How to Care for and Extend the Life of Your Paint Brushes
Behind every Picasso and Van Gogh is a paintbrush that writes the story of humanity’s greatest cultural legacy, art. Today, the entire history of the past is preserved through the intricate and creative minds of thousands of artists across the world, using it as a form of self-expression. Centuries of knowledge and imagination encapsulated in the simplicity of a canvas filled with colour, and even today, millions of individuals preserve this legacy through the simple stroke of their paintbrush. It’s obvious that these brushes are an extension of the artists themselves.
Given this, it cannot be stressed enough how important these tools are in preserving only humanity’s greatest contribution. So, it’s only natural that one tries to maintain them for as long as possible. While it is true that they can easily be replaced, each artist, however, has their own favourite. Sure, the market is filled with these top-rated paint brushes, but eventually one must care for these like they are an extension of their own selves. That’s why preservation and maintenance are always key to making great art.
Using Only the Right Paint: Different types of paints have a variety of chemicals that can seriously harm the bristles of your brush. That’s why it’s pivotal that you try to prevent using the same brush with different paint. For example, oil paint has a rougher substance that can damage your bristles and lead to premature wearing. This can also cause a problem when trying to clean your brushes since they might need more than just water (using solvents, for example). This can cause acidic qualities to enter your brushes and damage them. So, make sure to do prior research on which paints are more suitable for your brushes.
Protect the Ferrule: the ferrule is the metal part at the end of your brush; it is often the most overlooked part of the paintbrush. Many artists don’t often do regular cleaning of this part, but it is essential in keeping your bristles together. Once this area is clogged with paint, it could lead to bristle loss or get caked with enough paint that it could leak into the bristles and ruin your artwork by mixing it with unwanted colours. That’s why it’s most important to always keep the ferrule in mind when maintaining your brush to keep your artistic flair alive as long as possible.
Drying your Brushes: people often leave their brushes soaked in water; this is probably one of the most fatal mistakes anyone can make. As mentioned above, the ferrule is the one keeping the bristles of a brush together. Allowing excess moisture to penetrate this area will make the bristles detach, or worse, the entire brush to get removed. The best thing to do is let your brushes dry off naturally; do not do manual drying as much as possible since depending on the fabric you are using; it can damage the bristles too much.
