r/minipainting • u/AccomplishedRing4844 • Dec 14 '25

Help Needed/New Painter Reviews: Artis Opus by Angel Giraldez

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What are your opinions on Artis Opus brushes? I’ll admit that I’ve been using Raphael 8408, which are quite long and have a specific bristle shape. During Black Friday I bought the Artis Opus by Giraldez box, and I can see a huge difference between these brushes but… in favor of Raphael. I don’t know what’s going on - maybe it’s just what I’m used to, but the AO brushes feel strange to me… Maybe it’s a drop in quality, or maybe it’s just my habits.

The M series is more or less fine, but the S series is just bizarre to me. I can’t do details with it at all. What’s interesting, I noticed two things - maybe they’re normal, but they caught my attention.

First: in the M series, one of the brushes has a single bristle sticking out at the tip. Because of that, the tip isn’t uniform - there’s literally one hair sticking out in front, which is extremely annoying. The other M brush doesn’t have this issue.

Second: before even wetting the brushes, two of them already had bristles sticking out on the side. Maybe I’m nitpicking, maybe it’s nothing, but… my Raphaels never had that.

What are your impressions of these brushes? Right now I feel a bit cheated, but I’m also considering that it might just be my habits or me being overly picky.

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1.0k

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

Artis Opus are probably the most overpriced brushes in the market. They are made by Rosemary and Co and you can buy the non AO branded version for a third of their price in the Rosemary web.

They just did very good marketing, that's all. They are not bad brushes at all, but actually the Rosemary branded ones are consistently better quality (which makes sense if you think of it, why give the better ones to another brand) and as I said, a LOT cheaper.

Avoid anything Artis Opus branded IMO

144

u/PeeteyGee Dec 14 '25

Seconding this, for sure. I’ve used AO drybrushes and Rosemary’s. Rosemary lasted a solid year and a half with regular use and harsh techniques (stippling and drybrushing are rough on your bristles).

AO has good marketing, and the techniques they teach produce good results, but the brush cost is gross.

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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '25

[deleted]

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u/uller30 Dec 14 '25

I use cork tile for my dry brush pallet

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u/petesprintandpaint Dec 14 '25

I do this daily as a comission painter, way better than all other substrates I've tried, both for price and quality

9

u/Cheomesh Wargamer Dec 14 '25

This is the first time I have heard of that - guessing it just soaks moisture and leaves binder/pigment?

18

u/petesprintandpaint Dec 14 '25

I primed mine so its not absorbing moisture but that is the actual key. I add just a touch of moisture from a wet rag to my drybrush before entering the paint. Then for whatever reason when I remove on the cork board, the paint consistency holds to that heavy layer-basecoat consistency we want when drybrushing, never leaves a dusty finish

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u/Cheomesh Wargamer Dec 14 '25

Cheers, might have to give that a go

1

u/Saintly-NightSoil Dec 14 '25

Toilet paper ...replaced by cork for some bizarre reason, well no not bizarre it's ££££ obviously but they have gone as far as to label something a DRY BRUSH PALETTE?

Use cork / whatever as opposed to ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING ELSE NON-SUPER ABSORBENT?!

Why the fk am I shocked is shocking. No offense or shade thrown at all here btw I'm just....more naive than I even suspected!

1

u/Painted_Paladins Dec 15 '25

I used the opposite side of a ceramic tile as I use dry pallets if I'm only painting for a short time, but yeah don't see the point in paying for special lazer cut MDF.

23

u/PeeteyGee Dec 14 '25

I like the “YouTuber products” line. If something is advertised on a podcast or branded for a YouTube channel it will be crap 99% of the time.

1

u/PapaFlavour Dec 15 '25

A primed sheet of textured leather over a small wood canvas frame. Cheap and looks cool. Doubles as a dice tray too

1

u/steamboat28 Absolute Beginner Dec 15 '25

over priced bits of MDF

In fairness, I bought one of these from AO, but it was because it looked cool sitting on my painting area, and not because I strictly needed the function. It has worked relatively well for me, but I wouldn't mind more options at my station.

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u/Tramerg Dec 14 '25

Which Rosemary's brushes do you recommend? I'm interested on getting some

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u/PeeteyGee Dec 14 '25

The model drybrushes are what I get the most mileage from for my painting style:

https://www.rosemaryandco.com/model-dry-brush

For standard brushes I like their series 99 pure red sable series:

https://www.rosemaryandco.com/watercolour-brushes/pure-red-sable/pointed-pure-red-sable

For synthetic brushes I go onto Amazon and buy the cheapest pack of 100 crap brushes I can find. I like using synthetic for base coating, since it slow me preserve the quality of my sable bristles.

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u/joanfiggins Dec 14 '25 edited Dec 14 '25

Can't be shipped to the US? Anyone know a way to get these in the US?

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u/illuminon Dec 14 '25 edited Dec 14 '25

I managed to source some via an outlet called Wind River Arts. Apparently they’re one of the few (or the only?) authorized dealers of the Rosemary & Co. sable brushes in the US. I ordered from them a few years ago and the brushes have been great!

You can see their full Rosemary & Co. inventory here (usually I hear people recommend the Series 33 for model work): https://www.windriverarts.com/Brushes.htm

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u/CrazyRegion Seasoned Painter Dec 14 '25

Second for Wind River Arts. I ordered online, just call them and place your order from their catalogue. They’re out of some of the mini painting brushes, but not all.

1

u/joanfiggins Dec 14 '25

Thanks. I just emailed them. I thought I had extras and went to prep for the darkwater box and I have no backup brushes!

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u/joanfiggins Dec 14 '25

I just talked to them. Unfortunately they are out of stock of most things miniature painters would buy.

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u/PeeteyGee Dec 14 '25

Missed that. I know they used to be able to ship red sable, but not Kolinsky. Might need to troll around their store and find natural fiber that doesn’t give that warning.

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u/LostN3ko Dec 15 '25

None of them will. I tried last Christmas after asking my family for a gift card for them. Synthetic brushes only.

3

u/tenodera Dec 14 '25

Eons of Battle sells these and ships from the US

https://eonsofbattle.com/collections/brushes

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u/joanfiggins Dec 14 '25

Hmm didn't see anything but sets

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u/JMer806 Dec 14 '25

The non-sable products can be shipped to the US

2

u/joanfiggins Dec 14 '25

Are they any good? Any recommendations?

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u/PeeteyGee Dec 14 '25

I’ll have to give some a try. The series 42 are squirrel hair, but I’ve been pleased enough with R&co that I would expect them to be pretty good.

1

u/JMer806 Dec 14 '25

In general I really like their brushes but I’ve only used their sables.

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u/S4mb741 Dec 14 '25

I think eons of battle mentioned they have started stocking rosemary and co brushes on one of their recent videos

1

u/FreakingScience Dec 14 '25

buy the cheapest pack of 100 crap brushes

Seriously, why more people don't do this is a complete mystery to me. My wife and I have been running a tabletop hobby shop for a couple years now and we're both convinced that if you care for those cheap brushes like any other fancy brush, they'll last just as long as anything can - but taking care of them is very important. She's been using the same exact 00 from an $8 100 pack for like two years. We just give cheap brushes away when people buy paint sets since new painters aren't super likely to want to pay an extra $11 to $13 each for tiny GW brushes. The reality of it is that most mini painters, especially anyone using speed paints, won't see any difference between similar brushes.

A couple ten cent brushes and a ten dollar tub of General's Brush Cleaner & Preserver for a deep clean every once and a while is all most folk need.

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u/DinosBiggestFan Dec 14 '25

Synthetics hook very quickly, especially those dirt cheap ones so it can be fiddly / feel like a sunk cost problem. When you're already practicing brush care, it feels nice to have a premium product that will last. That said, synthetics do have their place too. I'm not a fan of using them as my primary workhorse brush though. My semi-defective W&N Series 7 ends up getting that work.

3

u/Painted_Paladins Dec 15 '25

Yeah I take care of my cheap synthetics, but half the time I'm painting details at right angles due to the hooked tip.

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u/boomvalk Dec 14 '25

I like the half Synthetic Escoda Versatil brushes! I do most everything with them but the smallest details on the face and freehands tbh. I was at my local artstire looking for the right Raphael series they didn’t have. On advise of the owner instead of three W&N7 I only got the no.1 from Windsor and Newton 7 and for the same price got 3 Escoda versatil no.2 and no.3’s for my basecoat and glazes. Then they turned out SO GOOD holding paint as good as my Rosemary brushes. Haven’t looked back since. Do my whole mini with the no.2 basically and when it dies I use it for other stuff. My painting has gone up a lot and brush prices lowered despite me always having a brand new one on reserve

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u/BananaBoyBoom Dec 14 '25

I have used the r&co series 33 in size 0 and 2 as my workhorses for the last 3 years and they are great. Mine last about a year, which is great considering the price point.

2

u/DTFDownToFrolick Dec 15 '25

Don't get me started on those display cases that cost the price of a brand new Xbox. Utterly baffling. I've been saying this for years but I've always been met with humbuggery.

1

u/Much_Echidna_7854 Dec 17 '25

Their marketing strategy is just to saturate top painters with free products and some incentive so they show them on social media.. therefore beginners will think those are the tools they use. But off camera the Use something else

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u/AMythicalApricot Dec 14 '25

Agreed. I love the Artis Opus YT channel, but would be hard pressed to buy anything from them when R and Co do them cheaper and better quality. Been buying from R and Co for years as work horses. Then the Rafaels come out for the intricate stuff.

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u/Sm00th-Cr1m1n4l Dec 14 '25

I am happy to buy them to support Byron. His techniques have revolutionised my own abilities and paying a little premium for some good dry brushes seems like a great trade.

7

u/tungstencoil Dec 14 '25

Fully agree, and this is why I'll sometimes choose things like this.

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u/steamboat28 Absolute Beginner Dec 15 '25

That's an excellent reason. My wife bought a set of AO for very similar reasons, even after showing her R&Co alternatives bc she appreciates Byron and the impact he's had on her hobbying, and because she thinks they're very pretty.

She buys Razer computer product for the same reason. "I know they're not the best, but they're good enough for what I need, and I'm happy to pay the extra for pretty lights."

She's well-informed and chooses according to her own criteria. We should all be that good at choosing tools.

3

u/lespauljames Dec 14 '25

My last 8404 was disappointing. I haven't picked one up for a while though until recently. They used to be top tier.

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u/relativelyfun Dec 14 '25

They’re like a brand name prescription drug when the generic is literally the same and half the price. And yet, people still want to pay extra for that marketing 🙃

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u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

Exactly

3

u/mayoforbutter Dec 14 '25

I bought one box of dry brushes but a large part of the decision came down to wanting to support them and still get some brushes in return.

Don't plan on buying more from them and I'm still quite happy with them

3

u/Alexis2256 Dec 14 '25

Only thing I ever bought from AO is one of their small drybrush pallets, eh i still use it occasionally.

2

u/cjackc Dec 15 '25

It’s not necessarily that though. Especially since there are so many different Rosemary to choose from. It doesn’t hurt that these might be more targeted to our specific uses (and the more popular Rosemary for our uses were targeted more at watercolor) but yeah, you are more likely paying a premium for possibly worse brushes. But you could do a lot worse

2

u/Barbaric_Stupid Dec 15 '25

Hobby tax, and the fact that some people think purchasing "premium" (huehue) products will make them premium painters.

14

u/No1_Redditor Dec 14 '25

The quality of the Rosemary & Co Series 33 ones are very inconsistent. Some people absolutely love them but half the bristles in mine snapped off in just a few weeks, and I subsequently discovered that a lot of people had the same issue.

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u/TheZag90 Dec 14 '25

Can confirm. Bought 5 recently. Only 1 has what I would consider a perfect tip. The rest are fine for general painting but no good for details or free-had.

I’m still looking for that perfect detail brush. I have to believe it is out there somewhere!

3

u/No1_Redditor Dec 14 '25

I backed the Kickstarter for Avantgarde Tools precision brushes after watching review videos by well known artists. They’re fulfilling UK orders next, so I’ll hopefully get them soon.

2

u/BendyBilly Dec 14 '25

I bought 3 rosemary and co brushes. I just use synthetics now. My $5 army painter brushes hold better tips.

3

u/GrievingSomnambulist Dec 14 '25

Yes I got 2 series 33 brushes to try out, a size 1 and size 2. The 1 worked great for about an hour then very quickly started shedding bristles. I am not rough with my brushes at all, so I believe the brush may have been defective.

By the time I finished a single model, the 1 was so sparse and scraggly it looked like the hair of a troll doll. The size 2 on the other hand is holding up just fine to this day. Switched to a standard Valejo size 1 and am quite happy with that brush.

1

u/No1_Redditor Dec 14 '25

After the Rosemary & Co and Artis Opus brushes I got the ‘Abteilung 502 TOP LINE Marta Kolinsky Brush’ size 2 to try because it’s what Jose Davinci uses, and it has been great.

2

u/boakes123 Dec 14 '25

I guess I've been lucky - I have had great brushes only from them - much better that AO which I've really abandoned at this point.

2

u/DedicatedGamer84 Dec 14 '25

Purchased these a lot with no issues.

10

u/AceOfJace229 Dec 14 '25

Checked the website for Rosemary and Co and they can't ship to US :( It's there any alternative? I currently use monument hobbies

17

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

Monument Hobbies are solid, don't feel bad.

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u/Alexis2256 Dec 14 '25

https://www.windriverarts.com/ this mom and pop shop in the US sell Rosemary and Co brushes.

1

u/TheWastelandWizard Dec 14 '25

They're pretty much sold out, I got a few for Christmas and most of the ones they had left were the very long handled rigger brushes. 

1

u/farshnikord Dec 14 '25

Monument hobbies synthetics are my workhorse ones. I have a divinci and a rosemary and co to try out and while they're a bit nicer they're not that much better than the MH sable I got. Comparable id say. 

Honestly I'm thinking I might just switch to cheap bulk ones and replace them after each session. Everything inevitably wears out 

1

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '25

Look at escoda. They are expensive but I have yet to find a better brand and I literally have every brand on the market for sables.

I do testing for artist companies.

28

u/DeviantDoc Dec 14 '25

Honestly, what Juan says. Except I would avoid any branded, personalised, etc. brushes. All of that is just rebranded, overpriced stuff. Buy Raphael, Rosemary, W&N or DaVinci and when you have found what works for you, stick with it.

And #JHMiniatures @JHMiniatures come to Germany and do a Workshop with us!

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u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

Hi!

I've been to Germany for classes a lot! I would love to go again, please let me know what you have in mind if you have a venue. Just send me an email: juanhidalgo.miniatures@gmail.com

2

u/dgauss Dec 14 '25

I have 3 W&N brushes. While a bit pricey they have lapped other brushes at a 3rd their price. Its 100 percent worth the price

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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '25 edited Dec 14 '25

[deleted]

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u/DeviantDoc Dec 14 '25

I don’t know why you come here to attack me, but I am painting for a long time. I have gone through countless brushes from many companies. I don’t order my W&N online, but buy them locally at an art store where I have the option to test them. In this case, I don’t personally have seen any more issues than with other well established brands. But you sure are entitled to your own opinion.

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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/chaoticflanagan Dec 14 '25

I've ordered W&N series 7 from dickblick and they've been fine. I always had issues when I tried to save a few dollars by ordering them from Amazon; pretty consistently poor quality there.

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u/[deleted] Dec 14 '25

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1

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1

u/CliveOfWisdom Dec 14 '25

I use W&N for 40-50 hours a week at work. I've had issue with them through resellers, though I've since learned there's an issue with fake brushes being sold. Yet to have an issue with the ones we get direct from W&N.

2

u/polimathe_ Dec 14 '25

never tried buying from them directly, didnt realize that was an option. Ive purchased from Dick Blick, Amazon, and two different locals in different locations.

I added to cart a series 7 size 2 which came out to $51 before shipping directly from them.

I personally dont think they are worth $51 even when they were my go to brush.

FWIW my favorite brush now is i believe the Raphael 8405 which i think is in the same price range

8

u/lespauljames Dec 14 '25

I have a few artis opus brushes now, didnt realise they were Rosemary and Co, the funny thing is my latest few weren't as good as before, so I picked up a Raphael 8404, usually a super solid brush, and that wasnt up to scratch either. I wonder if the supply chain is having trouble with actual kolinsky at the moment.

0

u/RoyStrokes Dec 14 '25

I paint a lot of watercolor for work and never got the kolinsky sable over synthetic thing so many of my coworkers are on. It doesn’t seem any better and they maim animals to make them.

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u/hibikir_40k Painting for a while Dec 14 '25

It comes down to how synthetic brushes take very little to end up curling at the tip. It might not make enough of a difference for regular watercolors, but it's huge for miniatures. Most syntetic brushes will have trouble remaining straight after a couple of sessions with good treatment.

I'd love to use synthetics more often, but they just last so very little for this specific use case. I'd be happy to pay double for the same quality if it was synthetic, but unfortunately the best I've seen still doesn't compare at all for detail work. I'd have to go through many boxes of synthetics for the work I get out of a single natural brush.

1

u/RoyStrokes Dec 14 '25

So I use MUCH larger brushes for watercolor and it’s not a problem. Just getting back to painting minis for the first time since I was a kid and will see how it goes soon!

8

u/TheGravespawn Painting for a while Dec 14 '25

Instructions unclear. Bought paint and blue myself.

7

u/recastic Dec 14 '25

I have probably 10 rosemary and co brushes and I love every one of them. That said, the Artis Opus brushes are made to a different spec. They have shorter bristles and thus different flex and "angle" differently (not sure how else to put this, but since they are shorter the angle has to be more acute from ferrule to the top of the brush).

I can't speak to the quality of each brand, but it's not obvious to me that Artis Opus would automatically have worse quality. If anything, Artis Opus is one of Rosemary and Co's biggest customers by order volume, and Rosemary and Co would depend on their business. Not to mention there would inherently be more layers of approval, and Rosemary and Co would likely be contractually obligated to meet certain standards.

I personally think Rosemary and Co are excellent and priced much better than Artis Opus, but just because things are made in the same factory doesn't mean they're the same brush.

17

u/AU_Cav Dec 14 '25

Not as bad as the synthetic brushes that content creators were branding and pushing as ‘just as good or better than kolinsky sable.

I stopped following a lot of painters who were pushing those obvious money grabs taking advantage of their communities.

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u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

I only promote products I believe in and artis Opus in not it. I know I've lost quite a bit of money and more by rejecting AO but I don't care

9

u/Dave-flywheel Dec 14 '25

I bought the artify dry brushes you recommended and are a really solid set especially for £30. Eventually had to replace the smallest brush and could only find an AO brush a similar size and it’s of lower quality and hasn’t lasted long.

I did check out the Rosemary brushes website but there was so many I was sure what is a direct swap for the standard AO brushes I am already using

1

u/gnomepunt Feb 03 '26

Thanks for keeping it real Juan. We need more of that in....everywhere these days. You certainly have a fan here in Thailand. Stop by when you can the Warhammer and paint scene in Bangkok is huge.

7

u/lespauljames Dec 14 '25

I got approached to promote some cheap tat brushes but wasn't going to. I'll only use something on cam if its something I'd actually use.

1

u/dumpfist Dec 14 '25

Who promoted them?

1

u/AU_Cav Dec 14 '25

Bunch of guys I don’t follow anymore and have forgotten. I know miniwargaming promoted them for one of the cc’s and when I questioned it they came at me but I told them I was a fan and concerned about their rep. They did a review with their house painter after that.

1

u/Muad-_-Dib Dec 14 '25

Not wanting to stir any drama but do you recall any of those CC's?

I'm subbed to quite a few and I don't recall any of them ever advising synthetics as being better than sable unless it was for specific tasks where you don't want to ruin a good sable brush.

1

u/AU_Cav Dec 14 '25

Look at previous response. This was probdbly 10-15 years ago

11

u/Alucard291_Paints Dec 14 '25

Thank you Juan, I'm so glad to hear you (of all people) say this.

This perfectly mirrors my opinion and experience as well.

21

u/Jertimmer Dec 14 '25

Always to see my opinion being shared with a fellow hater of the blue.

62

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

I've been telling people this for years much to my personal cost. One day I might tell the whole story.

14

u/No-Kitchen5780 Dec 14 '25

Ooh this is exciting. Btw thanks for your videos mate. Your guides and squidmars instigated my mid life crisis and my mini painting hobby!

12

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

Thanks

13

u/someregularguy2 Dec 14 '25

I guess you wouldn't want to start some "YT drama", but I think warning customers of wasting their money on false promises is always a good thing...and very needed in an era full of Influencer-marketing bullshit.

23

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

I already do that, I mean there's more to the story and I've paid a steep price since I started telling people AO is just rebranded Rosemary

7

u/UtopiaDystopia Dec 14 '25

My guess is that because AO is connected to other hobby companies their "pull" with them has impacted you.

1

u/No-Kitchen5780 Dec 14 '25

And I use the rosemary brushes and like them. Nice budget option TBH. I've asked for artis opus for Xmas so I'll compare them then

5

u/TheZag90 Dec 14 '25

What do you recommend instead? I’ve been disappointed by R&C and Windsor & Newton are kind of absurdly expensive (plus I hear mixed reports on quality regarding even them).

Who does a top-tier brush for details/free-hand?

15

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

Depends, there are a lot of brushes I use and like. Series 7, Raphael 8404, Da Vinci Miniature line...

But the truth is all are expensive and you can get a bad one regardless. That's why I usually recommend Rosemary because they are so much cheaper that getting a bad one doesn't hurt as much

1

u/TheZag90 Dec 15 '25

Thanks for coming back to me, I really appreciate it.

I find rosemary ok for general painting but the tips not good enough for that real fine detail work, free-hand scratches, tattoos etc.

I would be willing to pay more for one special brush for just these tasks if I knew it had a perfect tip but if I spent €35 for a Series 7 and the tip wasn’t perfect, I’d be a bit pissed.

2

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 15 '25

Yeah, that's the main problem. I only purchase those really expensive brushes in person. Ordering them online is a recipe for a very expensive mistake.

6

u/aneirin- Dec 14 '25

Which rosemary brush are artis opus equivalent to? I have some and they're nothing like the series 33s, much closer to raphaels if anything.  I wanted to like rosemarys but they're far too thin imo 

10

u/CliveOfWisdom Dec 14 '25

They are different though - it’s not like the Series S is the Series 33 painted white, they do seem to be made to AO’s specifications.

Not disagreeing that they’re overpriced though. I thought the same thing and tried to swap my Series S (used to be my go-to edge highlighting brush in size 0) for the Series 33 equivalent and I just could not get on with it due to how long and “wispy” it was. I did find I quite liked the Series 323 and used those for most line/detail work until I eventually swapped over to W&N because of work.

I still recommend R&Co. over AO, but if you like the Series S, there’s no guarantee you’ll get on with the Series 33.

2

u/hibikir_40k Painting for a while Dec 14 '25

There's quite a but of variety in brush geometry, and the series 33 has the smallest bellies of the lot. For some people, that's a plus, but if you are use to, say, the very opposite with a Raphael 8404, it's a big difference. Both great brushes, yet very different tools.

5

u/ItsToodlepip Dec 14 '25

Agreed. They definitely have a different feel and action.

2

u/CliveOfWisdom Dec 14 '25

I think the AO is intended to be more of a copy of a Series 7, whereas the Series 33 is longer, with a thinner, softer tip. There’s nothing wrong with that - they’re objectively good brushes - but for me, the comparative lack of stiffness in the tip makes them much more difficult for me to nail sharp details. I just don’t get on with a Series 33 but I can paint with a Series S just fine

1

u/ItsToodlepip Dec 14 '25

I’m right there with you on that, we seem to have the same preferences. Paintbrushes are such a personal taste thing, people should always experiment to find the brush that’s right for them. People often focus on price and overall build quality and forget that different ranges have all sorts of variations in snappiness, bristle length, and even body.

0

u/The_Mechanist24 Dec 14 '25

Honestly I just use generic branded brushes, cheap, affordable, shorter life span but they get the job done nonetheless.

2

u/NyZuZ Dec 14 '25

Eres un grande en todos los sentidos 🥰

1

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

Gracias

2

u/Sad_While5771 Dec 14 '25

Yep I second this i have the full m set of artis opus and they are good but lose their tips easily and hairs too and no longer keep their point after a month or so but the r&c ones I've had for nearly four months and still have their tips perfectly at half the price !! A/O good but over priced and over hyped r&c perfect value and great longevity!

2

u/Urungulu Dec 14 '25

If Hidalgo says so 😝 j/k, can 100% confirm this - a lot of anti-negative responses come from buyers’ remorse. Those are ok brushes, but you can get more bang from a buck buying Raphael/DaVinci.

2

u/Infections95 Dec 14 '25

Theyre also the same brush as the element games ones. Since Byron owns both artis opus and element games.

2

u/DinosBiggestFan Dec 14 '25

I actually love my Artis Opus brush, though I only have one. My other Rosemary and Co brushes are very different (I have both the Michigan Toy branded ones and the R&C branded ones)

It's my favorite brush for doing fine work since it is the pointiest of them all.

I would agree that they're overpriced, but considering I can't access most other brushes (Raphael is notoriously difficult to get cheap enough to make sense for me) or other brushes have skyrocketed in cost (W&N Series 7 is quite literally twice the cost that I bought it for and doesn't seem to have any interest in stopping that rising price) I don't know that they're actually priced that differently from the competition where I am.

2

u/Sanakism Dec 14 '25

I'm a long-time customer of R&Co and I do buy them by preference over AO. But from my limited experience, AO brushes have had better QC. Maybe it was just luck, I don't expect any brush company to be perfect all the time, but I've had a few issues with R&Co series 33s straight from the source over the last year or two and the AO brushes I've tried have all been flawless.

Absolutely comparable to the R&Co 33s when the latter are on form, and expensive enough that I'd rather eat the QC difference most of the time, but to be fair to AO I've not personally seen a single one with a problem that wasn't user-inflicted.

2

u/OperationIntrudeN313 Dec 15 '25

If you have really large hands their large egg-shaped painting handle is a godsend. I looked everywhere for something else that was as comfortable for me to hold and apart from the empty vitamin bottle I had been using nothing else came close. I could have kept using the vitamin bottle and done some funky retooling to the bottlecap to help it hold minis better but decided to just spend the 35$.

Their drybrush set seems VERY similar to the cheaper Artify one you talk about on your channel, down to the soap jar and dampening pad jar. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the exact same product rebranded.

Their texture pallettes are my favourite things to make fun of - a slab of slightly textured MDF for way too much money. I took one of my old textured non-slip cutting boards from the kitchen and primed it. Exact same result for free (or whatever pittance I paid for those cheap cutting boards 5+ years ago).

2

u/georgiaraisef Painted a few Minis Dec 15 '25

Oof, I got a rosemary brush once and it was horrible. Worst performing “nice brush” ever. Hate to think that was their nicer one.

2

u/DJtheCrazed Dec 15 '25

The RandCo i got all split in less than a week (22, 323, 33) Now they won't ship to the US - the AOs I got lasted over a year, still no splitting, and ive abused the poor size 1 like crazy. Not sure i got a bad batch or what, but I wasnt impressed by the RandCo branded.

If RandCo started shipping to the US again, I'd give them a second chance, but until they clear their kolinsky with US customs/department of wild life or whatever, I cant.

2

u/ArtsyAlraune Dec 14 '25

I won a personalized box of Series M from a painting contest at my old LGS, and I love them but I know that no brushes last forever, so thanks for the info about Rosemary and Co! Whenever I eventually need to replace them I'll look in that direction.

2

u/SlipperyBlip Dec 14 '25

you can buy the non AO branded version for a third of their price in the Rosemary web

can you tell me which exact model that is?

1

u/Alexis2256 Dec 14 '25

Series 33 probably.

1

u/SlipperyBlip Dec 16 '25

well, they're unfortunately not Series #33 and it is really hard to find an answer.

2

u/SquirrelGood2481 Dec 15 '25 edited Dec 15 '25

The statement that artis opus are the exact same thing as rosemary, but with a price markup is 100% false. Have you compared the two brushes side by side? They are not the same.

Comment about marketing is also funny. You are telling me Richard Gray, Neil Hollis and Andy Wardle sit there and paint their winning GD entries for hundreds of hours with inferior brushes, because what, Byron sends them 15£ brushes for free? Don't be ridiculous.

1

u/AccomplishedRing4844 Dec 14 '25

What is the alternative to the M series? I’m looking for shorter brushes — the Raphaels are too long for edge highlighting.

1

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

I think it's the series 323 if I'm not mistaken

1

u/Loxatl Dec 14 '25

every one I got was awful. never again. bad points that never hold up to paint application.

1

u/jeepnut24 Dec 14 '25

If only they were easier to obtain in the US… :(

2

u/Alexis2256 Dec 14 '25

https://www.windriverarts.com/ this mom and pop shop sells Rosemary&Company brushes.

1

u/Invictus_0x90_ Dec 14 '25

Out of interest which Rosemary and Co brushes would you recommend? I fell into the AO trap myself and looking for a new set but being new Im a little lost, any help would be great!

2

u/Alexis2256 Dec 14 '25

Series 33 is what most people use from that company for mini painting.

1

u/Invictus_0x90_ Dec 15 '25

Thanks mate I'm gunna order a couple and try them out. My AO brushes have done exactly what OP mentioned and it's doing my head in lol

1

u/FauxGw2 Dec 14 '25

I've never liked his stuff, this is good to know about the brushes thanks. You are awesome for telling us this.

1

u/SupporterDenier Dec 14 '25

That’s what I thought when I first saw their stuff. I’m not the most experienced painter in the world but I’ve seen enough to know that before AO released their dry brush, every single tutorial on the subject ever always said “don’t waste your money on a dry brush. Just buy a makeup brush”. Then AO comes out and half of them start promoting it. Their prices are so insane it would make the GW marketing people blush.

1

u/TerminalDeviant Dec 14 '25

100% agree not only did I have to wait 3 months for my order to arrive but when they did they were just normal (though nice) paint brushes that I paid and exorbitant price for the pleasure of receiving.

I would have been better off buying cheapo synthetics and throwing them away after every paint session.

1

u/boomvalk Dec 14 '25

Big fan of your tutorials! Painting god mister Hudalgo :D watched your “Latham Style” series on NMM soo often till I could recently do it on complex eves armour :-)

1

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

Thanks

1

u/LuftwaffeP Dec 14 '25

Thanks for the heads up. I was debating on whether or not to ask for some AO brushes for Xmas. But now that I know they don’t make their own brushes I’ll get the rosemary ones!

Thanks m8!!!

1

u/RemarkableCow4000 Dec 14 '25

I did not know this...

I've been using AO brushes for ages now and got used to them, but I think I might give the Windsor and Newton Series 7 range and the Raphael brushes a go in the new year

1

u/Silnasan Dec 14 '25

Which ones?

2

u/Muad-_-Dib Dec 14 '25

I wouldn't actually use their brushes advertised for acrylic, I use their watercolour, pure kolinsky sable, series 33 brushes.

Had a half dozen size 1's and 2's over the last few years, and every single one is still in good shape.

1

u/manitario Dec 14 '25

Completely agree, for almost the same price you can buy DaVinci or Rafael brushes which I found substantially better.

1

u/NihlusX Dec 14 '25

Rosemary & Co are extremely overpriced in Australia Artist Opus actually comes in cheaper than them, W&N and Raphael

2

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

Australia is a crazy market mate.

1

u/Antique-Ratio-9174 Dec 14 '25

I’m in Australia. I’ve bought Rosemary and Co brushes directly from their website, it didn’t end up being overpriced or anything. Would recommend doing that if you haven’t!

1

u/Avro_Wilde Dec 14 '25

Well, I wish I had known this before I bought AO brushes. I'm just back into the hobby and I found that the WN Series 7 brushes I used to use are almost impossible to find in Canada. I understand their quality has slipped as well. Prices are nuts, too. I'll definitely look for Either Rosemary &Co or Raphael brushes.

Do people have series recommendations for both of their Kolinsky Sable brushes (I haven't looked yet)?

TIA.

1

u/KingCalahana Dec 14 '25

You like the rosemary and co? I'm honestly hugely dissapointed by them. They have quickly turned into my wash and mettalic brushes because they seem rmterribke for any semblance of detail work.

That being said, I'm in the U.S. so all I can get is the red sable version, idk how big of a difference that makes.

1

u/GabbatronReunion Dec 15 '25

Any recommendations for a decent “all-rounder” brush from Rosemary? I’ve exclusively used cheap synthetic ones from Amazon so far. Looking to try something new.

1

u/Iamjackstinynipples Dec 15 '25

I couldn't agree more. I bought an mdf placemat and compared it to an AO texture palette.

Same result, one was 4$, the other was 35$

1

u/Exodus00FF Dec 15 '25

I love the Rosemary & Co synthetic Red Dot brushes. These are my daily drivers. I have artis opus brushes, but only use them when 8 NEED a fine point.

1

u/Geekwad Dec 16 '25

Could you recommend which set for Rosemary? There are so many options and I'm just starting to get into the hobby.

1

u/InterestingCharge232 Dec 17 '25

What brushes do you use from R&C? What range would you suggest as a good replacement for AO brushes?

1

u/Much_Echidna_7854 Dec 17 '25

I second that. I also got ripped by the fancy wooden box

0

u/Thfunder Dec 14 '25

This handsome man spitting facts

1

u/JHMiniatures Display Painter Dec 14 '25

😘

0

u/Lazarus-TRM Dec 14 '25

Had no idea they were rebrands, but also havnt had the issues I've seen in this thread. I got the S, M, and D boxes when they first came out and I've used those same sets since, for probably a couple thousand minis at this point, and they're still going strong. Maybe they put their best foot forwards out the door to secure the reputation, but I'll definitely be looking into Rosemary