When using the painter’s paintbrush, there are rules of the game to get your imagination out. Aside from excellent output, you also want to maintain the efficiency of your paintbrush for a long time to come. This article addresses the dos and don’ts to keep its best shapes. In addition, it helps you when making a decision to buy paintbrushes since you have an excellent user culture.
At the same time, by looking after your paintbrushes, you can make them last a bit longer. By implication, you can get a tremendous value out of the investment you make in them. Remember that good brushes can be expensive, so you should take good care of your paintbrush. Following the list of do’s and don’ts below is an excellent place to start cultivating a good culture of paint brush maintenance, especially as an artist in Australia.
Let us begin with the don’ts of a paintbrush
Don’ts of a Paint Brush
- Don’t allow the paint to dry up on your paint brush
One of the worst habits that a painter or artist can have is always allowing paints to dry up during the brushes. If you use acrylic paints mainly, you should be conscious that they quickly dry up. Therefore, be aware of this fact and ensure you clean them up quickly when you are done painting.
Even while in use, acrylic paints can quickly dry up on paintbrushes because the outer layer starts drying first. While working, the ferrule begins to dry up before you finish your painting. The ferrule is the part of the brush that connects the bristles to the brush’s handle. If you allow the paint to dry up on the ferrule, it stops the flexibility of the hairs on the next stroke.
- Don’t put excess paint on the brush
Many newbie artists think that they can save time and make bolder strokes by overloading the paintbrush. But the reverse is the case when it comes to the effect on your paintbrush. Avoid the temptation of filling up your entire bristles for any of the reasons above. When you overload a paintbrush, the ferrule must have started drying up before you exhaust the chunk of paint on it. You can read about the best and most-useful paint brushes by clicking here.
In practical terms, an overloaded brush with paint will usually cover up your ferrule. And the color starts drying up from there even before your finish the work. Once the paint dries up on the paintbrush, removing them and separating the ferrule from the bristles becomes difficult. The dry paint builds up at this point until the painting becomes less flexible with this brush.
- Don’t leave your paintbrush in water overnight
After a long day’s job, many painters decide to soak their paint brushes in water over the night. This habit is also a terrible one. In actual fact, even leaving your paintbrush for too many hours can also spoil the tool. One simple harm is that it gives the brush an L-shape over time and affects your strokes. If an artist does not adequately take care of the paintbrush, the new shape may become permanent.
On the other hand, you may even forget it there but know that leaving paint brushes bent overnight is terrible. When they hurt the brushes, they may not recover. Even if you have not finished the piece you are working on, it may be a great habit to avoid that from happening. At the same time, you can buy paintbrushes from reputable stores where your value is maintained.
Do’s of a Paint Brush
- Always clean your paintbrush after use
One fundamental skill to learn is cleaning your paintbrush after use. Moreover, if you enjoy working with acrylic paints because they dry up quickly, it is for the same reason you should clean them quickly. When working with these paints, leaving them for only a few hours could leave dry stains on the ferrule and bristles. And it takes no small job to permanently get that off.
The best advice is to get warm water to clean the paint brush immediately when using acrylic paints. Even if you use oil paints, you will need to rinse them in warm soapy water after the session to remove all the paints. After washing in warm water, you can use a rag to remove any excess dye. In addition, you may rinse them in turpentine and then wipe them with another clean rag.
- Use plastic tubes to transport your paint brushes
Plastic tubes are the surest ways to protect brushes from spoilt bristles. You can either get one plastic brush for each paint brush or group them in a few plastic tubes. The main essence of these tubes is that they can help transport your paintbrushes safely without spoiling the bristles. In some climes, canvas brush holders are also available for anyone to arrange brushes, roll them up and move them.
- Salvage your Yucky paint brushes
If you discover that there are a few of your paintbrushes that you forgot to clean immediately, all hope may not be lost. The next thing to boil is the entire brush in a pot of vinegar. Give it some time before removing it, and wait till it cools off. When it does, comb the bristles gently until all the paint particles fall off. In the case of dry acrylic paint on your paint brush, you can remove it with denatured alcohol. Visit https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0079612318300013 to read about Culture and art: Importance of art practice, not aesthetics, to early human culture.
Conclusion
No matter the type of paint you are using and the cleaning agent you employ, you should first learn the proper habits with your paint brush. Also, you should be gentle with the way you scrub, mash, and spread paint with your paintbrush bristles. After all, you should treat your tools as mild as possible on the canvas. If you consistently apply a lot of pressure, you can distort the shape of your brush. And at times, these changes may be permanent. Even if you can rescue the paint brush, which may be expensive, you may not get a 100% restoration.