Care of brushes

Oil Painting for Beginners - Care

Care of Brushes and Clean Up

A good selection of brushes is advised. From a fine brush to a very handy fan brush for blending colour. I will expand on this in the 'Painting Landscapes' tutorial.

What ever you choose the brushes will have a very limited life span unless you remove all the oil and solvents from the bristles. It is best to spend ten minutes cleaning your brushes properly. This will save you unnecessary expense and keep them in good condition.

STEP 1: Remove the majority of oil paint in turpentine. I advise you to have two glass jars. After rinsing the brushes pour the excess turpentine into the storage jar. The heavier paint will settle in the bottom leaving clean turps on top. Simply pour off the clean turpentine into the clean up jar to rinse brushes.

STEP 2: Use a cleaner such as dish wash liquid or even hand cleaner. Work any turpentine and residual paint out with your fingers, rinse in water and do it again until the bristles are 100% clean. Straighten the bristles with your fingers and leave to dry upright in a jar.

Watch this video of this process in action.

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