FolkArt Brushes and Tools FAQ

Proper cleaning and care makes brushes last longer and perform better. Wood and paper are hardest on brushes and will tend to make your brushes wear faster.

1. Thoroughly rinse the brush with water, using the grid at the bottom on the Brush Basin®.
2. Squeeze Brush Plus® brush cleaner or FolkArt® Brush Cleaner & Conditioner into the bristles and work it in with your fingers all the way to the ferrule. Rinse with water. Repeat if needed.
3. After you have cleaned your brushes, use Brush Plus or FolkArt® Brush Cleaner & Conditioner to resize them. Work it in back and forth to get enough cleaner into the bristles to reshape them.
4. Pull the bristles between your fingers to re-shape a chisel. With a flat brush you may need to do this a couple of times for the medium to start to set up.
5. Make sure that your bristles are not touching a surface when drying.
6. Store brushes with bristles upright in a cup or brush caddy.

Here are some other tips for making your brushes last longer.

• Don't allow paint to dry in your brush.
• As you paint, occasionally rinse the bristles with water.
• Store brushes in the Brush Basin® or in a container that allows brushes to retain their form and be separated from each other.

Proper cleaning and care of brushes will not only make them last longer but also make them perform as they were designed to perform.

1. Thoroughly clean the brush with water using the grid in the bottom of the Brush Basin®.
2. Squeeze a small amount of Brush Plus Cleaner & Conditioner onto your brush.
3. Place the brush scrubber in the palm of your hand, choose the correct height of scrubber teeth for your brush, then move the brush back and forth under the running water until the water runs clear.
4. After cleaning, apply a small amount of Brush Plus Cleaner & Conditioner and reshape using your thumb and forefinger. Store with bristles upright in a cup or brush caddy.

More brush tips:

• Do not allow paint to dry in the brush.
• As you paint, rinse bristles out occasionally with water.
• Store the brush upright in the Brush Basin® or in a container that will allow the brushes to retain their form and to be separate from one another.

Yes, it is advisable to clean your paintbrush when changing colors as well as after each painting session.

Filberts are round brushes that are put into a flat ferrule. Sometimes these are easier to use than the rounds. For instance, they make it easier to start off the comma strokes because the hairs are already spread out. As you pull away from the surface to finish your stroke, you can slightly turn this type brush to the side to make a tiny tail to your comma stroke.

Round brushes have longer hairs and are put in a round ferrule. They are used for base painting, floating color and for a multitude of stroke formations.

Scrollers are liner brushes with longer hair. Liner, scroller, or script brushes are fine, round, pointed brushes used for detail work. Liners have shorter hairs than scroller or script brushes. All of these come in several sizes.

To mix two or more colors together using your brush as opposed to a palette knife. Each time you load your brush the color may be slightly different, this adds variety to your painting.

A chisel edge is the area on a flat brush where the tip of the bristles come together. The chisel edge is important when painting as many brush strokes begin and end on the chisel edge.

Shader brushes are flat brushes with fine chiseled edges and shorter hair than regular flat brushes. They are used for base painting areas, for certain types of strokes, and for floating color. They come in a wide range of sizes. One or more in small, medium and large sizes are generally needed.