Modeling Brush Rest

Where to put the brush when you pick up the model

A small thing that most builders only address after an unpleasant experience. A brush in mid-use laid on the tabletop rests its bristles against the surface, the paint on the point dries into a flattened shape and the point frays for good. And if the brush rolls off, the paint ends up on the drawing or on your trousers. A brush rest removes this small nuisance by holding the brush at an angle, point upwards, with the bristles touching nothing.

There is a benefit in the pace of the work as well. When painting a figure, three or four brushes are commonly swapped according to the width of the area, and hunting for the right one among scattered handles costs more time than it seems. A rest holds several of them side by side and they stay where you put them.

A few habits that make brushes last longer

The bristles should never be dipped up to the ferrule, as paint drying inside will splay them. When the work is finished, the brush is washed in water, the excess is wiped into a paper towel and the point is drawn back into shape with the fingers. It should always be stored bristles upwards, never standing point down in a pot. A brush rest quietly leads to these habits, because the correct position is the only one possible on it.

• it holds brushes in mid-use point upwards and off the tabletop
• it protects the bristles from flattening and from dust
• it takes several brushes at once when they are swapped during painting
• it keeps a brush with paint on the point from rolling off

The habit of always putting a tool down in the same place has a practical reason too: dried paint in the bristles tends to be the most common reason why an expensive brush wears out sooner than it need have.