Self portrait and need Brush help!

[rambhat]

Ok, so I just finished my self portrait.
http://members.aol.com/RB32298/pic.jpg

Tell me what you think. It is my first ever oil self portrait and yes, my ears are that big.... well, maybe not quite that big. I did the background only with a palette knife and there is a dead ant on there somewhere... who knows where and in how many pieces. This portrait is "finished" but in progress in the greater sense that no artwork is ever finished.

Anyways, I didn't clean my brushes too well after I finished it and they look like they've exploded. How do painters on this board clean their brushes? I just need to know a way to get the bristles back together. I've heard gluing them with muselodge (sp?) and leaving them overnight helps, but I tried some washable glue and they just came apart after i washed the glue out after a day. Help! Very little money, so I can't buy more.

[RONIN]

Very nice portrait! Only two points I would bring up is: A) The neck looks small, But that may be because I have a large neck and I'm doing a structure comparison in my mind to what I would draw. B) The right eye looks to be 1/8" lower than the left. I really like the colors, shading and background.

I have a method I use to clean my brushes that I learned from an old painter. After you wash the brush in the solvent you are using (thinner, mineral spirits, et al) wash the brush with dishwashing soap (preferably Dawn) and warm water. Squeeze the bristles to "wring" out the water but also to flatten them. Then, before storing, use 1-2 drops of plain oil (3 in 1 oil is what I use) on your fingers to again squeeze the bristles flat and work the oil in. I can confidently say that this has allowed me to extend the life of a brush.

[darkcult]

man this looks great. no critic from me.
.. and yeah soap is the solution.
:chug:

p.s. no one has the eyes in the exact level. that's mother nature.
:)

[Elwell]

Very impressive, especially for a first attempt. I especially like the cool rim light on the right and the glow in the backlit left ear. In the future you may want to go with a more obvious dominant light source to clarify the form.

As for your brush problem, first of all I hope you've learned your lesson! Either get good brushes and take care of them, or buy cheapo ones and treat them as disposable. (I would recommend the first option, it's actually more economic in the long run.)

Basic brush care: when you're finished painting, wipe as much paint as you can off with a rag, rinse with solvent, then wash with soap and water. Gently work the soap into the bristles and rinse, repeating untill there's no color left in the lather. Any soap will do in a pinch, but specialized brush soap (The Masters', Ugly Dog) is worth it. Shape the bristles, using a little bit of soap if necessary, and let dry.

If for some reason you know you won't be able to do a proper cleaning right away, there are a few things you can do to help keep paint from drying in you brush untill you can. Wipe your brushes and then work some vaseline, mineral oil, or non-drying vegetable oil (peanut, corn, canola, etc.) into the bristles. Don't let them sit for more than a day or two, though, or use them again without a proper washing.

As for rescuing paint-hardened brushes, try brush soap and hot water, letting the lather sit for a while before rinsing. Turpenoid Natural (in the green can) is also good for dissolving dried paint (about all it's good for, actually). Finally, you can use laquer thinner or other super strong solvents, but any brush that requires that kind of treatment is probably a goner.

[sepulveda]

you know rambhat, I really like your painting, I've only tried painting with oils a couple of times, and the two times I gave up on it, because I had such a hard time with them, but then again....I've never been a paintbrush kind of guy, but regardless of that experience I think you have a really good piece here....I love those colors too...very gloomy, for some reason it reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe.
You know, I keep looking back at the painting over and over again trying to find where that ant ended up!, I think I'm gonna have trouble falling asleep thinking about it.
"by the way, why don't you torture ants the traditional way......with a magnifying glass"