Brush care

A natural hair brush utilized in one medium (oil paint, acrylic, watercolor, etc.) should not be used again in a different medium. The nature of each medium and accompanying solvent effects the hairs of the brushes differently. Using brushes across mediums can cause them to distress prematurely. This information does not apply to synthetic hair brushes. Paint and solvent residue should be cleaned from brushes immediately after use. After removing most of the paint from the bristles manually with an appropriate solvent, detergent and water should be used to clean the brush further. After a thorough cleaning, natural hair brushes benefit from using a brush conditioner on the hairs to restore oils. A conditioner can be worked into the bristles which can then be shaped to a point and left to dry. Before the next painting session, the conditioner should be removed with water. Art materials manufacturers have produced a variety of specialized products designed for specific brush types and medium usage. Brushes should not be left bristle-end down in solvent for a prolonged period. Doing so will cause distress to the brush shape and may cause the bristles to splay out and loose their original shape. Different methods of suspending brushes in solvent exist (including a metal spring, mesh or clamp) that grip brush handles and do not allow the bristles of the brush to touch the bottom of the solvent container. Also, leaving brushes in solvent for a prolonged period can cause damage to the bristles themselves by stripping oils and swelling, to the ferrule, to the adhesive used to hold bristles in place, and to the wooden handle.