I used to be super stingy with liquid tempera, but the difference between
liquid and cakes in unbelievable! I use the cakes with my primary students,
but use mainly liquid with my intermediate students. Yes, there is some
waste, but it can be kept to a minimum with practice. I use styrofoam plates
with my intermediate students - each student gets 2 and a large ziplock
baggie. One plate holds the paint, one is for mixing, and that is the one
that goes over the first paint (inverted) and then both are placed in the
baggie until the next class. This keeps the paint moist. I squeeze all the
paint out, and ask the student what they are painting and judge
accordingly - white for eyes would be a pea sized blob, but white to lighten
would require more. As for paint brands, I am a new convert to the new
Premier Crayola paint, as the red and blue mix a truer purple. I haven't
compared prices to Sax, which I have used in the past, but I order almost
excusively from United Arts & Education and Classroom Direct because the
prices are uncomparable.
> As for the liquid tempera, I used liquid in my first teaching life (before
> I stopped working to me a stay-at-home-mom), but there was always so much
> waste--wasted paint left on the palettes, and lots of gooey paper plates
> in the trash. Plus there was always the distribution issue--
I use these for some paintings and in place of watercolors. Cleanup is a
snap, and the kids have control. I teach most mixing directly on the paper
when using these.
> The thing I like about the Alphacolor Biggies is that the tempera cakes
> are all in one tray; .
Good question! I quit buying watercolors when I had finally acquired a
complete classroom set of trays and when I went to purchase replacement
paints they didn't fit. Seems the companies like to make new trays
periodically, which I feel is a scam. And you can do almost the same thing
with tempera cakes with elementary students.
> Here's a questions I have been wondering--what is the difference between
> the square and oval watercolor pans?
Crayon usage is definately a taught skill! I teach them to color dark. I
also have them use my crayons instead of their own - that way they don't
worry about losing the sharp point and the nice "newness" of their crayons.
I haven't purchased crayons for years either - I take donations at the end
of the year and have several buckets full.
> Also, you wrote, "There's something unfinished and unsatisfying to me
> about that scribbled, crayon-colored look to art. "
Other products I like: Bio-Color paint from Discount School Supply. The
paint is nice for primary students AND you can buy some BioPutty solution
that transforms the paint into a putty. I give each student a dixie cup of
solution, squirt in some primary colored paint, and then they play with it
to firm it up. THEN they trade 1/2 of their putty with a friend and mix the
two together, making a secondary color. The discovery aspect makes them
remember this lesson for years! You can also buy their BioPowder & add it to
paint to make great bubble paintings, add fabric medium & paint on fabric,
or paint directly on wax paper and let dry - these become stickies. So much
learning for a VERY cheap price. I also like their beads and jumbo brushes
(these hold up FOREVER and are 12 for $6.50).
I'm sure there are alot more products I would love to try, and this is
always a good topic to re-visit!
~Michal
K-12 Kansas Art Teacher
http://www.geocities.com/theartkids
