You’ll only ever need this many brushes if you’re a complete moron.

The topic of brushes is one that comes up in painting conversations a hell of a lot, and it can be something of a minefield, given the amount of variables that go into choosing the correct brush for your project, budget, materials, and style. As a moron, I’ve tried a lot of different ones over the last few years in an effort to find what works best for my particular painting needs, so here’s a rundown of some of my findings. It is far from an exhaustive list, and it’s far from perfect, but you might find something that works for you contained herein.

The Low End Theory:

Citadel Brushes.

I guess these are the most accessible to the gamer looking to get his projects tabletop ready. They’re not cheap, and they’re not good. Their biggest selling point is that they’re there, and if the fact that they exist is the best thing you can say about them, then they’re probably not up to much. Don’t disregard them though. Easy and immediate accessibility is a very big deal, especially if you’re not in a larger city that has an independent art shop or Hobbycraft, and can’t wait a few days for an online order to show up. The stippling brush is one I would recommend, as well as the large drybrush, which is perfect for projects where you need to get your paint applied in large areas and quickly. If you’re doing anything other than this however, then I’d suggest looking into some of the alternatives listed below.

Army Painter.

I’ve never used them but by all accounts, they’re pretty decent for tabletop painting. A lot of the Corehammer lads use them and swear by them, so thought they’d be worth a mention.

The Most High:

If you watch any painting tutorials such as the Miniature Mentor series (which comes highly recommended by me), or the CMON DVD’s (also excellent), then you will have come across ranges, even if only mentioned, such as Windsor & Newton Series 7, and Raphael 8404. These to my knowledge are the top end Kolinsky Sable brushes that all the big name painters cream themselves over. Obviously when I started watching them, I decided that the reason I have never won a Golden Demon was not because I never finish my projects, or because I suck, or because I’ve never entered, it was obviously because I have never owned any of these brushes. So try them I did.

Windsor & Newton Series 7.

The first, and most logical question that could come from this would be ‘what about series 1-6? The truth is, I don’t know. I’ll tell you this though mate. Art people absolutely LOVE to divide their products up into different series. Paints and brushes are all sub-divided into different ranges, none of which I understand in the slightest, so, being the paragon of ignorance that I am, I don’t bother. The Series 7 is good enough for practically every painter I admire, and that’s enough for me. If you’re savvy, you can grab a few of these in job lots from eBay and knock yourself off a few quid even once the postage has been factored in. A W&N brush, treated well, will last you for years. And even once it’s started to lose it’s hair you will still be able to find plenty of uses for it, as Marike Reimer demonstrates in her recent Dark Sword DVD. I’ve tried some of their Series 7 Miniature range, but found them to be inferior in almost every way to the series 7 Standard. One thing I will say with regards to how to judge the quality of the brush you’re using. Don’t be worrying about the size, worry about the point. If your brush holds a good point then you’ll be able to paint eyes on a 28mm miniature with a size 4 no problem at all. A box easily ticked by W&N. They wont make you a better painter, but they will make life a lot easier.

Raphael 8404.

Your guess is as good as mine as to the situation with 1-8403, and I can’t remember who’s coat tail I was trying to ride when I invested in a few of these, but I’m very very glad that I did. They are of a very similar standard to the Windsor And Newton, but have a wider reservoir that holds more paint, for a lot longer. These are my brushes of choice and what I recommend to anyone who can get a grip of them. They aren’t nearly as easy to find as the Windsor and Newtons, but there’s always a few sellers on eBay with them knocking about so you can get ’em, it’s just that sometimes you might have to get them sent over from France or somewhere.

Rosemary & Co.

I was recommended these brushes by a guy I painted with for a bit and they are great. An excellent blend of quality and affordability. One problem I have with them generally, is that while they do keep their points well and for a long time (I’ve been using mine for just over a year now), they don’t snap back into place as well as some of the other ranges mentioned above and sometimes stay bent until cleaned. This is something easily worked around however and I don’t consider it a massive detriment. They’re a British company so delivery inland is extremely fast (I’ve placed orders at 4.00pm and had them the next day on the standard service.) I recommend the series 33 and 22. Why? Because everyone else does. You get a cool little catalogue with your orders too and Rosemary seems to have a really extensive range. I put a lot of stock in these smaller companies and it seems pretty obvious that the guys at R&C put a lot of love into their endeavour. I consider them extremely worthy of your support.

These are the only ranges I’ve tried my hand at. But, some of the Corehammer lads have been letting me know their thoughts on what they use, and why:

Steve Leighton:

Windsor and Newton series 7 brushes. The points hold forever and the body of the bristles holds a lot of paint, since they are designed for watercolours. If they are good enough for Queen Victoria to paint twee scenes at Balmoral, then they’re good enough for my space Barbies.

Stevie Boxall:

I’m really into the Army Painter brushes, I like the shape a lot and they are comfortable to hold and paint with. The shape of the brush does not hold that well for long (although this could be user error).

John Marsden:

W&N series 7 in sizes 0,1 and 2. The 1 is my workhorse, 0 for fine detail and the 2 mainly gets used for washes since I got my airbrush. They hold an amazing point and have a really good spring to them (I’m sure there’s a technical term for it that I don’t know) so the bristles don’t flop all over when you touch them to the mini. P3 Hobby brushes for metallics, so the ground mica doesn’t wear away my decent brushes. I find they keep a better point than Citadel’s efforts, and are cheaper. They’ll get relegated to scenery brushes as & when the tip starts to curl, which they will as they’re nylon. I’ve not tried their studio ones yet. A variety of unbranded cheap as chips craft brushes for scenery & basing, because painting or dry-brushing sand will kill every brush you throw at it. Every Citadel brush I’ve had the misfortune to buy has now been relegated to dry-brush or paint stirring duty. I’ve never been able to get them to keep a point despite my best efforts.

The new Carcass tune is unbelievable.

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