Piantbrushes

[NurglesRot]

Are there good alternative paintbrushes to use other than those from Gamesworkshop?

[Denied]

OH MY EMPEROR YES! Like never use GW brushes they are cheaply made and way over priced! Go to your local art supply store (i.e. Michelle's) and grab some nice quality brushes to use. If you take good care of them they will treat you really well over the years.

[gcsmith]

OH MY EMPEROR YES! Like never use GW brushes they are cheaply made and way over priced! Go to your local art supply store (i.e. Michelle's) and grab some nice quality brushes to use. If you take good care of them they will treat you really well over the years.

Standard GW brushes do fail often, but are farrr cheaper than art stores who charge waaaay loads per brush from what ive seen, however the 'evy metal brushes are a godsend

[Denied]

Standard GW brushes do fail often, but are farrr cheaper than art stores who charge waaaay loads per brush from what ive seen, however the 'evy metal brushes are a godsend

Like you can find good quality cheap brushes from an art store, you just need to go to the right ones. I have an entire set ranging from big fat 5 down to 0pt tips that I got for like $20, and they are great quality.

Yes, if your not careful you could end up paying like $80 per brush for the super high end unicorn hair brushes that snobby wanna be artist buy (because real artist can't afford them).

[gcsmith]

Well Im just saying some areas, GW is the only value brushes.

[wittdooley]

Like you can find good quality cheap brushes from an art store, you just need to go to the right ones. I have an entire set ranging from big fat 5 down to 0pt tips that I got for like $20, and they are great quality.

Yes, if your not careful you could end up paying like $80 per brush for the super high end unicorn hair brushes that snobby wanna be artist buy (because real artist can't afford them).

I'm sorry... this simply isn't true. "Real" artists use the proper tools for their craft. Not many graphic designers using Microsoft Paint to produce their work. The premier minis painters aren't using craft store brushes.

In actuality, the new GW brushes are a pretty good value for their price. You're not going to get the sorts of brushes you want or need from your local craft store for $20 a set. The materials those brushes will be made of will most likely be synthetic (bad for painting miniatures as they are far too stiff) and theyll have poor binding at the ferrule (metal part connecting bristle and handle).

If you're going to paint miniatures, and you want to do it well, start with the right tools and maintain those tools. If you take care of your three Winsor Newtons or Raphaels, they'll last much longer than anything you'll pick up at an art store and they'll be of higher quality the entire time.

With paintbrushes, you get what you pay for. Can you use some of those cheap, crappy, art store brushes for drybrusing or painting terrain or painting miniature bases? Definitely. But don't let anyone fool you into thinking thats what you should be using for the rest of your mini.

Other companies:
Reaper - Actually pretty high quality. About the same price point as GW.
Army Painter - good quality hair, a step above GW. I don't like the handles, so I don't buy. YMMV.
Windsor & Newton Series 7 - Only thing I use for detailing. Responsive hair that maintains a great point.
Raphael's - Not used em yet, but a buddy really likes them. Similar to the Series 7s, I'm told.

[Grailkeeper]

I was able to get two very good brushes for about 2 euro at an art shop. They were fine detail or smaller. I'd recommend it based on my experience.

[NurglesRot]

Thanks for the info.
So as long as it's not synthetic hair, I should be good.

[Deadlift]

Standard GW brushes do fail often, but are farrr cheaper than art stores who charge waaaay loads per brush from what ive seen, however the 'evy metal brushes are a godsend

Their evy metal brushes I suspect maybe another brand with just the GW stamp, but I could be wrong.

Personally I use Winsor Newton Series 7 brushes which you can find on eBay. These have made an nice improvement to my painting.

http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab3/joenortonjones/3074p.jpg

Proper care of your brushes will also not only prolong their life but benefit your painting. I never have the paint "fill" the brush but just load paint onto the tip and I now use a wet palette too. Always clean them with lots of water between colours too. Some people make the mistake of using a small dish of water to clean a brush. I fill a large drinking glass and a good swish in a big glass is much better. I store my brushes upright in the tubes they came with and always replace the clear plastic sleeve over the bristles the brush.

Oh and has was mentioned in a similar thread recently................you must lick or suck or brush to a point just before you pack it away :D

Quality brushes may seem over priced but going cheaper imo is false economy. With proper care a good quality brush will far outlive its cheaper synthetic alternative.

[tongalad]

if you live in the UK try rosemary & co....she makes all her own brushes. i believe her son used to paint 40K figs so he can advise on your needs

https://www.rosemaryandco.com/index.php?cPath=275&osCsid=7scenj5dvqatfm1q2ba4qq8367

[HarlekissofDeath]

GW aren't bad, my problem is they don't make a small enough brush. But if you want really high quality brushes at a good price check out Windsor & Newton, and Davinci. Extremely good brushes, I absolutely love them, and if you go to coolminiornot, and check out any of the really good artist there and ask them what brushes they use. they'll say the same.
Don't get brushes from michael's or other craft stores. You need to get brushes that use kolisky sable hair for the brushes.

[pathwinder14]

Go to a craft supply store like Hobby Lobby or Michaels. They have very large ranges of brushes for all kinds of artists. You could also go to an art store like Dick Blick. I have used GW brushes, Plaid brushes, Winsor, Kolinsky, etc.

The GW standard brush is junk. I use it as a small drybrush. The GW starter brush is better but the bristles have a tendency to separate. Plaid brushes are perfect for most miniatures painting. Winsor and Kolinsky brushes are great for fine detail as they provide better paint flow and control.

Never spend more than $10 for a brush. Anything more is window dressing.

Unless looking for a single small brush, always try to buy brushes in sets as you save $ and get several that you need.

[wittdooley]

Aren't Series 7s typically over $10 bucks?

[flekkzo]

Raphael 8404 is very nice, I can highly recommend trying them out.

Use what you like, but be open to try something different now and then otherwise you will miss good opportunities.

[AnEnemy]

I use a size 1 Raphael 8404, a size 00 Winsor & Newton Series 7 miniatures brush, and a size 000 Winsor & Newton Series 7 miniatures brush.

Purchased them all from Dickblick.com. You'll be hard pressed to find somewhere that can beat their prices for high quality paint brushes and supplies.

You might just be lucky enough, as I was, to benefit from their packing practices. I ordered one Raphael 8404 to try it out and they sent me a tube of five for the price of one brush. Awesome day that was.

These brushes are all expensive...ranging from 10 USD to 15 USD, but if you clean them after use(and I don't just mean dip them in water you should be using brush cleaner as well) they will last a long time. I made a Raphael last for almost two years before the point finally gave out on me. Now it's a Wash brush.

I've had the "you pay too much for brushes" argument before. The same people who brag about getting results with cheap brushes will be reluctant to tell you how many of those "cheap" brushes they go through over time.

[Emerald Rose Widow]

My current favorite brushes I have worked with are by Armypainter. The brushes are of good quality and have lastedme well over a year already since I started painting. The nice part is is they have this triangle shaped handle that fits so comfortably in your hand, i love it.