Products for a newbie

I have started to buy my kit. I hear that TAG is the best paint so bought some of that, but there are a lot of cool cakes with other brands, which ones are good and what should I stay away from? Also I have tried a few different kinds of brushes that I just got from my local craft stores but I can't find any that I really like. I think I would like ones that are a little stiffer and keeps their shape, any advise on what I should try and where I can get it? Thanks

If you go to the HOME page and you click on the FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS button, you'll find a lot of threads about sponges, paints, brushes,... I did it when I first came to this forum and it was sooo helpful. I personally started with a Snaz palette and then I brought some TAG cakes. Now I still use Snaz for the base but I find DFX black and white better for the linework. And I've got the DFX metallics in my need-buying list. Coming soon...

The Mark Reid brushes from the forum shop are great & pretty reasonable in price. You can also buy the brushes from Michael's in the painting section. Use a coupon & they're pretty inexpensive. I like the soft grip. I have a bit of a brush love & will goggle over them

I agree with checking out the FAQ page for SUCH good info, but be prepared to be sucked into the vortex for hours! It's good reading.

I too like a stiffer brush and I have so far found Artist's Loft from Mich@els with the transparent blue handle to be a good fit for me. I got the two different variety packages using their -50% coupons which was an inexpensive way to use the different sizes and styles to figure out which ones I like to use the most.

If you find another good, stiff brush, I'd be happy if you shared it.

There really is no way for anyone to tell you what brand of paint will work best for you. There are some standards...wolfe black and white for linework of course...but as for bases and such...some people swear by paradise, I found it hard to use at first and found wolfe easier, but now 2 years into this, I can use any brand because I have a reasonable knowledge base of which ones like more or less water etc. Really it will come down to your personal style and preference. Also, you will find that as you gain experience, your kit will morph, for eg. I don't like Snazaroo, but now I have snaz red for spidey, wolfe red for roses and blood etc, I have mostly tag/wolfe/dfx for bases, but have paradise browns and greens, my rainbow splits are wolfe, my dolphin splits are paradise...for no other reason that personal style and how I prefer to paint. Good luck, enjoy the journey, and the best way to figure out what you like, is to try each brand a bit.

I is trial and error. Snaz red is a must for me, but I like paradise for bases and I use all the prismas. I like tag splits, but have to be careful, it is easy to order something that looks pretty, and not have a design in mind, so I usually do not order until I have something specific to use it for, just to keep from getting out of control!

I like the star blends more and more too, and I just got the Lumier powders.

I have found that smell is important too...I like FAB, but it has a strong fragrence. I have heard that some don't care for the fragrence of paradise, but it does not bother me.

Good luck with it!

Martha

Oh my gosh guys thanks ssoooo much for the tips, I already bought some wolfe brothers paint that I am going to try. I can't wait to get more kinds of paints and brushes to try. I will let you know how it goes. :-)