Paint Brush is a tool which is extensively used by artists for applying and decorating their painting. The anatomy of a paintbrush consists majorly of three parts. A handle for holding the paintbrush, attached to it is a ferrule, a silvery part made of alloy which holds the hair of the brush called bristles. Taking good care of paintbrushes is very crucial as it can have an adverse effect on your painting if not kept properly. In order to take essential care of your paintbrushes we first need to know some basic facts about them.
Millimeters and inches are conventionally the measuring unit to measure the size of the paintbrushes which is namely the size of the bristles. Bristles are of two types synthetic or natural. Synthetic bristles are made using polyester or nylon and it can also be made by using both polyester and nylon. The life of natural brushes is less compared to that of synthetic brushes. The material of brushes also determines the type of color that will have more efficiency. The care required to maintain a paintbrush is not very hectic and will not exhaust much of your time. Few ways by which you can take good care of your paint brushes are discussed below.
- Cleaning them immediately after use–It is very important for the long life of brushes that you clean them immediately after the use and it’s equally important that you keep you brushes wet or moist becauseonce the paint dries the bristles are drastically affected. The longer you let the paint dry on the bristles the longer it will take you scrape it off. The intensity of damage varies with the kind of paint that is being used. For example Acrylics dry off very quickly and can cause severe damage while oil paints take time to dry off but that does not mean that they are harmless.
- Do not leave your paintbrushes in a cup of water – Leaving your paintbrushes especially the bristles dipped in water even for few minutes can damage your paintbrushes beyond repair. The water causes the hair in the bristles to bend hence spoiling the alignment of the bristles which are of utmost importance for good strokes while painting. To avoid the bend in your bristles you can simply leave them in such a manner that the hair does not make any contact with anything especially colors or water.
- Storing Paintbrushes – Storing your paintbrushes properly is very crucial as it determines the life and efficiency of your paintbrush. Store your paintbrush after they have completely dried off and make sure that there is no residue left of color or water as both of them can equally damage the paintbrush. The perfect way to store your paintbrush is to keep them in the original packing or you can simply wrap them in newspapers. The position of the paintbrush is equally important and should always be kept vertically with bristles being the upper side. Also make a note that the bristles should not be in contact with anything and there should be enough space between them.
- Avoid paint on the Ferrule – Ferrule is that part of the paintbrush which connects the handle with the bristles. Avoid any contact of paint in that area as the paint gets accumulated as massive blob between the bristles and the ferrule and that can cause the hair in the bristles to expand which will spoil the paintbrush.
- How to clean a Paintbrush – Before you actually start cleaning you paintbrush make sure there is no paint or watercolor in it. Place your Paintbrush under running water and mildly rub against the bristles with your finger to get the unwanted paint out. Use a cotton cloth to manually dry the bristles before you start cleaning it. You can thoroughly clean your paintbrushes in between your paintings by applying a cleanser (cleaning material) or Luke-warm water with shampoo. Before you store your paintbrushes dry them off properly to avoid any damage to the bristles.
Paintbrushes are an essential part of the painting and should be taken care of as they are the only tools which will help you to illustrate your imagination and dynamics on the canvas. Taking care of paintbrushes is an intuitive response for those who cherish their tools. The points discussed above will brief you about how to take care of your Paintbrushes more efficiently.