Rastl Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 My W&NS7 is showing a few signs of being tired, which means it's time to clean it good and then shape it. That should bring it back to it's normal goodness. Then again I use this brush for pretty much anything except hard drybrushing. Yes, I will, um, non-wet blend with my 'good brush'. It's a tool, I'm used to it, I use it. I picked up some Ares (I think that's the brand) Kolinski on clearance for about $3 per brush a while ago. Mostly for the uber-cool tip protectors. I haven't tried them yet but overall the bristle appearance looks good. The handles need to be cut down by about half but that's an easy thing. They're waiting in the wings for when my S7 can no longer hold a good point. I've been using this one brush for almost everything I paint for 3 years. It's allowed to be a little tired but with routine care it will come right back. Not a bad investment for $10. Now think of how many cheap brushes you use in 3 years and how happy you are with them. At RAC '05 I was introduced to sables and I've never looked back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duliniel Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I'm another one who orders my W&N S7 from Dick Blick. The prices are reasonable, they ship quickly, and I've never gotten a bad brush from them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tabascojunkie Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Series 7's in the sizes we use are only 6 or 7 bucks at Dick Blick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l33t ninj4 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 He who dies with the most brushes wins. Don't you mean unpainted pewter?! That's what I was thinking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claymoore Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Kalish brushes are made by the same factory as Reaper MS brushes and sold by Kalish for half the price. Kalish has a lot more variety as well. I just bought replacements for my 3/0, 2/0, 0 and 1 for $20 plus shipping - total $27. These would have cost $50 from the Asylum store where I would have only had the 5/0 and 10/0 as choices instead of the 3/0 and 2/0. The Kalish 2/0 is a favorite of mine. The Kalish and Reaper brushes I'm replacing are over four years old and were used for the majority of my work. The ability to pickup a Reaper Kolinsky brush that is carded from a local store is an advantage but if ordering over the net the price and optional sizes Kalish has are a plus. And Harry and Ruth are good people to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumble_B Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 Wow. This thread has been another brush eye opener in my life. I obviously have been doing more stuff really wrong. When I started painting (experimenting was more like it) I tried a ton of different brushes. I had no idea what to get and got all sorts of wierd things. I started buying random brushes on sale at hobby lobby that looked like the right size. I bought some of the testors hobby looking brushes, got some gamesworkshop brushes, and some armory brushes. I think each of them lasted 3 ... or maybe 5 minis at most. I have a pile of about 25 brushes now that get used for mixing and drybrushing. I finally WATCHED someone else paint some Warmachine minis at PAX and it was an eye opener. Afterwards I went and bought some P3 Work Hobby Brushes and Fine Hobby Brushes which I have 4 of. I have been using the same brush for roughly 3 months (thats a huge record for me) and I am getting ready to retire it. It has acquired this funny loop/hook with the hairs at the end of the tip. I toyed with the idea of trying to snip the end of the brush with scissors but decided against it. I am getting ready to start using another brand new brush and come to find out all my stuff should be lasting for years?! insanity !! LIES!! I don't use cleaner. I am going to have to try that now. I have been doing the conditioner thing after each painting. (Started doing that after PAX too). The things I am NOT supposed to do (mentioned in the previous posts) I haven't been doing with my newer brushes. My P3 brushes are kinda like my bread and butter now that I am taking care of my brushes so I am kinda torn. Maybe I should just try and upgrade to these Series 7 brushes you guys are raving about. Compaired to P3 brushes are they that much better or am I just doing something wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All-Terrain Monkey Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 If the P3 brushes are taklons, which I believe they are, there's no way possible to prevent the hook; it's a synthetic bristle. Upgrading to a good, real-haired brush will give you better results. Their Fine Hobby Brushes are listed as "natural sable", but not all weasel hair's the same. I'd recommend upgrading to the venerable Series 7, as they're good, introductory Kolinsky sables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumble_B Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I use their work hobby line as my primary brush. I only have a very small one from the fine hobby line, and rarely use it. Which sizes do you recommend getting from the Series 7 line? I heard someone mention 1 and a size 2/0. Lets say I can get 5 brushes. Is size 1 the largest I should go? Thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vutpakdi Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I prefer DaVinci brushes over the W&N Series 7. The Series 7 that I got seem to split a bit when loaded a bit more than quickly than my other brushes. I generally don't load my brushes up much at all. Maybe that I got a not so good batch. As far as sizes go, you really don't need all that many. Just 3 would probably work: (#2 or #1), #0, and #3/0. I don't think that you'll need 5 over a relatively small range. Some sort of brush cleaner will really help. Even shampoo can work in a pinch. The conditioner only helps with natural hair brushes or synthetic-sable blends. But, a hooked brush can still work and can be useful. I keep some around for painting rough surfaces, doing things very quickly, and poking into recesses. I also order from Dick Blick. Great service and good prices on brushes. But, you'll want to order more than one brush to make the shipping worthwhile. Ron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFo Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 For what it's worth after so much good input here... I started with sythetic brushes. Then moved to off-brand Kolinsky Sable. Then to Da Vinci Maestros. Now I use W&N Series 7 Miniatures. Each of those transitions was eye-opening, with the difference from synthetic to sable probably the most pronounced. The Maestros are good brushes, but I prefer the amount of snap, the paint flow, and especially the point of the W&Ns. Disclaimer: I paint with pretty thin paint - I'm not sure how the designed-for-watercolour S7s would do if you like to dip straight from the bottle, or only thin slightly. I ordered my Series 7s in 3 sizes - 000, 0, and 2. I don't use the 000 - it's too small. Pupil dotting is actually easier with the wider belly and fine point of the 0. I really need a larger brush than the 2 for large blocks of colour. I should note that the Series 7 Miniature 0 is about the same size as a Da Vinci Maestro 000. Finally, I got my latest brushes from Jerry's Artarama (although I believe Blick is slightly cheaper). I've paid much more for far inferior brushes. Having the right tools for the right job really helps - but remember, you can't always blame your brushes! Good luck with the painting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pae Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I pretty much only use 2 brushes anymore. I've worn the markings off on them, so I have no idea what size they are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rastl Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I pretty much only use 2 brushes anymore. I've worn the markings off on them, so I have no idea what size they are. "Big" and "Little" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pae Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 pretty much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
All-Terrain Monkey Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I pretty much do everything with a 0 W&N S7 and a 1 DaVinci Maestro. I have a few larger brushes I'll use for basecoating, and some synthetics for rougher stuff, but for the majority of my work it's just those two sizes. Once you get more brush control, you'll find you can even do the really small detail stuff like eyes and freehand with a larger brush as long as it has a really good point to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanael Posted February 23, 2009 Share Posted February 23, 2009 I have five brushes that get a lot of use: Vallejo (sable) 1 and 2, WNS7 miniature 0, WNS7 000, and a GW Basecoat Brush. The Vallejo 1 is the one I use for almost everything, then the WNS7 mini 0 for the highest highlights and most fiddly bits. I've done eyes with both of these brushes, and I consider them both indispensable, size-wise. The 000 I use for eyes and the fiddliest of fiddly bits, and the GW I use for drybrushing my base terrain. For really big figures, the V 2 does my basecoating. The Vallejo 1 has held a good point for a while (about a year's worth of painting), but both Vallejos have now started to fray on me a bit, so I'm likely to replace the 1 with a WNS7 in the relatively near future. The 2 I'm not as worried about, since I don't use it as much. The next 0 I buy--which won't be for a while, since there's nothing wrong with the WNS7 I have now--will probably be another WNS7, but not the miniature. I find myself wishing I had a little more play in the bristles, sometimes. And, of course, I have a few dozen other "retired" brushes that I find uses for from time to time, usually for drybrushing and paintmixing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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