Brushes (Not the usual question)

[oldskoolrebel]

*Disclaimer* I'm not a good painter; I can live with that. I don't really have much of a clue what I am actually doing! What I am look for is some help choosing come paint brushes.

Currently I've been using The Army Painter range, specifically: small dry brush, regiment, detail and character. Now from some research these don't seem to be that much cheaper than the Rosemary brushes that are favoured by many here. http://www.rosemaryandco.com/pure-kolinsky-pointed

My question is with regards to size (woah-err misses). What size(s) of brush(es) should I be looking for? Ideally I'd like something a bit smaller than the regiment brush, I find this a wee bit too big. I'd also like something pretty similar to character brush.

My second question would be how should I look after these new shiny brushes? Just now all I do is clean them in water, replace their protective cap and place them upright in a tin. I've noticed that the bristles on the character brush (the most used of the brushes) are almost all away.

Cheers in advance guys!
Andy

[zizi666]

As for maintenance, check out this thread :

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=63032.0

[Too Bo Coo]

Hey Andy,

I have two kinds of brushes.  Cheap ones I buy by the pack, maybe $12.00 for 6-8.  They come in different sizes and I use them for more basic 'laying down the paint' stuff. My better brushes are W&N Series 7.  I have 0, 00, 000, 10x 0. I use these to blend.  The AP brishes are synthetic hair I think.  I have them as well and they work as good mid-range brushes. 

As to cleaning.  The cheap ones I clean every so often.  All of the rest I clean after every use without fail.  If you have a fine art supply locally you can buy what is essentially a bar of soap to use. I keep mine in a sealable plastic container.

Hope this helps!

[Mindenbrush]

I use Rosemary Series 33 Short Handle brushes and mostly size 'O' for all 15mm & 28mm work.

To clean the brush in between colours I have 1 jar of filtered water with a few drops of dish soap / washing up liquid which I initially wash the brush and a 2nd jar of filtered water to rinse the brush, Then I wipe the brush on a piece of cloth to remove excess water. Water jars get cleaned and refilled every day.

At the end of the week I wash my brushes in Tamiya Thinners which like the Brush Restorer removes any build up of acrylic paint in the brush hairs.
Then I dip in Hair Conditioner and wipe off excess. First thing every Monday morning my brushes get washed off in clean water and dried.

If you are using Enamels at any time you can give your brushes an extra clean by dipping them in Humbrol Liquid Cement and then wiping them off as the liquid cement evaporates - make sure you do this outside or in a very well ventilated place as the fumes are powerful 

[6milPhil]

I've a wide range of makes and sizes, but mainly use a 0 and a 1 with a broader cheaper wide brush for dry brushing. My fave range at the moment are the em4 ones; http://www.em4miniatures.com/acatalog/em4_Paint_Brushes.html

[Captain Blood]

90% of my painting is done with a Rosemary 33 10xzero. Yes that's a 10-0. It's not as small as it sounds. Works for me anyway.

[Atheling]

90% of my painting is done with a Rosemary 33 10xzero. Yes that's a 10-0. It's not as small as it sounds. Works for me anyway.

I do need to replace my 10/0 so i'm going to plumb for a Rosemary one and give them a try.... W&N are too expensive for what you get these days.... reckon they've slowly reduced in quality anyway.....

Darrell.

[Cubs]

I bought a 10-0 Kolinsky at Crusade (I think it was from DougEm4, so I'm saving that link from 6milPhil) and it's a thing of beauty. Good price too.

But yeah, my workhorse brushes are also the Army Painter range, which are good enough for government work. I also use the Character and Detail brushes for most of it, and I guess they're about size 1 and size 0 (or maybe 00) respectively.

I have two jars of water - one with washing up liquid and one with just clean water. The brushes go in the soapy one first for a shake, then in the clean water. I'm also a dyed-in-the-wool licker of the brush. It may well be nasty (especially when the water goes fetid) but I find my drool helps keep them in a point when sleeping in their little protective tubes.

Don't use warm water to clean your brushes, because it loosens the glue that holds the bristles in. If you haven't done this and the Character brush is shedding like a labrador in summer, then your brush is faulty. Even your workhorse brush should last a good couple of years before expiring.

I find Citadel brushes are good quality, although expensive, and haven't had any major concerns regarding W&N or Rosemary either.

Please don't be tempted to buy Humbrol brushes, because you trust the name. I did and in my judgement they are very poor quality; the sort of thing you usually get free with kids' magazines and not cheap either.

[6milPhil]

90% of my painting is done with a Rosemary 33 10xzero. Yes that's a 10-0. It's not as small as it sounds. Works for me anyway.

 

I'm also a dyed-in-the-wool licker of the brush. It may well be nasty (especially when the water goes fetid) but I find my drool helps keep them in a point when sleeping in their little protective tubes.

Aye me too, also get to enjoy the taste of a little paint now and then.  

[Captain Blood]

Yeah, I know.

Many people have told me i'm mad, and that a 1, 0, or 00 hold a lot more paint yet have just as fine a point as a 10-0. Alas, I simply don't find this to be the case, and can't get on with a bigger brush... It's just what you get used to I suppose... 

[Silent Invader]

I've a wide range of makes and sizes, but mainly use a 0 and a 1 with a broader cheaper wide brush for dry brushing. My fave range at the moment are the em4 ones; http://www.em4miniatures.com/acatalog/em4_Paint_Brushes.html

Like Phil I am a fan of the EM4 brushes.  In fact, a big fan.

I use 2, 0 and 000

I block in with the 2, highlight with the 0 and go for the odd detail with the 000 as necessary.

The brush sizes might seem large but I give them a lot of abuse, such as mixing paint, so they do shed and wear.

Cleaning is with water and occasionally white spirit, though I always point them with a little spit (and no I don't lick them!) before storing them in their protective tubes.

I have a selection of old brushes that I use for undercoating, dry brushing, varnishing and terrain.

[Major_Gilbear]

Choice of brushes is fairly personal, as quote a lot depends on your painting style and how you treat the brush.

One thing that took me a while to learn is that small detail painting does not always mean using a small brush.

What I mean by that is that with a very small brush, the paint dries fast and they don't keep a sharp useful point all that well. A big brush can still have a sharp point however, and solves the issues of the teeny-tiny brush.

I usually favour a W&N Series 7 size 1 for most human-sized 28-35mm scaled figures, and that's just as good for doing nice wide strokes on flat areas as it is for doing pupils on eyes.

With nice brushes, it's worth taking a bit more care of them. That said, even regular brushes benefit from regular cleaning with some Master's Brush Soap (a small cake of that will last you forever), especially if you are a brush-licker. I also like to leave a little soap in the brush when I put it away as well, to help it keep its shape.

[FramFramson]

Yeah, I know.

Many people have told me i'm mad, and that a 1, 0, or 00 hold a lot more paint yet have just as fine a point as a 10-0. Alas, I simply don't find this to be the case, and can't get on with a bigger brush... It's just what you get used to I suppose... 

Same here. I use 4-0 and 5-0 brushes generally. It's not just the point, it's the casual stroke and side size as well. figures have irregular shapes and sometimes you need to be able to get in a tight spot any which way you can.

[6milPhil]

Yeah, I know.

Many people have told me i'm mad, and that a 1, 0, or 00 hold a lot more paint yet have just as fine a point as a 10-0. Alas, I simply don't find this to be the case, and can't get on with a bigger brush... It's just what you get used to I suppose... 

Well it does work for you there's no denying that. I think my smallest is 8/0 and that's for 6mm, like moustaches on troops, etc.

[Mitch K]

I have Kolinskys from 4 to 10/0. The commonest sizes I use are 1-2/0. I have some larger sables I use for blocking in, some synthetic flats (3mm to 15mm) I use for blocking in or drybrushing, some synthetic 1's and 0's (also for drybrushing) and some big floppy squirrel mops I use for varnishing.

That's before I get to fitches, sword liners, lettering blockers and all my weird and wonderfuls.

If someone asked I'd suggest Kolinskys from 1-3/0, then some sables/synthetics up to a 4 or so.