Hi,

I've tried several branches of brushes, clean them well with water, soap and this new AK-gell but the still does not last very long. A really pointy brush of a small flat brush usually has a short life....
What, in your opinion, are the best brushes for figure painting and what's the best way to keep them in great shape...

first i dip only the first half not until the ferrule,i use Master soap cleaner and preserver, great product,i find for me the best brushes are W&N serie 7 but now i moving to rosmary brushes serie 33,same very high quality but cheaper and very good sevice,my serie 7 now have more then 4 years and still going strong,i clean them before with water or turps depend if acrylics or oils/enamel then laquer thinner and at the end with warm water and master soap for last i do the point with the same soap,i keep 1 set for acrylics and 1 for enamel/oils,the acrylics are more aggressive with brushes

https://www.generalpencil.com/the-mastersreg-brush-cleaner-and-preserver.html

https://www.rosemaryandco.com/

Thanks, I'm going to take your advice.

I've been using "Brush Plus" acrylic paint cleaner from Plaid Acrylics (arts & crafts acrylics) for years. Always works great.

I paint mostly in enamels, lacquers and oils, and I routinely "mistreat" my brushes by cleaning them only in lacquer thinner. Some of my brushes are going on 20 years of use and are still functioning like the day they were purchased. But I have some specific rules I follow:
1) Buy quality brushes, in a variety of sizes, it's better to spend the money on one good brush than it is to buy several cheap brushes that don't last. I prefer Camel hair and synthetic nylon, with Camel hair being my choice for fine tips.
2) Clean with lacquer thinner, because it's guaranteed to do the best job of dissolving the paint. Never let the paint dry in the brush before cleaning, and if a paint build-up is noticed during painting, it's time to clean.
3) "Point" the brush when painting and cleaning are finished-- pointing is what ancient artists did by sticking the brush in their mouths and drawing it through thier lips-- I don't do that, I use a little saliva on my finger tips and draw the brush through them to leave a "sharp" point. If you're squeamish, there are brush treatments you can buy to point, but saliva is free (and better IMHO-- the enzymes in saliva help to form and preserve the hairs better).
4) Store your brushes upright (tips upward) in a proper container. The number one cause of "brush death" is they are stored with the tips down which breaks the hairs, or they are left alone in the cleaning solution with the tips down. Never take your hand off the brush while cleaning it-- and never leave it submerged tip down in any solution.
5) I always "swish" my brush in the cleaning solution (in my case lacquer thinner), remove it, inspect the hairs to make sure I've removed all the paint, and "swish" again if need be. Then I wipe the brush from the ferrule to the tip across a pad of folded kitchen paper towel-- if I get paint on the towel, I repeat the process.
6) If I'm finished with the brush, I "point" it and place it back into its storage container. I use discarded tall amber colored plastic pill bottles to store my brushes by size and type, which allows them to be kept almost vertical, and allows quick selection of the brush I need.
I know, folks will revolt at the thought of using strong lacquer thinner as a primary cleaner--(I use it even in my airbrush, regardless of the paint I'm painting with--I do use proprietary thinners for thinning paint though). Lacquer thinner may attack the paint on the brush beyond the ferrule, but who cares? The pointy end of the brush is what matters, and lacquer thinner is best for getting all the paint out of the brush. If you have a cheap brush, lacquer thinner may attack the glue holding the hairs in the ferrule, but that's why you shouldn't buy a cheap brush-- a good brush with a tightly packed ferrule should last for years.
VR, Russ

I occasionally when I see that a little 'dry paint begins to accumulate or the brush no longer holds its shape with the help of a peg I put the brush in suspension inside the lacquer thinner for a few hours and then step to the usual procedure with the appropriate soap and come back like new or at least much better than before, the only problem I have occasionally with the lacquer thinner is with low quality brushes the glue between the handle and the ferrule melts and does not hold anymore really well but nothing irreparable

Thanks guys, great tips. I use acrylics 99% of the time and clean them with water and special soap. I also you gell to get them in shape but what I"ve learned here is that I just must do a better job and clean them every time after using them.

Thanks. Very helpfull. I've ordered The Masters and a set of Rosemary's and read all your tips. Looked at some "the Masters" video's and the articlelink in this topic by Mr Babaoriley (Who-fan??) so now my brushes should last a lot longer.
I will also stop throwing away the plastic tubes that are on top of the new brushes .....

I look after my brushes, even those of low quality,more or less with the same care that I take with my AB , both are precision instruments and if you want them to do a good job and last long time need the right maintenance, as with the AB at the beginning it seems frustrating to spend time at the end of the session in maintenance but when it becomes a habit in a few minutes is done and when you pick them up the next time you'll be glad to have spent a few minutes more in cleaning.

Even if one would expect otherwise the acrylics are more difficult to clean well and damage the brushes quicker, the water cleans the fresh paint but for the dry one it takes something more aggressive, special products like AB cleaner etc. ..or the least expensive way and for me the one that works best with all types of paint, the lacquer thinner from hardware store,I even tried the industrial brush cleaner but it is too strong and has ruined cuple of my brushes.


For me you made the right choice to buy Rosmary brushes you will not regret it, quality and service are impeccable, you can compare their customer service to that of Badger with the AB, they also make sets with different brushes,one for miniatures paiters, the series that I prefer is the 33 but I also have brushes of other series for other purposes, long hair, short hair, cat's tongue etc ...

https://www.rosemaryandco.com/gift-sets/miniature-set?filter_name=miniatures

i keep my best brushes in here...
https://www.rosemaryandco.com/bits-pieces/brush-cases/short-nylon-brush-case

Hi Vicious,

Yep, I'm in contact with Rosemary.
Asked them what brushes I can buy best for detail, drybrush,washing etc. since they have so much. I'm planning on buying 8-10 brushes.

ive been doing this for years as maitanance . every once in awhile soak them in distilled vinegar . stinks like hell but it works !

The series 33 it's the counterpart of series 7 W&N and if i remember the 99 is like the W&N series 7 miniatures (short hair),i have from them also the serie 56 n°2-4,and serie 66 n°0-2-4...for dry brushing dont waist your $$$,use some old brush and cut the hair short,the best way to destroy a brush is by drybrushing,if you really want to buy Citadel make 2-3 brush for drybrushing very stiff hair not bad,also for washes a medium quality brush with a big belly and good point it's ok you dont need the best for this kind of jobs,i keep my Kolinsky for paiting only

But i am a Brush freak....my collection of them is gigantenormous as my wife says