The Ultimate Guide to Cleaning Artist Brushes

Your paintbrushes are your most important creative tools. Whether you are working with rich oils, vibrant acrylics, or fluid watercolors, taking the time to properly clean and

maintain your brushes will keep them performing like new for years.

Neglecting brush cleanup can ruin the structural integrity of the hairs, but knowing how to properly care for them takes only a few simple steps.

Step 1: Wipe Away the Excess

Before water, soap, or solvents touch your brush, you need to remove as much raw paint as possible.

  • The Technique: Gently pinch and pull a folded paper towel or clean rag along the brush in the direction of the hairs.
  • The Warning: Never push the bristles into the towel or scrub aggressively; this will fray the hairs and bend the shape of your brush.

Step 2: Choose Your Cleaning Agent

The next step depends entirely on the medium you are painting with.

For Acrylics

Because acrylic paint dries quickly and behaves like a plastic binder, it needs to be cleaned immediately.

  • The Method: Swish the brush in a jar of clean, lukewarm water, pressing lightly to the bottom to allow the paint to release. You can use a specialized plastic brush washer, which has bottom ridges that help shift stubborn paint out.
  • Eco-Tip: Never pour acrylic wastewater directly down your drain as it introduces microplastics into the water supply. Let your wash jars sit and evaporate, then dispose of the dried residue in the trash.

For Oils

Oil paints require a breakdown of their linseed oil binder before they can be washed.

  • The Method: Swish your wiped-off brush in a glass jar or metal wash can filled with an artist-grade solvent, such as odorless mineral spirits (like Gamsol). Alternatively, you can use a safe, solvent-free method by dipping the brush in safflower, sunflower, or walnut oil to dissolve the paint, then wiping the oily residue on a cloth.

Step 3: Deep Clean with Soap

Solvent or water alone isn’t enough to guarantee that paint particles haven’t hidden deep inside the ferrule (the metal part of the brush).

  • The Routine: Wet the bristles under lukewarm running water. Lather up a specialized brush soap, like the highly recommended The Masters Brush Cleaner and Preserver, or use a gentle, fragrance-free dish soap.
  • Scrubbing: Gently swirl the bristles in the palm of your hand or directly on the bar of soap to work the lather down to the base of the hair. Rinse, and repeat until the water runs completely clear.

Step 4: Reshape and Dry

Improper drying is the #1 reason brushes lose their shape or begin to shed.

  • Reshape: Gently use your fingers to smooth and shape the wet bristles back into their original, intended form (points for rounds, chiseled edges for flats).
  • Drying Position: Lay your brushes completely flat on a dry paper towel or rest them in a suspended, hanging position.
  • The Rule: Never store a wet brush standing upright in a jar. Gravity will pull moisture directly into the ferrule, rotting the wooden handle and dissolving the glue that holds the bristles together.

The Beginner’s Pallet

To get started, you don’t need to buy every color in the craft store. A simple, affordable core set of student or professionalPaints set—includes everything you need to build your color-mixing foundation.

  • Primaries: Red, Yellow, Blue
  • Neutrals: Titanium White and Mars Black

The 4 Golden Rules of Color Mixing

1. Mixing the Secondaries

When you mix two primary colors in equal parts, you create a “secondary” color:

  • Yellow + Blue = Green
  • Red + Yellow = Orange
  • Red + Blue = Purple

2. Mastering Tints & Shades

Understanding how to lighten and darken your mixtures is the key to adding depth and dimension to your paintings.

  • Tints: Add White to any color to make it lighter and pastel.
  • Shades: Add Black (or your darkest color) in tiny amounts to create deeper, moodier, and earthy tones.

3. Toning Down Brightness (Complementary Colors)

Colors located directly opposite each other on the color wheel are called complementary colors (e.g., Red and Green, Blue and Orange, Yellow and Purple). Mixing just a tiny dab of a color’s complement into it will mute the intensity, making it look much more natural and less “neon”.

4. The “Light to Dark” Rule

When mixing two colors, always start with the lighter color first, and slowly pull in the darker color. Pigments like Phthalo Blue or deep reds are incredibly powerful. If you drop a large amount of dark paint into a small puddle of yellow, you will waste paint trying to correct the mix.

A Simple Practice Exercise

Before you jump into a complex canvas, grab a piece of practice paper and try this:

  1. Put a small dab of Blue and a small dab of Yellow on your palette.
  2. Mix a 50/50 ratio using a palette knife or brush and paint a square.
  3. Add a tiny bit more Blue to the same mix and paint a square below it.
  4. Add a bit of White to your mix and paint a third square to see how tinting works.

The Numbering System: What Do the Numbers Mean?

Understanding brush sizes is a bit like shoe sizing—it varies depending on the manufacturer and the specific brush family (like sable vs. bristle). The number typically refers to the width of the ferrule (the metal band connecting the bristles to the handle) or the diameter of the brush head.

Generally, the scale breaks down into four broad categories:

  • Very Small (#20/0 to #2): Best for fine detail work, tiny illustrations, and miniatures. The sizes with slashes (like #20/0) indicate fractions—the larger the denominator, the smaller the brush.
  • Small to Medium (#3 to #6): Perfect for general detailing, controlled brushstrokes, and smaller areas.
  • Medium to Large (#7 to #12): Your workhorse brushes. Great for blending, adding depth, and mid-sized coverage.
  • Very Large (#14 to #24+): Designed for bold strokes, extensive washes, and large background areas on large canvases.

Beyond Numbers: Brush Shapes and Their Uses

While sizing is important, the shape of the brush dictates the marks it leaves on the canvas. A size 12 round brush will behave very differently than a size 12 flat brush.

  • Round Brushes: Incredibly versatile; perfect for fine lines, detailing, and filling in areas. When pulled to a fine point, they act like a pencil.
  • Flat Brushes: Square-ended with medium to long hairs. Excellent for broad washes, crisp, straight lines, and geometric blocking.
  • Filbert Brushes: Features a flat body with a rounded, oval tip. It acts as a hybrid between a round and flat brush, making it the ultimate tool for soft, natural blending and organic forms.
  • Fan Brushes: Shaped like a hand fan, this brush is used for blending, smoothing, and feathering, as well as painting natural textures like clouds, hair, or foliage.

Pro-Tip: Don’t Be Afraid of the “Big” Brush!

Many beginner artists fall into the trap of using brushes that are too small. Using tiny brushes for the majority of a painting can cause you to get lost in needless details and miss the overall composition. Try using the largest brush you feel comfortable with for the foundational stages of your painting, as it helps you make bold, meaningful strokes and saves you a ton of time.

A Quick Note on Handles

Brush handle length also impacts your workflow:

  • Short Handles: Best for watercolors, gouache, and close-up detail work where you need the control of holding a pencil.
  • Long Handles: Ideal for oil and acrylic painting on larger canvases. They allow you to stand back at arm’s length, encouraging looser, more gestural arm movements.