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Hello all you Reaper paintaholics! Question for you today, how good are red sable brushes in comparison to Kolinsky Sable brushes? I was in Dick Blick over the weekend and they don't actually have anything in stock that is Kolinsky Sable, but they did have Red Sable, which were in the 15-22 dollar range and had a really good sale if you ordered five or more, which turned the price down into more the 9 dollar range, but my question was, would it be worth buying Red Sable? Do they keep their points, do they last, et cetera? I've been working now for quite a while with Winsor Series 7 brushes and Rosemary and Co Series 33 brushes and are very satisfied with them, problem being I'd like to be able to get something by going to a store and not always getting things online. For those that use Red Sable, any suggestions or comments about their quality and how they compare with Kolinsky? Thanks!

I have been using Rosemary & Co brushes for years. I love them. My go to was the series 33 size 0 rounds. Those are no longer imported to the US and even if they were right now I want to avoid buying Kolinsky products. I am wondering what a suitable replacement or substitution would be because in the long run I'm going to have to get new ones eventually. I'd like to try some different things out before I need more.

Hello guys, question: a few days ago I was told that you can fix the hook that will ultimately happen in a synthetic brush by dipping it in boiling water and reshaping it. Has anybody ever done this/heard of this/tried this and what were your results? Asking right now as Rosemary and Co weasel butt brushes can't be imported currently but they do have some synthetic brushes that they say are the bees knees. I'm still a bit leery though as my synthetic brushes have always croaked rather quickly, with the hairs hooking at the end. Any ideas/thoughts?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/squidmar/squidmar-kolinsky-miniature-paintbrush Story In Squidmar Miniatures paintbrushes, the insight of accomplished painters, impeccable production quality, luxurious aesthetics and the finest Kolinsky Sable are all brought together to create an experience which combines style, comfort and practicality in equal measure. Our brushes feature a wide body (AKA the “belly”) while maintaining a sharp point. This allows a Squidmar Miniatures brush to hold more paint in its bristles without losing its point, and lends it the stability and elasticity needed to make the brush feel properly responsive to your movements. Additionally, this design allows you to use a larger brush than you might have normally to accomplish even finer details! The Tobolski Kolinsky hair is compared to Synthetics well rounded and great at keeping its original shape. Giving you a longer working time during paint jobs and lasts you longer keeping the tip pristine even after working on big projects for longer times. Squidmar Brushes - Size Comparison - Equivalent of approximately 00-2 (differs from brand to brand) Our basic brush set contains four Squidmar Miniatures brushes, ranging from XS to L. We chose these four because we feel they represent the most common, and best suited, brush sizes for miniature painting. In addition to our basic set, however, we've also designed a tiny brush, for the finest of details, and an XL brush for heavy duty paint jobs! Armed with a full set of Squidmar Miniatures brushes, you'll be ready to take on any painting project! No wargaming army is too massive, no immaculately detailed display miniature too exquisite! The brushes, from Tiny to Extra Large! Wow, those are some cool ferrules! Not only are the brushes wider, so are the handles! They are designed for comfort and ergonomics, adapted to the anatomy of the human hand. The handles of Squidmar Miniatures brushes are therefore thicker and slightly triangular. This allows the brush to rest naturally in your hand, which lets you relax and focus on painting without risking the dreaded “painter’s cramp”. Oh, and did we mention the fancy gold ferrule? We thought it’d look cooler that way. Your brushes are the safest when they're guarded by an antediluvian squid-being! Our brushes ship in a sleek cylindrical storage case. The bottom of the case is lined with a dense storage foam to stick the brushes into. This allows a Squidmar Miniatures brush to rest standing up, and avoids having any pressure placed on the bristles themselves. An open storage case additionally serves as a handy paintbrush stand while sitting at your workstation, your entire collection standing at attention! Handy, right? Cool and practical in equal measure! Not only are we Kickstarting world-class paintbrushes, we're also introducing a line of exquisite miniature busts, custom sculpted for our campaign! Each bust is incredibly detailed, imaginatively designed, and bursting with character - sculpted by such renowned artists as Joaqin Palacios and Leonardo Escobar Quintero! There are 5 of these resin cast miniatures in total at 1/10 scale, ranging from 6.5 centimeters to as large as 10 centimeters. The retail cost of these never-before seen miniatures will range from 45€ to 55€, but all will be exclusively available for 40€ each through this Kickstarter, or even cheaper when purchased in a bundle! These fantastic miniature busts are specifically designed to help you become a better painter, sculpted to enable you to practice (and master!) painting everything from warm, rugged skin to cold, gleaming metal! Don't worry, though, we're here to guide you through it. Each bust is accompanied by a YouTube video painting guide where expert painters demonstrate advanced techniques, made simple! Squidmar's Boxart of Illonth Magic in the making! The Squidmar Miniatures paintbrushes are hand-crafted to exacting specifications by experienced professionals, using only the highest quality materials and the finest Kolinsky Sable hair. The union of comfort and practicality in each brush is perfect for experienced painters working to master their craft, beginners who are brand new to miniature painting, and everyone in between! This Kickstarter is a great opportunity to not only grab a set of fantastic paintbrushes but a set of beautiful miniature busts as well! These finely detailed miniature busts, bursting with character, will allow you to grow and develop as a painter. We'll be with you throughout your journey through our custom painting tutorials, where we'll do our best to guide you through a variety of advanced techniques. Finally, a heartfelt thank you from our entire campaign for taking the time to read this, and we hope you pledge a contribution, no matter how small. Join us in our quest for the miniature paintbrush of our dreams!

So my niece is turning 13 next month. She already has a huge interest in minis and loves to paint with me. I'm trying to build her a kit or care package for her birthday so we can video chat and paint together. I'm at a loss as to what to put in it though. She has a ton of minis I gave her and a few brushes but I want to get her like a full starters kit of sorts (paint, better brushes, brush soap, etc.). I'm already considering the first LTPK. What would you put in it for someone just starting out?

After a hiatus I am writing a blog post to help my sanity! This next post is all about brushes and brush care. So my question to you fellow painters is: If/when you are/were new to painting what would you like to know or would like to have known about brushes?

So the new Artis Opus KS is live. It can be found here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/artis-opus/artis-opus-series-m-brush-set Be curious what people's opinions are on the "smaller" brushes they are doing here. I've always been taught go for a brush with a larger belly and a good point over something like these. Also how people like the previous ones to see if they were worth the price.

Surprised I did not see this mentioned yet. So my question here once people look at it is this really worth it? The cost seems high given you can get Rosemary & Co or other company Kolinsky brushes far cheaper. What makes these worth the extra cost? I know you get the brush soap (which I would think most of us have already) and a nice case (not really needed perhaps). But seems like $65ish with shipping for 4 brushes seems high.

Hi all! I'm wondering if anyone has any tips for fixing the fishhook tip that develops on brushes after awhile. Is it even possible? I tried brush shaper with no success (although it's possible/likely there's a technique I don't know about that would make the brush shaper work better) I'd love to replace my brushes less frequently, and salvage some I already have :-)

So just a random question, or comment: I have a brush that I always use for sealing my miniatures and thought I at least rinsed it out reasonably well or cleaned it out. Apparently not. Last week when before I used it, I actually took an exacto knife to the brush and started scraping old sealant off bristles, until it was actually much cleaner than it as previously. Has anybody else ever done this?

Quick question on cleaning brushes. How often do you thoroughly clean them? Obviously cleaning them each time you use them is necessary, but do you go so far as to thoroughly clean them each time you change colors? Or do you just give them a good water rinse between colors? Some of both depending on the paint/colors/etc.?

So my old Winsor & Newton series 7 size 1 finally died. Last year (or possibly longer ago) there was some concern about US Fish and Wildlife importing regulations making kolinsky sable paint brushes much harder to find in the US. As a result, I bought some brands I hadn't tried to test out should trusty old Winsor and Newtons become unavailable. I've had good experience with Old Holland paints, so I decided to try their brushes too. Brush size has no standardization or consistency from brand to brand. Each picture below shows a new Old Holland Series 7001 Kolinsky Size 4 brush (above) and a new Winsor and Newton Series 7 Size 1 brush (below), and as you can see they are pretty much the same size. Before washing (as came from store): Washed, with centimeter scale: The Old Holland brush has a much longer handle and a thicker grip near the business end: Details of markings: I haven't tested them in painting yet, but while washing them they seemed to have about the same amount of "snap".

So I've been noticing and it's kind of obnoxious that every so often I'm finding really small hairs, maybe a millimeter or five while I'm painting pushing around paint lately. Has anybody else ever had this issue? I sometimes wonder if it's the paintbrushes I use, currently Rosemary and Co. I don't remember this happening much when I was using the Winsor and Newton series 7 brushes....

This isn't really a tip or advice; it's more of an informational topic. As we all know, brushes vary by manufacturer such that a 00 from one company can be different from another. Rather than go with the existing system the WAMP brushes are stamped by their intended purpose, though each brush does include an "equivalent to" in the description. Still, that's a comparison back to a system without a standard so I thought it would be helpful to snap a picture for actual comparison purposes. I didn't purchase all of them, but if you were curious about the WAMP brushes here's how they compare to each other and to a few other manufacturers. From left to right we have: Isabey 2/0 WAMP Fine Freehand W&N Series 7 00 Reaper Pro Paint 1 WAMP Freehand WAMP Fine Detail W&N Series 7 1 WAMP Detail WAMP Basecoat WAMP Liner Blick Master Sable 2 WAMP Stipple Edit: For the metric people, 1/8" = 3.175 mm.

I'm referring generally to series 331 as well as some of the synthetics, 2230, 2240, and 2250. I guess these things are usually called rake brushes? Anyway, I've got some Deinonychus antirrhopuses I need to paint up and as a bit of an amateur paleontology observer nerd, I'd like to cover up the '70's era scales with something that looks like feathers. I'll probably try my hand at sculpting feathers someday, but not now! Has anyone tried using these rake or comber brushes to paint feathers? Any tips or tricks for avoiding abject failure? (I am okay with most failure, I just have to break out the liquid green if it's abject, I think!)

So just yesterday, after ordering them Tuesday night from England, received this package of Rosemary & Co. brushes. They came very nicely packed together as seen, and in a cardboard support wrapped by rubber bands. Very nicely arrived, and considering it took from Tuesday to Friday to get from the UK to Omaha, Nebraska I was extremely impressed. Apparently there were no issues getting the brushes through customs. These brushes are their series 33, Kolinsky sable brushes, hopefully in every way just as good as the Winsor & Newtons I've been using now for a few years. I haven't had a chance to yet actually use them, but as I do, I'll report my impressions sometime in the near future.

So, I am trying to organize my painting area better. I recently made a new box that has room for over 100 bottles of paint, organized by colour, so the first problem is sorted out. The second is my brushes. Are there any tips on how they should be stored to prevent problems, and still have them at hand?

I'm trying to figure out a graduation gift for a co-worker who paints. He uses craft paints and the cheapest brushes he can find, and I'd like to get him some better supplies. I think I've got the paints figured out -- just some GW stuff from their Citadel line, since he's a Warhammer 40K player. But I don't know enough about brushes to know what are some really good ones. When I asked what he looks for in a brush, he told me he just buys the cheapest ones he can find, one really big one for drybrushing and base coats, and one really tiny one for detail work. So ... if you were buying some really nice brushes for somebody, what kind would you look at?

So as to not disturb Professor Buglips' thread, I'll post this question here. I need some advice on some good dry-brushing brushes that people use. I've heard that some smaller synthetic brushes (not pointed) are the best to get the technique down and have the best control. Right now I've been using (to bad effect) an older LTPK sable brush, but it just sprawls out like a lazy cat on a Sunday afternoon as soon as I start working with it. So I'm wondering if people wouldn't mind linking the brushes they would most highly recommend so that I can go pick a few of them up online or at a local craft store.

Hey I wrote this up for those of you who are interested. http://tacticalrock.blogspot.com/2013/05/hobby-care-and-feeding-your-paint.html

Hi, Just looking for some advice it's been around 10 years since I painted any minis and I backed the Kickstarter so just wondering what kind of brushes people have been using and where do you get them? The small town I live in has no hobby shop! Any help is appreciated thanks in advance.