Da Vinci Maestro Kolinsky Series 35 Sable Brush Set

Product Information

For those of you who just want the TLDR: the most “popular” choice of miniatures paint brushes, (by a very ‘clear’ margin) is the Winsor & Newton – Series 7 Kolinsky Sable Brush set. Not to be easily confused with the Winsor & Newton – Series 7 Kolinsky Sable ‘Miniature’ Painting Brush set – more on this later). This set features 2 Series S brushes, the #3 for 99% of your brushwork, this does everything from base colours to eyes. We include the #1 for when you need just a little more control over paint flow. the Series M #0 for absolute precision such as freehand painting or dotting your miniatures eyes.

If you are just interested in the Top-10 list without all the fluff see below, But we recommend reading the summaries of all the brushes or at least the ones you are interested in to see if they would be the best miniature brushes for you. PopularityThe 'Maestro' designation is reserved for brushes manufactured using male winter Siberian Kolinsky Red Sable fur. These are Da Vinci's top-of-the-line, highest quality brushes. The extra sharp needle-like point and longer tapered hair length results in faster action at the tip and a snap at the point. Expect superior spring and control, plus excellent water-holding performance. If you are after standard brushes for the likes of basecoating, edge-highlighting and layering/glazing/shading. Don’t start here. Holding more paint, having a more reliable tip and lasting much longer than W&N makes these stand out. Made of Kolinsky Sable specifically for watercolour by Raphaël of France these are the true up-and-comer of the miniature painting range. They are also cheaper than the more Popular Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes (only 10% more expensive than the average price of brushes on this list).

The brushes are designed to hold less paint so that acrylic and watercolor painters do not deploy too much onto to the canvas. The shorter bristles provide sharp precision as they are less floppy. For painting miniatures, you would actually want the brushes to hold more paint in the belly but still have a fine tip. Which is why the normal set of Series 7 took the number 1 spot on this list. Don’t fret if you have bought these they are still high-quality brushes and they do the job. But when I swapped a couple of my miniature ones out for the normal ones; I noticed a considerable improvement in my painting, especially glazing. If you have these, great. If you haven’t invested yet, these aren’t the droids you’re looking for. Their Artificer Brushes are a different story, apparently made by Winsor & Newton (so I’ve read from a few online claims but I haven’t found any evidence to support this). The Artificers are 60% more expensive than the average price of brushes on this list! So if they are made by W&N GW are adding approximately %5 to the RRP. of the equivalent brush. But again, consider the value-add you get by being invested in GW. They need to support paying for people like the Warhammer Community team somehow. Like many of the options on this list, Da Vinci’s Maestro Series 10 are watercolour brushes made from Kolinsky red sable hair. Preferred as the best brush by many miniature painters. They are some of the more affordable high-end brushes they come in just under the average price of brushes on this list. A huge range of sizes is available, from a crazy small 10/0 (aka 0000000000) to an insanely large size 50! The latter of which you have no need for, and don’t want to see the price of.If you’re painting larger curved surfaces start with a #2, #3 or #4. If you’re painting vehicles with very large flat surfaces, you will want a flat head brush (Which is a style I haven’t gone into below, other than them existing in the likes of Games Workshop& The Army Painter ranges.). 10. Da Vinci Maestro – Series 10 Most of the preferred options are sable hair brushes, sorry synthetic brush lovers. The general view here is that they last the longest due to their ability to be thoroughly washed and conditioned with brush soaps and conditioners.

Finally, if you are buying Games Workshop or Army painter brushes, you are getting brushes which are worth the price you pay. Neither will make you the best painter you can be, but equally, neither are restrictive in getting you to that “excellent” quality level.|If you want the Brushes that Games Workshop’s ‘Eavy Metal team purportedly use – That would be Windsor & Newton Series 7. But not the Series 7 “Miniature” brushes (there’s a difference). Like the Artis Opus Series M, those brushes are specifically for fine line and freehand work, not your overall painting. I’ve had no issues with mine, but I’m an infrequent user and I keep them washed and clean with masters brush soap. They are an excellent choice of brush, but you are paying nearly half again on top of the Raphael 8404 Series and they are almost/over triple the cost of Rosemary & Co’s Series 22/33 respectively. And finally 2 series D brushes. The XL for basecoats and vehicles. and the Medium for shading and edge-highlighting infantry models.

They are also the only brand on this list where the brushes are made to a specific specification for miniature painters. (Dense with medium Hair length and a fine point). They are also the only brand that actually recognises that artists need different tool types for various jobs. The Series S (shown above) is your everyday workhorse (start here) and there are 2 more ranges to consider. The starting point for many miniature painters, if for nothing more than the only ones people are aware of due to Games Workshop’s popularity. The range strips away the typical naming convention used in every other art brush set. The skeptic in me believes this is to reduce people’s ability to directly compare them to other brand’s brushes, keeping users invested in Games Workshop. Rosemary & Co, Da Vinci Maestro and Artis Opus are equally good options if you are looking for the best quality and reliability. and Rosemary & Co brushes are especially popular among the more Budget Concious Painter. Best value for money here, with no doubt.

When I put the call out asking what the best brushes for painting miniatures were, I had 32 significantly different options (and some daft yet creative suggestions, like the scalps of fallen enemies). The list below makes up the bottom 5% in popularity of all the options mentioned. This does not mean they aren’t worth looking at. Instead, it goes to show that best brushes you can get are really just the best brushes that work for you. In all honesty, the optimist in me does realise that the brush names are much simpler for beginners to understand. Have a guess what a base brush is for? They are fair work-horse brushes for the price. You may be surprised to find that these are actually the cheapest brushes on the list. Approximately 50% cheaper than the average cost of brushes listed here (not including the artificer brushes) and they do the job. But many long-term painters will tell you that they just don’t last very long. and I can concur with that statement. date 05/01/19: A few people have pointed out that I’ve been a bit harsh against these brushes. I’ll admit that this comes from my own personal burn – having bought these myself instead of the regular series. I struggled with these (particularly with glazing). I found a marked improvement in my painting with the normal set. However, these are still a great set of brushes and sharing my personal experience is not fair to you the reader or the brand. Over time with your painting, you will learn to understand if you want a longer and wider (normal set) or shorter and thinner (miniature set) bristles on your brushes. Then you can select either range based on your preference. Fully endorsed by several signature (god-tier) miniature artists, I personally use these brushes exclusively now and have done since 2019.