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Painting Tools Upgrade - help needed!


Zhorphorus

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Hi, as the title and tags might suggest, I'm looking to upgrade my current painting tools. I'm currently using the standard gw paints and brushes. Has anyone got any recommendations for different brushes etc?

As an aside I'm also looking into purchasing an airbrush. Has anyone got a recommendation of a decent mid range airbrush?

Many thanks!

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Raphael 8404 Size 1 and 0 (the issue to remember is that you don't care how small the brush actually is, you care how fine the tip gets)

 

http://handcannononline.com/blog/2012/04/27/kolinsky-sable-paint-brushes-a-comparitive-review/

 

What makes a personal favorite brush is personal opinion. And much like belly buttons, everyone has an opinion.

 

But most importantly use a wet pallete.

 

(And the W&N Series 7 are much better than standard W&N brushes ... if you decide to go that route)

 

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Interesting thread! I also bought pretty much all the GW brushes but was already noticing that in tutorial videos people often use other brushes with much finer tips etc...

Are the Size 1 and 0 of the above equivalent to the Small and Medium GW brushes then? Is there a difference between Base/Layer brushes with other brands?

Also, with the W&N for example, which ones are the right ones for the GW paints?

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Windsor and Newton Series 7. Black handles, don't get the mini painting ones because I think the bristles are shorter which is less useful. 

I picked up a Size 000 (XS artificer) and Size 00 (S artificer/S layer) for under a tenner on Amazon a few months back and I use the later for most of my painting these days, with just an M Layer for bases and a M Shade for shades, don't drybrush much right now.

They hold paint better, and the paint also flows off better, and they're easier to look after. I genuinely believe they've helped me improve, because they make application less of a patience thing.

 I'd get a 0 and a 1 if I could find them online for cheap. The only issue is that they're sable, which is real hair. Ethically sourced, but it may bother some.

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I really like the Rosemary and Co. Series 401 sable blend brushes which are great for base coating (especially metallics), sizes 2/0 up to 2.  Much better than the GW medium base brush in particular.  

I've tried their Series 33 Kolinsky Sable brushes, they were ok but lost their point quite quickly and they just didn't feel quite right, I use them as wash/glaze brushes now.  I'm interested to try the Series 22 though and will pick one or two up next time I buy from them.

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As someone who paints a lot of their model with the same brush (Small GW Base coat brush), I'm curious what people use for a hard wearing option, that can stand up to unthinned paint and the odd use as a dry brush, whilst still keeping a point.

Yes I'm well aware that my approach isn't ideal for Golden Daemon, but I tend not to enjoy painting too much, so like to get a squad knocked out in about 3-4 hours.

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That "hardwearing brush" doesn't properly exist. If you are using a brush with a good tip for drybrushing you're just using the wrong tool for the job.

Unthinned paint tends to "dry" faster and a good brush works better with the paint about the consistency of heavy cream (or slightly thinner.) that way it can hold the paint better in the "belly" (the area between the tip (known as the toe) and the metal ferrule).

A Drybrush will have tougher bristles (typically) and is shorter.

After a brush has been beaten up substantially you could relegate it to being used as a drybrush. But a good brush that holds a point shouldn't be used for drybrushing.

I have three drybrushes, a small a medium and a large. Drybrishes can actually be normal cheap bristle brushes. (They're just the standard GW drybrushes because they were convenient.)

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