Gesso...

I had a student ask me a very good question via email the other day. She said she went to clean the gesso off her brushes and the thinner didn't really clean it off. So, thought I would address this. When cleaning your brushes that you use to gesso, or prime your canvas, clean them with a brush cleaner or softsoap and water. If you're using acrylic gesso, you would clean those brushes just like you would acrylic or watercolor paint. I also recommend putting a bit of conditioner on your brush after cleaning. When you're using your Bob Ross brushes (with oil paint), clean them with clean thinner. There is a Bob Ross brush cleaner (see the photo) and I mostly only use it for the script liner brush...after I clean it with thinner. It's got a conditioner built into it. The problem with cleaning the brushes we use in class with water, is they can sort of "spread" out. It would be ok to clean the filbert and fan brushes with soap and water, but be sure to condition them afterwards. The 1 inch landscape and 2 inch blenders should really be cleaned with CLEAN thinner. As always, let me know if you have any questions! Happy Painting!!