Topic: Paint Brushes

[Term`]

Hi Guys,

just wondered, how do you keep the point on your brushes?

I use different brushes for various things, and often for various colours,    for example I have one brush I reserve for white, so its always a pure colour.

but, I often have to replace brushes as they loose the point they have when you first buy them, any ideas?

many thanks

Term`

[Dux Aurelius Elysius]

Soap.  After using the brush, wash it in soap - I find using a bar of white soap is good because you can see whether or not you're still getting paint out, and you can also roll the brush on it better to define a point.  Not only do you get loads more paint out, but if you leave a little soap on the bristles then it keeps shape much better, kinda like starching.  Obviously you wash it out before next use

Tip from brush-thralls, I'm pretty sure it's in the useful stuff sticky, but we all know nobody ever reads those

[Gerrie]

First of all the quality of your brushes is very important. Low-quality brushes (often found in modelling stores) simply don't hold their points very long. If you want good quality brushes you should go to a real arts store.

I only use Winsor & Newton Series 7 brushes, the best quality there is, but you'll pay the price for those: 10-15 euros (14-21 USD [7-10 GBP - Fal]) is the normal price for common sizes.

At that price it's important to keep your brushes clean! I use brown floor cleaning soap.

Other general care tips for your brushes: never leave them in water, never make them rest on their point, if you're done cleaning them, shake off the water, but don't dry with a rag or something, always store them vertically, with their point on top, always with the protective cap that was on it when you bought it. If it isn't there, simply cut off a bit of a plastic drinking straw and use that for protection.

[Term`]

ye I use good artist brushes too, and I go to every length mentioned to keep them in good shape, just they always seem to loose that fine point I like.

[Mr Wall]

i've recently started buying good brushes and been dismayed how quickly they use their point, never tried soap though, could be worth a shot, cheers for the tip!!

[JaPizzy]

Remember to get a brush with natural hair, even expensive, artist quality synthetics will curl at the end and lose their point.  Kolinski Sable is the best, and a good one will come to a needle point.  I use a #2 for just about everything, including eyes, and the belly of the brush is bigger than a GW large brush. 

And brush soap is a must.  I recommend the white cake soap, by Masters.  It lasts forever and really get's the stray pigment out of the brush hairs.  Liquid Pink Soap from art stores is good too.

A good brush will not make you a better painter, but it will let you be as good of a painter as you can be that's for sure.

Cheers

James

[Branigan's Law]

really you just have to take good care of them, store them someplace where their ends dont get mashed and wash them immediately after use.

I use the gamesworkshop ones, i have about 3 of the small size ones right now, and those bruses last me about a year.

Also, I have a habit with bruses but im not sure it helps, whenever I wash them out in water and dry them on a paper towel I put the tip of the brush on my tongue to give it its point back     no kidding, i know its weird i dont know when i started doing it but I do it subconcsiously all the time now.

it just sucks when im not paying attention and the brush isnt quite clean. the paint tastes pretty bad.

[Akkaryn]

Also, I have a habit with bruses but im not sure it helps, whenever I wash them out in water and dry them on a paper towel I put the tip of the brush on my tongue to give it its point back

I don't know one person who i've seen painting that doesn't do this. So it seems you're not as weird as you think, but yes this also helps keep the point.

[Term`]

I never use gw paint brushed I think they are too big for just about anything other than entry level dry brushing.

The soap idea is something I will try, and I will also make sure from now on I try get brushes made from natural hair.

and the tongue thing is fairly common , I dont know anyone who paints who doesn't do it.

[Ailaros]

yeah, I use gw brushes as well, and they work just fine for me.

To me, it seems a question of two different states. The first is "when does your brush lose it's point?" and the second is "what's the default state of the brush?"

For the first one, does your brush lose it's point really bad when you wash your brushes out? In which case, perhaps you're grinding your brushes too hard into the water glass. Does your brush lose it's point when you dip it in the paint? In which case, perhaps you are putting too much water in the bristles.

For the second one, do your brushes have a point when just sitting there? The bristles will get "used" to where they are in relation to their base, so if your brushes usually don't look pointy when not in use, it will be less likely that they will be pointy when you want to use them.

Otherwise, my only other guess is that you're being really hard on your brushes, especially while cleaning them (I know, "really hard" is relative, and you may think you're being gentle...) Otherwise, brushes' tips tend to get pointier over time, as they lose bristles, rather than less.

[Skeeve]

I am using winsor&newton series 7 for most of the painting, Loew-cornell golden taklon 18/0 liners for anything that happened to have lines, and no name c99 brushes for dryrushing.. The average life of winsor&newton is about 1-1.5 years, liner - depends on the intensity sometimes I lose 2-3 in half a year and I am using this for cleaning.

The sell this in my friendly craft store next door.

[Term`]

On reflection, my brushes probably last me over a year, so maybe I am just expecting a little too much from thier life span.

I would be unsure exactly when or how they loose thier point, just noticed over time that they gradually loose thier point.

I think from now on I will just clean them with more care, and store them using thier plastic sleeves.

I think possibly also, the brushes I now consider to be "past it" would actually be fine for anyone not wishing to do commision work, I just like things perfect before I set about painting.

cheers for you help guys, greatly appreciated as always.

Term`

[JaPizzy]

I don't personally see how anyone could like GW brush, but it's mostly a matter of personal taste.  I know when I switched I vowed to never go back.  The paint dries too fast on their detail brushes, and their standard sizes don't keep enough of a point for detail work, so you can't get smooth minute details with thinned paint.

The soap in that pic is what I was talking about.  Works wonders.  Another trick, to keeping sable fresh and supple is to run some hair conditioner through it ever once and a while, like a deep conditioning product.  Keeps the natural spring and feel to the hair.

[Dux Aurelius Elysius]

My GW brushes keep a good point.  Hell, my GW basecoat brush keeps such a good tip I've been known at absent mindedly paint the whites of the eyes on my mordheim models.