Other useful stuff about brushes/ Alte lucruri utile despre pensule

This third post contains some useful things you may want to know about brushes, such as what type of hair is better, where to get your brushes and how to clean and maintain them :)

Aceasta a treia postare contine cateva lucruri utile pe care ar trebui sa le stii despre pensule, cum ar fi ce tip de par este mai bun, de unde sa-ti iei pensulele si cum sa le cureti si intretii :)

Natural or synthetic bristles
Par natural sau sintetic

Synthetic fibers have evolved so much that they now have the same color-retention properties natural hair has. That's why I recommend synthetic brushes. They are the same quality as natural hair brushes but without the added cruelty. Natural hair brushes are mainly used for watercolour painting so when buying a synthetic brush you intend to use for watercolour, make sure the manufacturer specifies it is good for that (the bristles have to be soft and flexible, as I mentioned in the previous post). Unfortunately, there is one type of natural hair brush that can't be replaced with synthetic (yet) and that is the acrylic modelling brush. Monomer liquid damages the synthetic bristles and you will have to get another brush at some point. Best is to get a single number two natural Kolinsky brush. I got mine from a nail shop. Make sure you get a professional brush, preferably from an established nail brand.
Some painting brush brands I recommend are: Winsor & Newton, Da Vinci (they also have a nail brush line), Royal & Langnickel (nail brush line here too), Tintoretto (available in Italy, Albania, Malta, Portugal, Romania and Switzerland), Pebeo. I generally recommend getting your brushes from professional artists brands.
I will be honest and tell you a little time ago I thought synthetic brushes are no good for watercolour and powder makeup but after doing a little research and reading various reviews I came to the conclusion that synthetic brushes are actually great for both makeup and nail art and if I could turn back time I wouldn't get natural hair brushes again :)

Fibrele sintetice au evoluat atat de mult incat acum au aceleasi proprietati de retinere a culorii ca si parul natural. De aceea recomand pensulele din par sintetic. Au aceeasi calitate ca pensulele din par natural dar fara cruzimea adaugata. Pensulele din par natural sunt in principal folosite pentru pictura cu acuarela asa ca atunci cand cumperi o pensula sintetica pe care intentionezi sa o folosesti pentru acuarela, asigura-te ca producatorul specifica faptul ca este buna pentru acest lucru (perii trebuie sa fie moi si flexibili, dupa cum am spus in postarea precedenta). Din pacate, este un tip de pensula cu par natural care nu se poate inlocui cu sintetic (inca) si aceea este pensula pentru modelarea acrylului. Lichidul monomer strica perii sintetici si la un moment dat va trebui sa iei alta pensula. Cel mai bine este sa iei o singura pensula numarul doi cu par natural de tip Kolinsky. Eu am luat-o pe-a mea de la un magazin cu produse de unghii. Asigura-te ca iei o pensula profesionala, de preferat de la o marca de produse pentru unghii mai renumita.
Cateva marci de pensule pentru pictura pe care le recomand sunt: Winsor & Newton, Da Vinci (au si o linie de pensule pentru unghii), Royal & Langnickel (si aici linie de pensule pentru unghii), Tintoretto (disponibile in Italia, Albania, Malta, Portugalia, Romania si Elvetia), Pebeo. In general recomand sa-ti iei pensulele de la marci pentru artisti profesionisti.
O sa fiu sincera si o sa-ti spun ca acum ceva timp credeam ca pensulele sintetice nu sunt bune pentru acuarela si produse de machiaj sub forma de pudra dar dupa ce am facut o mica cercetare si am citit diverse recenzii am ajuns la concluzia ca pensulele sintetice sunt chiar foarte bune si pentru machiaj si pentru pictura de orice fel si daca as putea sa dau timpul inapoi n-as mai lua pensule din par natural :)

Where to get them

De unde le cumperi

                                   
I recommend Ebay only for cheap liner brushes and dotting tools. Get all of the other painting brushes from craft stores. You will get outstanding quality and the prices are not very high. I also bought some brushes from nail brands but these are more expensive and you get the same quality if not better from art brush brands. The exception is the acrylic modelling brush - get it from any reputable nail brand.

Recomand Ebay doar pentru pensule ieftine pentru linii si instrumente pentru puncte. Ia-ti restul pensulelor de la magazine pentru artisti. Vei avea calitate exceptionala si preturile nu sunt foarte mari. Eu am cumparat si cateva pensule de la marci de produse pentru unghii dar acestea sunt mai scumpe si gasesti aceeasi calitate daca nu mai buna la marci cu pensule pentru pictori. Exceptia este pensula pentru modelarea acrylului - ia-o de la orice marca mai cunoscuta pentru unghii.

 How to clean and keep them
 Cum sa le cureti si sa le pastrezi

Use your brushes only with acrylic paint and watercolour except for the cheaper ones which you can also use with nail polish. Clean the brushes you used with acrylic paint or watercolour with water, the ones you used with nail polish with non-acetone remover and the ones used for 3-D acrylic designs with clean liquid monomer. Never leave your brushes dirty! They will become unusable, especially those used for acrylic paintings and acrylic 3-D modelling. Some pigments will stain the bristles but this does not affect their quality.
Do not leave your brushes soaking in water! This will affect the shape of the bristles and it can also dissolve the adhesive which holds them together. If you still own natural hair brushes you can condition the bristles form time to time using hair conditioner. This will ensure they remain soft and breakage-free.
Always keep the plastic caps which come with the brush. Pay attention when putting the cap on, make sure all the bristles are inside. Store the brushes in a brush roll or a glass.

Foloseste pensulele doar cu vopsele acrilice si acuarele cu exceptia celor mai ieftine pe care le poti folosi si cu oja. Curata pensulele pe care le-ai folosit cu vopsele acrilice sau acuarela cu apa, pe cele folosite cu oja cu dizolvant fara acetona si pe cele folosite pentru design-uri cu acryl 3-D cu lichid monomer curat. Niciodata nu-ti lasa pensulele murdare! Vor deveni inutilizabile, in special cele folosite pentru pictura cu vopsele acrilice si modelare 3-D cu acryl. Unii pigmenti vor pata perii dar acest lucru nu le afecteaza calitatea.
Nu iti lasa pensulele in apa! Aceasta va afecta forma perilor si poate sa dizolve adezivul cu care sunt lipiti. Daca inca ai pensule din par natural poti hidrata perii din cand in cand folosind balsam de par. Acest lucru ii va ajuta sa ramana moi si sa nu se rupa.
 Intotdeauna pastreaza capacele de plastic cu care ai cumparat pensulele. Fii atenta cand pui capacul, asigura-te ca toate firele sunt inauntru. Pastreaza pensulele intr-un etui sau intr-un pahar.


Special - How to clean make-up brushes
Special - Cum sa cureti pensulele de machiaj

Generally, make-up brushes have to be washed weekly if you use them daily. Wash the foundation, concealer and lipstick brushes more often.
The best way to wash natural hair brushes is by using hair shampoo and conditioner. Remove the colour with shampoo, apply conditioner, leave it in for 10-15 minutes, rinse and leave the brushes to dry. Naturally, any living being's hair is being constantly moisturised by the natural oils the skin produces. When that hair is no longer attached to skin, in order to maintain its softness you have to artificially moisturise it. That's why conditioner is necessary.
Do not clean natural hair brushes frequently with alcohol-based brush cleaner.
Wash synthetic brushes with soap and water. Make sure all the colour in the bristles has been washed away. Leave the brushes to dry.
Both brush types can be washed with brush soap (Da Vinci carries such a product).
As you can see, apart from the fact that you are not paying for cute animals to be slaughtered and often skinned alive, synthetic brushes are much more easier to maintain too! :)

In general, pensulele de machiaj trebuie spalate saptamanal daca le folosesti zilnic. Spala pensulele de fond de ten, corector si ruj mai des.
Cel mai bine este sa speli pensulele din par natural folosind sampon si balsam de par. Curata culoarea cu sampon, aplica balsam, lasa-l 10-15 minute, clateste si lasa pensulele la uscat. In mod natural, parul oricarei fiinte este constant hidratat de uleiurile naturale secretate de piele. Cand parul nu mai este atasat pielii, pentru a-l mentine moale trebuie sa il hidratezi artificial. De aceea este necesar balsamul.
Nu curata prea des pensulele din par natural cu solutie pe baza de alcool pentru curatarea pensulelor (brush cleaner).
Spala pensulele sintetice cu apa si sapun. Asigura-te ca toate urmele de culoare au disparut. Lasa pensulele la uscat.
Ambele tipuri de pensule pot fi spalate cu sapun pentru pensule (cei de la Da Vinci au un asemenea produs).
Dupa cum vezi, in afara de faptul ca nu platesti ca animale dragute sa fie macelarite si jupuite uneori de vii, pensulele sintetice sunt si mult mai usor de intretinut! :)


That was all I had to say about brushes and tools :D Hope these things will help you build a nice, useful brush collection. See you!

Atat am avut de spus despre pensule si instrumente :D Sper ca aceste lucruri te vor ajuta sa-ti faci o colectie draguta si utila de pensule. Pe curand!