Watercolor brush pens are filled with water-based ink solutions to help the artist achieve watercolor effects without bothering watercolor tubes, water cups, pans, and all typical setups. It consists of a rigid barrel and flexible bristle tips opposite to sponges and chisel.
How to Clean Watercolor Brush Pen?
To clean the watercolor brush pen, a mixture of water and a mild soap is worth considering. Prepare a soapy liquid solution and dip the watercolor brush pen bristle’s tip into it. Wait a minute and rinse it with clear water. Finally, wipe it with a clean sheet of paper or a towel. Repeat the process if it is mandatory.
Do not use hand soaps if they are antibacterial because it is bad for the brush pen’s longevity and softness of the bristle. Also, avoid products that contain harsh ingredients. If you need to clean it more, you can use lukewarm water specifically for better results.
The Life span of watercolor brush pens:
Generally, the ink volume in each watercolor brush pen is 1.7 grams. So, with that percentage of ink, these pens can last for up to 2 years at least with minimal usage. Watercolor brush pens are versatile, easy to use, and filled with dynamic watercolor dye-based ink formulation. That is why they are the best choice for beginners, and also refills are available in the market.
Adhere to the following tips and standards of brush pen care. It will help you save your precious artistic tools and enable you to produce extraordinary artwork.
Clean the Watercolor Brush Pen Well:
Watercolor brush pens are productive if you will get them along with the water brush pen. The combination and usage of both products will ease the process of painting and will add beauty to your artwork. If you use the watercolor brush pen for outline and water brush pen to fill in the shape or to layer two colors, then their care is also necessary to increase their life.
Do not skip the cleaning part. After every couple of weeks, rinse them with clear water and dry them with a towel. Also, seal their caps tightly at the time you will store them! It will protect them from drying out.
Lay the Brush Pen Flat on The Surface:
The mistake we will make after cleaning our brush pen is that we put it with its tip upwards when it is wet. It results in the seepage, and also the bristles might get dried misshaped; to avoid this, always put the brush pen horizontally on the surface until it dries completely, and keep in mind never put it on wet surfaces like a wet towel.
TIP: After cleaning, dry them with tissue paper.
Shape the Tips After Cleaning:
At the time you finish your final cleaning of brush pens but before you are laying them flat on the paper, then reshape the tips using your fingertips or a towel. Put slight pressure on the brush tips and reshape them to repoint the tips.
In case your bristles are still misshaped, then wet them again and repeat the above process. You can repeat this as many times as you want until you will get your desired results.
Do Not Soak the Brush Pen’s Tip for Hours:
Water is good for doing art or performing painting, but it is harmful to your brush pen if soaked for hours. As watercolor brush pens are mess-free, self-moisturizing pens with nylon fiber tips and they do not need a lot of water to be cleaned. If you do not follow this precaution, then soaking kills the brush rapidly, and it crushes and damages the pen’s bristles.
To avoid the Mildew Smell:
If your brush has a mildew smell and you do not want to discard the brush pen, the best remedy is to use the vinegar solution. Saturate the water brush pen’s tip and bristles in the vinegar and allow it to dry in the natural air under the sunlight. The vinegar and Ultraviolet radiations can collectively help release the odor from the brush pen’s bristles.
Suggestion: The vinegar is acidic, so you will have to use the conditioner on bristles after the treatment. Do not use a hair conditioner. Use the specific artist’s choice conditioner to achieve the best results.
How to Clean Water Brush Pen:
Water Brush Pen contains clear water inside their body, so their cleaning is easy as compared to the cleaning of other synthetic brushes and bristles. Squeeze the pen! Then water is released from the chamber. Now, clean the tip with the help of a dry paper towel or tissue paper.
If the bristles or tip look spotted or dirty, don’t fear. They may be just the fixed spots or stains. Your brush is clean as long as the water comes out clean when you are wiping it off with the help of a towel.
How Often There is Need to Clean the Watercolor Brush Pens:
As a piece of expert advice, clean the brush pen every single time after you finish painting. But if you find it hard to clean the brush bristles every time, then at least rinse it with clear water for sure after finishing your artwork.
But then too, the deep cleaning and bristle tip reshaping are required, occasionally. You would have to clean thoroughly after every 3 to 4 months.
How to Soften the New Brush Pen’s Bristles:
The brush pen is stiff at the time we first buy it from the market. The reason is to protect the tip and bristles from damage while shipping. During this process, we place the Gum Arabic on them. To fix this, you will have to clean it with lukewarm water. After you rinse and scrub for minutes, then your brush pen is ready to use.
In addition to Gum Arabic, we also use starch in some brush pen bristles. It is quite similar to Gum Arabic. So, you will have to use a similar technique for removing it from the bristles. Use lukewarm water and a gentle scrubbing technique. Make sure that you will give a minute or two to straighten the bristles. This will take a few seconds but will add months to your watercolor brush pen’s life.
Beatrix Ainsley (Bea to her friends) is an abstract artist who was heavily inspired in her twenties by the abstract expressionist movement of the 1940s. Since then Bea has acquired three degrees in Science, Education and most importantly Fine Art. Her art works showcase exploring emotion and introspection of self. To achieve this – the use of bold, sweeping, intricate layers of color, and spontaneity of form is enhanced by reflecting on decades of life experiences. Bea has amassed a vast knowledge of art in all its forms, and hopes to pass it on with her contributions here.
