What's the Best Paint Brush For You? 

I love this kind of chit-chat videos... It's great help for us begginers. Than you 😄

Listening to Sam talk is like my own personal meditation tape.

I prefer the Windsor Newton brushes because they don’t mask the taste of the paint.

Cool video, would like to see more chats like this. As normal the answer is kind of it depends 🤣👍🏼thanks for the video!

MANILLA ROOOOOAD!!!! 90% of the Sam videos I watch to see what Metal shirt he is wearing. This one was by far the best so far. Crystal Logic is the shiiiit! The content being good and informative is just a bonus ;)

This was a great video! I know I'm a little late to the party but I just wanted to throw my 2 cents in...I'd love to see more of this content from you and other creators! I love seeing the stuff you guys paint but what I really want is stuff that I can learn from rather than stuff that I "compare" myself to. I'll never be an award-winning painter and that's okay but seeing what can be done makes it difficult for me to be consistently happy with my own work. These types of discussions really help me understand the tools and techniques and motivate me to try them.

We love your videos! Anything with Sam is a humongous bonus! Thank you to both of you for having one of my favorite channels!

I like this format. Definitely keep exploring this style of video.

I'm exactly the same, cheap synthetics for the dirty work and sable for the fancy times.

wow, fantastic video probably the most informative video on the miniature painting subject in the hobby ever! thank you so much!

Great video with usable, valuable advice. I recently bought a moderately priced pack of brushes, from a discount department store, for well under the price of a single "leading game company's brush" and found the brushes from the pack to be just as, if not better than, the later brush. Now I feel rather sheepish for paying 10 dollars for a single brush.

I highly recommend Windsor and Newton Series 7 size 1 / 2 brushes, they are quite literally all you need for detailed work.

It's not so much the size of the brush that's the issue, it's the ability of it to keep a good point.

Absolutely love this kind of video, it is every bit as helpful to me as a visual representation technique video. I find that there is a stage towards the end of my brushes lives where they get relegated to dry brush duty, because dry brushing, particularly with metallics, really takes a toll on a poor brush.

I thought the video was great. I had never considered using conditioner on my brushes, but what you two said makes total sense. Your video got me thinking about the different techniques of painting, and how to effectively load the brush with paint with some of the earlier techniques, and what the effects of the different paint and water loads do to the paint itself. Anyway, you two offer so much insight into a hobby I have just started enjoying and I thank you for it!

Man, i love my boy Sam. More of this please my man Atom.

Nice sit down and chat with Adam and Sam

I don't often "like" videos... This one got a thumbs up from me. Love the chit chat format (it's always fun to see your friendship with Sam on film). My suggestion for another one... When to switch different types of paint. For example, you have the same color blue in Citadel and Air Brush paint (that you aren't shooting through an air brush), why choose one over the other.

I’ve got a bunch of GW starter brushes that I use for the bulk of my work. I’m not a Golden Daemon painter by any means but I find they suit me perfectly for what I need. Once I wear it out I repurpose it to a stirring brush, dry brush or something else.

This is like brush science 101. Really good concepts here!

I was stoked to find out that Sam digs the same brushes that I do. I tried so many before those, and was supervised to find the $6 pack at hobby lobby was my go to. Now I know I'm not crazy!

Loved this so much! I chatted with you, Atom, at Origins, and you really hit it out of the park with this. Please more like this. Really enjoyed both of your thoughts.

It took me many years to understand that the fine point is more important than having small and short bristles. My favourite brush for devils nowadays is about 3 times as big as the fine detail brush I used for the longest time. However, even though I am usually critical of people saying a certain brand is the be all end all, I did give the series 7 a shot and absolutely love the control I have with them.

And this went straight into my "Mini Painting Advice" playlist for when I need to share it with new hobbyists. Personally I really enjoy the Fine Touch teacher's pack of 30 synthetic brushes. The medium size round brush usually lasts me a month, and my hobby lobby often does 50% off. The pack is half rounds and half flats, and all those flat brushes just become my dry brushes.

Had recently come to the realisation that I was often using the wrong tool for the job, thanks for clearing things up guys!

I know this one is an old video, but I just wanted to share a tip I learned from doing watercolour. Obv. don't use your best brush for frisket and masking fluid, but if you cover your chosen brush in dishwashing liquid or hand soap before you use it to apply the frisket, your brush will be okay. You can remove the dried frisket and the rinse out the soap.

More of these please.

Love the chat video idea! For brushes, I can not recommend the army painter regiment brush highly enough. It’s my go to for nearly everything. I’d like to get a few nicer sable brushes but after seeing what our friend Sam uses I’ve been mostly using craft pack brushes I’ve found at Walmart and a few army painter brand brushes.

You can also use Acrylic Medium to clean your brushes and break down old solidified pigment. (Or Lahmian Medium)

MOAR!

Full support to that Crystal Logic shirt

I'll add that if you've found a brush that you love, don't use it with metallic paints. The fine metal pigments are, quite literally, little razor blades that accelerate the wear on the bristles. Find a decent synthetic you like with a good belly and tip, and use those, instead.

One of your best videos. Thank you for the insights.

Sam looks like he is the type of guy who knows how to sell some Tau.

I use Raphael brushes. Love them

this really helps me the clear the mist! thank you

This was a great video. Always appreciate professional caliber artists that don't "fancy stuff shame". Good on you. Where do you buy those cheap brushes all of the same size? I have looked at a bunch of online stores and have only found a 50 pack. Post a link and I will use your affiliate.

Thanks for this.

This is why I have a little bit of a belly: I can take care of 80-90% of the work.

sable. they keep a sharper tip. synthetics always curl at the tip, therefore I use these for heavy duty work. sable for all sorts of glazing or wetblending, etc. I use kolinsky, ussuri, horse, and hog hair. to clean my brushes I use brush soap. nothing more. if you use conditioner: use dog shampoo/conditioner. animal fur has a different pH-value than human hair. human shampoo dries out the bristles too much. btw: did Sam gain weight? tell him to stop eating paint.

Who cares about the brushes...Crystal Logic is the greatest album of all time! RIP Mark the Shark :(

I always appreciate how humble Sam is. He is a great painter and knows all the fancy terms but doesn’t toss those terms out there to confuse us or make himself look superior. Great painters don’t need to tell you they’re great, and He gets it. Thanks for the video.

For most jobs I use my cheap synthetic makup brushes since they have them angled or bent in a way to make hard to reach places. Some even better for painting bases

Amazing! Thank you.

Well, son of a.... I learned so many things that I have been doing incorrectly for decades... We are never too old to learn, we just have to find the correct teacher(s). I had heard the vertical brush thing before, but then others contradicted it... So now I am confused on it once again... I have always used 0 10/0 or 20/0 brushes as I have been scared that I would have too much paint in too wide an area when trying to do detailed or semi-detailed work. What size is that one Sam is recommending? 2? I am definitely curious and willing to try something different than what I have been doing. Anyhow, thank you both for sharing all of this!

I dig Sam's new look with the beard

If paint manages to work its way into the ferrule on the synthetics I use windowline spray (window cleaner) to get it out then you have to condition the brush after.

I like the blick finest red sable brushes. A size 1 costs $5 and I like it more than my $20 raphael size 1. For synthetic, I like the princeton select artiste, a size 2 filbert is my go to for base coating infantry size models

Now I know why all my expensive brushes are brutal and broken! Thanks for the video, I'll try some cheaper brushes this weekend.

Im using a size 2 kolinsky sable brush from AK's Abteilung range. €6 and its just as good as any high end artist's brush I've ever used. Snappy bristles that hold a decent amount of paint and a nice sharp tip. I have a few old GW brushes for doing rough work or slopping on washes. Looking at AKs site now, they're all sold out..

After hearing from Sam some time ago that he uses cheap synthetics for most of the work I started using them for basecoating and shading and my more expensive brushes suddenly last a lot longer. And my most beaten brushes end up for spreading glue on bases

I'm a big fan of the series 33 from rosemary and Co. Yorkshire based company. Really nice sable brushes very similar quality to the fabled w&n series 7 but about £3-4 a brush

Going to try one of those larger synthetic brushes. Been using tiny ones for too long I think.

I use cheap brushes from Hobbycraft they do the trick and I can use them for basing or varnishing when they start to break down 👍

Love it my painting has massively improved since I stopped going for fancy brushea and going with my gut

I enjoyed the format and would watch more! All the tutorials and painting tips videos I've seen, and still I was able to get something new that I didn't know before. Great Job!

I didn’t think i would like this video, but damn Adam i just love hearing you talk 😊. Keep up the great work!

That was a nice video...too many people talk about prestigious brands vs cheap brands and prestigious materials vs cheap materials, not enough get into the subjective side of what makes a brush work with how you paint rather than fighting against you the whole time: belly size, bristle stiffness, bristle length, snapping action, capillary action/paint release, tip angle, etc.

Dude, Manilla Road! Excellent! \,,/

What brands can I look at with a big belly but a fine point? I've also found most of my fine detail brushes separate pretty quickly, what's a good brush that will KEEP a good tip for a long time? Thanks comments section!

Great video!

I hope you and Sam stop by the Middle Earth gaming area at NOVA. There should be some great looking armies and fantastic (pun there) terrain to see!

Sam's looking JACKED

Did Sam bulk up or its just me???? Looks like hes bin hitting the gym idk maybe its just me

Windsor and Newton no.2 is my eternal companion for painting.

Love these kinds of videos too thanks guys! Sam Lenz is looking beeeefy! Lifting them weights hey haha I was really disappointed with my Windsor Newton series 7.... Lost its tip day one!!! Maybe I got a dud. But I got a Raphael #2 brush and it's great!! Otherwise on Amazon there's plenty of "mid range" brush sets for about 20$ made of sable, and they all work good too! I found my painting improved alot when I started using bigger brushes with fine tips instead of teeny tiny lil brushes.

I have a veritable horde of various brushes I've accumulated over the years. I REALLY only use something like 5 or 6 of them regularly, with the rest being circumstantial brushes. None are really expensive, even though I check Amazon from time to time to put expensive brushes in my cart and then never buy them. Also, that hair tie around the water cup idea is some serious simple genius stuff. I immediately copied the idea and moved my brushes.

I just can't get myself to start putting the brush in my mouth. I'm afraid I'll love the paint too much maybe...

Man, Sam got huge! 💪🏻 (I come from watching videos from years ago, so that’s why I’m so surprised 😂)

Great video!

i recently used the shade brush for basecoating, a whole new world opened up for me, the belly helps a lot

Thank you! A painter for GW in his instructions refers to a “medium sized brush.” As the site did not allow comments I couldn’t ask what he meant by a medium sized brush. Can you give me a ball park guesstimate on this? I recently bought some sable brushes to up my game and look to you Uncle Atom for guidance in this matter. Much thanks! Terry

I pretty much use the same cheap brushes for the grunt work like base painting or washes, but the sable brushes for detail and highlight. Its worked out! But I will have to start using the end of the paint brush instead of drawing paint using the bristles.

I found a 144 pack from Royal Langnickle for £25, its currently sitting on the decontamination shelf while it serves its 4 days quarantine. That's some serious value right there. Search for "classroom canister royal langnickle" on Amazon.

Sams been bulking up!

Comfy talk with friends is great! 😊 You two play off each other so well. And you're both fantastic painters! Thank you for your insight and tips.

Video starts with a polka ends with a punk song. I find this funny.

I have been painting miniatures for over 30 years, and have always been frustrated by brushes. This video helped me a lot! Thank you men!

Using hair conditioner on my sable brushes was a great tip, but putting the others into the laundry with the rest of my synthetic fibers....

Oh, and they're on sale at Hobby Lobby this week! As a newbie painter, I was drawn to that size brush vs the tiny ones. Thanks for the videos, it makes starting a new hobby that much more fun.

Talked with Sam about the same thing during a painting class he was running. Great info and Sam is a great teacher.

I still use the old citadel brushes which are blue ( they are even older than the yellow tipped Uncle Atom showed) and i dont use any expensive cleaners. My trick is, to have a empty vallejo bottle without the tip and filled with with Airbrush Cleaner around. After the paint session i stick the 1-2 used brushes inside that bottle for 1h or until tomorrow . the bottle neck is thin enough that 2 brushes will sick inside without the brushtips hitting the bottle floor. This gets the still humid paint out of the bristles and ferule. After that i use some conditioner to get the a nice tip again.

I dont care what kind of video this is. If Sam is in there it is a good video.

Love your T-shirt Adam:D

I love this. -Every other pro out there: "I swing between Raphael and the Maestro, W&N is overrated..." -Sam Lenz: "I have these chinese toothbrushes that I buy for 5$ a dozen..."

YES! I've been buying the same 4 pack of brushes for the one brush I use since forever. I need this!

"Winsor & Newton Sceptre gold II" are really good , they are a mix of synthetic and red marter. Royal Talens van Gogh are good synthetic brushes. both won't brake the bank and get good results

See I’m a cheapskate and I just use a set of liner brushes from Walmart and I just take good care of them. For glue brushes I just use the kid brushes you can get a ten pack of from the dollar store. I am going to be trying out using makeup brushes, again dollar store, for dry brushes soon

I own three Windsor Newton series 7 brushes. Sizes 0, 1, 2. I clean them with Vallejo brush cleaner. They have lasted three years now. I’m sold. Never use anything else.

This was extremely helpful. It’s difficult to explain to the Jedi counsel (wife) spending a dump truck full of cash on some of these brushes.

@1:35...what size is that one? It's Golden Taklon, but what size specifically?

I tend to buy the cheapest synthetic brushes I can find. I throw them or downgrade them to "base" or "dry brushes" and just buy another 10 pack. Done this for 25 years and see no reason to do anything different now. :)

This was a really great format/style, would like to see more. Also answered a lot of questions I'd been stuck with for quite some time.

REALLY enjoyed this video, great discussion and learned a few things 👌🏼

I like this video. Thank you! More like it. Next question, how do you clean your brush right after using paint? Do you put it in the water pot past the ferrule?

the best brush is the one with paint on it touching a model

sam's comment about the moisture in the reservoir keeping the tip wet is so true. a year or two ago i bought the smallest brush the local michaels had in stock, a 20/0 spotter, intending to use it for eyes etc--but quickly realized that half the time, the tiny drop of paint on the end was drying out before i even got to the model. ive since kind of managed to bludgeon it into submission through generous use of acrylic retarder but a decent larger brush with a good point on the tip would certainly be easier

Thank you. A friend is painting a mini for me. He does a great job and I was hoping to get him a brush as a thank you. He did not want payment. I think I will ask him where he gets his supplies and get a g.c.

Look at all them gains!

Great video. I think I have found the brushes I like. I’ve been using the brushes from Army Painter. I like the angular holder my hands don’t cramp as quick. Also to clean my brushes I use the brush shampoo and that works great too.