Brush advice needed...

[Dad4]

Hi guys,

Well, I just attempted my first practice head using acrylics. I plan on doing a a few to just practice. I did realize that I really need new brushes to make this work a little better. I'm here in the USA and need to know the best place to pick up some good sable brushes. Also the brand name would help with the size. Geesh, could I ask more questions and seem more helpless??? Well....yeah. Still exploring the site and finding all kinds of good info. Thanks in advance for any help.

Brian

 

[zane666]

http://www.planetfigure.com/threads...e-they-as-good-as-series-7.65554/#post-669561

you could try this review, the guy who reviewed this is in the US

cheers Zane

 

[Mark Dollery]

Hi Brian, I did this review that Zane has mentioned, (But I am in Britain, not USA! ) & the paintbrushes are a small British based company & the Sable based brushes are very good. (Still under review as I paint with them but holding up very well!)
Mark D

 

[zane666]

Hi Brian, I did this review that Zane has mentioned, (But I am in Britain, not USA! ) & the paintbrushes are a small British based company & the Sable based brushes are very good. (Still under review as I paint with them but holding up very well!)
Mark D

Whoops, my apologies, I didn't even read your location, just clicked on it and up popped a map of the USA. A bit of an ass-u-me moment i'm affraid.

Zane

 

[Nap]

Hi Brian ,

Brushes...get the best you can afford , like Mark I am still giving th Broken Toad ones regular use ...looking ok at the moment as well.

Others you might like to look at are Rosemary and Co ...really good and reasonble in price with very good quality and all hand made (I have the series 33 and 99)

www.rosemaryandco.com

Then of course there are W & N series 7 ...excellent brushes ..Kolinsky of course ..the best still IMO

Enjoy the painting

Nap

 

[Bootneck]

Hi Brian.

I would endorse what Nap says about W&N series 7. Excellent brushes but very expensive. On the positive side will last a long time if looked after.

I have tried Rosmary & co but did not get on too well with them but in fairness a friend of mine uses them regularly and keeps buying them as he likes them.

Just my opinion.

Happy painting.

Peter.

 

[Kisifer]

W&N Series 7 is the way to go...if you can affort them, then do not hesitate at all. Get them and enjoy painting with them.

Xenofon

 

[megroot]

For me there is one brush at the moment that fill my needs: W&N serie 7. I tryed several others but always coming back to this.

Marc

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

Brian, .. One of our favourite 'Scotsmen',( Also called Brian) knocked out a thread as regards an alternative to WN 7 series! .. Clearly they are not based in the USA, however there is none of this silly US, Export/import tax, that is added on. Plain old overseas postage!
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/quality-brushes.65272/

Mark

 

[Mark Dollery]

Brian, .. One of our favourite 'Scotsmen',( Also called Brian) knocked out a thread as regards an alternative to WN 7 series! .. Clearly they are not based in the USA, however there is none of this silly US, Export/import tax, that is added on. Plain old overseas postage!
http://www.planetfigure.com/threads/quality-brushes.65272/

Mark

Hi mark, Yep, same as the ones I am reviewing / testing from Broken toad / Artisan studios!
Mark D

 

[gothicgeek]

Rosemary and co are great and cheap!

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

Hi mark, Yep, same as the ones I am reviewing / testing from Broken toad / Artisan studios!
Mark D

Any thoughts on them?..every little review does help

Ps, How are things back up in 'Normanby'. ?

Mark

 

[kevininpdx]

For acrylics W&N Series 7 is the way to go. They are expensive but can be bought at dickblick.com for a good discount. I have a set that have lasted me several years now and still going. When I used cheaper brushes they would go bad after a couple of painting sessions. The way I figure it you are already spending alot on the models themselves, you might as well invest in quality brushes.

 

[Tubby-Nuts2]

However, thats the whole point! W/N Series 7's, are very expensive. So I personally would not advocate such an initial outlay, until you have found your feet!.. there are other good products out there to play with, before going 'Full-Monty'. .... Believe me I learnt the hard way!

Regards,

Mark

 

[Bailey]

There's been a bit of trouble getting sable brushes into the US. I've heard a couple different explanations, but whatever the reason if you're going to order W/N Series 7 from Dick Blick or any other US site I would contact them to make sure they are in stock.

An alternative would be Scharff. The brushes are made in France but the company is in the US (Georgia) and has plenty of stock. Their series 3000 are the fine art Kolinsky Red Sable brushes. I've been using them for my last couple projects and have been very pleased with them so far. I tend to stick with smaller brushes so I just got their 3/0 and 2/0.
http://artbrush.com/shop/product.php?productid=1612&cat=4&page=5

 

[Dad4]

Well Gentlemen, I stopped by a Dickblick store in Omaha, NE here in the states and picked up a couple of Dickblick Red sable brushes to see if will work better. I think anything would be an improvement over what I tried yesterday. I did find out that they are having trouble getting the Kororsky sable (?) brushes over here in the states. They were out of stock in the Windsor Newton Series 7 brushes, and didn't know when those might be coming in. They did have prices up and yes, they are expensive! But, as was mentioned by kenininpdx, they are cheaper than any of my armor kits and will last longer. I'll give a couple of more heads some practice this weekend and see how it goes. Thanks everyone for all their great input...really starting to enjoy the folks on this site.

Brian

 

[Blind Pew]

I think sometimes, the brush longevity question is one that fulfils itself.
I mean that in the sense of when something is more expensive, we tend to look after it better, so it ends up...lasting longer. And modellers hate spending money on stuff that's not models! W & N are top quality though.

A top quality brush will not, on it's own make you a good painter. But you'll never be a good painter using rubbish.

Personally, at least every other session I use a cheap but strong paint & varnish remover on my brushes. The stuff that comes out of apparently clean brushes is unreal.

Good luck mate.

 

[theBaron]

I always think of the advice Jeff Smith offered, in cooking, and in selecting your kitchen utensils and tools. "Frugal does not mean cheap. It means you don't waste anything." Applied as a rule of thumb, it means that an initial outlay for an expensive tool is not a waste, if it works well and lasts a long time. And the cheaper alternative is not cheaper in the long run, if you have to keep replacing it. I always remember that, when buying brushes, and other tools, too.

Of course, I can carry it too far, which we here in PA call being Dutchy, or thrifty to a fault. I'm learning to temper my Dutchy senses, too, and find a happy medium.

Prost!
Brad

 

[frank h]

Hi
If painting in acrylics ....You only need two good brushes

During your painting session have a glass with water and a drop of
washing up liquid to wash the brush between paint applications
so you are constantly keeping the brush clean and free from paint build up

Should some paint get into the ferrule ...some isopropyl alcohol will easily remove it

just my thought .. on brands

You will never get to Heaven without a series 7

Frank

 

[OldTaff]

Historex have for many years sold excellent Kolinsky sable brushes, by Handover. They are a good bit cheaper that W&N series 7's, but I think they're every bit as good.
Served me well, anyhow.

Cheers, Alan