Hello from Bec Anthony AKA Bexstar123 from You Tube

So I have a hygiene question then. You can either have nice clean water, and not clean your brushes between people, or you can have muddy water and have clean brushes. And I know the whole "properties of the paint" thing. The last few times I've painted, I've decided that I wanted to have clean brushes, because of flu and allergies (such as a peanut allergy and such).

I have that 3 container thingy that I bought on here. The first compartment, I clean my brushes. The second compartment, I have a second rinse. And the third I put some alcohol in. And as far as wetting my brushes, I've been dropping water on the paint, as opposed to dipping to wet my brush. But if you look at my first wash, yeah, it's like coffee... After just a couple of people it gets muddied up.

My water looks like that too, but is is in the corner of a dark box, where almost nobody can see it. I prefer to have clean brushes. It is rinse water, it would be strange if it looked like drinking water!

My water stays fairly clean. I use snazaroo paints which has anti bacterial agent in it so no germ lives in the paint from child to child. I have plenty of brushes dedicated to the various colors, so like Gary Cole, I don't have to clean the brushes between faces. I clean them when I get home from each gig.
During the gig the color remains on the brush and drys, so when I dip the brush into the water to soften it, very little paint gets into the water and it stays pretty clean throughout the gig. I do have another water container on hand in case I get in a hurry and hit the side of the container with the brush which releases color into the water.

If you have a cup of muddy water, filled with "antibacterial face paint" wouldn't that be just as hygienic as keeping the paint on your brush? Not rinsing your brush only gives the appearance of more hygienic. The same paint that saturates the coffee water sits on your brush. And my brushes just paint a whole lot better when there isn't dried paint caked all in it.

This is one reason why I've been trying to find other ways, like 2 rinse/1 alcohol bath. And also why I've switched to an opaque water system instead of clear (so you can't see the muddy section of my water). I'm still trying to think of ways to make my cleaning better. I think Shannon even uses soap each time. I haven't quite figured out how to make that work yet, but I'm considering it.

Another factor against the non-cleaned brushes is, what if a kid ate a PB&J, and the next kid had a peanut allergy? No antibacterial properties would kill peanut butter. And yes, some kids are that sensitive.

No, my water isnt muddy and the dried paint residue on my brush instantly softens after I dip it in the water (but no paint gets into the water) so its ready to dip into the paint, not dry and cakey. I wipe off excess paint left on the brush on a moist black woven peice of cotton material before I put it back in my ice tube tray.

Im not shy about using wipes to clean messy faces. I usually paint masks at party & restaurant gigs so the kids can eat without messing up the paint and far away from possible pb&j ; )

Check out the Coffee Water article on Snazaroo.us FAQ section.

Would you put eyeliner on you using the muddy water in your opaque container?

Happy Painting,
Susan

I painted like you're describing for a while, and it paints nicer rinsed off the brush first. I've done both. And it does soften, but is just not the same as a nice clean brush.

I've seen the Snazarro article awhile back, but I don't agree. One person's opinion, even if it is the Snazaroo god, doesn't make it right for everyone.

And the whole more hygienic argument just doesn't fly. It is truly just as hygienic as rinsing in the muddy water. Same paint. Same residue from child. It just LOOKS better. Acting like like it is "ewwww!" is really kind of silly, because it is the exact same paint that you are leaving on your brush. It's not coffee in the water. It's not mud. It's paint.

And like I said, I don't just rinse in the "muddy" water. I rinse again, then disinfect. Still would like to improve on it, but that is where I am at right now. And using a clean sponge now too. I used to leave a sponge in every color.

Wipe the paint off on a moist black face cloth and you wont get muddy water as fast. How many sponges do you have for a large gig?

Joining this forum early in my face painting career has helped me avoid so many issues and prevented me from getting into some bad habits. Everyone here is so helpful and willing to share their ideas.

Shannon especially has shared some really great info. For sponges I use her two bucket idea. One for clean ones and then drop the used one in the other. That way they don't get mixed up and it's clear which ones need to be cleaned. Then I clean them at home and put them in a mesh bag and on 'sanitize' in the washing machine. For my water, I combine a few of your ideas. I have lots of brushes to dedicate colours to and use a divided water container so I can rinse the dark colours and lighter colours separately. I change the water too, but I don't have to do it as often with it separated. I spray the paints and brushes to moisten them so they always get clean water.

I like the moist dark face cloth idea...thanks Susan.

I haven't done anything too big yet, but I will use one side of a sponge if I haven't used it on another kid.. if that makes sense.

I found that not reusing sponges and brushes has helped me be a little more organized. I used to like, fling my sponges back over to my paints, then lose them. Or the black sponge would end up on the white paint. Or I'd leave smudges all over the table from where I tossed them. Then my area looked like mess. I'm not organized or disciplined enough to put things back where I'd know where they went. Same way with brushes. "where's my yellow brush?" Then I'd grab another brush and have 2 yellows... etc. You should see my kitchen when I'm cooking...

Good idea with the black rag. Think I'm going to need one of those.

And I do agree that, when I see a painter with a cup full of murky water, I do go "eww" myself. It just LOOKS dirty. Having a clean impression is important. Even if the water is only paint, the customer sees yuck.

And I think that it makes your paints look dirty, beause you are using black water, say and you used it on white... It makes a difference in the look of the paint. Which is why I've been dripping clean onto mine, instead of dipping in the wrong compartment.

First... always add water to your paint from a CLEAN source. I squeeze drops of water onto my cakes from a 4 oz travel bottle with the flip-top nozzle. I never dip my brush or sponge in a single source of water!

Second... the antibacterial agents in the face paints is only meant to PREVENT MOULD FROM GROWING ON THE PAINT... that's it. It is NOT a santizing agent nor will it kill bacteria or viruses.

Third... the rinse water will get murky - you can't avoid it. I use a three compartment water tub: one to wash, two to rinse. The 70% isopropyl alcohol for sanitizing the brushes is in another container - the brushes after cleaning and rinsing are submerged and swished to ensure saturation, then allowed to dry completely before I use them again.

Once my washing water is "coffee water" I dump the whole water tub into the used sponge bucket on top of the sponges, add new water to all three compartments and continue.

Make sure your water containers are opaque - people won't notice the water is getting "dirty" if they can't see it.

If I should chose from having an eyeliner with either a brush that has been used all day and only wiped clean or one that has been cleaned in water I had used for hours - so it looks darks -, and then wiped I would choose the last one. Because whatever that has been on has been diluted in the water, if not rinsed completely of.

And agree with Shannon: Opaque containers are the way to go =)

I totally agree Kristal.
It's best to setup your paints, brushes & supplies the same every time so you know where everything is to save time. Searching for something makes you look unprofessional to clients. I have been into art for decades and its the same for every technique, your paints are always in the same place on your pallet, no matter what kind of paint you use.

Tossing things is a habit to get out of and keeping the mindset of 'placing' things where they should be. That will be most helpful on the crazy days with an endless line because you will think white and without even looking, the hand automatically grabs the correct brush from its place, dipping into the correct paint and so on.

My setup evolved to a nice tight one that will be most helpful during classes where students are elbow to elbow and quite a few parties that are the same way.

And it all fits on my TV tray I bring to gigs. I reciently got a new pallet but it is only an inch wider, 12"x12". The mirrors & wipes are perched on my rolling artbox that holds trash & extra water.

Keeping everything organized may seem hard at first but you get used to it, being most thankful you did, many times over ; )
Cheers,
Susan

Nothing gets completely rinsed off in coffee water.

No, but more than not rinsing.

Hi Bec~

Excuse me while I interrupt the muddy water discussion.

I just viewed your Fairy Princess video. Loved the blending and nice lines.