What paint-brushes do you use?

[Nev]

THe only ones I can get in my LHS are Humbrol, and they're OK, but I was wondering if there are any really good quality brushes you folks use, and where I could get them?

Nev

[Daniel]

Nev,

If you are near Lincoln? Then Ruddocks on the high street have a very good range of artists brushes, and also a load of Revell ones I think. I use the Revell ones for the smaller sizes, then an artists sable brush for the larger sizes. They have a very good range from about £5 for a 12mm wide up to about £30!

Daniel.

THe only ones I can get in my LHS are Humbrol, and they're OK, but I was wondering if there are any really good quality brushes you folks use, and where I could get them?

Nev

[Seahawk]

THe only ones I can get in my LHS are Humbrol, and they're OK, but I was wondering if there are any really good quality brushes you folks use, and where I could get them?

Nev

Following the advice to get the best you can afford, I use almost exclusively Winsor and Newton Sceptre II, available from art shops. I tend to avoid synthetic bristles like Prolene.

Nick

[Graham T]

The cheapest I can find because I treat them like crap! I sometimes look at more expensive brushes but never buy them as I know they'd never last.

[Mike]

For fine work, it's best to get your butt to a good art shop & pick up some reasonably pricey ones. Believe me, it encourages you to treat them well For applying washes & rougher work, I just use any old crap brushes that I can find. F'rinstance I have 2 brushes out of Airfix gift sets that I use for mixing paint & applying washes. Doesn't matter how good they are, but they're surprisingly resiliant!

For dry brushing, I usually get a short bristled flat headed brush about 4-5mm across. Clean it regularly with cellulose thinners to stop it from clogging up. The bristles are guaranteed to curl a bit at the ends, but that doesn't really matter all that much

[Stebos]

I was after some cheap brushes recently as I tend to need them for touch ups and cockpits. I don't airbrush cockpits as I never that quality of finish in there.

Recently picked up a set of Italeri (3, 2, 1, 0, 00, 000) for the silly price of £4 or so, synthetic but excellent for the price.

I tend to find at the budget end the synthetics are better than the sables, I've never found a cheap sable that I've been happy with. My vallejo one soon started to come apart and didn't hold a point very well.

[AnonymousDFB1]

For fine work I love the Revell fine brushes, the ones with the triangular shafts.

[Ant]

I use Daler-Rowney 'Dalon D77' brushes for fine work. They're the ones with red handles and a white tip. They're a synthetic, but paint really well compared to kolinsky sable. I have been trying out their sapphire range also, which is a sable / synthetic blend and they paint very nicely also. I paint with acrylics exclusively.

[little-cars]

Following the advice to get the best you can afford, I use almost exclusively Winsor and Newton Sceptre II, available from art shops. I tend to avoid synthetic bristles like Prolene.

I use the vallejo synthetic range myself and have now stocked this range for a while.

I have had a number of customers who tell me they have changed from Winsor & Newton generally and the mixed sable/synthetic brushes like the Sceptre Gold II brushes to the Vallejo Synthetic brushes.

The feedback I get is that the quality is good, the size range is perfect for modellers, from 10/0 up to 6, but they cost a lot less than brushes in art shops.

I suspect they are priced for the market in Spain and with a lot of figure painters over, and with generally lower incomes over there the competition in this area is intence.

[Cornish]

For the best results I use Pro Arte brushes, made in the UK

http://www.proarte.co.uk/

I get mine from my local arts and craft shop.

Although they are a little expensive, if you look after them, they last for years and give amazing results.

I use Humbrol brushes etc for decaling and dry brushing.

[geoff m]

I have a mix of very cheap brushes that I use for washes and pigments and a set of 3 Windsor & Newton series 7 brushes size0,2 and 4. These are the most beautiful brushes imaginable but cost an absolute fortune. I didnt pay for them, they were a present from my daughter in law. They keep a perfect point and give a finish that is almost as good as an airbrush.