Tom continues by showing you how to clean the toughest brushes AND how to dispose of the cleaner.

Another thing Tom does that he doesn’t show here is that sometimes he puts Soft Scrub directly on a paper towel and runs his brushes through it a few times to clean it. He then rinses it in his regular cleaner. Remember, let the brushes dry before you use them for oil painting. (You can use a hairdryer if you are in a hurry!)

There are many products on the market that you can buy for cleaning your brushes. How do you know what is in them? How do you know they are safe? Did you know everything you need to clean your brushes is probably in your kitchen right now! Today’s Video Tip will show you how to create an environmentally friendly, inexpensive solution that will save you money and keep your brushes in good standing for years.

Since we shot this Video Clip, we’ve adjusted the formula just a bit. Tom talks about 1/3 Vegetable Oil, 1/3 Dishwashing Detergent, and 1/3 Water. Since many of our brushes are natural hair brushes we’ve adjusted the formula a bit. We find the following solution to be a bit more friendly on our brushes.

1/2 Vegetable Oil

1/4 Dishwashing Detergent

1/4 Water (Less than 1/4 to leave room in the container to shake it all up.

NOTE-

TOM USES THIS SOLUTION AT THE END OF THE DAY TO CLEAN HIS BRUSHES

HE DOESN’T USE IT WHILE HE IS PAINTING AS HE DOESN’T WANTS THE WATER TO MIX WITH HIS OIL PAINT. He uses Art Wipes (Baby Wipes) to clean his brushes while he is still painting.

Key Points to Watch;

• Tom uses a clean container to mix the solution in.
• He shakes the solution to homogenize the mixture
• He pours it in another container with a plastic grid (1″ above the grid)
• He works the bristles back and forth on the grid to remove paint
• He wipes the brush on a paper towel to remove the solution and to check to see if the brush is clean.
• If it isn’t clean enough he repeats the process until he is done.
• He removes all the moister he can out of the brush and lets it sit overnight.

Sometimes paint gets dried in our brushes which makes them harder to clean. Watch for another Video Tip coming soon, to show you how to clean the toughest paint out of the brush and how to dispose of the solution.

You will be amazed at how easy it is to clean up this way! No toxic fumes! No obnoxious odors. Just environmentally safe, household products.

Happy Painting!

Laurie and Dawn

PLUS: So whenever you’re ready…here are a few ways we can help you become the artist you’ve always wanted to be.

1:  Let US guide you in our Alexander Master Class 

Quickly learn the Alexander proven way to paint starting from where you are… and we’ll lead you from there. The best thing is our Master Class is a unique series of courses with live feedback taught by Master Artist, Master Teacher, Tom Anderson. It isn’t for people who have already “Mastered” painting techniques… It is for people with the passion and desire to learn everything the Old Masters and Bill Alexander knew one baby step at a time.

Watch this video to see if Master Class is right for you.

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3: Let us help you decide your next step on your art journey

Not sure how to move forward on your path to become a great artist?  Just hit reply to this message and put “Art Journey” in the subject line… tell me a little bit about your painting experience (even if you have none) and we will set up a private meeting to see if Alexander Art is a good fit for you.