as someone who is constantly getting chunks of dry paint in my paint, I wish I had seen this photo years ago:

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I will be doing this from now on...

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I just use the blister packaging for my palette. When it gets loaded and gunky I just toss it.

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Ditto, only I use condiment cups. If I make a mix and need to save it, just put the lid on with some water and it will keep for a day or two. But yeah, I wasn't cleaning out the palette regularly enough.

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it is a good idea, and might have kept me from pitching mine years ago for the same reason. lol.

my biggest problem today is that I just absolutely murder my brushes. Most common culprit being the rinse jar, where my brushes get left for days at a time. Biggest problem being the bent bristles, and occasional damage to the handle.

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Bindy - what about using a clothespin to suspend the brush over the jar? And don't let too much of the ferrule get in the rinse -- I use cheap nail brushes, and the wood handles soak up water like a sponge, splitting and cracking the paint all up and down the handle, giving me one more paint obstacle (when it falls off in my palate) or giving my finger a slice or sliver every now and again

(struggles y'all don't even know)

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I use those testors 3 pack brushes at Michaels. I rarely get more than one custom out of a brush. Not sure I could do anything different though. I treat them like a lady. All I know is, I throw away a lot of brushes.

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I get the cheap multi packs at Walmart with the plastic handles and sometimes wooden ones. They last ok and they aren't too expensive when I throw them away.

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In use acrylic brushes from Michael's or Hobby Lobby. They last a long time, and there is a lot of variety in shapes and sizes. Like Josh, I also buy multipacks sometimes.

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I can't stand the testors brushes. The bristles are too stiff. I get craft brushes wherever, dunno what I do different, because I have brushes that are 5 years old easy.

If you clean them and let them dry after each use, that's really all it takes. Which shows how scatter-brained and/or lazy I am about it.

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The bristles always start to splay out on my detail brushes. Usually, I just trim the stray bristles, but I've got one that's decided to do an even split down the middle.

I use cheap white glazed ceramic tiles, for pallets. Inexpensive to buy, and easy to clean.

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The Testors brushes have plastic bristles, which are nowhere near as good at laying down a coat or longlasting. The natural bristle brushes are well worth the slightly higher cost, imho.

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I'm a 'from the tube cap' painter, so my palette collects dust now. I just keep some Glad wrap handy to keep the bottles and tubes sealed while I am using the cap.

I find using a bar of Brush Soap extends the life of your brushes some, but a small bar of Ivory soap kept near your water cup works just as well and is very affordable. Just do a quick dip in your water cup, then roll the brush on the soap surface before swirling in the cup again. The nature of the clean soap (meaning few harsh ingredients) keeps the brushes supple.

I keep some craft fare, like golden taklon
but my Kolinkski sable brushes for fine art are kept in a cedar box. Since I use an airbrush, the regular brushes are mostly for details or when I am priming with FolkArt's Pure Black. Those 1inch sponge brushes are the best when using a textured paint, or when you want a coat devoid of brush strokes.

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