Paintbrushes are a vital investment for any artist, and not caring for them properly can lead to unnecessary damage to the brush and unwanted marks on your artwork. By keeping your brushes well maintained, you can keep the quality of your brush strokes and prolong the lifespan of your paintbrushes. In this journal post, we will delve into the common mistakes artists make with their paintbrushes and offer tips on avoiding them. From learning proper brush cleaning techniques to the caps that brushes come with, we’ll cover everything to help you keep your brushes in top condition.
Choosing the wrong brush for the project
It’s important to use the appropriate brush for your artwork to ensure that you get the desired outcome. Different types of brush shapes, sizes and hair types can have a huge effect on your painting. For example, using a soft and delicate sable brush for thick oil paint can damage the brush hair, while firmer bristle hair brushes may not give the smooth finish needed for watercolour strokes. Likewise, using smaller brushes for covering large areas can put more pressure on the hair and cause them to fray. So it’s important to match the right brush to the right medium, use the correct size and hairs to help your tools last longer.
Here’s a guide from Cass Art, providing a nice insight into choosing which paintbrush is suitable for different techniques
Not cleaning your brushes properly
Cleaning your paintbrushes properly is key to helping maintain their shape and performance. You should clean your brushes immediately after each use to prevent paint drying in the hairs- especially if you’re painting with acrylic paint as this dries very quickly. Once paint starts to dry in the hairs, even if you remove the paint with chemicals, the fibres will be damaged.
The cleaning method can also have a huge effect on brush damage as well. Stay away from harsh scrubbing, and instead either use water or solvents and gently kneed the hair in your fingers to pry the hair out the brush. Read our paintbrush cleaning blog for a comprehensive guide to properly maintaining your brushes, listing the different solvents that are suitable for each type of paint.
Using the correct cleaning method for your brushes can help to keep them in perfect condition and ready for the next time that you paint.
Paintbrush storage
The storage of your brushes is just as important as cleaning them. Brushes should always be dried horizontally to let the water out of the brush instead of draining down into the brush ferrule, where the dissolved paint can dry in the hair. Once fully dry, they can then be stored upright, but never on their bristles, as this can deform the hairs and compromise their shape. Here, brush holders/jars can be used to keep them organised and help them keep them upright so no damage is done to the hair. You should also keep your brushes in a cool, dry place to help prevent any growth from mould. Storing your brushes properly not only helps prolong their life, but they will also so ready for your next painting session.
Here are some creative ideas for paintbrush storage.
How different paint types can affect your brush hair
Different types of paint can have a huge effect on the condition of your paintbrushes. Softer hair brushes like sable and squirrel are great for gouache and watercolour painting but are not stiff enough to move thick oil paint around.
Likewise, firm bristle brushes work great with oil paint but can be too harsh for use with thinner paint. Understanding which hair types you should use with each paint is important for preventing unnecessary wear and tear on your brushes. Our paintbrush hair guide breaks down the ideal hair types for each paint media.
Not experimenting with brush types and shapes
Just sticking to the same brush shapes for every project can stop you from learning and discovering new techniques. Experimenting and playing around with new brush shapes/hairs can have a huge effect on the brush strokes that you create within your artwork. Although rounds, flats and filberts can create a huge range of brush strokes suitable for most types of artwork, more specialist shapes can help create new textures and effects that would be more difficult with a more traditional shape. For example, fan brushes are great for blending paints, rigger brushes can create long and continuous lines and swordliner brushes are great for creating petals and leaves. Being open to experimenting with new brushes can have a huge effect on the paintings that you can create.
Read our guide on brush shapes and the strokes that they can create here.
Replacing your brush caps once they’ve been removed
When you buy a paintbrush, they will come with a small plastic cap covering the hairs. These are to protect the hair of the brush from being damaged during postage. Our skilled team of brush makers place these on the brush once the hair has been shaped, so as soon as the cap has been removed and the brush hair is broken up, they should be thrown away or recycled. If not, you’ll risk catching hairs and bending them outwards!
Throwing out your damaged brushes
Okay, so this one sounds a bit contradictory, aren’t we supposed to be telling you how to not damage them? Well yes but try this, your damaged brushes can actually create some great effects on your paintings that others can’t- as their hairs aren’t uniform, they can leave some really cool lines. However, if you want your brushes back to normal, check out our guide on how to fix a paintbrush.