All About Brushes in Miniature Painting

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This week we go on and on about paint brushes... It may not be glamorous, but it is important! We'll discuss different sizes, styles and kinds of brushes, as well as that age old question: Synthetic or Kolinsky? I'll also be discussing some specific brands I've had success with.

Video chapters provided so you can skip around to the topic that's of most interest to you.

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GEAR I LIKE / USE:
This video was not paid for by outside persons or manufacturers and no gear was supplied to us for this video. We are Amazon Associates however and get commissions for purchases made from any “PAID LINK” affiliate tag, which helps support the channel.

PAINT:
Acylicos Vallejo Fantasy Game Colors -- Great for Beginners

Monument Pro Acryl

Inks: Liquitex -- Especially love the white for Zenithal

Vallejo Black Primer

AK Interactive Ultra Matte Varnish

Tamaya Panel Liner

BRUSHES:
The Army Painter Dry Brush Set -- Good Cheap Set

Brushes: DaVinci

Brushes: Raphael

WORK STATION:
Vantage Self-Healing Cutting Mat:

The Army Painter Self-Healing Cutting Mat (for smaller workstations)

Neatfi XL Task Lamp for Light:

AIRBRUSH:
Airbrush: Cult of Paint

WET PALETTE
Wet Palette: Redgrass

The Army Painter Wet Palette

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VIDEO CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
0:11 Why are Brushes Important?
0:50 What are some Mini Painting Standards and Sizes to Consider?
3:32 Dry Brushing and My Favorite Tools
5:31 Other Kinds of Brushes
6:32 Synthetic vs Kolinsky
10:12 Problems Common with Brushes
11:22 Different Brands I've Used and Recommend: Winsor and Newton, Raphael, Artist Opus, Broken Toad, DaVinci
14:51 Conclusion

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The following music was used for this media project:

Music: Spacey Intro by Alexander Nakarada

Music: Spacey Outro by Alexander Nakarada

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#wrathofminis #beginners #miniaturepainting #warhammer #gamesworkshop #paintingminiatures #tabletopminiatures #kingdomdeathmonster #ageofsigmar #40k

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DISCLAIMERS

The content of this video and our opinions were not reviewed or paid for by any outside persons.

[JohnC_EuroLegions]

I’m so glad that someone is finally honest about kolinsky brushes. It’s an absolute lottery.

[hectaart]

I've only discovered this channel but already learned a bunch. There may be bigger channels but your way of explaining stuff is very unique and easy to understand as you are more articulate than most of the other channels I'm subscribed to. Unfortunately it seems you haven't been posting recently, so I hope you're doing fine and will find some time to continue in the future!

[selkieofthesea]

Ugh, yeah as a beginner I can confirm buying Kolinsky brushes and then they turn out to be duds is very painful. I have 3 Raphaels and one Windsor/Newton, only two are useable and really only the W/N is worth using for really detailed work. I personally use a fude Menso brush (synthetic) for fine details half the time because of it. I really, really recommend checking to see if smaller art shops have the Kolinsky brushes in stock, especially shops that specialize in watercolor supplies. You can then see the brushes in person to hopefully see if there is already some splitting, vs buying online.

If you want to use makeup brushes for dry brushing: looks for Eyeshadow brushes (generally blending) or domed concealer brushes. The black-handled e.l.f brushes are great, and are all around $5USD. Springy and hold liquids well!

For bent tips: I just gently trim with sewing scissors

[MiniLegion_Paints]

You are my new painting guru! Your videos are great for newbies like me. I’ve been painting for a year, I’m not terrible but getting to that next level is proving difficult. Your videos are helping me though slowly! Please keep them coming

[tonyborzumato]

Nice video - well explained. I find that for very fine details, even a 10/0 or even 20/0 is too large (and imprecise). For tiny details, like the irises in the eyes, buttons or warts on a 28mm mini, I often use a straightened paper clip, sewing pin or needle with a truncated point. Dipped in a shallow dot of paint, those work very well, but only as a "one shot", and must be "reloaded" for each individual application. This limits the tool to very specific tasks, but virtually guarantees a uniform, round dot. The flex in even a premium brush sometimes can elongate or distort such details.
Also - there are other natural bristle brushes than the Kolinsky - many high-end sable brushes can be comparable, and can be had for less than the "Ferarri" equivalent. You have to experiment, and like the Kolinsky brushes, since they're natural, there will be variations. You know... nature! Cleaning your brushes (especially natural bristle) with soapy water will greatly extend its lifespan and quality.
The dreaded "hook tip" you mention on synthetic brushes can be dealt with by VERY judicious trimming; this will almost always increase tip diameter, but there are always uses for a slightly larger brush, especially when base coating or applying washes. Even a totally frizzy/jacked up brush can be used to apply basing glue and such. Anything to extend the life of my brushes.

Thanks for a good video on an important topic that not many have covered.

[ericbryan]

One of the best brush vids out there. Facts.

[rustedbeetle]

Great presentation and coverage. A good follow up would be brush care and feeding.

[MRC_RD]

I haven't tried Windsor and Newton, but I do own all 3 sets of the Artis Opus brushes, and they are just fantastic, series S and D are great, I find with the series M they tend to dry out very quickly due to the small belly and bristle length, but I already had the series D and S so naturally I had to get M to complete the set lol

[HellfirePrime]

Great advice for a beginner, thank you.

[antronk]

Finally! Someone giving some concise information and context to Goa the different types of brush . Thanks very much

[JohnSim-vu]

Thanks for the honest review! It actually has helped me greatly!

[viper]

A trick I learned with dry brushing is to use a large amount of vallejo retarder mixed with with the paint (I use Vallejo model color). This makes the acrylic act more like an oil paint, better flow and much slower drying, don't need to use a sponge with water or anything. I used to like using oil paints for dry brushing due to their properties but hated waiting 2 days for them to dry, the retarder with acrylics works just as good but dries in about an hour.

[WeOnlyEatSoup]

As an amateur painter in the hobby game, I really appreciate this video

[uneedcalmdown]

Holy, this video was super helpful. I am new to the hobby and bought a few kolinsky brushes that split after the first use. I searched all over for what I was doing wrong. I didn't realize it was such a lottery.

[jasoncardoza]

Thank you for the wonderful quality of your videos. They are very clear, well thought out, and honest. I hope to see more beginner friendly videos like this one in the future. Cheers

[robertnesspor]

Thank so much for the video. Good info and well created

[piotrcthlu]

This is a very good content. Thank you mate

[toadsicle]

Great video super useful. I ended up buying a set of S Artis opus brushes and they’ve been fantastic. I was worried about the quality control on W&N and when spending that much money I wanted something that would be very consistent.

[RichardJRussell]

I recently bought the Army Painter domed drybrush set and got the Artis Opus water pot, with 5 extra sponges, separately 😊👍
Also, make sure you use synthetic brushes for metallics, washes and speed/contrast paints; these will kill a Kolinsky.

[robertof.]

I have the same Problem. Synthetic feels "wrong" in the Painting. Can't describe it. The bristles are too hard but i don't "feel" the stroke. And the

Kolinsky are good. Own 2 W&N S7. They are good but Not Perfect for me. They are too soft. I want the bristles not hard but sturdy. If the brush bend to much i can Not Paint.

Didn't find the Perfect brush.

Thanks for your vid! Great content. Really helpful. Description is Safe 😊