Make your Own Watercolors by Belinda Mooney

Save money by making this substitute for those expensive paint sets you buy in stores.

Make your Own Watercolor Paints

Save money by making this substitute for those expensive paint sets you buy in stores.

You'll need:

1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 tablespoon glycerine
plastic bottle caps or paint pans, or styrofoam egg carton
red, yellow and blue food coloring

1. Mix vinegar and baking soda together in a small bowl.

2. When mixture stops foaming, add cornstarch and glycerine, mixing well.

3. Pour mixture into bottle caps or paint pans

4. Add several drops of a different food coloring to each pan or cap or carton cup. Stir until the color is well-mixed. Be sure to add plenty of coloring, since the tint will lighten upon drying. Mix primary colors to make secondary colors. For intense colors, try kool-aid or food coloring paste (Wilton makes great food coloring pastes).

5. Let set overnight to harden.

These paints tend to be more powdery than the store sets.

Copyright 2001