Liquitex Freestyle Professional Large-Scale Brush, Paddle 2-inch

This range of paddle brushes is quite expensive, so I was delighted to see this 2in paddle brush heavily discounted during Prime Day. I had high expectations due to the brand and the price tag, and I was not disappointed. The paddle is quite light, easy to handle and moves naturally with  the movement of my hand. The hairs are not too stiff or too soft, so the brush does not deform but it is flexible enough. This paddle works wonderfully for blending colours and for spreading paint uniformly. I use it with acrylic paint and it  washes easily with water and beauty soap. A great brush, but expensive.

Read More

MEEDEN 12-piece Artist Acrylic Paint Brushes Set

The box contains  flat, fan, angler, round, liner and filbert brushes in different sizes.  

 

I love Meeden products. All the art supplies and brushes I've purchased from them in the past have been both affordable and great quality. I bought this brush set not only because of the brand and its affordability, but also because it has a good selection of small/detail brushes and a 1-inch mottler.

 

Despite what the description page says, this package I got didn't come with a carrying case, just the cardboard holding packaging, which is disappointing. Unlike my other Meeden brushes, these brushes are a bit of a downgrade re handle quality. This tends to break open if kept in water for long periods of time, yet only one of them broke open. The taklon fibres are, on the contrary, excellent -- soft, flexible, easy to wash and low maintenance. 

 

Not professional quality but good quality overall, and they do the job if you're on a budget.

Read More

Zhu Ting 12-piece Flat Art Paint Brush Set

This is a great set of expensive-looking flat nylon hair brushes perfect for acrylic paint. The variety of sizes is great, but I miss one or two larger brushes. They are great quality. The bristles don't deform despite me leaving the brushes in water for days or using them with acrylic paint, gesso or matte medium.  The handle seems not to stain as quickly or badly as other brushes I own. They clean easily with hand soap under running water even when the paint is a bit dry on the bristles. They are great value for money as well. The only downside is that these brushes are on the small side, and a bit smaller than other brushes with the same sizing (see my photos).

Read More

Genixart Flat Paint Brushes Set, 6 Pcs

I have just received this product and returned it. I bought this set as size 12 shows as an xl size in the hands of large hands in the product info photos. This large one must be a triple XL, a 30+ size, not a size 12, because the set contains very small brushes and none of them is the size in the photo. Real size 12 is very small. I have reported the photo several times and they haven't removed it as yet. Why would you want to keep misleading photos on any product page? 

 

REVIEW WAS  NOT PUBLISHED AND THE PHOTO HASN'T BEEN CHANGED AFTER SEVERAL MONTH OF BEING REPORTED AS MISLEADING.

Read More

Stargazer Small Eye Shadow brush no. 5

I bought this eye makeup brush heavily discounted in one of those rare crazy sales. I thought it was too long to be used comfortably to apply eye-shadow so I stored it. After sitting unused in my drawers for several months, I decided to use it as painting brush and it's perfect for that. 

 

The brush is great for acrylic painting and water soluble media, and I have used it with mate gel without problem. It recovers its shape easily if washed with gentle beauty bar soap and conditioning bar when really dirty; if used with gesso or mate medium, wash immediately after use. This brush was never designed to be in water jars for hours or be used with paints. However, the ferrule and the handle haven't deteriorated or come apart; the bristles are still in pretty good condition despite the mistreat as well. 

Read More

Hxyrxib 2Pcs Flat Silicone Paint Brushes

I've had this pair for a few months now, and I love them. The two-piece is perfect for my needs as I paint on small surfaces and I don't need anything bigger. The bigger brush is 2" wide, and the smaller 1". I find the larger one great to spread gesso, different mediums on larger surfaces, a whole sheet of paper for example, while I use the other one for smaller surfaces, to  glue collage pieces and to properly paint. Both are perfect for mediums because I can easily wipe them out clean with household/baby wipes. However, they're called 'color shaper' for a reason; that's because I can move the paint in ways that normal brushes don't allow me to and  I can create cool effects with the sides, the edges or part of the brush surface.

 

The handle is made of good quality material. Despite me leaving the brushes in water for long periods of time, they haven't deteriorated or pealed off. The product description page says that the handle is made of wood, but it feels more like sturdy plastic to me. If it's wood, the plastic coating is really good. 

The ferrule is made of good-quality metal and hasn't loosen up so far, something important because if the silicone brush gets loose, it loses precision and functionality.  

 

The brush part is made of good quality flexible silicone, and works well on watercolour paper. The main issue with these brushes, like most other shaper brands I own, is that they have a slightly convex shape on both sides, which tends to create 'pools' of product on the upper part. I've learned not to use the whole brush surface just the flat part, the sides or the tip. Yet, I've also found that some brands have one part convex and the other flat (see my photos), and that works better for me. Also, the brush part is not as flexible as other brands shapers.

 

Overall, I'm very happy with the product. Color shapers are never super-cheap, but this combo is affordable and good value for money.

Read More

Laciteny Artist Detail Paint Brushes Set-12 Pcs

This brush set has a good mix of small size brushes with different nib shapes. The handle is very ergonomic and the overall size of the brushes is perfect for my hands, so I enjoy working with them. The filaments are good quality, and they don't lose colour or shape when I use strong colours or after washing them.

My two main issues with these brushes are:
1- The ferrule tends to separate from the handle after little use; it seems it was poorly glued or pressure stuck, so I have to secure them with insulating tape when that happens. It wasn't because of this, my rating would be higher.
2- The selection includes sizes that I don't necessarily consider detailed brushes, like those over size 2. These bigger small brushes are quite common and easily found and included in any cheap set. This being the case, I would have loved the set to include only sizes that go from 2 down, and nothing above size 2.

Good price for the set and they brushes look expensive.

27 Feb 2023 UPDATE
The black coat that covers the handle comes easily if you wash the brush after use or leave it in water for a while as crackles the paint and exposes the woody part. Not happy about that. I had to use insulating tape to cover it. A star removed because I don't use these brushes too much and they deteriorate rapidly after barely any use.

Read More

Meeden Flat Paint Brushes Set Short Handle, 7-Piece

I've had this set for a few months already and use all the brushes on a weekly basis. This set has a good selection of flat sizes. I especially love the two smallest ones, but all of them are good. The flat shape is wonderful for most painting purposes. I tend to leave the brushes in water for a long time, and the handle and ferrule haven't been affected or deteriorated. The synthetic hair perfectly stands all the acrylic paints I use (heavy body, flow and high flow) and the hair recovers its shape easily once it is cleaned. I clean them with hand soap and water under the tap when they're really stained, and they wash beautifully. The only downside is that the hairs are not as flexible as I'd like to, but, for the price, they're great and beautifully designed.

Read More

Dugato Artist Watercolor Long-Handle Paint Mop Brushes 13pcs Set

This is a decent set of mop brushes in a great variety of sizes and at a great price (when I purchased the product, now the price has doubled up). The brushes have a very long handle, something I love, they look expensive and come with a plastic nib capsule.The bristles are flexible and nice and work well with acrylic and watercolours. They clean well, and so far the bristles haven't fallen or deteriorated.

DOWNSIDES
> The paint covering the brush handle of the brush peels off easily after not much use so it exposes the timber, and this is a way for the brush to get ruined.
> The protective capsule won't fit once the brush has been used even if you squeeze it, and even if you are able to do it some bristle strains get out and damage the nib.
> Just one type of brush in this set.
> I would say they're OK, not good quality.

Read More