Where do you buy your brushes?

[Captain Blood]

A bit unfair - I do find W&N distinctly above average.

Possibly. But I did admit I was prejudiced
I just think they're a bit overrated given how expensive they are. But we agree, it's personal preference. There's no right or wrong answer 

I used the cheap ones from that cheap bookshop on the highstreet £1.99 for 3. They aren`t perfect and dont last very long but at that price I dont mind as they end up in a heirarchy of painting detail, vlovk painting, base coating and painting bases to finally used for glue and basing 

I'm with you there Karl. I'm afraid one of the reasons I like Rosemary's brushes so much is because not only are they good quality in the first place, but they are also very cheap (relatively). So if I use a brush for a few weeks, abuse it - which I do - and then chuck it away, or relegate it to stirring duties, then frankly, that's fine. It only cost the price of a pint. I wouldn't feel that way about a brush I'd paid seven or eight pounds for...

Horses for courses... Nuff said.

[westwaller]

Another vote for Rosemary & Co. I have bought and used loads of sable brushes in the past but Rosemary & Co brushes are really good and as the good captain says, relatively cheap so I don't fret about using the damn things as much as I do my seven or eight quid brushes... Short handles for me too- Series 33 and 92 from R & Co. I prefer shorter brush tips too.

[fred]

You want the short handle versions. The long handle brushes are ridiculously long - designed for dilletante watercolourists 

Thanks - put an order in late last night, and they have shipped already!

Of course I went for short handles - wouldn't want to be mistaken for a watercolouriste, would one.

[carlos13th]

I tend to order my brushes from Ebay.

[Cubs]

I like the em4 ones because I like the handles. That triangular cross-section makes it easier for me to control them and, as I already said, the quality and price (£3 - £4 depending on size) are great.

[maxxon]

I like the em4 ones because I like the handles. That triangular cross-section makes it easier for me to control them and, as I already said, the quality and price (£3 - £4 depending on size) are great.

Interesting... they look suspiciously like the Feldherr ones I have that are... not top quality.

The handles are nice. It would be nicer if they could also hold a point...

Obviously neither em4 or Feldherr are real brush manufacturers. They buy branded brushes from somewhere. I'm suspecting a German manufacturer since I doubt em4 specified German printings in their order... ofcourse the same manufacturer might have several quality levels and it's impossible to tell which one their client actually ordered.

[redeaston]

Rosemary & Co for me as well. They are a great price for the quality of the brushes. I have tried various types over the years but plan to stick with these from now on.

[westwaller]

Each to their own Mr Cubbins, but I didn't get on with my EM4 brush because of the cross section and the bristles were too long. It may be the size, I have a 0/4 one and it is as fine as many other companies 0/10s in all honesty,for me, there is a point when small brushes have too few bristles to work well, as they don't pick up enough paint...

'Orses for courses though, innit Cubs?

I would reiterate to the OP, that I recommend buying a selection of brushes from different manufacturers to see what suits your style.

[Elk101]

The only thing I found with the Rosemary's brushes is that despite Captain Blood using the same brushes I still cannot paint like him 
 

I still haven't figured out which brush works best for painting thin lines on clothes such as striped trousers or checked jackets.I either find I can't apply enough even pressure with a small brush or I apply blobs along a line with a bigger brush. What do people tend to use?

[The Mystic Spiral]

Stone Cold Lead on here pointed me towards Rosemary & Co 33 series sizes 0, 2/0, 3/0 and 10/0.

He is not wrong.

Though when Windsor & Newton series 7 are in full working order they cannot be beaten. BUT. They are nowhere near as consistent as they once used to be and though Jacksons.co.uk give a big discount they still come in at over £7 a brush. Rosemary's are half that.

I still haven't figured out which brush works best for painting thin lines on clothes such as striped trousers or checked jackets.I either find I can't apply enough even pressure with a small brush or I apply blobs along a line with a bigger brush. What do people tend to use?

This is probably more about the consistency of the paint than the size of the brush. To get nice crisp lines the paint needs to be thinned down a bit. Assuming you use acrylics try to thin your paint so it has a similar consistency to skimmed milk. I mainly use a Windsor & Newton size 2/0 or Rosemary's 3/0 (they are a size bigger than W&N) for doing the thin stuff.

J

[westwaller]

It takes a bit of practice to get up ones confidence, but I find a quick flick of the brush produces better results when painting lines etc, rather than slow and steady.
Get a pencil and try drawing a 'straight' line slowly, and then try drawing one with a quick flick of the pencil, and you should find that the quicker line is 'straighter.'

I have mentioned them before, but if you watch Toby from Artmaster studios painting tutorials on Youtube they give you a very clear illustration of just 'how' he paints, the brush techniques and stuff, it is worth a look.

[fred]

The only thing I found with the Rosemary's brushes is that despite Captain Blood using the same brushes I still cannot paint like him

Arse. That was the main reason I ordered some.  

My order from Rosemary's arrived this morning, after placing an order on Monday evening.  So very quick delivery.

I have been using em4 brushes for a while, but they have a been out of stock a couple of items recently, and their postage is a bit steep ( though this usually makes me buy a few other bits too).

I have to admit that my main problem with brushes seems to be letting paint dry inside the bristles of the brush. So I am trying harder to wash the brush more while painting and wash it at the end of a session with brush soap too.

[TheBlackCrane]

I would reiterate to the OP, that I recommend buying a selection of brushes from different manufacturers to see what suits your style.

It's a funny thing, in all the time I've been painting I've never had to really look about for brushes 'till now; seems like trying out some from Rosemary's and from W&N would be a good idea.

[Elk101]

Thanks for th advice Mystic Spiral. I'm mainly using either GW acrylics, including Foundation paints (all the old style), Anita's acrylics or Vallejo. I guess a lot of it is practice. When I see Captain Blood's or Cubs' stripes and checks it's just beyond me! I seem to recall seeing a lot of your stuff on shop websites too and you are no slouch! 

[Orctrader]

Rosemary's series 33 Kolinsky sable. Unbeatable quality for the price, and immaculate service and speed of delivery.

Me too.

Though I do use others besides their "33" that is the main brush for me.