Supplies Paintbrushes for Face-ups

I've discovered that I REALLY like this brush for getting nice fine brows and lashes. I thought the long bristles would be too hard to work with, but actually, they make it much easier to get nice fine lines - better than brushes with shorter bristles.

I got it at Michael's for $2.99 - I didn't know which size to get, so I went with the 5/0, and I like it. Smaller would work fine too, I'm sure, but bigger would probably be too big for brows and lashes.

It's a nice brush, and not expensive. I've been using it with soft pastels (i use them wet) and it works very nicely.

 

I'm interested in buying paintbrushes from VOLKS, for faceups, but don't understand the differences between each set. Most of them look the same to me.

Can anyone tell me the differences?

I'd really appreciate it!

I think I just figured it out. They aren't sets! They are individual brushes with group photos of the brushes.

Okay. Nevermind! xD

EDIT:

Having that figured out... which size brushes would you recommend?

 

I use the smallest for detail work
since it's hard to find in that size but the bigger ones you can find in equivalent in Art supplies stores for much less

 

Thanks! Do you recommend buying just brush #01? Or would you buy a few more sizes?

 

Well, when I do faceups, I just use one brush to paint every stroke of hair/lip lines.

 

I have the 01 and the 07.

The 01 is great for really tiny fine lines the 07 I got from my Dolpa class. I have lots of brushes but I have to say what I love about the zoukei-mura brush is the bristles keep their shape.

I learned though that you can get get really fine lines from both but it's slightly easier with the 01. These brushes are mainly great for painting with thinned acrylics

Both brushes are great for painting eyebrows and lip lines. I get other brushes in various materials from the art store for applying the pastels. The best brushes are the ones that look like miniature versions of makeup brushes

 

I recommend the 01 but I wouldn`t buy the others... personnal choice realyy =)

 

Thank you, everyone, for your help! It's much appreciated. I'm the kind of person that would try to buy all of it, just because I'm not sure which I'd need, but as it's a lot of money... well. xD Just a couple is much more in my budget.

One more question... I see that they are out of Zoukei-mura Face Painting Brush 01 but they have Zoukei-mura Face Painting Brush NY01.

What are the differences between those two sets? I'll probably get the NY01 but I'm just curious.

 

I may be totally wrong here about the differences between the 01 and the NY01, but based on the letter prefix, and the way they look, I think the 01 is a natural bristled brush, while the NY01 is a synthetic (like NYlon).

 

Hi,

I am wondering where to get the tiniest paintbrushes available? With a nice point to it. Does anyone know where to go besides say, Michael's or AC Moore?

Thanks!

 

I highly recommend the Artetje Camlon Plata 100/0 brushes (upc 7969891164689). Finest brush ever! I forgot to look for them while I was in Japan, but I usually get them from Dollfair for $20 each. Worth every penny!
Every craft/art store including places like Blick has looked at me like I was insane for asking about 100/0 brushes. Even the paintbrush buyers.

 

Thank you so much! I will look for one of those! I know what you mean, I contacted Dick Blick, Jerry's Artarama, on top of a few others, and they just don't think the smaller ones exist. Seriously, for a tiny brush, I would pay $50 if it kept it's shape well, and was quality. So thank you for pointing me in the right direction.

Does Dollfair have them in stock by chance or are they a special order?

Thanks again!

 

Dick Blick has the Princeton Mini series brushes, also Reaper makes brushes for miniatures. Both of those go down to 30/0. If you want to try some of the local art store brushes, I found that I get the tiniest lines I need from an 18/0 extra long Script liner. The length allows it to hold more pigment, and the longer-bristled brushes keep their points quite well.

 

Longer bristles? I'll keep that in mind. I have a short 20/0 but it flares out and makes a mess(or I make a mess with it ) Are any specific brands or types of bristles better for making fine lines?

 

I use the disposeable superfine microbrushes (you can get them at tower hobbies) - they're more like an eensy q-tip than a regular brush, but they work well for certain types of work.

For very fine lines, I use a speedball crowquill nib pen instead of a brush.

 

I sometimes trim brushes with scissors until there are just a few hairs left so that I can make tiny thin strokes.

 

You can use a nib pen for face ups? Please tell me more!

 

I saw what canary3d said so I bought a nib pen and tried it out. It works very well!(probably can work even better depending on your talent & amount of experience )
I used it for lip lines, eyelashes, eyeliner, and eyebrow hairs.
Used the pen with acrylic paints on a vinyl. If you do not like it you can use it for manga or calligraphy

 

Yes, but the issue with nib pens is they tend to rip up -paper-. With a very like touch you could probably do detailed work with them, but somehow it just doesnt seem very plausible to me. Drawing over a curved surface with a metal, sharp nib. I'd be scared of scratching the doll.

Back on topic-
Micheals around here has a very very large selection of paintbrushes. Many, MANY different bristle materials and many different shapes and sizes. Typically for each brand they have the brushes organized larger brushes up top and smaller on the bottom. I have found that each brush company measures differently (1/0 and 10/0 from different companies looking exactly the same) so it is best to look, feel the brushes and pick the smallest you can find with the most integrity. If a brush doesnt hold its shape you WILL be able to tell when running a finger over it, because shorter small brushes fan out- this is what they are meant to do.

 

I get the Most fine brush available and literally pluck it with tweezers until it is as fine as I want it! It works wonders. I now have 5-6 bristle brushes for lashes!

Hope that helped!

 

I bought a set of tiiiny brushes from ebay, just search for 'nail art brush', you can get the thinnest little brushes then.

 

Re: nib pens - if you use them right, they don't rip paper - the problem is most folks are used to ball point pens, which work with a different mechanism. In a ball point pen, the pressure against the ball makes the ink flow out of the pen, around the ball. A nib pen holds a small amount of ink and lets it flow to the tip based on gravity - that's why you have to be careful not to dip too deep. If you press hard on a nib, you'll cause the split in the nib to open and the ink to all flow out at once, making a mess on your paper and also ripping it up.

So when you draw with a nib, you use the lightest possible touch, gliding the pen over the paper, with just enough contact to let the ink flow *between* the pen and the surface. If you feel yourself applying pressure in order to get the ink down, it's because your pen is drying and you need to dip again. It takes some practice to get used to, but with a light touch you can get very nice line effects in your drawing.

The advantage of a nib over a brush is that it doesn't bend at all, so the only variance in the line comes from your hand, not from pressure sending the brush the wrong way. Everyone has different skills though - if you're not comfortable working with a nib on paper, it's probably not going to be a good idea to use on resin. But if you've spent a lot of time nib drawing it'll be easier than painting.

 

I know that one thing that works very well is a cat whisker. It works essentially like a very stiff one-hair brush, and you can mount it on a chopstick as a holder just by taping it in place.

 

I know what you mean. The smallest one that the Blick near me had was 20/0 and I said something about cutting it down to be smaller, and the guy looked at me like I was crazy and asked why I'd ruin a perfectly good brush like that. Myeh.

 

Wow. I can imagine! The finest ones I have are some 20/0 Liners and Spotters. I'll have to check out the 100/0 ones though, since I'm still not quite happy with the 20/0 for eyelashes.

I tried that once, but the few bristles that were left ended up splaying out instead of maintaining a nice point, and I got messy lines. Maybe I was using the wrong type of bristles? I also tried trimming a cheaper brush down to a single bristle, but the paint dries on it too fast! I can use the gel retarder, but then the paint is thinner and I have to go over the same line multiple times, which is not my best skill. =P Maybe I just need to practice more!

 

I'll have to ask my-hubby-the-pro-artist why, but I know that natural hair brushes are always considered to be superior to artificial ones. It might be that natural hair is porous and artificial is not, so the natural hair stays moist and your paint doesn't dry out as fast?

That's why I like a cat whisker.

 

That's what I, as an artist, have heard and noticed. Also, natural bristles, in and of themselves, do a better job of tapering finely to a point since natural hairs tend to have a tapered point to begin with. Artificial hairs are, generally, far more blunt at their ends.

 

I've found that if you get a GOOD 20/0 liner brush you can get almost as fine a line as you would get with a 100/0 if you flatten the bristles as you apply the paint and apply VERY light pressure. It takes a steady hand, but it can be done And since, yeah, if you ask for anything smaller than 20/0 in most US stores they look at you as if you've sprouted a 2nd head...

 

@Victoria: A cat whisker, huh....? Uhm, this may sound silly, but where do you get them? Off the cat, I assume?

Also, I happen to have dogs, so... yeah. My male doggy, Scooter has wiry/wavy sorts of hairs, while my gal Angel has silky, soft hair. Which might end u being better for a brush? O_o;

(I'm being totally serious, guys. Also, both of them have superl-ong hair on their tails.)

 

Suzaku the cat whiskers are off cats, they shed whiskers too, just keep an eye out for them if you have cats, or have friends with cats keep an eye out for them!

As for the hairs, I'm not sure. The wiry ones might be good because they'd hold their shape better, but they might be problematic because of the waves. The straighter softer hair could have it's benefits too. However, with hairs straight off of animals it's a good idea to be careful of oils, not only could they not be good for resin, they can do funky things to paints if they're oily enough. Wash some hairs and give them a test on paper, find out for yourself what you like and what happens with them!

 

Well when I personally had cats, I would collect their whiskers as they shed them (and they do shed, just like fur) for using to paint DandD miniatures. A quick wash in DAWN dishwashing soap made sure they were good and squeaky clean. Now I bribe the neighbor's cats with catnip, and when they are sleeping I clip one whisker on either side of the face with a toenail cutter and spirit them away. As long as it is only two, the cats don't seem to mind.

 

I was browsing the internet for decently priced, good quality, tiny brushes. I found a couple sites that seemed to match what I was looking for, so I thought I'd share them with you.
(I'm not sure if there's already another thread like this, but here goes.)

---Learning

*A Tiny Article on Brush Size
For those of you new to brushes and curious about differences in brush sizes.

*Dick Blick's Describing Brush Shapes
An informational chart showing different shapes of paintbrushes, what fibers they're made out of, and medias they're generally used for.
http://www.dickblick.com/categories/brushes/#brushesbyshape

*Wikipedia!
Wikipedia's informational article on brushes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brush

*MisterArt.com
If you scroll down a bit, you can see an extremely informational article on brushes; including brush anatomy, sizes, shapes, bristle types, and care. At the bottom of the page is a size chart. You may also purchase brushes on this website.
http://www.misterart.com/store/browse/001/cat_id/8/Art-Supplies-Brushes.htm

---Shopping

****DickBlick.com
A highly popular website that offers a variety of brush styles, sizes, and shapes for decent prices.
Also, you may find the nearest Blick store to you by clicking here.
http://www.dickblick.com/

****Legendgames.co.uk
This is a family owned business with a variety of brush sizes. They do ship internationally, but they are a UK business.
http://www.legendgames.co.uk/acatalog/Kolinsky_Sable_Paint_Brushes.html

****Lainesworld.co.uk
This website offers paint brushes of all shapes and sizes, and are suited for porcelain and glass painting techniques as well.

***ASWexpress.com
Priced between $6.48 ~ $21.53*** Has brush sizes from 3X0 to 6 at great prices. This site also has stock in paints, oils, and acrylics.
http://www.aswexpress.com/discount-art-supplies/online/702/art-supplies/6

****MiniArtSupply.biz
This website's specialty is "small, detailed" art. It has a wide variety of brushes.
http://www.miniartsupply.biz/MiniArt-Brushes-3.htm

****Artsupplies.co.uk
These brushes are relatively cheap and seem to be good quality. They have a variety of sizes and will ship outside of UK by request.
http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/ci_brushes.php?item_id=452
http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/item.php?item_id=4548

[***] These are sale items. Discounted prices only last through 10/31/2007.

Key
* This website supports Paypal transactions.
* This website supports phone/creditcard transactions.
* This website supports mail-in orders.
* This website requires you to have an account to purchase.
* This website only ships to North America addresses.
* This website ships internationally.
* This website is 100% Garunteed Secure.
* This is an informational article/website.


If you have any more websites to add, post them and I can check them out and add them up here.
If you see spelling errors, link failures, or incorrect information, please let me know ASAP.

Enjoy!

 

http://volksusastore.com/dollfie/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=1704

Hmm, I don't know if they are on the same "standard" brush sizes compared to others, but they look pretty small and the 01 size is $7.00 (USD) a pop! Anyone know if these Zoukei-mura Face Painting Brushes are any good? And is the 01 size especially tiny? (The link above goes to the page to buy the 01 sized brush.)

The page for other sized brushes and other supplies:
http://volksusastore.com/dollfie/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=327

 

I ordered the odd-numbered Zoukeimura face-painting brushes with some Zoukeimura Powder Spray for my faceup (never done it before!) work, and I was supposed to get the package Wednesday but missed the delivery. UPS seems to be taking the long Thanksgiving weekend off, so I'll post back here on Monday about the quality and fineness of the brushes.

I used to do miniatures work (28mm Warhammer minis) and I did all my fine work with a 000 brush, sometimes, a cocktail skewer for tiny dots... we'll see how these compare to my prior experiences.

- Mel

 

I've seen really tiny paintbrushes at my local Opus store. However, they are strictly a British Columbia Canada shop~ If you ever find yourself in the area they've got everything I could ever ask for so maybe they could serve you well or anyone in the area for that matter.

Store Locations:

On the plus side if you are a student they give discounts

 

What side of the cat whisker should i use? I collect my cats whiskers so ihave a few.

 

It is Monday, and I have finally successfully ambused the UPS courier for my Volks parcel. The Zoukeimura brushes I got are the odd-numbered ones, 1 through 7. The 1 brush is extremely fine-pointed. It's broader at the base than the 000 liners I used in minis work, but it comes to a very fine point. The bristles are also stiffer than other brushes, which would be very useful in tiny corners and the fine lining on the face.

I haven't used it yet, as I'm still sorting through the package, but everything looks good so far.

I also like the thicker handle, and the bristles are easier to cap because the plastic ferrule holding them is shaped like a pen tip, so it's a little easier to aim and hold than a very thin brush.

But that's just me.

- Mel

 

For any Brits out there www.panduro.co.uk, they do all kinds of arty crafty stuff and can be quite expensive for some things but they do brushes which claim to be 0.3mm which sounds pretty damn tiny to me! I've ordered a set of their porcelain painting brushes which go from 0.3mm to 2.5mm I'll let you know what they're like when they show up.

 

I am starting to use cat whiskers collected from the cat that sheds them on my bed. A single whisker provide a nice crisp thin line though it can be hard to control. The paint slides right off even without thinner. I just need something to hold the whisker besides my fingers so I get good control.

 

Since they are full of nerve endings that's a really bad idea, also it's something you shouldn't be doing to another person's pet. It also can cause disorientation. Vets say to never, ever trim a cat's whiskers. There are plenty of tools avail to an artist that don't involve interfering with an animals sensory organs.

 

I used to use a cat whisker taped to a small stick, but I was never happy with the line quality. The whisker is not porous enough to hold an adequate amount of paint. And PLEASE don't clip them off of your pets! They shed them like crazy, so just scan the floors for them, they're around.

Trimming a natural bristle brush down to one or three hairs is a better alternative, and many professional faceup artist have mentioned using this method.

 

In regard to the 100/0 Arteje brushes..

you can purchase them online here:
http://www.art-maruni.com/gazai/hude/kakaku/630camlonpro.htm (japanese site)

I use a shopping service to purchase them in bulk, there are some fees involved.. but its MUCH cheaper overall than buying them for $20 each wherever (they retail about $4 each... )

Other than that, I use various brushes like the ones people have mentioned here before. A few that are trimmed down, then some 20/0, 18/0 and a couple 30/0.

 

I have a wide range of brushes I use for my painting. I order the smallest liners I can get from Dick Blick (20/0 I think). Then I found some really pointy tipped cheapies (3/0 or 5/0) at my local scale model store, those I can pick up for $1 each and when I wear them out, my DH uses them for drybrushing his stuff. I also buy a #3 brush from Sally's in their nail art section. Sally's is great for stuff ... they've got a discount card that gets you 5% off your purchases. It's like $5 for the card, but I usually make that up in the first month (I buy lots of nail files, both long ones and sponges, for various sculpting work). I have a few that I've trimmed with little sewing scissors to an angle and some just to get a fresh point. Every time we go to a new hobby store, that's one of the first places I check ... you never know what you will find.
Now I wanna try that nib pen idea. I've done pen & ink work, but it had not occured to me to try one for fine lines.

 

Anyone use the Tamiya Modeling Brushes? The 000 version looks pretty titchy and I was wondering if it's worth getting

 

What I've found that works well for me is eyeliner brush out of a little bottle of cheap eyeliner. I would like to get some expensive nice brushes down the road, but for now...this works so well. I got a bottle of that crappy cheap eyeliner (like N.Y.C. or some other drugstore brand). Make sure it has a brush inside rather than the pointy sponge tip. Wash out the liner fluid and wash the brush. Then carefully trim around the edge of the brush until you get a nice thin pointy brush. The handle makes it easy to control, holds paint well and stays straight because you can put it back in it's bottle when done.

Oh and a side note on cat whiskers --> Go here and read.

 

(I looked and used the search function but I couldn't find anything that pertained to what I needed)

So I will be doing the make up on my doll via pastels, and the thing is that I don't have any paintbrushes to do the blushing or anything. So I was wondering if people would help me out with what paintbrushes I should buy (don't just say not cheap ones, because that is obvious and not helpful) and if there are any certain brands of brushes that are preferred or that I shouldn't get.

I hope to pick up the brushes tomorrow so any help before then would be great.

 

shopping service? which one did you use if i may ask? :S I really JUST want the 100/0 =_='' i keep looking at it and im like "haha crazy.. only japanese people would ever make something like this xDD"

ive been buying more brushes, even tho i have the zoukeimura.. i don't like how its so soft.. it's harder for my shaky hands to control.. i need something stiffer. so i can make nice crisp lines :]

i was also thinking of trimming actually before searching for threads here.. ( funny how i only start to search around the forums when im not satisfied with what i find by myself.. ) but still - i think it's best if i try to find the tiniest brush ever first before doing that.

ive bought quite a bunch of brushes.. we'll see how it goes.. =3= im looking for "THAT" one brush that i can use comfortably.

 

The finest brush I have is actually a large watercolour one that I "trimmed down" in order for the bristles to deliver sharp and precise lines. So if you're having trouble finding smaller brushes, that is always an alternative.

 

Junky Spot carries a set of tiny brushes for doll painting now.

 

Hi guys...

Sorry to revive an old topic, but i'm looking to buy the smallest paintbrush I can from the volks USA site (I've bought all the smallest ones locally that I could find, but I want one SMALLER). I'm a bit confused tho because there seem to be 2 different kinds of brushes, and BOTH go as small as size 01.

Can someone tell me which is smaller?

NY01 ->

OR

Plain 01 ->

THANK YOU!

 

Yesterday I began to do my first attempt at a 'real' faceup (I have only done anime face up's on dollfie dreams before.)

I brought the smallest paintbrush I could find at the hobby store which was a 3/0 but for my preference it is still too thick and I cannot get the fine detailing on the eyelashes and brows as I like it, the brush is too big for that. I found the technique and brush stroke to be easy, its just it was too thick. Besides it is a Soom teenie gem I am working on, so the head is really small so fine details are even more important.

I have cut the 3/0 brush down and I will have another play with it today to see if it's any better, however if it doesn't work well cut down then I will need to buy a smaller brush online. Trouble is, I have no idea what brush to look for.

So please can you tell me, what size brush do you use for really fine face up detailing on a very small face. Any advice or links much appreciated.

 

There are lots of suggestions on DOA but the main ones seem to be for 10/0 and 20/0 liner brushes. I am also based in the uk and I have only managed to find these online so far. Our hobby shops aren't very good for brushes.

 

Yeah, a 3/0 was the smallest I could find. I only have a hobby craft but you know, a whole wall of paintbrushes but nothing smaller then the brush I got. Even the modeling brushes in the model plane and tank sections weren't small enough for me xD.

I tried a search but my internet is a bit fuzzy today and it keeps timing out if a page takes a while to load so sorry if its a repeat question.

 

aquilla - I bought two brushes recently from eBay (I'm in the UK too), they are sizes '000' and '10/0' from this seller: paa1uk. He sells a lot of other sizes too, and I think he sells in multiple brushes in packs, as well.

I haven't actually used the brushes for a face-up yet (darn head's not arrived yet!) but they seem to form a good point and can do good detail work

 

Please!!! someone know where can I buy the 20/0 and 18/0 brush for make my faceups, I prefer a online store, or maybe someone can get this brush for me

Thanks!!!

 

You could try Bindersart.com. We have a Binders store in the city and it has a 20/0 detail brush.

 

Here is good:

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

The Princeton mini brushes are nice. You may want to buy a few (3 or 4 or more) if you're planning on a lot of faceups. They are very lasting for small brushes, but will wear out (because they are so small).

 

Do you have that set?
How much was shipping to you?
I've been wanting lots off of DickBlick (I wish we had dedicated craft stores here ), but was wondering about the shipping?

 

https://www.shopatron.com/product/part_number=R585-20/0 (GBP)/201.1.1217.5768.2763.0.0

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Natural-Artists-brushes-Winsor-Newton/dp/B001JW21PA

All online, all UK shops

 

Oooh, thanks for those links. I looked for ages for tiny brushes in the UK but could not find them.

I can't remember the shipping from Dickblick now, I think it wasn't too bad? I bought a lot in one go: the brushes, windsor and newton brush cleaner (cant find in the UK), mini brushes and individual pastels - surprisingly hard to get in the UK. I tried ordering them from one UK dealer and they arrived all broken as they'd just tossed them all loose in a box. I have a lot of issues with UK online (and offline) shops so I tend not to shop UK very often.

callum91 have you got a Hobbycraft near you? They do have art and craft supplies, but are rather overpriced and sell a lot of tat. No mini brushes either.