I grew up in my grandmother's oil painting studio. The place wasn't ventilated at all and there was open turpentine and linseed oil all over. Times have changed from when I was a wee lad
I've been painting for 60 years! Since then California has banned turpentine, lead white and who nos what! They have got everyone in a panic as to toxins. ALL BULSHIT! Most everything today is geared to sell you cheaper products and increase profits! If you think you are getting sick from oil paints OSHA doesn't seem to exist! Most doctors will avoid the subject. I'm glad I got started in the " good old days",! When things were so "overhyped" ! I paint for my own learning challenges - not for for what others think! Wish the government would back off! They are killing our freedom of use! And driving up prices! Being retired, oil painting is my whole life! But with new materials an artist can do much better than the "old masters" miss the smell of turpentine!! Still kicking at the age of 85,!
Eleven minutes and forty-nine seconds that has been the best use of my time all week. The clouds parted and I think I heard a choir of angels sing while watching this - I learned so much about what I was doing that wasn't particularly good for my brushes, and how I've been spending way too much time cleaning unnecessarily. This video was a great leap forward in my goal of being a competent artist. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!
For me it looks more expensive to buy all the product to make little bit of things I need than to buy directly from him. Not to mention if there isn't some thing in my country his free shipping deal is a big deal for me.
This information is priceless. I always followed the misconception that brushes needed to be completely dry and clean to get best control when applying paint. It has been tedious to keep cleaning and drying brushes for each painting session. Thank you so much for this information and a great video!
In one video you have eliminated so many of my fears and hesitations to start oil paints. Thank you! The thought of horrible smells, tedious cleaning with multiple steps and fear of drying times and ruined brushes are gone. I even air hugged you! lol.
For the last 30 years I have been cleaning my finest artist hog brushes with mild shampoo followed by hair conditioner and they are good as new till today.
So much for the painstaking, laborious wiping and dipping and pressing and rewiping and redid ping and pressing and soaping, etc. I've been doing for ages ! I learn something new with each video. Amazing.
BLESS YOUR CHANNEL I've been binge watching all your videos, and I've never had an art teacher before, so I realise how impractical my current method is. Thank you so much. ~Ollie
Well, that was very enlightening! ... I use to always clean my brushes every evening (sometimes at 1 in the morning) for sometimes 20 or 30 minutes, using citrus essence based brush cleaner, and then soap + water.... very time consuming! Now I will try your method!
When I'm done with a painting I will clean my brushes with Murphy's oil soap. I just recently found out about this. I also have a bar of brush soap that I've been using for a long time and it works well. It even removes paint from my hands. The other day I was sorting my brushes and came across seven that had stiff bristles. I was mad at myself because I always keep my brushes clean but somehow over time I missed cleaning these brushes. There was no paint on them, just stiff bristles. I soaked them in Murphy's oil soap (undiluted) overnight. Next day I rinsed the brushes thoroughly and to my surprise, the bristles were soft again. Amazing stuff. I was using mineral spirits for years and it does stink. I won't be using it any more. The problem with using solvents is that over time, the solvent dissolves the glue that holds the bristles in the ferrule. This happened to one of my brushes. Before I retired I worked as a scenic artist and learned a bad habit from the other painters. They were cleaning their brushes in lacquer thinner. Not knowing any better when I first started out, I did the same thing. Well, the bristles in my brushes eventually deteriorated. Thankfully I didn't use oil paints very often on my projects but it was still difficult to clean brushes on the job. I believe that the other painters used whatever they could get their hands on to clean their brushes and they simply didn't care. They didn't pay for the brushes. I sometimes found brushes laying in the dirt or left laying around completely dried up. I would take them home and clean them and use them.
Geez..............where were you in 1969 when I started painting? LOL Thanks for these helpful hints for if I ever get back to painting again. You and I have similar styles and yes, getting the fumes down is a blessing. I used to have fans and windows open back in the day.
Love that brush holder! Making that tomorrow morning! So hate having them around with no way to put them down unless I put them upright, which I don't like doing! I only clean after a session. Ok, I have used Dawn dishwashing liquid after gum spirits, but the trick is to mix the Dawn into the bristols using your fingers, NO WATER. This removes the residual oils from your brush and then will wash free with the soap, but I apply several applications of soap first, working the oil color out of the tip. then rinse using water. Now, treat your bristols with a 50/50 mix of fabric softener/water to restore the ph of the brush to neutral. Rinse thoroughly. Dawn or any other soap is a high ph value, and you want to take it down to PH neutral, so it won't dry out the bristols. The PH of most soaps is about 8.0 - 9.0 (drain cleaner is 13.0, and neutral is 7.0. The PH of fabric softener is 5.0 - 6.0, and water is for the most part 6.5 - 7.0. Most artist don't know this about soaps or how to address it.
This has been very helpful to me. Saves a lot of time. While the holder was unavailable, I improvised with an ordinary small roller tray. I clean my brushes with Murpheys Oil Soap every few weeks or so. No solvents ever! Just soak overnight in Murpheys first. So easy.
Safflower oil will clean out your brush before changing colors too, if you really need to. I had no idea solvents were so harsh on brushes. Thanks for this video! It was really helpful!
I clean my brushes with linsead oil, wipe and wash in water with hair shampoo. Sometimes I grease them with oil in the end (only brushes for oil painting).
Ty sir so much for this video you made my day and explained to me how to deal with problems i have as a beginer and who also cares alot about his health because minerals terpentin and others hurt health and also nature by alot so it's not ok to do that...Few brushes for every general color bright and dark to have same mix of colors on every brush and you solve the problem...I wish you all the best sir ty so much for sharing your expiriance with us..
I use Turpenoid Naturals for all my brushes. I also have “linseed oil soap” (which I haven’t use it yet), I don’t have to wash my brush on this coz the Turpenoid Naturals keeps my brush conditioned. I stopped using Turpenoid Odorless Thinner when I paint coz I’ve heard some artist have experienced lung problem and so I started using TOXIC FREE thinner and/or cleaner. And as far as using my brush for only black paint, I do have 2 brushes for each painting - one brush for dark and one brush for light.
I love your aesthetics! You make so much sense and never do you see a pure color in nature, you are correct. A pure color will most likely look strange on your canvas except for a mixed black in moderation.
I recently purchased the Geneva Brush Dip and I really like it. I can leave my expensive Rosemary brushes sitting sometimes 10-12 days and the bristles are wet and supple like the day I dipped them. When I'm ready, I wipe them off and begin my session. Thanks Mark
I have used bars of soap to clean my brushes but will try this. Seems good for painting while out camping with my car so I don't have to waste time and water cleaning them every day. I might build a little paintbrush rack to store them horizontally like that while I drive.
Nice. I have some brushes that i've been using for 20 years and are still usable. Care is paramount to have long lasting brushes. I always remove paint residues and then i wash them with soapy water and put to dry.
Love all you videos and all the tips I've learned over the past weeks of looking at them. I paint with a group and have told them all about you and your paint.
Hi Mark, thanks a lot for this useful information. I've always been careful with my brushes, but some of the points you've explained here I didn't know before.
I think my brush cleaning obsession comes from 10 yrs of using acrylics. Thanks Mark, I'm going to follow this system. I guess it also helps when using a limited palette like you do😊
This is worth watching and remembering, because I hear about muddy so much that I have been cleaning my brushes with mineral spirits, or soap and water . Thank you for this.
Revisiting this to see if there is anything I missed, or if anything has changed from my new experience with oils. I only use two maybe three brushes, so cleaning them is not a big deal for me, and my preference for synthetic helps. But your brush dip really is attractive to me for the simple reason that it is fast, and would be less wear on the brush.
found a great way to clean oil paint out of a brush . . . wipe the excess paint off, then dip brush into common household oil, like 3-in-One oil, available in any hardware or even Walgreens, etc. Work the oil into the brush on the side or bottom of small container, then rinse in odorless thinner, mineral spirits, etc. I have yet to find a trace of color coming out of the brush after these two simple steps . . . just try it!
totaly wrong treadment!!!! since about 1000 years fine art artists are doing this wrong. a revolutionary solution for parking your expensive art tools has been invented by me this year. if you are interested then send me an inquiry
B and J "The Masters" brush cleaner (tan puck shaped container) works really well. Just be sure to rinse them well with water to get rid of any residue. Great tips!
I use only orange hand cleaner from auto store, works amazing, is non toxic and get them clean and conditions them. But.... I just purchased all your paints and will start using this method now.
To do a complete clean and avoid mineral spirits I recommend a tiny bit of dawn dish soap and make-up brush conditioner. It's worked great for me for years. I hate mineral spirits and I already have breathing issues (life long) . I use bare essentials make-up brush conditioner (supposed to be for blush and other brushes used for applying makeup to the face). It's 100% awesome, makes them like new every time.
The brush cleaner is better clean. I let the solvent sit overnight or longer. The pigment will separate it self out. Then pour off the clear solvent, I always recycle my solvent!
I use laundry soap now, it has served me well. I used to use a fairly abrasive hand soap, cleans thoroughly, but messes up the bristles, like Mark mentioned. I only use pure turpentine to think paint, but these days I use wetting mediums.
Im gonna get your brush holder when in stock. I will cover the whole set up with a cardboard box when not using holding the brushes etc because i have found lint dust and stuff somehow collects on my brushes laying around.
What cleaning technique would you recommend for artists using techniques that require use of dry brushes for blending away brush strokes? The Windberg method for example? The technique requires a ready supply of dry sable brushes for blending out the brushstrokes for a mirror flat look.
I was taught to wash the brushes in dishsoap by putting the dishsoap into your cupped hand (no water), twirling the brush around, then rinsing with water. Then put vaseline onto the brush bristles to keep them soft. Works well. it's more work than what Mark does.
Are paints like Gamblin,W&N,Michael Horton, artist grade considered slow drying or fast (if only used with non-alcohol medium, like black oil 1/3,turpentine,1/3,and dammar varnish 1/3)? I don’t know if that is slow or fast- I would like to try your safflower/clove oil if could use with the paints and medium I have. Thank you.
I like to paint in glazes for fast drying and turnaround! If that is still not fast enough I add a cobalt solution to really speed things up. I paint with several brands, although I don't think it makes much difference. The thicker the paint, the longer it takes to dry - especially in oil paints!
I've never painted in oil, because I did not want to deal with the fumes/toxicity of the solvents, especially turps before mineral spirits came into use. This video was very helpful, and I am very interested in painting with oils. Also, the logic behind your line of paint as well as the limited palette approach is excellent and unlike anything I've seen. However, I would like you to make a video talking about creating good studio ventilation, minimizing exposure to fumes, regular vs. odorless mineral spirits in terms of safe exposure levels. Thanks!!
Hi - Very new to all this. Overuse of some of my brushes seemed to have dried them out, and I thought the dip oil could help. This may be a stupid question, but can I use the dip oil on brushes with acrylic paints?? FYI: Wish I had seen this clip before starting to work with my brushes. I found out first hand how quickly bristles are compromised when pushing brushes against a canvass. By the way, thank you for being so generous with your videos. I'm trying to teach myself how to paint from the ground up, and simple tips re: brushes (their differences, how to use them, which is good for what), are very helpful. I can't afford school, but these videos are also helping me get acquainted with many terms. Thank you again.
Thank you for giving us the recipe for the brush dip. You're literally invigorating artists here. I'll go to your website to see if there's a way to support you. What confused me at first is your explanation of how to clean a brush with black paint. After a few viewings, it seems like you're saying "Pick up a different color, work the new color in (yellow in this case), wipe it out with a paper towel, then repeat a few more times. By the time you're done, the black paint will be worked out by the yellow and you'll be good." Thank you
What should you do if your brushes have dried and stiffened? I paint once a week for a class with synthetic brushes and they are hard as rocks. I used boiling water to loosen the bristles and soap and water but it has not been very effective. Would using something like Turpenoid Natural or Gamsol be useful in my case?
I've found that even with harsh cleaning, standard brush conditioner really does maintain good brush condition. Wonderful stuff. I can see this method of oil conditioning working similarly. I don't like the idea of not removing the paint from the brush though before conditioning.
I hope for a kind reply. First of all thanks to Mark for all such valuable and useful information on his channel! I paint with a direct approach using colors straight from the tube for the first "layers" (although maybe I shouldn't be talking about layers in a direct approach). Then I add some walnut oil for the next layers. Of course, these phases are not always completed in the same session. Could the brush dip residue cause the painting to crack? I think some of it can remain in the brush at the start of each session (even after squeezing it) and end up in the first layers. Thanks!
Used to use soap and water, however, found that it dried the bristles out. Now using lacquer thinner because mineral spirits doesn't seem to clean the brushes well enough.
Masters Brush cleaner is the best cleaner. It gets every little bit of paint out and very efficiently. Plus to do most of the work quickly you can use a thin oil such as walnut oil in a brush tank and use it just like mineral spirits or some other solvent. Only trick with the soap and water method is that the bristles need a bit of a coating of the soap to stay together as hog hair brushes like to get limp when wet. And you MUST wait for them to be completely dry. At least the internet says so. I haven't had to worry as so far I've used water miscible oils.
Well, I agreed with all this up to the point where you were doing a thorough cleaning. If I've been keeping my brushes well oiled (dipping them in walnut oil, but poppy is even better, just more expensive) I don't need any solvents to clean them. I rub them in liquid black soap first, perhaps repeatedly, and then in a solution of Marseille or Aleppo soap until they're squeaky clean. Consider the Renaissance artists, who had no solvents.
Murphy's Oil Soap works for stains and cleaning brushes, but i dont like how the brush seems to thicken up afterwards. A ? for you: How would this teaching apply if I recently switched to water mixable paints? Is there a slow dry medium i can substitute as the wet dip? Thanks
you can also hang the brushes in a closed tube (glass Voss Artesian bottle) with baby oil - when you want to use the brush , (do not paint with baby oil) clean the baby oil similar to how he clean the brush to pure yellow -
Fan-f**king-tastic! Thanks for laying all of these fundamental concepts out so clearly . I have been painting for a long time in various mediums including oils and this info really put cleaning my brushes in perspective . I am excited to create the brush dip you have demonstrated here. Also the concept of wiping and then brushing on the pallet to "clean " the brush instead of constantly cleaning with gamsol to switch colors is brilliant. It makes perfect sense, because I think I have inadvertently done that without intentionally meaning to use that method. Now I will intentionally apply this practice. Sharing this kind of knowlwdge is what it's all about. Thanx!
totaly wrong treadment!!!! since about 1000 years fine art artists are doing this wrong. a revolutionary solution for parking your expensive art tools has been invented by me this year. if you are interested then send me an inquiry
Im using mostly synthetics, they are good quality and holds their shape great. Anyone has experience how to treat them well so they keep their shape for a long time? Great tips Mark, thank you.
My synthetics were very cheap so they dont hold the shape for a long time. But the tip are just that, buy good brushes because they are be good for the entire life.
I received the brush oil and love it. Problem is I put a little bit in the same kind of jar I keep my odorless mineral spirits and accidently that I was dipping my brush into the spirits. I had to dab off the areas where I used the dip cleaner. YIKES! Other than my dumb mistake I love the brush dip. Thank you
"A teacher is a shortcut to fast learning." Thanks Mark for sharing your experience, that saves us years of trying to find things on our own.
love that quote, do you know who said it?
I grew up in my grandmother's oil painting studio. The place wasn't ventilated at all and there was open turpentine and linseed oil all over. Times have changed from when I was a wee lad
I've been painting for 60 years! Since then California has banned turpentine, lead white and who nos what! They have got everyone in a panic as to toxins. ALL BULSHIT! Most everything today is geared to sell you cheaper products and increase profits! If you think you are getting sick from oil paints OSHA doesn't seem to exist! Most doctors will avoid the subject. I'm glad I got started in the " good old days",! When things were so "overhyped" ! I paint for my own learning challenges - not for for what others think! Wish the government would back off! They are killing our freedom of use! And driving up prices! Being retired, oil painting is my whole life! But with new materials an artist can do much better than the "old masters" miss the smell of turpentine!! Still kicking at the age of 85,!
Eleven minutes and forty-nine seconds that has been the best use of my time all week. The clouds parted and I think I heard a choir of angels sing while watching this - I learned so much about what I was doing that wasn't particularly good for my brushes, and how I've been spending way too much time cleaning unnecessarily. This video was a great leap forward in my goal of being a competent artist. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience!
"ill be out of town, can you feed my cat?"
"ill be out of town, can you dip my brushes?"
Yup I’ll dip your cat and feed your brushes on time
@@howardlovesyouu My cat looks really glossy! But why is there meat in my brushes?
I really like how Mark shows you how to make any of the Geneva products on your own instead of just sucking people into buying them.
The mark of a good man.
Yeah, because there's enough people out there who will not want to go to the trouble of making something if they can just buy it.
If I had money I'd buy them.
I’d buy them if I could get them in the Middle East!!! The substitution recipes really help.
For me it looks more expensive to buy all the product to make little bit of things I need than to buy directly from him. Not to mention if there isn't some thing in my country his free shipping deal is a big deal for me.
This information is priceless. I always followed the misconception that brushes needed to be completely dry and clean to get best control when applying paint. It has been tedious to keep cleaning and drying brushes for each painting session. Thank you so much for this information and a great video!
Me too.
In one video you have eliminated so many of my fears and hesitations to start oil paints. Thank you! The thought of horrible smells, tedious cleaning with multiple steps and fear of drying times and ruined brushes are gone. I even air hugged you! lol.
I like his brush dip (his paints too). They make my room smell ripe bananas...
For the last 30 years I have been cleaning my finest artist hog brushes with mild shampoo followed by hair conditioner and they are good as new till today.
I use liquid laundry detergent and my brushes are in good nick!
add a little hair gel if taking the hogbrush out on the town
@@kevinhawley403 ahhahaha
@@kevinhawley403this comment had me rolling 😂😂😂
Your videos are so nice, they always put me to sleep at night, while at the same time hearing useful painting tips as I doze off into the dreamland 🙂
I'm so happy to know that I don't actually have to clean my brushes ever again!
So much for the painstaking, laborious wiping and dipping and pressing and rewiping and redid ping and pressing and soaping, etc. I've been doing for ages ! I learn something new with each video. Amazing.
BLESS YOUR CHANNEL I've been binge watching all your videos, and I've never had an art teacher before, so I realise how impractical my current method is. Thank you so much.
~Ollie
Peinting acrilics
Well, that was very enlightening! ... I use to always clean my brushes every evening (sometimes at 1 in the morning) for sometimes 20 or 30 minutes, using citrus essence based brush cleaner, and then soap + water.... very time consuming!
Now I will try your method!
When I'm done with a painting I will clean my brushes with Murphy's oil soap. I just recently found out about this. I also have a bar of brush soap that I've been using for a long time and it works well. It even removes paint from my hands.
The other day I was sorting my brushes and came across seven that had stiff bristles. I was mad at myself because I always keep my brushes clean but somehow over time I missed cleaning these brushes. There was no paint on them, just stiff bristles. I soaked them in Murphy's oil soap (undiluted) overnight. Next day I rinsed the brushes thoroughly and to my surprise, the bristles were soft again. Amazing stuff.
I was using mineral spirits for years and it does stink. I won't be using it any more.
The problem with using solvents is that over time, the solvent dissolves the glue that holds the bristles in the ferrule. This happened to one of my brushes.
Before I retired I worked as a scenic artist and learned a bad habit from the other painters. They were cleaning their brushes in lacquer thinner. Not knowing any better when I first started out, I did the same thing. Well, the bristles in my brushes eventually deteriorated. Thankfully I didn't use oil paints very often on my projects but it was still difficult to clean brushes on the job. I believe that the other painters used whatever they could get their hands on to clean their brushes and they simply didn't care. They didn't pay for the brushes. I sometimes found brushes laying in the dirt or left laying around completely dried up. I would take them home and clean them and use them.
Geez..............where were you in 1969 when I started painting? LOL Thanks for these helpful hints for if I ever get back to painting again. You and I have similar styles and yes, getting the fumes down is a blessing. I used to have fans and windows open back in the day.
Love that brush holder! Making that tomorrow morning! So hate having them around with no way to put them down unless I put them upright, which I don't like doing! I only clean after a session. Ok, I have used Dawn dishwashing liquid after gum spirits, but the trick is to mix the Dawn into the bristols using your fingers, NO WATER. This removes the residual oils from your brush and then will wash free with the soap, but I apply several applications of soap first, working the oil color out of the tip. then rinse using water. Now, treat your bristols with a 50/50 mix of fabric softener/water to restore the ph of the brush to neutral. Rinse thoroughly. Dawn or any other soap is a high ph value, and you want to take it down to PH neutral, so it won't dry out the bristols. The PH of most soaps is about 8.0 - 9.0 (drain cleaner is 13.0, and neutral is 7.0. The PH of fabric softener is 5.0 - 6.0, and water is for the most part 6.5 - 7.0. Most artist don't know this about soaps or how to address it.
This has been very helpful to me. Saves a lot of time. While the holder was unavailable, I improvised with an ordinary small roller tray. I clean my brushes with Murpheys Oil Soap every few weeks or so. No solvents ever! Just soak overnight in Murpheys first. So easy.
Wow Mark...you give some of t the best advise from your own experience and professionalism...thank you again...
What good did I ever do to have found you and your videos. I’ve watched so many videos, no knowledge is as simple and on point as yours. Thanks
Man this guy is awesome! His speaking style is Rembrandt-like...it just flows right. He “pounds the strike zone!”
Safflower oil will clean out your brush before changing colors too, if you really need to. I had no idea solvents were so harsh on brushes. Thanks for this video! It was really helpful!
Very good advice.
I have been painting for years without knowing this and have gone through many brushes needlessly.
I clean my brushes with linsead oil, wipe and wash in water with hair shampoo. Sometimes I grease them with oil in the end (only brushes for oil painting).
Murphy’s oil soap.... it’s a lifesaver for me.
Do you have to wash off the murphy oil soap before painting? TY for your tip.
Ty sir so much for this video you made my day and explained to me how to deal with problems i have as a beginer and who also cares alot about his health because minerals terpentin and others hurt health and also nature by alot so it's not ok to do that...Few brushes for every general color bright and dark to have same mix of colors on every brush and you solve the problem...I wish you all the best sir ty so much for sharing your expiriance with us..
I use Turpenoid Naturals for all my brushes. I also have “linseed oil soap” (which I haven’t use it yet), I don’t have to wash my brush on this coz the Turpenoid Naturals keeps my brush conditioned. I stopped using Turpenoid Odorless Thinner when I paint coz I’ve heard some artist have experienced lung problem and so I started using TOXIC FREE thinner and/or cleaner. And as far as using my brush for only black paint, I do have 2 brushes for each painting - one brush for dark and one brush for light.
Having worked with high pigment density acrylics for years painting minaitures, the ease of use for "complex" oil paints is astounding.
I love your aesthetics! You make so much sense and never do you see a pure color in nature, you are correct. A pure color will most likely look strange on your canvas except for a mixed black in moderation.
I recently purchased the Geneva Brush Dip and I really like it. I can leave my expensive Rosemary brushes sitting sometimes 10-12 days and the bristles are wet and supple like the day I dipped them. When I'm ready, I wipe them off and begin my session. Thanks Mark
+Bryan Coombes Great to hear. :)
I have used bars of soap to clean my brushes but will try this. Seems good for painting while out camping with my car so I don't have to waste time and water cleaning them every day. I might build a little paintbrush rack to store them horizontally like that while I drive.
Nice. I have some brushes that i've been using for 20 years and are still usable. Care is paramount to have long lasting brushes. I always remove paint residues and then i wash them with soapy water and put to dry.
Yet again a very useful tutorial, thank you...this man is top class
Thank you so much for this helpful advice. I have struggled to keep my brushes clean and am heartened by your advice.
Love all you videos and all the tips I've learned over the past weeks of looking at them. I paint with a group and have told them all about you and your paint.
What about liquin and other mediums? At the end of the session how do you clean these mediums out the brushes?
👍👍
Well, for one thing he doesn't use Liquin.
Hi Mark, thanks a lot for this useful information. I've always been careful with my brushes, but some of the points you've explained here I didn't know before.
I love my Murphy’s oil soap, works extremely well.
Do you have to wash off the murphy soal before painting? TY for yourr tip.
@@karlenebland4556 It's a good practice to always make sure your brushes are free of any sort of soaps/conditioners before painting.
I think my brush cleaning obsession comes from 10 yrs of using acrylics. Thanks Mark, I'm going to follow this system. I guess it also helps when using a limited palette like you do😊
This is worth watching and remembering, because I hear about muddy so much that I have been cleaning my brushes with mineral spirits, or soap and water . Thank you for this.
Revisiting this to see if there is anything I missed, or if anything has changed from my new experience with oils. I only use two maybe three brushes, so cleaning them is not a big deal for me, and my preference for synthetic helps. But your brush dip really is attractive to me for the simple reason that it is fast, and would be less wear on the brush.
found a great way to clean oil paint out of a brush . . . wipe the excess paint off, then dip brush into common household oil, like 3-in-One oil, available in any hardware or even Walgreens, etc. Work the oil into the brush on the side or bottom of small container, then rinse in odorless thinner, mineral spirits, etc. I have yet to find a trace of color coming out of the brush after these two simple steps . . . just try it!
totaly wrong treadment!!!! since about 1000 years fine art artists are doing this wrong. a revolutionary solution for parking your expensive art tools has been invented by me this year. if you are interested then send me an inquiry
Good advice!
B and J "The Masters" brush cleaner (tan puck shaped container) works really well. Just be sure to rinse them well with water to get rid of any residue. Great tips!
I use only orange hand cleaner from auto store, works amazing, is non toxic and get them clean and conditions them. But.... I just purchased all your paints and will start using this method now.
can i use linseed oil rather than safflower oil
Akash Sinha Linseed oil will dry pretty fast, too fast if you are not going to use the brushes for more than a few days.
working color into a brush before using it is a great tip, thanks
To do a complete clean and avoid mineral spirits I recommend a tiny bit of dawn dish soap and make-up brush conditioner. It's worked great for me for years. I hate mineral spirits and I already have breathing issues (life long) . I use bare essentials make-up brush conditioner (supposed to be for blush and other brushes used for applying makeup to the face). It's 100% awesome, makes them like new every time.
Just wan't to say thanks for your generous sharing of your experience.
I am looking at making my own paint for fallowing his methoud. Wished I knew what pigment to order. His color mixing video is a must.
What do you do with your brush dip once dirty? - Do you need to dispose of it & if so how? Or is it fine to use dirty brush dip? Thanks
The brush cleaner is better clean. I let the solvent sit overnight or longer. The pigment will separate it self out. Then pour off the clear solvent, I always recycle my solvent!
Can you wrap your dipped brushes gently in plastic wrap or aluminum foil to keep the "wet" for longer than a week?
Great info thanks. I really like your brush holder. Where to get one like that?
I use laundry soap now, it has served me well. I used to use a fairly abrasive hand soap, cleans thoroughly, but messes up the bristles, like Mark mentioned. I only use pure turpentine to think paint, but these days I use wetting mediums.
Im gonna get your brush holder when in stock. I will cover the whole set up with a cardboard box when not using holding the brushes etc because i have found lint dust and stuff somehow collects on my brushes laying around.
What cleaning technique would you recommend for artists using techniques that require use of dry brushes for blending away brush strokes?
The Windberg method for example? The technique requires a ready supply of dry sable brushes for blending out the brushstrokes for a mirror flat look.
I use baby oil to clean my brushes. It's super cheap and works great
I use baby oil also
I just ordered your Geneva Set #3. I can't wait to try your products!
I was taught to wash the brushes in dishsoap by putting the dishsoap into your cupped hand (no water), twirling the brush around, then rinsing with water. Then put vaseline onto the brush bristles to keep them soft. Works well. it's more work than what Mark does.
Great tips, love the brush holder. I want one of those.
“I want that” hahaha
I have avoided getting back into oil painting because I hate cleaning the brushes after every painting session. Not a problem anymore. Thanks!!!
Are paints like Gamblin,W&N,Michael Horton, artist grade considered slow drying or fast (if only used with non-alcohol medium, like black oil 1/3,turpentine,1/3,and dammar varnish 1/3)? I don’t know if that is slow or fast- I would like to try your safflower/clove oil if could use with the paints and medium I have. Thank you.
I like to paint in glazes for fast drying and turnaround! If that is still not fast enough I add a cobalt solution to really speed things up. I paint with several brands, although I don't think it makes much difference. The thicker the paint, the longer it takes to dry - especially in oil paints!
I've never painted in oil, because I did not want to deal with the fumes/toxicity of the solvents, especially turps before mineral spirits came into use. This video was very helpful, and I am very interested in painting with oils. Also, the logic behind your line of paint as well as the limited palette approach is excellent and unlike anything I've seen. However, I would like you to make a video talking about creating good studio ventilation, minimizing exposure to fumes, regular vs. odorless mineral spirits in terms of safe exposure levels. Thanks!!
I never thought of a brush dip. So I’ve been using natural soaps with animal fats/milks. It cleans BUT does dry them out.
Thank you for putting so much thought in all your videos. Loving your brush stand!
Awesome website as well.
Thank you so much. Im just a beginner and your Videos are SO great and helpfull. Thank you.
Hi - Very new to all this. Overuse of some of my brushes seemed to have dried them out, and I thought the dip oil could help. This may be a stupid question, but can I use the dip oil on brushes with acrylic paints?? FYI: Wish I had seen this clip before starting to work with my brushes. I found out first hand how quickly bristles are compromised when pushing brushes against a canvass. By the way, thank you for being so generous with your videos. I'm trying to teach myself how to paint from the ground up, and simple tips re: brushes (their differences, how to use them, which is good for what), are very helpful. I can't afford school, but these videos are also helping me get acquainted with many terms. Thank you again.
Thank you for giving us the recipe for the brush dip. You're literally invigorating artists here. I'll go to your website to see if there's a way to support you.
What confused me at first is your explanation of how to clean a brush with black paint. After a few viewings, it seems like you're saying "Pick up a different color, work the new color in (yellow in this case), wipe it out with a paper towel, then repeat a few more times. By the time you're done, the black paint will be worked out by the yellow and you'll be good."
Thank you
What should you do if your brushes have dried and stiffened? I paint once a week for a class with synthetic brushes and they are hard as rocks. I used boiling water to loosen the bristles and soap and water but it has not been very effective. Would using something like Turpenoid Natural or Gamsol be useful in my case?
I use paint remover, found in hardware stores! SAVED MANY BRUSHES! Soak in remover several times. The longer the better! Then clean as usual!
I’ve been cleaning my brushes with turps and then soap for 35 years. I’ll give this method a try.
I really like your instructions. Very helpful.
I've found that even with harsh cleaning, standard brush conditioner really does maintain good brush condition. Wonderful stuff. I can see this method of oil conditioning working similarly. I don't like the idea of not removing the paint from the brush though before conditioning.
Acacia Rogers Art k
I hope for a kind reply. First of all thanks to Mark for all such valuable and useful information on his channel! I paint with a direct approach using colors straight from the tube for the first "layers" (although maybe I shouldn't be talking about layers in a direct approach). Then I add some walnut oil for the next layers. Of course, these phases are not always completed in the same session. Could the brush dip residue cause the painting to crack? I think some of it can remain in the brush at the start of each session (even after squeezing it) and end up in the first layers. Thanks!
This was awesome! Thanks from Austin.
When will your brush holder become available for purchase?
+John Clark We'll be making them available on genevafineart.com later this week. :)
Wow, I wish Id seen this video years ago!! Thank you!!!!
thank you for this information, what a time saver, really great video
Thanks for the information, just going thru a few problems with this exact situation. This was very helpful..
Do you need to use a clean batch of brush wash each time?
can you use walnut oil instead of poppy or safflower to make the dip?
The cheapest vegetable oil from the supermarket is fine. Walnut oil has a higher calling.
Thank you so much you are a great teacher!!! Thank you soooooooo much!!!!
Seriously comprehensive. Thank you.
Used to use soap and water, however, found that it dried the bristles out. Now using lacquer thinner because mineral spirits doesn't seem to clean the brushes well enough.
thank for being direct and to the point
(s)
i alwsys oil a new brush before it touches anything else. It a keeps the paint from disrespecting the ferrule
Masters Brush cleaner is the best cleaner. It gets every little bit of paint out and very efficiently. Plus to do most of the work quickly you can use a thin oil such as walnut oil in a brush tank and use it just like mineral spirits or some other solvent. Only trick with the soap and water method is that the bristles need a bit of a coating of the soap to stay together as hog hair brushes like to get limp when wet. And you MUST wait for them to be completely dry. At least the internet says so. I haven't had to worry as so far I've used water miscible oils.
Well, I agreed with all this up to the point where you were doing a thorough cleaning. If I've been keeping my brushes well oiled (dipping them in walnut oil, but poppy is even better, just more expensive) I don't need any solvents to clean them. I rub them in liquid black soap first, perhaps repeatedly, and then in a solution of Marseille or Aleppo soap until they're squeaky clean. Consider the Renaissance artists, who had no solvents.
Murphy's Oil Soap works for stains and cleaning brushes, but i dont like how the brush seems to thicken up afterwards. A ? for you: How would this teaching apply if I recently switched to water mixable paints? Is there a slow dry medium i can substitute as the wet dip?
Thanks
Your not getting your brushes clean enough! Especially next to the ferraul!
you can also hang the brushes in a closed tube (glass Voss Artesian bottle) with baby oil - when you want to use the brush , (do not paint with baby oil) clean the baby oil similar to how he clean the brush to pure yellow -
Great tips, and coming from you really worth following. Thanks
Thank you for sharing your experience much appreciated Marc
Fan-f**king-tastic! Thanks for laying all of these fundamental concepts out so clearly . I have been painting for a long time in various mediums including oils and this info really put cleaning my brushes in perspective . I am excited to create the brush dip you have demonstrated here. Also the concept of wiping and then brushing on the pallet to "clean " the brush instead of constantly cleaning with gamsol to switch colors is brilliant. It makes perfect sense, because I think I have inadvertently done that without intentionally meaning to use that method. Now I will intentionally apply this practice. Sharing this kind of knowlwdge is what it's all about. Thanx!
totaly wrong treadment!!!! since about 1000 years fine art artists are doing this wrong. a revolutionary solution for parking your expensive art tools has been invented by me this year. if you are interested then send me an inquiry
Im using mostly synthetics, they are good quality and holds their shape great. Anyone has experience how to treat them well so they keep their shape for a long time? Great tips Mark, thank you.
My synthetics were very cheap so they dont hold the shape for a long time. But the tip are just that, buy good brushes because they are be good for the entire life.
I love golden Taclon! The cleaner you keep them, the better! They can really take a beating!
Excellent video! Thank you for information.
Thank you for sharing the ideas.
Could you tell me how to get a brush stand like yours please?
I have never used clove oil before. What is your experience with the safflower-clove oil mixture as opposed to only safflower oil?
i have the same question
Where can I find a brush holder like yours? Thank you
I am curious if you think Walnut oil might work, I have some of it on hand, but don't have safflower or poppy oil at the moment.
I received the brush oil and love it. Problem is I put a little bit in the same kind of jar I keep my odorless mineral spirits and accidently that I was dipping my brush into the spirits. I had to dab off the areas where I used the dip cleaner. YIKES! Other than my dumb mistake I love the brush dip. Thank you
It looks really practical. I will buy one.
cant you do the same with linseed oil? keeping it wet and cleaning with it .