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Post by mottdon on Mar 25, 2021 15:03:43 GMT
We'll, as the title says, What brand of brushes do you use? What's your preference? Do you go expensive or cheap? Where do you get them? How long do they last you? Are they worth it?
As for me, I go through as TON of cheap brushes. I'm HARD on brushes so I've always bought the cheap ones at Hobby Lobby because it'd make me sick to ruin an expensive brush. I know all about protecting the brushes by dipping them, rolling the bristles and hanging them upside down to dry, I even have all the things needed to do all that, but I sit down to paint for hours at a time and keep my brushes going fairly constantly, switching between 2 or three different types. I've always just anticipated having to throw away a couple of brushes after a few models, then get a new set out.
I'm just curious what y'all do and if there's a better way without spending a fortune on brushes and products to find a winning combination.
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Post by thezildo on Mar 25, 2021 15:30:21 GMT
I buy a 10 brush set off of Amazon for around $16 USD. It’s a variety of sizes and they last me for a fairly long time but I know I hang on to brushes for far too long. I have recently been debating investing in a “fancy pants, big boy” brush but haven’t gotten around to it. I think if I would just throw away the brushes when I should then I wouldn’t be fighting against myself so much when painting. So if you are able to cycle through and ditch them when they go bad I still think that is a viable option. I was buying the hobby lobby brushes before I ordered these sets. Since getting these, I have grown used to the triangle grip these have. Here are the brushes I was referring to
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Post by Naitsabes on Mar 25, 2021 16:47:40 GMT
sort of same here. cheap hobby lobby kind. then use them for too long. The whole fancy brush always seemed a waste to me for painting at my level. If a critter this cute gets his hair plucked out to make a fancy brush, you better make it count!
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Post by sedge on Mar 25, 2021 17:11:53 GMT
Mainly GW and Army Painter ones. Windsor and Newton series 7 for the "fine detail" one as it's the GW one but a couple of pounds cheaper.
I don't take great care of my brushes so I either use slightly "frayed" ones and sometimes clip off stray bristles, or go through brushes too quickly when I get annoyed at the ends curling. Having said that I do have several of the last generation of GW brushes that have lasted years - mainly big drybrushes and a "wash" brush.
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Post by DiscoQing on Mar 25, 2021 20:37:29 GMT
Army Painter here - My mother-in-law gets me a pack of cheap varying brushes for christmas/birthdays (they have plastic-y hairs); These are amazing for dry brushing, basing etc.
Occasionally some last more than 5 outings!
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Post by mottdon on Mar 25, 2021 21:25:46 GMT
Okay, Naistabes. What is that critter and where do I get one? Damn cute.
I kind of keep this rolling lifespan of brushes in use. A fine point one, that moves to a general detail brush, then a small fry rush implement, then a "drybrush-as-much-surface-as-you-can-before-the-bristles-are-so-caked-with-dry-paint-you-can-barely-move-the-tip" brush. Then I throw them away. Sadly, it doesn't take all that long to go through those stages.
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Post by Naitsabes on Mar 25, 2021 21:52:23 GMT
mottdon It's a sable. And they get turned into high end brushes (and coats). within 30 seconds of googling I found a sable brush for $480 (though to be fair, it was good size)
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Post by Horace on Mar 25, 2021 22:06:32 GMT
Winsor and Newton series 7 (not the miniature ones) for me. A size 1 and 2 are what I use now, they tend to last me about a year and cost about £8-10 or something. The points on them are so fine you could just use a 2 for everything tbh, but as I heavily use the 2 I keep the 1 for the really fine stuff which keeps the point good. I use last year's brush for slopping on base coats. I've even been considering going up to a size 3. I also keep some of the masters brush cleaner handy if anything makes a bit of a mess of the brush
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Post by mottdon on Mar 25, 2021 22:36:54 GMT
My current brush pallet.
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Post by thezildo on Mar 25, 2021 23:08:02 GMT
Winsor and Newton series 7 (not the miniature ones) for me. A size 1 and 2 are what I use now, they tend to last me about a year and cost about £8-10 or something. The points on them are so fine you could just use a 2 for everything tbh, but as I heavily use the 2 I keep the 1 for the really fine stuff which keeps the point good. I use last year's brush for slopping on base coats. I've even been considering going up to a size 3. I also keep some of the masters brush cleaner handy if anything makes a bit of a mess of the brush Masters brush cleaner is a must. I’ve also seen the brush restorer and cleaner from liquitex I think, but never used them. Anyone have experience with them?
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Post by gorfung on Mar 26, 2021 3:19:26 GMT
you can also try weasel hair brushes too, use them get the real hair feel too see if you want too keep up with the brush care or not, and i dont mind the weasel hair ones either they stand up descent for the cheapness
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Post by snyggejygge on Mar 26, 2021 11:30:11 GMT
Windsor & Newton series 7, used the same brushes for years now, they still have a nice fine edge on the top, works reat, well worth the money imo.
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Post by mottdon on Mar 26, 2021 11:58:48 GMT
Okay, y'all convinced me. I just bought a set of W&N brushes off Amazon. Time to try these puppies out!
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Post by strutsagget on Mar 26, 2021 18:22:17 GMT
So I prefer Raphael 8404 over w&n series 7. Both are excellent but 8404 is a little bit cheaper and do not have that tip of 2-3 “leading” hairs that w&n have, some love some hate. Also w&n seems to have lost their super quality. Something about it takes 10-20 years to become a master and they have lost staff but it might be just an internet rumor. There is a Facebook video about their handmade craft. youtu.be/YnIovyB5jY8Also I use wish/Amazon/alibaba super cheap brushes for dirty/main/metal/wash/inks painting. Recently I picked up broken toad synthetic brushes but have not used them yet. They are suppose to be really good and no Siberian Weasel(kolinski) is killed for their butt hair(yes it’s butt hair you put in your mouth). www.brokentoad.co.uk/product-page/fugazi-series-mk3-brush-size-0Also brush cleaner is a must. Have also tried brushes from various makers but they have been less good/or more expensive. Worst on the list is citadel artificer brush, what a waste of money compared to the great brushes out there.
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Post by Horace on Mar 26, 2021 18:57:37 GMT
With the W&N series 7s, it's worth remembering there is a big difference between the miniature brushes and the round ones. I personally don't like the stubby miniature ones *EDIT* Those pictures haven't uploaded in particularly good quality.. Just as another reference pic, this is last years size 2 which became my base coating brush, next to a brand new one. Still not in terrible condition despite some abuse in recent times
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