Brush Recommendations?

[Steve Arthur]

I know that the quality of a brush can make or break a figure and my goal within the year is to paint a female figure which will demand no brush strokes or she'll look like hairy mary. So, can anyone here suggest a line of quality brushes, their approx. cost, and a source? I have a set of red sable brushes but they're from micro mark and geared more for my plastic models. Oh, and a suggestion of brush sizes that are standard for figure painting?

Best Wishes
Steve

I've began figure #2, but this one is giving me some problems on shading. I think I chose the wrong hue for a base coat and seem to be working in reverse. This figure by the way is why I asked about the brushes. These are leaving streaks and not filling back in after it has set for a while. I've thinned my oils to the consistency of milk as I've read and the pigments don't seem to be too think, yet it leaves the streaks. So, I thought it may be the brushes.

Ok, now I'm going

 

[D.Lesko]

Hi Steve. Try Windsor and Newton's Series 7 brushes, theyre some of the best you can buy. Theyre a bit expensive but are very high quality and will do you well. You can order the from Dick Blick Art Supply. I use sized 1 through 00. What size is the female figure you are doing? Ive its a larger scale figure you may want to try using an airbrush for the skin tones. Youll get a very fine finish and you wont have to worry about brush strokes. Its what many garage kit modelers use and they done some fantastic work. Hope this helps...

 

[Anders Heintz]

I will second Dave's suggestion! WN 7 is the way to go for sure. Take care of them and they will last you a long time! I am still using ones for detail painting that I have had for over a year, which for me is pretty darn good!

 

[Pete_H]

... and I will "third" Dave's recommendation. Series 7, there is no substitute Another brand you may want to consider is Loew Cornell. They're low-cost and hold their shape pretty well.

 

[Major_Goose]

W&N sERIES 7 is my choice also . For some cheaper for secondary works i use WN series 111 with blue handle. Alos good and lasting, but nothing like series 7

Costas

 

[Craig B]

WN brushes are definately the way to go, but one day earlier this year I was in the local art supply store and they pointed out a line they got in named Connoisseur, it is a Kolinsky round and mine is a 5/0, very small but I've usued it a few times and I am really enjoying it. It is made in Japan so you know the quality is exceptional and it was a very reasonable price I recall.

Craig

 

[Jim Hockett]

Steve,
I would agree the W&N Series & is the best way to go. Get yourself some Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver and they should last a long time. Having said that, my last figure was painted entirely with cheap brushes. They are Loew-Cornell American Painter 400 series. I got them at the local Micheal's store on sale for $1.50 each. They are Taklon, but don't seem to "hook" like most of the other Taklon brushes I have tried. Haven't tried them with oils, but I was quite impressed with the way they worked with acrylics.

Jim

 

[Steve Arthur]

Thanks everyone for the information, I thihnk I'll invest in the brushes you suggested. The only female figure I have is a resin figure and not very large, and to be honest I'm not sure of the scale. It was a bagged kit and I have since then lost the tab. (shame on me) I've been tempted to purchase one of the larger scale kits, but then I came back to the issue of the brush strokes.

I was always under the impression that to paint figures with an airbrush you were better off using one of the high end turbos. So you're saying I could achieve this with my Paasche Millenium series? Would I need to use an ultra fine needle?

Thanks again guys
Steve

 

[D.Lesko]

You dont need a fancy airbrush to paint a figure. Is this a small figure or a decent size? Is it close to 120mm? Either way, you can use any double action airbrush to lay in the flesh tones. If its a smaller figure try painting the base coat in acrylics with the airbrush in order to prevent brush marks and then go in and highlight/shade with oils. Make sure you take most of the oil off of your brush and keep a light hand.

 

[Steve Arthur]

Originally posted by D.Lesko@Oct 27 2004, 08:57 AM

Make sure you take most of the oil off of your brush and keep a light hand.

Ok, this will sound really stupid of me, but what do you mean by "taking most of the oil off your brush"? You mean as you would if your were dry brushing say, enamels? So that there is very little paint on the brush?

Sorry, I must sound like a real idiot.

I've thought about the acrylic route , but I had some bad experiences with them in the past. It may have been my fault, but my airbrush would be proned to clogging and I just stopped using them in disgust and swore I would never switch from enamels.

Thanks again for all of the help, this has been very helpful.

Steve

 

[D.Lesko]

You can easily use enamels in an airbrush, just make sure you use acrylic paint extender. You can get this at any art supply shop, just put a drop or two into your thinned paint and it 'extends' the drying time of the acrylic paint a bit. Makes it so it wont clog up the tip of the airbrush. Also, buy acrylic medium, its a thinner that is good for an airbrush. As for the oil paints, i usually take just enough on the brush to wet the tip. It takes a bit longer to paint but limits the brush marks. Only do this if you are going to paint the oils over the acrylics. Like a glaze, use just enough the tint the acrylic paint underneath. I dont use this technique very often, only when i want something real smooth. Sorry, i hope that makes sense

 

[Steve Arthur]

HI Dave,

Yes that all makes sense, I guess what I should do is experiment more and use the methods you've spoke about.

Thanks again for all of your help
Steve