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I got tired of my nice chiseled brights (brushes) getting frayed and ragged around the edges. when i paint i like a nice chiseled edge on my brushes so i started doing what i used to do back in my old sign painting days. i started wrapping them in between painting sessions, and now they stay sharp waaaaayyyyy longer. here's how to do it.
I got tired of my nice chiseled brights (brushes) getting frayed and ragged around the edges. when i paint i like a nice chiseled edge on my brushes so i started doing what i used to do back in my old sign painting days. i started wrapping them in between painting sessions, and now they stay sharp waaaaayyyyy longer. here's how to do it.
after washing all the paint out of the brush and drying it on a paper towel, take a piece of masking tape about an inch and a half long and lay the brush on it like so....
By the way..... this will work with any brush- synthetic or bristle
By the way..... this will work with any brush- synthetic or bristle
wrap it around once and push to make a nice chiseled shape out of the bristles. the tape sticking to itself and the bristles will hold the form
then wrap it around once more and there you go. the things keep their shape forever now. Give it a try!
16 comments:
Okay, call me 'dense' but I'm confused about the brush taping. Is this just for storing them after you paint with them to keep their shape? Surely you don't mean to try and paint with them all taped up? Sorry if this is a silly question Mike but I seem to be having one of those days!
Mike, this is a fabulous idea (and a fabulous painting, by the way - really nice!!). You SHOULD patent it. I just put a link up on my blog so everyone else can see too. Thank you for sharing. : )
denise- yes... you tape the brush in between sessions so it'll keep its shape. works great.
carol-youre welcome. glad you liked the idea. i remembered reading one of your blog posts about wrapping and thought this might be easier.
Just found your blog from Carol's mention. This works better than the way I was doing it. Thanks for sharing.
Also, I love your work! Come visit me sometime: vickibrevell.blogspot.com
Vicki
vicki- i think your brushes will hold a nice edge much longer using the tape.
thanks for stopping by. please come back
I love this idea. I work in acrylics but it should work for those brushes, too. I've been slipping mine into a doubled-over strip of cardstock and clamping them. It works but your idea is much better.
Doesn't the masking tape stick to the bristles and pull them apart when you unwrap it?
I saw a painting demo video by Richard Schmid where he shares a similar method for keeping brushes sharp. He just takes a piece of cardboard--like a matchbook cover--and folds it over the bristles of his freshly cleaned brush, and then holds it in place with a small bulldog-type clip. Neat easy, and the results were results were sharp and crisp.
Maybe if you need even more sharpness you can do what my portrait mentor, Tyler Frances Norman (from Norman's Crossing) does, she uses the cheapest hair gel she can find and tapers the point with it. Since she paints with oils, mostly, I suppose she doesn't wash it out with water before beginning, but just rolls them between her fingers to soften them.
Hello Mike, I'm here by the kindness of Carol Marine posting your brush wrapping tip! As a fellow oil painter, this seems quite the idea...but I would think the stickiness of the tape would make it a bit of a drag to unwrap a bunch of brushes every day or so.
But I take it that the clamping between stiff paper stock doesn't give you quite as much of a chiseled edge?
My stuff is on www.joyofartstudio.com
OMG, so simple and yet - I would never have come up with it!!!! THANK you!
remember guys- when unwrapping them do it gently and dont pull down when pulling off, pull up if you have to, to keep from damaging the hairs. swish in your thinner and the small amount of stickiness is gone. i've also used that tape painters use that you can get at places like Sherwin Williams that doesnt pull paint off the wall. its a little less sticky than masking tape and doesnt leave any residue at all.
What a great idea. Thanks to Carol and now I've met you. What a plein air painter you are. I feel the air and the heat. I read your blog and pray your son is getting better every day. studiojeanne216.blogspot.com
Man that is a really good idea! Thanks Mike, Im gunna give that a try.
geez, I never thought about using tape for that, but, why not?
mary- the idea came to me out of necessity. it so simple isnt it. no more rubber bands or clamps to hold the material that squares the bristles.
Mike, came to this post by way of Carol Marine. Great idea. All the brushes used in today's painting have been taped. I look forward to seeing how it works.
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