Acrylic Paints - What brand, or something else altogether?

[Pink Fairy]

My dd has recently discovered a love for painting, and is rapidly using up our meager supply of paints. I'd like to surprise her with something new. :001_smile: She prefers an opaque look, so I thought of getting her some nice acrylics, but there's a ton to choose from on Dick Blick--it's overwhelming. Can anyone suggest a particular brand, or even a different type of paint if you think acrylics aren't the best choice?

[Pink Fairy]

:001_smile: No artists here, huh?

[meggie]

DH says that the brand he sees recommended most often is Golden's. They are too pricey for us right now so he uses Liquitex. I asked if he would recommend something else besides acrylic and he said no, to start with acrylic. Golden's are available on Dick Blick.

[tammyw]

How old is your daughter? A good quality tempera is fabulous for the younger ages (my dd is 8 and they are wonderful).

 

You might also consider getting Michele Cassou's book from the library - Kids Play is the one I loved - here is a link to her site with the books so you can check it over. http://www.michelecassou.com/BookTapes.htm

 

These are the supplies she recommends, and what we bought. We love them. They aren't opaque, but you can use water to make them more opaque on paper, if you wish. We also bought the very high quality brushes she recommends here.

http://www.michelecassou.com/supplies.htm

 

We won't be doing acrylics anytime soon, especially since the above works so well for us.

 

Here's where we get the paints she recommends and they always have great sales. I bought larger bottles of all the colors and she LOVES to color mix. She usually uses ice cube trays to put her paint colors in and then leaves some empty for her mixing. Works great!

 

http://www.utrechtart.com/

 

We bought the brushes at Dick Blick I believe. They were pricey but work really well. She washes them thoroughly each use and treats them well!

[newbie]

We use Shiva oils b/c nice to work w/ and non toxic.

 

I think Dick Blick acrylics are good, just make sure non toxic.

[Mommy2BeautifulGirls]

I got some cheap, but still good, ones at Michael's. I can't remember the name of them, though. :(

[brightside]

I think Liquidtex is nice and good for beginners. The upside is that you can get it at JoAnn's or Michael's. I would not spend a lot on acrylics at first. In the beginning there is going to be a lot of waste as she experiments with colors and techniques.

[Tohru]

I know there are some watercolors that are opaque, but I can't think of the brand right now. The watercolors are fantastic because when the color dries out, you just add a little water and it is usable again. I think they were a little pricey, but worth it in the long run since there was minimal waste.

[Truscifi]

I like Grumbacher - it is a little more expensive, but not (comparatively) too high priced. However, if she is just getting started I would stick with the Liquidtex for now. As pp said, there will be a lot of waste initially, plus she may lose interest. Also, I only bought ds7 the primary colors, plus white gesso. It forces him to learn to mix colors, which is IMO essential and best learned early.