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Hi Trovarion. I saw this comment lower and it's something I wanted to put here so more people see it. I always went with natural hair brushes, I often heard, that synthetic brushes would give less quality and can not replace natural hair ones. In addition I also did not want to support the production of more synthetic/plastic for the environment.... Then, however, I learned that most of this natural hair is coming from countries where there exist no, or really bad animal protection laws. There they breed for example especially red martens (for the Kolinsky brushes) and badgers in really small cages and really bad care,... just so I can put some color on some plastic? Therefore I looked into the brands and was also willing to pay much more if I would see for a certificate for the hair from responsible sources, or at least the origin country. However, you nearly NEVER find one. Usually brush companies get this product from big material sales companies ordering bunches of hair... and if they are expensive this is usually due to the quality and length of the hair, not animal welfare. So I reconsidered... synthetic brushes are still usually recyclable (when you separate the synthetic, Metal and wood components), they usually have less synthetic hair than a toothbrush, and the extra effort put into the production of synthetic hair brushes, so they perform similar to real hair ones, ultimately avoiding animal cruelty. While on the other hand martens or badgers maybe got all their claws and teeth extracted, so they can not damage the product growing on their back.... I couldn't buy another natural hair brush any more without thinking about the cruel pictures of their harvest. I gladly take the less good painting results.^ This is just another aspect I wanted to add to the brushes topic (this btw counts also for other natural hair paint brushes. Look for yourself how often you find the origin of the brush hair in the brushes at your home).Everyone, however, is free to choose what they prefer, or what they need. Maybe some don't have the money to afford expensive ones which really care about animal welfare regarding their hair sources, or if you are really into competition, small differences makin the end make the difference in winning or not, or if your results on a painting youtube channel look promising enough to be considered professional. So this comment is no offence to you or anyone using natural hair brushes. It was just something I stumbled upon when starting to paint minis. And I don't want this topic to be taken by anyone to start an out cry or hate against natural hair painters. If anyone wants to blame someone, start to demand according guarantees from brush producers(but please in a respectful way) or vote with your money and go for synthetic ones... imo.. It's something a lot of people don't notice or think about. The conditions these animals are kept in, if we all saw them up front in real life, most of us would never buy kolinsky brushes. The first company who does certified ethical kolinsky brushes will corner the market, with the right marketing. My hope is that someone like Rosemary does it. I would pay double for kolinsky sable that isn't from animals kept in bad conditions.
Great to see Rosemary and Co getting a shout out - incredible value for money and in my experience their brushes have had longevity that W&N and Raphael brushes havent matched.
This is probably the best brush overview video I've seen. Very thorough, and provides balanced information about brushes for different kinds of painters of different skill levels. I've had decent luck with Raphael 8404, and terrible experiences with Da Vinci and WN, at least for natural hair. For those in the US, there is a local option that is my go-to brush brand and has been since I discovered them a year or two ago: Scharff. They are based in Georgia and their series 3000 red sable brushes are my favorites. I would say that the belly is probably not quite as big as an 8404, but they keep a great point. They are easy to get in the US, the quality control is excellent, they are durable, and their customer service is also top notch. They aren't cheap, but I've not had one that has worn out yet.
You told me about the Raphael's years ago and ever since I've used the for the moments I need the most control over my paint, and will NEVER look back. Thank you ❤
What's interesting is how Kolinsky Sable has been the go-to standard for decades within the miniature painting hobby. If you look back from painting guides in the late 1970s early 1980's, they always recommend Kolinsky Sable brushes.
@singlespeedpunk7744 that sucks! You usually have to go through the stores stock of brushes to find the better ones because there’s always “bad” ones in the mix. That’s, understandably, impossible to do ordering them online. Luckily though you can revive some sables with using brush soaps.
@singlespeedpunk7744 my sable brushes all seem to do that too. I've been using the vallejo natural ones and they seem to hold a tip better or maybe I just changed my approach and didn't notice
@singlespeedpunk7744 I have two very different kolinsky sable brushes, one is advertised Finest and is for watercolor: use these for washes/shades/contrasts. Then the other are more geared towards acrylic and oil paint and they definitely hold a tip.
I also have only thin, short bristles left for my natural hair and a big belly. Maybe I should define myself as a paintbrush from now on... ;-) Very informative and well filmed video - thanks a lot!
Great video with a lot of useful stuff for beginners. I got told off once for recommending good brushes to a beginner, but my theory is the same as yours, you shouldn't have to fight against the tools you're working with, it makes learning so much more difficult. I've got an 8404 for when I want to get serious, and I've been using Revell Luxus (size 1 and 0) for the last 6 months as workhorse brushes, they've surprised me, despite being only £6, they keep a decent point for a long time, although the belly could be bigger.
havent clicked faster on a video before thanks for this insight! i too notice that I share the sentiment of better brushes make life easier after i bought a W&S Series 7. now that I saw that the terrible brush tip is just something inherent to the newer W&S brushes, im willing to try the ones you recommended for the perfect brush tip!
Nice informative video. I use a lot of Rapahel 8404s... they have some of the best bristles on a terrible handle. I'd pay more for them to leave the stupid sticker off and I'd pay a bit more for them to use a better lacquer that doesn't dissolve when it gets wet.
I bought 2 Raphael 1 year ago on your recommendation ( and affiliate link ;) and was scared of using them for quite a while. I started using them a few weeks ago and was blown away by the difference they make compared to standard GW brushes . Love it!
Thanks for this. I think I'm a bit hesitant to try natural hair bristles for 2 reasons: 1) the cleaning and 2) the cost. There's also the matter of having bought a Windsor & Newton sable brush about 4-5 years ago right when their quality was starting to go down but before it was common knowledge, so my first experience with a natural hair brush was disappointing. This makes me think maybe I need to give it another try.
This was a super helpful video! It's been over 30 years since I last painted minis, and I'm hoping to get back into the hobby soon. Back then I had no clue about brushes - which ones to use, how to use them, or how to properly care for them. This video will make such a difference when I get started again!
I have been using a size 3 Monument Pro-Stable brush. It is my go to for its size, and it’s super fine point. I definitely recommend them for new painters, or pros!
I actually recently picked this one up in the set of multiple sable brushes they sell, and I almost exclusively use the 3 since it does just about everything I could need or want.
I will second this. The number 3 pro Sable From Monument has also been my go to. I also have the 1 and 0, but I usually reach for the 3 even for the small details. Will pick up a 2 too see if it’s better than the 3 for small areas, and mostly to round out the set.
Great video and links. I haven't found better prices for brushes than Jacksons. I've found the da vinci maestro brushes to work really well for me and similarly found the windsor newton ones to be subpar. I look forward to trying out the Raphael 8404 next time i need to buy brushes. Also strongly agree that the citadel brushes are not worth the price. For about the same price you can get proper, real brushes.
agreed! - I stocked up a lot of series 7 around 20 years ago and the difference with what is sold now is massive. There used to be another - cheaper - series that was discontinued years ago (forgot the number) - and I think that current series 7 are worse than that one. Glad that other brands stepped in - but my stock will last me for years I guess.
My brush advice is extactly the same as yours, about 8 years ago i gave raphael a try as i could get them about 30-40% cheaper than w&n series 7 and i found them to be a better brush, mostly becouse their brush hair length was a little longer and i found it easier to avoid getting paint up deep towards the head of the brush. I also use isopropyl and masters brush soap to clean my brush. Another trick i find to be great is if i make a mistake i can carefully remove the paint with isopropyl on a brush, it works like an eraser and saves me heaps of time fixing mistakes.
I would love a video about how to test the different types of brushes and maybe some practice extercises to try and build a little confidence before tackling a mini that we want to paint better than tabletop
I’ve been on the same W&N S7 00 for about 4 years, used it on nearly every model I’ve painted. It still has a great tip but the belly is tiny. I have a 0 and 1 that I got at the same time and those have no faired as well over time. This made me realize I have probably earned some new detail and workhorse brushes. :)
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I started painting with a set of 10 brushes that cost me $2 and they lasted me nearly 2 years of painting once or twice a week and taking good care of the brushes. There are a lot of techniques that don't rely on having fine brush tips but I got a Kolinsky for my next project to see how much a difference it makes.
Been a Commission painter for 4 years and swapped to a Raphael 8404 for personal painting and high quality jobs. The jump in quality and my brush controll was dramatically.
8404 has been the best to me, however even with these I did have to buy a few to get a good base. This was in 2018 id say, I bought 8 size 1 and 4 size 2( very spotty supply in the USA then so i bought extra). Of these 2 of the size 1 and 1 of the size 2 was a nightmare to get the point on. The QC may be better now on them but I have been using this same batch I bought since then. A 8404 cleaned properly seems to last forever.
Maybe a dumb question, but is there a brand out there of quality brushes, made with natural hairs, but there is no animals killed in the process? I don't really like synthetic brushes but nowadays I really hate the fact of killing animals for such a trivial thing as paintbrush.
@@heathandkentyvapevarietysh1402 even if this is true I'm sure their life is pure torture. To each their own but I don't want my hobby to come at the price of animal suffering.
Geez, thanks for this one. I struggle with choosing and maintaining brushes even after MANY years in the craft. Just kind of wrote it off and told myself just to stick with the cheapest brushes. Now I'm going to try again though and fingers crossed it will lead to some new improvements.
Thanks for this video, I just got some monument hobbies brushes and their sable brushes split like mad unless they're soaked in water for me. I used the brush cleaner/conditioner from the artis opus brushes and unless they're being held together by the conditioner or saturated in water they split like crazy. I really don't think they're a good buy. I'm gonna give rosemary and co a try
This is a small idea, but the video you did 8 months ago trying the “Adrian smith paint scheme” was amazing and inspired my army alongside many others army. I loved it so much and your tutorials are so effective. I’d love to see you paint more of that scheme in the future.
Excellent video. 👍🏻🎅👍🏻 The differences in the brush bellies are the fuller English belly versus the narrower European. Among Kolinsky brushes Raphael 8404 are European; Da Vinci Maestro are English, as are Escoda and the older (better) Winsor & Newton series 7. The differences in hair (not bristle, bristle is from hogs) within natural hair brushes are male and female, with the male being stiffer and the female softer. Brushes with more body (snap) have a higher percentage of male hair, whereas softer (less snap) have a higher percentage female. ( I started in the hobby in 1972 using squirrel and red sable brushes! 😆)
I bought one because of the high praises people give them and its unable to keep a tip and the bristles are all splayed. Absolutely unusable, worst purchase I've done.
I mainly use the 8404 and the Windsor and Newton 7 series. I have more of the 7 series simply due to the art store near by supplying those and not the 8404
In my experience, having a variety of both synthetic and hair brushes, along with others like Drubushes, is that way to get great results. I am still looking wchich brush brand I like more, but so far, my minins are looking pretty good as a begginer.
I have a few of the Rosemary and Co Series 33 and I find them a bit hit and miss with regards to keeping their points. Some are great, some just go splayed and fluffy really quickly even with good care.
I also vote for Da Vinci Novas for things you dont want to tip your good brushes in. Was suprised how nice they perform for sure my favorite synthetic.
I’ve been using water color brushes and never went back. Da Vinci maestro Series 35 has treated me very well, I snagged their miniature line too. For everything I don’t want to dip my davinci’s into, contrasts, shades, metallics, I use my army painter kolinskys. They have held up very well to the abuse and have been my work horses for 2 years. I do however take care of all of my brushes, not just the davinci’s. (Although they get more attention and protection)
The only thing I wish were different on the Raphaël 8404 is a slightly thicker handle, like the one on a W&N7. Possibly a minor detail, but it makes a lot of difference to me on how comfortable the brush is.
I always went with natural hair brushes, as I often heard, that synthetic brushes would give less quality and can not replace natural hair ones. In addition I also did not want to support the production of more synthetic/plastic for the environment... . Then, however, I learned that most of this natural hair is coming from countries where there exist no, or really bad animal protection laws. There they breed for example especially red martens (for the Kolinsky brushes) and badgers in really small cages and really bad care,... just so I can put some color on some plastic? Therefore I looked into the brands and was also willing to pay much more if I would see for a certificate for the hair from responsible sources, or at least the origin country. However, you nearly NEVER find one. Usually brush companies get this product from big material sales companies ordering bunches of hair... and if they are expensive this is usually due to quality and length of the hair, not animal wellfare. So I reconsidered... synthetic brushes are still usually recyclable (when you separate the synthetic, Metal and wood components), they usually have less synthetic hair than a tooth brush, and there is extra effort put into the production of synthetic hair brushes, so they perform similar to real hair ones, ultimately avoiding animal cruelty. While on the other hand martens or badgers maybe got all their claws and teeth extracted, so they can not damage the product growing on their back... . I couldn't buy another natural hair brush any more without thinking about the cruel pictures of their harvest. I gladly take the less good painting results.^^ --- This is just another aspect I wanted to add to the brushes topic (this btw counts also for other natural hair paint brushes. Look yourself how often you find the origin of the brush hair in the brushes at your home). Everyone, however, is free to chose what they prefer, or what they need. Maybe some don't have the money to afford expensive ones which really care about animal wellfare regarding their hair sources, or if you are really into competition, small differences may in the end make the difference in winning or not, or if your results on a painting youtube channel look promising enough to be considered professional. So this comment is no offence to you or anyone using natural hair brushes. It was just something I stumbled upon when starting to paint minis. And I don't want this topic to be taken by anyone to start an out cry or hate against natural hair painters. If anyone wants to blame someone, start to demand according guarantees from brush producers (but please in a respectful way) or vote with your money and go for synthetic ones...
This comment should be at the top imo.. It's something a lot of people don't see or think about. 80% of people buying kolinsky sable brushes WOULDN'T if, in person, they saw up close the conditions the animals are kept in. What synthetics do you recommend?
@@sandycultofthesun I am in no mean expert to recommend brushes. For that I do not have experience with many different brands, or did a study out of it. I can tell what I ended up using, but you may find better solutions and I am always open for suggestions. After trying some synthetic brushes from my local Art-/Architecture seller and some at my hobby seller, I ended up with: the Citadel synthetic (STC): Layer S (for standard colouring), Citadel synthetic Shade M (for Shades), the finest synthetic brush I found at my local Art-/Architecture seller (for eyes, teeth, etc.), a small broad head synthetic make-up brush from my local drugstore (for drybrush). Yes, in this video the synthetic Citadel brushes are said to be expensive and don't hold for long. Well, I got them for 4 EUR per brush, and as said, I am satisfied with the result I get with them.
I've found the Abteilung 502 (Ak-Interactive) Kolonsky hair brushes to be fantastic for the price where I live. They're one third of the price of a Winsor & Newton Series 7 of the same size and the quality is great.
Being in the US, it is difficult to get Kolinsky Sable. I have purchased the Red Sables from Rosemary & Co. are adequate but like you’ve mentioned, they do not stand up to the Kolinsky.
I'm a commission painter, I guess I've been lucky with my series 7s because I've ordered around 20 of the size 1/2 over eight years and only got a bad batch once. I did like monument hobbies brushes as well.
Painting since the mid 90's. Switched to the Raphael 8404 in 2017 and felt bad it took me that long. It was the most impactful change ive ever made in the hobby.
My two Winsor & Newton (size 1 and size 2), lasted about a year before the tip went on them - even with regular care. So far my best brush has been an Army Painter Regiment that has lasted over a year and retains its tip . . . price differential means that the AP is the most cost-effective for me. For synthetic brushes that have a bent tip, I keep the smaller ones for edge highlighting (keep the curled tip facing up as a handy guide to where brush is)
The Regiment brush is an absolute beast. My first ever one basically got me through 2000 points of chaos marines before becoming it finally gave out and is now a wash/contrast/basing brush. Incredible value.
Damn, I wish this video would have been there some time ago. It would have spare me a lot of money I guess. BEST video on brushes around. Thank you for that. I tried (and bought) a lot of brushes the last months. Citadel, Raphael 8404, scale color, Artist Opus, windsor and lately DaVinci. For me Raphael and DaVinci are really the best at the moment. They are superb and they have a fair price, while Artis Opus are good brushes too but a bit over expensive I think. Thanks for the other brush Tipps I will have a look in that
I love my Italeri 000 sable brush (the one with the red handle with a thicker grip), I bought it 15+ years ago by accident, I was a kid and had no idea what a sable brush even was, but it quickly rose to being my go to brush for all details. Even as a dumb teenager I could feel that the brush made me a better painter. I **wanted** to paint with it. After returning to the hobby, I try to take care of it to get a few more years out of it - but will need a replacement as Italeri no longer makes them...
I bought a Raphael 8404 size 1 brush just by random chance. It is an amazing brush. It can do anything I throw at it and leaves my artis opus etc brushes in the dirt. They’re good brushes but Raphael is great. Very hard to get in Canada though :(
Sir, aside from my favourite series 33 from rosemary, I've been using the pure squirrell series 42 for basecoating and washes and they work wonders for me
Greetings. Yes, the spectrum when it comes to brushes is very diverse. I have to say, I recently refilled my inventory at temu, thought I would give the cheap ones a chance and I have to say I am more than thrilled. They keep their shape and always return to a beautiful point after being washed out. absorb paint very well and release it evenly. I bought these tug brushes for nail design for fine lines, 3 pieces for less than 4 euros and they are also really nice. All in all, I have to admit that the Temu brushes are better for my purposes than the overpriced Games Workshop brushes, which become shaggy after a short time despite regular washing. I couldn't even freshen up the GW brushes with brush cleaner, isopropyl alcohol, etc. It's a shame about all that money. Greetings from Germany 🤘
What a bummer, I just bought some W&N s.7 brushes last week. Did not even come to me to check if they are still good :D Hopefully the tip would hold long enough. I'll get the Raphael's 8404 next.
My current preference is for the da Vinci Series 35. I've used the Series 10, but prefer the belly on the Series 35. I've used the Raphael 8404 and 8408, both of which work nicely (of these, i prefer the 8404, again for the belly). The Windsor and Newton Series 7 is an absolutely amazing brush ... when you get a good one. My limited experience puts the probability at around 1 in 3 Series 7 brushes are "good ones". The others are subpar, and it's not worth it to me to play that lottery. I've heard mixed reviews for the Rosemary and Co. brushes. Some excellent painters swear by them, but others have had poor results. Which sounds to me something like the current state of the W&N Series 7, but at least they're cheaper.
I now only use DaVinci brushes (mostly maestro 10). So much bang for the bug. I still got some of my OG pencils. Tested the neo line, but only use them for metals and speedpaints. If U take care of your brushes u can't rly save money with synthetics. Recently used one of my old GW brushes. It's so flexible I can't paint an panel with it without the hole pencil staying curved.
I would have hoped you speak about the guide hair - i know many professional painters cut that off, because it tends to make the tip too sharp and allows paint to dry on it!
@@trovarion Oh, my apologies - I should have checked that out before commenting. I was speaking with Richard Gray who mentioned that he cuts the guide hair off, so it seems there are varying opinions. Will watch your video!
@@trovarion Wow, I just saw it and it was really informative! In the case that it is not necessarily a "guide" hair, but just a badly adjusted hair in the bristle, what would be your preferred method of removing it?
A GW synthetic is 12 notes?! Ohhhh my god... Says it all really. *That* said, this is probably the best comprehensive guide i've seen for a long long time. Kudos.
I made the mistake of buying that exact brush when I got back into the hobby, because I had lost or destroyed my old brushes and I need *a* brush to get started again. The tip split on the second day, now it's a stippling brush. I also bought that synthetic one at some point, for some reason. It's so horrible that its entire job is to use the back of the brush to put paint on the palette, and to mix paint in my airbrush.
I have never spent much on brushes. I do have a feeling it has held me back. 🤷🏻♂️ I will take your advice, I need to own and use a good brush at least once in my life. Thanks Trov
It's like a mechanic buying a high-end wrench or a chef buying a high-end knife. It's the one that will last you a long time and be your best friend. It isn't just about getting stuff done for the tabletop - this is art. Respect your tools and they will treat you well; even the high-end brushes aren't THAT expensive when you consider that you will get years out of it. I have Da Vinci's, W&N's (which are a crapshoot these days), Raphael's, and more. But many of them are still in use after years because of spending 2-3 minutes after a paint session taking care of them. It's worth it!
I've never invested in more expensive synthetic brushes. Different content creators say different things (Vince says go cheap and constantly replace them, Uncle Adam says buy the ones with his name on them even though they seem way overpriced), and I've tended towards the cheap end. The tips always get bent very quickly, and I get frustrated sometimes using them. I would try one of the DV Nova 5570 that is mentioned in the video, but they don't seem to be available in the US except from amazon, where they are as expensive as a sable hair brush.
Really good video! I try to use synthetics for base coating but often run into the issue that without a better tip I can't even do that, because nowadays especially GW models have so many small details and small spaces between things, beneath stuff and so on, that I can't get them even base coated properly without going to my better brush. Do you find that to be the same? Maybe I need better synthetics. Gonna give your recommendations a try.
Trovarion Miniatures I have a favour to ask you: Is there a chance to create a grimdark painting video but for chaos space marines? The loyalist one was the best I have encountered guides on how to paint grimdark but I would like to hear from a profetional like you on how to paint grimdark Alpha Legion for example.
I started cleaning my brushes with alcohol some months ago. After the soap I give them a bath in brush restorer. The impact on the longevity is massive.
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What about the 0 to 6/0 sizes? im just starting in the hobby and i get that they may not hold as much paint, but for details they seem a really good option aswell but i didn't hear you mention them
a size 1 or 2 with a decent tip will be much more effective because you also have the reservoir/belly that will hold a lot of paint and longer working times.
Raphael brushes are the best right now in quality. But if you want to check best price/quality ratio look at Lineo 190, similar to how Rosemary and Raphael behave for a much lower entry price - for me they're great workhorses. Also they're cheap enough so you do not fear to learn to use natural brushes.
The support from the brush is way to close to the ferrule for me, too damn floppy. The majority of painting ppl do isn't push strokes making them not ideal.
Great video. A lot of high quality brushes are unfortunately awfully expensive here in Australia. That said, I will be making the effort to try and get one or two. Keep up the great work.
Really if you are spending these extortionate sums on the plastic may as well splash out a bit on the brushes. People really out here painting a £30 character model with a £1 brush its crazy
Always good to here an experienced artist's take on tools. Personally I avoid animalic products, so I don't like using sable, though I do own a nice one. It's definately something that you need to find workarounds for. Some things I've found: -I tried a lot of high quality (or at least expensive) synthetics, but nope, the ones that work best for very thin lines are the ones I get for less than a euro at the local art store. -Mediums can help. With sable I don't think you need much help, but flow improver and retarder is helpful for synthetics. -It's just not possible to retain as much paint in the brush. I don't think bigger synthetic brushes work that well anyway, the paint don't want to come off. So usually I use pretty small brushes, which is more time consuming but at least it works. You touched on this in the video. Some workarounds are flat brushes sometimes for base coats, and using two brushes for wet blending. I hope Kimera sends you a review product of their new synthetic brushes, would be great to get your input and know if they are useful as actual high quality brushes.
I think I got really lucky with my Series 7 I guess mine must have been old stock as it's been amazing and while the tip is on the way out and it's lost some of it's snappy-ness after 9/10 months of use It's still great for other jobs. Can't really say I've had the same experience with Artis Opus. First brush arrived looked like something that should have failed QC and never have gone out, second is great for what it is but IDK doesn't really feel as nice to use not as snappy, doesn't have the body it's a bit smaller. I think I've been spoiled. I'll have to try a 8404 next or wait for W&N to get their shit together if the furr shortage was the cause during covid.
I tried a Raphael brush on recommendation and honestly, hated it. It's a sable brush, and initially it was great, but within a month or two the brush just stopped holding its tip. My Windsor and Newton brushes however, it's been 6 months and they're holding their tip perfectly fine. I've changed nothing about how I cared for these brushes, maybe I got a bad brush from Raphael but it's for sure put me off getting more of them.
I recently got a number 2 Winsor and newton series 7 sable hair brush and it was terrible. It didn’t hold paint right all the paint stayed in the belly and the tip became useless due to this (nice tip though) and the hairs kept getting all wild every time I went to go paint. 30$ for a brush waste of money. Luckily I returned it
Love the series 33. Use them every session and they are as good as new after 16 months. Unfortunately a friends birthday gift of artis opus s series are splayed after 2 uses. Very very disappointing
Unfortunately some rosemary and co brushes I brought were nearly useless out of the box. I contacted them and they said to use some hair conditioner and it helped but wasn't great. I'm now a bit sceptical about using their brushes since the series 7 and Raphael are doing well
nothing improved my painting game more than moving up to a good brush, and honestly in the long run they are probably cheaper than synthetics as you can use 1 brush for many different things if you keep it good
i know it sounds like really bad advice but id recomend trying a cople different brands and sizes of kolinsky to feel what u like most. might sound like a waste of money but when u find the correct one for u u will fall in love
For synthetics AND cheaper KS, you could do a lot worse than picking up the AIT art brushes on Amazon; the only issue I've ever had was some quality differences between brushes made in Germany vs made in China. Even under heavy use of metallics, contrast and even alcohol inks, these things hold up! The rigging/liner brushes do 99% of anything I do.
3:40 not even 3 dollars. The citadel brushes honestly don't even exceed the quality of my cheap go-to synthetics (also white fibers, incidentally) that I bought in bulk on Amazon (I think it was like 50 or so brushes in a few different sizes for 15€ or thereabouts). They're decent for metallics or anything else where I don't particularly care how long the brush survives. That's about it. But in principle, "Don't buy citadel" is a very good rule of thumb for all areas of the hobby. Because no matter what, be it brushes or clippers or primer or even paints, you can find BETTER products for LESS money. Always.
@@SkywalkerOne1977 The better question would be what paint isn't. But to answer yours: Vallejo, ProAcryl, Kimera, Scale75, Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats range ... hell, at this point even the new ArmyPainter Fanatics range is *at least* on par with Citadel (if not better, arguably). But the most important thing is: ALL of these other paint ranges are significantly less expensive, while also not coming in stupid-ass paint pots that are horrible to use and often lead to paints drying out so you go buy new paints more quickly. Never had this happen with a dropper bottle. Not once.
@@rogthepirate4593 None of that describes the quality of the paint though. In my experience, Citadel paints tend to cover exceptionally well, and you can always transfer them to a dropper. Is there a paint brand that you think has similar or better quality paint than Citadel?
@@SkywalkerOne1977 Again: All of those that I mentioned. You didn't ask me to describe the quality of the paint, you asked me which paints are better. You get paints that are at minimum on par with Citadel from any of the mentioned brands, and some - like ProAcryl, Kimera or Scale75 - are *significantly* better across the board. And sure, you can transfer citadel to a dropper. But it's messy af, it inevitably means you lose a bit of paint, and ultimately you shouldn't have to. And you're still paying a lot more per milliliter of paint than for any other brand, without getting any benefits out of it other than being able to follow GW's "paint recipes" a little bit more easily, and who really needs those anyway? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying citadel paints are bad. They're not. They just aren't the be-all and end-all in the hobby any more, and they haven't been for quite some time, because other companies have taken note and improved on their ranges to an enormous degree, in many cases vastly surpassing citadel, while GW really hasn't improved their paints much if at all (and in some cases like Nuln Oil and Agrax, they've actually made them worse). Add to this that citadel is by far the most expensive brand on the market and there really is no good reason to buy them over any other brand.
The raphael 8404 both I got split like crazy. They are so soft like limp, it's weird. It sucks cuz they feel nice until I start painting Green stuff world was really good for small details. But the guide hair drives me nuts. Super thin so good for line stuff Monument hobbies is very good in general, doesn't split for me. Kimera has the best brushes I've user so far. Their arrow shaped ones are also pretty good. Though with the arrow one it's hard for ne to figure out which is the right direction to paint. Their traditional brushes are awesome and hold their shape brilliantly. I'm a noob though so idk shit. Every brush I've used for tiny details like eyes always has pigment/paint dry at the tip that I have to pull off. Doesn't matter the paint. Could be user error but that's my experience.
This is a technique issue and we’ve all been there. Pigment drying for detail work like eyes can be fixed by ensuring the paint is flowing nicely with paint in the belly of the brush not just on the tip. Fill the belly then wipe off the excess on your thumb or a non absorbent material. Don’t fill the bristles completely to ensure no paint gets in the ferrule. Then work reasonably fast. This happened to me too and it’s just a practice thing. Good luck
Habe Jahrelang mit der alten w&n serie gemalt, nie probleme..habe dann durch ein Gewinnspiel 2 der neueren Pinsel bekommen, beide nach ein paar Malsessions schrott..
Can vegans use Kolinsky Sable brushes as they are made from weasels that have been trapped inhumanely and killed? Just one thing to consider in a review too. Not sure how I feel about it, was gonna go for that Raphael 8404 but am thinking twice now. I read that the weasels are going to be killed anyway and its a by-product, not sure what the main product of weasels is tho. Still poses an ethical issue for me and I hate synthetic ones so for now am gonna get a pair of scissors, a broom handle and some glue and see if I can make my own :) Anyways thank you for a great review ! If you hear of broom pube brushes taking off you can be sure it was you that inspired me to make them :)
Thanks to Factor75 for sponsoring today's video. Use my link to get 50% off your first Factor box and 20% off your next month of orders! strms.net/factor75_trovarion
Hi Trovarion. I saw this comment lower and it's something I wanted to put here so more people see it. I always went with natural hair brushes, I often heard, that synthetic brushes would give less quality and can not replace natural hair ones. In addition I also did not want to support the production of more synthetic/plastic for the environment....
Then, however, I learned that most of this natural hair is coming from countries where there exist no, or really bad animal protection laws. There they breed for example especially red martens (for the Kolinsky brushes) and badgers in really small cages and really bad care,... just so I can put some color on some plastic? Therefore I looked into the brands and was also willing to pay much more if I would see for a certificate for the hair from responsible sources, or at least the origin country. However, you nearly NEVER find one. Usually brush companies get this product from big material sales companies ordering bunches of hair... and if they are expensive this is usually due to the quality and length of the hair, not animal welfare.
So I reconsidered... synthetic brushes are still usually recyclable (when you separate the synthetic, Metal and wood components), they usually have less synthetic hair than a toothbrush, and the extra effort put into the production of synthetic hair brushes, so they perform similar to real hair ones, ultimately avoiding animal cruelty. While on the other hand martens or badgers maybe got all their claws and teeth extracted, so they can not damage the product growing on their back....
I couldn't buy another natural hair brush any more without thinking about the cruel pictures of their harvest. I gladly take the less good painting results.^
This is just another aspect I wanted to add to the brushes topic (this btw counts also for other natural hair paint brushes. Look for yourself how often you find the origin of the brush hair in the brushes at your home).Everyone, however, is free to choose what they prefer, or what they need. Maybe some don't have the money to afford expensive ones which really care about animal welfare regarding their hair sources, or if you are really into competition, small differences makin the end make the difference in winning or not, or if your results on a painting youtube channel look promising enough to be considered professional.
So this comment is no offence to you or anyone using natural hair brushes. It was just something I stumbled upon when starting to paint minis. And I don't want this topic to be taken by anyone to start an out cry or hate against natural hair painters. If anyone wants to blame someone, start to demand according guarantees from brush producers(but please in a respectful way) or vote with your money and go for synthetic ones...
imo.. It's something a lot of people don't notice or think about. The conditions these animals are kept in, if we all saw them up front in real life, most of us would never buy kolinsky brushes.
The first company who does certified ethical kolinsky brushes will corner the market, with the right marketing. My hope is that someone like Rosemary does it. I would pay double for kolinsky sable that isn't from animals kept in bad conditions.
Great to see Rosemary and Co getting a shout out - incredible value for money and in my experience their brushes have had longevity that W&N and Raphael brushes havent matched.
This is probably the best brush overview video I've seen. Very thorough, and provides balanced information about brushes for different kinds of painters of different skill levels. I've had decent luck with Raphael 8404, and terrible experiences with Da Vinci and WN, at least for natural hair. For those in the US, there is a local option that is my go-to brush brand and has been since I discovered them a year or two ago: Scharff. They are based in Georgia and their series 3000 red sable brushes are my favorites. I would say that the belly is probably not quite as big as an 8404, but they keep a great point. They are easy to get in the US, the quality control is excellent, they are durable, and their customer service is also top notch. They aren't cheap, but I've not had one that has worn out yet.
Thanks for the heads up, might just check them out as it's become so tricky to get European brands over here
How do the Scharff sizes compare to Raphael 8404 or Da Vinci Maestro?
You told me about the Raphael's years ago and ever since I've used the for the moments I need the most control over my paint, and will NEVER look back.
Thank you ❤
What's interesting is how Kolinsky Sable has been the go-to standard for decades within the miniature painting hobby. If you look back from painting guides in the late 1970s early 1980's, they always recommend Kolinsky Sable brushes.
@singlespeedpunk7744 that sucks! You usually have to go through the stores stock of brushes to find the better ones because there’s always “bad” ones in the mix. That’s, understandably, impossible to do ordering them online. Luckily though you can revive some sables with using brush soaps.
wow, I didn't know that. Interesting that they were knowledgeable about them back then.
@singlespeedpunk7744 my sable brushes all seem to do that too. I've been using the vallejo natural ones and they seem to hold a tip better or maybe I just changed my approach and didn't notice
@singlespeedpunk7744 I have two very different kolinsky sable brushes, one is advertised Finest and is for watercolor: use these for washes/shades/contrasts. Then the other are more geared towards acrylic and oil paint and they definitely hold a tip.
I also have only thin, short bristles left for my natural hair and a big belly. Maybe I should define myself as a paintbrush from now on... ;-)
Very informative and well filmed video - thanks a lot!
Great video with a lot of useful stuff for beginners. I got told off once for recommending good brushes to a beginner, but my theory is the same as yours, you shouldn't have to fight against the tools you're working with, it makes learning so much more difficult. I've got an 8404 for when I want to get serious, and I've been using Revell Luxus (size 1 and 0) for the last 6 months as workhorse brushes, they've surprised me, despite being only £6, they keep a decent point for a long time, although the belly could be bigger.
havent clicked faster on a video before
thanks for this insight! i too notice that I share the sentiment of better brushes make life easier after i bought a W&S Series 7. now that I saw that the terrible brush tip is just something inherent to the newer W&S brushes, im willing to try the ones you recommended for the perfect brush tip!
Nice informative video.
I use a lot of Rapahel 8404s... they have some of the best bristles on a terrible handle. I'd pay more for them to leave the stupid sticker off and I'd pay a bit more for them to use a better lacquer that doesn't dissolve when it gets wet.
I bought 2 Raphael 1 year ago on your recommendation ( and affiliate link ;) and was scared of using them for quite a while. I started using them a few weeks ago and was blown away by the difference they make compared to standard GW brushes . Love it!
I really like my Broaken Toad Brushes but unfortunately they are not available anymore :(
Broken Toads where made by Escoda.
Thanks for this. I think I'm a bit hesitant to try natural hair bristles for 2 reasons: 1) the cleaning and 2) the cost. There's also the matter of having bought a Windsor & Newton sable brush about 4-5 years ago right when their quality was starting to go down but before it was common knowledge, so my first experience with a natural hair brush was disappointing. This makes me think maybe I need to give it another try.
This was a super helpful video! It's been over 30 years since I last painted minis, and I'm hoping to get back into the hobby soon. Back then I had no clue about brushes - which ones to use, how to use them, or how to properly care for them. This video will make such a difference when I get started again!
I have been using a size 3 Monument Pro-Stable brush.
It is my go to for its size, and it’s super fine point.
I definitely recommend them for new painters, or pros!
I actually recently picked this one up in the set of multiple sable brushes they sell, and I almost exclusively use the 3 since it does just about everything I could need or want.
I will second this. The number 3 pro Sable From Monument has also been my go to. I also have the 1 and 0, but I usually reach for the 3 even for the small details. Will pick up a 2 too see if it’s better than the 3 for small areas, and mostly to round out the set.
Great video and links. I haven't found better prices for brushes than Jacksons. I've found the da vinci maestro brushes to work really well for me and similarly found the windsor newton ones to be subpar. I look forward to trying out the Raphael 8404 next time i need to buy brushes.
Also strongly agree that the citadel brushes are not worth the price. For about the same price you can get proper, real brushes.
14:06 THIS!!! Takes a famous TH-camr to get the idea across and I’m glad it’s FINALLY been said!!
agreed! - I stocked up a lot of series 7 around 20 years ago and the difference with what is sold now is massive. There used to be another - cheaper - series that was discontinued years ago (forgot the number) - and I think that current series 7 are worse than that one. Glad that other brands stepped in - but my stock will last me for years I guess.
I bought several series 7 and was astounded that they where terrible
Bought the Da Vinci Maestro Kolinsky Tabletop Set earlier this year and I really like them.
My brush advice is extactly the same as yours, about 8 years ago i gave raphael a try as i could get them about 30-40% cheaper than w&n series 7 and i found them to be a better brush, mostly becouse their brush hair length was a little longer and i found it easier to avoid getting paint up deep towards the head of the brush. I also use isopropyl and masters brush soap to clean my brush. Another trick i find to be great is if i make a mistake i can carefully remove the paint with isopropyl on a brush, it works like an eraser and saves me heaps of time fixing mistakes.
I would love a video about how to test the different types of brushes and maybe some practice extercises to try and build a little confidence before tackling a mini that we want to paint better than tabletop
I’ve been on the same W&N S7 00 for about 4 years, used it on nearly every model I’ve painted. It still has a great tip but the belly is tiny. I have a 0 and 1 that I got at the same time and those have no faired as well over time. This made me realize I have probably earned some new detail and workhorse brushes. :)
I started painting with a set of 10 brushes that cost me $2 and they lasted me nearly 2 years of painting once or twice a week and taking good care of the brushes.
There are a lot of techniques that don't rely on having fine brush tips but I got a Kolinsky for my next project to see how much a difference it makes.
Been a Commission painter for 4 years and swapped to a Raphael 8404 for personal painting and high quality jobs. The jump in quality and my brush controll was dramatically.
8404 has been the best to me, however even with these I did have to buy a few to get a good base. This was in 2018 id say, I bought 8 size 1 and 4 size 2( very spotty supply in the USA then so i bought extra). Of these 2 of the size 1 and 1 of the size 2 was a nightmare to get the point on. The QC may be better now on them but I have been using this same batch I bought since then. A 8404 cleaned properly seems to last forever.
Great video! Suggest trying out the Rosemary & Co series 36, I have a size 0 and it holds an incredible amount of paint
Maybe a dumb question, but is there a brand out there of quality brushes, made with natural hairs, but there is no animals killed in the process? I don't really like synthetic brushes but nowadays I really hate the fact of killing animals for such a trivial thing as paintbrush.
This. Seems to be largely glossed over that natural hair brushes come from the fur trade. Hard to justify for mini painting.
Rosemary and Co use Ethically sourced kolinsky hair.
I'm pretty sure no brush company kills sables, weasels or the likes
@@heathandkentyvapevarietysh1402 even if this is true I'm sure their life is pure torture. To each their own but I don't want my hobby to come at the price of animal suffering.
ever brushed a cat? the hair is in the brush.
mate there pets get groomed daily 😂
@@-Oittz- congrats, you win dumbest comment of the day
Geez, thanks for this one. I struggle with choosing and maintaining brushes even after MANY years in the craft. Just kind of wrote it off and told myself just to stick with the cheapest brushes. Now I'm going to try again though and fingers crossed it will lead to some new improvements.
Nevskaya Palitra squirrel brush have been going around in my community for some time so i would recommend that and it's also cheap
Thanks for this video, I just got some monument hobbies brushes and their sable brushes split like mad unless they're soaked in water for me. I used the brush cleaner/conditioner from the artis opus brushes and unless they're being held together by the conditioner or saturated in water they split like crazy. I really don't think they're a good buy. I'm gonna give rosemary and co a try
This is a small idea, but the video you did 8 months ago trying the “Adrian smith paint scheme” was amazing and inspired my army alongside many others army. I loved it so much and your tutorials are so effective. I’d love to see you paint more of that scheme in the future.
Excellent video. 👍🏻🎅👍🏻
The differences in the brush bellies are the fuller English belly versus the narrower European. Among Kolinsky brushes Raphael 8404 are European; Da Vinci Maestro are English, as are Escoda and the older (better) Winsor & Newton series 7. The differences in hair (not bristle, bristle is from hogs) within natural hair brushes are male and female, with the male being stiffer and the female softer. Brushes with more body (snap) have a higher percentage of male hair, whereas softer (less snap) have a higher percentage female.
( I started in the hobby in 1972 using squirrel and red sable brushes! 😆)
Rosemary have been really good for me!
Raphael 8404 has been great for me. Keep in mind most of the brush brands come from the same factory and a lot of it is just branding
I bought one because of the high praises people give them and its unable to keep a tip and the bristles are all splayed. Absolutely unusable, worst purchase I've done.
@@lectric one I bought was mangled during delivery, maybe that's what happened to you. I managed to get a full refund
Same thing for me man. Monument are cheaper and do the job. I got two raphael both do the same thing @lectric
Made in the same factory yet put side by side and used in a comparison test they couldn’t be any further apart if we tried. Great.
I mainly use the 8404 and the Windsor and Newton 7 series. I have more of the 7 series simply due to the art store near by supplying those and not the 8404
Raphael 8404 is my favourite. Afrer 20 years of mini painting, trying loads of different brands Raphael is my favourite
In my experience, having a variety of both synthetic and hair brushes, along with others like Drubushes, is that way to get great results. I am still looking wchich brush brand I like more, but so far, my minins are looking pretty good as a begginer.
I have a few of the Rosemary and Co Series 33 and I find them a bit hit and miss with regards to keeping their points. Some are great, some just go splayed and fluffy really quickly even with good care.
I also vote for Da Vinci Novas for things you dont want to tip your good brushes in. Was suprised how nice they perform for sure my favorite synthetic.
I’ve been using water color brushes and never went back. Da Vinci maestro Series 35 has treated me very well, I snagged their miniature line too. For everything I don’t want to dip my davinci’s into, contrasts, shades, metallics, I use my army painter kolinskys. They have held up very well to the abuse and have been my work horses for 2 years.
I do however take care of all of my brushes, not just the davinci’s. (Although they get more attention and protection)
Rosemary and Co Series 33 have been my go to for good brushes.
The only thing I wish were different on the Raphaël 8404 is a slightly thicker handle, like the one on a W&N7. Possibly a minor detail, but it makes a lot of difference to me on how comfortable the brush is.
I always went with natural hair brushes, as I often heard, that synthetic brushes would give less quality and can not replace natural hair ones. In addition I also did not want to support the production of more synthetic/plastic for the environment... .
Then, however, I learned that most of this natural hair is coming from countries where there exist no, or really bad animal protection laws. There they breed for example especially red martens (for the Kolinsky brushes) and badgers in really small cages and really bad care,... just so I can put some color on some plastic? Therefore I looked into the brands and was also willing to pay much more if I would see for a certificate for the hair from responsible sources, or at least the origin country. However, you nearly NEVER find one. Usually brush companies get this product from big material sales companies ordering bunches of hair... and if they are expensive this is usually due to quality and length of the hair, not animal wellfare.
So I reconsidered... synthetic brushes are still usually recyclable (when you separate the synthetic, Metal and wood components), they usually have less synthetic hair than a tooth brush, and there is extra effort put into the production of synthetic hair brushes, so they perform similar to real hair ones, ultimately avoiding animal cruelty. While on the other hand martens or badgers maybe got all their claws and teeth extracted, so they can not damage the product growing on their back... .
I couldn't buy another natural hair brush any more without thinking about the cruel pictures of their harvest. I gladly take the less good painting results.^^
---
This is just another aspect I wanted to add to the brushes topic (this btw counts also for other natural hair paint brushes. Look yourself how often you find the origin of the brush hair in the brushes at your home). Everyone, however, is free to chose what they prefer, or what they need. Maybe some don't have the money to afford expensive ones which really care about animal wellfare regarding their hair sources, or if you are really into competition, small differences may in the end make the difference in winning or not, or if your results on a painting youtube channel look promising enough to be considered professional.
So this comment is no offence to you or anyone using natural hair brushes. It was just something I stumbled upon when starting to paint minis. And I don't want this topic to be taken by anyone to start an out cry or hate against natural hair painters. If anyone wants to blame someone, start to demand according guarantees from brush producers (but please in a respectful way) or vote with your money and go for synthetic ones...
This comment should be at the top imo.. It's something a lot of people don't see or think about. 80% of people buying kolinsky sable brushes WOULDN'T if, in person, they saw up close the conditions the animals are kept in.
What synthetics do you recommend?
This. Couldn't agree more
@@sandycultofthesun It's funny when you think about it, people don't buy fur clothing anymore but they don't give this much thought.
@@sandycultofthesun I am in no mean expert to recommend brushes. For that I do not have experience with many different brands, or did a study out of it. I can tell what I ended up using, but you may find better solutions and I am always open for suggestions.
After trying some synthetic brushes from my local Art-/Architecture seller and some at my hobby seller, I ended up with: the Citadel synthetic (STC): Layer S (for standard colouring), Citadel synthetic Shade M (for Shades), the finest synthetic brush I found at my local Art-/Architecture seller (for eyes, teeth, etc.), a small broad head synthetic make-up brush from my local drugstore (for drybrush).
Yes, in this video the synthetic Citadel brushes are said to be expensive and don't hold for long. Well, I got them for 4 EUR per brush, and as said, I am satisfied with the result I get with them.
Thanks for this hadn't even occurred to me, is this the case for all natural hair brushes? Are there any manufacturers that do so ethically?
I've found the Abteilung 502 (Ak-Interactive) Kolonsky hair brushes to be fantastic for the price where I live. They're one third of the price of a Winsor & Newton Series 7 of the same size and the quality is great.
Being in the US, it is difficult to get Kolinsky Sable. I have purchased the Red Sables from Rosemary & Co. are adequate but like you’ve mentioned, they do not stand up to the Kolinsky.
I'm a commission painter, I guess I've been lucky with my series 7s because I've ordered around 20 of the size 1/2 over eight years and only got a bad batch once. I did like monument hobbies brushes as well.
Painting since the mid 90's. Switched to the Raphael 8404 in 2017 and felt bad it took me that long. It was the most impactful change ive ever made in the hobby.
My two Winsor & Newton (size 1 and size 2), lasted about a year before the tip went on them - even with regular care. So far my best brush has been an Army Painter Regiment that has lasted over a year and retains its tip . . . price differential means that the AP is the most cost-effective for me. For synthetic brushes that have a bent tip, I keep the smaller ones for edge highlighting (keep the curled tip facing up as a handy guide to where brush is)
The Regiment brush is an absolute beast. My first ever one basically got me through 2000 points of chaos marines before becoming it finally gave out and is now a wash/contrast/basing brush. Incredible value.
Damn, I wish this video would have been there some time ago. It would have spare me a lot of money I guess. BEST video on brushes around. Thank you for that.
I tried (and bought) a lot of brushes the last months. Citadel, Raphael 8404, scale color, Artist Opus, windsor and lately DaVinci. For me Raphael and DaVinci are really the best at the moment. They are superb and they have a fair price, while Artis Opus are good brushes too but a bit over expensive I think.
Thanks for the other brush Tipps I will have a look in that
I love my Italeri 000 sable brush (the one with the red handle with a thicker grip), I bought it 15+ years ago by accident, I was a kid and had no idea what a sable brush even was, but it quickly rose to being my go to brush for all details. Even as a dumb teenager I could feel that the brush made me a better painter. I **wanted** to paint with it. After returning to the hobby, I try to take care of it to get a few more years out of it - but will need a replacement as Italeri no longer makes them...
I bought a Raphael 8404 size 1 brush just by random chance. It is an amazing brush. It can do anything I throw at it and leaves my artis opus etc brushes in the dirt. They’re good brushes but Raphael is great. Very hard to get in Canada though :(
Ultra useful vid, but TBH they're always great. Favourite painter on the 'tube.
Sir, aside from my favourite series 33 from rosemary, I've been using the pure squirrell series 42 for basecoating and washes and they work wonders for me
Series 33 are boss. Cant get my head around artis opus preferred by some when this is on offer at a significant cost reduction.
Thank you for the brush cleaning tips and education.
I gotta say reaper brushes are great for the price point. Started using some recently and wish I had been using them from the start.
Greetings. Yes, the spectrum when it comes to brushes is very diverse.
I have to say, I recently refilled my inventory at temu, thought I would give the cheap ones a chance and I have to say I am more than thrilled.
They keep their shape and always return to a beautiful point after being washed out. absorb paint very well and release it evenly.
I bought these tug brushes for nail design for fine lines, 3 pieces for less than 4 euros and they are also really nice.
All in all, I have to admit that the Temu brushes are better for my purposes than the overpriced Games Workshop brushes, which become shaggy after a short time despite regular washing.
I couldn't even freshen up the GW brushes with brush cleaner, isopropyl alcohol, etc. It's a shame about all that money.
Greetings from Germany 🤘
The best detailing brush I ever had was a 10/0 from Walmart. They stopped carrying it about 15 years ago, and I have never found one like it since.
What a bummer, I just bought some W&N s.7 brushes last week. Did not even come to me to check if they are still good :D Hopefully the tip would hold long enough. I'll get the Raphael's 8404 next.
My current preference is for the da Vinci Series 35. I've used the Series 10, but prefer the belly on the Series 35.
I've used the Raphael 8404 and 8408, both of which work nicely (of these, i prefer the 8404, again for the belly).
The Windsor and Newton Series 7 is an absolutely amazing brush ... when you get a good one. My limited experience puts the probability at around 1 in 3 Series 7 brushes are "good ones". The others are subpar, and it's not worth it to me to play that lottery.
I've heard mixed reviews for the Rosemary and Co. brushes. Some excellent painters swear by them, but others have had poor results. Which sounds to me something like the current state of the W&N Series 7, but at least they're cheaper.
I now only use DaVinci brushes (mostly maestro 10). So much bang for the bug. I still got some of my OG pencils. Tested the neo line, but only use them for metals and speedpaints. If U take care of your brushes u can't rly save money with synthetics. Recently used one of my old GW brushes. It's so flexible I can't paint an panel with it without the hole pencil staying curved.
I would have hoped you speak about the guide hair - i know many professional painters cut that off, because it tends to make the tip too sharp and allows paint to dry on it!
You know the guide hair is a hoax? I even made a video about that.
@@trovarion Oh, my apologies - I should have checked that out before commenting. I was speaking with Richard Gray who mentioned that he cuts the guide hair off, so it seems there are varying opinions. Will watch your video!
@@trovarion Would you mind sharing the title of that video? Didn't find anything under that search term.
@@Otter_in_water it's the one that says "i trolled miniac and he trolled you"
@@trovarion Wow, I just saw it and it was really informative! In the case that it is not necessarily a "guide" hair, but just a badly adjusted hair in the bristle, what would be your preferred method of removing it?
Nice video! Looks like you have been reflecting on how to improve, that says a lot about you. Cheers🎉
A GW synthetic is 12 notes?! Ohhhh my god... Says it all really.
*That* said, this is probably the best comprehensive guide i've seen for a long long time. Kudos.
I made the mistake of buying that exact brush when I got back into the hobby, because I had lost or destroyed my old brushes and I need *a* brush to get started again.
The tip split on the second day, now it's a stippling brush. I also bought that synthetic one at some point, for some reason. It's so horrible that its entire job is to use the back of the brush to put paint on the palette, and to mix paint in my airbrush.
I’ve read that it’s a bad idea to use metallic paints with a good brush. Supposedly, the metal flakes tear up the hair? Is this accurate?
I've bought the Da Vinci Nova synthetics but after just a few paint sessions they're already bent 😢
I have never spent much on brushes. I do have a feeling it has held me back. 🤷🏻♂️
I will take your advice, I need to own and use a good brush at least once in my life.
Thanks Trov
It's like a mechanic buying a high-end wrench or a chef buying a high-end knife. It's the one that will last you a long time and be your best friend. It isn't just about getting stuff done for the tabletop - this is art. Respect your tools and they will treat you well; even the high-end brushes aren't THAT expensive when you consider that you will get years out of it. I have Da Vinci's, W&N's (which are a crapshoot these days), Raphael's, and more. But many of them are still in use after years because of spending 2-3 minutes after a paint session taking care of them.
It's worth it!
I've never invested in more expensive synthetic brushes. Different content creators say different things (Vince says go cheap and constantly replace them, Uncle Adam says buy the ones with his name on them even though they seem way overpriced), and I've tended towards the cheap end. The tips always get bent very quickly, and I get frustrated sometimes using them. I would try one of the DV Nova 5570 that is mentioned in the video, but they don't seem to be available in the US except from amazon, where they are as expensive as a sable hair brush.
Really good video! I try to use synthetics for base coating but often run into the issue that without a better tip I can't even do that, because nowadays especially GW models have so many small details and small spaces between things, beneath stuff and so on, that I can't get them even base coated properly without going to my better brush. Do you find that to be the same? Maybe I need better synthetics. Gonna give your recommendations a try.
Trovarion Miniatures I have a favour to ask you: Is there a chance to create a grimdark painting video but for chaos space marines? The loyalist one was the best I have encountered guides on how to paint grimdark but I would like to hear from a profetional like you on how to paint grimdark Alpha Legion for example.
I started cleaning my brushes with alcohol some months ago. After the soap I give them a bath in brush restorer. The impact on the longevity is massive.
Hast du mal die PK-Pro Greenline getestet? Ich Versuche wo wenig wie möglich Echthaar zu nutzen und die Greenline kommen für mich schon relativ nah an Echthaarpinsel Ran... Ein Echthaar Pinsel hällt natürlich bei richtiger Pflege Länger
What about the 0 to 6/0 sizes? im just starting in the hobby and i get that they may not hold as much paint, but for details they seem a really good option aswell but i didn't hear you mention them
a size 1 or 2 with a decent tip will be much more effective because you also have the reservoir/belly that will hold a lot of paint and longer working times.
Raphael brushes are the best right now in quality. But if you want to check best price/quality ratio look at Lineo 190, similar to how Rosemary and Raphael behave for a much lower entry price - for me they're great workhorses. Also they're cheap enough so you do not fear to learn to use natural brushes.
My way to go are The Artis Opus brushes, i like them soooo much. But yes they are expensive
The support from the brush is way to close to the ferrule for me, too damn floppy. The majority of painting ppl do isn't push strokes making them not ideal.
Great video. A lot of high quality brushes are unfortunately awfully expensive here in Australia. That said, I will be making the effort to try and get one or two. Keep up the great work.
Any tip for a good brush for contrast paints?
An absolutely awesome video, really helpful and insightful.
Really if you are spending these extortionate sums on the plastic may as well splash out a bit on the brushes. People really out here painting a £30 character model with a £1 brush its crazy
Always good to here an experienced artist's take on tools.
Personally I avoid animalic products, so I don't like using sable, though I do own a nice one. It's definately something that you need to find workarounds for. Some things I've found:
-I tried a lot of high quality (or at least expensive) synthetics, but nope, the ones that work best for very thin lines are the ones I get for less than a euro at the local art store.
-Mediums can help. With sable I don't think you need much help, but flow improver and retarder is helpful for synthetics.
-It's just not possible to retain as much paint in the brush. I don't think bigger synthetic brushes work that well anyway, the paint don't want to come off. So usually I use pretty small brushes, which is more time consuming but at least it works. You touched on this in the video. Some workarounds are flat brushes sometimes for base coats, and using two brushes for wet blending.
I hope Kimera sends you a review product of their new synthetic brushes, would be great to get your input and know if they are useful as actual high quality brushes.
Raphael 8084 size 2 is awesome
thanks a lot for this video that was very helpfull .
I think I got really lucky with my Series 7 I guess mine must have been old stock as it's been amazing and while the tip is on the way out and it's lost some of it's snappy-ness after 9/10 months of use It's still great for other jobs. Can't really say I've had the same experience with Artis Opus. First brush arrived looked like something that should have failed QC and never have gone out, second is great for what it is but IDK doesn't really feel as nice to use not as snappy, doesn't have the body it's a bit smaller. I think I've been spoiled. I'll have to try a 8404 next or wait for W&N to get their shit together if the furr shortage was the cause during covid.
Nice, more about brushes please
I tried a Raphael brush on recommendation and honestly, hated it. It's a sable brush, and initially it was great, but within a month or two the brush just stopped holding its tip. My Windsor and Newton brushes however, it's been 6 months and they're holding their tip perfectly fine. I've changed nothing about how I cared for these brushes, maybe I got a bad brush from Raphael but it's for sure put me off getting more of them.
Does anyone have a list of which brands are made by which brush makers?
But which brush has the best Guiding Hair?
I recently got a number 2 Winsor and newton series 7 sable hair brush and it was terrible. It didn’t hold paint right all the paint stayed in the belly and the tip became useless due to this (nice tip though) and the hairs kept getting all wild every time I went to go paint. 30$ for a brush waste of money. Luckily I returned it
Love the series 33. Use them every session and they are as good as new after 16 months. Unfortunately a friends birthday gift of artis opus s series are splayed after 2 uses. Very very disappointing
Unfortunately some rosemary and co brushes I brought were nearly useless out of the box. I contacted them and they said to use some hair conditioner and it helped but wasn't great. I'm now a bit sceptical about using their brushes since the series 7 and Raphael are doing well
nothing improved my painting game more than moving up to a good brush, and honestly in the long run they are probably cheaper than synthetics as you can use 1 brush for many different things if you keep it good
what good way to get kolinsky sable in the US?
Amazon
i know it sounds like really bad advice but id recomend trying a cople different brands and sizes of kolinsky to feel what u like most. might sound like a waste of money but when u find the correct one for u u will fall in love
This was great!
For synthetics AND cheaper KS, you could do a lot worse than picking up the AIT art brushes on Amazon; the only issue I've ever had was some quality differences between brushes made in Germany vs made in China. Even under heavy use of metallics, contrast and even alcohol inks, these things hold up! The rigging/liner brushes do 99% of anything I do.
super helpful
Whatever size 2 sable watercolour brush is on offer.
You can judge a good brush by the guide hair. If it has one it’s good, if it has multiple or none it’s bad. 😊
3:40 not even 3 dollars. The citadel brushes honestly don't even exceed the quality of my cheap go-to synthetics (also white fibers, incidentally) that I bought in bulk on Amazon (I think it was like 50 or so brushes in a few different sizes for 15€ or thereabouts). They're decent for metallics or anything else where I don't particularly care how long the brush survives. That's about it.
But in principle, "Don't buy citadel" is a very good rule of thumb for all areas of the hobby. Because no matter what, be it brushes or clippers or primer or even paints, you can find BETTER products for LESS money. Always.
What paint is better than Citadel in your opinion?
@@SkywalkerOne1977 The better question would be what paint isn't.
But to answer yours: Vallejo, ProAcryl, Kimera, Scale75, Duncan Rhodes' Two Thin Coats range ... hell, at this point even the new ArmyPainter Fanatics range is *at least* on par with Citadel (if not better, arguably). But the most important thing is: ALL of these other paint ranges are significantly less expensive, while also not coming in stupid-ass paint pots that are horrible to use and often lead to paints drying out so you go buy new paints more quickly. Never had this happen with a dropper bottle. Not once.
@@rogthepirate4593 None of that describes the quality of the paint though. In my experience, Citadel paints tend to cover exceptionally well, and you can always transfer them to a dropper. Is there a paint brand that you think has similar or better quality paint than Citadel?
@@SkywalkerOne1977 Again: All of those that I mentioned. You didn't ask me to describe the quality of the paint, you asked me which paints are better. You get paints that are at minimum on par with Citadel from any of the mentioned brands, and some - like ProAcryl, Kimera or Scale75 - are *significantly* better across the board.
And sure, you can transfer citadel to a dropper. But it's messy af, it inevitably means you lose a bit of paint, and ultimately you shouldn't have to. And you're still paying a lot more per milliliter of paint than for any other brand, without getting any benefits out of it other than being able to follow GW's "paint recipes" a little bit more easily, and who really needs those anyway?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying citadel paints are bad. They're not. They just aren't the be-all and end-all in the hobby any more, and they haven't been for quite some time, because other companies have taken note and improved on their ranges to an enormous degree, in many cases vastly surpassing citadel, while GW really hasn't improved their paints much if at all (and in some cases like Nuln Oil and Agrax, they've actually made them worse). Add to this that citadel is by far the most expensive brand on the market and there really is no good reason to buy them over any other brand.
The raphael 8404 both I got split like crazy. They are so soft like limp, it's weird. It sucks cuz they feel nice until I start painting
Green stuff world was really good for small details. But the guide hair drives me nuts. Super thin so good for line stuff
Monument hobbies is very good in general, doesn't split for me.
Kimera has the best brushes I've user so far. Their arrow shaped ones are also pretty good. Though with the arrow one it's hard for ne to figure out which is the right direction to paint. Their traditional brushes are awesome and hold their shape brilliantly.
I'm a noob though so idk shit. Every brush I've used for tiny details like eyes always has pigment/paint dry at the tip that I have to pull off. Doesn't matter the paint. Could be user error but that's my experience.
This is a technique issue and we’ve all been there. Pigment drying for detail work like eyes can be fixed by ensuring the paint is flowing nicely with paint in the belly of the brush not just on the tip. Fill the belly then wipe off the excess on your thumb or a non absorbent material. Don’t fill the bristles completely to ensure no paint gets in the ferrule. Then work reasonably fast. This happened to me too and it’s just a practice thing. Good luck
yeah same issue for me with the Raphael, too floppy. I prefer my brushes to have more snap like the W&N.
Once a synthetic brush tip goes just cut it off straight and you have a nice little dry brush.
Habe Jahrelang mit der alten w&n serie gemalt, nie probleme..habe dann durch ein Gewinnspiel 2 der neueren Pinsel bekommen, beide nach ein paar Malsessions schrott..
I had a bad Windsor Newton recently. Unfortunate to hear it's a common thing now.
Can vegans use Kolinsky Sable brushes as they are made from weasels that have been trapped inhumanely and killed? Just one thing to consider in a review too. Not sure how I feel about it, was gonna go for that Raphael 8404 but am thinking twice now. I read that the weasels are going to be killed anyway and its a by-product, not sure what the main product of weasels is tho. Still poses an ethical issue for me and I hate synthetic ones so for now am gonna get a pair of scissors, a broom handle and some glue and see if I can make my own :) Anyways thank you for a great review ! If you hear of broom pube brushes taking off you can be sure it was you that inspired me to make them :)
ye I got a windsor and newton thinking it was a good quality and barely lasted 2 sessions