Paper Towel Holder
All oil painters have a rag or towel to wipe brushes with to clean them. Some will use old t-shirts or cloths, but I use paper towels on a roll. I my opinion it is easier and only costs a few dollars for an 8 pack. Of course whatever you choose is up to you, but if you go the paper towel route, buy a decent holder. There is nothing more frustrating than grabbing a sheet and unrolling half the roll. Look for the paper towel holders that provides resistance to the roll. I know this sounds a bit nit-picky, but it will help you keep your sanity. The holder I have was bought at Bed Bath and Beyond for $15 - a bit much for something so simple, but worth it. I bolted it to the underside of my table where I can easily access them.
Another thing to watch for is the paper towels themselves. Try to find some that have a papery feel rather than a soft fabric. They lose less fuzz and tend to be cheaper. Once I had to change the paper towel brand mid-painting just because of this. On this one particular painting I was noticing more dust than usual. My paintings are very smooth because I work on flat sanded gesso panels, so any speck of dust or fuzz becomes pretty obvious. I eventually discovered it was because of the type of paper towel I was using. Each time I wiped my brush clean with them, the bristles would pick up fuzz from the towel. The fuzz was then transferred to the painting surface. From then on, I became very conscious about the kind of paper towel I use.
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