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HairySticks wrote:
I find the best way to get paint out of the brush is with brush cleaner / preserver.
And the actual method for forming a point on a brush is to dip it in the water, so that its got a massive drip hanging off, and then to give the brush a sharp flick of the wrist to throw that drop out, the tip will for while doing that.

You people licking the brush are disgusting :/ seriously, go sort out your hygiene!

I believe we have an immune system with a liver for a reason

I think I've read enough about sucking the tip to know where this is going now (straight to the hobby shop to be precise). Thanks everyone, looks like I need a new brush.

 Selym wrote:

HairySticks wrote:
I find the best way to get paint out of the brush is with brush cleaner / preserver.
And the actual method for forming a point on a brush is to dip it in the water, so that its got a massive drip hanging off, and then to give the brush a sharp flick of the wrist to throw that drop out, the tip will for while doing that.

You people licking the brush are disgusting :/ seriously, go sort out your hygiene!

I believe we have an immune system with a liver for a reason

Sure you have a liver and immune system so that you can ingest paint willingly you go on thinking that.
Just because you have a liver, that doesnt mean its clever to be putting heavy metals and toxic chemicals into your mouth by concious choice. When theres been a more hygienic way of forming a point for many many years already. If its the saliva that you think makes it work well.. spit onto your pallet.
No excuses for actually eating paint, no matter how small an amount it is.
Sure acrylic paints are non-toxic, the labels say so, but theyre also not intended for consumption and toxicity when consumed isnt part of that non-toxic label. Because thats not the intended use.

Quite literally as soon as you stray from the expected use of a product, its toxicity labels are out the window as that wasnt tested because honestly who would go eating paint? (you apparantly)

HairySticks wrote:

 Selym wrote:

HairySticks wrote:
I find the best way to get paint out of the brush is with brush cleaner / preserver.
And the actual method for forming a point on a brush is to dip it in the water, so that its got a massive drip hanging off, and then to give the brush a sharp flick of the wrist to throw that drop out, the tip will for while doing that.

You people licking the brush are disgusting :/ seriously, go sort out your hygiene!

I believe we have an immune system with a liver for a reason

Sure you have a liver and immune system so that you can ingest paint willingly you go on thinking that.
Just because you have a liver, that doesnt mean its clever to be putting heavy metals and toxic chemicals into your mouth by concious choice. When theres been a more hygienic way of forming a point for many many years already. If its the saliva that you think makes it work well.. spit onto your pallet.
No excuses for actually eating paint, no matter how small an amount it is.
Sure acrylic paints are non-toxic, the labels say so, but theyre also not intended for consumption and toxicity when consumed isnt part of that non-toxic label. Because thats not the intended use.

Quite literally as soon as you stray from the expected use of a product, its toxicity labels are out the window as that wasnt tested because honestly who would go eating paint? (you apparantly)

Calm down, bro.
I was joking. And you're supposed to wash the brush before licking it.

Always wash the brush before licking it.

Washing a brush without using some level of soap, brush cleaner, or a solvent to remove the traces of paint will not actually get it all out.

Go try it, dip your brush in red paint, swirl it around as you would in the water, then go straight to white and tell me you dont now have pink?
Trace amounts of all paints get left on the brush, even propper cleaners dont magic it away.
Your being ridiculous defending your filthy brush licking habbit.

In this very thread people have said about the taste of paints, proving that you guys are not cleaning them thoroughly enough.

I'm really calm just trying to give you guys some decent advice against your rather disgusting habbit. Feel free to totally ignore it, but when youve got liver problems in 50 years from ingesting heavy metals trace amounts at a time... dont say no one tried to warn you

HairySticks wrote:
Go try it, dip your brush in red paint, swirl it around as you would in the water, then go straight to white and tell me you dont now have pink?
Trace amounts of all paints get left on the brush, even propper cleaners dont magic it away.
Your being ridiculous defending your filthy brush licking habbit.

I've done that with my brushes, and didn't get pink.

I also didn't use soap...

But, then again, I don't actually put my brush in my mouth, I just lick my thumb and forefinger and mould the hairs back into place...

 Selym wrote:

HairySticks wrote:
Go try it, dip your brush in red paint, swirl it around as you would in the water, then go straight to white and tell me you dont now have pink?
Trace amounts of all paints get left on the brush, even propper cleaners dont magic it away.
Your being ridiculous defending your filthy brush licking habbit.

I've done that with my brushes, and didn't get pink.

I also didn't use soap...

But, then again, I don't actually put my brush in my mouth, I just lick my thumb and forefinger and mould the hairs back into place...

Which is a much better solution than putting the brush to your mouth. If your finding that its the use of your own saliva, then simply move some of that to a pallete, or you fingers whatever. Theres absolutely no need to go about physically licking the bristles. No stretch of my imagination can find a good reason to that can't be avoided entirely.

Our hygiene is fine, it's a water based paint with non-toxic additives. If I was using something other than Citadel like oil based paints or enamels I wouldn't put that stuff anywhere near me. And if your brush is already fraying and you're trying to make it last you can flick your wrist like a whip, it's not going to put a tip back on.

 Bobaram wrote:
Our hygiene is fine, it's a water based paint with non-toxic additives. If I was using something other than Citadel like oil based paints or enamels I wouldn't put that stuff anywhere near me. And if your brush is already fraying and you're trying to make it last you can flick your wrist like a whip, it's not going to put a tip back on.

This.

HairySticks wrote:
Washing a brush without using some level of soap, brush cleaner, or a solvent to remove the traces of paint will not actually get it all out.

Go try it, dip your brush in red paint, swirl it around as you would in the water, then go straight to white and tell me you dont now have pink?
Trace amounts of all paints get left on the brush, even propper cleaners dont magic it away.
Your being ridiculous defending your filthy brush licking habbit.

In this very thread people have said about the taste of paints, proving that you guys are not cleaning them thoroughly enough.

I'm really calm just trying to give you guys some decent advice against your rather disgusting habbit. Feel free to totally ignore it, but when youve got liver problems in 50 years from ingesting heavy metals trace amounts at a time... dont say no one tried to warn you

I can, with 1000000% honesty and assurity, say that if I do have liver problems in 50 years, it WILL NOT be from licking my paintbrush .

I found this youtube video very helpful. Here he talks about brush control and getting a very fine point. (without licking )

http://youtu.be/Sdyl7TBw3H0?t=4m9s

 Igloo wrote:
fine point. (without licking )

BURN THE WITCH!

Though on a serious note you shouldn't really twist brush tips, as that it what eventually causes them to split and you end up with two sharp points, which is really annoying and hard to correct.

Finer lines are usually made possible by pressing very lightly, and using lots of retarder so that the paint runs off easily ~ without needing to press hard.

It should be worth noting that even the most finely crafted brush will quickly lose a fine point if proper technique is not followed. You shouldn't be using a detail brush for dabbing or stippling paint. Nor should you use that brush to apply a drybrush to a surface. Use your old junk brushes for that. A painter should always be pulling paint onto a surface. You can even reform your tip by doing so. That's basically what folks are doing by "licking" their brushes. It's the pulling action that reforms the tip. I don't know if it has been mentioned yet either, but try to keep junk out of the brush ferrule (the metal bit where the bristles go into the brush). That's what is keeping your brush together. Very hot water will loosen the bristles from the brush and you'll find your brush shedding onto your models more often. Paint in the ferrule will also ruin your brushes. I find that keeping tips on even cheap brushes isn't too hard. They won't last forever, but I get what I pay for. Usually, the problem I have with cheap brushes is the tip begins to curl after a while. I actually keep those around too. They are handy for getting into weird undercuts or awkward angles.
All that self important noise aside, sometimes a brush is just junk from the start. But don't pitch em, even the lousy ones have their uses.

general "fine" tip, as said, I lick em or pinch em, buy quality and you are usually good for a bit.

but over time even my 7$ a peice fancy art points will degrade, as they do they get downgraded in finess and replaced.

I will also take a razor to old brushes to re cut the tip, or cut 99% of the bristles off so that I have just one or two left.
doesnt hold paint well, but enough to do a dot or two for eyes/pupils/ect

never use fine tips for actual "brushing" IE back and forth motion, only use the tip,

you have broader brushed made for actual "brushing"

the fine stuff needs to be used minimally, and only for fine detail work that just utillizes the tip

kb305 wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:

kb305 wrote:
dont encourage others to adopt your bad habits
shaping the brush with your fingers works just as well and is not so unhealthy. if you must goober your brush i hope you're using a double bath rinsing system and changing your rinse water often.

But... I haven't figured out which paint tastes the best though

i heard the old GW foundation paint was extra tasty. made in china. barely passed regulations for lead. mm mm good.

Nah, they're fine *twitch* I hardly notice my new GW Fine-ticks *twitch*

Also GW washes smell and taste the worst... Nothing like putting down a wash of Baal Red and putting it in your mouth accidentally... Vinegar Strokes got nothing on that face...

 privateer wrote:

All that self important noise aside, sometimes a brush is just junk from the start. But don't pitch em, even the lousy ones have their uses.

I can attest to that.
I've got a pair of large splayed out brushes with tough hairs. I use them for basecoating by stabbing at the model, and for painting large areas (such as tanks, or the wings of a Daemon Prince).

francesco farabi is a paint eater. http://www.puttyandpaint.com/Franciuus He eats the paint to help achieve his superior blends. I watched a whole miniature mentor tutorial while he was doing it and you could hear him smacking and gobbling paint the whole time. Really disgusting. But you can't argue with the results.

I don't lick brushes. I think its kind of foul. But I enlisted in the military and fought in afghanistan to give people the right to choose.

Sweet. One innocent question and a holy war is starting on whether to lick brushes or not. I feel compelled to do an assay on the toxicity of pigments, but from my gut feeling I'd say that most of the stuff that is in widespread use today is fairly safe. Even the heavy-metal based pigments like cadmium sulfide are non-toxic because they don't dissolve in your stomach and thus can't enter the cells. Wouldn't vouch for some old made-in-china paint though.

But some painters who used to lick the brush got a nasty case of cancer in the past. People who'd paint those "glow-in-the-dark"-dots on instruments for cockpits and whatnot. There's a fine difference between chemical toxicity and straight up nuclear radiation (paint contained radium for that healthy green glow ).

 Kosake wrote:
Sweet. One innocent question and a holy war is starting on whether to lick brushes or not. I feel compelled to do an assay on the toxicity of pigments, but from my gut feeling I'd say that most of the stuff that is in widespread use today is fairly safe. Even the heavy-metal based pigments like cadmium sulfide are non-toxic because they don't dissolve in your stomach and thus can't enter the cells. Wouldn't vouch for some old made-in-china paint though.

But some painters who used to lick the brush got a nasty case of cancer in the past. People who'd paint those "glow-in-the-dark"-dots on instruments for cockpits and whatnot. There's a fine difference between chemical toxicity and straight up nuclear radiation (paint contained radium for that healthy green glow ).

Oh Radium girls... I would hate to have my jaw literally rotting from the inside out because of that.

Got a new ferret-hair brush and it is zoggin AWESOME

Finally enough control for the tricky parts.

What brand did you pick up?

Also after reading this thread I tried licking my brush. After seeing, and tasting the results....I approve and am willing to suffer for my art.