Minor Purchases Six Pack - News At 11:00
Written: Jun 06 '03 (Updated Jun 06 '03)
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Pros: Nice colors, excellent bottle design, perfect size for little hands.
Cons: No safety seal, can be hard to find.
The Bottom Line: Crayola created, kid tested, freak approved!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Crayola Washable Kid's Poster Paint - 6 pack |
The first name in creative fun, Crayola, once again shows it’s style with the ‘new and improved’ Crayola 6 Pack. No, it’s not beer for kids, but something even more intoxicating – paint! I am sure that everyone has had some type of interaction with Crayola’s products – be it markers, chalk, art paper or crayons – add this to the list of exceptional items they offer to enhance and nurture your childs creative endeavors.
First off, don’t be alarmed if you see several different packaging styles for this product. The older rectangular style box that had the bottles in two rows of three was converted to a slim line design – so it’s just one long box instead of the bulky rectangle. Regardless of the packaging – these are the same colors in both.
The Colors…. Oh The Colors!
The Crayola 6 Pack features the primary colors blue, green, violet, red, yellow and orange. Each of the colors are bright, brilliant and retain about 95% of the hue when dry. Mixing the colors is a snap – but I suggest using an old egg carton with the top cut off to mix the colors instead of the paint container lids. This makes clean up a snap and if you are quick enough – you can rinse out the egg carton and use it over again.
Each bottle contains two ounces of paint. When you first open the box, don’t be alarmed if the paint looks separated – a good shake will bring it back to life. The bottles feature a large screw top lid and a nice wide base – this helps to almost eliminate spills or bottles getting knocked over [almost being the key word]. One thing I don’t like is the fact that there’s no label on each of the bottles – this could get a little confusing if you have several paint sets from different manufacturers. I was told that the reason there is not label is for a quick clean up as well as being able to see how much paint is left in the container.
My last gripe about the packaging is that there is no safety stopper or protective film over the paint jar mouth to keep it from leaking before the initial use. I wanted to ship a few of these to friends that live a few thousand miles away but opted for a different set due to this factor. Almost everything we buy these days comes with a safety seal of some sort – for any of a number of reasons – I guess finger paints / paint sets are the exception to the rule.
Mix And Match
After playing around with these paints for a few hours I found that most of the color combinations work well with each other. The basic “yellow + blue = green” combo is a great start if you want to get shades of green. You can also buy additional bottles of other colors [white, black, gray] in two, five or ten ounce bottles at most major craft stores. Make sure you get the same type of paint [Crayola Washable] so that you can maintain the same consistency and quality.
When it comes to mixing these colors, practice and experimentation are all you need. I keep a ton of old measuring spoons in the garage for just such activities. I suggest going with plastic measuring spoons or you could hit Smart & Final or Costco and buy disposable plastic spoons to mix the colors. There’s no color mixing chart included with this set but you can get tons of suggestions at the Crayola website – www.crayola.com. One of the best things about not having a chart is that kids aren’t limited to what is written on the box for them – they can create their own colors and make up wacky names for them. My oldest created Blueberry Explosion by mixing blue and purple, creating a swirl pattern from it and then flicking some yellow on top of it.
The Kids Test
Since my brood are a little picky when it comes to any activity that isn’t Lego related – I figured that this would be the best way to see if this product would entertain them. I bought four boxes of these at Office Depot, lined the garage with newspaper, handed them each a large table of thick paper and turned them loose.
After about an hour of painting they decided that they wanted to watch Iron Giant and have a snack. This gave me time to see how things turned out. The first thing I noticed was the paper wasn’t completely saturated and wavy – the usual end result of using watercolor paints. There were still some wet spots on them – but the areas they painted first were completely dry. They tried a few different ways of mixing the colors – both on the paper and in disposable plastic containers. They seemed to like mixing the colors on the paper by adding a little more and swirling the brush around – but after a little bit of time this tends to wear out the paper.
All in all, they had a good time with these paints – and these aren’t kids that generally get into arts and crafts. To them finger-painting is a punishment, rather than something fun to do. I did try some finger-painting with this to see how easily it would clean up. With the use of some hand soap and a finger brush I was able to get squeaky clean in less than three minutes. Crayola does make a product just for finger-painting, but these would do in a pinch.
They brood gave these a “thumbs up” over the RoseArt brand of washable paints. The colors were brighter, they mixed easier and the containers were much easier to handle. Sure the RoseArt brand is about .60 cents cheaper – but can you really put a price tag on art?
The “Need To Know” Stuff
The Crayola 6 Pack is non-toxic. This makes it safe for almost any child that can hold a paintbrush or finger-paint. Most people don’t stop to think about the aspects of the term ‘non-toxic’ – this doesn’t just mean ingestion – it also means contact, inhalation and extended or prolonged exposure. I walked around for almost 10 hours with paint on the back of my arm – my kids thought it was funny and snickered the entire day. Of course I was clueless about this until I caught a glimpse of the bright purple patch in the mirror. It came off with a little soap and water and left no red mark or stain.
The box also gives you details on how to get the paint off of clothing – hence the washable portion of the product title. Don’t rely on that ‘washable’ thing too much – if it can’t be put into a washing machine – chances are you won’t be able to get it clean. The box states that it should be kept away from wallpaper, painted surfaces, finished and unfinished woods, vinyl and carpeting. This is where that huge stack of newspapers comes in real handy.
Bottom Line
For $2.09 cents I think this is a great product. I am not sure what this runs at stores like Wal-Mart or Target but I found them at Office Depot and consider it a reasonable price. Michael’s and Joanne’s sell the larger bottles individually but they don’t seem too cost effective unless they are on sale or you use the weekly 40% off coupon in Michael’s flyers.
If you are going to unleash your budding artists hidden talents, there are a few things you might want to stock up on as well as a few things to do before you hand over the paints. Buy thick paper at an office supply store. This will help to keep the artwork from getting warped or saturated with paint. It will also help to hold the color in place and keep it from bleeding. Have lots of paper towels handy in case of a spill and don’t forget a few small containers of water to rinse out the brushes. I keep baby wipes handy as well [non-scented] for quick clean up of hands, faces and arms.
I guess that each child has his or her own likes and dislikes when it comes to painting. Some dislike it because of the mess that can be created – others simply don’t know how to start an image they have created in their mind. I’ve come to rely on the Crayola name and line of products to inspire the creative side in my children. If you have a little artist that loves to create, you owe it to them to give this set a try.
As always, thanks for the read!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Other Crayola product reviews...
Crayola Click Em On Washable Markers
Crayola 24 Pack Crayons
Crayola 16 Pack Washable Crayons
Crayola Stack ‘N Store Art Tower
Crayola Alphabet & Number Pad
Crayola Art Framers Draw & Paint
If this review looks familiar, you aren't going insane, it's been moved [over a year later] to the updated section for this product. Special thanks to Epinions member kminer for letting me know that the new section was listed. I requested that Epinions move this ... and ... well ... it was placed on one of "those" infamous "To Do" lists.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $2.09
Type of Toy: Arts and Crafts
Age Range of Child: Whole Family
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