I recently purchased Winsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Watercolor Brush size 3, 2, 1, 0, and some others. I used them once - taking extra gentle care of them since they are wacky expensive - and they are not holding their shape! There are individual bristles flaring off. The 2 brush has three bristles pointing accusingly at something that I can see. I'm very disappointed as I spent all the monies and ended up sad face. In the brushes' defense, I had to order from amazon - I live on an island and I couldn't go pick out the brush myself.
I've been enjoying the Da Vinci Maestro series 10. Nice full body which is really useful if you live in a dry climate, plus they have quite fine tips. You really can tell the difference when you change from synthetics.
Winsor & Newton Series 7 of course, are brilliant brushes. But I tend to only use them for the finest details. About 90% of my painting is done with a Pro Arte Renaissance kolinsky sable watercolour brush (green handle) which is a brilliant brush, holds lots of paint in the "belly" but keeps a really good point for a long time. They're also about £3 each from WHSmith in the UK, compared to about £12-£15 each for a decent W&N koinsky sable.
I got hooked on some cheap brushes (Thanks to Jim Wappel) you can get at hobby lobby (SKU 238295). They are cheap round size 8 craft brushes, and come in a pack of 12 for 5 bucks. That's right, 41 cents a brush. Use these for every thing from priming, basing, dry brushing, etc and save the W&N for the final layers and highlights.
thanks for the tips on the brush. I used synthetic for years ... Winsor is a huge game changer for sure... the fact that Amazon delivers it... Awesome. Really appreciate ... now back at those mini 😉
Just found you last night, today I have been watching your vids, rather than painting. It's a relaxing thing for me, so I am okay without always painting. I have never used good brushes in the past, figuring $3 or $4 was the high end of what I was willing to pay. Having painted for about a month now (after 15 years off), I have been doing lots of research and do see how most of what you stated here is true, synthetic bend super easy, and the smallest brushes are actually harder to paint with. Keep up the good work with sharing and informing!
You mentioned having your brushes upside down I apply to smalle magnet to the end of each of my brushes and install the metal strip over my work area that way I can hang my brushes right over my work area and there always at hand
My favorite answer to this question is always: the best brush is one you'll actually use. Try the cheap Michael's ones; get a couple Games Workshop ones; splurge on a Windsor and Newton when you have money. It's the only way to find out what you like and what works for your style. I have a couple pricey ones I've never liked and some cheap crappy ones I replace when they get sad looking because I can't live without them. It's like underwear--it all fits everyone differently and you have to try on all kinds to get the right fit for you. Just because someone else loves it doesn't mean you have to. Get what fits your junk...uh, style...and price range.
Makeup brushes are extremely useful for dry brushing, and generally come in a range of sizes for different sized tasks, and you can get them from anywhere.
After coming across your video with Jason from Monument, I picked up two of the pro synthetics. In the past I've found a lot of synthetic brushes that started off seeming great, but then EVERY TIME I would end up with a hooked tip in a relatively short time. So far I'm impressed with the two that I'm test driving, no hook yet! Maybe these will become my go-to workhorse brushes for the majority of my work.
Huh, I got some two dollar twelve pack of kids brushes, plastic handles and synthetic hair, but they've been my main round brushes for years. They do start to bend or lose their shape after painting for more than a minute or two, but just put it in water, and then pull back along a paper towl while twisting to reform the fine tip. Since I pretty much always do that anyway to keep the paint from drying on the brushes at least once a minute it's not really been an issue. Honestly I lucked out in that cheap pack, been great for years, still using the last couple after a decade (a lot of that not active in painting though admitedly). Also just tried to make my own dry brush, took and old sprue, shaved and sanded a little to smooth it as a handle, then snipped a bit of lid from a can of beans, snipped an inch of my hair off, and bent the little bit of metal around the end with the hair in them and some glue between it and the sprue. Just did that this morning, and just tested painting with it. It's not great, ok, but works fine. Big issue is I didn't put enough hair into it to be the ideal dry brush, so it's a bit slow on the dry brushing but nice for detailed parts of minis I don't want to over do it on the drybrushing with, since it's pretty slow on the application in a small area. I can make it much better the next time I bother, don't know if that'll be today, tommorow, or next week though. Still, if you got hair making your own can be fun and cheap. And it's nice having a brush you know you made, I both paint my mini as the painter, and the tool now.
Thank you so much for this fantastic video! Ass a new painter, I REALLY appreciate that you actually mentioned the numbered sizes. So many of these videos on this topic are people just giving nicknames to their brushes and links to their Amazon affiliates. You helped me better understand the sizes that would be best to use for the different techniques.
The W&N 7 size 1 was also my work horse for a long time but then I bought bigger sizes to give them a try. My feeling was that up to the size 4 the tip is a perfect point and I could even paint my best/finest freehand geometric forms with the size 3. If you love experimenting, finding out how big you can go with (high quality) brushes is definitely worth it. After your first super smooth base coat with a W&N size 4 you will never use something smaller :)
If you're using the "Miniature" brushes, then bigger is definitely better. The W&N Mini Size 2 is my most-used brush for detail work. I have a #3 on the way to me. I might use the #1 for really fine work but the smaller sizes are not particularly useful to me.
I can’t recommend highly enough the Escoda Prado tame synthetic brushes. They have held their shape perfectly, far better than my Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes which always have an uncontrollable hair or two that sticks out.
Lyla, have you tried using makeup brushes for dry brushing? I have just started doing this and it’s even better than a flat brush. I could get 10 makeup brushes for a dollar and have found them superior for dry brushing. You can also get micro brushes for make up which are like tiny dry brushes, for dry brushing tiny areas without getting paint on areas you don’t want to
Lyla Mev - The Mini Witch I think I got mine cheaply on EBay, because there are lots of little suppliers competing on there, although I’m in the UK. I figured 10 for £1 meant if it was a total failure it didn’t matter. It’s great for dry brushing metallics on vehicles which I am painting a lot
Raphael are my favorite, i prefer them over the W&N's. I also got broken toad MK3's recently, they seem softer and the bristles seperate easier also more likely to temporarely split during painting. I prefer raphaels for the larger belly and they seem to keep their tip better than the others ive had.
I like Raphael for purposes like base coating, layering etc. and W&N minis for detail work. You can go with a larger size like #3 to have a good belly and still do very fine work thanks to the super sharp tip. But an 8404 in #2 size is my standard workhorse brush
So does any paintbrush maker provide paint with hanger holes in the handle? Now I am thinking of getting a jewelry hanger and drill some holes or hooks in a few handles. :)
I got a question ... why would you use Watercolor Brushes instead of Acrylic Brushes ? Our paint is mostly Acrylic ..... I'm really wondering what the thought behind that is... thanks in advance.
Water color and acrylic brushes are structured differently. Basically, acrylic brushes are sturdier due to the faster nature of acrylic drying time, while water color brushes are softer. This softness is better for more detailed strokes and finer application, therefore, better for mini painting.
I've been using synthetic, but my favorite brush was given to me for free with an Army Painter set. It's real, so was looking to up my game with the Windsor Newton from your video. However, the ones from your link have a lot of reviews claiming they are counterfeit. Have you run into this. Thanks
I really like Richardson Red Sable Kolinsky round brushes buuuut they lost bristles frequently. So I should really find a new brand... I just like that they're available at my local art supplies store and are more affordable sable (which might explain the worse glue...)
I'm stuck with crappy brushes. I'm actually using some that I bought at the very beginning of my painting career (almost 30 years ago). No, they are not good. They are bent, missing hair have no tip... But I just can't throw them away. The sad part is that I actually bought some better brushes, but I simply lack confidence in using them.
I felt the same way with my first w&n but do it... Now I use them for on key parts of the mini and it gives me a feeling of breaking out the big guns and a smile to pop them out of the the plastic tube. They are a tool and when you get over the fear they will feel great in your hand. I do treat them with a lot more respect and care than any other brush I abuse.
@@LylaMev I followed your advice tonight. I picked one of my best brushes for some details. The result was more or less the same, but I noticed that it was way easier to achieve, and a lot more fun. Thanks!
MarcoFrisoniNJM showed a nifty way to do this in his recent video (th-cam.com/video/lp3YNnqyW00/w-d-xo.html). Don't know that I would go to all that trouble, but it is a good solution.
I actually use hair gel to reshape my brushes once in a while. I use junk brushes though. Just thin down the gel with quite a bit a water and work it into damp bristles. Shape it with your hands/mouth/whatever and let it sit. Hasn't seamed to mess with my paint or anything so.
I was disappointed by the Redgrass brushes - bought a couple when they Kickstarted because I love their wet palette. However, their slogan of "The Last Brushes You'll Ever Need" seems more to me like "the last brushes I ever use". They're adequate but they're too soft to hold a good point and I always wind up putting down these brushes and going for another one. Someone once recommended the Monument Bomb Wick brushes - these are also _not_ the bomb. For me, they're too long for such a narrow belly and they don't hold a point as well as my W&N or Raphaels. I have the #3 for undercoating, the others have been relegated to scut work like washes and metallics.
I had a similar experience with red grass brushes where At first, I did not like them. But, I kept finding myself reaching for them over and over. I use the bigger brush for base coating and the detail brush for lining.
@@LylaMev I know you mentioned that Raphael hasn't grown on you but may I recommend trying an 8404 in size #2? If I could use only one brush, I'd be able to do most of my work with that one. I love my W&Ns for detail work though.
I'm still trying to find W&N brushes in stock in places I buy from. Since I was in need of decent brushes, I decided to try Princeton 7050 Kolinsky sable. I like them, but the body is to small to hold enough paint. I was using Citadel brushes, which I dislike a lot, the beginner brush is the only one I have used that was actually useful to me.
I say this in the sweetest, most endearing, least insulting way possible, but your lower teeth remind me of Orcs from WoW. That is all. Hope you find that as complimentary as I imagined it being.
How to take care of your brush: Clean them as shown in the video Maintain them nicely as shown Pray to the painting gods Pray again because the first prayer didn't work Give up and buy more brushes
I would also add that it's NEVER a good idea to use your good brushes for washes, metallics, or contrast paint. Washes and contrast get sucked right up into the ferrule no matter what - capillary action is what makes them work, after all. And the mica flakes (or sometimes actual ground metal) in metallic paints will chew up bristles in short order. Better to use older brushes or synthetics for these.
Do you have a brand to recommend? What is your favorite paint brush?
I recently purchased Winsor Newton Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Watercolor Brush size 3, 2, 1, 0, and some others. I used them once - taking extra gentle care of them since they are wacky expensive - and they are not holding their shape! There are individual bristles flaring off. The 2 brush has three bristles pointing accusingly at something that I can see. I'm very disappointed as I spent all the monies and ended up sad face. In the brushes' defense, I had to order from amazon - I live on an island and I couldn't go pick out the brush myself.
Weird!! All of mine are from amazon and I’ve been happy with all of them! Did you try returning them?
I've been enjoying the Da Vinci Maestro series 10. Nice full body which is really useful if you live in a dry climate, plus they have quite fine tips. You really can tell the difference when you change from synthetics.
Winsor & Newton Series 7 of course, are brilliant brushes. But I tend to only use them for the finest details. About 90% of my painting is done with a Pro Arte Renaissance kolinsky sable watercolour brush (green handle) which is a brilliant brush, holds lots of paint in the "belly" but keeps a really good point for a long time. They're also about £3 each from WHSmith in the UK, compared to about £12-£15 each for a decent W&N koinsky sable.
I got hooked on some cheap brushes (Thanks to Jim Wappel) you can get at hobby lobby (SKU 238295). They are cheap round size 8 craft brushes, and come in a pack of 12 for 5 bucks. That's right, 41 cents a brush. Use these for every thing from priming, basing, dry brushing, etc and save the W&N for the final layers and highlights.
thanks for the tips on the brush. I used synthetic for years ... Winsor is a huge game changer for sure... the fact that Amazon delivers it... Awesome. Really appreciate ... now back at those mini 😉
One thing I feel should be mentioned is you should paint metallics with synthetic brushes as the metal flakes shred the bristles of the brush.
Just found you last night, today I have been watching your vids, rather than painting. It's a relaxing thing for me, so I am okay without always painting. I have never used good brushes in the past, figuring $3 or $4 was the high end of what I was willing to pay. Having painted for about a month now (after 15 years off), I have been doing lots of research and do see how most of what you stated here is true, synthetic bend super easy, and the smallest brushes are actually harder to paint with. Keep up the good work with sharing and informing!
You mentioned having your brushes upside down I apply to smalle magnet to the end of each of my brushes and install the metal strip over my work area that way I can hang my brushes right over my work area and there always at hand
Wonderfully informative and very helpful to a beginner like me looking to slowly upgrade their paint brushes.
Series 7 is my go-to since I moved from cheap brushes to good ones. i try on the brushes i can get my hands on but the 7s are my fav
My favorite answer to this question is always: the best brush is one you'll actually use. Try the cheap Michael's ones; get a couple Games Workshop ones; splurge on a Windsor and Newton when you have money. It's the only way to find out what you like and what works for your style. I have a couple pricey ones I've never liked and some cheap crappy ones I replace when they get sad looking because I can't live without them. It's like underwear--it all fits everyone differently and you have to try on all kinds to get the right fit for you. Just because someone else loves it doesn't mean you have to. Get what fits your junk...uh, style...and price range.
Idiotic advice. You can look up the OEM for games workshop and get the same thing for a fraction of the price.
@@Fridelain Golly, you're fun. Also, you may want to work on the reading comprehension, little guy. Maybe some anger management.
Makeup brushes are extremely useful for dry brushing, and generally come in a range of sizes for different sized tasks, and you can get them from anywhere.
I like the short hair of your detail brush, I think i will order one.
Thank you for your videos !
After coming across your video with Jason from Monument, I picked up two of the pro synthetics. In the past I've found a lot of synthetic brushes that started off seeming great, but then EVERY TIME I would end up with a hooked tip in a relatively short time. So far I'm impressed with the two that I'm test driving, no hook yet! Maybe these will become my go-to workhorse brushes for the majority of my work.
This was extremely helpful! Thank you so much!❤🖌️🎨
Huh, I got some two dollar twelve pack of kids brushes, plastic handles and synthetic hair, but they've been my main round brushes for years. They do start to bend or lose their shape after painting for more than a minute or two, but just put it in water, and then pull back along a paper towl while twisting to reform the fine tip. Since I pretty much always do that anyway to keep the paint from drying on the brushes at least once a minute it's not really been an issue. Honestly I lucked out in that cheap pack, been great for years, still using the last couple after a decade (a lot of that not active in painting though admitedly).
Also just tried to make my own dry brush, took and old sprue, shaved and sanded a little to smooth it as a handle, then snipped a bit of lid from a can of beans, snipped an inch of my hair off, and bent the little bit of metal around the end with the hair in them and some glue between it and the sprue. Just did that this morning, and just tested painting with it. It's not great, ok, but works fine. Big issue is I didn't put enough hair into it to be the ideal dry brush, so it's a bit slow on the dry brushing but nice for detailed parts of minis I don't want to over do it on the drybrushing with, since it's pretty slow on the application in a small area. I can make it much better the next time I bother, don't know if that'll be today, tommorow, or next week though. Still, if you got hair making your own can be fun and cheap. And it's nice having a brush you know you made, I both paint my mini as the painter, and the tool now.
I appreciate the insight into the varying products!
SO helpful! Thanks for the great video.
I needed this content! Struggling with taking good care of my detail brushes.
Thank you, this is a very well presented video.
Thank you so much for this fantastic video! Ass a new painter, I REALLY appreciate that you actually mentioned the numbered sizes. So many of these videos on this topic are people just giving nicknames to their brushes and links to their Amazon affiliates. You helped me better understand the sizes that would be best to use for the different techniques.
The W&N 7 size 1 was also my work horse for a long time but then I bought bigger sizes to give them a try. My feeling was that up to the size 4 the tip is a perfect point and I could even paint my best/finest freehand geometric forms with the size 3.
If you love experimenting, finding out how big you can go with (high quality) brushes is definitely worth it. After your first super smooth base coat with a W&N size 4 you will never use something smaller :)
If you're using the "Miniature" brushes, then bigger is definitely better. The W&N Mini Size 2 is my most-used brush for detail work. I have a #3 on the way to me. I might use the #1 for really fine work but the smaller sizes are not particularly useful to me.
3 hours ago, i ordered a set of Rembrandt Kolinsky sable series 100. My 1st set of "real" paintbrushes!
Great stuff friend 👏 👍
Really helpful video, thanks!
I can’t recommend highly enough the Escoda Prado tame synthetic brushes. They have held their shape perfectly, far better than my Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes which always have an uncontrollable hair or two that sticks out.
Lyla, have you tried using makeup brushes for dry brushing? I have just started doing this and it’s even better than a flat brush. I could get 10 makeup brushes for a dollar and have found them superior for dry brushing. You can also get micro brushes for make up which are like tiny dry brushes, for dry brushing tiny areas without getting paint on areas you don’t want to
I posted this half way through your video! The make up brushes are a type of domed brush I suppose
I want to! But whenever I go looking for them I can't find them in a price range I am willing to pay.
Lyla Mev - The Mini Witch I think I got mine cheaply on EBay, because there are lots of little suppliers competing on there, although I’m in the UK. I figured 10 for £1 meant if it was a total failure it didn’t matter. It’s great for dry brushing metallics on vehicles which I am painting a lot
Raphael are my favorite, i prefer them over the W&N's. I also got broken toad MK3's recently, they seem softer and the bristles seperate easier also more likely to temporarely split during painting.
I prefer raphaels for the larger belly and they seem to keep their tip better than the others ive had.
I like Raphael for purposes like base coating, layering etc. and W&N minis for detail work. You can go with a larger size like #3 to have a good belly and still do very fine work thanks to the super sharp tip. But an 8404 in #2 size is my standard workhorse brush
So does any paintbrush maker provide paint with hanger holes in the handle? Now I am thinking of getting a jewelry hanger and drill some holes or hooks in a few handles. :)
Great vídeo! 🥰
I got a question ... why would you use Watercolor Brushes instead of Acrylic Brushes ? Our paint is mostly Acrylic .....
I'm really wondering what the thought behind that is... thanks in advance.
Water color and acrylic brushes are structured differently. Basically, acrylic brushes are sturdier due to the faster nature of acrylic drying time, while water color brushes are softer. This softness is better for more detailed strokes and finer application, therefore, better for mini painting.
very informative thanks
have you ever tried cheap makeup brushes for dry brushing? I have heard they work well for that...
I've been using synthetic, but my favorite brush was given to me for free with an Army Painter set. It's real, so was looking to up my game with the Windsor Newton from your video. However, the ones from your link have a lot of reviews claiming they are counterfeit. Have you run into this. Thanks
I really like Richardson Red Sable Kolinsky round brushes buuuut they lost bristles frequently. So I should really find a new brand... I just like that they're available at my local art supplies store and are more affordable sable (which might explain the worse glue...)
So… how do you store brushes upside down…? My apologies if that questions seems puerile.
Any body tried synthetic godhand brush? I heard they are good
I'm stuck with crappy brushes. I'm actually using some that I bought at the very beginning of my painting career (almost 30 years ago). No, they are not good. They are bent, missing hair have no tip... But I just can't throw them away. The sad part is that I actually bought some better brushes, but I simply lack confidence in using them.
The best way to get confidence is to use them!!!
I felt the same way with my first w&n but do it...
Now I use them for on key parts of the mini and it gives me a feeling of breaking out the big guns and a smile to pop them out of the the plastic tube.
They are a tool and when you get over the fear they will feel great in your hand.
I do treat them with a lot more respect and care than any other brush I abuse.
@@LylaMev I followed your advice tonight. I picked one of my best brushes for some details. The result was more or less the same, but I noticed that it was way easier to achieve, and a lot more fun.
Thanks!
How do would one store a brush tip side down? Velcro? Clothespin? binder clip? Yikes, does anyone do this?
MarcoFrisoniNJM showed a nifty way to do this in his recent video (th-cam.com/video/lp3YNnqyW00/w-d-xo.html). Don't know that I would go to all that trouble, but it is a good solution.
Relevant part is at about 10.00 in that video, otherwise it's a long watch!
Rubber band around a tall cup or just tape
Pretty good broom ehhh... brush video for a witch ;)
I actually use hair gel to reshape my brushes once in a while. I use junk brushes though. Just thin down the gel with quite a bit a water and work it into damp bristles. Shape it with your hands/mouth/whatever and let it sit. Hasn't seamed to mess with my paint or anything so.
Nice idea! I have some old brushes I've been trying to "fix".
I was disappointed by the Redgrass brushes - bought a couple when they Kickstarted because I love their wet palette. However, their slogan of "The Last Brushes You'll Ever Need" seems more to me like "the last brushes I ever use". They're adequate but they're too soft to hold a good point and I always wind up putting down these brushes and going for another one.
Someone once recommended the Monument Bomb Wick brushes - these are also _not_ the bomb. For me, they're too long for such a narrow belly and they don't hold a point as well as my W&N or Raphaels. I have the #3 for undercoating, the others have been relegated to scut work like washes and metallics.
I had a similar experience with red grass brushes where At first, I did not like them. But, I kept finding myself reaching for them over and over. I use the bigger brush for base coating and the detail brush for lining.
@@LylaMev I know you mentioned that Raphael hasn't grown on you but may I recommend trying an 8404 in size #2? If I could use only one brush, I'd be able to do most of my work with that one. I love my W&Ns for detail work though.
When it comes to drybushing just steal your girlfriends makeup brushes :3
I get the black brushes from Michael’s.
lol the very end, I'm dying to know what I missed
I'm still trying to find W&N brushes in stock in places I buy from. Since I was in need of decent brushes, I decided to try Princeton 7050 Kolinsky sable. I like them, but the body is to small to hold enough paint. I was using Citadel brushes, which I dislike a lot, the beginner brush is the only one I have used that was actually useful to me.
Not sure where you are, but I get mine online from Dick Blick Art Supplies. Their service is exceptional.
@@HeadHunterSix I eventually found some. I checked Dick Blick and Jerry's Artarama and they would always be out of the size I wanted.
Nice hair
She needs a brush for that too. :D
I'm not too fussy about brushes. I like cheaper ones. Started painting in 1980. Never been a fan of expensive brushes. Probably never will be.
I say this in the sweetest, most endearing, least insulting way possible, but your lower teeth remind me of Orcs from WoW. That is all. Hope you find that as complimentary as I imagined it being.
How to take care of your brush:
Clean them as shown in the video
Maintain them nicely as shown
Pray to the painting gods
Pray again because the first prayer didn't work
Give up and buy more brushes
I lick my favourite brushes into a fine tip before storage.
Is that bad lol?
Anybody does that?😂
I would also add that it's NEVER a good idea to use your good brushes for washes, metallics, or contrast paint. Washes and contrast get sucked right up into the ferrule no matter what - capillary action is what makes them work, after all. And the mica flakes (or sometimes actual ground metal) in metallic paints will chew up bristles in short order. Better to use older brushes or synthetics for these.
Darn! Something I should have included.
@@LylaMev You could always do a video focusing on brush care.
Da Vinci series 10 or series 35 and you will never use anything else. 😉
First :
My first “first” comment!