Article #38 Tools of The Trade
by Arrachme
People often ask me, “What brushes should I use when I paint? Should I ask for brushes for my next birthday gift?” This article might be good to save as a useful reference.
Artists wonder if “any” brushes in the craft store will work. It’s a great question because using the wrong brushes can lead to disaster, potentially discouraging budding artists from painting altogether. The following is a helpful condensed version of finding, cleaning, and storing art brushes, focusing on water- and oil-based paint. This article is not only for the artist; it’s also for the well-meaning gift-giver.
Choosing the Right Brush
Buying brushes in multipacks can be a gamble. You can’t feel their texture through the sealed packaging, so the brushes will likely languish, unused in closets as remnants of well-meaning holiday gifts. But fear not; there is a simple guide to deciphering the brush maze.
Choosing the right brush should be tailored to your painting medium rather than relying solely on package labels. For instance, a brush labeled “acrylic” might not be suitable for all acrylic paints straight from a tube—it may work better for fluid acrylics or watercolors due to its softer bristles. Understanding the texture and resilience of the bristles is key; it’s often a tactile decision until you gain enough technical knowledge to choose the correct one by brand.
Guidance
Different painting mediums—watercolor, acrylic, oil—require specific brush characteristics. Watercolor brushes are delicately soft and ideal for the gentle flow of watery pigments. Acrylic brushes with firmer bristles are perfect for applying thicker paints, while oil brushes need even firmer bristles to handle the density of oils for initial layers on canvas. Keeping brushes separate is crucial to prevent residue transfer, which can affect your painting process.
When inquiring about oil painting brushes other than the firm brushes that begin a painting, several different strokes can be produced with natural hair bristles. One can spend hours studying and experiencing the many options.
Cleaning and Storage
Organization is key in my studio as a professional artist, immersed in all mediums. Each type of paint—watercolor, acrylic, oil—has its dedicated drawer, neatly labeled by bristle type for quick selection. If space is limited, color-coding brushes can prevent mix-ups after cleaning. I have been asked many times to give a class just on brushes. After teaching for over a decade, it seems to me that a class solely on brushes would result in uncontrollable yawning and ultimately nodding off. When we are young in college classes, we are there because we must be. As adults, joy is the most important aspect of daily life. Boring is not an option. I add technical information in each class in tolerable doses.
Cleaning brushes is an art. Watercolor brushes find solace in gentle soapy water, while acrylics benefit from a more robust soap and water treatment, aided by Masterson’s brush cleaner. Masterson cleaner effectively removes deep residue and restores the brushes to their natural state. Oil brushes require a tougher approach because the paint ingredients include oil. For an eco-friendly alternative to cleaning, walnut or safflower oil (not sunflower) combined with Murphy’s Oil Soap can be a gentle yet effective substitute. Wash with Dawn dish soap afterward. If safflower or walnut oil is used to clean the brushes, do not leave the oil in the brush. Why? Because it will come out into your next oil painting and ruin the required paint-to-medium ratio. Mastering proper paint-to-medium ratios is the key to successful oil painting. Cleaning oil left in a brush would throw off the ratio.
I use long-handled Princeton brushes for free, loose painting in acrylic or oil. For detailed work, smaller short-handled brushes are used. I take a plastic bag with Murphy’s liquid oil soap in the bottom and carefully insert the brushes up to, but not including the ferrule. A ferrule is not slang used for stray cats; rather, it is the metal piece that holds the bristles onto the wood handle. Let the bag of soap sit overnight. By morning, the paint will be magically pulled out of the brush, ready to wash with Dawn’s soapy water.
Conclusion
The key takeaway? Treat your brushes with care, honoring their medium-specific needs. Clean them diligently after each use, ensuring no color crosses over to compromise your artistic vision.
The painting in this article, Miss Kitty- Special Edition-Being Different Series, was painted mostly with long, short-handled firm oil brushes. In addition, I used liquefied oil paint and art scraper.
Whether you are an artist or a kind person wanting to buy a gift of artist tools for a friend, I hope this information will help.
