Sable Sharp (or "OMG! This Brush Freakin' ROCKS!)

When I got off work today I walked out of my windowless office only to be greeted by a dreary, rainy, messy Southwest Louisiana sky. Not the best way to end the day, but I knew I had something special waiting for me at home. When I got to the driveway I told the kids to sit in the truck...I had to check the mail! I opened the lid and there it was...my brand new Windsor & Newton Series 7 Sable Size 3. After dinner I asked the kids if they'd like to sit on the floor and draw with me (they always get excited about that). I had to test out the new Sable and I wanted it to be an experience to remember. I'd like to share that experience with you.

First thing I noticed when I opened the USPS box was that the Sable came in a nice, plastic tube. It stood out to because the cheaper brushes I'm used to buying at the hobby stores come "open air" off the rack, and the tips usually blow out after a few pieces of heavy inking.

Besides the nice packaging, the tip on this brush was the sharpest I'd ever seen. It was a bit intimidating to look at. Often I complain about poor inking tools and blame them for some of my inking failures (I'm sure some of it is just skill, but good tools do help); looking at this brush, I knew it was going to be a good experience. I decided that to put it to the test I'd need to lay down some relatively tight pencils to ink on top of. I can knock out a human face pretty quick so that's what I decided to do.

So, after I finished the pencils I dipped the brush in the ink and went to work. I can't be any clearer than this; the Windsor Sable 7 #3 is the best tool that I've ever inked with. I was able to hit all of my pencil marks with ease, even the smaller tic marks (I even added a few extra ones that I couldn't get with the pencil). And the larger strokes went the same way; no problem.

I cleaned up the brush (with the proper cleaner) and formed the tip into a point. I couldn't be more satisfied with the purchase of this brush. The results, for my skill level, are superior to any I've ever had. If you're a professional illustrator, inker or just a hobbyist like me, it is definitely worth purchasing and adding to your arsenal of inking and sketching tools. Having the control that this brush provides really does a lot to boost my confidence in inking my pencils. I'm really looking forward to putting this brush to work on my upcoming commissions.