When you are learning how to mix colors, you will need lots of brushes! There are many different types of brushes that contain various levels of texture and shape. Each type of brush has its purpose in helping you create beautiful designs with your paints.
One of the most common paintbrush shapes is called a round or buff-style brush. These have wide, smooth rounded ends and get their name because they are used to buff away excess polish from other materials.
A second style is referred to as flat or broad. A broad brush gets its name due to its wider surface area and ease in blending all sorts of textures and shapes together.
Then there are square shaped brushes which come in either natural hair or synthetic fiber. Natural bristles hold more moisture than manufactured ones so they work better for thicker, liquidy paints.
Use a soft, dry cloth
When washing your acrylic paint brushes, use a piece of clean, lint-free tissue or paper as your washcloth. Do not use a metal surface or the gel rollers that some brands supply, they will scratch the coating of the brush.
Acrylic is very porous so it can be difficult to completely rinse all of the paint off. That’s why it is important to work with thin layers and frequent rinsing!
Once you have cleaned the brush thoroughly, let it air dry. You can use a hair drier for this. It does not need to hold a strong heat, a low setting is enough.
Avoid using alcohol or water when cleaning your paints because these could remove part of the protective layer of the acrylic which would then allow dirt to seep in and ruin the painting.
Use the brush cleaner that comes with the paint
Even though acrylic paints are very durable, like water-based oils, they do require cleaning them properly. When you wash your brushes, make sure to use a clean tool and process.
Most brands of acrylic paint come with an internal or external plastic lint filter paper sleeve that contains a liquid chemical compound. This liquid is designed to soak up some of the excess acrylic particles in the brush. Once it is dry, you can apply another layer of acrylic paint onto the brush.
After washing your brush, put it into the sleeve and let sit for several minutes to allow the chemicals to fully dissolve. Then, rinse off the brush under running water until no residue remains. Don’t scrape off the dried paint as this may spread dirt embedded within the brush.
Once done, place the cleaned brush back into its original container or roll it up and store it in a tight sealable bag. Make sure to outsmart any hard surfaces when storing the brush so it does not get stuck.
Run the brush under warm water
While you can use soap to wash your acrylic paint brushes, it is not necessary! The reason being is that acrylic paints contain drying agents such as polymers. These help dry the liquid pigment onto the surface of the canvas or board so that they will stick well.
When washing your brush with soap, the soap removes these drying agents which may also be what you want to do if you are trying to take down all the layers of paint on your artwork. If you just want to give your painting a new look, you could try rubbing it away using sandpaper or steel wool but only if you have no painted areas in between.
Running the brush through hot water works too because this washes off some of the polymerization that happens during painting. But make sure you don’t leave the brush in the hot water longer than needed, as this will melt the glue that holds the paint on the handle together.
Let the brush dry completely
When washing your acrylic paint brushes, do not wash them until they are fully dried. This is very important as it removes all of the gel that makes up the painting material.
If left uncared for, the gel will eventually disappear, altering the shape and performance of the brush.
Store the brush in a sealed container
When you are done painting, make sure to wash your acrylic paint brushes properly!
One of the hardest things about acrylic paintings is washing your paints down the drain or tossing them into the garbage can. Because most colors contain large amounts of water, these liquids will not completely separate from the paint when it dries. This residue left over acryllic paint is called glaze and it does not dry up and fade away like other types of painting.
Acrylic glaze can be removed but only if you work quickly! The best way to remove this glaze is by using warm soilds such as milk or liquid soap. Mix one part liquid with twenty parts of water and apply directly onto the painted area. Let sit for several minutes and then rinse thoroughly.
Use the paint brush correctly
When washing your acrylic paint brushes, make sure you work in a area that can easily be cleaned! Using appropriate tools will help ensure your brush is properly washed and dried.
Most people wash their painting implements with water and either a paper towel or rag. Neither of these are good substitutes because they won’t remove all of the residual oils that have built up during use.
As mentioned before, oil production while using paints is natural. However, if you notice that your brush needs more than it has then it may need to be re-sorted. This could cause loss of quality due to drying issues or poor blending caused by insufficient moisture.
There are some great resources online for how to wash acrylic paintings. All of them emphasize using alcohol or solvent as a cleaning agent instead of water.
Do not hold the brush too close to your face
When washing your acrylic paint brushes, make sure you do not touch your skin or mucus membranes with the washcloth while applying water.
Acrylic is made of polymer chains which connect together. These polymers will go soft when exposed to liquid, so it is important to rinse off any excess gel that has dried onto the brush.
When drying the brush, use only lukewarm (not hot) water and avoid rubbing the bristles as this may break them down. Once dry, reshape the bristle and roll it in some coconut oil to keep it smooth and lasting.
Sharpen the bristles with a toothpick
When washing your acrylic paint brush, you need to make sure that you do not pull out too much water. This could potentially ruin the glue that holds the brush together!
To wash your paintbrush, start by taking off the plastic coverings of the handle. Once this is done, sharpen the bristles using a tooth pick or small nail file.
Then, rinse the brush under warm running water until all of the liquid has been soaked up. Do not press down on the brush while cleaning it as this may break the glue layer.
Once dry, put the brush into an empty bottle of alcohol and roll around to remove any dried glues. Then, store the new brush in its respective sleeve or tray material.