and I'm really fanatic with brush care. It's relegated to larger area metallics now.

[SW1]

I use the R&C brushes and really like the series 99 as a work horse brush and the series 33 for detail work.

[Major_Gilbear]

Unfortunately, the various hobby-branded top-end Sable brushes that have been marketed in the last 5 years or so have often turned out to be of highly variable and irregular quality, especially for the prices charged. I would therefore always recommend going with a well-known artist's brand instead, and aim to buy Kolinsky Red Sable.

 

Other Sable is fine for washes, and natural bristles like Hog hair are great fro drybrushes, but for careful precise work it's nearly impossible to beat Kolinsky.

 

With respect to which brand of artist's brushes is better, once you get past build-quality, the rest is down to subjective preference. I like the W&N Series 7 because they combine a number of features that I personally like; however others like longer brushes, or brushes that hold more paint, etc.

 

I normally find that for regular 28-35mm scale models, a Size 1 will do pretty much everything. A Size 2-3 is good for bigger models like Dreadnoughts, but after that I'd consider getting some good quality ordinary Sable flats for doing big areas instead. A Size 0 may be tempting for doing eyes and such with, but you honestly won't need it as the point on the Size 1 is just as sharp. If you need a brush bigger than a Size 3 for applying washes with, then I would strongly reconsider what you're looking to acheive with the washes, as at that point applying them in a more targeted manner will probably yield better results and save you a lot of work. ;)

 

I suppose the other thing to mention is that as they are expensive to buy, it's worth looking after them. I would highly recommend buying a small cake of The Masters Brush Soap, and cleaning your brushes out at the end of each painting session. Even when you're careful with them, you'll be amazed at how much much the soap gets out of them! I bought the smallest sized cake about 10 years ago, and I reckon it's probably got another 30 years left to go bases on usage to date - so don't feel you need the bigger ones at all. :)