Dubbing brushes are fine but not really necessary. I have used them and liked them but I found myself doing it a little differently when I felt like I needed one. I would spin the first layer of dubbing on the thread tightly as I mentioned then add more dubbing just so it hangs off of the already spun on dubbing (very sparse) so it appears like a dubbing brush. There are a lot of techniques (like splitting the thread etc, but these are fairly advanced and you will pick up on them as you advance. I found it a whole lot easier for me when I first started to pick out a series of say four flies that I thought I would use the most and tie them repetitively until I was satisfied that I tied them properly. This way I learned as I tied and I didn't have to buy any special tools or materials until I was ready for them. Foam flies, my god I used the crap out of those things (still do). Easy and fun to tie and the bluegill and bass will make you giggle everytime they hit