Painting Fun

by Anita Hallock

Here are some ideas for home paint supplies.

Paints: Powder paints in cans are best. At first you will only need four cans, one each of white, blue, yellow, and red. All other colors can be mixed fairly well with these colors, but later you may want to add black, purple, or brown.

Brushes: Long-handled bristle brushes are ideal, but cotton swabs will work well.

Palette: Use a styrofoam egg carton with the lid cut off. Put a teaspoonful of paint powder in each cup. Following is just one way that you may use your palette: 1st row: (1) red, (2) yellow with a tiny bit of red to make orange, (3) yellow, (4) yellow with a tiny bit of blue to make green, (5) blue, (6) blue, red, and yellow to make brown or gray. Put one teaspoonful of water and a cotton swab in each cup of 1st row and stir each color. 2nd row: white in each cup. Put one teaspoonful of water and a cotton swab in each cup of 2nd row. Add a small amount of each color on 1st row to the cup next to it on 2nd row. Stir. This will give you a pastel color of each of the colors in 1st row (12 different paints).

Paper: Use newspaper to protect the floor when you paint. You can also use newspapers to paint on, especially the classified ad pages. You can purchase newsprint from an art or school supply store.

Clothing: Be sure to wear old clothes or protect your clothes with aprons, smocks, or an old shirt put on backward and pinned in back with a clothespin to make it fit.

Easel: Make an easel from a cardboard carton. Cut the top and bottom from the carton. Then cut down one corner from top to bottom. See illustration for folding instructions so your easel will stand.

Cleanup: Be sure to clean spills immediately with cold water. When you are through painting, you can save the leftover paint by carefully slipping the carton into a plastic bread bag and fastening the bag with a rubber band. The next time you want to paint, all you need to do is stir each color again with clean swabs. (You cannot save and use swabs over again.) If you do not have enough paint to save, throw the carton away and make a new palette when you want to paint again. Have fun!

Illustrated by JaNeanne Webster