I need help from my fellow artists...

S

sblordita

Cathlete
Hi all,

I know that there are a few of you out there that are painters, but I'm not sure how many of you use oils. I have been having problems with finding something decent to clean my brushes with. I have destroyed a countless number of cheap and expensive brushes, driving myself and my mom crazy (as many of brushes are hers :eek: ). I was just using regular paint thinner... my dad insisted it would be fine. Evidently it's not. Not only does the most of the paint not come out, but it seems to harden the bristles a lot.

I have managed to ruin a few brushes with acrylic paints, too, so if any of you know of any product or soap that is great for acrylics, I'd appreciate that, too :) It may have just been that I wasn't cleaning the acrylic out thoroughly enough.

Thanks!!

Sara
 
Sara,
i'm not sure how much help i'll be, but i do paint in acrylics quite often. I clean my brushes thoroughly afterward w/ soap/water (usually dish liquid). I run the brushes back and forth on the palm of my hand to loosen any paint in the ferrule.
After that, i shape them with a little bit more soap and put them away. When i have stubborn paint, and about once a month, i use murphy oil soap which does WONDERS for loosening old paint.
I soak them sometimes bristles only in the murphy oil soap over night and you wouldn't believe how much paint is in the container the next morning. Hope this helps a little!:)
 
Hi Sara, I like acrylics because they wash off pretty easily with soap and water. To get brushes really clean, I use a product by Loew Cornell called Brush Cleaner for Acrylic Paints. Pretty straightforward, huh?:)

For oils I put some thinner in a tiny, shallow dish and move the brush back and forth gently to loosen the paint, then wipe off with some disposable arts and crafts rags. There's also a cleaner by Loew Cornell for oils called -- guess what? Brush Cleaner for Oil Paints.:7 I normally finish off with this.

There's another product called Brush Plus by Plaid. It's a waterbase cleaner and conditioner for brushes used on acrylic, oil, alkyd and watercolor; varnishes and stains; and glues and painting mediums.

All these products are at the fine art department at Michael's. Do you have one nearby? If not, try a Hobby Lobby. Hope this helps.

Pinky
 
Thanks for helping me out. Unfortunately, there is no art store in this town. SO FRUSTRATING!! BUT, when I go to Salt Lake I will look up Michaels. I think a place like Salt Lake should have those stores. If not, I'll just find a place online that sells these products. I will let you know how I like the stuff! Thanks!

Sara
http://www.picturetrail.com/rayiisara/sblordita
 
Hi Sara, try dickblick.com. I know they have a good amount of inventory. You might find what you're looking for out there.

Also, does your town have a Wal-Mart? Try looking into their craft department. I got linseed oil from there once. Cheap, too. About $3.57 or something. Worked pretty well for someone like me who is constantly practicing and never producing anything worthwhile.:)

Hey, I just checked out your link. Girl, you're gorgeous! You should be a model or something!

Later,
Pinky
 
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