Thursday, February 10, 2011

Don't you hate it . . .

That great brushes are so hard to come by of course.  For the past five or six years I've bought Dick Blick's Master Kolinsky sable brushes.  They are really good brushes that last about a year before I wear 'em out.  I take pretty good care of them but eventually the bristles start to shed a bit, and the points get uneven.  I know, others claim to make them last for years and years, but I ride 'em too hard. 

Love the brushes, but the cost and getting them make me a bit crazy.  When I began buying brushes from Dick Blick, they cost a little less than five dollars a pop on the web.  Not a bad deal.  Unfortunately the price has skyrocketed to just under ten dollars, though one can occasionally get them much cheaper if the big Blick is running sale, which is most of the time.  What really makes me crazy is the shipping cost.  I never order fewer than five or six brushes because they're shipped in a little padded envelope and the shipping is ten bucks!! My weighty miniatures from the Warstore only costs six dollars and they are fast and well padded for the journey.

However, I did see that Dick Blick opened an art supply shop in Seattle on Broadway, so I'll have to check'em out.  I'll bet I can get the brushes alright, but they'll cost an arm and a leg.  What I save in shipping I'd lose in gas.  We'll see.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I use the Pro Arte Prolene+Plus range. I use a 0 and 1 size and find that they last for ages. I paint in Acrylic paints by Foundry, Games workshop etc and find that the brushes keep their shap and points great.
I've tried alot of differnt brushes over the last 17 years but always go back to them.
Their about £2.50ish in the UK so not to expensive and because they last long it gets cheaper.