Painting tips are not hard to come by, but it is hard to find a whole slew of painting tips in one spot! Thankfully, I have found them for you. This list shows you dozens of different painting tips that will come in handy the next time you need to paint something!
As I have mentioned previously, we are doing a lot of fixing up in our home. One of the least expensive ways we have spruced up is by painting. And we have done a ton of it! From ceilings to walls - very little has been left untouched.
I have seen the paintbrushes at Dollarama, but I was hesitant to try them. I have painted with “cheap” brushes before and they would leave bristles in my wet paint, which I would then have to pick out (or sand out if I missed them) and re-paint. Not at all worth the few dollars I saved.
But I was willing to give the brushes from Dollarama a try.
I was refinishing the base of my kitchen table. It is a rather inconspicuous place to paint, so I thought I would give the dollar store brushes a try. I bought two brushes at Dollarama. The ProPainter Brush was $2 and the Duramax Brush was $1.
I chose to review three specific areas with these brushes:
- Loss of bristles
- Paint coverage
- Clean up of the brushes
Before I began painting, I gave a light pull on the bristles, to see if any loose ones would fall out, and to give me a heads up for what I may be in for! To my surprise, not a single bristle was loosened from the ProPainter brush. The Duramax brush was a different story. I easily pulled out many bristles:
I continued to gently pull out any loose bristle, until my pulling resulted in no more bristles coming out of the brush.
Then I began painting. Both brushes provided good paint coverage. I was impressed with the lack of streaks. Both brushes provided even strokes and a nice layer of paint evenly to my table.
The Duramax brush did lose a few bristles throughout the paint job. I caught about 3 while painting, and have noticed 1 more now that the paint has dried. Not too bad for the small area I was doing, but could be problematic if doing a large area.
I was very impressed with the ProPainter Brush. It did not lose a single bristle.
The ProPainter brush also washed clean very quickly and easily. The Duramax brush was a bit more challenging to clean. I could not seem to get all of the paint out of it, and ended up tossing it in the trash.
The Duramax Brush
- Lost a lot of bristles, both before I began painting and throughout the painting process. It reminded me of other “cheap” brushes I had used in the past.
- Painted evenly and did provide good paint coverage.
- Did not clean up very well. The paint was very difficult to wash out of the brush.
The ProPainter Brush:
- Did not lose a single bristle, either before or during painting.
- Provided good paint coverage and an even coat of paint.
- Cleaned up quickly and easily.
I would highly recommend spending the extra dollar and purchasing the Pro Painter brush. You will still be saving a bundle from avoiding the hardware stores. I truly wish I had tried these brushes sooner!
Buying paint for children from the dollar store is a good idea for three reasons. It is a great size of bottle, the colours are nice and bright, and it is cheap. However, usually it does not come out of clothing that easily, and is not often the best for finger painting.
With a few minor adjustments, this paint will last even longer - making it cheaper. It will also be easier to come out of clothing, and will make better finger paint.
This will more than double the amount of paint you have and save your clothing (and couches, and carpets - or are those just my kids?).
This is how we finger paint at my house - and how I attempt to manage the mess.
We put the paint into muffin tins or ice cube trays and use a different spoon for each colour. For my toddler, I do the spooning out of the colours that he wishes onto his paper. He tells me the colours, the amount of the colours, and where on his paper he would like them.
I need him to think HE is in control - or we have temper tantrums. And let me tell you, finger painting and temper tantrums? Scary. Very scary.
Now that you have your wonderful finger paints, here are some fun projects to consider:
I originally made similar cute animals in my kindergarten classroom as an extension to a story. But these little animals will be finding frames as they are my littlest boy’s hands and deserve a place in his nursery.
Be it a butterfly or a heart - this one is a classic!
This one can look very neat! Using masking or painters tape, tape a word, name or quote on your paper. Next, have your little one finger paint over top. When the paint dries, peel off the tape. This can also be done with stickers. Make sure to use thick paper, such as card stock (sold at Dollarama), to prevent rips.
Using a dropper and finger paint (the paint may need to be thinned a bit with water), suck up the paint and squirt it out on the paper. This is a great time to experiment with mixing colours.
Water your finger paint down with 50% paint and 50% water. Put a few spoonfuls onto the paper and blow it with the straw. To make this tree, put a big drop of brown or black paint at the bottom of the page. Blow a straight line up, and then blow lines to the side for branches. Use a Q-tip dipped in red or pink to make the blossoms.
Pop a piece of paper (card stock is best) in a zip-top bag. Add in your paint and let your little one paint away. All the mess stays in the bag and off of your little ones’ hands.
It’s also fun to experiment with textures, such as using bubble wrap or sand paper to paint on. Consider painting with a toothbrush, small rag, spoons and forks, or your toes.
With the nice weather right now, it is a great time to go outside and get messy!
I love spring. I love pretty things. I love crafts. And of course, I love being frugal. All of these loves collided in this fun painting craft project - a decorative pedestal bowl.
This shabby-chic looking decorative spring bowl could easily be altered to be a winter bowl, summer bowl, or just an everyday, all-season bowl!
It’s that easy! You don’t even need to paint pictures or designs on the bowl, you can just let the paint drip on the bottom cup or candles stick holder. Or you can skip the paint drip part and just paint designs on the bowl.
Whatever suits you best! Pouring paint in the top bowl and tuning upside down would also look very cool!
This painting craft is lots of fun. Consider giving it a try - you won’t be disappointed!
