What's your favourite brush?

[oileanach]

I suspect everyone has a 'go to' brush- one that just feels right. It's the brush that you use the most, even when there's a better one in the jar. It's the one you use right up to the point where you have to change because it's so unsuited to the task you're doing. It's the one you keep using even when it's obviously worn out and the one you replace with an identical one from the same manufacturer when it just becomes unusable.

 

Do you think I'm right? And if I am, what's yours, and why?

 

I like Pro Arte brushes. Their Series 100 Connoisseur is a fantastic example, blending Prolene and Sable into a hard wearing, high quality tool. Their Series 007 Prolene are amongst the very best synthetic brushes on the market. But it's the Series RS that I keep coming back to.

 

Once, it was the best brush I could afford. Sable, in consistent sizes and a body that felt just the right shape and weight for my hand. Now that those hands shake and my eyesight's fading I can afford much better kit, but it's still the one I reach for. I push my W&N No7 and my Raphael 8404 out of the way to grasp it and only dig them out when I absolutely need the finest tip, for the smallest detail.

Objectively, it's not the best. The point isn't particularly well defined, they don't last long, even when using mild paints like modellers acrylics and inks and the standard of finish isn't great. But still, the green and gold is in my paw as soon as the base coat is dry. The No1 is ideal for almost everything on a 28mm mini. A dozen brushes surround it, all are more expensive and most are measurably better in some way, but it's the one drying out after this evening's painting, upside down to let the last of the moisture run out and down the ferule in a vain attempt to extend it's useful working life. Doubtless, when it finally gives up the ghost, I'll get another and the cycle will repeat.

 

Tell me I'm not the only one with such a weird fixation on a particular brand! 😄

[LotusArenco]

As a disclaimer I used to work for W&N so have, ermm…  well, let’s just say I have an ample supply of series 7s.

 

I’m a bit of a brush tart and have all sorts and I go through phases as to what brush I grab whilst painting.

I’m currently trying out some cheap synthetic ‘Artmaster’ brushes I got off Amazon, which surprised me in their ability to keep a good point.  I’m also rather fond of the cheap Humbrol ‘Coloro’ brushes which are also pretty good considering a pack of them costs half the price of a series7.

 

As to a favourite? Probably the single brush I use most at the moment is an ‘Army Painter regiment’ brush (about a size 2 i guess?). It has a comfy triangular handle and keeps a good amount of paint as well as a nice reliable point.

 

So, loyalty to one brand? Not so much, I just use what works.

 

It’s hilarious to read through 'what brush should i buy?' posts on ‘wargaming’ forums, and read the replies suggesting that someone buys a 10/0 series7 brush, when a cheap and cheerful synthetic size 1 or 2 will do just as well providing it comes to a good point.

 

Mart

[oileanach]

😄 Yeah, I used to think the know it alls on those forums had to be better painters than me, after all, they sounded so knowledgeable! And since they're better painters, well I really ought to hang off their every word...

 

That was before I stumbled across Britmodeller, a site where peeps tend to be a sight friendlier, much less snobby and (crucially) posted up photographs of what they're talking about.

 

The fact that no-one seems particularly hung up on kit (apart from raving about new stuff when it turns out to be any good) is probably a big part of the reason I stayed here and hardly ever visit those sites any more.

 

Still, I am genuinely interested in what people use and why. Partly from my own curiosity, but also because I'm trying to gently nudge my son into painting at least some of his enormous model collection. Canvassing some thoughts on brushes might give me some ideas for persuading him to make a start.

 

I tried to give pragmatic advice to my sons and their friends when they asked about paint and brushes when they started wargaming. 'Use the paints the local game store sells and pick out the best tip or point from the brushes they sell.' That way they'd be using the same kit as the people they game with and should be able to pick up on how their peers achieve the effects they like. I really didn't expect them to still be playing almost a decade later, or me to take up painting again. Our local store is a Warhammer one. Now that GW have monetised their painting system that isn't looking like such great advice after all. They sell some cool colours and specialist paints, but seem to be selling the same paint three or more times, just by varying it's consistency. (Base Coat, Layer, Dry Brush, Edge, and whatnot). Add in the anemic size of their pots and the excessive price they charge and I'm thinking maybe it might be worth looking at other options! 

 

Their brushes aren't cheap, either. I mean, when three of their sables cost £43.65 and you can get four Series 7s for £33.95, it makes you think...

 

Insider question- I read a lot that W&N are making the Artificer brushes for GW. Do you know if that's true? Feel free to take the fifth if it'll get you in hot water with your former workmates or employer! 😉

 

 

[LotusArenco]

3 hours ago, oileanach said:

Feel free to take the fifth if it'll get you in hot water with your former workmates or employer!

Lol! I have absolutely no worries about rubbing W&N up the wrong way, they made virtually our entire factory redundant. I was one of the poor sods who ended up in France for a time and having to train up someone to do my job, as well as sorting out the production machines that they had running at less than half the production rate that we were used to.

 

Winsor & Newton/ColArt up-sticks and moved all paint production to France back in 2011/2012 so I’m not in a position to know who makes GWs brushes now. As far as I know brush manufacture is still done here in the UK (Lowestoft?). The rumour was that they did make some of them for GW back in the day (I was never involved with that side of things, and don’t know the truth myself), but that may have been whilst W&N had the contract for making the Citadel paints out in France (LeMans), and would have been made in a separate factory from where I worked (Wealdstone, the main paint manufacturing factory).I do remember seeing a GW brush set in a fancy wooden box that looked exactly like a box W&N used lending some truth to the rumour. More accurately it was ColArt that had the contract not W&N, ColArt being the company that had various brands under its belt including W&N, Liquitex, Reeves and Conte.

 

Being one of the few wargamers/modelmakers working in the factory, I was the one who ended up with a rather large amount of Citadel stock, Series 7s, Humbrol paint (yup, ColArt were responsible for contracting it out to China) and other arty consumables. Unfortunately most of the Citadel paint has dried up, but I’ve managed to bring some of them back to life using some distilled water.

 

Back to the brushes. When I started painting figures back in the mid 80s I used a mix of whatever I had laying around. I was a model maker long before being a wargamer, so had a good supply of brushes mostly bought from the local model shop (remember those!) I’m guessing mostly Humbrol brushes. I did pick up a few Citadel brushes, but even back then I thought they were a bit pricey and not as good as my ‘normal’ modelling brushes. It’s always been about the ‘point’ and a brushes ability to keep it’s shape for me regardless of the brand.

 

Going out on a limb here, but is it worth teaching your sons and their friends about airbrushing? I wished I’d picked one up earlier in my modelling life.

 

Mart

 

Edit: here’s a photo of what a dead paint factory looks like.

The ‘Project Lotus’ sign in the background is where the machines I ran were sat, and forms part of my username. (The ‘Arenco’ part is also from my Wealdstone days, being the name of one of the tube filling machines.)

 

Mart

 

Edited July 29, 2018 by LotusArenco
added sad photo

[oileanach]

Mate, that's got to be the saddest story I've heard since I was a teen!

 

We moved to Ayrshire- my dad was looking for work, ironically enough- just as they closed all the mines down. Everyone seemed to be unemployed.

 

Back then models were cheap- they probably still are, thinking about it. Airfix ones, at any rate. It made sense having a hobby that I could afford, building cool looking 'planes and ships, slapping on a wee bit of paint. It set me up for the RPG hobby that was taking geeks by storm back then. I couldn't afford scores of models for tabletop wargaming or a BBC micro to play video games on, but a handful of lead minis, a pencil and paper and dice, (lots of dice!), was just about doable. There was an art shop in Ayr close to the one and only game shop in the city. I went in looking for acrylic paint- which they didn't stock!- and came out with my first watercolour brush.

 

'Twas a revelation! So much better than my ropy Humbrol hairy sticks! I lusted after sable, but even after I started working (and didn't really have enough time for gaming, much less painting) the extra expense put me off. Besides, I was getting decent results with my 'hair' brush. Not sure exactly what kind of hair and I wasn't really sure I wanted to know!

 

I got back into painting & modelling just after my son was born. I had a bad car crash and two broken wrists were amongst the damage. My hands withered to claws! The physios encouraged me to do detail work as well as strength exercises, so I took up painting again. This time around I could afford the absolute best. Smart Alecs on line and in magazines were full of highfalutin advice about Kolinsky Sable this and artists grade paint that; tbh I was just as happy with a regular brush and whatever was in the model shop at the time. Including some Humbrol acrylic- maybe you had something to do with making it? 🙂 Anyway, that's when I first picked up my beloved Pro Arte sable brush. I've been using them ever since, even after realising there are much better brushes to be had.

 

I don't know if pushing airbrushing will work on my lad- it might be a case of him not airbrushing the army, as opposed to not brush painting it! 😄 I'll sound him out, though. Any thoughts on UMPs APEX?

 

Most Brits seem to fall into the H&S or Iwata camps. I've got a lovely Infinity and I know the FW guys use base model Iwatas. I'd have no issues getting him either. The APEX intrigues me, though. It's a Badger, specced by UMP for modelling work. It looks good on paper- Badger precision and quality, nice finger rests, a progressive 35mm needle and all at a very reasonable price. It sounds like an ideal starting brush, but I've never talked to anyone who's used it.

 

 

[Cadman]

11 hours ago, oileanach said:

😄 Yeah, I used to think the know it alls on those forums had to be better painters than me, after all, they sounded so knowledgeable! And since they're better painters, well I really ought to hang off their every word...

That was before I stumbled across Britmodeller, a site where peeps tend to be a sight friendlier, much less snobby and (crucially) posted up photographs of what they're talking about.

The fact that no-one seems particularly hung up on kit (apart from raving about new stuff when it turns out to be any good) is probably a big part of the reason I stayed here and hardly ever visit those sites any more.

I tend to just post examples of my work while engaging in a bit of banter when it's appropriate, and pretty much just leave it at that. However, I have to say that I very much agree with your opinions on "those forums" and would like to add a few comments. 

The figures I paint are, (mostly), for dioramas and I can generally churn them out in around 3 to 7 days, depending on complexity. The results are plain to see. No, they're not painted to "showcase" quality, but are usually good enough for the purpose I want them for.

Sure, I can shift up a gear and turn out stuff that's an improvement on "basic diorama figures", but only when I particularly want to add them to a display cabinet, or I'm doing a "special" -- and these can take me up to a month to finish. In the case of 75mm mounted white metal figures I'll even spend up to two months on them, but only on those occasions when I can simultaneously be bothered and the mood takes me.

Random examples of what I think of as some of my "better stuff" shown below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I happened to mentioned this easy come/easy go attitude of mine on one or two of "those forums", the response was similar to Stop The Press, Shock - Horror - Faint, headlines on the front page of the Super Soaraway Sun. How dare I commit such blasphemy, etc., etc., etcetera, yawn. (For the benefit of non-UK based readers, the SSS is euphemistically claimed to be a newspaper. The truth is somewhat....different).

Anyway, one individual went so far as to claim he spends up to a year doing a single 54mm figure -- and that "if I considered myself a real miniature painter" then I must follow his example (?). The reasoning was beyond me as I don't considered myself a "real miniature painter", and have difficulty trying to decipher what that actually means in any case.

As far as I'm concerned, this is my main hobby, and I treat it as such.

While I welcome genuine and helpful critique, (to my mind it's one of the tools that offer an opportunity for improvement), I do admit that I can happily live without some self-appointed expert on "those forums" actually telling me how I ought to approach my hobby.

And that's one of the main reasons why, like you, I prefer contributing to Britmodeller forum, and leave the talking heads on "those other forums" to pontificate away to their hearts content.

I'm confident they lead joyful and fulfilled lives. 

 

5 hours ago, oileanach said:

Any thoughts on UMPs APEX?

Most Brits seem to fall into the H&S or Iwata camps. I've got a lovely Infinity and I know the FW guys use base model Iwatas. I'd have no issues getting him either. The APEX intrigues me, though. It's a Badger, specced by UMP for modelling work. It looks good on paper- Badger precision and quality, nice finger rests, a progressive 35mm needle and all at a very reasonable price. It sounds like an ideal starting brush, but I've never talked to anyone who's used it.

 

I use a 0.5mm needle Neo for Iwata pistol trigger TRN2 as a general airbrush....

 

....and a 0.3mm Mr Hobby Procon Boy (Gunze Sangyo) for more detailed stuff.

 

 

But the APEX is rapidly becoming my go-to everyday airbrush.  

 

It's good quality, pretty versatile and very reasonably priced. Extremely easy to use and clean, plus UMP have just about every spare part that might be needed in stock.

I would highly recommend it for general everyday use.

 

Oh, almost forgot. W&N Series 7 are my paintbrush of choice, but Broken Toad do a very nice range of brushes that are almost as good as the W&N's, and just that bit cheaper.

Check this link;

https://www.snmstuff.co.uk/product/brokentoad-miniature-series-mk2-sable-brush-boxed-set/

 

Cheers

H

Edited July 30, 2018 by Cadman
Added the Broken Toad link

[LotusArenco]

I think one of the reasons I don’t use my Series7s that much is down to some of my own old school thinking in that Kolinsky/sable = watercolour and synthetic = acrylic. Oh! Almost forgot, I’ve got a special edition Series 7 knocking about with a gold ferrule! Posh or what?

 

Regarding airbrushes, I was a diehard Badger fan for many years and felt almost guilty when I forked out for a H&S Infinity (in my defence, I was swayed by the sexy looks of it). I still use my ancient Badger 200 for basecoats and varnishing, but the Infinity is in a different league. I’ve also got one of those cheap Chinese ebay/Amazon knock offs, that I bought for 's and giggles. Works perfectly!, but I’d be wary of giving one to someone who doesn’t know how to tweak it to get it’s full potential.

 

 

16 hours ago, oileanach said:

Mate, that's got to be the saddest story I've heard since I was a teen!

I felt sorry for many of the older workers, many of whom were virtually forced to take early retirement. The absolute worst moment for me, was showing some of the older women how to use a computer and even how a mouse works, so that they could look for jobs as everything was on-line.

 The loss of genuine skill and knowledge was shocking. One production line alone run by four of us, could have nearly eighty years worth of experience on it. The lads who made the paint in the mixing department (colourmen) were incredibly knowledgeable and could slightly adjust the ‘ingredients’ of a particular colour by feel and texture alone.

 

Personally, I came up smelling of roses. I found a new job almost immediately and I now work for an engineering company I respect, and do a job that I thoroughly enjoy. There’s always some regret, I assumed that I had a job for life, we celebrated our 175th anniversary while at Wealdstone, and even my nan worked in the same factory back in the 60s/70s (making brushes!).

c'est la vie.

 

 

Mart

[oileanach]

😃 Hey, thanks for that Cadman. Like Mart, I started out with Badger and moved on to H&S. I've got three needles for the Infinity, it only takes seconds to swap them out, so I suppose (this is me trying to justify the expense!) I've already got my ideal airbrush. It's lovely.

 

But I'm still very tempted by the APEX. 😄

 

Just sounded my lad out on it- he couldn't have looked less interested! You know that 'ok, lets just humour the old man for a bit' smile?

 

Ah well, he was delighted with the No 7s I got him, so maybe it's not a lost cause yet.

 

Edited July 30, 2018 by oileanach

[oileanach]

I'm glad it worked out for you Mart. I'm getting a bit long in the tooth now, but not having a trade means I've never been in that skilled position. Sounds like that might have been a blessing in disguise.

 

Redundancy wouldn't be the worst thing to happen to me, but it'd devastate some of the guys and girls I work with. We're moving our office into Glasgow within the next four years or so. It's a half hour commute, no planned job losses and management have offered to cover travel expenses for the first three years as a sweetener. No big deal, right? But the sheer horror on their faces is tragic. Lord only knows what they'd be like if we were all laid off...

[Cadman]

20 hours ago, oileanach said:

😃 Hey, thanks for that Cadman. Like Mart, I started out with Badger and moved on to H&S. I've got three needles for the Infinity, it only takes seconds to swap them out, so I suppose (this is me trying to justify the expense!) I've already got my ideal airbrush. It's lovely.

 

But I'm still very tempted by the APEX. 😄

 

Just sounded my lad out on it- he couldn't have looked less interested! You know that 'ok, lets just humour the old man for a bit' smile?

 

Ah well, he was delighted with the No 7s I got him, so maybe it's not a lost cause yet.

 

Well, that's the way it goes mate, but if your son ever changes his mind then the APEX would be a good choice - just IMO of course.

I have a full set of #4 to #0 W&N series 7's with a backup #1 as well, but I'm definitely tempted to go for the set Ken Bromley has on sale right now as a, "just-in-case cos you never know", kind of thing.

Might include a jar of Galeria Iridescent Medium with the order as I'd like to experiment with it for adding special effects to certain fantasy figures. I know they process international orders and I'm pretty sure acrylic mediums are safe for airmail packages.

In fact, I reckon I'll contact them right now, seeing as I'd better get the order in before they run out of them.

 

[Will Vale]

Some good advice up there, I really like this: "Use the paints the local game store sells and pick out the best tip or point from the brushes they sell."

 

I paint with Citadel (with brush at least, I airbrush with Tamiya) just because it's the best-stocked paint range, there was much excitement when our local model shop brought in a Vallejo rack, but they've never restocked it since they got it, so it's now sad and pointless. Whereas I can go into Games Workshop, pay admittedly more money, but be pretty sure that the colour I ran out of that morning will be waiting for me on the shelf.

 

I'm even starting to make my peace with the new Citadel metallics. Yes the grain size is a bit big, yes they split, but they do blend rather well and sometimes that's just what I want. Still jealously hoarding a quarter-pot of Mithril Silver though.

 

I haven't had the misfortune to spend time on any really stuffy figure painting forums so haven't encountered much negativity, which is probably good as I'm usually trying to spend less time per figure and still get a result I don't hate! 

 

If you're on Facebook, I'd highly recommend the "Eavier Metal" group - it's a mix of ability levels from beginners up to god-like experten, but it's very supportive and a great source of inspiration and horizon-widening (as despite a GW slant, you see a lot of things from other manufacturers.)

 

To answer the original question, the brush that I really like and go back to a lot is the Tamiya HG Pro pointed sable. It's got a fat handle and the point was like a laser compared to whatever I was using before that (I think something with Taklon bristles.) I'm on my second, the first started to lose its point after two or three years of constant use. I was a bit sad actually because I passed it to my daughter to use on a figure she was painting recently and when I cleared up after she'd let wash dry on it to the point that it's really not coming back  I've given it a couple of goes with Masters brush cleaner but I think I'll need to use something stronger.

Ah well, at least she did some painting!

I've just received the box of S7 brushes as recommended by Oileanach - they arrived yesterday so that's four days from the UK to NZ  Looking forward to trying them out, I've bought a couple locally but they've all needed some tweaking (generally overlong guide hair, or at least that's what I think it's called?) so I think our domestic supplier may have had a batch with bad QC?

 

Cheers,

 

Will

[Niall]

I have used the Series66(sizes 0, 1 and 3) sable brushes from A S Handover since the mid 1970's. They are as good as W&N's series 7 but about 1/3rd the price when I last checked(decades ago). I was going to give a link to the range but the company have revised thery web site and does no give this as a link option. I have emailed them and will update this post when I get a reply from them. Link is -

https://www.handover.co.uk/catalogsearch/result?q=66%2F

 

For painting large models, like 1/35th scale tanks and 1/72nd scale ship models I use a 1" or 2" decorating brush for the main colour.

Edited August 3, 2018 by Niall
up dated information

[Ratch]

I don't have a favourite, I use the brush that's right for what I'm painting. I'm not brand-loyal. When buying a new brush I look for the shape and size I want. I currently have a size 1 with a lovely fine point that I can get better thin lines that the 10/0 brushes I also have.