How to Wash, dry and store your paint brushes ?

How to Wash, dry and store your paint brushes

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Watercolor is pretty gentle, so you don't need to wash brushes using soap very often, if at all. Rinsing with water is usually sufficient. Simply swirl the brush in water to rinse it, and then lay it flat to dry. Do this in between using colors. At the end of your painting session, do this really well. You want the brush to air dry, so don't cover it with anything.

Never leave a brush standing in water. When brushes are wet, they are at their most vulnerable to damage. Prolonged exposure to water may damage the handle and loosen the ferrule. And, if you leave a brush in water for a long time, the hairs adapt to the shape of the bottom of the container. Result? Bent brush.

When dry, your brushes should be stored where they will be safe. You can buy storage containers like brush quivers, canisters, and rolled pouches. Quivers are like an arrow quiver; they're usually a box with a carrying strap and a hinged lid. Canisters secure the end of the brush so the hair end doesn't touch anything. Rolled pouches can be bamboo mats (or other fabric) that hold brushes in a pocket; they can be rolled up to take less storage room. These are great for travel because they allow the brush to breathe if wet and still protect the hairs from mashing. I store my brushes in the studio in a nifty jar filled with sand. The hairs point up, and the handle end is in the sand.

Repairing a worn brush

Gum arabic is handy if you need to retrain your brush back into shape or repair a damaged brush:

Dip the hairs into gum arabic and let it dry to a gummy state.

After making sure your hands are clean, use your fingers to sculpt the hairs back to a point or edge, and leave the brush to dry.

The gum arabic becomes stiff when it's dry, which usually takes just a few minutes. Leave the brush with the gum arabic in it for a few weeks. Store the brush on its side or upright standing on its handle.

Remove the gum arabic by dipping the brush hairs in water and rolling it out like you do with a new brush.

If the reshaping worked, hooray! If it didn't work and the brush is still out-of-shape, you can try using gum arabic again or go shopping for a replacement.

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