Frequently Asked Questions

Brusho

Q. After using Brusho Mist Spray on watercolour paper can inks and other paints be used on top?

You can use other paints etc. on top of the spray once dry.

 

Q. I would like to know if the pigments used in Brusho Crystal Colours are archivally acceptable or whether I should expect them to fade over time.

Brusho is as lightfast as any other similar type of watercolour medium.  We have paintings here on site, by several artists, that are over thirty years old and just as vibrant as when they were first painted.  

It is manufactured with the finest raw materials and has been carefully formulated to obtain the maximum intensity and performance from each colour.  Also, of course, Brusho has the added advantage of being an extremely versatile medium with an infinite range of possible applications.

However, as an added protection for Brusho or any other watercolour paintings from damage caused by dust, dirt, humidity, ultraviolet radiation, smoke, scuffs and scratches - we recommend using a high quality UV spray. (See Instruction Sheets)

 

Q. Please can you confirm if your Brusho Powder Dyes are vegan? To clarify, a vegan product must contain no animal ingredients or by-products and that the finished Brusho product has never been tested on animals by Colourcraft or a third party.

To the best of our knowledge Brusho Powder contains no animal ingredients or by-products and has not been tested on animals.

 

Q. I'm just wondering why you can only state ..."to the best of our knowledge"... and not 100%. Please can you further clarify exactly what you mean by this?I'm sure the powder dyes are probably of a natural earth origin but, for example, carmine derived from certain scale insects such as the cochineal is obviously not suitable for vegans and I wonder where the red pigment dyes come from. Do you have an ingredients list for each powder that is available to your customers? This would be very helpful for me.

All the dyes we use are synthetic dyes and not made any plant ,insect or animal. It is not possible for us to state 100% that there has not been any contamination with the raw materials before they reach us. We can say that there is 100% no contamination once we receive the raw material inn our factory.We do not have an ingredients list for customer use.

 

Q. How can I ice dye with Brusho?

Brusho can be used to colour fabric but not fixed for washing.It can be used to ice colour fabric by sprinkling on top of the ice and allowed to melt with the ice onto the fabric.

The result though will not be washable.

 

Q. Please can you give me some more information on Brusho thickner. Is it non toxic? If I make up Brusho thickner 24 hours before using it and my students don't use it all can I keep it in a sealed container till next time?

It is non toxic and once made up will store ok , best kept cool and like any water based products should be checked as they can go off over time and smell a bit like bad eggs. I have had some made up in my office so at room temperature for the past 8 weeks without any issues and kept cool it will last months.

 

Q. I currently demonstrate Brusho at Art Groups and Societies around the North West, and always get a very good response; people love the brightness together with a looseness seemingly unique to Brusho. What I don't like doing is using bleach, and would respectfully ask if there are any other "safer" alkaline products I could use in its place? Masking Fluid, candlewax and Oil Pastels are fine, but how can I lose the colour in areas where I would like to?

You can use any wax to give a resist effect, using Masking fluid enables the area covered to be rubbed away once used. We have Brusho clear wax crayons and Brusho Aquawax as resists.


Angelina Fibres

Q. What are Angelina Fibres and Film made from and are they recyclable and eco friendly?

All of our Angelina® fibers that you purchase are composed of polyester.  All the metallic colours are recycled fibers composed of more than 90 percent post industrial waste and hence eco friendly.

All of our fibers contain no harmful ingredients, no heavy metals, and are formaldehyde free.


Q. Can you advise once I have the Angelina fibres fused and stitched onto fabric can it be washed?

Once the fibres are fused they will stand gentle washing and you just need to take care of course when ironing the garment, use a low heat so as to avoid damaging the fibres.


Transfer/Disperse Dye

Q. Before I order the fabric transfer dyes, I just want to check you paint these on to paper. Then apply heat with an iron and the colours print on to the fabric (synthetic fabric)?

Yes these dyes and paints and crayons work by transferring from paper to material ideally more than 70% synthetic. Polyester Satin, Evolon, Lutradur for example work well. If you want to transfer onto cotton there is a product we manufacture called Transfix which when applied to cotton and allowed to dry will accept the dyes and paints as if being transferred onto synthetic material.


Q. I use disperse dyes for heat press art work, I am interested in how transfix works on natural fabric. Does it alter the texture of the fabric, is the colour colour fast after heat pressing? Are the colours as bright as with polyesters?

Transfix once applied and allowed to dry leaves an area which will accept Transfer/Disperse Dye once heated. The colours are very slightly weaker and are fixed to the fabric as if it were synthetic material used.