In this blog I will do a review of Golden Maple’s miniature brushes.  If you have been following me for a while, you might be aware that I’m not a big fan of paint brushes.  I think they have a mind of their own and desire to ruin anything I use them on.  I was intrigued with triangular grip and small bristle size on the paint brushes.  It made me wonder if the combination of the two would allow me to control the brush.  My goal with this blog is to answer the control question.

To test the brushes, I created two different projects.  One project was done on watercolor paper and the other on wood.  I will discuss both projects and provide a very minimal tutorial on how I burned the hot air balloons.

There is a video version of this review, and it covers a lot more information than contained in this blog. 

Click on the image to the left to watch it, or click on this link:  https://youtu.be/aZBJQ6H5qZQ

Golden Maple gave me an Amazon link to the brushes.  The link provides a 15% discount and is good until November 20, 2024.  https://www.amazon.com/promocode/AHR16LZ6QU4OM

Disclosure:  Golden Maple sent me the brushes for free, but I do not receive any compensation if you happen to buy them.

I used Winsor & Newton’s watercolors on both projects.  Here’s an affiliate link to the watercolors on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Ah9iRa.

There are 13 brushes in the set.  I’ve grouped them by similar type in this photo.  The set includes a variety of sizes and bristle styles.   

My knowledge of paint brushes is minimal at best.  I can’t tell you the names of of the different bristle styles.  Nor can I tell you what the numbers mean other than the obvious; larger the number the larger the brush.   

I know, I’m brilliant.  🙂

Each brush has a plastic sleave protecting the bristles.   I actually had to cut the plastic off on a couple of the brushes.

Each brush has the manufacturer’s name and brush size painted onto it.

 The brushes are between 6 ¾ and 7 inches long (17.1 – 17.8 cm).   This measure does not include the bristles. 

The ferrule measures 1 ¼ inches (3.2 cm).  The ferrule is the metal part of the brush that connects the bristles to the handle.   The bristles measure between ¼ and ¾ inches long (0.6 – 1.9 cm).

Lastly, the brushes weigh between 0.2 – 0.3 ounces (6 – 8 g).  They are very lightweight.

The case feels like some sort of stiff canvas material.  It is probably a polyester or something like that.

There is a cord attached to the case which can be used to hang the case on the wall.

The case has a very interesting feature.  To discover it, you have to first bend it along the horizontal crease it has.   Flip the case over, and squeeze on the locking mechanism the cord has.   Then pull on the cord until it is bent to the angle you desire.     Once the case is at the angle you desire, then release the button to lock the case in position.  I love this feature.

Most of the brushes will stay in their slot even if the case is held up-side-down.  I did shake the case while it was up-side-down and only one brush fell out.  I was surprised.    Even more surprising is despite how snug the slots are, most of the brushes can be removed without holding onto the case. 

 The case measures 9 3/8 inches long (23.8 cm).  It’s 3 7/8 inches wide (9.8 cm), and 1 inch deep (2.5 cm). 

The case weights 6.7 ounces (190 g).  This weight includes all of the brushes.

For my first project I printed out two copies of my artwork onto a piece of watercolor paper.  I printed two because they fit on the paper and I could test colors on one of them.  I also digitally lightened the images, so the paint would show up better. 

The brush set had enough sizes that I didn’t have a problem finding a brush that worked well in the area I was painting.  Some of the areas were very tiny.   Since I’m not well versed with brushes, I often had to try a couple before I found the perfect fit.  

I know the final artwork is a bit bright and gaudy, but creating something with color harmony wasn’t high on my priority list.  Instead, I just wanted something to test the paint brushes on before I used them on actual artwork. 

I would like to mention that printing off your artwork on watercolor paper and adding color to it makes a great gift.  It can be a greeting card or framed artwork.

I picked the mandala Christmas tree artwork because it has a lot of tiny details.  I do have a tutorial for this artwork.  Here’s a link to it:  Mandala Christmas Tree

Next I created a hot air balloon design.  I choose hot air balloons because they are often very colorful.  Also, each section on the balloon would be small, so it was a good test of the brushes.

All of the hot air balloons were burned the same basic way.  I began by burning a thick line along the crease where two ribs connect.

Then I burned pull away strokes along the crease. 

Each burn stroke starts on the crease or thick line and gets pulled towards the bottom of the rib.   I highly recommend rotating the board so that you are pulling the pen tip down towards yourself. 

Then I burned uniform strokes along the edge of the rib.

It’s important to have the front edge of the shader on the edge of the rib.  This will keep the edge crisp and clean.  Rotate the board as needed to accomplish this.

The balloons are actually darker than they should be considering that I will be adding color.  On the flip side, not everyone likes to add color, so this shows that color isn’t necessary.

If you do not plan on adding color, make sure to do something with the background.  Here are a couple of suggestions:  gradient shading, wispy clouds here and there, or a distant mountain.  Don’t be afraid to use your imagination.

Once the pyrography was done, it was time to add color. 

The larger brushes worked well on the background.  They held enough paint so that I could work in a decently sized area, but I was still able to maintain control of the brush.

Again, I didn’t have any problems finding a brush that would work well in the given area. 

Even with some of the really small balloons.

Some helpful tips. 

If you add watercolor to your balloons, be patient especially with darker burn areas.   The burn marks make the wood repel the water.  I found it was easier to apply a light layer of paint, let it soak in, and then add more layers add needed until the desired color was achieved.

Also, it can be beneficial to wet the area with water first; especially in larger areas.  This will help the color from soaking in and refusing to spread around. 

Here’s how the artwork turned out.  One thing I really like is how the wood grain created the look of distant wispy clouds.  That was an unexpected bonus.

Final Thoughts

Obviously, these paint brushes are not professional grade brushes. For someone like me who doesn’t paint a lot, they wonderful.   I like the triangular grip because it made the brush easier to control.

Most of the time when I’m painting, the artwork is small and / or has a lot of tiny detail.  These brushes gave me a feeling of control I’ve never had with another brush.  I can honestly say this was the best painting experience I’ve had; especially on wood.   

The cost of the set which includes 13 brushes and the case is under 30 dollars.  That is a great value.  Since I don’t paint often, I know I don’t want to spend a lot of money on brushes. 

IN CONCLUSION

That is it for this blog.  I hope you enjoyed it.

Brenda

Nov 12, 2024

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