Stupid Question - Keeping a Tip

[FredrickvonCarstein]

I seem to have a lot of trouble keeping a good tip with even my detail brushes when I paint. I use fairly good brushes (Vallejo, Kolinsky) but whenever I go to paint, the brush tickens and loses some of its point. It\'s made freehand and eye work nearly impossible for me to do my entire career (or whatever you call it) in this hobby and is a problem which I can\'t seem to rectify. Any suggestions or better yet, solutions to this problem?

 

[Broke n English]

I just keep a few sharp brushes for lining/eyes etc.They usually last up to 4-6 months if I\'m careful not to use them too much.I\'ve got one brush with bristles so long and thin that I don\'t know what to do with it,it\'s about 3 quarters of an inch lol It\'s too floppy/flaccid to be effective,(Hmmm,where have I heard that before)

 

[Modderrhu]

Kinda obvious suggestion really, after loading my brush, it always has too much paint and less of a point than I\'d like. Wiping the excess off on my thumb always sharpens it up nicely.

Even a good sable (I have Series 7\'s) won\'t hold a point with too much paint, but properly loaded, a size 1 seems just as fine as a 000. Perhaps you\'ve just got too much paint on your brush, Fredrick vC?

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Keeping them very clean helps mine. Your paint may be too thick also.

 

[Legacy Account]

Disgusting, but I always draw the brush through my lips before putting it on the mini. It brings the brush to a point, removes excess paint, and thins what residue is left.

???:|~

 

[Valander]

Sounds like you\'re overloading the brush.

A tip I got from Vallejo\'s website was to have a damp paper towell or cloth sitting on your table. Once you load your brush, lightly touch the paper towell. Capillary action will pull out some of the liquid, and you\'ll be able to control your brush a little better. I also usually do a twirl of the brush against the palette to keep a point, but I\'ve also been known to be a \"brush licker.\"

 

[FredrickvonCarstein]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
Keeping them very clean helps mine. Your paint may be too thick also.

No the problem is actually that is soaks up too much paint.

I\'ve tried to wipe off some of it on the pallette but it still had a thicker point. I\'ll defintiely try some things in this thread.

And Spacemunkie, I sometimes when going back to load up my brush, with end up \"cleaning it\" by sucking excess paint out.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

If it\'s sucking up too much paint either the bristles are too long or too many comming to a fine point. I have given many of my brushes a hair cut. Kinda scary the first time but not so difficult. Just think before you cut.

 

[Trevor]

In my experience, cutting the tip of a brush ruins it, unless, you want a specific shape for drybrushing.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

It depends on the shape of the tip. Ones with a round end are almost impossible to do perfectly. Square cut, no problem. Brushes for doing freehand anent that hard. Keep about five hairs or so and cut at a bit of an angle. Take a crappy brush and try it.

 

[Dragonsreach]

Originally posted by Shawn R. L.
Keeping them very clean helps mine. Your paint may be too thick also.

After painting care is important. Always wash your brushes and but a good quality brush soap. Most artists stores will have some.
I use a \"Cake of Soap\" with a well in the centre, just wet the brush slightly and swirl it around on the soap to pick some up.
Scrub it against the palm of your hand and you should see the \'Gunge\' start to come out.
Rinse off with clean water, re-wash with soap, rinse and put the point back into the tip.

Rescuing a brush that\'s had too much paint up into the ferrule isn\'t easy. But I\'ve done it by using Acetone which breaks down the acrylic on the bristles. Then seriously used the Brush Soap method.......But If you do this, remember to have the windows open and under no circumstances put the brush into your mouth to put the tip back.
That is a good way to end up in hospital.


Oh and I always use and old GW paintbrush for mixing paints.

 

[freakinacage]

dragonsreach makes a very good point. when i bought brush soap for the first time, it really made a difference in the quality of the brush shape. it will probably extend the life too but my painting has all but grounded to a halt recently. my soap also recommends occasionally leaving the soap on the brush between sessions to let it work on the harder stuff. also when i\'m painting, i have a sponge with washing up liquid in. when i clean the brush, i rinse it in water then clean it on that and then rinse again. once i\'ve done that, i\'ll dry it on a cloth and then suck it to a point.