I managed to prove that the Bob Ross #6 fan brush at 8 bucks and the Simply Simmons Eventail bristle brush are the same brush. The difference is that the Simmons is 6 bucks and available at Michael's craft stores and Blicks plus a host of others 🙂 I would put up the pics if I could figure out how. Both are made by the same company (Daler Rowney) in Dominican Republic. DR also makes the branded Bob Ross paint. Both Simmon's brushes and the BR paint are made for the US even though the company is based out of the UK. The interesting thing with the paint that I have seen so far is that Bob's colors are more muted than other brands. I put some Winston & Newton paint next to BRs ( Phthalo blue) and the WN paint is noticeably more intense in color whereas Bob's is muted but more opaque. Being an engineer by training, I enjoy digging into all the gory details like this 😃

I'm always on the lookout for non-branded tools and materials, BRI having enough of my money already. Alexander Art is good for brushes, though many times you can take a Bob Ross or Bill Alexander brush to an art supply store, compare and match them to what's on offer. This is especially true for the smaller brushes. Windsor Newton "Winton" paints seen to be the consensus third-party paint. I haven't tried any Alexander Art paints; some of their non-toxic rhetoric makes me reticent to try them as not being equivalent. Liquid white or black is often made from straight color mixed with linseed oil, at various proposed admixtures. Liquid clear can be replaced with a thin coat of linseed oil, I hear, but I have not tried it. Acrylic primer ("black gesso" which, despite the name, contains no gypsum) are any flat black, usually student-grade, acrylic paint. Primed canvasses abound at any art supply store; not even sure BRI sells them, at least not by mail order. Oversize palettes, sturdy "almighty" easels, and third-party Ross-Alexander-type knives can be found on Amazon for $12. There are a few other things like the brush beater rack or the scrubbing screen that BRI is the only way to go. Shop towels, drop cloth, safety items like fire extinguishers and covered metal pails, are all readily gotten at home improvement stores, of course.

    Ian_Adkins You don't actually need to pay full price. I'm a complete newbie to painting and I only use Bob Ross paints as that's what's recommend for this style of painting. When I first started I got whole load of it off ebay, paints, knives, brushes, easel, palette, odourless paint thinner, the lot. What seems to happen is the same as all hobbies, some people get all the kit, sometimes bought for them as gifts, and they don't really want it or can't get to grips with it and end up selling it off, much of it still in new condition. And I paid about a third of the original price. The only thing I had to buy and pay full price for was canvases, I find smooth linen triple primed ones are great for Bob's technique. The canvases I like are now constantly out of stock so I've recently ended up buying a batch that need extra coats of gesso to get the smooth surface that works for me. I've done a couple with one extra coat which is an improvement, next one I will apply 2 extra coats and see if that improves it further.

      How clever, eBay hadn't occurred to me. It makes eminent sense. Of course, now the word is out, expect competition for those lightly used supplies!

      I've bought used oils before successfully.. brushes are hit and miss a lot. Most people do not know or don't bother to take care of their brushes.. but estate sales can be a gold mine. I just picked up 3 folding TV tables for 10 bucks. Nice wooden ones. And perfect next to the easel for holding supplies, paint, brushes etc.. coffee 😃

        Write a Reply...