Amazon has rolled out another sales event – Big Spring Deal. As far as miniature hobby supplies go it’s mostly a Big Spring Dud, but I did find a few bargains, including discounts on a few A Song of Fire and Ice sets.
Deal Checking and Coupons
If you want to check whether an Amazon price really is a great deal, you can check it against the collected data on the camelcamelcamel site. Enter the name of the product or the URL link in the search box. If you get a list of options, look through to find the specific product you’re considering. Scroll down a bit to see a graph of the Amazon history for that item, and a list of highest, lowest, and average prices.
Always check the listing for a coupon for additional savings! You may see an orange Coupon badge, and/or green text. Check the box in this area to apply the coupon and save even more!
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Miniatures
A Song of Fire and Ice Miniatures Game
Three sets from the game are on substantial discount at the moment:
Gold Cloaks Unit Box (42% off)
Lannister Heroes Set II (26% off)
Bolton Heroes (25% off)
Paint Brushes: Domed Drybrush
For years people searched for domed shaped drybrushes in the cosmetics section. Now goat hair dome brushes designed for painting use are much more readily available. Artis Opus pioneered these brushes in the miniature space. Their Opus D Series set is gorgeous, but it is expensive, so it is natural that people want to try a more inexpensive option before investing in it. Most listings include a photo showing the dimensions of the brushes so you can compare between options. Most of these brushes appear to be made with real goat hair, but I found one synthetic option and have included that below.
You can see examples of results with different kinds of drybrushes here, and read about how I used dome drybrushes to paint a gingerbread man figure.
Falling in Art Drybrush Set – 5 brushes, 5 different sizes
This set is currently half the price of most of the 5 brush sets currently available. It looks like a new listing with only a few reviews, and I’m not familiar with the company. If that seems too risky, the GACDR set or the Artify set are not currently on sale, but are only $5 more and have a more reviews and ratings. (Artify is an established brand in the arts & crafts hobby.)
Synthetic Drybrush Set – 4 brushes, 4 different sizes
If you prefer not to use animal products, these are a very similar design made with synthetic bristles. They’re not part of the sale, but they’re priced lower than the sets that are, and currently 10% off. I think I’m going to grab a set to try out so I can do a comparison review at some point.
Boar Bristle Stencil Brushes
Stencil brushes are often made with flat tops, but occasionally you can find them in the dome shape. These are made with boar bristles rather than goat hair. When dry or when used with oil paints and solvents, the boar bristles are stiff. They soften up considerably when used with water-based paints or when rinsed in water, but you can still get a some different textures with them. Neither of these are are part of the sale, but they’re both less than $10. Royal Brush set. CraftSmart set.
Wet Palettes
Just a few years ago the only options were homemade or the clunky Sta-Wet palette. Now there are a plethora of choices! Note that most inexpensive knock-off options do not offer refills of sponges or paper.
FUNKYLEE Wet and Dry Palette
You get a lot of stuff for a pretty low price with this one, but note that this brand does not offer refills for the sponges or paper. Includes a textured bottom tray, paint wells on the reverse of the lid, a separate plastic palette tray with space for brushes and paint wells, two sponges, 40 sheets of paper, a brush rest, and an elastic band to secure it. This is similar but not identical to the next two options. Dimensions: unknown
Nicpro Wet and Dry Palette
This brand does not seem to offer refills for the sponges or paper. The pack includes a separate plastic palette tray that has space for brushes and wells for mixing washes in addition to the flat bottom tray, four sponges, 100 sheets of paper, a brush rest, and an elastic band to secure it. The main wet palette tray comes in white or blue. The dry palette option and sponges are gray for both, which is ideal for colour mixing. (I’d probably choose the white option to keep everything in my colour mixing area a neutral colour.) Dimensions: 9.6in by 6.2in
Studio Tools
Reversible Self-Healing Cutting Mat
A cutting mat protects your surface from getting scratched by hobby knives and other tools. This 9×6 mat includes Imperial measurements, a variety of grid sizes, and angle degree guides. Paint does not clean up as easily from these as it does from silicone, but you can clean them, or layer a silicone mat on top when you want to get messy with paint.
Disclosure Statement
Links to products on Amazon in this article are affliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission when someone makes a qualifying purchases by using these links. There is no extra cost to you when buying through these links. The commissions I earn are used to pay the costs of maintaining this site, and I very much appreciate your assistance!
Bird with a Brush 