I loved seeing what their hair looks like when it arrives and how they process it before they then start making it into brushes. Who knew it was gum arabic which creates that coating on the brush to preserve its shape until it reaches its owner?
More facts
- Da Vinci's very civilised website is very accessible - it's available in four languages - German, English, French and Italian
- They also have a page about the brush production process and a leaflet about the brush factory
- This a glossary of the technical terms used in brush-making
- This is their very comprehensive artists brush guide - and a page which takes you to the guide for individual types of brushes.
- They also have a page where you can find a dealer close to you
- The new Winsor and Newton website seems to be dumbed down compared to its predecessor which I liked a lot.
- Rosemary Brushes are brilliant in their descriptions in relation to individual brushes but say nothing about the process.
Thank you! A wonderful example of german skill and efficiency! I do hope they( almost all women!) get paid according to their great skill !
ReplyDeleteA pity that W&N do not have a similar video. Are their brushes perhaps made in China, by workers who are equally skilled as the Da Vinci ones but with less agreable working conditions? I heard somewhere that the W&N paint is now made in China, and I thought it might be the same for brushes. But that may be a false rumor!I really would liketo know, för as much as the quality of a product is important, so is the working conditions for those who produce the product! At least now I can buy Da Vinci brushes with a good consience;-)!( unless one starts to think about the poor weasels...)
I was told by a chap at Green & Stone that the W&N paint is now all made in the old LeFranc & Bourgeois plant in France.
ReplyDeleteNothing so far as I aware is made in the UK
Very, very sad.
Thank you for posting that. I love Da Vinci brushes and was immediately struck by the excellent working conditions and quality design. Feels good to buy them.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to know where our materials come from.
ReplyDeleteOn another tack slightly did you see the irrepressible Ruth Goodman in Secrets of the Castle on TV the other night making a medieval paint brush from badgers hair and the shaft of a feather? ( the badger was road kill) I don't know about the bird!
No! I didn't see that one.
ReplyDelete