Tools Of The Trade

Back in the beginning of March I ordered a couple of Winsor and Newton Series 7 brushes to replace my collection of aging and really plain Jane brushes.  Personally I thought that upgrading my brushes would probably make some difference but I never dreamed just how much of an improvement it would be.

These brushes are made with Kolinsky sable which comes from these guys.

Cute little sucker isn't he?  For those of you who might not know, this is a Siberian weasel and the Series 7 brushes are made using hair from the tail of these critters.  How's that for a bit of trivia that you might not have known?

From what I have experienced with these brushes they give you a much more consist and even flow than your average run of the mill brush making detail work easier than ever.  Usually I have found that the paint has started to dry when I go in to paint that eye but with these I find that the hair holds the moisture that much longer and lets you really get in for some fine work.  They also retain the point incredibly well compared to anything else that I've used, so much so that I've been using a size 1 brush almost exclusively for everything from cloaks to pupils.

So obviously I'm in love with these brushes but the question is where can you get your own?  You might be able to find them elsewhere but I would recommend heading over to DickBlick.com.  The two brushes that I purchased on their site retail for $59.18 but on their site you can get them for a mere $20.70 (before shipping of course) but from what I've seen so far these brushes are worth every penny and more.

You should also be aware that there are actually two different types of Series 7 brushes; the Series 7 pointed round and the Series 7 miniature brush.  The ones that I own are the pointed rounds and I would recommend these over the miniature brushes.  The rounds have longer bristles which really help give you that nice and smooth flow while the miniatures are noticeably shorter.  Not only do I think that this would effect painting but I also think it could have an impact on how long they would last.  With the shorter bristles it seems like it would be too easy to have paint get up into the ferrule which will quickly ruin the fine tip that you need for detail work.

I also would not recommend using these brushes for putting on base coats over a large surface.  Cheap brushes are easy to find so you might as well use these for the base coats and save the good brushes for the more precise work.  Until next time...