Brushes... part 1 of ???
Left 4: Vermeer Classic Mongoose Rounds (Jerry's Artarama) size 2-8; Right 2: Rosemary & Co Master's Choice Long Filberts Series 278 Various Sizes
I use a lot of different brushes for the different things that I paint. I find that the shape, type of hair and softness of the brush are important to achieving the desired effect.
The brushes above are ones that I use in painting flesh tones, hair and soft fabrics like silk or chiffon. They are very soft, inexact and perfect for achieving variety of color in skin and hair. The Vermeer are my workhorses as I use them primarily to render the three dimensional forms of the figure when it is smaller than life-size, as well as hair and eyebrows. The rosemary brushes I use while carefully placing broken highlights on the skin after I have rendered the three dimensional shape. (When I paint a life-sized figure I switch to primarily using the Rosemary Brushes as they are larger and seem to hold up better than the Vermeer for working in larger areas.)