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Well, as you can probably guess, I'm a painting noob.

I just started painting my first squad and I've already more or less ruined two of the paintbrushes from my Citadel set.
The bristles are going in all directions.

I don't know what it is I'm doing that's causing this.

Anyone have any idea how I can avoid this? I mean, I'm obviously doing something VERY wrong!

It's possible you're dipping your brush way too deep in the paint. If paint builds up inside the metal ferrule, the bristles will separate. Certain kinds of painting techniques, such as stabbing or stippling motions, will ruin brushes almost instantly.

Citadel = Junk....

Buy some decent brushes at a hobby store or fine arts supply...

Most brushes if being used alot should last 2 months....

Mileage may vary with how much love you give them...

Yea, citadel brushes don't last to long, invest in a small set of quality brushes and see how they go. If they start going everywhere, you know you’re doing it wrong. My normal sized citadel brush is used as a fine detail brush nowadays since it’s lost almost all its bristles.

Remember to always remember to clean you brush after you finished using them. Also clean them every so often. A good time is when the bristles are separating.

As Agamemnon2 said, don't put to much paint on the brush, small amounts of paint at a time are best.

I use citadell brushes, and they use to have a long life span, but one may guess the paint set-brushes are not the highest quality.
Here are my tips for pointy brushes:

Dip the brush in water and soak with a paper tissue before dipping it in paint, otherwise the paint will dry in the bristles.

Dillute thick paint or the same as above will happen.

Try not to touch the tip of the brush with your fingers, the fat of your skin will prevent it from soaking up water and paint properly. If you need to shape the tip, use a paper tissue.

Good luck and may your paint brushes live long!

Don't get paint in the ferrule, the metal part.

Clean/wash you brush waaaay more often than you think is necessary. Don't just wash you brush when you switch colour. Say, you are painting the faces and hands of Guardsmen. Wash you brush every time you have painted the faces/hands on three models.
If you are base coating a model rinse your brush every minute (at least).
It takes but a few seconds, and it will extend the life of your brush immensely.

Use an old/worn-out/dedicated brush to do washes and drybrushing.

It goes completely without saying that you shouldn't paint by "stabbing" the paint unto the model. Use real brush strokes.

i have also heard wonderful things about masters brush soap if you are looking to make your brushes last even longer. just throw that into a google search and it should come up fine

Same thing happened to me when I was a noob. (Still am). As people have already said; If the paint gets clogged up in the ferrule (the metal bit) the bristles start top separate.

Good thing is that you can use these (wrecked brushes) as stripling brushes. I still have an old (wrecked) standard brush that I use to stripple. So it's not all bad!

Also as people have said clean proper cleaning of brushes can make them last longer.

What people have not yet mentioned is that Vallejo sells a brush restorer.

I was going to buy it to save a fine detail brush, but I thought I would do more research. About 3 months later I haven't done that yet! In the end I just bought another brush! It might be worth it if you do some research though, I might regret buying a new brush.

I'm still fairly new to painting, but I can agree with the other advice. It certainly helps to clean your brushes after every use, and to keep them wet while painting (I like to keep a big jar of water on the table and swirl the brush around in it every few minutes). I also find that this stuff does a wonderful job at brush cleanup, and isn't too expensive:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Masters-Brush-Cleaner-Preserver/dp/B001TNR7VM/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1331990219&sr=8-10

Thanks guys!

Maybe there is hope for my remaining brushes after all

When cleaning your brushes in water don't dab them onto the bottom of the waterpot. Use strokes, also when drying them. And like said before, clean them often and dont get paint in the ferrule. GW brushes will last pretty long if used correctly. I'm still using a standard brush that's lasted of over 4 months of painting (and I paint a lot)

Use acrilic thinners you can buy it from any mod + hobbie store very cheap . Try adding a little to your water every time you paint.

The great thing about cheapo citadel starter brushes is they turn into lovely drybrushes for small areas.

Masters Brush Cleaner - IMO as necessary for painting as a cup of water. The stuff is seriously that good.

Also, get yourself some Rosemary and Co Series 33 brushes. Same price as Citadel, but they're made with top of the line Kolinsky Sable bristles. The absolute best bang for your buck for miniature painting brushes.

As for prolonging the longevity of your brushes, here's a tip: when getting paint out of a pot, have a crummy brush that's only used for that purpose. If paint gets up into the ferrule, whoopee, it's a throwaway brush. Use the same crappy brush for thinning paint with water as well. Switch to your good brush once you're ready to apply paint from the palette onto the miniature.