Ten Tips for Using Watercolor Paint Brushes!
AN EASY GUIDE TO ESSENTIAL ART TOOLS
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10 WATERCOLOR PAINT BRUSH TIPS
YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE USING WATERCOLOR PAINT BRUSHES!
YOU DON’T NEED EVERY BRUSH
I think that it might be important to discuss the fact that you don’t need every brush just because they exist, or because you have seen someone using an interesting or unique brush. In fact, I recommend that you have as few brushes as possible because many of these paint brushes, their purposes, and what they can accomplish often overlap with other paint brushes. So, instead, take stock of what your goals usually are when you are painting, and adjust your brush collection so you have what you need. This also helps cut the cost of your supplies, especially if you are already on a tight budget.
If you still aren’t sure, I suggest you start with a moderately sized round, maybe a 10, and a decently sized flat wash brush, something that is about 1/2 inch should do fine at first. Start with these two brushes and as you work with them more and more, you may find where the gaps in your collection are and you can make choices based on that. Always keep in mind, however, that you can achieve most techniques with a good round brush.
RINSE YOUR NEW BRUSHES
Brand new watercolor paint brushes always come with a bit of ‘stuff’ on the bristles - there are a few different materials that manufacturers might use, such as a gentle water-soluble glue or a bit of gum arabic for example - but this stuff helps the paint brush keep and maintain its shape while on the shelf or while being transported as they patiently wait to find their forever home. This means that before you get to paint, you’ll want to give your brush a good rinse under warm water first. Use your fingers to gently massage the bristles free from that ‘stuff’ until the bristles are no longer sticky or hard and are ‘squeaky clean’ meaning they should feel squeaky clean!
AVOID WATER
This might sound funny, but your paint brushes are designed to only handle a certain amount of water during its lifetime and the dryer you can keep your brushes the longer they will last. There are two major scenarios that you will want to avoid. The first is, when you are done with your paint brushes and they have been thoroughly rinsed, do not stand your brush up vertically to dry. The water will seep into the ferrule which can lead to damage and bristle fallout over time.
The Second scenario is to never let your paint brushes sit in your water-cup for any length of time. There are actually a few reasons why this is damaging.
Your bristles will be under stress sitting at the bottom of your cup which can bend and change the shape of the bristles ultimately leading to damage and fraying that can prevent the brush from coming to a fine point. This damage can’t always come undone.
The ferrule of the paint brush will most likely be submerged in the water when sitting in the cup, which can lead to the softening of the glue and binders holding the bristles in place leading to fallout damage and it may become unusable.
In addition to bristle and ferrule damage, leaving the handle submerged for any length of time will end with the porous wood absorbing that water, causing the handle to break and fall apart. If there is a fancy lacquer on your handle, it will break up and fall off as the wood expands. This certainly can not be undone.
WASH SHAPE AND AIR DRY
When we are in the moment and completely preoccupied by our thoughts while painting, we can become careless with our paintbrushes and we can do things that might not be in their best interest. This means that once we are done with our painting session we may want to treat our brushes to a bit of a spa day. During this process you:
Rinse your brush with a bit of warm water similarly to how we cleaned our brushes earlier. Simply massage the bristles until the water runs clean. Take care to rinse and clean as close to the ferrule as you can, leaving behind paint near the ferrule can prevent your brushes from coming to a fine point when re-wetted.
You may be inclined to wash your paintbrush with a cleanser. This is fine, but avoid shampoo as it can dry out your bristles leading to fraying. Instead you will want to use a brush cleanser. When applying this you’ll want to roll your round brushes, and carefully swipe your flats without bending or deforming the brushes as this can lead to damage over time.
You can let your brushes sit for a moment, especially if your cleanser is also a conditioning formula. Once you are ready you can rinse the brush clean again same as before.
Lastly you will want to return the bristles back into their intended shape which will also help them them live longer lives. You don’t need to do this with your fingers, simply flicking the brush with your wrist should bring it to a fine point.
DRY BRUSHES
Just because your good brushes do not come to a point when dry doesn’t mean that your brushes are damaged or unusable. The only way to truly test if a brush is damaged or frayed is by rewetting them throughly. Once wet, if they come to a point, they are just fine. If instead they struggle to come to a point, all might not be lost - but if a simple wash shape and dry doesn’t do it, you can try out this next trick:
DAMAGED BRISTLES
If you find that your paint brush bristles have acquired a bit of fraying, have taken on an odd shape, or won’t come to a point - you can try washing and shaping your brush with some brush cleanser. But instead of rinsing the brush out, you can leave the cleanser and conditioner on let the brush dry and sit that way for some time until you are ready to use the brush again. Simply rinse the brush throughly when you are ready and hopefully it will come to a fine point once again.
DON’T TRIM YOUR BRUSHES
Sometimes we get a little desperate when our favorite brushes get damaged and attempt some at-home surgery to get it back into fighting shape. This means we might pull out some scissors to try and tame the wilderness that has grown over the landscape and you feel compelled to perhaps trim away some of the problem areas. This is a big hell-no move especially if you are using natural brushes because each individual bristle is going to have a particular shape - thicker towards the heel or ferrule end, and taper to a thin point towards the toe or point of the bristle. This means that if you start trimming, you are trimming away the area that allows the brush to come to a point, and, in the end, you are doing more damage than good. You may just have to bite the bullet and replace it.
ONLY USE WATERCOLOR PAINT BRUSHES
It can be hard for us not to opt for picking up a few cheap brushes rather than spending a little more for basically the “same thing”; I mean they say ‘watercolor’ on the label! Sure it may also say that it’s great for acrylic and oil but what harm can it ultimately do? Well, let’s look at it this way: Is it a cheap synthetic without much of a belly? Does it have a hard time keeping its shape even when wet? It’s these little things that start to add up when you are buying the wrong materials for the job you want them to take on. Without a belly to hold water, you’ll basically be applying a ‘dry brush’ to your canvas, and without a fine point you won’t be able to achieve much detail. Too much compromise one way or the other can lead to problems that could have been easily avoided just by getting the right tools the first time.
If you aren’t sure what a particular brush will be able to handle, you do have the option of trying those brushes out at the art store. Employees at art stores will understand if you ask them for some water and will allow you to check out and play with the merchandise before you make your purchase. Buying the right brush is important, so don’t waste your money and buy the right brush, all you have to do is just ask for water!
AVOID NON WATER SOLUBLE PRODUCTS
It can be very tempting sometimes to dip our brushes into something other than watercolor paints, but we have to fight the urge with all our being. Especially when dealing with materials that aren’t water soluble. Things like acrylic paints and masking fluid will dry out on your brush - which happens rapidly - and will prove to be impossible to remove at that point. Not to mention the potential damage substances like these would ultimately cause to your soft and delicate watercolor bristles. You are better off using a brush intended for the job you want it to preform and save your watercolor brushes from total disaster and an early grave.
If you do need a brush to apply masking fluid there are two preventative measures you can take to help avoid your brushes from ending up a landfill.
Use an older or damaged brush if possible that is more up to the job, or something like a fully synthetic brush which is a bit sturdier, but also…
Gently roll and lather your paint brush with soap before dipping into your masking fluid. This will prevent the masking fluid from attaching and drying on your brush allowing the masking fluid to be easily washed away with a bit of water.
DON’T HOP MEDIUMS
So despite my caution, you may still end up with a brush that is capable of crossing mediums - it happens, and there are some really great brushes out there that are more than capable of it. If you happen to have one of these rare birds, it’s important that you don’t use that particular brush with multiple mediums. Leave your watercolor brushes to only mingle with your watercolors, and provide your other medium with their own set of brushes. This might seem wasteful or inconvenient having to buy new brushes when starting with a new medium, but it will help your brushes in the long run to live longer, fuller lives.
Let’s look at an easy example: if you are already painting with watercolors and feel like trying out oil paints, the worst thing you can do to your watercolor paintbrushes is to start dipping them in oils. You’ll likely be filling up your brush with not only oil paints but also linseed oil or another medium which, quite frankly repels water. Now, your watercolor paint brushes might actually fight against your water and paints, making them completely useless for watercolor painting. Your better off getting a brand new set of brushes for your newfound oil paints.
That’s it for today, thanks for reading!
I’m MK and this is Draw Daily!
