- Daco Miniature Paint Brushes – Overall Best for Miniature Painting This Daco Miniature brush set is another well-thought-out option for miniature painting. The set consists of 15 pieces that include a round, liner, and flat brushes. You even get an extra brush designed to reach tight spots on figurines.
- The Winsor & Newton Kolinsky Sable Brushes are by far the most recommended for miniature paintings, and the most used by experienced painters. It is made from premium quality kolinsky sable, which is the highest quality of natural hair brushes on the market.
Meeden Micro Detail Paintbrush Set. This is an excellent set of detail brushes with a wide variety of shapes. Its 15 micro brushes include 7 round, 3 liner, 2 flat, 1 angular, 1 filbert, and 1. My nerdy take on the quest for the perfect brushes for miniature painting, my personal preferences for acrylics and oils and how to properly clean and mainta.
Tired of splitting and damaged brushes?
Are you tired of your miniature paint brushes splitting and messing up your work? Miniature paint brush care is actually quite easy and will help you avoid this issue.
Follow these 9 easy steps to take care of your brushes!
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1. Avoid getting paint in the ferrule
When loading your brush with paint you should always avoid getting paint near or in the ferrule (the small metal part).
Here is why:
The metal ferrule is the thing keeping the bristles together in a sharp point. If paint gets into the metal, you cannot get it out. When the paint dries, it will ‘glue’ your bristles together, so it feels more like a stick than a brush. This will cause you to lose the tip, and the brush will split when you try to paint with it.
If after painting for a little while with a brush and the point starts splitting, it is likely this is your problem. When this first happens, it is very hard to fix.
2. Use a different brush for taking paint out of the pot (and mixing paint consistency)
Do you use the same miniature paint brush to scoop paint out of the pot as the one you are going to paint with? Well, stop doing it!
Each time you do it, there is a chance you get paint in the ferrule. Even if you do not, you will almost certainly get paint at the end of the bristles. That paint can have a thick consistency, so it will make it harder to clean your brush later on.
In general, you should only use your good brushes when applying paint to the model. So if you need to mix your paint, either to achieve a specific consistency or to change the colour, use another brush.
Pro tip: all those old splitting brushes now have a use!
3. Use a suitable brush when drybrushing
Dry brushing is a great painting technique. It can save you time, and you can achieve some of the best looking effects. But if you have tried it, you know it will wreck a good brush in no time.
Now that you have a spare splitting brush laying around (that you use to scoop up paint and mix it) you can just as well use it for all your dry brushing needs. You will save money in the long run by not killing your good brushes all the time.
4. Never let paint dry on your brush
Thick dry paint will over time damage the bristles. This will make the brush unusable for high detail miniature brushwork.
This means you should rinse your brushes in water constantly while painting. Never put the brush down without quickly shaking it in a cup of water.
Just take your brush and spin it quickly in a cup water. Avoid contact between the bristles and the bottom of the cup.
Some people get in the habit of thinking they are “wasting paint”. This is a ridiculous notion. Paint is cheaper than good brushes and you will get bad results if you try to paint with semi-dried paint you left on the brush for a minute.
5. Change water regularly while painting
While painting and rinsing your brushes regularly in water it will eventually get murky. Some people believe it is fine to rinse brushes in murky paint water, but you should stop doing it.
Here is why:
While the brush looks clean when you get it up it is actually not. The water will have a lot of paint particles in it. If you store the brush paint water in it, it can damage the bristles and the ferrule.
Metallic paints are especially bad for your paints, so I make it a habit of changing water after having used any metal paints.
6. While painting store your brushes to protect the tip
I see a lot of people storing their paints in their water cup while painting. Not only is the water damaging over time, but they are messing up the bristles by putting pressure on them.
By doing this, you will kill the point and the bristles in no time. You should either store the brushes flat on your painting station or in some other way that will not damage the brush.
7. Clean your brushes with warm water after use
Now that you are done with your paint session it is time for cleaning (do not skip this or you will regret it).
Go to the sink and turn on some warm water. Not hot water, as this can make the dried paint stick to the bristles. Warm water will make the paint come off more easily. Use your fingers and gently help the paint out of the brush.
You see that dried paint by the end of the brush just before the metal ferrule part? Get it off! This is the part of the brush where the bristles are tightly locked together, so it can be quite hard to get out. It also means that if you leave some paint to dry there, the brush will likely get damaged.
Be careful to not be so hard on the brush that you mess up the bristles while cleaning. Your nails can be useful to get some of the gunk out, but threat your brush like a fine lady while doing it.
Now the brush should look completely clean, and when you run hot water through it, that should also come out clean.
8. Clean your brushes with the ‘Masters Brush Cleaner Preserver’
Most people do many of the above steps. And yes, water and care will get you a great lifespan on many brushes.
But do you want your brushes to last longer? Here is the magic trick:
Get your hands on some of the ‘Masters Brush Cleaner Preserver‘. This is some high-end brush soap but if you ask anyone who has used it and they will say it is worth every penny.
I have had a pot for three years now. I have used it after each paint session, and it is first now that it is running out. That is maybe the most well spend £10 I have ever used on my hobby.
Now with your master brush cleaner in hand, and after having cleaned your brushes with water, gently dip your brush into the soap. The excess warm water from the brush will make the hard soap soft, and you will quickly see how much dried paint it removes. The first time I did it I was amazed at how much dried paint and gunk it could get off. My brushes were like new!
Do that until the brush is totally clean. If the brush is badly damaged, you can leave some brush soap on it while you store it.
Now that your brushes are spotless you should make sure they are as dry as possible before they go back in storage. Water that dries up in the ferrule is bad for the brushes.
After using the brush cleaner, you should form the tip of the brush as neatly as possible.
9. Store your brushes to protect the tip, the bristles and the ferrule
Common wisdom will tell you to store your brushes with the bristles upwards and the handle downwards. This is done to protect the bristles. But I have found another way that I think is more effective:
Most miniature paint brushes come with a small plastic cap. I save that plastic cap and put it on my brushes after use. Then I store them with the bristles downwards, resting on the plastic cap, in a brush holder.
In this way, excess water or paint (if anything gets through my rigorous cleaning) will flow away from the ferrule and onto the tip of the brush. This will cause minimum damage to brush, and it will be easy to get off when you start your paint session.
Liked this hobby article? Here you can find more of my stuff:
Brushes are an essential part of being a wargaming hobbyist (or just painting miniatures in general).
When you buy your first brushes, go for something that is cheap and readily available. You will almost certainly ruin your first set of brushes, so make it sure it did not cost you a fortune.
When you have painted your first few models (like 20+ or something) you might be ready to upgrade to something better.
But remember this: expensive brushes will not make you a better painter. Quality tools are important but in the beginning, you cannot feel the difference between a good tool and a crappy/mediocre tool. Go for cheap quantity first and expensive quality later.
Affiliate link disclosure
Age of Miniatures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Affiliate links might occur on this page.
This site also takes part in other affiliate programs and we are compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. Read more about our affiliate links here.
Affiliate link disclosure
Age of Miniatures is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Affiliate links might occur on this page.
This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. Read more about our affiliate links here.
Two Different Types of Brushes for Miniature Painting: Synthetic vs Natural hair
In general, you have 2 kinds of brushes. 1. Brushes where the bristle is made of natural hair. 2 Brushes where the bristle is made of some kind of synthetical material.
Advantages of natural hair:
- Retains water and paint a lot better while painting (it can hold more paint inside the bristles/belly). This means longer working time and less time spent getting the paint back in the brush.
- The natural hair is more durable and will hold the point better (it can hold a point for many years with proper care). A good natural hair brush will last way longer than a synthetic brush.
Advantages of synthetic hair:
- Less prone to damage from paint (acrylic paint is actually quite hard on natural hair)
- A lot easier to clean than natural hair
- Less expensive (since you do need to get the hair from a rare mink or some weird stuff like that).
6 Things to Look For In a Miniature Brush
- The Ability to Hold a Point and Retain the Shape Over Time: The point/tip on your brush is super important. Over time the brush can wear down, and the point of the brush will start to split. I have some brushes that I can paint with a for a few minutes and after that, the point insists on splitting in two (making it unusable for fine detail work and just a real paint).
- Size of the body: If you are painting with a very small brush with almost no body, you will have to reapply paint to the brush almost constantly. Also, it is very easy to accidentally damage a brush with a very small body. Having a decently sized body is important (at least when you basecoat or blend)
- Spring/Snap: The more bristles in the brush and the wider it is, the more snap and spring the brush has. When you bend the brushes while painting, the hair should immediately “snap” into its normal shape afterwards. If not, you lose control when painting (it will feel like painting with a wet spaghetti).
- Durability: An expensive awesome natural hair brush can last for years (at least with proper care). A cheap, inexpensive synthetic brush cannot last very long (but on the other hand, you do not have to worry about brush care that much).
- Feeling: The feeling of a brush is very hard to quantify, but the brush should feel right for you. I have painted a lot with the Winsor and Newton, so this means they feel “right” for me. Trying to paint with brushes that are not made in the same way feels very off to me. A lot of the feeling with a brush depends on your habits and needs, but some of it also depends on hand size and various other factors.
- Price: we cannot get around that the price of the brush is also something that you need to consider.
Quality natural hair, mostly from a Kolinsky Weasel (also called a Kolinsky Sabel brush) will win on a lot of these parameters. They hold a point longer, they have a big body that can retain paint well, they snap back in place quickly, the durability can be amazing and the feeling is great. The downside? They cost a lot…
What Sizes of Miniature Brushes Do You Need?
The size on the brushes will usually range from “000” (very small) up to a big “12”.
For painting miniatures the size “0” and “1” will most likely be what you are looking for.
A size “2” can be good for bigger basecoat and a “00” can be good if you do very fine detail work. I have a single size “3” brush and have almost never found a use for it. Some brands have a unique naming scheme (like the Citadel brushes where they try to call the brushes something understandable for beginners).
There is no uniformity as to how big a size 1 is when you look across the different manufacturers. This means that the size 0 from one company can be as big as a size 1 of another company. You just have to try them out to figure it out.
When it comes to how big the body is, it can also vary wildly from different brush sets. You have to learn by experience what suits you. A rule thumb is that too small a body is not that great. Only on my very, very fine detail brushes, I want a small body (I do not need a lot of paint to paint eyes or similar details). Basecoating, edge highlights and blending requires a bigger body to move the paint around in the required way. A lot of the brushes made specifically for miniature painting have, in my opinion, too small a body on the brush.
Buying a 0, 1 and 2 from the company’s brush set will give most of what you need. If this is your first time buying quality brushes, maybe just go with a 0 and 1. Those two types are by far the ones that I use the most, and the 00 and 000 is only used very sparingly (if at all) on a model.
Where to Buy Your Brushes?
I have tried out different webstores (since the selection of quality brushes in my local brick and mortar stores is subpar) and have run into a few different problems with quality control, poor customer service and so on. Word to markdown online, free.
Lately, I have been getting my supplies from the webstore Jackson’s Art. I have been very happy with both price, shipping times, quality control and customer service. They have the quality brushes I want as well as cheap brushes and the brush cleaner I use.
They ship internationally and I can highly recommend them. It is also there some of my affiliate links in this post will go to.
Mini Paint Brushes
As a bonus for using my links, you get 10% if it is your first order with Jackson Art. Does not sound like much, but 10% on expensive brushes can also be something!
3 Different Good Quality Natural Hair Brushes
You can get cheap and efficient synthetic brushes from hobby stores everywhere (Citadel, Army Painter and random non-miniature hobby stuff). I find the difference in quality to be minimal so try different cheap stuff out until you are ready to upgrade. Be warned that Citadel brushes are neither cheap nor of very high quality, but they can do ok in a pinch.
3 different series of quality brushes that are commonly recommended:
- Winsor & Newton Series 7
- Raphael Series 8404
- Davinci Maestro Series 35
I have tried all of the above and all of them could become your favourite brush in the end. The difference between is quite small and you cannot go wrong with any of them.
Winsor and Newton Series 7 (get the normal brushes made for watercolour, not the miniature stuff that has too small a body) is what most people will recommend. It is by far the most used “pro” brush, but that does not necessarily make it the best.
Raphael Series 8404might be just as good as the Winsor and Newton AND it is cheaper. I only have a single one of these right now (bought after a few too many Winsor and Newton brushes had issues on arrival because of poor quality control).
Davinci Maestro Series 35is a solid brush, but not for me. The body was too thin and I found that it could not compare with the other two when it came to retaining a sharp point with extended use.
What I Think Is the Best Miniature Brush for Warhammer and Miniature Painting
When I started out looking for a good brush, the Winsor and Newton series 7 was the one that most experienced painters recommended. After 5 years of using it, I have never regretted that choice. In fact, I have my very first size 1 Winsor and Newton and still use it for some detail work. In my opinion, you cannot go wrong with a good Winsor and Newton Series 7 brush.
My suggestion? Get 2 Winsor and Newton Series 7 – a size “0” and a size “1”. For about £20 pounds they will significantly improve your painting experience.
That said, I have lately run into different quality control issues. I bought a fresh batch with a 00, a 0 and 1 and they were ALL broken on arrival (the plastic tip made to protect the bristles had been jammed into the bristles, making them unable to hold a point). I have seen others commenting on different bad brushes from them, so if this continues I might shift to the Raphael instead.
Below is a video about why these weasel hair brushes are so expensive (but also so damn good).
Maintaining and Getting the Most Out of Your New Brush Quality Natural Hair Brush
Good Brushes For Painting Miniatures
If you buy a quality and expensive brush, you NEED to take care of it. The natural hair will get damaged if you neglect to clean it and then you would be much better of just using a cheap synthetic brush instead.
I suggest buying some Master Brush Cleaner. It has been around for ages and comes highly recommended. I have used it on my brushes since I started using quality stuff and it has done very well. It can even extend the life on your cheaper brushes, helping to avoid that annoying splitting issue (check the price on the Master Brush Cleaner here)
Having a good brush is great, but without a wet palette you might get the most out of your purchase. Check out my take on the best wet palette on the market.