da Vinci Watercolor Series 1505 Maestro Paint Brush, Extra Short Retouch/Spotter Kolinsky Red Sable, Size 0 (1505-0)

I didnt appreciate paying so much for such delicate products to have them arrive without protection, loose inside the bag. Each hair is very delicate. Thats the whole point of buying new brushes.

These are possibly the finest brushes I own!! I attached photos of their size. They hold a ton of water.They can cover a very large area and yet the point can still be used for great detail.These are made with the intention of not having to constantly be dipping your brush in water and paint.That interrupts the flow of the painting. Great paintings are made by using a continuous flow.These brushes allow that to happen.I also own the Russian Blue Squirrel brushes and they differ in their ability to snap.The blue squirell does not snap like the kolinsky. They are more of a mop type brush.Whereas, these brushes do not lose their shape. These brushes have a fat belly and a sharp point.Hence, you can make long continuous lines or long strokes without stopping to reload your brush.I attached some photos so that you can get a better perspective of the size of these brushes.In one photo I compare a size 12 kolinsky to a size 4 kolinsky Artissimo brush.I hope this helps!

This is a five star brush that shipped in a one star manner. Just crudely thrown into a box without even a protective cap, much less in a bag to keep the cap on. It was entirely luck I managed to restore the brush to a usable state, and it lost some lifespan from its rough treatment.

One of the things that I had a lot of trouble with was figuring out what size these brushes were so I included photos that provide size information in case others have the same problem I had (another reviewer provided good photos of the artissimo brushes in comparison to each other which I found really helpful so hopefully my photos add to that treasure trove).I ordered a size 0 and when it arrived tonight I laid it out with my other watercolor brushes and determined that is the tiniest bit larger than my size 8 round Winsor and Newton brush. My guess based on research would be that the size 3 is pretty close to a standard 12 but that is speculation on my part because I only purchased the size 0.This is the brush (that I have) that the size 0 Artissimo is closest to:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0060KSSNU/ref=twister_B01KUQFMSS?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1(The pointed round size 8 might be a closer match but I have the standard round.)It's also a very light brush, surprisingly so, weighs about 2 grams or less than 1/10 Oz; I could barely get it to register a weight on my kitchen scale. I note this because I'm used to heavier brushes and pens so I was surprised.The only issue that I had (and keep in mind I haven't painted with it yet, I literally unboxed it 30 minutes ago) was that when it first arrived there was no brush in the packaging it was shipped in, it came as just an empty plastic sleeve. I immediately returned it and two days later this brush arrived, well packaged, the bristles are protected by the hard plastic sleeve and again with a thin sheet of plastic wrapped around the bristles.I guess I can finally start painting my mom's Christmas present now that this brush finally arrived :-D

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.

Ok, I love the brush, but I have to let you know that I had to order this brush 3 times (returned 2) because of problems with the brush. This is a high end brush and the price was a steal. The reason I returned the two brushes was, 1st one acted like it had an oil spot on the brush, which means it wouldn't pick up paint in one area on the brush. The reason I returned the 2nd brush, the tip kept curling up. So now, 3rd time is the charm to get a good one.

Unlike many other detail brushes, this has very long, stiff bristles that can hold enough paint and moisture and yet have a wonderfully fine tip. Much easier to do the detail work without mistakenly drowning the ferrule in paint. Excellent brush, and has earned a permanent spot in my "most used brushes" lineup.

Lovely well made brush . I hope now to put it to good use

Great quality

Was skeptical spending $20+ on a single brush but this was well worth it compared to other natural hair brushes that I've tried in the same price range ($10-$20). My acrylic paint flows great from the brush and it is simple to keep clean when done. You can feel the brush 'snap' with each stroke which is something I never thought about until it happened. The feedback is great for a new painter like myself.Big downside, which warrants a lower grade, is that there is no storage or product protection when the brush is shipped to you. Mine was wedged into a corner of the box, loose, with the bristles bent. Luckily the brush recovered to it's natural resting state after a wash and dry.

Purchased this brush as a replacement for my Winsor & Newton Series No. 2 brush, and there are a few notable points (review pertinent to miniature painting only):- The quality of the bristles is very nice. There is a good amount of spring in the bristles, and the brush does keep a very sharp point.- The capacity of the brush seems to be quite similar to that of the WN s7, not enough to make a difference either way. For the difference in price the capacity is a non issue.-My only issue with the brush is that I have been using the brush for about a week now and painted 4-6 miniatures with it. I have already had to trim 4-5 stray bristles off of this brush, which makes me worry about its longevity. I purchased the brush for about $25 CAD, whereas my W&N was bout $40. I had the W&N for one full year before it started to get too soft to use, whereas I've only had this brush a week and it's showing signs of wear already.I will concede that I may have just gotten unlucky with the stray bristles, and after trimming then carefully there is no effect on the usefulness of the paintbrush. It is annoying, however, to have to perform maintenance on a brand new brush which makes me feel like I may only get half of a year out of it.TL;DR: the brush is adequate quality, I worry it may not last as long as a more expensive alternative (Winsor & Newton S7).