I have been very happy with Triarco's tempera paints. Has anyone else used
those? I buy them in 16 oz. bottles. For paint distribution: I have some
old lunchroom trays. Each of my 5 tables gets one tray. I put a paper
grocery bag on each. I squeeze out the tempera on the paper bag in blobs.
All the students at that table share those colors. Palettes? I cut up
magazine pages. When a student needs a new one, they just throw the old one
away. Every table has three cool whip containers of water, and two folded
cloth towels for help in cleaning brushes (which is all done at their
tables--I have only one small sink, and it would be mass chaos if I had kids
wahing brushes at the sink.) It is amazing how clean the colors on those
trays stay (I have elementary students--K-3rd). But if someone gets the
colors dirty, it is easy to scoop up that color, and squeeze new color. At
the end of the day, I scoop back any unused paint (if it's still clean) back
into the bottles. I use the same paper bags over and over again, although
if they get bad, I throw them out and start with new ones. Sounds wierd,
maybe, but it has worked really great for me. I gave up washing out paint
containers and palettes years ago!
Mary H.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Amy Broady" <AmyBroady@alumni.duke.edu>
To: "TeacherArtExchange Discussion Group"
<teacherartexchange@lists.pub.getty.edu>
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 11:44 AM
Subject: Re:[teacherartexchange] My Product Preferences
> Susan, thank you so much for sharing your favorite products with me!
>
> I am especially glad to know about the Sax Tempera Varnish.
>
> 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 was the one
> to squeeze the paint out of the bottles, and it was very inefficient. How
> do you handle paint distribution? Does each child get their own paltte of
> paint blobs, or do they share?
>
> The thing I like about the Alphacolor Biggies is that the tempera cakes
> are all in one tray; the students mix their personal colors on clear
> plastic party plates (each child has their own, of course) that we rinse
> at the end of class and use over and over and over again. They can make
> them opaque ot transparant, and have a lot of control.
>
> Here's a questions I have been wondering--what is the difference between
> the square and oval watercolor pans? Is it just a matter of preference?
> Does paint get stuck in the corners of the square pans? I think they are
> both listed as "half pans" in the Dick Blick catalog, but I couldn't
> figure out why both a square and an ovel were offered of the same product,
> and now I am curious. Does anyone know? And do you have your students mix
> colors on the lid, or do you provide separate palettes for mixing colors?
> Or do you teach them how to blend colors right on their paper?
>
> Also, you wrote, "There's something unfinished and unsatisfying to me
> about that scribbled, crayon-colored look to art. " I agree--that's why I
> like to have crayons in my art program--so I can work the kids and teach
> them how to use crayons effectively and attractively! I show them how to
> get even coverage, how to blend the colors, how to vary the value. I hope
> they will apply these skills in their crayon work throughout the
> curriculum. Plus, I love making scratchboard with them, and the crayon
> resist technique is a favorite, too--for them and for me.
>
> This may sound dumb, but how do you use art paste? I remember being an
> "art helper" before and after school and filling film canisters with
> nasty, smelly, thick, white paste--which was very frustrating to use on
> our art projects. How do you use--and manage--the paste in your classroom?
>
> I am so glad to have a specific brand of glue stick to order--they are
> DEFINITELY NOT all created equal!
>
> Again, thank you! I appreciate your feedback greatly!
> Amy
>
>
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