Types of paint we use
gouache (poster paint)
acrylic paint
watercolor (Ecoline)
porcelain and glass paint
fabric paint + fabric paint pens
hobby paint for scale models
glow in the dark paint
gold and silver paint
glitter paint
Whichever paint you are going to use, first carefully read the manufacturer's information. Please mind you buy the right paint for the appropriate age. Do not allow kids to paint on their own but always supervised by an adult, then it will never go wrong.
Gouache or Poster paint
Gouache is a water-based paint so it works really well, when spilled on clothes it will wash out. Of all kinds of paint, poster paint for the youngest is the most suitable paint.
This type of paint has bright, attractive colors. It mixes easily, covers well, dries quickly and is cheap to purchase. It is non-toxic and is therefore often used with children in group 1 & 2 of primary school. Add the primary colors and mix them to all the colors of the rainbow.
Use poster paint on drawing paper or on cardboard, paper maché, DAS clay or canvas. You can use poster paint with a paint brush but also as a finger paint.
Acrylic paint
contains the plastic acrylic resin. This paint adheres to almost any fat-free substrate, as long as it absorbs slightly. If the acrylic paint is completely dry it gives a waterproof layer, which does not yellow or burst through age. This paint dries quickly and is not expensive to buy.
Acrylic paint is great to work with. We use it on plastic (with a primer like gesso!) or on plaster of paris, clay, stone and wood, for example on Das-clay figures, but also on large pebbles, such as the Dinosaur Head.
Basically if you have the primary colors (red, yellow, blue and green) acrylic paint you have enough, because the colors mix well. Kids find great pleasure in mixing colours to see what new colour appears.
Watercolour paint (Ecoline)
is a special water-based paint. It is used by adults to paint aquarelles. Actually, it looks more like ink than paint because in the bottle you already see it: it's transparent. The colors are intense and brilliant as of gems, green as emerald and red as ruby.
When used on drawing paper or special aquarel paper, Ecoline delivers a transparent colored layer that dries quickly. You can dilute the paint with some water making the colors lighter and less intense. Then you make a watercolor.
So Ecoline is not waterproof but it is light-proof. As shown on the transparent printer sheet, Ecoline has a nice effect when (sun)light shines through.
A special technique with Ecoline is spattering. Pin an object, a garden leaf, a flower or a template on paper or canvas. With a toothbrush, you rub the watercolour through a tea sieve to make paint spatters giving your artwork a special effect. To keep je art work in perfect condition you spray a varnish on and the colours will stay exactly the same.
Porcelain and glass paint
can be used by older kids. De little jars of serious porcelain paint is for sale at Pipoos. They also sell porcelain markers which work very well too, but both are not exactly cheap.
Our mini-monsters often press too hard on markers, then the tip disappears into the pen. So do not let young kids use them. For the youngest, there are small, cheaper pots of porcelain paint available at Xenos and Hema.
Fabric paint
we do not actually use because today there are fabric pens that work really well with the older kids. You can buy them in all colours and choose from three tip sizes.
Fabric pens are not cheap but if you buy them in a box they are a lot more reasonable. Beware of young kids, if they get their hands on the pens they press too hard so the tips will be ruined.
There are also cheap 3D textile pens available. We bought them at HEMA, you can paint T-shirts and other fabric with them. Super fun, the mini-monsters tell us.
Hobby paint for scale models
this hobby paint is on terpetine basis. Beautiful paint to use on plastic, metal, wood or stone. It is available in any color you can imagine.
The small cans must be sealed with a hammer after use, especially if you do not open them often. Then the paint stays well, some snazzie cans are already 10 years old and we still use them.
Gold and silver paint
you can buy in cans by Flexa or Histor for example but this paint can only be used by adults or kids 12 years an up under close supervision of an adult. This is a professional lacquer from the DIY store to be used on wood and pressed boards.
If gold or silver paint needs to be used by young kids, you should use gold and / or silver paint from the hobby shop.
Glow-in-the-dark paint
is - after glitter paint - used a lot by us, we have modelled fireflies of clay and painted the backs with glow-in-the-dark. Super fun when it's getting dark, the kids were very excited! You can think of a thousand other crafts to make with this paint, especially with Halloween.
Glitter paint
is a real kids paint, suitable for young and old. It is our most beloved paint, because our mini-monsters use it on all that is available! The plaster fishs become real carps and Eefje's DAS clay pony becomes a sparkling rainbow pony just by painting them with glitter paint.
Watercolour and Oil Paints
These two species remain (although Ecoline is often used to make an aquarel). Because these paintings are meant to be for serious art and not really suitable for use by kids, we leave them out of consideration here.
We wish everone very much inspiration and lots of painting pleasure!