Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial (Tips)

So, you got new miniature paint brushes. But, how do you care for them? Taking care of your miniature paint brushes is the first-step in extending your hobby budget. The longer your paintbrushes survive the rigors of the hobby, the further your money stretches. It’s also just a good habit!

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In this article, I share my best tips and the basics for caring for your miniature paint brushes so you can get the most out of them.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - vertical feature banner image

Key OBJECTIVES

Learn Proper Brush Care to Avoid Splitting: Understand the causes of brush splitting and learn effective techniques for cleaning, drying, conditioning, and storing your paint brushes to prevent it.
Master Essential Miniature Brush Care Practices: Acquire skills in immediate post-painting cleaning, regular conditioning, appropriate brush usage, and efficient storage methods to extend your brushes’ lifespan and performance.
Explore Creative Ways to Repurpose Old Brushes: Discover innovative ways to recycle and repurpose worn-out brushes for new techniques like drybrushing, weathering, terrain creation, and mixed media projects, maximizing their utility throughout their lifecycle.

Reasons to Care for You Miniature Paint Brushes

As a commissioned miniature painter, I’ve had to learn how to care for my tools of the trade to make sure I stay productive and efficient. When things fall apart, break, I lose precious time and energy.

Photo of my Master's Brush Cleaner container and brush on my hobby desk — The Master’s Brush Cleaner is a well-respected brush soap and preserver that many miniature painters use to keep their brushes in top working order. I’ve used this for more than a decade. While you’ll find other brush soaps and restorers out there, I recommend the Master’s brush soap because it is one of the easiest to use, isn’t expensive, and works great.

Certainly, if you’re a casual or serious mini painter, you’ll want to take good care of your stuff simply for the fact that it’ll save you money and avoid frustration.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Umbral Six warhammer 40k miniature painted on black backdrop — If you want to paint to a high quality on a regular basis and with less frustration, take care of your tools.

How to Avoid Brush Splitting?

I’ve gotten this question a lot. And, I think the answer deserves an entire article all on its own. Brush splitting happens when the bristles of your paint brush don’t come back to a natural point. The brush hairs split into a two or more prongs, and it’s so annoying.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - split hairs bristles on a synthetic paint brush close up — The brush hairs on this older paint brush have split. While this can happen with a new paint brush, it is rare and often a sign of defect.

Worse, brush splitting makes it almost impossible to paint your minis to the standard you’d want. Whether it’s for Warhammer 40k, RPGs, DND, or general hobby painting, brush splitting sucks.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Close up photo of a worn out paint brush for painting miniatures — Synthetic paint brushes tend to curl over time. This Citadel medium base coat brush has bristles that have curled and frayed in all sorts of directions. There’s no coming back from this, and I’ve relegated this paint brush to wash and glue applicator duty.

Mastering Proper Brush Care and Storage to Prevent Paint Brush Splitting

To solve the issue, half the battle is knowing the “cause”.

Paint brush splitting is often the result of poor brush care technique or careless storage. And, as may expect, the bristles of a paint brush are fragile—they are made of hairs and fine filaments after all!—so, approach your brushes mindful of this even as you learn how to clean and care for them.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - An old Winsor and Newton Series 7 paint brush on a gray colored tabletop — Even this $20+ USD Winsor and Newton Series 7 brush that I bought a few years ago has seen it’s last detailed miniature painting job. The only reason this brush has lasted so many years (in regular commissioned projects mind you) is because I cared for it. So much love went into those tiny brush hairs 😇.

Whether your brushes are synthetic or high quality natural sables, like Kolinsky Sables Series 7 brushes, proper care is the crucial step in preventing brush splitting and prolonging their lifespan.

Here are quick tips for preventing miniature brush splitting:

Proper Cleaning: Always clean your brushes immediately after use using lukewarm water and a gentle brush cleaner or mild soap. Avoid hot water as it can loosen the glue holding the bristles together.
Careful Drying: Dry your brushes gently without wringing or twisting the bristles. Let the brush dry horizontally on a flat surface to prevent water from seeping into the ferrule.
Regular Conditioning: Condition your brushes regularly using a brush conditioner or brush soap. This keeps the bristles soft and flexible, which can help prevent splitting.
Correct Usage: Avoid using your brushes for heavy body paints or rough surfaces, and try to use the whole brush when painting, not just the tip.
Proper Storage: Store your brushes horizontally in a protective case or holder. If you must store them upright, ensure the bristles are pointing down.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - two brushes laying horizontally on a hobby desk — Storing your brushes horizontally on a brush rest like this one is a good practice. Take a look at these cool sword-style brush rests and holders.

Okay, I’ll also note that it may be impossible to avoid brush splitting from happening in some types of brushes. Synthetic brushes or lower-quality sables (i.e., which may be defective) may split no matter how well you care for them.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - frayed bristles close photo — Yup, it’s dead…or, is it?

Here, my best recommendation is just to make sure you buy decent (or high) quality paint brushes and do the best you can in your brush care routine. Here’s an article about how to find the best miniature paint brushes for your mini painting needs.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Pro Tips and tutorial

My goal with this post is to provide you with information I’ve learned from commissioned miniature painting hundreds, if not thousands, of miniatures for clients.

I’ve incorporated tips and techniques to make your miniature brush care routine simple, quick, and hassle-free, allowing you to focus on your painting without any interruption.

Read below for my top best practices to extend the life of your brushes.

10 Best Practice Tips for Miniature Brush Care

1. Immediate Cleaning

It’s essential to clean your brushes immediately after each painting session. This is how I clean and maintain my favorite paint brushes for painting miniatures and models:

Step 1: Wipe off Excess Paint

Start by removing as much paint as possible from the brush using a paper towel. This is an initial cleaning step that helps prevent the paint from drying on the bristles.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - rinsing off paint brush in a small glazed white dish — Rinse off excess paint from your paint brush as a first step.

Step 2: Dip Brushes in Clean Watering

Next, immerse the bristles of your brush in clean water and gently swirl the brush around. This helps to dislodge any remaining paint particles.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - rinsing off paint brush bristles in pot of water — Clean, cool tap water is all I use. If you live where your water is “hard“, then you may want to filter it, as the mineral build up on your brush and water pot can lead to problems later.

Step 3: Wash Gently with Soap & Warm Water

Use a mild soap, ideally a natural one, and warm water to gently clean your brushes. Be careful not to be too aggressive as this could cause the bristles to fray.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Using brush soap to clean my brush Master's brush soap close up — Sweep your brush through brush soap to build up the foam. You may notice small bits of paint come out of the deeper part of the bristles at this point. Make sure the brush is damp or wet when you’re working with solid brush soap.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - washing off soapy bristles in a water with the brush submerged and a bubble nearby — Rinse off the soap in fresh water. You can repeat this step as many times as you like until you’re satisfied that you’ve gotten all the paint out of your brush. I recommend minimum of 2-3 cycles of brush soaping and rinsing.

Step 4: Rinse Thoroughly

After washing, it’s essential to rinse your brushes thoroughly under running water. This ensures that no soap residue remains, which could affect the performance of the brush.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - running tap water from a faucet close up photo — Running water is the best.

Step 5: Dry with Paper Towel or Cloth

Use a clean cloth or paper towel to gently press against the bristles, wicking away the excess water. Avoid wringing or twisting the bristles as it can cause them to split.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - drying off the paint brush bristles on a paper towel — Dry your brush bristles on a clean paper towel. Be gentle. When I do this, I pull my brush, dragging and rolling the bristles along the paper towel. It tends to work well and keeps everything in the proper shape.

Step 6: Reshape Bristles & Store Properly

After drying, reshape the bristles with your fingers. This helps them to dry in their natural shape, preventing any distortion. Store your brushes horizontally or, if vertical, with the bristles facing down to prevent them from getting misshapen.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Shaping the pointed round brush tip back into a fine point with my fingers close up image — Using my fingers, I’ll reshape the brush tip back into a point and allow my brush to air dry. I like to think the oil on my skin helps keep the bristles conditioned.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Allowing brushes to rest on a horizontal brush holder — I use a brush rest like this one to store my brushes horizontally on my desk. After your brushes are completely dry, you can store them upright.

2. Avoid Letting Acrylic Paint Dry on Brush

If acrylic paint dries on your brush, it can harden the bristles and make them brittle, leading to splitting or breaking. Always clean your brushes immediately after use and never leave them resting in a paint pot or water pot.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Caked up, dried acrylic paint in the bristles near and in the metal ferrule, macro photo — Notice the dried paint near and within the bristles by the metal ferrule (bottom part of the image).

3. Regular Conditioning

Just like your hair, brushes need conditioning too. Brush conditioner keeps the bristles soft and flexible, helping prevent splitting. Depending on your usage, conditioning your brushes every week with a specialized brush conditioner can keep them in top shape. Some miniature painters even suggest a bit of hair conditioner for natural sable brushes.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Olive oil infused liquid brush soap bottle for conditioning natural sable paint brushes — This brush soap uses olive oil which helps your natural sable brushes retain moisture and their flexible, pliable character. Liquid brush soap is often more forgiving than dry soaps. But, they do not remove as much dried, baked-in paint in my observation.

4. Replace Brushes When Necessary

Even with the best care, brushes wear out over time. When the bristles start to fray, split or if the brush can’t hold a point, it’s time for a replacement.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Side by side comparison of cheap versus expensive miniature paint brushes — Any paint brush will do if you know how to use and care for them.

When choosing new brushes, consider factors like the type of bristle (natural vs synthetic), the shape and size of the brush, and the quality of the construction. Higher quality brushes, like Kolinsky Sables, may cost more upfront but can save you money in the long run as they tend to last longer with proper care.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Three miniature painting brushes on a birch wood tabletop laying vertically in the image — I have many paint brushes, but these are mine😀.

5. Correct Brush Usage

How you use your brush can greatly affect its lifespan.

Avoid Heavy Body Paints or Rough Surfaces, e.g., Metallic Paints: These can be too harsh for the delicate bristles of a miniature painting brush, causing them to splay and eventually split.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - In the process of loading a paint brush with heavy bodied metallic paint from Citadel — Thick metallic paint isn’t healthy for paint brushes.

Metallic paints, in particular aren’t kind to fragile paint brush hairs. Metallic hobby paints contain actual metal flake pigment that have abrasive properties and can fray brush bristles over time.

Distribute Wear Evenly: Try not to use just the tip of your brush when painting. By using the whole brush, you distribute the wear more evenly, helping to extend its lifespan.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - A pointed round bristle tip shaped, close up image — The most important part of any miniature paint brush is the pointy tip. But, it’s not the only part you should use all the time. Learn to leverage every part of your paint brush bristles for best results on your miniatures, and the longevity of your brush.

With synthetic brushes, especially, painting with point most of the time will lead to brush curling. The curled brush tips are often hard or impossible to straighten out again.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Curled hairs bristles on a synthetic paint brush, macro photo — The unavoidable brush curl will happen with every synthetic brush you use.

While some artists can keep using curled paint brush tips, they can be annoying to work with after a while. Try to distribute your brushes’ wear and tear by using as much surface over the entire bristle tuft as possible.

6. Proper Storage

The way you store your brushes can also impact their longevity.

Store Horizontally or Bristles Down: Brushes should ideally be stored horizontally in a protective case or holder to keep them in their natural shape. If they need to be stored vertically, ensure that the bristles are pointing down. This prevents any residual water from seeping into the ferrule and causing damage.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - A collection of paint brushes for painting miniatures laying flat on a tabletop in horizontal brush holders — All my brushes lay horizontal when they are used, regularly. This keeps their bristles in a safe position, and gives me access to every brush without bumping them around.

Keep Brushes Separate: Try to keep your brushes separate to prevent them from knocking against each other, which can cause the bristles to bend or fray.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - vertical storage of a miniature paint brush collection, varied types and shapes — I’ll store my older brushes in a container with glass beads. Of course, I make sure the bristles are completely dry before doing this.

7. Avoid Overloading the Brush

Dipping your brush too far into the paint can cause it to become overloaded, which can lead to paint getting into the ferrule and hardening.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Loading a paint brush with blue paint from a wet palette, low angle photo — Loading a paint brush with paint is an art and skill, too.

Dip Just the Tip: Only the tip of your brush should be dipped into the paint. This gives you more control over the amount of paint on the brush and helps to prevent overloading.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Close up photo of gray paint loaded on the tip of a miniature paint brush — A close up photo of paint on a brush.

Wipe Off Excess Paint: After dipping your brush into the paint, wipe off any excess on the rim of the paint pot or on a paper towel. This can also help prevent overloading.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - A clean, and properly sharp pointed round tip of a paint brush, macro photo against a white backdrop — It’s a fine day to paint when your brushes look like this before you start!

8. Maintain Brush Shape

After cleaning and drying your brushes, always reshape them.

Use Your Fingers: Use your fingers to gently shape the bristles back into their natural shape.

Let Them Dry in Shape: Let the brushes dry in this shape to help maintain it. This can prevent the bristles from splaying or splitting.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - The pointed sharp tip of a paint brush against a gray blue blurred backdrop, a close up photo — It’s perfect. How do we keep it this way?

9. Invest in Quality Brushes

While it might be tempting to buy cheaper brushes, investing in quality brushes can save you money in the long run as they tend to last longer with proper care.

Consider Bristle Type: Brushes with natural bristles like Kolinsky Sables tend to be of higher quality than synthetic ones. They hold their shape better and tend to last longer.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Illustration of different paint brush tuft shapes

Look at Brush Construction: A quality brush has a well-constructed ferrule that securely holds the bristles, a solid handle that is comfortable to hold, and a good point that allows for precise painting.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - A photo image comparison of an Artis Opus S size 1 paint brush versus the Army Painter Regiment paint brush against a black backdrop — The Artis Opus paint brush is a kolinsky sable, where as the Army Painter Regiment brush (one of my favorite workhorses) is a mixed synthetic and natural sable brush.

10. Learn to Re-Purpose Old, Worn Out Brushes

Even with the best care, brushes wear out over time. The bristles can become frayed, the brush may lose its point, or the handle may become loose. These are all signs that it’s time to either throw out or recycle your brush for another purpose (more about this below!).

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Recycle and repurpose old paint brushes, try drybrushing banner

From Worn to Reborn: The Endless Lifecycle of the Miniature Paint Brush

Of course, you’re probably wondering what to do about that paint brush that just won’t work for you. It’s dead, right? The bristles are split, frayed like a bad hair day into forever-land. Your brush refuses to come back to that beautiful point.

Well, I hate to break it to you…you may have to, wait–No, don’t trash it!

Your paint brush may have reached the end of its service life as a detailed, pointy precision instrument, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be reborn as something else. Do you know the story of how Warhammer 40k Dreadnoughts come to be?

Imperial Fist Dreadnought - painted primarily Citadel Lysander yellow and photographed in a studio with a dark or black background — Imperial Fist Dreadnought. When Space Marines come back for more punishment (or pleasure).

Just as a nearly-fallen Space Marine is chosen for transformation into a mighty Dreadnought, a worn-out paint brush is salvaged from the brink of disposal.

Undergoing their respective revivals, the Space Marine’s physical forms are cybernetically enhanced, and the paint brush adopts new roles like drybrushing or applying washes. This critical transition breathes new life into both, equipping them for unique tasks they’re now specialized for.

Finally, like a fully armored Dreadnought ready for battle, the reborn brush, valued for its distinct qualities, prepares to once again contribute to the art of miniature painting. Both stories stand testament to the power of transformation and the endless lifecycle that comes with reinvention.

Here are a few ways to take those old paint brushes that you can’t fix, and give them new life:

Weathering and Drybrushing

In miniature painting, old, worn out brushes are perfect for weathering, giving models a realistic worn effect. Their frayed bristles mimic chipped paint and rust–a light tapping with paint on the ends of bristles is all you need to do for this effect–while their random, light touch also accentuates model details during dry brushing.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Macro photo of the dry brush technique on a miniature of lizard or dragon's scales — The dry brush has so many uses in the miniature painting hobby. Take your old paint brushes and make them useful again with this technique!

Creating Engaging Terrain and Bases

Brushes past their prime find new purpose in terrain and base work, adding texture to landscapes, e.g., pushing random patterns into soft putty or other sculpting material, and allow you to apply and spread glue for ground effects, and other blending materials, e.g., dry colored SFX pigments.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Using old brushes to create texture on the bases on Warhammer 40k models — Worn out brushes give you opportunities to create unique textures and effects on your models.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - Macro photo of resin water effects from Vallejo on the base on a finished model — I used an old sable brush to shape this liquid resin water effect over the feet of this model.

Efficient Wash and Ink Application

Older brushes are ideal for applying washes and inks, holding paint without your worry of damaging your new, paint brushes, and distributing wash media unevenly, enhancing shadows and recessed areas on models. The basic overall effect is an increase in your painted miniature’s contrast.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - The step by step application of a DIY wash to the red cloak of a Reaper mage miniature — Whether you’re applying an acrylic or oil paint wash, an older brush that has lost it’s fine point can still find use here. Apply washes liberally.

If you’re using oil paints as a wash, then you’ll also want to use older brushes. Oil paint washes are amazing mediums for miniature artists because of all the unique properties it brings, as compared with hobby acrylic paint.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - An Oil painted miniature from Corvus Belli, the Jotum TAG from the Panoceania faction — You can paint entire miniatures with oil paints, as I’ve done here. The key though is to use older brushes to do the blending and mixing. The solvents you use to thin and mix oil paints will degrade hobby sable paint brushes.

Venturing into Mixed Media and Art

Old brushes find renewed purpose in mixed media and artistic projects, from crafting and model kit modifications to canvas texture creation. Their unique bristle shape–the reason you can’t use them as originally intended–give you permission to play with other interesting effects on your other creative projects.

Miniature Paint Brush Care Tutorial - how to care for brushes for miniature painting - The king of nothing miniature from the Grymkin faction in the Warmachine Hordes miniature wargame. A stylized close up photo with an eerie green lighting effect with a hazy, smoke backdrop — Stay creative with your tools.

Check out this article for more ideas and great ways to recycle your old miniature paint brushes.

Miniature Army Paint Color Scheme Survey

Find Your Base Color Scheme

Conclusion

So, there we are. That’s our guide on how to maintain and care your miniature paint brushes.

From preventing brush splitting to understanding the importance of immediate cleaning and regular conditioning, I’ve shown you key aspects to help you master miniature paint brush care. We’ve provided advice on how to use and store your brushes correctly, emphasized the necessity of avoiding acrylic paint drying on the brush, and underscored the need to replace brushes when necessary.

Of course, you don’t have to throw away old brushes (even if they are replaced)–recycle your paint brushes. With a little creativity, they can be excellent tools for weathering, creating terrain, applying washes, and even contributing to other art projects.

Miniature paint brush care is about more than just maintenance; it’s about respecting your tools, understanding their lifecycle, and leveraging their potential to the fullest. Proper care saves you time and money, ensuring you get the most out of your investment.

Thanks for reading! I hope you found this tutorial helpful. If you’ve got more tips for keeping your brushes in tip-top shape, or have feedback on what you’ve just read, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below!

Until next time, happy brush cleaning!