Understanding how to look after art supplies such as paint brushes is essential for both expert and amateur artists.
A paint brush is arguably the most important of all art supplies as it helps you express what you want to create on canvas so it is crucial to keep it in prime condition as a poor quality brush often results in a sub standard painting.
There are a number of factors to consider before buying a paint brush with the quality of construction vital as buyers must ensure that the tuft is correctly shaped and fixed into the handle.
It obviously helps to know certain technical terms when buying a brush and understanding that the handle is called the ferrule and the tip of the bristles is referred to as the toe should assist a purchase.
When buying a brush online it can be hard to judge its size so always check the number on the side of the handle as the smallest size is 00 and increases in a sliding scale up to 0, 1, 2 and so on.
Another factor to take into consideration is what medium you are painting with as with oil paints it is appropriate to buy brushes with either natural hog bristles or closely related synthetic which are recognisable by their stiffness.
Purists will always favour natural hair because of its flexibility and strength but if you have a problem using animal hair, modern synthetic brushes are very similar and are often much cheaper.
Synthetic brushes should be purchased when working with acrylic paints because they resist water, while for watercolours a responsive brush is the correct choice due to its heightened sensitivity and even distribution of paint.
After you have bought the most suitable brush for your painting, you should ensure that you have mild soap or turpentine and some tissue as well as lukewarm water an area to dry the brushes.
Excess paint should be wiped off with a soft cloth or tissue and then the brush should be rinsed in turpentine if using oil paints but in lukewarm water if the paints are water based.
Always ensure the water is lukewarm because hot water can damage brush hairs and cause them to fall out and in order to protect the brush further it is important to wash it with mild soap.
This process should be repeated until no paint colour comes from the brush and it returns to its original colour and shape but if it appears misshapen then use your fingers to caress the hairs back into place.
A paint brush is arguably the most important of all art supplies as it helps you express what you want to create on canvas so it is crucial to keep it in prime condition as a poor quality brush often results in a sub standard painting.
There are a number of factors to consider before buying a paint brush with the quality of construction vital as buyers must ensure that the tuft is correctly shaped and fixed into the handle.
It obviously helps to know certain technical terms when buying a brush and understanding that the handle is called the ferrule and the tip of the bristles is referred to as the toe should assist a purchase.
When buying a brush online it can be hard to judge its size so always check the number on the side of the handle as the smallest size is 00 and increases in a sliding scale up to 0, 1, 2 and so on.
Another factor to take into consideration is what medium you are painting with as with oil paints it is appropriate to buy brushes with either natural hog bristles or closely related synthetic which are recognisable by their stiffness.
Purists will always favour natural hair because of its flexibility and strength but if you have a problem using animal hair, modern synthetic brushes are very similar and are often much cheaper.
Synthetic brushes should be purchased when working with acrylic paints because they resist water, while for watercolours a responsive brush is the correct choice due to its heightened sensitivity and even distribution of paint.
After you have bought the most suitable brush for your painting, you should ensure that you have mild soap or turpentine and some tissue as well as lukewarm water an area to dry the brushes.
Excess paint should be wiped off with a soft cloth or tissue and then the brush should be rinsed in turpentine if using oil paints but in lukewarm water if the paints are water based.
Always ensure the water is lukewarm because hot water can damage brush hairs and cause them to fall out and in order to protect the brush further it is important to wash it with mild soap.
This process should be repeated until no paint colour comes from the brush and it returns to its original colour and shape but if it appears misshapen then use your fingers to caress the hairs back into place.
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