When I think of oil paints, I think of a beret-wearing French artist on the banks of the Seine, staring off into the sunset and dabbing at a palette. But anyone can get a hold of oil paint, including a scaredy-cat crafter like me. Shiva Paintstiks are a handy version that puts the paint into a pretty easy-to-use form.
Paintstiks® are solid oil paints in stick-form that easily blend straight from your stick onto paper, board or canvas. Great for Plein Aire painting and quick sketches. Use with painting medium and brush for adding detail or creating soft blends. Also available individually are colorless and Iridescent blender sticks that are easily used since no mediums are required. Paint dries to the touch within 24 hours. Fade-proof and Non-toxic.
- Contains 3 colored paint sticks – iridescent silver, copper, and gold
- Non-toxic and dries in 24 hours
- Colors are completely compatible and can be blended with any oil paints
- Self-sealing and easy clean-up
- Ideal for home decorating projects, classrooms or workshops, sketching/drawing, works of fine art, fabric painting, rubbings, stenciling, and stamping
- Conforms to ASTM D4236
- Each mini stick measures approx. 1-1/2″ x 5/8″
- Made in USA
These mini sticks I am using are not huge, but there’s a lot of paint in there. (There are also full-sized bars available.) You have the option of just drawing/painting directly with the stick or using a palette to mix colors; either way, you have to pull off the skin-like first layer of paint. I only succeeded at this once; I had difficulty peeling the rest without taking a lot of valuable paint along with it!
I haven’t worked with oil paints since I was little, so there was something of a learning curve. I certainly discovered that a little goes a long way!
As recommended on the package, I made a palette out of a piece of scratch paper, adding colors by sort of smushing the Paintstik hard onto the paper. I then got my stencil brush and started experimenting.
As you can see, I’m no expert, but I improved with practice, and following the instruction to make a circular motion with the paintbrush. The good thing about oils is that if you’re not satisfied, you can blend and blend until the original image is a distant memory.
These little guys are pretty messy, which I think is standard with most oil paint, but they wash off skin easily if you don’t want that paint-covered bohemian artiste look.
The colors are really bold and rich, and while a fine artist might be more familiar with this medium, oil paints can easily translate to crafts, especially stenciling or card-making.
I filled this stencil with an iridescent copper color Paintstik; see, I’m getting better already! I look forward to continued experimentation with this medium; it was messy, fun, and made me feel like a kid again.
For some ideas on how to use Shiva Paintstiks, check these projects below:
- Baby Onsies with freezer paper templates
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