da Vinci Watercolor Series Artissimo Paint Brush, Round Pure Kolinsky Red Sable, Size 5 (428-05)

Summer 2025 update: Windsor & Newton Series 7 has taken a STEEP decline in quality. Nearly unusable for detail work. The last 3 I've bought have been terrible, all with a single stray bristle at the top that's like half a mm longer than the rest that messes up detail work. For the price (currently $32 and change) that's completely unacceptable. The Da Vinci Series 35 Round Long Taper in size 3 is now my go-to for nearly all work. The quality of the point, length and belly are immaculate and far as I'm concerned, it's simply the best choice for miniature painting, hands down. Regarding the pic-- Everything was painted with the size 3 round long taper, except for the cape which was airbrushed. Original review: There's only two brushes I would put at the very, absolute top of the list... da Vinci Series 10 Maestro and Windsor & Newton Series 7. I know some painters hone in on a very specific series of brushes but while Windsor & Newton only have the Series 7 (for miniature painting), da Vinci has many versatile brushes outside of the "typical" Series 10 miniature painting range. It should be noted that every brush here holds an amazing, sharp point. It's just a great aspect of them all so I won't get into that. Obviously the Series 10 is wonderful and you can't go wrong, but their Round Retouching, Round Long Taper, Series 30 and Fuller English Round are ALL amazing. What it really comes down to is the length of the brush as well as it's thickness. While for most of these the thickness difference will be minimal, an important aspect to pay attention to is the taper. The "Round Long Taper" is VERY much closer to an Artis Opus series S brush as they both have a uniquely long pointed taper, particularly noticeable in both when you get to size 2 or higher, with the Artis Opus brand being slightly thinner than da Vinci (which is neither good or bad, both have their purpose... thinner brushes obscure less but hold less paint). It's these multiple variations in brushes that really makes da Vinci shine over Windsor & Newton series 7 and even Artis Opus, who only have two sizes... "regular" and "miniature painting" size, even though I don't know anyone who uses the "mini painting" size to actually paint miniatures. Being able to get different series for different uses, or even just generic use but with variation, opens up a huge amount of possibilities that other companies I've mentioned simply lack. Longer taper for fine details like eyes and hard to reach spots, Fuller English Round for priming or macro level work, Round Retouching for a very *slightly* shorter brush, but still no where as near short as the "miniature painter" brush, which is great for smaller areas or the Series 10 size 3 for general use (fun fact, the da Vinci Series 10 sizing is one higher than Windsor & Newton series 7... so a W&N Series 7 size 2 brush is equal to a da Vinci Series 10 size 3, Series 7 size 1 is equal to a Series 10 size 2, etc.). Having this variation in brushes, but all of them still having the same bonkers level quality, really makes da Vinci shine over the others in my eyes. Again though, don't get me wrong, Windsor & Newton and Artis Opus are BOTH S tier omega level "can't do better" quality. The only downside to these brushes (and ALL hand made Kolinsky brushes suffer from this), is the price. They have NOT priced well with inflation, skyrocketing in price in the last year or two. It was only 2 or 3 years ago when a Series 10 size 3 would around 20 bucks. Now it's $30 (ditto for the Series 7... only Artis Opus has managed to keep it's price slightly lower... though still higher than it used to be). This price point *severely* hurts the wallet and if it wasn't for the extreme quality, durability and perfection you get from a da Vinci/Windsor & Newton/Artis Opus, I would say *never* buy them at their current price. That said, this is a perfect example of "you get what you pay for", in this case said positively, making your wallet cry every 6 to 8 months is a pain absolutely worth suffering. These brushes will last you many, MANY months if you paint every day, or even over a year if you're more casual. Bite the bullet, take the financial hit, and buy fewer times for extreme quality, instead of buying synthetic or "lesser" animal hair brushes like wolf/camel/etc. multiple times. Use those cheaper brushes for oils, enamels, et al., which require heavy chemicals to use and will destroy your expensive kolinsky hair brushes. The price sucks, I know, but spend it anyway. You absolutely can't go wrong. Quick recap: ALL da Vinci brushes hold a near perfect point. Round Long Taper: Fine details and hard to reach spots as you get an extra half mm or so in length. Equal to Artis Opus style brushes. Series 10 Maestro: "Standard", generic use. Good for all aspects. Order 1 size higher if you're used to Windsor & Newton Series 7. Round Retouching: Slightly shorter brush, especially compared to the Long Taper, good for smaller, general areas. Much better choice than the way too short "miniature painter" brushes sold by others. Fuller English Round: Holds more paint than the rest, good for priming, basing and other large scale coverage where obscuring details doesn't really matter.

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!

Holds a sharp point, holds plenty of paint and is the right balance and size for my hand.

I bought two Round 10 Size 2 brushes. One arrived with a protective cap, the other didn't. The uncapped brush fortunately only had one hair that was bent out of shape. I was able to use that brush today to paint some 28mm statues. I also had my current favorite brush to help with two brush blending (the Da Vinci Student Series 373, also Round Size 2). The Maestro lived up to its name, and the student needs a lot more education. The Maestro bulged beautifully, almost precisely in the middle between the ferrule and the needle-sharp tip. To achieve that tip only a slight rolling of the brush was required as I pulled it through a puddle of thinned acrylic. Laying down large swaths of color was, as one would expect from any brush, easy. The brush held so much paint I started to question whether I was blanking on the moments when I reloaded; but no! This brush simply holds a lot of paint. The test came when I needed to paint the statue's eyes, and paint the 1mm wide sash. I could not have asked for better precision. The tip was so pointed I had to make actual brush strokes to lay paint on the eye. I was able to paint in the very narrow crevice between the figure's folded clothing and the belt, without any of the paint brushing onto the clothes. Then came two brush blending. The Student, while a very nice brush and my favorite of the low-cost options, felt like a toothbrush in comparison to the Maestro. The Student's bristles were hard, and pushed back against my hand where the Maestro's bristles are impossibly soft, yield to the pressure and snap back to a point. The Student's tip felt like I was using an old sharpie compared to the fine drafting pen of the Maestro. A new frustration arose when I had to reload the Student at least twice for each time I loaded the Maestro. Currently the Maestro is twice as expensive as the Student, but is definitely more than twice the brush. If this lasts as long as a Student I will be ecstatic.

Brush was spectacular, sadly, I was unable to use it. I excitedly opened a large SABLE brush my husband bought me for my birthday, and to kick off Level 2 in my watercolor career. The brush arrived, rolling around in an empty box. No protective plastic card to house the brush either. Many hairs were sticking out in all directions, never to be in place again. The entire brush looked like a very bad hair day. And it's been 2 weeks with no date in sight for an exchange. Unbelievable and utter lack of quality. Some minimum wage earner who couldn't care less, just earning their keep. My neighborhood art store will be appalled by this practice, and I DO plan on reiterating such an abysmal lack of care. So sad...

Excellent davinci series 35 brush. I should get them earlier.

Great brush for the price, but needs frequent refilling and cleaning. Holds a point but requires steady maintenance.

I wanted a kolinsky brush for painting minis so i bought a bunch of Windsor & Newton series 7 in several sizes and they were all trash.They were hands down the worst brush i have ever used in any price range,so i ordered this beauty.The handle has little flat spots so it doesn't roll across the table and feels great in the hand.The brush holds a amazing point,the best out of any brush i have personally used.The tip is a little longer then most brushes so its perfect for getting in weird places and doing details.Get your self a size 1 and you will be able to even do tiny eye balls.And then get your self a size 2 for base coating and you should be set.Never need another brush except maybe for dry brushing and stippling.I personally will only buy this brush from here on out.