Before Zia Sherman engineered Zibra paintbrushes, she formulated lipstick and foundation at Estée Lauder. In the first installment of Behind the Brushes, Zia sits down with her sister, Brie, and their dad, Zibra founder Mike Sherman, to explain what actually makes a brush hold more paint, release it smoothly, and maintain a crisp line. They get specific about filament shape and diameter, why Zibra has used the same proprietary formula and manufacturing process since 2005, and how Zia tests paint pickup, release, run length, stiffness, and flexibility before a new brush makes it into an artist’s hand. Zia also shares the near-disaster of finding a factory capable of producing brushes smaller than one inch and the Cut-In Brush prototype she shaped on Brie’s front porch with her husband’s electric razor. Mike brings up his secret two-and-a-half-inch Palm Pro, everyone defends their favorite brush, and rapid fire confirms that ranking your daughters is considerably harder than designing a paintbrush. Zia Sherman is the engineer and product designer behind Zibra’s paintbrushes. After developing cosmetics and managing manufacturing processes for Revlon and Estée Lauder, she joined the family business and introduced new testing standards, quality controls, and product-development processes. Mike Sherman is the founder and CEO of Zibra. He started the company more than 20 years ago with a simple question: Why were painters being asked to choose between so many brushes that all claimed to do the same thing? That question led to Zibra’s proprietary filament, application-specific brush shapes, and a family business now run alongside his daughters, Brie and Zia. Learn More About Zia, Mike, and Zibra: Explore Zia’s product-development work at ZibraConnect with Mike on LinkedInRead the Zibra Story Creative Finds Mentioned in This Episode: Chiseled WedgeCut In Paintbrush1/4" Artist Brush Set - Medium1/8" Artist Brush Set - MediumArtist Brush Set - LargeArtist Brush Set - SmallArtist Brush Set of 3 - 1/2" Round BrushesArtist Brush Set of 3 - 1/4" Square BrushesArtist Brush Set of 3 - 1/4" Triangle BrushesSquare Paintbrush Round Paintbrush Triangle PaintbrushPalm Pro PaintbrushPalm Artist - Flat Paintbrush 🖌️ Grab your brushes and creative tools at enjoyzibra.com and use code BANTER10 for 10% off. In this episode, we discuss: How Zia turned her experience formulating cosmetics and managing manufacturing for Estée Lauder into better quality systems for ZibraWhy the Cut-In Brush began with an electric razor, a test wall, and Mike trying to turn the Chiseled Wedge into something elseWhat nearly went wrong when Zibra needed a new factory capable of producing artist brushes smaller than one inchHow filament shape, diameter, packing, and processing affect paint pickup, release, durability, and line controlWhy Zibra has used one proprietary filament formula across its brushes since 2005 rather than asking painters to choose among confusing blendsHow Zia weighs paint pickup and release, measures run length, and adjusts filament length to find the right balance of stiffness and flexibilityWhy the Square and Chiseled Wedge brushes hold so much paint—and how factory partnerships have helped Zibra protect that performance without dramatically increasing pricesWelcome to Brush & Banter—the podcast where creativity meets real-life hustle. Brought to you by Zibra, we go beyond perfect brushstrokes to explore the messy, magical, and meaningful side of being an artist. We’re here to bring you conversations with working artists, practical tips to grow your creative business, and a built-in painting companion for your next project. Brush & Banter is co-hosted by Brie Hansen, President of Zibra; Annie Bolding, Founder of It’s a Disco Day Designs; and Lauren Cooper, Founder of Rosemont Lane Design Studio. Connect with Zibra: WebsiteInstagramTikTokFacebook YouTubeBlog
