How to Keep Your Oil Paint and Brushes From Drying Out

[@mariann916]

I absolutely love the painting you were working. It would be perfect in my home! Great tips...thank you so much

[@tannersteedart]

Thank you! You're so kind. If you want to own one of my paintings feel free to check out Tannersteedart.com. I have giclee prints on there too.

[@jules15045]

Clove oil, great for toothaches too : ) I do the saran wrap too but stick whole covered palette in the freezer after each session. Paint lasts for several days.

[@tannersteedart]

Interesting!

[@africo9104]

So do I.

[@AutisticCuriosity]

Sunflower oil works just great too and is cheap

[@Featherfuss]

I’ve been looking for an answer like this. Thank you!

[@tannersteedart]

My pleasure!

[@aljohnson8473]

Thanks for the tips ! Great work by the way.

[@claireseyeviewonredbubble]

Thank you for the tip about brush care. I hate the way brushes hold paint in the bristles, and the need to clean them. I've started using princeton catalyst mini blades. They're like shaped silicone palette knives. I like palette knives but prefer soft and flexible silicone applicators painting on canvas or panel.

[@tannersteedart]

That method of preserving my brushes has greatly improved my efficiency. I'll have to check out those blades, as they sound interesting. Thanks!

[@tisha6037]

Thank you! I'm a complete beginner and this was very helpful!

[@tannersteedart]

We all were complete beginners at some point. Keep on practicing, and progress will be inevitable.. Glad this was helpful for you!

[@bjornviir3333]

i got some MIR oil paint in spain on sale, thats all they had, supposed to be quite ok, gonna try it soon...thanks for the tips as usual.

[@tannersteedart]

I don't know if MIR oil will have the same effect as clove. So I'd reccomend doing some more research prior to trying it.

[@bjornviir3333]

oh MIr is a spanish oil paint company not a solvent, they reviewed it as being almost as good as winsor and newton. its really unkown.

[@salamsweiss9736]

Thank you for all your wonderful tips. Can you use household oils such as olive oil or avocado oil?

[@tracyhickman1359]

Brilliant tip!

[@ljoykakoske4301]

thank you!

[@lauraharris8140]

GREAT information!

[@tannersteedart]

Thank you!

[@aixadeluca3278]

Will any other essential oil work or does it has to be clove? Thanks for the great video.

[@Clancygraham7]

I’m wondering the same thing. I hate the smell of clove!

[@alycea921]

awesome tips! Thank you. Do you know if the brushes are left in the oil long term whether the wooden part gets damaged?

[@tannersteedart]

Try to prevent the wood from laying in the oil. It will become sticky and undesirable.

[@arturhakobyan6850]

Very nice! I wonder why not to try to soak your used brushes in cheep sunflower oil... Clove oil and leenseed oils are not cheep.

[@FIZZGIG-RARF]

Do you have to use clove specifically or would any essential oil work?

[@tannersteedart]

It must be clove

[@terrymatlen8193]

Great video. Question: I hate the smell of clove. Can another essential oil be used instead? Thanks!

[@tannersteedart]

I have not heard of any other oil being used for this purpose, so I would not risk using others.

[@terrymatlen8193]

@@tannersteedart Thanks for your feedback, Tanner!

[@conniehenderson2173]

I use Geneva Fine Art Brush Dip, but I've been cleaning my brushes first and then dipping and leaving until I paint again. Should I NOT be cleaning them first? The dip is safflower oil with clove oil. Thanks.

[@tannersteedart]

There is nothi.g wrong with cleaning your brushes before you use that brush dip. The benefit of cleaning is It will keep the brush dip cleaner for longer.

[@chickeemama1]

I just watched your video on using liquin so my question is will this method work if I’ve mixed the paints with liquin?

[@tannersteedart]

It wouldn't be as long lasting if you had paint containing liquin on your brush. I would wipe them thoroughly, and then place them in the brush dip.

[@ronniekincaid5107]

h0w do you get in touch rosemarry?

[@tannersteedart]

Go to Portrait Society or plein air conventions. Or rosemaryand Co's website

[@sembas3224]

Do you know how to make the palette not dry? Buy a low container with a lid size 30x40, put a small plastic bottle in it and pour kerosene into it. The holes should be at least 5 mm so that the kerosene vapors come out of it. This really slows down the drying of the paint! And kerosene, unlike solvent, will evaporate for a very long time! There will be a greasy, blastery film on oil paints...Good luck

[@tannersteedart]

Interesting! I have not heard of this method. I find it best to simply place my remaining paint mixtures in a spare refrigerator.

[@sembas3224]

@@tannersteedart I'm just too lazy to wrap it in film and then pick it off the film, the paint smears, I also tried to put it in water, too, I didn't like it... I read about the method with kerosene in an old Soviet book for artists. In principle, all the paint is produced in 10 days and I have enough time, I put the palette in a container and went about my business... In addition, I would also use black paint to shade from ultraviolet light.

[@Clancygraham7]

What if I used a glass Pyrex dish with the lid and sealed it after every use??

[@lisavento7474]

just saw an artist use 2% clove oil in safflower oil DIP, the brushes and lay sideways, no need to use so much of a soak, will keep like up to a week...cleans them rarely as you're always mixing paint anyways...

[@tannersteedart]

What a great system! Thanks for sharing.

[@terrymatlen8193]

Great tip- does it have to be clove oil? I hate the smell of cloves. :)

[@lisavento7474]

@@terrymatlen8193 i put1/2" safflower oil in an 8 oz mason jar and 4 drops clove oil, which is anticeptic so it's not that much and i close the lid until i dip brushes. when they are wiped clean there is little paint in the oil if any left behind so it lasts forever. Separate brushes for darks and separate ones for whites and you rarely have to clean unless you're going away for weeks.

[@terrymatlen8193]

@@lisavento7474 To clarify: when you're done painting, you wipe off excess paint with rag or paper towel, then swish them in the mason jar, then leave the brushes out (separated by dark/whites) and most of the paint is now off? Or do you have to do another dip clean in the mason jar before painting again? Thanks for your input!

[@lisavento7474]

"Swishing" in any solvent wears down the bristles more and I saw a fine artist here has done it for decades so I just wipe off excess and dip in oil and place sideways on brush rack, not wanting to use my dark brush for lights anyway, in most paintings it won't matter having a tiny residual of previous color but if you're using oil medium that pulls paint off anyway to a degree when you wipe it off on a paper towel. If you need crisp colors. .I don't know...this works AND helps me jump back in and not always thoroughly clean my brushes EVERY TIME

[@timclayton8214]

This is just an idea, not tried it. Use a pallet with a lid, put the whole thing in a vacuum storage bag for clothes, it has a valve; then suck the air out with a hand pump or hoover on suck.