Today I want to talk about best paint options for home art projects. It can be challenging to choose the best kind of paint to give your young artist the best success with their art. But, the right paints and other colorful supplies can make your home art time productive and enjoyable for everyone. Here are a few tips to help you decide.
Pan watercolors are a great supply for home art time. They are versatile, come in a variety of colors and are easy to store. My favorite pan watercolor brand is Prang. They come in sets of 8 and 16 colors, have a good, vibrant pigment and are semi-moist which means they are easier to get the paint wet and ready to paint with. Prang also makes a washable set, however the pigment is less brilliant and tends to fade over time. Here is a link to the set I use. These paints can be found at craft stores, box stores, and online and the price can vary a lot. Look for them in August and September for the best prices. I have also used the Crayola watercolor set with students and found the pigment to be satisfactory and the paints easy to use. Avoid super inexpensive watercolor sets. They don’t take on water easily because of a higher wax content and sometimes the pigment is so inferior that the colors are pale and inaccurate. It’s frustrating to want to paint purple and the color you get is pink or magenta.
Tempera Paint, also called Project Paint is a favorite of elementary art teachers and students alike. And no wonder – the paint is smooth, thick and opaque and there are lots of color choices. This paint usually comes in sets of several colors. Here is a set at Target. This set from Crayola is a good one.
And here is a set at Michaels. As with watercolors, there are washable and non-washable paints.
Tempera Paint also comes in dry cakes that you wet and use. They are another option to consider for painting on mixed media or sulphite paper. Here is one link.
Acrylic Craft Paint is one to consider for multi-media surfaces. It works on paper, wood, terra cotta, paper mache, air-dry clay. The colors are endless and it’s inexpensive. There are several brands and they are available everywhere. You can check some out here. It is not washable and should not be put down the sink. Let this paint dry on the paper plate you use for a palette and throw it away.
Share your tips for best paints in the comments here and I’ll have some more ideas and another free project for your home art time next week!
Best, Beth
