da Vinci Watercolor Series 35 Size 1 – Long Tapered Round – Maestro Kolinsky Red Sable – Extra long taper at The tip – Handmade in Germany
$ 6.50
To be clear, natural hair brushes from every company are plagued with quality control issues. Some work great for the lifespan of the brush and others splay and can’t hold a point during the first painting session.I happened to get a good one.Comparing it to the W&N Series 7 brush of the same size, I much prefer the DaVinci.Ability to hold a tip: They both hold a tip equally well. However, the DaVinci can hold more paint and yet still hold a tip versus the W&N that starts to split. I believe this is in part because the DaVinci does have slightly longer bristles so the belly of the brush is fuller.Control: Despite the longer bristles which you’d think would result in less precision, the DaVinci was much easier to use when doing fine edge high lighting in the ‘Eavy Metal style on Primaris Space Marines. It was very easy to lay a “chunky” edge highlighting followed by a medium line and concluding with that ultra thin highlight. The W&N was good at only the chunky first highlight but lacked the control to lay down the subsequent thinner highlights.Paint flow/capacity: As mentioned earlier, the DaVinci can hold more paint due to its longer bristles and bigger belly. I didn’t have to refill the brush as often and the paint never dried on the tip.The only downside is that with longer bristles it can be harder to paint certain parts of the model….even when using sub-assemblies. I on occasion did grab the shorter bristled W&N to reach hard to get places. But otherwise, I liked the DaVinci so much, and the price is really good now (and about 10 dollars cheaper than W&N), that I bought a few spares.Great brush!Update: I’ve also tried the Raphael 8404 size 1. Although its got a bigger belly than any brush I’ve used, the bristles are a little “mushy” and lack spring. It can be used for edge highlighting (‘Eavy Metal style) but its best used for base coating and washes.In summary: I’ve tried now the DaVinci, W&N, and Raphael and hands down the DaVinci is my go to brush for anything requiring detail. I love this brush!
