Are you someone who tends to ruin your watercolor brushes in a blink of an eye and you don't even know how that happens? You're not alone with this! But the truth is: It is not that diffucult to take care of your brushes so that they can live a long and happy colorful life!

The bristles of watercolor brushes are softer and more delicate than other paint brushes which makes it even easier to ruin them! That's why Watercolor brushes should be used for watercolors only! You can easily destroy them when using other paints like acrylic paint or masking fluid.

Don't try to drown your brush! If you dip the ferrule and the handle under water, the water can soften the glue under the ferrule and/or cause the glaze on the handle to start cracking and chipping off. So worst case you're brush will break into two pieces or you will have chipped off pieces from the handle on your painting. You also don't want to leave the brush in the water for too long because it might start losing hair!

Watercolors are water-soluble, so cleaning is easy. You simply rinse them with clean water and you're done, right? Well, kind of. BUT: Every once in a while you can use gentle hand soaps or special soaps made for brushes to get rid of any residue or stains. (Be careful with natural hair brushes though! They are more delicate!) You can also use the soap to keep the bristles in shape!

Now that you know that you don't want any water under the ferrule how do you let them dry? Dry your brushes laying flat or hang them with the bristles downwards! So that there won't be any water in the ferrule and your bristles are safe.

When they're finally dry you want to store them so that you don't apply any pressure on the bristles. You can for example put them in a jar with the bristles upright.

If you want to learn more about how to take care of your brushes please watch my video below. I'll give you a few more tips to make your brushes' life longer!

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