My son wants to paint a baby with me but I don’t want him to use Genesis and thinners. I got him a BB Mason kit for his 13th birthday. I was at Dollar Tree last week and saw they have a craft aisle and some nice acrylic paints. Would these be quality enough for him to use to paint a kit? Could I mix in some UMG to help them stick? Would they hold up?
Honestly I wouldn’t trust them to hold up in the long term. I’d worry they would fade or discolor.
The ghsp paints aren’t harmful its the fumes that need to be vented. If you are worried about paint thinner he can wear gloves.
If he is 13 I think he could be responsible enough with chemicals
Now if he was 7 or 10 maybe I’d worry a little. I’d hate to see you invest in new stuff if it doesn’t hold his interest. I got all excited about my kids expressing interest in photography and bought them dslrs and well that didn’t last long enough to have been worth the investment lol
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He’s on the high end of the autism spectrum and acts more the age of 8 or 9, and he can get really messy. But I plan to be next to him when he’s working on it. We will work on our own kits together.
Yeah, kids often change their interests, sometimes too quickly. LOL Too bad your kids didn’t want to continue with photography. Are they all grown now?
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I tried some cheap craft paint when I first began just to see if I liked it/could do it. AFTER trying quality paints, the cheap ones were such a pain to work with. Getting them thin enough but to have enough pigment was a issue and within a few weeks, fading began.
You could get a try me set of waterbourne art and magic air dry paints for around $25. Premixed comes with like 12 colors and 6 mediums? Or
Amazon has a basic 8 set of golden Fluid acrylics for around $20 ish.
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Craft paints won’t hold up long term. Amazon also has Liquitex Professional Heavy Body Classic 6 paint set for $27.98. This is what I started with (and still use). I mix my own colors from these six. I also bought a tube of burnt umber and yellow ochre. The only other things I use are a little Liquitex Ultra Matte Gel in the paint mixed with distilled water. Since your son is new at this you might want to buy some kind of slow dry medium so he won’t have to work as quickly. For sealer I do the first coat with DuraClear Ultra Matte Varnish mixed with a little cornstarch and water. For the second coat I use American Soft Touch Varnish also mixed with water and a little cornstarch. I can’t wait to see what your son does. He might be really good at this. What kit will he use?
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Thank you! I used Hunnybuns’ first Waterborn paints when I began reborning 9 years ago, and I hear they’ve come a ways since then.
He will be painting BB’s Mason, such a cute little face. 
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I think for a first baby and painting for fun, cheap paint is the way to go. I wouldn’t use budget paint on a baby I was selling or I planned on investing a lot of time into.
If he likes it and wants to continue I would invest in better paints, but not go overboard maybe go to Michaels and get some Folkart. Steer away from paints that are very pastel, they get muddy and don’t have a whole lot of pigment. Folkart are also makes a primer.
I don’t airdry regularly but I did a 36in. doll for Macphersons and used Golden (because I had it and I love it) its super pricey, 10 bucks for a small 2oz. bottle. I am betting you could go liquatex student grade and have good success, they have good pigment and the price point is a bit more friendly.
Make sure you prime and seal.
I think its awesome he wants to paint a baby.
With GHSP being in short supply, the chemicals, the oven…I wouldn’t go that route. Airdry is nice and you can do so many fun things with it.
Post his baby, would love to see it.
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Pretty much
20, 22 & 25
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Could be perfect for him. Does he get really focused?
I am not sure about the Dollar Tree paint, but Decoart Media Fluid Acrylics though not quite as pigmented as Golden, behave in a similar way for me and cost less. However, I agree with Gabriell until you see if he likes it, inexpensive paint is fine. If you use a primer it comes off easier and is less likely to stain the vinyl, which can be a bonus sometimes!
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The only problem with using craft paint to see if he likes it is that if he does a phenomenal job you’ll want it to last.
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Thanks! I used some Folkart paints when I first began reborning. They weren’t too bad. We may wait until summer break to work on his baby, but he’s excited about it.
With some things he does. Hopefully he will be that way with his baby.
Thank you!
True! I think I’ll check into the Folkart first, and if he wants to keep doing this, then we’ll switch to Decoart or Golden. I may go back to air dry myself, as I’m becoming more sensitive to the odorless thinners than I used to be.
Does anyone use the Special Care Nursery air dry paints any more? I don’t know if they’re available outside of Europe.