When you buy an expensive paint brush, the question of maintenance becomes necessary for the sake of optimum value. At the same time, you may not be totally free from ruining some friendly paintbrushes in your painting career. The only good thing is that you should get better to derive more value from them. You may also find a painter who is perhaps guilty of all the tips we share in this article. Furthermore, don’t think of these few tips as what you need in part. You should implement them altogether. Without wasting time, let us begin to see the helpful tips to maintain a good paint brush for as long as you want.
Choose what specific paint brush to buy
The value of your paint brush is not only about how much you invest. It also involves your personal choices. It is not every time you have to buy expensive paint brushes to have them last more. Inexpensive brushes may not spoil quickly too. Meanwhile, a low cost of a paintbrush may indicate the kind of materials used and their durability. However, other factors are also crucial in the value of the brush.
For example, a paintbrush with synthetic fiber as bristles is cheaper than those with natural animal hair. Here is one reason why some paintbrushes are far more expensive than others. When you are out to buy a paint brush, take your time to scrutinize them in the store and attempt to pull the bristles to see how strong they are. The real test may come from there at times, and you can determine their strength. You don’t want to experience picking loose bristles from your painting.
Never leave your paint brush standing in the water
More often than not, artists are tempted to leave paintbrushes in water during cleaning. Yet, it is a terrible habit because you may utterly forget to pull it out. Even if the paint brush only spends a few hours standing in water, it is still harmful to it. It is not a crime to dip in water significantly as you change colors every now and then. But leaving it in water for several hours because you want to clean it is wrong.
Furthermore, the shape of the paintbrush bristles is essential in their use in different parts of the painting. And by leaving the brushes standing in water, you violate that use. You simply rigger the fine lines the paintbrushes would have made because it now loses its shape and takes another. As the paintbrush sits in the water, its entire weight rests on the bristles. After a while, the bristles begin to bend, and the change may become permanent L-shapes.
Allow your paint brushes to dry flat and bristles facing up
There is a shape for storing your paint brush because you want to cultivate a maintenance attitude. One of such ways is to keep the brushes in a flat position. Don’t just throw your brushes anywhere or stuff them in a standing container with bristles facing up. The design of the paint brush, especially the watercolor brush, is such that it can hold a lot of fluid. If you keep them facing up, the remaining water drains into the ferrule and, over time, spoils the paintbrush.
The next position stays flat since we know we can’t keep these brushes facing down or facing up. Therefore, let your paintbrushes dry flat on the table. And if you like, you may use a rag to absorb any remaining water contents before final storage. You have saved a great deal by the time you allow the brushes to dry up before storing them in your container.
Reshape your bristles before they dry
If you have used a paintbrush for a long time, you should maintain it by reshaping it after use. While allowing the paintbrush to dry up, use some comb or towel to aid it in regaining its old shape. After using the paintbrush and cleaning them, don’t forget to reshape them to avoid losing shape. In addition, you can develop the habit of reshaping it even from the wetness or use your fingers to tidy up the cleaning process. Visit http://brentbailer.com/the-best-paint-brushes-for-walls/ to read about The best paint brushes for walls.
Watercolor paintbrushes are often better for this method because they are easier to maintain. When the paint is removed, the brush can regain its shape. When shaping the flat paintbrush, you should target a chisel point while they are still wet. If you notice that your flats now have splayed bristles, know that you cannot use them to create strokes of crisp and clean edges. So, you need to aid the endpoint of the paint brush.
Avoid harsh solvents in cleaning your Paint brush
When artists employ harsh solvents because they want faster results, it often bounces back on the paintbrush. No professional artist will recommend you get used to using harsh chemicals always to clean your brushes. They cause enormous harm to your paintbrushes. For instance, using a nail polisher (acetone), isopropyl alcohol, and lacquer thinner is dangerous for your brushes. They are highly flammable, and any fume caused is hazardous to health.
Apart from harming health, the solvent can also spoil some paintbrushes’ materials. The harsh chemical often does more than dissolve paint; it also damages the bristles of the paintbrush handles. Moreover, they can dissolve the adhesives on the ferrule, thereby making the hairs weak and loose. As an alternative, you can use the EZ acrylic paintbrush cleaner that can help you regain your brush without hurting your work. You can read about CARE OF ACRYLIC PAINTINGS by clicking here.
Conclusion
On a final note, continuing with certain habits does more harm than good to your painting career. And the sooner the artist realizes this fact, the better for all. You can overcome any hurdle with your paintbrushes when you imbibe some of the ideas we have just shared above. However, if you still have some questions or make suggestions, send us an email or leave a comment below.