Hi guys. I’ve recently (2023) done an updated version of this video. I STILL use baby oil (mineral oil) but with big changes check that out here. I also show you how I switch colours during a painting. ruclips.net/video/7TMBpcOUX0k/видео.html
Nice to see that other artists are starting to choose healthier ways to paint. I have gone completely solvent free. I use canola oil instead to clean my brushes, and I do like that it is non petroleum based and much better for the environment. I make sure to clean my brush afterwards with a bit of dish soap and water (my dish soap is natural plant based one) so that no trace of the oil ends up in my paintings. I use a solvent-free, safflower-based medium made by Gamblin, and I absolutely love it! Wonderful to work with, and it smells to me, ever so slightly of blueberries, which is just so lovely! I highly recommend it!
God Bless you. You have no idea how annoying using the thinner is. Although i have plenty of brushes going, and i managed to limit the cleaning to one time, i can’t help but feel bad since im still inhaling some of that crappy thinner vapor. Thanks 🙏🏻.
Thank u so much for this method. I will definitely try it since I've been suffering from health issues because of the white spirit & turpentine & all the headache of storing it.
What a brilliant tutorial, I was telling my daughter about your tutorial and she laughed because I said I’ve never heard of baby oil. Thank you for making this tutorial.
Wow....I suffer so badly from fumes and this has to be the most informative tutorial I have ever seen. I never thought about using plastic bags either to keep the tubs clean. I really need to follow this all the way through now. Thank you so much for making this video and life will be so much easier from now on :) xx
Try ebay - type in the search "stainless steel brush washer" - I have found a few but on UK sites so I am sure theyll be where you are. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stainless-Steel-Brush-Washer-/191959725849?hash=item2cb1b0f719:g:1aYAAOSwknJX0Euu
Oh ...my...gosh! You have made me so happy with this. I have been putting off using my Bob Ross oil paints because I have been so nerved up about using odorless paint thinner. I have it..but now I don't have to use it! lol I am so excited to now start painting with oil too! I do use acrylics now. Yippie! Thanks a million times. Big ART Hugs to you. :D
Stumbled upon your cleaning method today. I like your system and have been using a variation of it for quite some time with one variation. Some oil painters object to any baby oil residue which might get into their oil paints ( which are usually walnut or linseed oil based ). Baby oil is a petroleum product and could, in theory, react with the oil paints. So, what I have practiced is using rapeseed oil ( marketed and sold as canola oil in the U.S.) instead of baby oil. It's cheaper, it will not dry, and it will keep bush hairs soft and supple. Nevertheless , I doubt using baby oil is a problem. The residue left on the paint hairs is so slight and the other chemicals in the paints are far greater. What matters is that the paint dries as expected. P.S. I like your work.
Bernard Paul Brown Artist what a great suggestion and work around with this system. My main issue is not using terp or OMS. This is a great suggestion for anyone with baby oil concerns. thanks for sharing.
@@whitney24100 No...just wipe off your brushes into a rag. I experimented to see what effect canola oil would have on oil paint drying properly. To my pleasant surprise, the amount of canola oil left in a typical paint brush has absolutely no effect on drying. The best part of using canola oil, a non-drying oil, is that brushes will stay supple for a long time after cleaning.
@@bernardpaulbrown3166 Would sunflower oil work just as well as the canola oil? It's easier to get here and cheaper than canola and not as contaminated as canola oil which has lots of pesticides in it's production.
Oh my Gosh!!!!!! This was SO helpful. now I can start oil painting! I purchased a Bob Ross kit but haven't used it because of all the cleaning products I needed to clean brushes. Now I can start................SAFELY!!! I can't WAIT to FINALLY paint along with YOU! ( I do paint acrylics) Thank you SO MUCH for this!
Donnamarie304. me too ! I just bought oil sticks and going to try painting with oils. I've never used oils because of the strong cleaning chemicals I was a strict acrylic painter!
Thank you very much for your reply I am a doctor myself and understand how toxic some materials can be. Thank you for sharing your skills and knowledge. I have subscribed to your channel.
Maysoon AlDooriaines you are welcome and thanks for the subscription 😁. Always appreciated. I can’t thank my doctors and nurses enough they’ve been amazing with me. (The Christie’s especially so ). You guys do an amazing job. So thank you 😁
Miss Marion , You always learn! THANKS You very much for the interesting and instructive tutorial. You really are a Master of the Art of Painting! God bless You!
Glad it was helpful! I’ve since updated my process to ensure no baby oil gets on the painting so it’ll be worth you checking my updated version of this. Still using baby oil ☺️. Here’s the link. ruclips.net/video/7TMBpcOUX0k/видео.htmlsi=_lBdK6BA1cdnjuZm
Hello Max I so much enjoyed your video and found it very useful and informative. I will definitely give your technique a try . Many thanks for sharing.
Thank you Maz!!! I have been wanting to paint for so long but haven't because of the chemicals to clean the brushes. I have so many allergies including latex ( so I Can't use acrylic paints). Thanks again. I anxious to get started!!!
@@MazArtStudio you won’t believe this. I’m such an idiot so here I am finally started my first painting and totally forgot I’d put baby oil on a small pot several days beforehand. So I’m using it as though it’s thinner. Now I have a first painting done in oil paint and baby oil. I’m about a quarter way through. It’s on canvas any ideas to remedy including starting from the beginning what to do with the canvas. I suffer from disc disease so not fully in the game obviously 🙄😂
What size bag are you using inside you jar---this is an excellent idea so you don't have to clean the gunk out of the bottom--looks smaller than a quart bag.
Little Heath actually I paint every day. They work good for cleaning oil brushes. Seriously and I bout 5 bottles to give a few to my friends to try. It’s a good thing! Try it
Omg thank you so much for this video Now I can clean them with something not so toxic. Even the odorless paint thinner Bob Ross use gives me headaches and I don't really like using it. So this is a wonderful new and way cheaper way of cleaning the brushes that will keep them really much more conditioned. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I am new at painting so I am so thankful for all the tips.
I ordered that little portable brush washer that you had linked in the more info section...love it I can't wait to get it. I am doing everything like you said. I love it. So happy I stumbled onto your site and I also love the trees you teach on how to make them. Talked to my daughter and now we both understand how to make them better. Thank you again for all your wonderful tips and care over artists. God Bless You. And your very welcome Your a bright light in this world of darkness. So keep up the amazing job :)
Thanks so much. I do want a n-solvent solution to clean brushes. However, I do wonder if the residue of baby oil left in the brushes would affect the quality of the applied paint on canvas many years from now. I guess we would not know at this time.
painting55 again I pinch and pull all residue oil out of the brushes. I even test on dry paper towel and no oil is coming off. But I guess if you were super concerned you could finish washing them with soap after. Much better than terp etc. 😄
Excellent idea! what about a tutorial on the painting behind you, on the wall? it's superb and I'm sure you painted it! Good job! I've been watching you paint for a few years now. Keep up the good job!
What great news this is to me. 1) Because I hate the smell of the chemicalls I use to clean my oil paint brushes with and 2) I have to wear Marigolds, (rubber gloves) when I use strong chemicals because after having to have chemotherapy in 2013 I have become prone to getting exma on one finger(used to be whole hands and face) when I use chemicals, all sorts of things effect it like bleachy water, hair mousse, etc etc. so the fact that I can clean brushes with baby oil is music to my ears thankyou :)
I really love your style :-) hope you can make longer oil painting tutorial , that would be very useful. most of 10 minutes tutorial are useless for beginners
I already clean my brushes with Baby Oil, my secondary cleaning is with Soap made especially for cleaning brushes and your hands. I also use the Baby Oil to thin my paints that are in use on the pallot. Key is not to use too much for thinning, as I am currently learning.
WARNING : Do not use baby oil to thin tube oil paint . This is a disaster to your paintings. Baby oil is made from crude oil it does not dry and will prevent a vegetable oil such as linseed oil from drying.
I made it - you can grab the free inner sheet from my website - mazartacademy.com/ select EXPLORE CLASSES scroll to the FREE section - click on palette and go to RESOURCES tab under the video - no account needed. Enjoy
Dear teacher, I'm still Struggling with this process of brush cleaning by using paint thinners but thinners fly away too quickly 😑 after watching your video I'm excited to run to the shops and get the baby oil.... But wait.... could you please guide me about which type of baby oil should I go for since here is a lot of types for baby oils.. Best wishes
I am glad you are distancing yourself from thinners, if you atomize thinners, no matter in what you beat, you will breathe in this nasty chemical. That is going to do harm. Some are still insisting odourless thinner is okay to use. I doubt that. Thank you for your explanations.
You are welcome. These days I use medium to switch colours during the painting session and still use baby oil to clean brushes but I also then finish with soap and water. This ensures no baby oil gets into your painting. I still do not use terp/odourless mineral spirits due to bad headaches. This seems to work a treat.
No it's not for acrylics. Only oils. Acrylics clean with soap and water. But when using forvouls you can leave the baby oil in the container for the next painting and the next and the next. In fact I only clean the buckets every few months.
My husband started painting 30 years ago and would waltz in to the kitchen to clean his brushes at the sink. Initially I sent him to the basement, but the whole house reeked of spirits or turp, so I suggested he tried cleaning a couple of brushes with vegetable oil. He first removed all the paint with vegetable oil and followed with liquid dish detergent and water. He's been doing that for 27 years and has yet to ruin a brush. Even baby oil is a petroleum product so I'd encourage others to give this a try. Experiment with a brush you can spare in case this doesn't work for you. But it is working great for us.
Baby oil is a hydrocarbon made from crude oil . It does not set rock hard like linseed oil or saflower oil which are plant based organic vegetable oils. Which do oxidise and dry hard. Baby oil will destroy the linseed or saflower oil and make the oil paint crack or craze when it dries.
OMG. I have for days looking for a good cleaning for the Bob Ross Brushes. that was brilliant. Thank you so much. but one question. so the Baby oil does not stick the brush hairs together? is the brush still able to do all the wonderful things it is intended to do?
Please check out my new brush cleaning video. I still use baby oil but I do finish with soap and water. A lot of the Bob Ross brushes you can’t use soap and water because the hollow fibre bristles spray open. Here’s my updated brush cleaning video. ruclips.net/video/7TMBpcOUX0k/видео.htmlsi=A3ovyQ0lhutDHURr
tessa healey I don't use them but I suggest you get the modified linseed oil to go with them. (To thin down during painting) as water will lift the paint. They should be called water cleanable really. You can wash up with soap and water (except BR brushes which don't like water)
Baby oil, and mineral oils in general are non drying oils and if/when they get into your oil paint, then your paintings will never dry. Admittedly if a tiny tiny molecule or two get in, it won't matter, but basically this is a dangerous practice, because any painting that gets baby oil in it, will never dry. Put a drop or two of baby oil on a little dish and put the date on it, put it on a shelf or windowsill for several days and you will see that it is still completely liquid still.
Anita Davis thank you , you are correct it is non drying which is why I use it for only cleaning my brushes. I always check on a clean paper towel to ensure no baby oil is in the brush. I’ve been using this method for over 5 years now (I was looking for a way to avoid OMS etc due to health reasons). Yes you must ensure it’s out of the brush and I’ve never had a painting not dry. Used properly it’s a great way to clean & condition brushes - but if in doubt you could use saffron oil or walnut etc. Baby oil (mineral oil) is very cheap.
Thank you for the information! I want to get into oil painting but all the different mediums and chemicals (alkyd, damar varnish, cobalt dryer, etc) are kind of freaking me out.
Hello Maz, First let me say I so enjoy watching and learning the wonderful art you create and much so on your tutorials ,I am a self taught artist "with one Art Exbit " ,I have so wished there was a better solution to the brush cleaning ,the odorless thinner is what I have all was used,but then I just seen this video of yours with the baby oil.OMG why I have not seen this sooner is beyond me but oh my I am sooo thankful for you sharing this ,going not to get containers and babyoil, sorry for the drawn out message coming to you from a much loved fan THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!
I really enjoy your tutorials as you take your time explaining. I was wondering what you do as far as disposing the oily paper towels? I have read so much about the dangers that it turned me off from oil painting.
Dear, thank you for the tutorial I appriciate. Only a small advice: please improve your sound installation. I had to turn my volume to the max and it is still pretty quiet. Much success with your channel furtheron. Kind regards, Matias
yes you can of course clean that way too. I don't like to use Terp for health reasons which is why I use baby oil - it is important NOT to get any onto the painting it is for cleaning only.
Hi!! Marion. This is a great way for cleaning oil brushes am certainly going to do it this way, I do have a question and that is - do you still use the oil mediums to thin the paint? Really enjoy your tutorials . Cheers. Sylvia
I don’t use thinner at all for health reasons. I use a medium to thin oil paint (baby oil is only for cleaning and it’s important to get it all out of the brush). The brand of medium I use is called zest it but other brands work too you can use liquin linseed oil or walnut oil etc. If you go to my website online school I have a free pdf on the online school called mediums explained.
MazArtStudio Ok I just would like to make sure I have everything I need to paint... I have a easel, canvas, oil paint, brushes, walnut oil for thinning my oil paint to paint, & baby oil to clean my brushes, napkins, and a board to mix my paint on to mix colors... Am I missing anything? And please what is your website so I can see tutorials of how to paint dogs and people
Neishaneal Amos it sounds like you are all set. My website is www.mazartstudio.co.uk It's being updated so check back in a few days too to see the new tutorials x. Good luck
Thank you so much for the detailed demonstration! One question, you mention that there is some part in the first "dirty" jar facilitating the last swishing step - what is this? :) Maria
OK I know I’m late to the show but I have a question and I have not been able to solve this I am trying to use baby oil or oil in general to clean my brushes and I do the wet on wet technique and I find that no matter how much I scrub my brush in a paper towel or regular towel there’s always residual oil that transfers into the painting when I go to use the brush again and ruining everything and not allowing me to put layers on top of the layers I put down
I use a beater rack in a swing bin to beat the oil out of the brushes. Baby oil should not go into the canvas so perhaps a good beat first? Then the paper towel.
I know this is an old video, but the thing I am struggling with is: how many paper towels do you go trough when painting? And how do you dispose of them?
Does the baby oil have perfumes in it? ie.. is there "fragrance" in the ingredients list and does it smell like any fragrance? I hope there is an UNSCENTED one to use. Thanks.
. Hi there can you send me through a copy of your Artist mixing area that shows the grey scale so I can compare my colours with the lights, mid tones and darks. Thank you Barbara Rose email -: barbararose4@dodo.com.au I am subscribed...
janey2562 the oil will get dirty but the sediment sinks to the bottom. Every few weeks I drain the top of the oil - remove the plastic bag and discard the waste. I then reuse the oil (I replace the bag first which helps with cleaning).
Hello Max thank you for sharing your skills and information on brush cleaning. Can I ask you what made you switch off from using the classical turpentine for cleaning the brushes to using baby oils?
Maysoon AlDooriaines yes. I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma (all well after surgery) but I don’t want anything toxic that could get on my skin (bit paranoid these days). Plus other brush cleaning methods gave me bad headaches. Any oil can be use baby oil is cheaper but for anyone concerned use walnut oil. 😁
this really helped. I have never used oil paints and just bought some R &F Paint sticks. they come in plastic containers. do they need to be put back or stored in the containers?
Yes. I appreciated this. As paint sticks are like paint in a tube ....frim what im told....but in stick form. Once the dried film is peeled off the outside they are very wet and buttery. I bought some student grade sticks and they were awful. These new high end artist quality sticks are pretty amazing and quite expensive. So I want to learn how to take care of them properly. I see why oil paintings are so expensive! Anyway this tutorial of yours came at just the right time! I thought I won't be able to use any brushes with the oil paint due to the cleaning of brushes being so toxic. I just bought a big bottle of baby oil yesterday to remove my eye makeup. Now it will clean my oil brushes too ! Thank you for this info!
me too! I've used baby oil for that since I was a teenager. I'm now 52 and I'm pretty sure that's why I don't have wrinkles around my eyes! And I use coconut oil for face cleansing .
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi guys. I’ve recently (2023) done an updated version of this video. I STILL use baby oil (mineral oil) but with big changes check that out here. I also show you how I switch colours during a painting. ruclips.net/video/7TMBpcOUX0k/видео.html
Nice to see that other artists are starting to choose healthier ways to paint. I have gone completely solvent free. I use canola oil instead to clean my brushes, and I do like that it is non petroleum based and much better for the environment. I make sure to clean my brush afterwards with a bit of dish soap and water (my dish soap is natural plant based one) so that no trace of the oil ends up in my paintings. I use a solvent-free, safflower-based medium made by Gamblin, and I absolutely love it! Wonderful to work with, and it smells to me, ever so slightly of blueberries, which is just so lovely! I highly recommend it!
Do you use canola oil to clean a brush with an oil based paint when you are completely finished?
Wow, I never knew that baby oil could be used for cleaning the brushes. Thank you so much 😊🙏
My pleasure 😊
I am impressed with this method of cleaning brushes. Mine are nice and soft. Using the baby oil did make a difference.
Thank you Maz you are terrific.
you are welcome ;-)
So glad to now know I can use baby oil instead of thinners!! This makes me so happy!
Made me happy too.
God Bless you. You have no idea how annoying using the thinner is. Although i have plenty of brushes going, and i managed to limit the cleaning to one time, i can’t help but feel bad since im still inhaling some of that crappy thinner vapor. Thanks 🙏🏻.
Thank u so much for this method. I will definitely try it since I've been suffering from health issues because of the white spirit & turpentine & all the headache of storing it.
me too!
What a brilliant tutorial, I was telling my daughter about your tutorial and she laughed because I said I’ve never heard of baby oil. Thank you for making this tutorial.
Wow....I suffer so badly from fumes and this has to be the most informative tutorial I have ever seen.
I never thought about using plastic bags either to keep the tubs clean.
I really need to follow this all the way through now.
Thank you so much for making this video and life will be so much easier from now on :)
xx
Hello Cynthia I am so pleased you found this informative. this is a much more pleasant way to have oils in your life. :-)
I have been searching for a paint kettle and I can't find one anywhere which is ridiculous even all of the art shops....:'( x
Try ebay - type in the search "stainless steel brush washer" - I have found a few but on UK sites so I am sure theyll be where you are.
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Stainless-Steel-Brush-Washer-/191959725849?hash=item2cb1b0f719:g:1aYAAOSwknJX0Euu
Thank you Maz so much...I am about to order right now.Bless your heart xxx
Cynthia Adams
This was a truly informative video. Thank you Kim for taking the time to show us this great comparison!
Kim? My name is Marion Dutton, and I am glad you found this helpful.
The best cleaning tutorial I've seen. Now could start my painting. Thanks.
Oh ...my...gosh! You have made me so happy with this. I have been putting off using my Bob Ross oil paints because I have been so nerved up about using odorless paint thinner. I have it..but now I don't have to use it! lol I am so excited to now start painting with oil too! I do use acrylics now. Yippie! Thanks a million times. Big ART Hugs to you. :D
Yes, but keep in mind that baby oil is a mineral oil and while it doesn’t present immediate harm to you, it does harm the environment.
Stumbled upon your cleaning method today. I like your system and have been using a variation of it for quite some time with one variation. Some oil painters object to any baby oil residue which might get into their oil paints ( which are usually walnut or linseed oil based ). Baby oil is a petroleum product and could, in theory, react with the oil paints. So, what I have practiced is using rapeseed oil ( marketed and sold as canola oil in the U.S.) instead of baby oil. It's cheaper, it will not dry, and it will keep bush hairs soft and supple. Nevertheless , I doubt using baby oil is a problem. The residue left on the paint hairs is so slight and the other chemicals in the paints are far greater. What matters is that the paint dries as expected. P.S. I like your work.
Bernard Paul Brown Artist what a great suggestion and work around with this system. My main issue is not using terp or OMS. This is a great suggestion for anyone with baby oil concerns. thanks for sharing.
Yes, of course; but many oil painters do fear the cadmium in the cadmium color paints and hence wear gloves on their rag hand.
@@bernardpaulbrown3166 do you have to wash off the canola oil ?
@@whitney24100 No...just wipe off your brushes into a rag. I experimented to see what effect canola oil would have on oil paint drying properly. To my pleasant surprise, the amount of canola oil left in a typical paint brush has absolutely no effect on drying. The best part of using canola oil, a non-drying oil, is that brushes will stay supple for a long time after cleaning.
@@bernardpaulbrown3166 Would sunflower oil work just as well as the canola oil? It's easier to get here and cheaper than canola and not as contaminated as canola oil which has lots of pesticides in it's production.
Oh my Gosh!!!!!! This was SO helpful. now I can start oil painting! I purchased a Bob Ross kit but haven't used it because of all the cleaning products I needed to clean brushes. Now I can start................SAFELY!!! I can't WAIT to FINALLY paint along with YOU! ( I do paint acrylics) Thank you SO MUCH for this!
Donnamarie304. me too ! I just bought oil sticks and going to try painting with oils. I've never used oils because of the strong cleaning chemicals I was a strict acrylic painter!
yay for us!!!!!!! :)
Donnamarie304 ♡
+Donnamarie304 yeahhhh.
This is a great technique. I have posted it for others. Your art is so special like you!
Thats an excellent method to clean brushes. I like using an organic base safflower seed oil instead of baby oil.
perfect!
Thank you Maz, . I'm
just a beginner at painting and I do follow you as you are painting step by step. You are great teacher, thank you.
thank you
I use the same ,with cheap baby wipes in between colour changes.
Thank you very much for your reply I am a doctor myself and understand how toxic some materials can be. Thank you for sharing your skills and knowledge. I have subscribed to your channel.
Maysoon AlDooriaines you are welcome and thanks for the subscription 😁. Always appreciated. I can’t thank my doctors and nurses enough they’ve been amazing with me. (The Christie’s especially so ). You guys do an amazing job. So thank you 😁
you saved part of my life. thank you so much for showing this to us!!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Thanks for sharing. I watched both cleaning videos.
you are very welcome :-)
I love learning from you thank you so much for teaching step by step like no others do on here
countryliving Kathryn thank you so much.
Miss Marion , You always learn! THANKS You very much for the interesting and instructive tutorial. You really are a Master of the Art of Painting! God bless You!
This is AMAZING! I can finally try painting with oils! Thank you!
you are very welcome
Thank you so much. This is SUPER HELPFUL.
Glad it was helpful! I’ve since updated my process to ensure no baby oil gets on the painting so it’ll be worth you checking my updated version of this. Still using baby oil ☺️. Here’s the link. ruclips.net/video/7TMBpcOUX0k/видео.htmlsi=_lBdK6BA1cdnjuZm
Hello Max I so much enjoyed your video and found it very useful and informative. I will definitely give your technique a try . Many thanks for sharing.
Thank you Maz!!! I have been wanting to paint for so long but haven't because of the chemicals to clean the brushes. I have so many allergies including latex ( so I Can't use acrylic paints).
Thanks again. I anxious to get started!!!
Thank you for sharing and putting it on video. It's very helpful.
This was so informative. Thanks! 😊
You're so welcome!
After watching this I’ve just popped to the shop to get baby oil thank you so much 😀🎨
You’re welcome 😊 remember it is only for cleaning with, not for painting.
@@MazArtStudio you won’t believe this. I’m such an idiot so here I am finally started my first painting and totally forgot I’d put baby oil on a small pot several days beforehand. So I’m using it as though it’s thinner. Now I have a first painting done in oil paint and baby oil. I’m about a quarter way through. It’s on canvas any ideas to remedy including starting from the beginning what to do with the canvas. I suffer from disc disease so not fully in the game obviously 🙄😂
What size bag are you using inside you jar---this is an excellent idea so you don't have to clean the gunk out of the bottom--looks smaller than a quart bag.
Thank you for all this info its brilliant. Thanks for sharing. Sheila.
This is wonderful! Why have I never heard of this before? Thank you!
oh my god! This totally works. My brushes are clean and soft! thank you...by the way, i went to the dollar store and bought 5 bottles! excellent.
5 bottles of baby oil ? Are you setting up a massage parlour ? Because it is a disaster for oil paint.
Little Heath actually I paint every day. They work good for cleaning oil brushes. Seriously and I bout 5 bottles to give a few to my friends to try. It’s a good thing! Try it
THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR SHARING EVERYTING!!!! GOD BLESS....
You are welcome
Omg thank you so much for this video Now I can clean them with something not so toxic. Even the odorless paint thinner Bob Ross use gives me headaches and I don't really like using it. So this is a wonderful new and way cheaper way of cleaning the brushes that will keep them really much more conditioned. Thank you so much for sharing this with me. I am new at painting so I am so thankful for all the tips.
Zair Dawn you are welcome. I too got headaches hence the switch. This works a treat and is all I use these days. Good luck with your painting 😁
I ordered that little portable brush washer that you had linked in the more info section...love it I can't wait to get it. I am doing everything like you said. I love it. So happy I stumbled onto your site and I also love the trees you teach on how to make them. Talked to my daughter and now we both understand how to make them better. Thank you again for all your wonderful tips and care over artists. God Bless You. And your very welcome Your a bright light in this world of darkness. So keep up the amazing job :)
❣️switching to baby oil from today.
Thanks so much. I do want a n-solvent solution to clean brushes. However, I do wonder if the residue of baby oil left in the brushes would affect the quality of the applied paint on canvas many years from now. I guess we would not know at this time.
painting55 again I pinch and pull all residue oil out of the brushes. I even test on dry paper towel and no oil is coming off. But I guess if you were super concerned you could finish washing them with soap after. Much better than terp etc. 😄
I agree on the possibility of follow up with soap and water. Thank you for your quick reply.
Hello Maz,
Wow !, I love this. Thank you for sharing :)
Once again learining from you. Thanks so much.
Excellent idea! what about a tutorial on the painting behind you, on the wall? it's superb and I'm sure you painted it! Good job! I've been watching you paint for a few years now. Keep up the good job!
Aurelia Oana as a matter of fact. That tutorial will be on my online classes just before Xmas. (see website)
Aurelia Oana this tutorial is available to buy on my online classes. 😀😀😀
Thank you! I go through so many expensive brushes.
What great news this is to me. 1) Because I hate the smell of the chemicalls I use to clean my oil paint brushes with and 2) I have to wear Marigolds, (rubber gloves) when I use strong chemicals because after having to have chemotherapy in 2013 I have become prone to getting exma on one finger(used to be whole hands and face) when I use chemicals, all sorts of things effect it like bleachy water, hair mousse, etc etc. so the fact that I can clean brushes with baby oil is music to my ears thankyou :)
So pleased this has helped. After my melanoma I wanted to research better ways. This is much better for us all
I really love your style :-) hope you can make longer oil painting tutorial , that would be very useful. most of 10 minutes tutorial are useless for beginners
lisa zhong thank you I’m pleased you like them. I’ve full length tutorials on my website www.mazartstudio.co.uk. 😁
I already clean my brushes with Baby Oil, my secondary cleaning is with Soap made especially for cleaning brushes and your hands. I also use the Baby Oil to thin my paints that are in use on the pallot. Key is not to use too much for thinning, as I am currently learning.
Baby oil is a non drying oil. It will ruin your paintings.
WARNING : Do not use baby oil to thin tube oil paint . This is a disaster to your paintings. Baby oil is made from crude oil it does not dry and will prevent a vegetable oil such as linseed oil from drying.
@@littleheath1666 it sure does dry!
Thank you this was really useful. Can I be cheeky and ask where you got your pallet tray from? I love it
I made it - you can grab the free inner sheet from my website - mazartacademy.com/
select EXPLORE CLASSES scroll to the FREE section - click on palette and go to RESOURCES tab under the video - no account needed. Enjoy
I just learned this it works so well thank you again
Odorless paint thinner and beat the devil out of it.
Eat To Live I love Bob Ross! Used his method for years but health reasons have caused me to seek alternatives. ☺
Dear teacher,
I'm still Struggling with this process of brush cleaning by using paint thinners but thinners fly away too quickly 😑 after watching your video I'm excited to run to the shops and get the baby oil.... But wait.... could you please guide me about which type of baby oil should I go for since here is a lot of types for baby oils..
Best wishes
The very cheapest you can buy! brand doesnt matter - I buy mine in bulk from Ebay :-)
Maz may I ask a question plz are you also Wilson Bickfort Trained Teacher (WBTT)?..
No but I am a WBPP (wilson bickford Painting Partner) - Love him!
I am glad you are distancing yourself from thinners, if you atomize thinners, no matter in what you beat, you will breathe in this nasty chemical. That is going to do harm. Some are still insisting odourless thinner is okay to use. I doubt that. Thank you for your explanations.
Yep I get terrible headaches even in a large room if a student happens to use any - so it can’t be good for us
I recently subscribed today! I'll be heading out to buy some baby oil! Great healthy tip!
This helped me alot. I'm definitely a one brush pony.
I'm so glad!
How do you dispose of the baby oil? Is it the same like with linseed oil???
Hi Max. I love you videos. Thanks
Hi Maz I love your videos
Super helpful video, thank you!
You are welcome. These days I use medium to switch colours during the painting session and still use baby oil to clean brushes but I also then finish with soap and water. This ensures no baby oil gets into your painting. I still do not use terp/odourless mineral spirits due to bad headaches. This seems to work a treat.
Could you clean your acrylics
brushes like this and leave the oil in to be ready for the next painting/
No it's not for acrylics. Only oils. Acrylics clean with soap and water. But when using forvouls you can leave the baby oil in the container for the next painting and the next and the next. In fact I only clean the buckets every few months.
I knew it would work for oil just wonder for acrylics. Thanks for your response. Your work is amazing.
thanks very much I appreciate that. Glad you like the tutorials
Does this work for any oil based paints?
Hi Thank you very much for showing brush cleaning with baby oil. I just want to know , how do you dispose those oil paint stained paper towels
Great idea I'm going to try this thank you
My husband started painting 30 years ago and would waltz in to the kitchen to clean his brushes at the sink. Initially I sent him to the basement, but the whole house reeked of spirits or turp, so I suggested he tried cleaning a couple of brushes with vegetable oil. He first removed all the paint with vegetable oil and followed with liquid dish detergent and water. He's been doing that for 27 years and has yet to ruin a brush. Even baby oil is a petroleum product so I'd encourage others to give this a try. Experiment with a brush you can spare in case this doesn't work for you. But it is working great for us.
Baby oil is a hydrocarbon made from crude oil . It does not set rock hard like linseed oil or saflower oil which are plant based organic vegetable oils. Which do oxidise and dry hard. Baby oil will destroy the linseed or saflower oil and make the oil paint crack or craze when it dries.
OMG. I have for days looking for a good cleaning for the Bob Ross Brushes. that was brilliant. Thank you so much. but one question. so the Baby oil does not stick the brush hairs together? is the brush still able to do all the wonderful things it is intended to do?
Please check out my new brush cleaning video. I still use baby oil but I do finish with soap and water. A lot of the Bob Ross brushes you can’t use soap and water because the hollow fibre bristles spray open. Here’s my updated brush cleaning video.
ruclips.net/video/7TMBpcOUX0k/видео.htmlsi=A3ovyQ0lhutDHURr
HOW do you dispose of all those oil soaked paper towels ?
I use water based oils now any tips on these . Thanks
tessa healey I don't use them but I suggest you get the modified linseed oil to go with them. (To thin down during painting) as water will lift the paint. They should be called water cleanable really. You can wash up with soap and water (except BR brushes which don't like water)
Would you clean soft blending brushes in the same way and would that retain their softness?
Actually I have. But the you need a clean kitchen roll and a bit of time to fluff them up.
but ideally if you use the mop right there should be very little paint on the brush. So you could just fluff it over a cloth with baby oil on it.
Soap and luke warm water work wonders and they are not contaminants. How do you dispose off that bucket of oil?
Great 👍🏻 very informative 🙏🏼
Baby oil, and mineral oils in general are non drying oils and if/when they get into your oil paint, then your paintings will never dry. Admittedly if a tiny tiny molecule or two get in, it won't matter, but basically this is a dangerous practice, because any painting that gets baby oil in it, will never dry. Put a drop or two of baby oil on a little dish and put the date on it, put it on a shelf or windowsill for several days and you will see that it is still completely liquid still.
Anita Davis thank you , you are correct it is non drying which is why I use it for only cleaning my brushes. I always check on a clean paper towel to ensure no baby oil is in the brush. I’ve been using this method for over 5 years now (I was looking for a way to avoid OMS etc due to health reasons). Yes you must ensure it’s out of the brush and I’ve never had a painting not dry. Used properly it’s a great way to clean & condition brushes - but if in doubt you could use saffron oil or walnut etc. Baby oil (mineral oil) is very cheap.
You have to written everything you do because to many people don hearing thanks God bless you
thanks so much..it is really easy..to clean the brushes like that ur the best gracias
Where can I purchase the beater rack and the bucket with the grill?
Thank you for the information! I want to get into oil painting but all the different mediums and chemicals (alkyd, damar varnish, cobalt dryer, etc) are kind of freaking me out.
John Petersen clean brushes with Murphy Oil liquid soap❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ non toxic very easy a best cleaner👍
Do you still use thinner for the deepest layers on the canvas for the fat over lean principle?
Would this work with oil paint that is already dry on a brush? (Sorry if this is late)
I don't think so - but no harm in trying it
MazArtStudio thank you for replying!
you are welcome :-) good luck
Hello Maz, First let me say I so enjoy watching and learning the wonderful art you create and much so on your tutorials ,I am a self taught artist "with one Art Exbit " ,I have so wished there was a better solution to the brush cleaning ,the odorless thinner is what I have all was used,but then I just seen this video of yours with the baby oil.OMG why I have not seen this sooner is beyond me but oh my I am sooo thankful for you sharing this ,going not to get containers and babyoil, sorry for the drawn out message coming to you from a much loved fan THANKS AGAIN!!!!!!
Hi Robyn. So pleased this has helped. Enjoy shopping!! 😃
Robin. Sorry I misspelled
I really enjoy your tutorials as you take your time explaining. I was wondering what you do as far as disposing the oily paper towels? I have read so much about the dangers that it turned me off from oil painting.
I now use Zest it products which are non toxic and non flammable so it has eliminated some of those dangers.
Dear, thank you for the tutorial I appriciate. Only a small advice: please improve your sound installation. I had to turn my volume to the max and it is still pretty quiet.
Much success with your channel furtheron. Kind regards, Matias
Yes I’ve since worked a lot on my sound since this video thanks for the tip.
@@MazArtStudio Oh, hi, that is great. Thank you for your friendly reply. All the best to you.
What if I do the same exercise with turpentine oil
yes you can of course clean that way too. I don't like to use Terp for health reasons which is why I use baby oil - it is important NOT to get any onto the painting it is for cleaning only.
Thank you, that was very helpful.
Hi!! Marion. This is a great way for cleaning oil brushes am certainly going to do it this way, I do have a question and that is - do you still use the oil mediums to thin the paint? Really enjoy your tutorials . Cheers. Sylvia
Do you use paint thinner on your canvas like mix the color or use color straight out of the tube ty
I don’t use thinner at all for health reasons. I use a medium to thin oil paint (baby oil is only for cleaning and it’s important to get it all out of the brush). The brand of medium I use is called zest it but other brands work too you can use liquin linseed oil or walnut oil etc. If you go to my website online school I have a free pdf on the online school called mediums explained.
At 8:00 do not pinch and pull your brush because you will soon enough pull out the bristles.
What do you do with the baby oil when it’s your done?
it is never really done - I just keep topping it up.
So interesting. Do you ever use the soap and water to clean? Do you ever use odorless turpinoil for anything?
Is the dirty baby oil safe to dispose of in the trash? Will it combust like other oils?
I just bought terpentin and i'm so scared to use it. It makes me feel so uncomfortable and scared. I havent used it yet.
I never use it. It’s very toxic there are lots of alternatives Check out my updated brush cleaning tutorial. ruclips.net/video/7TMBpcOUX0k/видео.html
I really appreciate your videos. So I can use linseed to thin out my oil paint and baby oil to clean my brushes?
absolutely that is how I work
MazArtStudio I couldn't find linseed oil however I was able to get walnut oil is that ok for thinning my oil painting
Neishaneal Amos I've never used walnut oil but I do believe it will be fine with that
MazArtStudio Ok I just would like to make sure I have everything I need to paint... I have a easel, canvas, oil paint, brushes, walnut oil for thinning my oil paint to paint, & baby oil to clean my brushes, napkins, and a board to mix my paint on to mix colors... Am I missing anything? And please what is your website so I can see tutorials of how to paint dogs and people
Neishaneal Amos it sounds like you are all set. My website is www.mazartstudio.co.uk It's being updated so check back in a few days too to see the new tutorials x. Good luck
good video Maz!
Thank you so much for the detailed demonstration! One question, you mention that there is some part in the first "dirty" jar facilitating the last swishing step - what is this? :) Maria
But ur paint was fresh. Will it wipe away an old brush which is stuck n bard with color.
OK I know I’m late to the show but I have a question and I have not been able to solve this I am trying to use baby oil or oil in general to clean my brushes and I do the wet on wet technique and I find that no matter how much I scrub my brush in a paper towel or regular towel there’s always residual oil that transfers into the painting when I go to use the brush again and ruining everything and not allowing me to put layers on top of the layers I put down
I use a beater rack in a swing bin to beat the oil out of the brushes. Baby oil should not go into the canvas so perhaps a good beat first? Then the paper towel.
I know this is an old video, but the thing I am struggling with is: how many paper towels do you go trough when painting? And how do you dispose of them?
So if you are doing this between color changes , do you find that your paint takes longer to dry with the bit of baby oil added ?
Thank y I u for the great tip! :)
Does the baby oil have perfumes in it? ie.. is there "fragrance" in the ingredients list and does it smell like any fragrance? I hope there is an UNSCENTED one to use. Thanks.
Hi Maz you mentioned a grill at the bottom of the steel jar is this a specialist painters jar? What would it be called if one is looking to buy it.
it is called a stainless steel brush washer - it can be bought from the SAA www.saa.co.uk/stainless-steel-brush-washer.html
. Hi there can you send me through a copy of your Artist mixing area that shows the grey scale so I can compare my colours with the lights, mid tones and darks. Thank you Barbara Rose email -: barbararose4@dodo.com.au
I am subscribed...
If you use many colors so what happens is the baby oil container with oil is mixed with various colors so everything get mixed in there?
janey2562 the oil will get dirty but the sediment sinks to the bottom. Every few weeks I drain the top of the oil - remove the plastic bag and discard the waste. I then reuse the oil (I replace the bag first which helps with cleaning).
What brand of oil paint do you use
Marion where did you get your little tub from?
stainless steel washer from www.saa.co.uk
Thank you, I purchased one :)
Hello Max thank you for sharing your skills and information on brush cleaning. Can I ask you what made you switch off from using the classical turpentine for cleaning the brushes to using baby oils?
Maysoon AlDooriaines yes. I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma (all well after surgery) but I don’t want anything toxic that could get on my skin (bit paranoid these days). Plus other brush cleaning methods gave me bad headaches. Any oil can be use baby oil is cheaper but for anyone concerned use walnut oil. 😁
this really helped. I have never used oil paints and just bought some R &F Paint sticks. they come in plastic containers. do they need to be put back or stored in the containers?
Hi Pam - really sorry but I have never used R&F Paint Sticks so can't help with this one I am afraid. Glad you liked this tutorial.
Yes. I appreciated this. As paint sticks are like paint in a tube ....frim what im told....but in stick form. Once the dried film is peeled off the outside they are very wet and buttery. I bought some student grade sticks and they were awful. These new high end artist quality sticks are pretty amazing and quite expensive. So I want to learn how to take care of them properly. I see why oil paintings are so expensive! Anyway this tutorial of yours came at just the right time! I thought I won't be able to use any brushes with the oil paint due to the cleaning of brushes being so toxic. I just bought a big bottle of baby oil yesterday to remove my eye makeup. Now it will clean my oil brushes too ! Thank you for this info!
+Pam Stefanik I clean eye make up off top with baby oil. Fab stuff. 😄
Cool. My sister in law put me on to that just a couple weeks ago!
me too! I've used baby oil for that since I was a teenager. I'm now 52 and I'm pretty sure that's why I don't have wrinkles around my eyes! And I use coconut oil for face cleansing .