General Tips:
Here are some thoughts and hints to get you started.....hopefully some of those quesions you only find answers too by trial and error..will now be given to you for free!
The Cleaning System:
When starting out the temptation is to buy cheap or make do..and whilst this will certainly work for canvas's and paints....i honestly wouldnt reccomend it for brushes and cleaning them!
The more you pay for a brush..generally the better quality you get and the longer it will last! There are suitable alternatives to the Official Bob Ross brand....but if I am honest....i have not used brushes that seem to work as well as those! Now what thats means is that you will need to spend a decent amount to obtain the set of brushes....but honestly..they are worth the money!
As is the cleaning system...the Beater Rack, the Bucket and the Cleaning screen..as well as the Odourless Thinners are all very good products.
Buy yourself a cheap waste paper bin to put your beater rack in! It allows you to shake off the excess thinners, "beat the devil" out of your brushes..and if you include the bucket...you can store your bucket, any rags and even baby wipes etc in your bin when your finished for the day!
On top of that i find that at the end of a session there is quite a bit of thinners in the bottom of the bin....just tip it back into your cleaning bucket and your ready to start afresh next time!
NOTE: the cleaning bucket is not designed to have thinners in it for a long period of time! i have had a couple that have warped and cracked because of the corrosive nature of thinners! it might be worth your time hunting down a good metal alternative!
Storing Brushes:
You have spent alot of money on your brushes....and you want to keep them the best you possibly can! So how you care for them is going to make alot of difference!
First up always wash your brushes properly after each painting..the quick "wash and beating" they get throughout the painting is enough for the time being..but at the end a final good clean will cost you nothing and keep them in good shape to start afresh!
By all means "beat the devil" out of your 2 inch brush, 1 inch brush and your oval/round brushes.....but the filberts, the fan brushes and of course the script liners need careful attention! Just wash them...then roll them gently in kitchen towel or cloth to dry them.....
The official products include a Brush Conditioner...which you can apply to your brushes to help smooth the bristles back into shape and keep them flexible...but certainly Windsor and Newton do a similar product...and I would reccomend using them maybe once a month if your painting alot....Turpenoid can also make a good brush conditioner; as can baby oils!
Take time to check each of your brushes over....take a small pair of nail scissors to trim off any "rogue" hairs that might be bent outwards...clean each brush carefully...apply the conditioner...then store them away again......personally i use an upisde down CD Stack cover...and all my brushes sit upright (bristles upwards!!!) in there.....keeping them together in a handy pot.
Do not wash your brushes in soap and water! at any point! even if you are using water soluble oil paints...its not worth the trouble. Thinners has a nice way of keeping bristles supple..water will dry them out and make them crack and split. On top of which the liquid medium used in the technique are not water soluble! And you will make an awful mess if you try to wash out your brush with liquid white and little water soluble oil colour on it with soap and water!
I would not reccomend storing your brushes in a flat storage or carryable eisel! They will rattle about and bristles will get damaged! they cost you alot of money and with a little time and care you wont have to spend more on them for years!
Storing Paints:
Your paints are probably the second most expensive product you will buy for this hobby! regardless of whether you decide to opt for the Official Bob Ross solution or use alternatives like Windsor and Newton. Storing them correctly will ensure they are kept good to use whenever you need them.....
a simple covered box will suffice..away from heat and sunlight....
if your buying the larger tubes of oil colour then before you use them always give them a good squeeze through your hands with the lids still on....squeeze the paint back and forth in the tube....what can happen on some of the thinner paints is that the linseed oil they are made with can "split" from the colour....squirting a portion of that onto your pallette will quickly ruin your mixed colours and also make a mess! By squeezing your tubes in your hands when you buy them you will mix that oil back into the colour and prevent this! Also you might wish to do this occasionally if you have not used the colour for awhile!
Every once in awhile go through your paints and check them over...take off the lid and with a small craft knife or sharp instrument remove any dried and clogged paint from the screw threads. Whilst they are open just check that the paint inside has not gone hard! It can happen if you dont use the tube for a long time.
If, like me, your lazy and just squirt your paint from the tube onto your pallette and never really bother to pile them up seperately; you might well find that the end of the colours become contaminated with the other colours....sacrifice a little squirt of paint to get rid of the contaminated colour..then wipe the tube nozzel with kitchen roll....again..keeping your lids clean will help prevent this.
The Palette:
As with all things in this technique, there is the expensive Official palette or you can save money on a cheaper one.....Either which way you decide to go, there are a few hints which can make life easier!
Always try to get a perspex palette..the official one is HUGE..but you can get several brands of smaller and cheaper ones easily. Why perspex? For this technique we tend to pull paint out flat! Using the edge of the knife to scrape the paint out..and the flatness of the perspex and its smooth surface really helps this. be careful though..if you have your knife angled incorrectly you can easily scratch the surface.
Cleaning the palette can be either very very messy or really really easy! And i know which one i prefer! Take your knife and with its long edge flat to the palette, scrape the paint off in long even strokes...every once in awhile wipe the knife and carry on....once the majority of paint is off..grab yourself a "wet wipe" or a baby wipe of some sort....then clean the palette....finally you can take some kitchen towel and wipe it dry! Simple!
Every once in awhile you might wish to clean your palette thoroughly....as with most things, we rush the cleaning, and it is always good to sit back and take your time maybe once a month to clean it properly! This time dip some kitchen roll in your thinners and wipe each side of the palette. Then wipe dry.
If you have scratched the surface and you want to polish the scratch out..then take a clean dry cloth, and some Brasso...work in small circles to polish the scratch out..if you have silver polish then repeat with that. The fine abrasives in the polish will take out most surface scratches on a perspex palette. Dont be tempted to use wire wool or wet and dry paper etc! You will very quickly ruin your palette!
Keeping Yourself Clean:
You have been "beating the devil" out of brushes. "Tapping in bushes". Mixing paint and generally making a mess! And at some point that mess is going to get on you! Firstly always wear old clothes..oil paint just does not like washing out of anything in a hurry!
But what about your hands? Like with the palette you can use "baby wipes" or "wet wipes" and the oil paint will easily come off. There are products available called "painters glove". Basically its a chemical solution that you wipe onto your hands before you start painting..then simply wash off at the end...it removes all oil paint at the same time..handy..but a needless expense in all honesty.
I use a piece of old T-shirt laid on my leg as a handy place to wipe the knife and brushes, anything will do...but be careful if you have pets....cats hairs and dog hairs add interest to your painting..but they dont always look good!
Keeping Everything Else Clean:
Once your nice and clean there might well be paint everywhere else! Again if your quick enough, a swift wipe over with a "baby wipe" will generally do the job. If you notice something later and its being stubborn then your options are somewhat harsher. A soft cloth dipped in thinners will likely remove the offending splat..but be warned..it will also likely remove the lovely varnish on wood and paint on furniture! On anything laminated you can get away with wipeing with thinners..the laminate will be fine for the duration of a quick wipe down. But for varnished surfaces and suchlike you need to be more careful....you can use thinners but test on a area that wont be noticed first....in some cases linseed oil will remove paint splashes as well...and of course there are paint removers/stain remover on the market for such accidents. just be careful and test an area out of sight first!