Let's talk brushes and daubers

Hi everyone!

I am thinking about upgrading to some more #4 round brushes and I would love to hear some input on brushes I can buy for lss than $15 each.

I have both sable and synthetic (from DickBlick.com) and I am starting to feel as though I prefer the sable but I might like a softer/more pliable synthetic if there are some out there.

Has anyone tried the "Mark Reid's Favorite Brush" from SillyFarm? They are only $5 anyway!

I am also thinking about the Style Stix daubers set as I am looking at incorporating more "two tones" pearls into my princess crowns and these seem to make the job easier.

Thoughts?

Thanks!
~Michelle Heffner
Bright & Shining Face Painting
Columbia, MD

Personally I like the Snaz circle dauber - the red one with the black foamy pointed tip. In my opinion it creates the different sized circles more efficiently.

I bought the Style Stix at the local hobby/arts store and they work but create a sloppier circle and are a pain to clean for me.

Good Luck! Love your biz name!

I buy all my brushes at Michael's or other art/craft supply stores. Prices vary depending on what I'm buying but I've spent $2.50 to $40 per brush... and you know what? You get what you pay for.

Just go into the brush section at the stores and look at what they've got.

As for daubers... I can't be bothered. I've got some small round sponges that I carry around that I might use occasionally to do a sun or moon, but as for the sponges on the ends of sticks - just a waste of time I think. Sure they are useful for certain effects but are a pain to clean and I cannot reuse them on another person without properly cleaning them!

how about qtips? I carry a bunch with me anyway for little cleanups and applying glitter gel.

there are some great youtubes by Anna W on doing cool things with daubers!

dauber doggie - cool since it looks 3d!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t95BaMvphNk&feature=PlayList&
p=129F652A1A5BCFF0&index=5

and a crown using daubers to make the pearls!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBE4VetOPAU&feature=PlayList&p=129F652A1A5BCFF0&index=2

Tribal Sun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z7RZdpvgNQ&feature=channel

Anna (or Clash the Clown) is up to like 26 you tube videos now - Heather Banks from sillyfarm also has a ton of awesome ones for the beginning and intermed face painter!!

The red Snaz dotter tool I like is this one....http://www.sillyfarm.com/brushes.html (see the red dotter wand brush tool with the red handle for $6.00)

have fun shopping, playing and experimenting! Wyndy O in Tampa

I've got that Snaz one... which came with a set of brushes from Snaz. I've got the same thing in my make-up kit - it is called a "smudger" for shadows and liners and you can find them quite cheap at dollar stores and drugs stores.

Thanks you guys for the input!

Does anyone have any specific brands they always gravitate towards when it comes to brushes?

Thanks!!
~Michelle Heffner
Bright & Shining Face Painting
Columbia, MD

I don't have any input but I'm watching this topic with interest... I need to update to some better brushes too

I purchased Royal Majestic brushes from Hobby Lobby at their 50% off sale and they were the same as some I purchased at a Silly Farm dealers table at the last workshop I attended. The Hobby Lobby brushes are identical and nearly 1/4 the price!
Moo La La

Thanks for the lead Rita!

I have some Paradise brushes and some American Painter (Michael's Craft Store) find, and some Wolfe brushes, as well as a few junky brushes - my "smush" brush makes awesome clouds and foamy waves, and a kinda sloppy filbert which makes great double loaded flowers.

I find myself reaching for my American Painters often for reliable line and detail work with black and white - but don't think they hold as much paint as the Paradise. They really keep their point and have a nice spring to them. One of my Wolfe's just makes a perfect teardrop so I love it when I am not warmed up or getting tired. I am wanting to get one of the "Porsche" brushes that I hear others talk about the DaVincy or Snow White.....brushes are my crack.....and the gold handles that Silly Farm is selling right now. But what I really need is more practice and experience, which I am working on.

Winsor & Newton "Cirrus" - blue handle - kolinksy sables. I know they are one of the more expensive ones BUT I have tried a lot of the others and I still like this brand best. They last about 6 months and I have to treat them rather harshly with the alcohol etc. I do have several others that work well, but, the sables are my favourite.

Yesterday I went to Jo-Ann Fabric's & Craft store and they had the gold handle brush that looks like the one they sell at Silly Farm. (gold handle, blue top) Its a Loew-Cornell #795 round but they only sell it in sizes 6 and 3. At the cash register each one rang up for 99 cents! I bought the last two in stock at size 6. Size 3 is too small but size 6 isn't too big. Its white nylon so its a stiffer brush. I've been using Creative Mark Rhapsody Kolinsky Sable #2 for linework and like them. The sable is so much more softer. I use two, one for white and one for black. Brush sizes are deceiving for instance my Rhapsody #2 looks like a #4. I still trying to figure out which brush works best for me.

I am dying to try what they call a "full belly" sable. It is supposed to hold loads more paint than the regular sables, thus you only have to go to the black paint once during a full face butterfly.

But so far, they are about $25(from memory) and I just COULDN'T do it!

$25? I use the Michael's 40% off coupon to buy new sables - since they are regularly $38 it helps.

I haven't tried a sable yet. My husband's and my favorite synthetic brush right now are the Royal Majestic 4250's. We got ours at Hobby Lobby.

I keep changing my mind on my fave brushes; sadly the type I loved thru school & art college were discontinued and when mine finally 'died' I was sort of lost!

I have a huge range (whoops) but I didn't buy them all - some I got at conventions, some were given to me to test/ as part payment, etc. And then you hear about/ see a new 'type' some artist loves and have to try that...

My most used are;
rounds 2, 4 6, and a cats tongue/ smallish flat; 2 small thick bushy fan brushes I cut to butterfly shape.

Fave brands are:
Daley rowner (the big fat yellow & black handled ones - use their 'wrong ends as fat dots/ berries/ roses etc & the blue handled ones)
Asstd da Vincies, their acrylic range and their sables
Asstd 'major' and other fairly cheap Hong Kong paint brush brands
Paradise body chisel & a few of theri others (tho several brands now have exactly the same style/ look but cheaper)

my big tip is to go for the NON painted/ varnished handles, ie the acrylic or sort of plastic coated ones. i don't leave my brushes handel down in wtaer, or work especially wet or have sweaty hands, but several brands (the worst being Wolfe) cracked up and flaked off very quickly. It looks awful and you get annoying sharp bits falling into your paint! Yes you can ( and I did) sand them off and nail-varnish them but thats a pain!!!

cat x

Oh and am flirting with a dagger brush, can't decide....need to master curls with it then might like it!

Ummm and I have lots of different sized wisp/ rake brushes - use the small lots for furry faces/ feathers. Just bought a set of rake FAN brushes I have yet to try (I know I know but they were on offer in HK and I hadn't seen them before).....

i'll shut up now.