How to Organize Paint by Number Brushes (and Keep Them in Good Condition)

Paint by number projects inherently require switching between fine detail brushes and larger brushes as you move between different areas of the canvas. Without some sort of system, your workspace can quickly turn into a pile of nearly identical (and messy) brushes.

Luckily, you don't need an elaborate art studio setup to stay organized. A few simple tweaks can make finding the brush you need, protect your brush tips, and spend more time actually painting.

1. Only Keep the Brushes You Need on Your Table

Before starting a painting session, spend a few minutes analyzing the different sections of the canvas.

For example:

• Large background areas: Keep a medium or larger flat brush nearby.

• Normal-sized sections: Use a small round brush.

• Tiny details: Keep one or two fine detail brushes handy.

Instead of putting your entire brush collection on the table, choose three to five brushes that cover the areas you're currently painting.

This is particularly useful if you've accumulated extra brushes from previous paint by number kits.

2. Use a Paint Brush Holder

A dedicated brush holder is probably the simplest long-term solution.

Brush holders typically have individual slots or grooves where you can rest each brush horizontally. This keeps brushes separated and makes it much easier to grab the size you want without sorting through a pile.

You can even organize your holder into sections:

Detail brushes | Everyday brushes | Large brushes | Blending brushes

You don't necessarily need to buy something specifically designed for paint by numbers. Watercolor brush holders, ceramic brush rests, and even makeup brush organizers can work.

3. Make a DIY Brush Organizer

Don't want to buy another art accessory? You can easily make your own.

One clever solution shared by paint by number painters is to take a piece of Styrofoam or another firm piece of foam and cut small notches along the edge. Each notch becomes an individual resting place for a brush.

Other household items can work too, including:

• Egg cartons

• Pencil organizers

• Ice cube trays

• Small cups

• Divided storage containers

• Foam packaging

The goal isn't necessarily to create something beautiful. You just want to prevent ten similar-looking brushes from ending up in one pile.

4. Separate Your Most-Used Brushes

Another extremely simple approach is the two-container method.

Keep one cup or jar for the brushes you use constantly and another for specialty or less frequently used brushes. Some painters use this system so their favorite brushes are always immediately accessible. If you get a large pack of brushes there will likely be 2-3 brushes that you prefer to do most of your painting with.

For example:

Jar #1: Everyday Brushes

Fine detail brush
Small round brush
Medium round brush
Small flat brush

Jar #2: Specialty Brushes

Ultra-fine brushes
Large flat brushes
Blending brushes
Backup brushes

You can adapt the categories based on how you paint.

5. Create a "Clean" and "In Use" Area

One reason brushes become disorganized is that clean brushes and brushes you've already used start getting mixed together.

Try dividing your workspace into three areas:

Clean → In Use → Washing

Your clean brushes stay in their holder. Brushes currently being used stay next to your canvas. Dirty brushes go directly into your water cup rather than back into the clean pile.

Once you're finished with a brush, rinse it thoroughly, reshape the bristles, and return it to your holder.

It's a small habit, but it makes a surprisingly big difference during longer painting sessions.

What's the Best Way to Store Paint Brushes?

During a painting session, it's perfectly fine to keep your brushes in a holder, tray, or jar where they're easy to access.

Long-term storage requires a little more care.

Always clean your brushes thoroughly before storing them. Gently reshape the bristles into their original point and allow them to dry completely.

Most importantly, don't store wet brushes bristle-side down.

Putting pressure on wet bristles can bend them and permanently change the shape of the brush.

Instead, allow freshly washed brushes to dry horizontally whenever possible. Once completely dry, they can be stored horizontally or upright with the bristles facing upward.

Why Do Small Paint Brushes Have Stray Bristles?

Another common frustration with paint by number brushes is discovering one or two hairs that extend farther than the rest of the brush.

This can be particularly noticeable on very small brushes because even a single misplaced bristle can interfere with precise painting.

In most cases, that extra-long bristle isn't intentional. It's simply a stray hair from the manufacturing process. Other paint by number painters report encountering the same thing, particularly with inexpensive sets of detail brushes.

Before cutting it, though, make sure it's actually a stray bristle.

How to Fix a Stray Paint Brush Bristle

First, thoroughly clean the brush.

While the bristles are still slightly damp, gently reshape them into a point using your fingers. Sometimes a hair that appears too long is simply separated from the rest of the brush.

If the bristle continues sticking noticeably beyond the tip, you can carefully trim the individual hair.

Use very small, sharp scissors and cut only the stray bristle.

Avoid cutting straight across the entire tip of the brush. Fine detail brushes depend on their tapered shape to create tiny lines, and trimming the whole tip can turn a precise brush into a blunt one.

How to Make Paint by Number Brushes Last Longer

Good brush care doesn't take much extra time, and it can dramatically extend the life of your brushes.

Try to develop these habits:

• Rinse brushes before acrylic paint begins drying in the bristles.

• Don't leave brushes sitting bristle-down in water.

• Avoid getting paint deep inside the metal ferrule.

• Gently reshape the brush tip after cleaning.

• Let brushes dry before putting them into long-term storage.

• Keep fine brushes separated rather than throwing them together in a container.

• Reserve your best detail brushes for sections that actually require them.

Paint by number paint is typically acrylic, which means it can become difficult—or impossible—to remove once it completely dries in your brush.

A Simple Paint by Number Brush Setup

You don't need dozens of brushes or an expensive organization system.

For most paint by number projects, a simple setup works perfectly:

On your table: 3–5 brushes you're actively using.

Next to your canvas: A brush holder or DIY brush rest.

Beside the holder: A cup of clean water and a paper towel or cloth.

Stored separately: Extra brushes that aren't needed for your current painting session.

Keeping fewer tools within reach makes your workspace less cluttered and makes it much easier to focus on the painting itself.

Find the Organization System That Works for You

There's no single "correct" way to organize paint by number brushes.

Some painters prefer a dedicated brush holder. Others use jars, trays, or homemade organizers. Some simply choose a handful of brushes at the beginning of each session and put everything else away.

The best system is the one that keeps your brushes easy to identify, protects their tips, and prevents you from spending half your painting session searching for the tiny brush you were just using.