# Can I make my own *washable* paint?



## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Dd (2) loves to paint. Actually what she loves to do is mix colors, water, etc. as well as paint her body. Paper appears to be optional.

I'm OK with that in principle. The problem is that the only washable paint I can find is the crayola kind, and it's getting darned expensive.

Does anyone know of a good, cheap paint recipe that I can use to make paints for her to mix and paint with to her heart's content?


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## jackaroosmom (May 12, 2006)

I sometimes add food color to cheap shaving cream and use that like paint. The colors mix together as my ds spreads it on a tray.

I have also made this and it is really cool!

HOMEMADE FINGERPAINT RECIPE
Ingredients
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
1 cup cold water
Food coloring
Directions:
Put the cornstarch, salt, sugar, and water into a pot. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture will start thin, but eventually get thick. When it does, take the pot off of the stove and let the mixture cool off. Once it's cool, divide it into small containers (small jars or leftover yogurt containers work well) and add a few drops of food coloring to each. Voila! It's time to paint.


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## LittleYellow (Jul 22, 2004)

You can add liquid soap to tempera paint (the kind they have in the big containers for school use) to make it washable.


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## Jes'sBeth (Aug 30, 2004)

I made this super fun finger paint for my Gr 3 students last year...

Finely grate some soap (I used cheap unscented baby soap)

Mix equal parts grated soap and warm water
Let sit for a minute
Whip with a beater until super foamy (it'll have the consistency of shaving cream and will expand A LOT!)

Separate into containers and stir in a bit of tempra paint (or whatever you have)

Finger paint to your heart's content knowing that it's almost completely soap!

The only problem with clean up is that your washcloth will get really soapy. The 'paint' doesn't 'melt' well in water either. It dried textured on paper so you can get really nice fluffy clouds. My students were in HEAVEN the day we used it. They had it everywhere and it cleaned up well. I had no complaints about it washing out of clothes so I think it should come out. At very least you could stretch the crayola washable stuff. The colours are less vibrant though... It would DEFINATELY be fun in the bath or right before a bath since you'd be presoaped before hitting the water


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## LynnS6 (Mar 30, 2005)

Thanks to all -- the 'shaving cream' stuff sounds really cool. And good for our son, who tends to avoid tactile stimulation.

Does anyone know how MUCH liquid soap to add to tempera paint?


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## gr33nie (Mar 16, 2006)

lurking...great thread!

I wonder if I could do the shaving cream thing with my 10 month old or if that's just asking for him to have a tummy full of shaving cream. Cool whip maybe (not that I want him eating that either!!)


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## slacker_mom (Mar 30, 2005)

I bought washable tempura paint from an art supply store, and it cost a bit less than the stuff marketed to kids in other stores. The art store sells tempura paints in powder form, so you can mix it yourself. I have limited myself to buying red, yellow, blue, black and white, and we make other colors by mixing these. I've read that adding 1 or 2 drops of dishsoap makes cleanup easier, but I haven't bothered added soap, and I haven't had any problems.

DD doesn't like painting on paper, but I have found that large pieces of scrap plywood make a great painting surface for toddlers. They stay put, and the wood surface takes globs of paints better than paper does. I just lean them against a wall between uses.


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