[header] How to clean oil paint brushes [title] Remove excess paint. [step] Use your cleaning rags or similar material. Wrap it around the metal where the bristles connect with the brush (known as a " ferrule "). 
Squeeze with moderate pressure so the paint is pushed out of bristles at end of stroke/bristles, and try roughly to mimic the shape of the brush at the end of wiping the excess paint off. Point the tip of the brush over your dropcloth (or whatever you're using to protect your surfaces) to catch the paint as you remove it.