Oil Pain in the Neck
There is nothing quite like a new paintbrush. The bristles are springy and ready to apply paint to ground in magical ways. There’s also nothing quite like going broke from constantly buying new brushes because your old ones got caked in dried paint. It’s much less magical.
When we’ve finished a painting session, it can be really easy to slide into “relax mode” and put off cleaning brushes. Oil paint, in particular, is a bit of a tough customer. As we all know, oil and water don’t mix, which means it won’t be as easy to get that paint out of those bristles as it might be with acrylic, watercolor, or gouache.
And yet, we love oil paint. We thrive on it. So, what do we do when our brushes get consistently bent out of shape from neglect? Well, we would love to have an easy time restoring them, but if things have gone too far, we’re up a creek without a paddle.
If your brushes have become solid oil rocks, there’s really not much you can do. I’ve seen articles and forums that suggest soaking them in vinegar or solvent for hours and days, but at that point, it might not be worth the effort, as your brushes may not be usable by the end of the process. I’m speaking from experience.
With dirty brushes, you end up losing money over the long-term. New brushes aren’t exactly inexpensive, especially if you’re buying decent quality or larger sizes. So, whether you’re already in a predicament or you’re just doing some research to understand how to clean your brushes correctly, I will explain a good process and practice for extending the life of your brushes.
Cleaning Brushes Immediately
Seems simple. I won’t even harp on this one too much because it is probably the most obvious statement. However, if ignored, the whole process becomes so much more difficult.
Anything we do regularly and with discipline can eventually become habit, so I would just recommend that you try to schedule the time into your practice to clean your brushes. It might be easier if you think of it as part of the process of painting.
I will also add, before we get into the practical cleaning advice, that you don’t want to overload your brush with paint while working. There are different techniques to painting, but most still don’t call for paint to be at the deepest depth of your bristles.
Step 1: Gently Remove Excess Paint
The first thing you want to do when cleaning brushes is to remove excess paint. To do this, you will need either paper towels or newsprint. Rags can also be used, but it is important to understand that oily rags can be dangerous, becoming easily flammable in high heat.
Place the bristle end of the brush in the towel and pinch the bristles with your fingers from the outside. Then begin to pull the brush through, repeatedly. You will have to shift to clean areas of the paper towel, as the pigments will rub off on the paper. If the brush still is not clean by the time you have used the entire paper towel, you may need to get a second one.
You want to get to a point where the brush is not transferring any significant amount of residue to the paper towel. At that point, you can move on to the next step.
Step 2: Use a Cleaner
Safflower oil or special soaps made of oils can be very helpful for loosening the pigments from your brushes. There are specific brush soaps on the market that can significantly help with the cleaning and conditioning of your brushes. I really like the Master’s Brush Cleaner and Preserver and find that it works wonders for my bristles. It works like shaving soap, where you add a little water, rub the brush into it, and work it into a lather. Then you can use your hand under running water to remove the rest of the pigments from your brush.
Remember that at this point there shouldn’t be a whole bunch of paint on your brush, so it’s not going to be an extremely messy process. You are just removing those last amounts of pigment from the bristles.
If you don’t have the specific cleaner I mentioned above, you can still do a similar process using regular hand soap or even dish soap. You can place a little bit of soap into your hand, add water, and work the brush through your fingers, using the soap and lather to free up the pigment, then run it under warm water.
Many people do not like the idea of pigments or oils being worked by their hands, directly, and will use gloves as a protective barrier against them. While most pigments these days are safe to work with, this is a safer method for cleaning brushes.
Step 3: Dry Those Brushes
Cleaning brushes is pretty easy, right? Now, we just dry them. You can use a clean towel or rag to dry the bristles, gently removing any leftover wetness. The bristles will most likely retain some amount of moisture and remain damp for a little while, so let them sit and dry until they are ready to be used again. If you try to paint with a damp brush, you’ll have a difficult time with the oil paint.
If, while drying, you notice that the pigment is coming off onto the towel, you will want to repeat the cleaning process, because you didn’t get the brush clean enough. Any amount of leftover paint can create problems in the future, so you want to be sure to clean thoroughly.
Do I Need to Use Solvent?
Solvent (turpentine, odorless mineral spirits, paint thinner) is a highly hazardous liquid that eats away at organic materials, such as oil. It is often used by oil painters to adjust the ratio of oil-to-pigment in their paints and can also be used to clean paint from bristles. Many people might use it when cleaning brushes when they don’t need to. It is of utmost importance that you understand the risks and proper handling of solvent before you ever use it.
You can never dispose of solvent into your drains or plumbing, nor can it be disposed of in the garbage. It can also not be poured out into the ground or water. All attempts to dispose of solvent in any of these ways is terrible for our environment and also illegal. Cities, counties, and states should have some way in which you can legally throw out solvent.
If you use solvent at all, it should always be in a highly ventilated area, as it has fumes and can harm you. Solvent will evaporate over time. If it does so, it is safe to dispose of the dry remnants left behind.
Now, do you need to use solvent? The short answer is no. There are alternatives that can work just as well, mentioned above. Solvent can be used to dissolve the paint from your bristles, much like water can be used with acrylic paint. It can make quick work of it. However, in my experience, solvent can also be very hard on the life of your brushes, too. You might find that your bristles aren’t exactly what they used to be if you use solvent often in cleaning brushes.
Simple, Right?
That really is all it takes to keep your brushes clean and ready to work with.
- Remove excess paint and pigment with a paper towel
- Make sure that there is very little, if any, pigment transferring from the brush to the towel
- Use soap or oil brush cleaner along with water to loosen and remove remaining pigment
- Dry the brush manually, then let it sit
I have also heard of artists using a little bit of conditioner occasionally to keep their brushes shaped nicely. I don’t know if that is necessary, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to try it and do it very rarely.
I hope this has been a helpful look at cleaning brushes that have been used to paint with oils.
If you’ve found yourself dabbling with oils and want to learn a bit about color mixing, head here.