09/22/2023 by Laure Locascio
I have been using a brush cleaner called "The Master's" Brush cleaner and preserver. You can find this on Amazon. Resources available offer alternatives for cleaning brushes because everyone likes having choices and using a method that works best for them.
Even if you accidentally leave a brush out of water, this brush cleaner has been fantastic at cleaning the acrylic paint off the brushes. (The brush material may have different results, such as synthetic brushes or hogs hair).
Tips for cleaning acrylic paint from brushes:
use paper towels to get the excess paint off
use paper towels often as you are cleaning the brush.
use the palm of your hand to scrub the brush with the soap and water (Will Kemp has a good video of this on his website) or you can scrub into the paper towel if using the palm of the hand is not available.
use the paper towel to wipe off the excess paint.
lay the brushes flat to dry
dry the hogs hair brushes with the paper towel thoroughly before laying out
Is it okay to clean the acrylic brushes with running water?
Note: Many artists rinse during cleaning under running water. I try to wait until the brush is clean before rinsing. Remove as much paint as possible before rinsing. I use a jar with water to rinse the brush so that the paint is not rinsed down the sink into the pipes. Another option I use is using paper towels to remove as much paint as possible with the cleaner. I avoid introducing the paint into the water system because of the plastic nature of the paint. To remove the water and paint from the jar, I use the wick method. (see blog post called Brush Rinse)
Post updated 3/16/2024 by Laure Locascio
Does the Brush Cleaner work to clean brushes used with Gesso?
Yes. I've used it to clean immediately after applying gesso (ground) on cotton canvas panels. I've also found that it works with brushes used with water-based stain.
(No commission is being earned 3/16/2024)
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