How to store paintbrushes on a small desk

Store paintbrushes clean, completely dry and with their tips protected from pressure. For a small watercolour desk, that can mean drying them flat, then keeping the dry brushes upright with their handles down. Leave enough space to lift one out without dragging its hairs against another tool.

The awkward moment is usually between painting and putting everything away. Give wet brushes a temporary place to dry, and dry brushes a separate place to live. A handsome holder is much more useful when it has a clear job.

Dry the brushes before storing them

Rosemary & Co's brush-care advice says to reshape brushes before drying and allow them to dry fully before closing them in an airtight container. Its guidance varies with the painting medium, so check the instructions for your particular brushes and paint.

For a watercolour setup, put a clean cloth on a clear, level surface and give the brushes room. Keep the tips from being pressed under a notebook or against the side of a storage box. If you use the dining table, choose a drying spot that won't need to be cleared hastily for lunch.

Winsor & Newton's care instructions for its Re-Crafted synthetic watercolour brushes include gentle reshaping and drying flat or with the bristles upwards. This is guidance for those brushes, rather than a universal cleaning recipe for oils, acrylics and every natural hair.

Choose a holder by the handles you use

Before choosing a rack, lay out the brushes that need a home. Look at their lengths and handle widths. A holder with separate openings can make individual tools easier to see, but no single opening size should be assumed to fit every brush.

Our Order pen and brush holder has a row of openings in a dark timber-tone frame. It is currently unavailable. When choosing a similar holder, check the fit of your handles rather than forcing a thick brush into a small opening. Give dry tools their own positions along the desk.

Keep the brushes you use most often in the easiest positions to reach. Put occasional tools elsewhere if they crowd the working area. You do not have to display the whole collection just because you own it.

Keep wet work away from stored tools

Our suggested desk arrangement puts the paper in front of you, the working water and palette on your preferred side, and dry tools farther back. Adjust it if you are left-handed or work on a very narrow table. The aim is to avoid reaching over your drawing with a wet brush.

Separate the place for a brush you are actively using from the place for a clean, dry one. A small tray or washable surface can mark that distinction. Wipe up splashes and keep a timber holder dry instead of using it as a draining rack.

If the desk is also where you write or work on a laptop, clear those items before opening the paint. A deliberate place for water is more practical than trying to balance it in the gap left by a keyboard.

What about caps and travelling?

Rosemary & Co explains that the caps supplied on its round brushes are for transport and can bend hairs when repeatedly replaced. It recommends a brush wrap or case for carrying brushes. Follow your own brush maker's guidance, especially for specialist travel brushes with fitted protective covers.

Put only dry tools into closed storage. Before packing, check that tips will remain clear when the case closes and that another item won't press against them in the bag. A desk rack and a travel case solve different storage problems.

Leave a space to begin again

At the end of a session, return the dry tools to their usual positions and leave the next sheet or sketchbook accessible. A small arrangement you can restore quickly is easier to keep using than a complicated display.

If botanical drawing appeals, our guide to pressing flowers offers a way to keep a plant's outline beside your notes. Give the specimen its own space, clear of the water and paint.