Reaper User Vaitalla Posted August 22, 2007 Reaper User Share Posted August 22, 2007 It all depends on your techniques. If you're layering using a feathering-type brushstroke or trying to paint fine filigree then I challenge you to get even near the same results with a Taklon that I can get with a Kolinsky sable, but for many other techniques and different brush-strokes taklon is fine. "Russian Weasel butt-fur"...I'm still laughing! Awesome. I'm going to have to fight not to call it that in my next class... Anyhoo, I love my DaVinci Maestro series 10 size 1. It's my competition-painting brush, and as someone stated before they are slightly longer and thinner in shape than the W&N series 7. Which makes them absolutely dreamy for things like fine details, lining, and feathery layering!! Russian Weasel Butt-Fur...oh, still have the giggles...hee! --Anne, a little loopy today Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurityThruFire Posted August 22, 2007 Author Share Posted August 22, 2007 Anyhoo, I love my DaVinci Maestro series 10 size 1. It's my competition-painting brush, and as someone stated before they are slightly longer and thinner in shape than the W&N series 7. Which makes them absolutely dreamy for things like fine details, lining, and feathery layering!! Good to know. I always use my Vallejo kolinsky sables because of their thinner body. However, on the other hand I don't like them because they don't really "spring" back to shape easily and they have the odd coarse hair sticking out here and there. So if series 10 have the thinner body with the same properties as the series 7 then I think I made a good purchase. Besides, I need the good tools to practice the heck outta my layering/feathering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baphomet69 Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Wow! This one must be for doing the large dragons that Reaper produces: 05819-1042 10 Jumbo Round, Size 50 26 mm 64 mm List $1,675.00 $837.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helltown Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 It all depends on your techniques. If you're layering using a feathering-type brushstroke or trying to paint fine filigree then I challenge you to get even near the same results with a Taklon that I can get with a Kolinsky sable, but for many other techniques and different brush-strokes taklon is fine. "Russian Weasel butt-fur"...I'm still laughing! Awesome. I'm going to have to fight not to call it that in my next class... Anyhoo, I love my DaVinci Maestro series 10 size 1. It's my competition-painting brush, and as someone stated before they are slightly longer and thinner in shape than the W&N series 7. Which makes them absolutely dreamy for things like fine details, lining, and feathery layering!! Russian Weasel Butt-Fur...oh, still have the giggles...hee! --Anne, a little loopy today Well... you'll see the results of my not using my sables at all soon enough. Meg's going to be getting a mini in the mail from me that I didn't use my Series 7s at all on. They weren't doing what I needed them to do, so... they went back in the jar. And it's Top Quality Russian Weasel Butt Fur, lest anyone forget, in your Kolinsky sable brushes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Artists Wren Posted August 23, 2007 Artists Share Posted August 23, 2007 I really didn't like the Vallejo brushes at all, random hairs all over the place and no sense of a shape that they kept. After reading the endorsements of Anne and a few other folks, I sprung on some Da Vincis a while back. I _love_ the 1. It does have a more slender shape like a Vallejo, but nice snap and shape-keeping properties. I don't do eyes with it, but I can do a lot more than I ever have before with a brush of that size. For the smaller sizes, I still prefer and extensively use a W&N 00. I tried a few smaller Da Vincis and they just didn't work for me, though I know mileage varies for a lot of people. Varying mileage is something I've been wondering about a bit. I have enough hobby cash to occasionally be extravagent and try out a few different sizes or types of brush and live with it if they don't work for me, but then I feel badly now and then when I look at the ones I rarely use I wonder if there's a way for me to relocate them to people who might like them better. No one ever really talks about selling slightly used brushes, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eastman Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 hmmmm me thinks I may need to try them at some point. I seem to be one of the few remaining painters who loves WN I'm still a W&N S7 painter. My S7s are 3 and half years old, and only the size 1 is getting close to needing replacement (if the current soak in W&N brush cleaner doesn't help it). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilesuck Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I'll go with the love of series 7, I just replaced my size 2 after 12 years of use, so they do last. I will try and take a picture of my entire brush collection (if I can find them all) so I can show how many brushes I never use. I only use about a total of 8 brushes for all my artwork and miniature work. Edit: Got the pics of brushes. This one is almost every brush that I own, couldn't find one other brush holder. The brown handle ones in the middle of the group that look like bamboo are Japanese calligraphy brushes, I want to see someone try to mini paint with one of those, talk about no spring back. These are the most used brushes for minis and my art. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enchantra Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I'll be a horse of a different color here and say I like my Reaper Kolinsky sable 30/0 better than my W&N 000. I haven't tried the DaVinci brushes yet so really have no other input other than get one and try it if you feel so inclined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerridwyn1st Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I really didn't like the Vallejo brushes at all, random hairs all over the place and no sense of a shape that they kept. After reading the endorsements of Anne and a few other folks, I sprung on some Da Vincis a while back. I _love_ the 1. It does have a more slender shape like a Vallejo, but nice snap and shape-keeping properties. I don't do eyes with it, but I can do a lot more than I ever have before with a brush of that size. For the smaller sizes, I still prefer and extensively use a W&N 00. I tried a few smaller Da Vincis and they just didn't work for me, though I know mileage varies for a lot of people. Varying mileage is something I've been wondering about a bit. I have enough hobby cash to occasionally be extravagent and try out a few different sizes or types of brush and live with it if they don't work for me, but then I feel badly now and then when I look at the ones I rarely use I wonder if there's a way for me to relocate them to people who might like them better. No one ever really talks about selling slightly used brushes, though. Well, Wren, if you have a lot of brushes you don't use anymore but are still serviceable, you've got two options: 1) use them for painting seminars that you teach 2) give them to a younger painter who doesn't have the money to get everything he or she needs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerridwyn1st Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 (edited) My $0.02 worth? People's brush needs change over time. The more practiced you are, the more control you have, the more you favor a brush with longer hair and a thinner body. Thus the preference among experienced painters like Jen and Anne for the DaVinci #10, while those with a little less time in the art prefer WNS 7. I kind of suspected this was the case, and with Anne's comments it seems to confirm this. It makes sense, too. The brushes we use are popular with conventional artists. If there weren't different needs amont artists for the qualities of the brushes, there wouldn't be so many of them on the market. Oh, and I have a Vallejo #2 and an old "red handle" Citadel brush that both perform beautifully. I've got a Reaper Master Brush that goes all caterwumpus as soon as you get paint in it. These are hand-made items, guys. You can get good ones and bad ones regardless of the manufacturer. That's why testing and selecting brushes is so important. Edited August 23, 2007 by Cerridwyn1st Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrgunn Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I have had good luck ordering from Blick. Last order from Jerry's they mistreated my W&N Series 7s, I had to return them. Funny you should toss that link out there as I just threw caution to the wind and ordered a 2/0, 0 and a 1 of the series 10. It's all about the timing... I almost pulled the trigger on a couple of these tonight myself, then balked at the shipping cost. Blick is better on shipping by $5 vs. Jerry's, but still, without anything more solid than a rumor to go on, I hesitated. You are more daring than I. Care to write a review when they arrive? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vutpakdi Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I've got a Reaper Master Brush that goes all caterwumpus as soon as you get paint in it. These are hand-made items, guys. You can get good ones and bad ones regardless of the manufacturer. I have a Reaper Master brush that did the same thing, probably because I was using dish soap to clean the brush when I first got it. After getting frustrated, I put it aside and ordered some W&N S7's. I've been very happy with those. I've also tried the W&N Cirrus, which I didn't like (too soft and the point isn't as good). But, about 4 months ago, in a fit of stubbornness, I picked up the Reaper Master Brush #1 again, and started doggedly using it and using the Master's Brush Cleaner followed by conditioner routine on it, and, after a month or so, the brush started behaving properly (a little more each time), and now, it's a very well behaved brush and does very well for me for most things. Ron PS: I've had very good luck with the brushes ordered through Dick Blick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrush65 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 The popularity of Da Vinci brushes has increased in the US as they have become more readily available. Ten years ago I had to have them shipped to me by a friend in Germany. Then their most popular brush the Series 10 became available through a couple of US sources and now the entire line is available through almost twenty outlets. On the other hand WN 7s have been relatively easy to acquire here in the US for a long time and have been the most recommended brush by miniature painters whether they work in oils or acrylics. I think this has more to do with some painters newfound fondness for the DV 10s than anything else. I like a variety of brushes for different types of work. The DV is great for detail but I prefer to basecoat with something like the WN 7 or Raphael that have better water/paint holding ability. Da Vinci has the series ten available as a travel brush as well. I didn't get it for travel reasons but the thicker barrel accepts cushion grips which help me with my hand pain while giving me an excellent brush. They may be helpful to others with arthritis type problems as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helltown Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Okay, Bilesuck posted his collection of brushes minus a few and I feel compelled to share my very modest selection of brushes (synthetics and sables) that I use and abuse. Here's the whole bunch after a brush purge about a month ago.. got rid of the severely hooked, splayed, thrashed, and otherwise destroyed brushes I'd kept around for no reason other than my amazing ability to accumulate junk. What you see in the above picture are: Armory sable series 10 sizes 3 and 5, Loew-Cornell white taklons, a Plaid 10/0 Liner, Winsor&Newton University Series 233 (0, 00, 3/0), an Ironwind Metals brush set, and my W&N Series 7 (0, 00 regular and a size 1 miniature). I use the W&N University for metallics, Armory sables for painting bases, and well... my Series 7s don't see much use.. they just sort of look pretty until I find what techniques I want to use them for. And here are the ones I use the most for miniatures: These are without ado... Loew-Cornell 795 White Taklon brushes in sizes 1, 0, 3/0 and a Plaid 10/0 that is absolutely amazing for lining and fine detail that doesn't require much of a brush load. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurityThruFire Posted August 23, 2007 Author Share Posted August 23, 2007 Looking back now I'm kicking myself in the butt. I should've ordered some of the Maestro flats, especially considering the amount of armor I need to paint on my Warjacks. Considering 75% of my Protectorate army is made up of armor I figure the flats are the way to go for basecoating. I'll have to figure out some other odd brushes I need like liners, and some nice hard bristle filberts for *gasp* drybrushing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.