How to take care of your watercolor brushes

Your watercolor paint brushes are your babies when it comes to watercolor painting. You’ve spent hard-earned money on them so you’ll want to take very good care of them.

Here’s how to take care of your watercolor brushes (or any paint brushes for that matter):

• Rinse your brushes clean with water after each painting session
• Ensure any paint near the metal part (where the handle and brush hairs meet) is cleaned away too
• Re-shape your brushes into its normal shape with your fingers after each painting session (I don’t recommend using your mouth/lips for re-shaping as lots of books tend to suggest – that’s just not healthy…)
• Keep your brushes standing upright with the handle facing the bottom (you can simply use a jar or any cylindrical container to contain them) or lay your brushes flat in a container
• If you store them in a closed container, ensure your brushes are dry before putting them away otherwise you’re brushes will become the new home for mold and mildew
• Keep the moths away! Sable-haired brushes tend to attract moths if you store them and don’t use them for a long period of time. Use some kind of moth deterrent (like moth balls) if you’re going to leave your brushes in storage for a long time without using them