Alternative to Sable Hair Inking Brush?

[Koad]

Yeah I totally abuse my brushes. Guess I better stick to my $2 brush. Thanks for the info tho.

[Phalanx]

I used to use Chinese wolf hair brushes. I liked them almost better than sable, and they were hell a lot cheaper.

But they recently replaced the wolf hair with synthetics now. And they are TERRIBAD

Still looking around desperately for a replacement brand.

[Industrialpowersart]

Thanks. I got a very necessary chuckle out of "terribad". I have found some pretty good brushes at odd little shops in neighborhoods where nobody speaks english. This is the calligraphy section of the much larger version of those. Is it any use to you?

http://www.pearlriver.com/v2/FramesCat.asp?iGroup=299

[Phalanx]

Thanks. I got a very necessary chuckle out of "terribad". I have found some pretty good brushes at odd little shops in neighborhoods where nobody speaks english. This is the calligraphy section of the much larger version of those. Is it any use to you?

http://www.pearlriver.com/v2/FramesCat.asp?iGroup=299

http://www.pearlriver.com/v2/FramesCat.asp?iGroup=299 look similar to the ones I used to use. The key point is that it is proper wolf hair and not horse hair or pig bristle, as is the usual other substitutes... Mind you it's not just wolf hair that makes it, the best types are "xiao lang mau" which is the hair of a younger wolf. "da lang mau" which is also wolf's hair but older, is much coarser and does not handle as nicely.

[Industrialpowersart]

I hate it when they stop making something that I really like, which always seems to happen just as i decide I really like it. Because of this, I have taken to making my own everything, when all else fails. Cut reeds are my favorite pens. Egg tempera is my favorite paint. My favorite gesso involves calcium carbonate and rabbit skin glue. So. . . this is not me being an intentional pain in the behind when I suggest- have you considered making them yourself? I'm wondering if dog hair would have some of the same characteristics. I know a lady who makes her brushes out of a snip of fur from her cat's tail.

http://industrialpowers.comicgenesis.com/

[Phalanx]

I hate it when they stop making something that I really like, which always seems to happen just as i decide I really like it. Because of this, I have taken to making my own everything, when all else fails. Cut reeds are my favorite pens. Egg tempera is my favorite paint. My favorite gesso involves calcium carbonate and rabbit skin glue. So. . . this is not me being an intentional pain in the behind when I suggest- have you considered making them yourself? I'm wondering if dog hair would have some of the same characteristics. I know a lady who makes her brushes out of a snip of fur from her cat's tail.

http://industrialpowers.comicgenesis.com/

The irony is one of the reasons that I switched was at that time, those wolf hair brushes were easier to get than sable.

I've recently discovered that those brushmarker pens for chinese calligraphy are actually pretty good for lines. I miss the versatility of my plain brushes, but I can still use my terribad brushes for shading and texture, which they are capable of doing. I just can't do everything with the same brush anymore

[Samuli]

Because Kolinsky sable comes from weasels who live in a winter climate, the fur is thick and soft and verrrry absorbent. It is also strong, and a brush will never be "past its prime" if you clean it properly. I still use my mom's brushes from college- and it's been ten years since _I_ graduated college.

Do you use waterproof indian ink or something else? I've been using sable brushes for a long time and most of them start losing their integrity at about 20 to 30 pages of inking. I do clean my brushes several times during an inking session but the ink just eats through the hairs eventually. After that, you just can't get the thinnest lines any more.

Calligraphy gouache, watercolours and non-waterproof inks are way friendlier to the brushes but I've never grown accustomed to them. Also, bigger brushes show wear and tear much slower than the brushes I use, which are the 0 and 00.

And I do feel bad for using unethical materials in my work - the minute I can replace the sable brush with something else, I most definitely will. I haven't yet tried the newer synthetic brushes that have all the hairs somehow centered or angled at the centre or something. They are supposed to be better but can't remember the brand or brands.