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Letting your students’ imaginations go wild is easy to do when you have a variety of paints and other media to inspire them. That’s why stocking various paint and other art material is helpful when creating a classroom supply list. When you have several different types of paint in the classroom, you have the freedom to engage in many more art projects than you normally would with just one or two standard paints.
Tempera paints are some of the most common paints when teaching beginners basic painting techniques. It dries quickly, is long lasting and can be easily mixed to make a rainbow of colors which is also helpful when teaching color theory and other art techniques. Acrylic paints are a great alternative for tempera because it works well on a large number of surfaces making it excellent for experimentation purposes. Try it on canvas, wood, cardboard, plastic and fabric and help your students discover what inspires them.
Don’t forget to let your students play in the magical world of watercolor. There are a number of different ways that students can consume watercolor paints and which medium is up to you. Try watercolors in tubes, in pans (which may be what you used as a child), watercolor pencils and even crayons that emulate the soft styles associated with watercolors.
Pastels are great for creating smokey or blended textures. Encourage your students to experiment in creating art through smudging and blending the soft pastel sticks. Allow them to take advantage of the bright, intense colors that pastels provide with scenes that evoke powerful uses of color.
Finally, don’t forget about the more mundane media that can be used to create interesting and innovative pieces of art. Crayons may be considered from the children’s realm when it comes to art supplies, but crayons and markers both can have their place in an arts classroom.
