Good synthetic brush?

[RobberBaron]

I mainly use WN Series 7 for my layering, and an older sable brush for basecoating that is now starting to splay. Obviously I don\'t want to use the good series 7 brushes for basecoating, so does anyone have decent brands that are bit firmer and hold a good point? I\'d like to find something readily available at a local art supply store. Thanks.

 

[mattrock]

I use my 7s for basecoating...and just about everything else.

that said, if you don\'t want to do that I\'ve found that the Vallejo synthetics aren\'t too shabby. Granted I\'ve only used the ones that come with their briefcases, but I\'m thinking that they are the same ones they sell separately and I\'ve always liked them more than any of my other synthetic brushes.

 

[Ritual]

Why won\'t you use your good brushes for base coating? It\'s not like base coating is particularly hard on your brushes. Quality brushes last a very, very long time if you take care of them properly, so using them for base coats is not really a problem.

I have yet to find a synthetic brush that lasts more than a month or so...

 

[airhead]

Synthetics will develop hook brush.

Try some lesser sable brushes for basecoating. Reaper black handles - about half the price of W&N. Very good brushes.

 

[RobberBaron]

With basecoat paint consistency, it has a tendancy to dry more quickly on the brush and I don\'t want that happening with my good brushes. It may not be much of an issue, but I would rather play it safe and just use a less expensive brush.

 

[Shadzar]

i am going under the assumption by basecoating you dont intend any details, just putting paint on before you actually paint.

Testors brushes work well for this, for me. but i use this brush for most everything also unless i need a 15/0

http://www.testors.com/catalog_item.asp?itemNbr=2180

 

[MPJ]

IMHO the words \'Good\' and \'Synthetic\' can\'t really be used in the same sentence. My painting ability went up dramatically when I started using my Series 7 brushes. Now for all intents and purposes I only own 3 brushes... 2x #0 Series 7 and 1x #1 Series 7 (OK, I own a lot more than that but I never really use them any more and have just passed a bunch down to my oldest kid who is just starting to learn how to paint minis).

 

[Beelzebrush]

Pro Arte make a decent synthetic brush called prolene plus. I bought one a couple of years ago by mistake (thinking it was sable) - it\'s a great brush and is still going strong, it\'s pretty good for detail too.

 

[RobberBaron]

Maybe I\'ll look for other sable brushes then. I basically want something that doesn\'t feel as soft as the kolinsky sable. For layering, I love it, but I just want something with a bit more firmness for basecoats and borders between different colors.

 

[DaRat]

You might try a sable-synthetic blend. The blend will still hook eventually, but you\'ll have something that has some of the characteristics of a sable.

Both Hobby Lobby and Michaels have sales on brushes with some regularity, so you might want to pick up several different synthetics and synthetic-sable blends so that you can try them out (when they go on sale)

Stay away from the Cirrus \"Kolinsky Sable\" brushes from W&N: very soft feel to them.