It’s hobby week here at Grimhammer Tactics which means all the content this week will be geared towards learning tips and tricks to paint your Warhammer 40K army fast and efficiently without sacrificing quality. Monday, I wrote about getting started with the airbrush. Today’s article is going to be a bit controversial, but I’m going to make a bold statement here. You don’t need a $40 Kolinsky sable paintbrush. All you need is a good set of synthetic brushes and with proper care and maintenance, they will last you for months or even years and are just fine for painting Warhammer 40K miniatures. Let’s get into it.
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The Myth of the ‘Pro-Painter’s Brush’
If you are new to the Warhammer hobby you’ve probably run into someone who has told you that you need to invest in a Kolinsky sable brush. What even is a Kolinsky sable brush anyway? Well, it is a paintbrush whose bristles come from the fur of a weasel called the Siberian Kolinsky. These paintbrushes, such as the Winsor & Newton Series 7, are high quality paintbrushes made from this fur and are generally very high-dollar paintbrushes. A single Kolinsky sable paintbrush can run in the neighborhood of $40 and up. Now, don’t get me wrong these brushes are high-quality and produce stunning results. If you’re really serious about painting your Warhammer 40K miniatures to a very high standard such as competition level painting, then the Kolinsky sable is the optimal choice. The average hobbyist does not need one of these, especially when they’re just starting out.
You don’t need to drop $40 on a single paintbrush to get decent, quality results. The average hobbyist can accomplish great results with synthetic brushes with proper care and maintenance.
The Core Brush Trio: All You Really Need
You really only need 3 core brushes to do the majority of your work painting Warhammer 40K miniatures. Let’s get into them.
- Size 1 Round Brush – The Workhorse – This will be your go-to brush for 90% of your painting. You will use this brush more than any other for basecoating, layering and most general painting. I have painted entire armies before with one single round 1 brush doing the bulk of the work, without having to go through multiple brushes to do it. The key, especially when painting with a synthetic brush, is brush control. Synthetic brushes have a tendency to “hook tip” and this is probably the most common and noticeable difference between them and a Kolinsky Sable (which is more resilient but can still hook and bend over time). Apply proper technique by smoothly and gently brushing on your paint, as opposed to pushing directly down hard with the tip, can prevent “hook tip” on synthetic round 1 brushes.
- Size 0 Round Brush – The Detailer – When working on some of the smaller details such as purity seals, faces, or doing small edge highlights, the round 0 brush will get the job done. You won’t use it as often as the round 1, but you will use it from time to time on the smaller details. Much like the round 1 I mentioned above, technique is important to keep your synthetic brush tip from hooking.
- Size 00 (or 2/0) Round Brush – The Closer – This round brush is used for the very fine details such as eye lenses and other micro details. The 00 will work in most cases, but the 2/0 offers a smaller size than even the 00 and can do the job just as well. You don’t really need to go smaller than the 2/0 for micro-details. I personally tend to find the 2/0 easier to use for this, but find whatever works best for you.
You can either purchase these separately at hobby stores such as Hobby Lobby or Michael’s or buy them from cheaper sets online. I recommend a set like NicPro brushes as a good starter set of brushes. This set comes with everything you need at a very affordable price.
Drybrushes: The Extra Touch
While the 3 core brushes I mentioned are all you really need to get started on your hobby journey, it’s also a good idea to have a set of drybrushes for painting Warhammer 40K miniatures. These can be super cheap brushes or even older used brushes who are otherwise not suitable to use for regular painting anymore. There are dedicated drybrush sets out there and even cheap makeup brushes can do the trick. Just keep them separate from your normal brushes. Once you use a brush to drybrush you won’t be using it for anything else.
A small and medium drybrush is all you really need for this. Drybrushing is a simple technique that even novice hobbyists can use to give their models depth. You simply take your dedicated drybrush, dip the end of it into your paint, wipe it against a dry paper towel repeatedly in different clean sections until it’s all mostly off the brush, then very gently brush along the edges where you want the color in gentle motions.
Brush Care and Maintenance: The Real Key to Longevity
No matter what paintbrush you use, it’s important to maintain them properly. Proper cleaning and maintenance of your brushes can help them last for months or even years. I personally recommend The Master’s Brush Cleaner. It is affordable and a can of this will last for years.
How to maintain your paintbrushes:
- Clean your brushes after every session. Don’t leave paint to dry on the bristles and most importantly the ferrule (the metal part between the bristles and the handle). At the end of every session, take your brushes and your Master’s Brush Cleaner, gently rub the brush in the cleaner and rinse it under the sink.
- Reshape your brush tip. While still damp, take the brush and roll it gently in the Master’s Brush Cleaner to “reshape” the brush tip into a point. Leave the soap on the brush and let it dry. This will help reshape the tip. The soap will dry and hold the tip. Then when you get ready to paint, rinse it off in your paint cup and you’re ready to go again.
- Store them flat or bristles up. Never store your paint brushes with the bristles down in a cup or container. Always either lay them down flat or store them in your cup with the bristles facing up. Storing brushes bristles down in a cup is the fastest way to ruin a paintbrush.
A few minutes of cleaning and maintenance can add months or even years to the lifespan of even a cheaper synthetic brush.
Final Thoughts
The truth is, you don’t need expensive Kolinsky sable paintbrushes to get good quality paint jobs when painting Warhammer 40K miniatures. A set of affordable core synthetic brushes can get the job done for most average hobbyists if they are well maintained and cared for. The real key to longevity is proper brush control, technique and care. A synthetic round 1 brush can do the bulk of the work for you when cared for properly.
If you’re new to the game or want to improve quickly, then don’t forget to grab my FREE eBook: Forging Your Path to Victory: A Beginner’s Guide to Competitive 40K. A great starting point for those looking to jump into Competitive 40K. Subscribe and get your free copy!
Want to learn more in-depth processes and techniques for getting quality results from your painting in a short time? Check out my Coaching services. I cover everything to help make you the most well-rounded Warhammer 40K player you can be.
See you on the tabletop.
