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I am having problems with keeping my smaller brushes in a point.
The brissles fan out which makes it really hard to paint small areas and edges.
I run my brushes through a piece of paper towel every time I wash them but they just won't stay pointed.

Any advice?

well, step one should be to change your techinque. With fine bristled brushes you should be painting on an angle (hopefully you are). If your problem persist I would recommend buying some brush shaper at a art store. Its a bottle of liquid that will remedy your situation. Remember though that your fine brushes should receive the best care period. You might also think about investing in some brush cleaner as well

Element206 wrote:well, step one should be to change your techinque. With fine bristled brushes you should be painting on an angle (hopefully you are).

QFT.

Never, ever paint with the tip of your brush. Always paint with the side of the bristles of youe brush.

When you are drying out the brush on the paper towel, run the brush down the towel at a 45 degree angle while spinning the brush so that it forms a point. Once you are done painting, do the same thing and dip the new point into brush shaper.

When you buy your brushes make sure to keep the small plasic tube that they come with, if they don't come with one ask at the counter for one. If they doesn't work make some out of a drinking straw. Once you've got this, start storing your brushes with the tip down. This will prevent the water trapped in the ferrul from rotting out the glue and it will work along with gravity to prevent your brushes from curlling over.

Thanks this is really helpful.

On topic (hopefully) does anybody know any cheap brushes that i can get in britian? My GW brushes i bought when i began are going crap and i need some more.

I use the side of the brush AND the point. I have no issues. Then again, Im careful too.

Sounds like paint is drying inside the brush. This will cause the bristles to 'fan' out.

To stop this, buy some brush cleaner from an art store. Water doesnt do this for you properly. You must use a cleaner if you want your brushes to stay healthy. ill clean my brush 3 or 4 times during a session. Its very quick to do.

I would highly recommend brush cleaner whether you are having problems or not. I use this stuff called "the master's brush cleaner and preserver" and it's resurrected tons of brushes. It can get into the deepest recesses of your brush so that the material that often causes your bristles to fan out is removed. It also removes staining very well.

Another factor is the brush quality. Some brushes will just do that after they reach a certain age of use.

Also, don't let the paint go right up to the metal point because it will ruin the brush faster, especially if you didn't wash it ASAP. It also helps if you point your brush every 5-15 minutes or so: just wet the brush and readjust the point with your fingers and twirl it a little.

Try the master's brush cleaner and preserver. That product is AMAZING.

Make sure you keep them very clean, sounds like you've got dry paint building up at the base and/or you are pushing too hard on the bristles when painting. Also bear in mind that a brush isn't going to last forever. I usually replace mine every few months, but my painting style is pretty hard on brushes.

Also, when you are done using the brush dip it in clean water and smooth it to a point with your lips. Sorta like you were rolling a fatty.


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EagleArk wrote:On topic (hopefully) does anybody know any cheap brushes that i can get in britian? My GW brushes i bought when i began are going crap and i need some more.

I tried several brands of cheapo brushes....the GW ones work best IMO. I think Royal UK makes some nice art tools...might check that company.

A couple of years ago, when i started the hobby at my local FLGS we were taught to wash out the brush well, then put it in our mouth's and run it threw our lips while twirling it.

obviously you only do this if your paints are non toxic, yes paint doesnt taste nice, but if you can taste paint on your brush you obviously havent washed it out well enough!

NOTE: i have no responsibility for any damages at all.

Mewiththeface wrote:Try the master's brush cleaner and preserver. That product is AMAZING.

Thanks for the recomendation.

Where do you buy it from?

You can buy it from near any artsupplies/art and hobby store If all comes to all, you could also order it online from any large online store like Amazon, or a local art store.

RaptorsTallon wrote:

Mewiththeface wrote:Try the master's brush cleaner and preserver. That product is AMAZING.

Thanks for the recomendation.

Where do you buy it from?

The cheapest place is dick blick online. You can get a MASSIVE tub for a classroom for 28 bucks. Compared to 10 for a small little bar in art stores.

+1 for Master's. It's great for cleaning - it'll restore bristle color by removing all the stuck pigment that builds up over time and it helps release chunks of dried paint from the ferrule that you didn't even know were there (the #1 culprit in cases of bristle spread).

As an added bonus, you can use it as a long-term tip shaper - just load up and lather the brush head, shape it, then let it dry that way when not in use. Next time you want to paint, it's as easy as washing out the soap and going to it.

Hell, the stuff even smells nice. While the bulk discount on the large tubs is great, one of the little puck tubs will last you for AGES. I've barely even made a dent in mine (granted, I'm a very infrequent painter, but even if I painted 10 infantry models per week, it would still probably last me well over a year. Art stores are almost guaranteed to carry it, as well as numerous online sellers, large and small.

Spending the extra coinage on some good brushes helps too. I bought a set from an art dealer that have some sort of weird squirrel hair tips (farmed humanely of course) cost me a pretty penny but they've kept their shape for almost a year now.