Best Brushes For US Based Miniature Painters (Rosemary & Co Brushes)

What a lovely treat! I reached out to Rosemary (Rosemary & Co) following my recent review on some of my favoured brushes from them and we spoke about other brushes that might be available to miniature painters based in the US, as Kolinsky Sable brushes cannot be imported into USA currently. Rosemary kindly agreed to send out some alternative samples for me to try...

Firstly I need to say thank-you to Rosemary & Co. This is a really generous collection of beautiful brushes. All of these are pure sable, with exception to the relatively new Red Dot brushes (2021) which I'm very keen to try. Let's start with those.

Red Dot Size 1 & 2

The red dots are very interesting brushes indeed. They are 100% synthetic, but unlike other synthetic brushes I can use these for layering and not just basecoating. For new hobbyists reference I tend to basecoat a miniature with a synthetic brush (or squirrel hair), then I layer with a sable brush, which is to apply the main paint colour to an area, leaving recess/shadow areas the base colour. But the synthetic Red Dots are pretty capable at this role as well. Ive been using mine for over a fortnight now and they are performing really well. Im starting to notice 'curling' up of the brush tips (common for synthetic brushes) as I continue to use them, but still very workable for the role I have in mind for them.

The size 2 is £3.00, which is amazing. I actually think I could perform a large amount of the painting with these brushes on a 28mm miniature, leaving the highlights and fine details to the sable. They don't have as much 'snap' as a sable brush and take a little getting used to, but as mentioned they are ideal for a lot of block painting and can handle some layering techniques also. 

Red Dots are ideal for detailed basecoating

Series 99 Red Sable

Let's get to the point. Of all the brushes in this article this is the one you need in your collection. Particularly the Size 2... 

The Series 99 brushes are pure Red Sable and as such you can expect to paint fine lines, faces and highlights without issue. This brush keeps a really fine point and can hold a good amount of paint. I have tried Sizes 2 down to 3/0 and I found myself settling for the size 2 and size 1 the majority of the time, using the size 1 for faces and the 2 for practically everything else.

The brush lengths are slightly shorter than their Series 33 (Kolinsky sable) equivalents and I have enjoyed greater control as a result. I prefer larger size brushes in general as they hold more paint and the paint does not dry out on the brush hairs as fast as per a smaller brush. The Series 99 Size 2 therefore has proven really ideal for my needs. I've painted over 100 miniatures now with these and I'm very happy overall. The main noticeable difference I have found between these and the Series 33 is that performing more advanced techniques, such as glazing is better on the Kolinsky brushes as they hold more paint. But I would like to try and pick up a Series 99 size 3 next and try it, as I feel a slightly larger brush would help with glazing etc. 

 This overall should be music to the ears of readers in the USA as I can wholeheartedly recommend the Series 99 as a sturdy and capable workhorse paintbrush for miniature painting. As mentioned the Size 2 is ideal for most of your miniature painting needs and very affordable as well.

All of the miniatures in this video were painted using the brushes mentioned in this article.

Series 93 (Pure Sable Spotter)

I have really enjoyed painting with these spotter brushes. Again they come in various sizes. Going all the way down to 3/0. However once again I find the size 2 as being a really good starting spot, for the same reasons as the 99s. 

These brushes, being pure red sable perform similar to the Series 99 brushes, however they are shorter in length and allow for even more control and ideal for freehand work. From painting eyes, to lenses on glasses and for those who dare to paint modern multicam this brush is perfect.

Multicam is a particularly intricate and detailed camouflage scheme to paint on a miniature

The lenses on the googles painted with Series 93 size 1

Series 93 for the camo. Series 99 for everything else on these modern miniatures

Series 92 (Micro Red Sable)

Wow these brush hairs are tiny!! The clue is in the name really - micro. These are for those fine detail/markings on your miniatures. Perhaps for some dents on a shield? or the tiny markings on the edge of a german epaulette. I've even found myself painting the hands of a clock on a 28mm model's wristwatch using these brushes. They are a lovely addition to my collection and perfect for those final touches, or minor corrections at the end of a project. For those that enjoy painting tanks/armour tiny oil streaks and 'chips' on the armour can be performed using these also.

The Series 92 brushes come in 4 sizes from 4/0 to 10/0. As always I have tended to settle for the larger brush in the collection (4/0) as I find I can paint the details I want at that size and the paint will dry less quickly on the brush, but it's very much a preference thing and I recommend you experiment with what works best for you.

Conclusion

Well once I again I want to thank Rosemary for supporting my last blog and providing me with a lovely collection of brushes that will not only be of a benefit to USA readers, (who cannot import Kolinsky sable brushes into the country), but anyone else into miniature painting also. 

The Red Dot Range is super affordable, being synthetic and perfectly capable of base-coats and washes, even layering techniques and the Red sables are really nice for painting miniatures overall, from layering, to the finest of detailing. They keep a fine point, last a long time and fully capable of some really high end results. The Red Sables have slightly less 'snap' than a kolinsky sable brush, but I have to say I'm really quite content with these and the price is really good as well. If you get nothing else I absolutely recommend the Series 99 size 2 as a must have for your miniature painting brush collection. As with all natural hair brushes you need to look after them, particularly when using acrylic paints. I clean mine at the end of every session with Masters soap and with that I find that the brushes can last for many months (& I paint a lot).

So I can honestly say that I wholeheartedly recommend these brushes from Rosemary & Co to all miniature painters, from beginners to the seasoned veteran. You will not be disappointed.

For those interested here is my recommended brush lineup for all of your miniature painting needs:

Series 42 size 3 (See my last blog for details on this brush)

Red Dot Size 2 (Basecoating/Layering)

Series 99 Size 2 (Layering/Highlighting)

Series 99 Size 1 (Faces/Detail/Highlighting)

Series 93 Size 2 (Freehand/Detail/Eyes/Camouflage)

Series 92 Size 4/0 (Fine Detailing)