Buying New Brushes - Which Ones To Get?

[Olaf the Stout]

I’ve been painting for a while now, but dropped off in the past couple of years. In the last couple of months I started painting again and enjoyed it so I’m wanting to paint some more. I’ve got W&N S7 brushes that have served me well. However my #2 has now started to split when fully loaded so I’m probably going to buy a replacement.

While I’m at it, I figured I’d see if there are any other brushes I should have. I’ve only ever used round brushes (and flat brushes for drybrushing) , but I’ve heard that riggers can be useful for some applications. What exactly are riggers used for, and do I need one?

Also, would people recommend using a #3 when painting predominantly 28-32mm figures? Or is a #2, #1, #0 and #000 all I need (along with old/flat brushes for drybrushing)?

 

[gohkm]

Actually, all you need is a #1 or #2,as long as it has a solid point. W&N are brilliant, but so are Raphael 8404s, Rosemary & Co series 22s, or Leo da Vinci brushes. My favourite remain Raphael 8404s, although the R&M are proving their worth.

 

[humsi31]

Personally I would recommend #1 and #0 Raphael 8404 series brushes. They are all I seem to need for my 28mm figs. My painting style has evolved over time to using very thin paint and even basecoating in 3-5 layers. For that they seem to be perfect as they keep their shape a longtime when loaded with nice thin paint. Provided they are thoroughly cleaned and not used for mixing paint (!) I reckon they will last a long time. As a matter of fact I am still using the same brushes I bought about 2 years ago when I started painting minis.
Hope that helps
Cheers from France

PS: Edited for typos