Paint v Paint

 Well hello everyone.  This week's blog is something completely different to the norm, but when I started blogging, it was to share crafting knowledge....which generally means that I show you how to achieve a particular project or technique to develop your skills.  However, as I was painting last week and becoming quite frustrated with the product I was using, it did make me think that if I was having some difficulties and wasn't completely pleased with all the effort I had put in, then what would you feel like.

 
Now I have been using acrylic paints for many, many years (decades in fact) for a variety of craft projects....art journalling, 3D kits, altered art, model and scenery making, techniques ie. johnsons floor polish and tissue on acetate (I might have to blog about that another time) painting etc. I have tried, and collected over the years, a vast array of colours by many of the most reputable brands.  At times I have invested in the whole collection of colours by a particular range, at great cost, only to be disappointed when they dried up far too quickly.  What a waste !!  But the reason I decided to write this blog, was because the paint I had chosen to use (a very reputable branded one), because the colour was the best match to the project I was making, soon became evidently clear was a huge mistake.  I was painting the components of some 3D kits, which normally requires two coats.  After three coats I am still disappointed by the streaks and brush marks that don't seem to be going anytime soon.  Rather than dwelling on the brands I have been disappointed in, I thought I would share what I have found works for all my type of needs, and explain why.

Kaisercolour
Kaisercolour acrylic paints are manufactured by Kaisercraft in Australia and I sell them at £2.45 a (75ml) tube.  These are fabulous fluid acrylic paints that glide on with ease....and I find two coats are ample on greyboard and MDF projects, drying to a fabulous smooth finish.  I use these in all my workshops so that attendees are ensured of achieving fantastic results.  There are an abundance of colours, and I only stock a minority...but hopefully I will add more next year.  If I am applying Kaisercolour with a brush, rather than squeezing from the tube, I squirt some into a mini jam jar (you know the ones that you get at breakfast in a hotel).  Any unused paint will remain in the jar, and won't dry up once you've put the lid on.  If I am journalling and applying the paint with a baby wipe, I do of course, take it directly from the tube.  TOP TIP: don't leave residual paint on the open end of the tube, wipe it before you place the top back on so the top can be easily removed when you next come to use it.  This is the same for all acrylics, as they are tacky by nature and will set hard.

JoSonjas
These also are 75 ml tubes manufactured in Australia by Chroma Limited.  They retail at £3.99 and become a little more expensive for the deeper pigment colours.  Again these are fabulous fluid colours that are so easy to apply and enable fantastic results.  Some of mine I have had for more than 10 years, in some colours that I don't use too often, and are still as fluid as the day that I purchased them.  They are readily available in the UK.

Yes, this is a purely subjective but honest review of what I feel are the two best branded 'all rounders' on the market today.  Other branded ones are fit for purpose in many aspects of crafting, but I feel are a let down when it comes to 3D and modelling, perhaps because they are of a thicker consistency and therefore not as fluid.  I know some of you may think, acrylic paint is all the same and you can pick up bigger tubes in the pound shop....but you won't get the same results.  So next time you are getting frustrated because you aren't achieving the results that you had hoped for, or they are taking much longer and more coats, just give Kaisercolour or JoSonja paints a go....you won't regret it.

Christine