Paint Recipes

A new friend of mine at Coach Creative Space (a wonderfully Creative Space - check it out!) was asking for non-toxic paint suggestions. I pulled out my trusty, dusty index card file and decided to share my collection of recipes here, too.

Almost-Oil Soap Paint

1 tablespoon powdered tempera
1 tablespoon dishwashing soap

This has the "feel" of an oil paint. The colors go on smoothly and can be blended together right on the paper.

Cornstarch Finger Paint

1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup water
Food coloring or powdered tempera dissolved in a little water

Combine cornstarch with a little of the water in a small pan.
Stir until they form a smooth paste. Now stir in the rest of the water

Simmer the mixture over low heat, stirring constantly, until clear and thick.
Cool.

Divide into containers and blend in color. You can also blend in the colors as you're fingerpainting.

Egg Tempera
A fun experiment with a variation of a technique used centuries ago. A great opaque look for small detailed paintings.

1 egg yolk
water
tempera powder

Stir the egg yolk in a bowl to blend it.
Measure 2 teaspoons full of the yolk and place in a small jar.

Add 1 teaspoon of water. Blend.

Add 1 teaspoon of powdered tempera. Stir with a small paintbrush until the mixture is smooth.

After your painting is dry, you can paint over it with the egg white and sprinkle with glitter. The egg white acts as a glue to hold the glitter in place.
(the Old Masters would use flecks of gold metal instead of the glitter...)

Water Color Cakes
similar to those you buy in paintsets at the store, but with these you can control the intensity and variety of colors.

1 tablespoon clear vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon corn syrup
food coloring
three small plastic bottle lids
small paintbrushes

Mix vinegar and baking soda in a bowl.
When the mixture stops fizzing, add cornstarch and corn syrup.

Blend together. The mixture will have an odd, cakelike consistency.

Divide the mixture among the three lids. For each color, blend in a few drops of food coloring with a paintbrush.

Use immediately, or, after the colors have dried into cakes, swirl a wet brush into each color to start painting.