mark reid paintbrush

I recently ordered a Mark Reid round brush #2 from SF. Does anyone know if it is supposed to be angled where the bristles come out of the brush?

No they are not. Did they come with out the plastic guard on them. If so, you should contact SF for a new one. They should not be bent.

-Metina

It did have the plastic on. I contacted SF and they requested pictures. I sent the one above and never heard back. It has been over a month.

I told Paradise about this and they now ship mine with the guards. I am sorry that SF has not responded. I guess contact them again and then go directly to Paradise.

-Metina

Funny you should mention this...I ordered a #4 from SF and it got sent to Cali for my parents to pick up; just got it, and it's been ages since I ordered.

It too, is bent. I'd have to double check, but it's actually the ferrule (sp?). I checked SF's policies and read that it would have to be reported something like within 3 days of receiving, and restock fees blah blah blah and I figured it wasn't worth the hassle.

Tricky business, ordering brushes online

I don't order from aforementioned company specifically because of it's poor customer service.

If SF doesn't come through, you can try dipping the brush in boiling water & reshaping it w/ your fingers(just dip it, don't leave it in boiling water). I've done this with brushes that got bent & they're always good as new.

SuzySparkles wrote:I don't order from aforementioned company specifically because of it's poor customer service.

Here here Suzy! I'm down to three sources for my FP stuff now, FPF, WowFactor and a shop in the UK. I get my brushes primarily at naughty word Blick and they ship them so securely I have a hard time getting into their Fort Knox packaging.

If FPF had Illusion Magazine and light blue irr glitter when I ordered (I know you have it NOW!), I wouldn't have ordered from SF, as I wasn't too impressed with them the last time either...ah well.

Hmmm.....maybe i'll have to start looking into stock Illusion.

Metina sent me an order a couple of weeks ago and one of the kolinsky brushes must have gotten caught under the bottom flap and was snapped in two....she didn't ask for pictures or to send it back...just sent a replacement when I emailed here - which was here within a few days.

Now that's excellent customer service :-)!

*I ordered my Mark Reid brushes from Metina, and they were great! I need to order more, cause I find myself always going to it.

hahaha... Naughty Word Blick...

pixieface wrote:Metina sent me an order a couple of weeks ago and one of the kolinsky brushes must have gotten caught under the bottom flap and was snapped in two....she didn't ask for pictures or to send it back...just sent a replacement when I emailed here - which was here within a few days.

Now that's excellent customer service :-)!

she accidentally sent me the wrong stencil and just sent me a new one!

I need to keep trying brushes - not happy with the kolinsky (if i'm spelling that right) but I'm thinking it has less to do with the brush and more to me being newbie. I just don't have the right touch yet. I know a lot of people swear by the sable, but for me it just acts all sloppy. So soft that with a heavy hand it just makes thick lines. Maybe I need a synthetic that is more forgiving of my clumsiness?

Im pretty bummed because I LOVE that brush. I am going to try the boiling water trick to try and fix it but it looks like I am just going to have to replace it at some point . I wish I would have found this site before I did all of my ordering. There is so much useful information + it sounds like Metina is wonderful!! Luckily Christmas is coming soon

I've spent a lot of $ at SF before finding Metina. Now it's my last stop when I can't find it anywhere....

Metina wrote:Hmmm.....maybe i'll have to start looking into stock Illusion.

I wish you stocked hat holographic purple glitter they carry. That's the only thing I order from them now, lol. That and a few Wolfe products. Glad to hear you are going to carry TAG. their pearl black us awesome and washes off so easily!

pixieface wrote:I need to keep trying brushes - not happy with the kolinsky (if i'm spelling that right) but I'm thinking it has less to do with the brush and more to me being newbie. I just don't have the right touch yet. I know a lot of people swear by the sable, but for me it just acts all sloppy. So soft that with a heavy hand it just makes thick lines. Maybe I need a synthetic that is more forgiving of my clumsiness?

Try the Princeton synthetics. They are long handled, but I just cut them down. They are nice and firm.

Clayton,
Dude.....LOVE LOVE LOVE your avatar!!!!
(been meaning to tell you that!!)

...and Metina's customer service is bar-none compeletely awesome!
I'm happy she's got Paradise now! (YAY)!~

Pixieface, I feel the exact same way about the Kolinsky brush I bought - I figured it had to be me and not the brush that was at fault.

My last order, I got a Mark Reid one and I do love it!! I may try the Princeton ones too, thanks for the suggestion, Clayton.

Yes Clayton thank you! Where do you get the princetons? Michaels? I picked up some lowell cornell at the last sale (buy one get one for a penny) - but it was the lowest quality they had on sale. So we'll see if they (I) do better on my next design. And I will try the Mark Reid next time - I have a shopping list already started

I am seriously considering the 30 sampler of the paradise. I think that would make a great palette for doing splitcakes with refills. Then just stock up slowly on larger sizes of the colors I use most often. Hopefully Metina will get enough of a call to carry the refills next year.

Pixie, I HATE my sable, sounds like you paint the way I do. I have been trying brushes for 2 years now, and I am not a fan of any big name person per say, I've tried Wolfe, Paradise, Vargas, dollar brushes from the art store...you name it. To date, the $1.00 brush was my fave, but I am in LOVE with my Mark Ried brush, just bought 5 more. (Don't tell him that, it will go to his head! LOL) They have a great firm feel to them, return well when you finish a line and hold paint very nicely. I like the fact that they clean really well, i don't know what it is but I used my #6 round in wolfe black, rinsed in water and went right to my white, then rinsed again and went to colors and it still looks almost brand new!!!! I've finally found my brush...and no, I'm not a Mark Reid groupie who has everything he has ever put his name on LOL

I will definitely try them then Gamezgirl. I spent tonight going through all the different brushes I bought so far, working with them - and wow, the sable really were the problem. I'd started using them on my last designs exclusively - and I thought I'd been getting worse rather than better. Really sloppy, struggling with heavy lines, no points and just this wobbliness. But I can see now it's because can't control them like the cheaper (and stiffer) ones. The American Painter is not bad - makes decent tear drops. But it's not holding the paint well. Interestingly I think I'm still getting the best results across the board is the Creatology ones I originally bought. Unfortunately only like a 6 and 1 round in that set - no 4 or 2.

I'm glad I read this thread, I've been debating trying some Face Painter branded brushes... now I know I'll definitely be looking for the MR ones. I'm going to Fabbulas next weekend and am hoping I'll be able to buy them cheaper there? I guess if nothing else there is no shipping charges. Anyone know if the products on sale at the convention are discounted at all? I've got quite a list of things I've been holding out on buying in hopes that maybe there will be specials going on. And also because I'd much rather try something out first before dropping a ton of money.