Painless Painting in
the Classroom!
Watercolors: Things to know…
*
They are just what their name says: Water with Color in it. They are
intended to be transparent, not thick and sticky. Remind students
not to “dig” in to the paint.
* Since there is no White, adding water will lighten the intensity of
the color.
* Use watercolor brands that have removable paint pans. You can
control what colors are being used and avoid wasting paint.
* Take out the Blacks! This will keep the other colors from being
contaminated with the over-powering black. Save the blacks for
special projects where black paint is all you need.
* Use only COLD water. Hot water dissolves the glue that holds the
bristles in the brush ferrule.
* Use the lid of the box to mix colors. Encourage paint mixing and avoid
using paint right out of the paint tray.
* Store brushes in a cup with handles DOWN and bristles sticking up.
* Take out the paint trays and clean the box lid. NEVER CLEAN
THE PAINT TRAYS BY PUTTING THEM UNDER RUNNING
WATER!
* Leave paint trays open until they are dry. Place the bottom of one
paint tray in the lid of another.
Tempera Paints: Things to Know…
 Save all that old Powdered Tempera! Put powdered tempera in
baby food jars or small covered containers for shakers. Use a nail
to make holes in the lids. (Don’t use salt and pepper shakers. They
don’t have holes large enough.)
 Wet paper completely and sprinkle on 2 or 3 colors of powered
tempera. Take a dry brush and spread the powder around for some
really pretty effects. Draw over with colored chalk while paper is
still wet.
 Liquid tempera will separate over time. Use the separated paint to
bring in vocabulary and show how paint is made; with the “pigment”
(color) on the bottom and the “binder” (liquid) on the top.
 Old liquid tempera will smell like rotten eggs…hence the name “Egg
Tempera”. (Leonardo Da Vinci’s “Last Supper” and Michelangelo’s
Sistine Chapel frescos were all painted with egg yolk tempera.)
 The greatest invention is
Tempera Cakes! These work
just like watercolor paints.
Just wet them with a
paintbrush to get bright,
opaque color. No spills and
very easy clean up!
Alternative Brushes:
Painting with young children is more about the process than the end
product. The painting experience becomes the most important part of the
activity. Nonobjective open ended art is the most successful. As a teacher,
your only expectation for the students is that each child participate.
Experimenting with different paints and ways to put the paint on the paper is
what it’s all about!
So try some of these alternatives to paintbrushes:
Sponges
Koosh Balls
Kitchen Scrubbers
Bath Scrubbies or Loofas
Cardboard pieces
Old Shoes
Plastic Wrap
Erasers
Wadded up Paper
Toilet Paper Tubes
Salad Spinners
Squirt Bottles
Paint Bellows
Pipettes
Straws
Sticks
Spray Bottles
Film Canisters
Small Boxes
String
Cotton balls and Q-Tips
Paint Daubers
Salt and Pepper Shakers
Cookie Cutters
Fingers, of course
Over-sized brushes
Wax paper
Modeling Clay
Bubble Wrap
Cellophane
Odd Shaped Lids
White Taper Candles
Stamps – Foam, Styrofoam, Fruits and Veggies
Squishy Balls (with those tentacle thingys…)
And anything else you can find!
Printmaking
Printmaking is a process of painting in which several copies of one
picture can be made over and over again using a printing plate. Kids can
make cards or stationary, books, wrapping paper and more using printmaking.
Some prints are known as monoprints, which means only one print can
be made from the plate.
For any printing activity you will need:
 A smooth flat surface for the “plate” - This could be a table top
covered with plastic wrap, a cookie sheet, a Styrofoam plate or
tray, or a piece of plexiglass.
 Something to apply a smooth layer of paint - A sponge roller or
piece of straight edged cardboard
 Paint – with a little dish soap mixed in to keep it from drying too
fast. (Watercolors can also be used…see below)
 A pencil with an eraser, your finger, paint scrapers or anything that
will draw on the paint.
 A spoon
Roll or apply paint to the “plate”. Draw a picture or design in the paint.
Then lay a clean piece of paper on top and rub evenly with a spoon. This will
make a monoprint. You must reapply the paint and draw in the paint again
before you make another print.
Or…take a Styrofoam plate and draw a design in the Styrofoam with a dull
pencil. Apply paint to the plate, cover with a piece of clean paper and rub
with the spoon. This process can be repeated for multiple prints.
Watercolors can be used for printing from a Styrofoam plate if the surface is
roughed up with some sandpaper. Then the plate can be painted with
different colors (and the paint will stay on the plate better) before making a
print. These come out really nice!
Just a few more tips…
Save ½ gallon milk jugs. Cut off the bottoms to make a small square
tray. These are great for holding damp sponges with paint on them to
create stamp pads.
Use lids from butter tubs or Cool Whip for paint palettes. Save a covered
tray from a frozen pizza or cookie cake to store the lids while the paint is
still on them. They usually stay wet for about a week.
Use clothes pins on sponges for handles to keep hands clean.
You can order several items that could be used for alternative brushes from
Oriental Trading Co. like Koosh ball rings, paint daubers, and pipettes. They
have a full line of Arts and Crafts supplies online.
Always have the students wear workshirts or aprons when painting.
Keep Shout or Stain Sticks handy in case paint gets on clothing.
Declare a “Jeans Day” whenever your class is painting!
Recommended Books:
Painting Without Brushes by Liz and Dick Wilmes, Building Blocks Publishing
Art Works for kids – Painting by Lori Vankirk Schue, Evan-Moor Publisher
Let’s Discover Watercolor by Jenean Romberg,
Arts and Crafts Discovery Units from the Center for Applied Research in
Education Inc.
The Usbourne Book of Art Ideas