Cleaning your brushes
I know I said I use inexpensive brushes for wood painting because the wood is coarse enough to ruin a good sable hair brush. But I still want those brushes to last as long as possible and I want to put them away as clean as possible.
I start with a puddle of dishwashing detergent (Dawn) mixed with a few drops of water. Usually I do this in the sink, but a small saucer will work well for the photos.
I load the detergent into the bristles of my brush exactly like I load paint. I place the brush into the puddle then pull the brush out towards the edge of the saucer which works the soap into the inside of the brush.
With my fingers I press any paint residue out of the base of the bristles by moving my fingers from the ferrule to the bristles. Next I move to the clean water, pulling the brush along the side of the bowl – I am loading the clean water as I load the paint.
I repeat those steps several times until the soap around the brush no longer shows an discoloration. Using my fingers and slight amount of pressure I can press the excess soap from the brush bristles, moving from the ferrel towards the tip.
The brush is ready to return to my brush jar. That soap that I left in the brush bristles will dry … it keeps the tip of my shader flat and crisp while protecting the brush shape until I need it again. When I start the next painting session, since I use all brushes pre-moistened that soap will simply wash out and I will have a nice painting edge, ready for work.
Basics to Painting:
Mushroom Wood Spirits, an exclusive pattern package by Lora S Irish, available only at Art Designs Studio, are usually trees, tree trunks, and branches. But this set of wood spirits are small mushrooms that live on the forest floor. Enjoy creating your next craft project using an Army Mushroom Spirit, a Doctor Mushroom Spirit, a Mother and her Little Ones Mushroom Spirit, and even a Butterfly and Mushroom Spirit. Great for pyrography, painted quilting, and wood carving
