"Paintbrush for 6mm?" Topic

I need some help, please. What is the "best" type and size to paint my 6mm figures? I put a little bit of paint on the tip of my brushes but after awhile, the hairs start separating even after many rinses.
Any help would be great.

Joe

Avoid synthetic fibers like nylon and go for sable or some other hair based bristles. Otherwise, welcome to painting – those conditions affect us all!

Same type and size as you use for any other figures. Just make sure they are good quality and can hold a point.

Good lighting is probably as important as the quality of the brush and will certainly help with smaller figures.

Small or very small, or take your pick. 🍻

AVOID the temptation to buy tiny brushes. They don't hold any paint so they really, really slow down your progress.

I use a simple #1 round for 90% and then a 2/0 for details. It's the point that matters!

Cleaning your brush with brush soap when you finish a session preserves the point on your brush a bit longer too.

With 6mm in particular the point is everything. Windsor and Newton Series 7, size 1 or 2.

If you are doing figures that have plain uniforms like ACW- -paint them in a base color
-then use an older brush to dry brush in light grey
-finish details with a fine pointed brush

The key with 6mm forces is mass – hold a primed figure about half a meter/2 feet in front of your face in the type of lighting you will have for the game. You paint what you see

Going to sound repetitive… But the MOST IMPORTANT thing is the point. I use high quality #1 brushes for all my 6mm and 1/2400 sailing ship painting. The thing is to have a brush large enough to hold a good quantity of paint with a good, tight point. And splurging for a good brush is money well spent.

Great advice so far, particularly the "stay away from nylon/synthetics" part. Got into a bit of a discussion on this point last week on the Tabletop Commanders' Paint and Chat. Some like to use #1 or #2 Rounds like some of the people above. I prefer a #0 for horses, and other large areas and then a #00 for the main work, as I find I can control the paint flow better. Others find the larger paint well on the bigger brushes does the same thing for them. Also, if you just lay the paint on the figure, instead of trying to use full brush strokes, it'll save quite a bit of wear and tear on the tip with these small figures. Then, paint consistency becomes the important item.

Yes, the point is the important but not all of the brushes keep the point well. For that reason, whenever I am in the area, I always try to nip into the Art shop and buy more brushes. I tend to go for 20-0, 10-0 and 5-0.

Thanks for all the advice. Heading to Hobby Lobby, today.

Hello Joe!

Everyone has their own system and although most are similar what works for you might not be what's popular. You will have to find your own way through trial and error. I never found quality or expensive brushes worked very well for me.

I've been painting 6mm figures for almost 40 years. I now buy the cheapest brushes I can find and as soon as they start to fray I toss them. I use all sizes from 2 down to 10-0 depending on what I'm painting. Large areas get mainly the big brushes and most of the detail get the 10-0. Some last a week (I paint a lot) while some actually last a month or two.

A lot also has to do with your painting style. If you paint back and forth on the base for example that's a very rough surface and your brush will wear out very fast. If you only paint in one direction that will give you a little more life.

Always clean your brushes when finished and try to get them straight. Once they start to fray you can usually trim them slightly one time. After that their toast.

Best regards,

Glenn

I use cat whiskers for fine detail. The wife hates that.

How does the cat feel?

Ditto with Glenn. Although I do buy good brushes, I have a bunch of 30 cent ones that are really great. They take forever to die and are a great work horse. So do keep an eye out.