Supplies Paintbrushes for Face-ups

Here are the brushes I use...
Princeton Series 3050 detail brushes
20/0 Liner
10/0 Filbert

Don't be tempted to get the spotter or monogram brush instead of the liner. The long bristles of the liner are essential to getting nice strokes! It is much easier to control than it appears. In addition to eyebrows and eyelashes it is also useful for those fine lines you see on some styles of lip painting.

The filbert is great for the inner eyes and excellent for lips. I keep one brush for paint and another for the gloss finishes...they seem to destroy the bristles quicker.

In addition...a small round brush is helpful if you need to paint tiny teeth in a partially open mouth.

Other supplies I use...

I've taken to using the Liquitex retarder instead of my Golden Flow Release. It performs the same function as the flow release and, in addition, gives my paint a little bit more working time on the palette. It's just a personal preference.

IMO, the W&N Brush Cleaner is indispensible. Tiny brushes get clogged very easily so I clean them often...in fact I clean them after every few strokes and before I pick up new paint from my palette! I keep a glass of water nearby to swish the brush in first to get rid of the bulk of the paint and then I swish it in the Brush Cleaner. Rinse in the water again, gently wipe off the excess water and I'm ready to pick up more color. It also 'conditions' the bristles and helps the brushes keep their shape and flexibility.

Another nifty trick with the Brush Cleaner is to dip the end of a toothpick into the stuff and carefully use the tip to 'erase' small areas of paint. For a little bit larger areas I wrap a little Kleenex around the toothpick and dip it into the cleaner. This is a great way to clean up little bloopers on an otherwise perfect faceup!

Mad Scientist goggles optional.

Hope this helps!


Tamara> I think coating really helps. I do the first coating just so the Prismacolor pencil will apply easily and also be 'erasable'. Coating prior to blushing with pastels is pretty much mandatory as the coating gives the resin 'tooth'. Pastels need this fine texture or else they won't stick to the resin very well...resulting in lots of blotchiness. If you've sanded the head the coating helps fill minute sanding lines which might become visible when blushing is applied.

I think if one were to airbrush on the blushing the early coatings of MSC wouldn't be necessary at all. Maybe just the final coating once everything is finished.



They should know that if you thin acrylic paints with too much water it breaks down the polymer and reduces adhesion. On resin this means the paint is more likely to 'bead up' than apply smoothly or, if it does apply smoothly, there is a greater risk of it being easily rubbed off. >_<
If not see if anyone carries Golden brand Flow Release. It works as well...just not my personal preference. Golden is an excellent line of artist-grade acrylic paints and mediums though!

 

The Swedish store Panduro has brushes down to 0000 for those here in Scandinavia. I know they have Norway, Swedish, and Denmark. The do ship to the rest of the world,as well, but the sites are in Norwegian, Swedish and Dannish, and the minimum order for EU countries is SEK 600 and for non-EU countries, it's SEK 1200. But for those of you in a Scandinavian country, the store is worth a look. The 0000 was NOK 48 when I was in the store today.

 

wee! Just like to thank everyone in this thread, I just finished off my first face-up following your advice. ^_^ So big hugs to you all.

I went to the nearest art supplies shop near me, and found that a nice Aussie brand, Jo Sonja's, had acrylic paints, Retarder, Matte varnish and gloss varnish. So now I have a very shiny face, the result of no Mr Super Clear. >_< Ah well. I'm quite pleased with my first attempt.

I found a number of 20/0 paint brushes at the art shop - the one I got was a Francheville... apparently made in SriLanka. ^_^ Works great! It was about $7 AU.

 

Well, it took me three art shops, but I found what I was looking for. In the UK, there's a paintbrush brand called Soft Grip. They make both a 10/0 filbert and a 20/0 liner, among other really small brushes. They're not that expensive. I found them in a Ward Graphic warehouse, so if there's one near you, check them out.

I think they're also available on Ebay, but there's less choice in the sizes.

 

As far as brushes go, I use the finest line brush on my 1/6th dolls, then for the shading, I use an eye shadow make up brush and either chalk pastels (not oil) or my own make up blush.

 

After much deliberation and tearing apart my decision making skills whether or not to have DoD do my makeup...I've decided I'm going to trust my skills in art and save myself $31.

My question is directed towards thoes who use clear nail polish gloss to gloss their dolls' lips.
Do you outright use the brush on the polish cap(to me...doesn't seem like it would be very accurate), or do you use a seperate paint brush?

I'm leaning towards the latter, but I need to know what material your brush is made of, since the majority of my brushes are watercolor sables or a few acrylic camelhair(which will be no problem for the face-up..), which I don't want to ruin with the polish.

Also, what do you use to clean the brush afterwards, if you do use a seperate brush? Simply swish it in non-acetone?

Thanks for your help!

~Ali

 

Actually, most people seem to use water-based gloss lacquer instead of clear nail polish. If I were going to try it, I'd probably just buy a cheap acrylic-bristled paintbrush, and throw it away when I was done. I don't see why cleaning it with nail polish remover and working a brush conditioner in afterward wouldn't work, though. I'd just be afraid to try it on my expensive brushes.

 

n/a

 

I used nailpolish clearcoat over Koji's lippaint to make it more glossy than the clear acrylic i had bought (though it worked fine for Azrael.. Koji's lips needed more).

I used it on Azrael's nails and had no problems either XD

 

Paint brushes - for those of you who are finding them hard to find.. try looking at a porcelain doll studio.. preferably a Seelys one - their "super doll brushes" are excellent. I am a paint brush freak/fanatic... I have tried all sorts - and I still have a "magic" brush from about 20 years ago. When I am struggling with any painting of face.. I get out my 'magic" brush and all is well Unfortunatley they dont make it anymore - so it is very special to me. But The short handled Selleys doll brushes are great. I am pretty sure BJBABES the eyeco man Ted has them - he will post anywhere in the world. But most countries have a Selleys studio

Here are some good brushes..the the SBR17 , SBR18 and SBR 20 and SBR27. The lip brushes are really good too. A good brush costs a little more.. but they REALLY help you do the job well and looked after they WILL last ages. I do not begrudge paying around $25 for my magic brush.. its lasted 20 odd years and paint thousands of dolls.
http://www.bjsbabes.com/search_resu...&txtsearchParamVen=1&txtFromSearch=fromSearch
But any Seeleys Studio will have these brushes.

 

Does anyone know what size (10/0 ex.) this brush is equal to and if its suitable for painting a 1/6 dollfie head? Or super dollfie? I ordered one from DHS, and if its not the right size, I have to cancel my order right away. Thanks!!

 

Well, Xioami (sp? :O ) suggested a 20/0 (I think) in her tutorial in the customization section... I bought an 18/0 last week and it looks plenty fine enough

 

You can use the brush for both SD and 1/6! I do! Volks brushes are really great and last a lot longer than the brushes I've bought in store.

 

Any tips about brush sizes/brands?
I own a luts delf (or will when she gets here) and bought some loooong rembrandt brushes, but also seen those zoukei mura ones on the same online store where I´ll purchase my msc...is it woth it to get them? which sizes? any other brrands , sizes better?
thnx

 

My fave brand is Lowe-Cornell; readily available in the US and online. Long brushes are good for painting lines such as eyeliner & lashes. I haven't seen the zoukei mura brushes. I'm going to go look for them. I think I would want to give them a try!

The main thing to look for in a brush is a good point. The tip shouldn't break down and start splitting into forked ends. The brush should have some body to it and not be too limp. Obviously, for painting the fine detail around eyes, you need a really small brush. You can tell by the feel of it, and by your ongoing experience, which brushes you like best.

 

thnx^^ I´m into art too, but having never seen a luts delf "in person" made it more difficult to decide, as the pics just show the zkmura brushes, if there had been a doll beside or something...would be easier to get an accurate idea about the scale. I do use van gogh´s for my acrylic´s and the fibers are good quality.
Maybe I´m weird or it may happen to you too, but I´ve got this natural hair brush for years, I can´t seem to get the thing to work if I dont use it..dunno...the thing is that the brand´s name got erased and can´t remeber it

I´ll go check the ones you said now, thanks^^

edit: I found a site that carries "Princeton Art & Brush Co" as weel as lowe cornell. How many brshes have you got for your dollie´s faceups?. adao you use them for other purposes too or just set them aside for doll? I was thinking maybe 3, a fine one for lines, another one to spread "blushy "pastel colors and a medium one for lips and stuff. But dunno what these two numbers on the brushes mean (0/10), ones I bought before had just one number and a handle length (S, M XL..)so I´m a bit lost here.This is my last post about this I promise^^

OK, so I´ve been to every single crafts/arts store I could find in town. After going through thousands of brushes like rembrandt, van gogh, and waaaaay many others...I´m still obsessed with the pic someone kindly posted on a faceup tutorial up here

The pic shows both filbert and liner princeton 3500 series detail brushes and I have´nt found anything I like better than that ...The thiiiiiin fibers must give a cool strike for the eyelashes for example

can anybody tell me which would be the best place for a foreigner like me to get them online?

Which numbers do you advice? I ´m not sure I know what this 10/0 thing means as I´m used to other labeling method (s, m l xl for the handles, and metric system measurements for the fiber)

any help will be appreciated
thnx in advance^^

 

Try Blick Art Supplies. Go to the Princeton Mini Brushes, those are the ones you want. Anything over 0 means the tip is very small, and the bigger the number over 0, the smaller it is. I'd probably get a 20/0 Liner (I think those are the smallest they go) and a 10/0 Filbert.

 

I´ll check it out^^
thank you thankyou thank you so much for the info^^
you realy helped me out^^

 

Bunny - just so you know, I'm in Europe and I think it cost me about $15 to have five of those brushes shipped over here from Blick. They are really nice to work with though!

 

thnx mute^^ :wink:
do you think you´ll sell some of them?or need all 5?
just wanted to know before ordering from blick, sure shipping from the UK is both quicker and faster (well once a purchase off ebay took like 4 days from the US via regular shipping, but that was just good luck I guess)

 

I actually really only use two - the tiny filbert and the smallest liner. So you may not need to buy so many, and the shipping might be less. I think my brushes took about a week, as they ship with EMS.

 

I would just set them aside for your doll.
I go through brushes like crazy... (hard on shoes and cars, too) I'm probably not the best person to ask... I need new ones every 2 weeks or so, depending on what I'm doing! I never use good brush cleaner or anything. I've heard that helps.
I just eyeball the brushes, so maybe someone can add to this post to help with brush size. I go for the smallest one! Longer-haired brushes are better for drawing eyelashes and eyeliner.
You should abandon a brush for line work if the hairs start a) splitting on the ends; not holding a point or b) the hairs on the end stay joined, but they begin to curve into a "hook". It's almost impossible to get a thin line when this happens. You can still use these to paint larger areas, like lips.

Hope that helps.

 

I live in the UK and I wondered if anyone could recommend a good website to buy the Princeton mini brushes.

It seems that most of them won't ship worldwide and I ordered one from a particular site and they've quoted me $16.00 shipping. For one tiny brush!

I've looked everywhere for tiny brushes in the UK, a bloke in a model shop told me Woolworths! I hope he's not winding me up, because I'm going to have to look now. But Woolworths don't do art supplies, as far as I know. Unless you're 3.

 

I had a chuckle about this because I remembered a few years ago when I was looking for a windsor and newton series 7 miniatures brush. I have a series 7 normal length but wanted a miniatures one too. I finally found an online art supply store in England that had one for only 6 pounds which is about $18 NZ, which is a great price on it. But shipping pushed the price of it up to $117. I emailed them to ask if their shipping calculator was broken and they replied that was their lowest international shipping charge . lol, needless to say they didn't make a sale and I wonder if they get many internatoinal sales at all. I have visions of a solitary brush in the middle of a huge box surounded by enough styrofoam nuggets to float a small ship.

 

Could you please take a comparison shot next to your 10/0 and 20/0?
... It would be preferable that they were the same brand; but otherwise...if you own a 30/0 , 40/0, or 1000/0 (sureeee..) please take photos!

If you have any customised brushes and KNOW the size of the brush you cut it down to; please maintain a reference as well..

I've just customised my own brush school-budget-style and i want to know how small people can get it (by small i mean thin and not short).

 

Have you tried www.dickblick.com? I got mine there, but I'm not sure about international shipping.

 

Hmm... would be the Brushes of Games Workshop be an Alternative? I know they have very small brushes cuz they're working with Miniatures Models and it shouldn't be hard to find a Games Workshop - their HQ is in the UK anyways ^^ Of course only if you can't get the brushes you want

 

http://www.dickblick.com/zz056/54/

Are those the brushes one would use for faceups? They look great to use on doll painting.

 

So, I'm about to order paintbrushes from Leekeworld, but I'm really confused about the sizing. (us crazy Americans and our wierd measuring system)

Which is smallest, the 1.2mm brush or the no.00?

Also, how much retarder does one usually add to their paint? Can you use retarder and water, or does it defeat the point?

Thanks in advance!

I have very little paintbrush control, so, like I read in a Ricky faceup tutorial, I would like to use a sharp ended "earpick" to paint on eyelashes, eyebrows and other fine details.

However, I'm having trouble finding a tool that small. Toothpicks are a little bit too big and get dull quickly and I tried using the ends of some of the smallest paintbrushes I have, but again they were too dull. If anyone has any ideas of what I could use and where to find it, I'd really appreciate it.

 

Some porcelain doll painters and ceramic artists use pens to paint fine lines. Try some porcelain supply companies or art suppliers to find these. ~~Lin

 

Some people use cat whiskers ( naturally shed of course) also dollyholic has some amazing arteje brushes that are incredibly fine. Then there is always asking your dentist for old instruments. I used to get a lot of great tiny picks that way.

 

They don't seem like american brush sizes... Does anyone know what size they compare to? I'm looking for a 20/0 and a 30/0 sized brush: which ones that SOOM have be compared to that size if not smaller?

 

Uh...i also have a little question XD
Does anyone know a site where i can buy 18-20/0 Liner(or spotter) and Round brushes and ships internationally?(Smallest brush i found here is 5/0)

Edit:
Another question popped up in my mind XD
Can i use Zoukei-mura #1-2 instead of 18/0?
It's easier to buy from Volks and i also can get the pastels i've been looking for a long time

 

Quick question: I was just wondering where (online) I could purchase successfully used 0/18, 0/20, or 0/30 liner/spotter brushes? (IE, where did YOU buy your brushes?) Just making sure I'll be buying what I expect. Any help would be appreciated, thank you!

 

I went to a craft store to buy mine, but you can get brushes at DickBlick. Try there.

 

;; Read a bunch of tutorials here but I stll couldn't quite find the answer I was looking for... I went to the craft store a couple of times but there's so many different brands of art supplies, I'm not sure what to get. I'm going to hit the art supply store tomorrow which has an even bigger supply, so I'd like to be prepared before I go there...

1.) What are some good brands of paintbrushes?

2.) What's the smallest size? What are the best sizes for faceups? (I'm assuming there's a few different ones >< like for fine lines, or larger areas like eyeshadow and cheek blush).

3.) What "type" of brush is used for faceups? (You know -.- there's so many different shapes and types it's confusing!)

4.) Do you have to clean a brush you only used chalk pastels with? How? (I already know about cleaning brushes used with acrylic paints...)

5.) What are some good tips for treating your brushes well?

6.) Has anyone used the brushes on the volks site? How are they and how do you tell the sizes?

7.) Where would be a good place to find brushes online if the art supply store fails to impress (small towns suck T_T)?

Thanks for your help :3~

 

The only real brand that I've turned up in my research are the Princeton Mini brushes, notably the 20/0 liner and the 10/0 filbert.

The cheapest place I know of to get these is from www.dickblick.com

Here's a direct link to their array of Princeton Mini brushes:
http://www.dickblick.com/zz056/54/

 

Jerry's Artarama has lots of choices and decent prices...

http://www.jerrysartarama.com/

 

I like using the Kolinsky sable fineline 3/0 and 400 sable spotter brush 0/6

 

I adore the Zoukeimura Volks brushes, but unless you can make it to a store or jump into an existing order, the shipping is brutal! The cheaper ones for DD customization (that they used to have in the SD section) are the ones I use. I haven't tried the newer SD ones that are more expensive, mostly because I'm happy with the others.

You could try things like nail art brushes (from beauty supply stores) too. I haven't been able to find any brushes comparible to the Zoukeimura Volks ones in local art stores, which I found puzzling. The smallest hobby brush I picked up at a model store was crappy quality (and as expensive as the Volks ones!), but it may just have been that store's stock. Hobby stores might be worth looking at ^ ^ Hope that helps!

 

i really like my Princetons... i've got a 30/0 round, a 30/0 liner, a 30/0 spotter and a 10/0 filbert and they're lovely. they also, unfortunately, get abused, so i'll probably be replacing them eventually...

as for cleaning brushes used only with chalk pastels, clean them just as you would a brush used with acrylics, or the binder holding the pigment together can gum it all up. i use Pink Soap or Windsor and Newton brush cleaner/restorer on mine.

 

1.) What are some good brands of paintbrushes?
I love isabey's kolinsky sables, its very good quality and I feel that its worth the higher price. This is the brush I generally use for brows lashes and lip lines.
My blushing brush is by Daler Rowney-Expressions filbert. Its much more affordable and it gets the job done pretty easily too =)
My glossing brush is a Omni Nylon brush. Its cheap and since glossing doesn't generally need to go crazy details the fineness of the bristles is good enough.

2.) What's the smallest size? What are the best sizes for faceups? (I'm assuming there's a few different ones >< like for fine lines, or larger areas like eyeshadow and cheek blush).
My sable is 2/0. I know many prefers smaller, but I find this size holds enough paint for me to work with XD
My blushing brush are size 8 and 1

3.) What "type" of brush is used for faceups? (You know -.- there's so many different shapes and types it's confusing!)
mentioned above, filbert for blushing, round for painting and a small flat brush for glossing. Its a matter or preference here. I used to use fan brush and angle shaders and bright for blushing. My friend uses round for glossing. Some prefers spotter or liners for painting.

4.) Do you have to clean a brush you only used chalk pastels with? How? (I already know about cleaning brushes used with acrylic paints...)
I clean my blushing brush when i feel that its not getting the color right with all the pastel dust it is stuck with. I clean it was water and my brush soap, then let it dry throughly before using it for pastel works again. Basically I clean it the same way i did with all my other brushes.

5.) What are some good tips for treating your brushes well?
basically wash properly everytime and store them with nothing touching their bristles.

no. 6 and 7 I can't really help ^^""
Never used zouks brushes and my brushes are all bought from local art supply shops ^^;;

 

I use the Princeton brushes that Panzerfaust shows in the "About face-ups..." sticky. They're the 3050 series detail brushes. The sizes of the two I own are a 10/0 filibert and a 20/0 liner, they're great for those little bitty lines. I found them at artcity

For blushing I use a couple of different sized super poofy paintbrushes that I've had for forever. Nothing as big as a human make-up brush though.

Hope that helped!

 

In the Netherlands the best brand to buy is Rembrandt! expensive but worth it, it lasts a long time. we use nr 00 up to nr 2 for very fine artwork.

 

I have a really thin one, it's from theorientdoll

 

I got my brushes from my local Michael's. I don't remember the name offhand (I'm posting from work ^^) but I do know they're sable brushes and I adore them. They're all very tiny - 20/0 etc. and they were a decent price.

For blushing I use q-tips and watercolor pencils.

 

1.) What are some good brands of paintbrushes?

Honestly, I don't use any specific brands- if it's horse hair I'll generally use it, becuase you tend to have more control over the brush. (Horse Hair brushes are the dark brown brushes that are extremely soft to the touch. If you wash them out right after you finish painting, they will last you years.)

2.) What's the smallest size? What are the best sizes for faceups? (I'm assuming there's a few different ones >< like for fine lines, or larger areas like eyeshadow and cheek blush).

I usually just find the smallest brush possible- eyeballing it is the best way to go.

3.) What "type" of brush is used for faceups? (You know -.- there's so many different shapes and types it's confusing!)

Like I said before, horse hair will have the greatest amount of control with it. I recommend them totally.

4.) Do you have to clean a brush you only used chalk pastels with? How? (I already know about cleaning brushes used with acrylic paints...)

Just rinse them really well. Chalk doesn't contain any oils that will damage or stain the bristels really, so just rinse them until they brush onto paper clean.

5.) What are some good tips for treating your brushes well?

Don't store them tip down. Ever.
Rinse immediately after every use.
Don't ever. EVER. leave brushes tip down in water. It'll warp the structure of the bristels.

6.) Has anyone used the brushes on the volks site? How are they and how do you tell the sizes?

^__^;; I stick with mine. Don't like buying art supplies off the in-tra-net.

7.) Where would be a good place to find brushes online if the art supply store fails to impress (small towns suck T_T)?

I have bought some supplies before off the internet, but I honestly don't like the wait. (Which is why I'd rather run down to Michaels and spend two hours picking paint. :p)

http://www.dickblick.com

http://www.jerrysartarama.com

Both are secure and safe to buy from- and easy to do so. If one doesn't have a particular product, usually the other carries it.

 

If you're looking for a source for the Princeton brushes, they have them here: http://artistcraftsman.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=ACS&Category_Code=PMB

They also have paint, mediums and innumerable other helpful supplies. Hope thats useful.

 

Just as a note, I ordered 3 20/0 brushes from Mister Art which came today, and when I looked them over, all three were slightly different in size. The type of brush, btw, is called a "spotter."

 

Its not always called a spotter most brushes I have seen that size or smaller are refered to as Liner brushes

 

The Liner brushes have longer bristles than the spotters. The spotters are very, very short.

Married to a professional artist, you see!

 

Spotters have shorter bristles than rounds, which are shorter than liners, which are shorter than long liners. The length of the liner brush is what makes them easier to use for making straight lines, the length helps compensate for less than rock steady hands.

 

I saw a post about the 20/0 art brush and went to a art store to take a look. I found the Princeton's brushes but there were different types which is,

-Spotter
-Liner
-Monogram
-Round

Did any one try them before? I just wonder which type is better to use for drawing lower eyelashes. I think a liner or monogram would be good. Seems like a round one can draw a better shape when drawing thicker eyelashes. I am not sure which type should I get. I got a cheaper 18/0 round brush of other brand just to try it out. I am using Tamiya modeling for facu-up but I want to find a smaller brush.

P.S. I saw a spot for a 50/0 brush and even little cheaper than Princeton's 20/0 but I found none of them. I wonder about dose the store really hold this brush.

 

Personally, I have and use all of those styles in 20/0 in my faceups! Spotters and rounds are great for things like drawing the shape of the eyebrows or filling in small amounts of lip color, a cut-down liner is my eyelash brush (I'm very picky, and have trimmed mine to a single hair ^^;; ), and I use my monogram for blending some lip lines (I use pastel and watercolor pencils for lips). It really all depends on how comfortable you are with handling art supplies, and how experience you are in painting. Brush shapes can be helpful, but only if used properly--if you don't know the difference, you probably won't see the difference in the end result. In general, though, for eyelashes you want the thinnest possible brush, probably a liner or monogram.

 

I read somewhere that if you want smooth flowing lines you should use a liner.

Carolyn

 

I use a liner for thin lines like fine eyeliner and lashes and a round for things like lips, thick eyeliner and eyeshadow. I use nylon brushes size 05/0 - 10/0.
Hope this helps

 

You can get wonderful tiny brushes wherever gaming miniatures are sold. I just bought a 30/0 that way.

 

http://www.dollmore.net/shop/step0.php?b_code=B20050603012757&c_code=C20060410014539

0, 1, or 2? I need one suitible for eyelashes and lip lines and whatnot.

 

I don't know about the Dollmore brushes, but if they are anything like how brushes are traditionally numbered, the smaller the number, the smaller the size...

Brushes can also have sizes like #00 or #0000. The more zeroes, the smaller the brush.

You can buy small brushes in about any art and most craft stores around. People in the customizing forums can probably advise you on the best type of brushes to use...