Brushes: Bloomed vs "New"

[churchilllafemme]

I went through a phase when I really liked to have my brushes bloomed while they sat on their shelves; I just liked how they looked. But more recently I have leaned toward having them look more "new" and unused, so I have been using a cardboard toilet paper roll tube with cutouts and a couple plastic hair curling rollers to mold them. After I use a brush in the morning, I rinse it well and dry it somewhat with paintbrush strokes against a white towel, then let it sit out on a counter for 10-12 hours. At that point I put it into the tube or one of the rollers, depending upon its handle diameter, and again let it sit for another 24 hours before removing it. This restores its shape to more like it was when new. So this is my current phase... Here are some before and after pictures. It's interesting to me that it is not always the brushes with the highest relative loft that bloom the most.

 

[Boycie83]

Thank you for sharing this. I've always preferred the pre-bloom look and would never have thought of trying this

 

[NeilJ]

Those Rooneys are just stunning, lovely to see them bloomed or in as new state, I'm not fussy.

 

[churchilllafemme]

I should note that over time the "restored" brushes gradually relax a little bit into a slightly bloomed form. I realize that this routine reflects an unusual amount of time spent on my brushes and perhaps a degree of OCD, but I'm retired and don't have a lot of other demands on my time. And it's fun.

 

[SteveD]

Looks better new imho