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Hi guys, I haven't been able to find a post about this so I figured I would just ask. I have been painting for a while but I'm not sure that I have been cleaning off my brushes correctly when switching colors.
Here's what I usually do: I'll be working with say, the detail brush, on something. I want to switch colors so I dip the brush in a cup of water and rub it gently along the bottom and wipe it on a napkin, which takes quite a few tries to get all the paint out because it tends to well up where the bristles meet the metal, and then I switch colors. Doing this though sometimes messes up the bristles on the brush and throws some out of place, leading me to believe I am doing something wrong. Just looking for some advice or tips here on what other people usually do to clean theirs when switching colors.

thats the correct way to do it, but if you have paint up by the metal part, your dipping the brush in way too far. You only want to get paint on the tip. Makes it much easier to clean, and preserves the life of the brush.

Okay, as a rule, never let the paint go up to where the bristles meet the metal. It'll ruin your brushes in the long run, since it'll splay once the paint up there dries even at the slightest. Not good for expensive detail brushes.

What I do when changing colors is load the brush up with water, then using a napkin or my naked hand, push the remaining paint out while shaping the brush. Then test on the napkin if there are is still paint. If there is, repeat the procedure.

I like to use brush soap every now and again to get any built up paint out of the the ferrule. Amazing what comes out of a 'clean' brush with that stuff

Grab some Masters Brush Soap and use it every now and then. When I first started using it, it was able to restore years old brushes I had consigned to dry brush duty to like new condition. Now I have more new looking brushes than I know what to do with.

If you are using natural sable brushes then a little high quality hair conditioner every now and then helps keep the spring in your brush.

Ashton

Wow, thanks for all the great replies guys,
That makes a lot of sense, usually I don't get paint up there but lately I have been mixing a lot and using water to thin more than I used to and that tends to cause the paint to seep up, so maybe the problem lies in my mixing process. Does anyone have a method of mixing paints other than spooning it out of the cap with the brush onto a palette?

phoenix89 wrote:Wow, thanks for all the great replies guys,
That makes a lot of sense, usually I don't get paint up there but lately I have been mixing a lot and using water to thin more than I used to and that tends to cause the paint to seep up, so maybe the problem lies in my mixing process. Does anyone have a method of mixing paints other than spooning it out of the cap with the brush onto a palette?

well, your not going to like it.... but yea.

Switch to Vallejo paints, they come in eye dropper like tubes

phoenix89 wrote:Wow, thanks for all the great replies guys,
That makes a lot of sense, usually I don't get paint up there but lately I have been mixing a lot and using water to thin more than I used to and that tends to cause the paint to seep up, so maybe the problem lies in my mixing process. Does anyone have a method of mixing paints other than spooning it out of the cap with the brush onto a palette?

I have a specific brush with a good well I use only for getting paints and thinning them. It works pretty well and it can also be pressed into service as a wash brush too.

If you're truly gentle about rubbing the brush on the cup bottom/napkin, you shouldn't ever really get wandering bristles until the brush is on its last legs. Personally, I make a point never to scrub a brush (barring drybrushes and the like) tip on anything. Instead, I swish the tip around in the water vigorously, then gently roll the bristles against the side of the cup. If you keep the angle shallow, bristles get splayed enough to release pigment caught in the middle, but won't get pinched between the cup and the ferrule, which can cause them damage and irrevocable splaying. Once it's time to dry, I roll the brush as I gently drag it across paper towel, away from the point.

That's about as thorough a cleaning as one can give without abusing the bristles or resorting to soaps and solvents. On that topic, I'm another huge fan of Master's brush soap. Rinse your brushes as you paint and give them a good does of the Master's every now and again - they'll last longer and perform better for the duration of their service. Leave the last lather of your cleaning in until you need the brush again and the soap conditions the bristles, as well as acting as a tip shaper.

Thank you very much for all the tips guys! I guess I'll have to order up some of this masters brush soap and I do love the idea of dropper bottle paints, I wish GW would make them like that but for the time being I also like the idea of a dedicated mixing brush, I have one I only use for applying PVA glue to bases so I will probably use that one.