Brushes make a lot of difference. It’s a bit like buying a child and cheap instrument to learn to play on – sure they’ll not appreciate a super-high-end one at the start, but giving them something cheap and nasty that won’t stay in tune actually makes it all the more difficult to learn in the first place!

Same goes with brushes; get some half-decent ones.

I’ve a few Windsor and Newton Series 7 Kolinsky brushes and love them for detail work. BUT – they’re not my favourites. My favourite brushes are the old citadel orange-tipped “standard” brushes. The more modern all-black “standard” brushes are ok, but – for me at least – just not as easy to use as the orange-tipped ones. Get her some brushes with a big “belly” that also hold a nice point.

The Army Painter brushes (I got a full set with the Mega Paint set a few years ago) are ok – some people like the triangular handles – but the bristles are longer and thinner – they don’t have a lot of volume to them. W&N Series 7 miniature brushes are the same – the bristles go from the ferrule straight to the tip of the point, in an elongated straight-sided cone shape, rather than the traditional tear-drop shape you think of with paint brushes.

In short, don’t skimp on brushes. But don’t necessarily assume that the most expensive ones are “better”. Brushes that can hold a lot of paint and keep a nice sharp tip will make her painting much more fun.

Keep it enjoyable. If she takes to it, she’ll have years of frustration still to come 😉 So make these early steps as easy and enjoyable as possible!