Exiles Sunday Sermon #2

Brush Care

Anyone who has had a lesson on painting will have been told do not dip your brush in the pot transfer some to a pallet and use that. But has anyone explained why?

If you dip your brush the chance's are you will get paint on or near the metal sleeve, when this happens the capillary action draws paint under this sleeve. This paint then dries (as you can not get to it to clean it out) and the brush loses its flexibility.

Here are a few rules to follow to get the most out of your brush:

1: Always use a pallet (old tiles are good) transfer paint to this and load your brush from that.
2: Use the tip of the brush, do not cover it with paint.
3: Always have clean water to rinse your brush (two pots is best one for metallic one for the rest)
4: If you are using one colour for a long period stop every 5 min and clean your brush (the paint is always drying as you paint this builds up)
5: Clean brush well after every use ( at the end of your session use a brush cleaner if you can)
6: Always use an old brush to dry brush (the quickest way to kill a brush is dry brushing)

I use this brush cleaner which you can get from all art suppliers

good supplier of painting bits

It may sound like over kill but when you start buying brushes at £6-7 a go you soon learn to clean and look after them.

Peace James

Exiles Sunday Sermon #1

I thought that I would take the time every Sunday to pass on a tip or advice that to some would seem simple but you would be surprised how it helps others.
My first tip is to do with undercoat, I like most use spray paint (black is my choice) and you will all know that it is very hard to get to all those undercuts, you find yourself in odd yogic poses trying to finish that all over undercoat.
My answer was to find this product, Black Primer

(other brush on primers are out there I just love this one)

Now I give my figures a good all over spray in the garage, then take them up to my paint room and brush on the primer in all those missed bits

Job Done...
Peace James