How to Care for Watercolor Brushes
Once you've invested in some high-quality watercolor brushes, you're going to want to take care of them. Well-cared-for brushes will last for years. Here are tips on how to care for your watercolor paint brushes in order to keep them for years to come, which in turn will help you produce outstanding watercolor paintings.
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Things You'll Need
- Fan Watercolor Paintbrushes
- Flat Watercolor Paintbrushes
- Round Watercolor Paintbrushes
- Watercolor Brush Cleaners
- Watercolor Brush Holders
- Watercolor Paintbrushes
- Watercolor Paints In Tubes
Instructions
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Use watercolor brushes only with watercolor paints so you do not ruin the brushes.
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Wet watercolor brushes before you start painting.
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Set brushes in a brush holder or lay them down on the table while you are working. Do not set them in a jar or glass with the bristles pointing down.
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Wash brushes using lukewarm water and a paintbrush cleaner or soap (not detergent).
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Rinse brushes with the bristles pointing down.
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Shake brushes to remove excess water instead of wiping them on a cloth or paper towel.
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Re-form brush tips with your fingers.
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Store brushes in a brush holder in a cool, dry place.
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Tips & Warnings
Wash your hands before handling brushes. Dirt and oil from your hands can damage brushes.
Use paint from tubes. Pan paints damage bristles and shorten the life of the brush.
Avoid dipping brushes in paint past the ferrule, which is the metal band that attaches the bristles to the handle.
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Comments
View all 6 Comments-
yagmurkokusu
Oct 19, 2009
Million thanks :) I appreciate your help. Thank God there are hlp-loving people around. -
robertsloan2
Oct 05, 2007
Great tips. You can also keep a set of cheap synthetic brushes for use with pan paints, to take up the paint out of the pan. Keep them clean the same way and they'll last for a while, but expendable brushes are great for that or masking or many other applications you don't want to risk your Kolinsky sable rounds on.
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Jenny Greenleaf
Sep 18, 2007
Excellent tips - I was able to read them to my children and they were very easy to understand.
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Jenny Greenleaf
Sep 18, 2007
Excellent tips - I was able to read them to my children and they were very easy to understand.
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Jun 30, 2006
Never flex the bristles on any new non-synthetic brushes. Most new brushes are processed with an agent which holds the bristles in shape for shipping purposes. This makes the bristles stiff and brittle. If you flex the bristles you are most likely to cause breakage to some of the bristles. Always soak new brushes in plain clear water first.
