Are Our Brushes the Best Shape for Painting Miniatures?

[Tofty]

Hi All,

Just to clarify the misleading title; I'm referring to the shape of the handle, not the shape of the bristles.

On my albeit limited journey of returning to miniature painting after a few decades off, I've been struggling with brush control.
Much of this is just lack of experience and technique, but I feel some of it is the shape of the brush handle not being optimal for what I'm trying to do with it.

This led me to step back a little and question why the standard round paint brush is the shape it is and whether it's always appropriate for miniature & model painting?

The brushes we often use are just standard artist watercolour or acrylic brushes, designed for the needs of canvas painters, hundreds of years ago.
The only major concession we seem to get with "miniature specific" brushes is an exaggerated bulge just behind the ferrule and/or a triangular sectioned handle.
I think the main issue is that with other painting disciplines, like painting on canvas, the hand isn't expected to be supported, while with miniature painting; supporting the hand is pretty essential.
Due to the need for this support I feel like I want to be holding the brush further forward onto the ferrule, while also wanting a wider grip.
Sometimes I paint under a magnifier, so loosing the extra length at the tail of the handle would also seam beneficial, to not keep whacking the lens.

Having done some research; I couldn't find any other discussion on this from the broader community, with the only thing that addresses my issues being the Tamiya HG II and Pro II brush ranges.



However I'd probably want an even wider grip.

I want to design and build my vision of the perfect paint brush but I would be wasting my time if I'm just missing something important so:
Is there some fundamental reason the standard brush handle shape is still the best option for miniatures, or is there some validity in my concerns?
If this is worth pursuing as an idea; what have I not considered?

I plan to use the brush and ferrule from pre-existing brushes, so many types or brands could be used.

Any input would be much appreciated.

Cheers

[Codsticker]

Although my favourite brush right now has a round handle, I do prefer the triangular handles. Games and Gears used to make short brushes, with a relatively thick handle, which was in two parts: the handle also served as a cap which protected the bristles which was really nicely designed. Unfortunately, the tuft design was not the best: the larger brushes did not retain their point well and the tuft was to short and stout IMO, they were not very hardy. I don't believe they are doing business anymore.

[boywundyrx]

Interesting post, it does make me wonder why we persist with the long handles, even the shortest brushes I own could probably lose an inch and I wouldn't notice. 

I'm not sure I've landed on what my preferred cross-section is, though wider and maybe differently shaped (inc. triangle) make sense.

[FifteensAway]

Since the vast majority of brush handles in my collection are made out of wood and those that are not could be cut fairly easily, seems the simple answer is to cut the handles shorter and then round off the new end.  A stone disc in a Dremel tool would make quick work of that or a bastard file and a little bit of sanding. 

So, why not give that a try on an old brush and report back how it worked out. 

Certainly gives me an idea for some of the brushes I have with extremely long handles.

[fred]

Good question!

I've never given in much thought.

I've had some brushes with a wider triangular barrel - but they certainly didn't make enough of an impression for me to look for more to buy.

Handle length is a thing - I buy Rosemary and Co brushes - and avoid their watercolour brushes which have very long handles.

I think the main issue is that with other painting disciplines, like painting on canvas, the hand isn't expected to be supported, while with miniature painting; supporting the hand is pretty essential.
Due to the need for this support I feel like I want to be holding the brush further forward onto the ferrule, while also wanting a wider grip.

I'm kind of interested in this - do you support the brush hand with your other hand? If so what holds the figure? I tend to paint small scale figures so glue a number to a thick coffee stirrer / lollipop stick to paint, so hold that in my left hand and the brush in the right.

[jon_1066]

Do you not bridge between your hands?  I hold the model or stick in thumb and fore finger then sort of lock my pinkies.

[mikedemana]

I cut most of my brush handles in half with a pair of wire cutters -- or at least the ones I'll be using under my desk-mounted, light and magnifier. It was actually a little temper tantrum that led me to start doing it. I was getting so frustrated with the end of the brush banging against the glass or light, in a fit of anger, I snapped the handle in half. Then I went, "Hmmmm...." 

So, now, all my fine detail brush handles are cut in half. As for the shape, I haven't found that one feels better than the other...

Mike Demana

[fred]

Do you not bridge between your hands?  I hold the model or stick in thumb and fore finger then sort of lock my pinkies.

No.

Just tried doing this - and not sure what it adds - I'm probably doing it wrong as its probably quite hard to pick up from a short text description.

[Fitz]

I haven't found the triangular-barrelled brushes I've used to be all that comfortable, and I can't rotate them in my grip as easily as a round handle. I do like a fairly stout bulge towards the ferrule, but not to excess.

In the end, the shape and construction of the bristles is far more important to me than the handle shape.

[Tofty]

So, writing the initial post really helped me visualise what I was after and this is what I've come up with:





It's a simple two piece construction, with the two parts threaded together. The grip part has a taper inside it at the end, so the ferrule gets retained.
It's very easy to trim the wooden handle away by rolling it under a hobby or utility blade.

From my measurements this design could work for almost any brush up to a number 2, although the hole diameter and taper profile would need to be adjusted of each brush, as they subtly vary between manufacturers.
For larger sizes it would just need to be scaled up.

From some initial testing I think it has merit, so I'll look at making a set (3/0,0,2,4) and spending some time using them.
I'm also considering how these could potentially be made using materials other than printed filament. Seems like wood or carbon fibre would give a light, robust and pleasant feeling handle.

Watch this place I suppose.

Although my favourite brush right now has a round handle, I do prefer the triangular handles. Games and Gears used to make short brushes, with a relatively thick handle, which was in two parts: the handle also served as a cap which protected the bristles which was really nicely designed. Unfortunately, the tuft design was not the best: the larger brushes did not retain their point well and the tuft was to short and stout IMO, they were not very hardy. I don't believe they are doing business anymore.

I've not tried a triangular grip yet, I'll have to pick up one of the army painter ones and give it a go.
The travel style brushes are interesting, but you identify an important point that even if a brush maker comes out with a new and unique product that you really like the aesthetics of, if the bristles themselves aren't your preferred length, shape, type, quality, etc then it's a no-go, which is probably why they keep playing it safe and sticking with tradition.

Interesting post, it does make me wonder why we persist with the long handles, even the shortest brushes I own could probably lose an inch and I wouldn't notice. 
I'm not sure I've landed on what my preferred cross-section is, though wider and maybe differently shaped (inc. triangle) make sense.

I first thought about this while looking at the Rosemary and Co site, where their Series 33 brushes are sold as long or short handle versions. The long handle was stated to be for Easel painting, where the artist presumably stands further away from the canvas and uses the brush more like a wand than a pen. It got me thinking that we may essentially just be appropriating tools never really designed for our requirements.
As my holder thing is 3D printed; it does allow for a different profile, so I'll look at exactly how triangular it can be made without becoming far too large.

Since the vast majority of brush handles in my collection are made out of wood and those that are not could be cut fairly easily, seems the simple answer is to cut the handles shorter and then round off the new end.  A stone disc in a Dremel tool would make quick work of that or a bastard file and a little bit of sanding. 
So, why not give that a try on an old brush and report back how it worked out.
Certainly gives me an idea for some of the brushes I have with extremely long handles.

It's a solid yet simple solution to the length issue and essentially that is what I've done, albeit to the extreme.
The thicker grip was my primary focus and I did look at the pencil grip things they give to kids, but the diameters are wrong.

Good question!
I've never given in much thought.
I've had some brushes with a wider triangular barrel - but they certainly didn't make enough of an impression for me to look for more to buy.
Handle length is a thing - I buy Rosemary and Co brushes - and avoid their watercolour brushes which have very long handles.
I'm kind of interested in this - do you support the brush hand with your other hand? If so what holds the figure? I tend to paint small scale figures so glue a number to a thick coffee stirrer / lollipop stick to paint, so hold that in my left hand and the brush in the right.

Thanks,
I've been using a miniature holder I designed:



I either rest my palm on my fingers as they wrap around the holder, or I rest my fingers on the support hoop. I probably do need to make the hoop larger though.

Do you not bridge between your hands?  I hold the model or stick in thumb and fore finger then sort of lock my pinkies.

I do bridge, but I've noticed that when doing so my hand often ends up bend quite far back from the wrist when holding the brush in the "correct" place. I've also noticed this when watching other painters. While my current setup doesn't easily allow for the locking of fingers; it's an interesting technique and I will look into it further.


Thank you everyone for your comments, they have been most informative.
(looks like more replies came in while I was writing this one, so I'll get to those shortly)

[Cholmondely Percival IV]

This may not directly address the question that's been posed but may be worth thinking about until the ideal handle shape evolves or is designed. Last year I saw a video on Ninjon's YouTube channel  which recommended wrapping the brush handle with a length of elastic bandage to improve the grip. This seems to be popular with tattooists. I've not tried it yet but I found this product on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B0BWJMKXT8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_24?smid=A2S9WE1D5841WD&psc=1

[AndrewBeasley]

The main issue I find is that the high gloss finish on the brushes make them hard to hold (esp the triangular ones).

Due to a foot problem I have some sticky strapping tape that I am going to try to increase the grip and handle size. Nice thing is that it comes off cleanly so I can reverse the trial if needed.

The tape I am using is Kinesiolgy tape and looks thinner than the Ninjon one.

[Tofty]

I cut most of my brush handles in half with a pair of wire cutters -- or at least the ones I'll be using under my desk-mounted, light and magnifier. It was actually a little temper tantrum that led me to start doing it. I was getting so frustrated with the end of the brush banging against the glass or light, in a fit of anger, I snapped the handle in half. Then I went, "Hmmmm...." 
So, now, all my fine detail brush handles are cut in half. As for the shape, I haven't found that one feels better than the other...

Thanks, interesting to hear that brushes being too long is a consistent issue for people and there isn't some great purpose for the extra length that I'm just too inexperienced to appreciate.

I haven't found the triangular-barrelled brushes I've used to be all that comfortable, and I can't rotate them in my grip as easily as a round handle. I do like a fairly stout bulge towards the ferrule, but not to excess.
In the end, the shape and construction of the bristles is far more important to me than the handle shape.

I suppose as with so many things; a one size fits all approach cannot satisfy everyone.

This may not directly address the question that's been posed but may be worth thinking about until the ideal handle shape evolves or is designed. Last year I saw a video on Ninjon's YouTube channel  which recommended wrapping the brush handle with a length of elastic bandage to improve the grip. This seems to be popular with tattooists. I've not tried it yet but I found this product on Amazon:

Thanks for the recommendation, I found and watched that video. He said that he found it to be an improvement over using a standard brush, which coming from such a high level painter must mean something.
I don't envy tattoo artists having to do such precision and high-stakes work with that heavy and unwieldy devise, for hours on end.

The main issue I find is that the high gloss finish on the brushes make them hard to hold (esp the triangular ones).
Due to a foot problem I have some sticky strapping tape that I am going to try to increase the grip and handle size. Nice thing is that it comes off cleanly so I can reverse the trial if needed.
The tape I am using is Kinesiolgy tape and looks thinner than the Ninjon one.

Please let me know how affective you find adding tape is.


I was able to source some materials, so I've made a wood and carbon-fibre version of my prototype.



The wood is some beech dowel with some Danish oil on it. The front section is light grey PLA.

The carbon-fibre version uses a 10mm OD, 8mm ID tube for the grip, with a black carbon-fibre infused PETG printed insert glued inside it.
The tail piece is 6mm carbon-fibre rod



Adding threads to both the wood and carbon fibre was a bit of a trial and error process.
I changed the design of the thread in a couple of ways to both improve it's printability and cutability:
The thread angle was changed to 90 degrees from the more standard 60 degrees (or 55 degrees if you're really old).
Also the thread pitch was increased, but not the depth, so the crest of the thread was much larger than usual. This helps prevent chipping in the carbon-fibre by not cutting it to an external point.

Cutting a thread into the wood was only partially successful as it still wanted to chip and split off along the grain.
Thread cutting on a lathe is done too slowly for wood, so the solution would be to use a dremel type tool with a circular toothed blade as the cutter, instead of a fixed carbide bit.

It's not shown but inside the grip is a small insert that is what the brush ferrule actually sits in and this insert is screwed into the grip, from the rear, all the way to the front until it hits a shoulder flange.
This allows the holder to be converted to take pretty much any paint brush up to a maximum size, without having to change the whole grip.
Whether it be a Humbrol, Citidel, Army Painter, Artis Opus or Winsor & Newton brush; the holder should be able to take them without issue.

The next step is to make a full set for myself and see if I prefer them over a longer period of time. Then I suppose I ought to hand examples out to hobbyists for some broader feedback.

[Tofty]

So, I've been able to make some progress on this project, with a few brush sets made up and handed out to interested colleagues and friends; for some hands on feedback.
The limited responses so far have been positive, but it's early days.

If feedback is really positive I may move on to a very limited Kickstarter of 50-100 hand-made sets for a broader test group.


They definitely needed a proper cap for transporting them, so I've come up with a crude all printed solution, that just about works.






I also wanted to take advantage of the shape and have an easy access holder for the brushes.





I'm sure the bowl under each brush is totally unnecessary, as even a wet brush will never drip, but I can't do away with it, just in case.

[Redshank]

I cut most of my brush handles in half with a pair of wire cutters -- or at least the ones I'll be using under my desk-mounted, light and magnifier. It was actually a little temper tantrum that led me to start doing it. I was getting so frustrated with the end of the brush banging against the glass or light, in a fit of anger, I snapped the handle in half. Then I went, "Hmmmm...." 

This made me laugh, as I had a mini tantrum for exactly the same reason this morning!

So, I've been able to make some progress on this project, with a few brush sets made up and handed out to interested colleagues and friends; for some hands on feedback.
The limited responses so far have been positive, but it's early days...

Just catching up with this thread. We started talking mainly about length but we seem to have got onto width (as it were!)

I have never noticed width of brush being an issue. Are you purely aiming at having a more comfortable grip? Does the extra width detract from sense of control?