Hi Emily. That sounds right. I’ve edited the post just now to say that corn starch and liquid, when mixed together, form a non-Newtonian fluid. That means, it will act like both a solid and a liquid. When you stir it, it’s liquid. If you stop stirring, it settles into a solid. If you’ve ever made GOOP before, you’ll know what I mean. The trick is to keep stirring, and if it settles, dig your spoon in, and get it moving again, and it will quickly revert back into liquid form. Hope this helps!

Ok thank you for the reply! I’ll try that. ๐Ÿ™‚

Yes, it does do that, Rachel. It stiffens right up. You really have to dig to get it moving, and once you do, it goes quite liquidy. As soon as you stop moving it, it solidifies again. That’s always the way with cornstarch and water. If it’s absolutely stuck, and you can’t move it at all, I’d add a few drops of water and work that in to get things moving.

I’ve never tried. It might be a bit chalky for face paint, but you could give it a try as there isn’t anything harmful in it.

Do you have “golden syrup” or “Karo Syrup”, Gail? I believe that’s what it’s know as in other parts of the world.

Yep. Uncovered in the tray. They’ll last for as long as you have them. I had a tray tucked away for a couple of years once, and it was as good as new when we found it and used it.

Meredith, I think that is just fantastic! I’m so thrilled to think that our recipe brought you (and it’s recipients) so much happiness at Christmas this year. Good for you for being so resourceful, and so wonderful that you gave a useful gift that really impressed for very little cost!

Here is an update on the Ice cube tray paints. My daughter and I went to visit my mom and other family in Texas for Christmas and Christmas gift funds were extra tight this year. In the process of cleaning out a cabinet Mom and I found a large stack of old ice cube trays from before we had an ice maker. She was going to throw them out but I took them made them all in to paint sets and wrapped them up to give to my friends kids/my daughters friends . I made over 20 sets of paints. I had more invested in the wrapping and bow than the gift its self but no one noticed that fact. Needless to say the ice cube tray paints were a huge hit with everyone we gave them too, and when I told them they were homemade they could not believe it. This made us able to give a lot of gifts with very little funds which made for a great Christmas. For any one interested I had about 4 cents or less invested in each set of paints I made.

Yes, corn syrup is also very stick, thick and slow running. Yours sounds quite similar to mine, so I would think it should work. Do you have Karo syrup there? I know that’s an alternative in some parts, Sue.

I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe, Meredith. I like the idea of using an ice cube tray. I have about a dozen of those. I could make up lots of sets so the hooligans could each have their own to work with.

Thanks for all the tips, Don!

Perfect, Cassie! Isn’t it amazing how the Universe can deliver just what we need at exactly the time we need it?

Thanks so much, Tabitha! Hope you love ’em as much as we do!

Absolutely, Fanny. Just like store bought paint trays, they’ll keep indefinitely if you store them uncovered. We’ve pulled ours out a year after making them, and they’re as good as new.

Wonderful idea, Dayna! And thank you SO much for sharing the word at your upcoming workshop!! XX

So glad you found our recipe! Thanks for passing it along to your daughter!

I’m sorry, but I don’t know, Essi. I’ve never tried it with apple cider vinegar. I imagine it would work, but I really cannot say for sure.

You certainly could transfer it to the yogurt tubs, Cheryl, but I would leave the lid off. Store these paints uncovered so they don’t go mouldy.

You won’t have to freeze them, Christine. They’ll keep indefinitely just as they are. I’ve had mine in a cupboard for a year before, and they were perfect when we pulled them out. NOne of the ingredients are perishable, so they’ll keep just as long as store them uncovered so there’s no chance of mould if they’re damp.

What a great idea! Thanks for passing it along!

Thanks for the tips, LadyShold. I appreciate it! I didn’t even know there was such a thing as white Indian ink.

Water is a safe additive, when I thought it got all dry and wouldn’t stir I added 2 tablespoons of water to help, water will evaporate later,but in the mixing helps keep it workable.dont add to much water. Hope this helps it worked for me. LadyShold (Artist) just add one dropper ful of white Indian ink,to make white.

Correct, Jill. The paintings won’t mold either. I’ve had one on the bulletin board in our craft room for a couple of years now. Regarding your plans to paint a picture for your living room, please keep in mind that these paints are neither archival or artist quality. They are an inexpensive substitute to the children’s watercolours that you would typically find at the dollar store. If you are looking to paint a piece of art that will last for years and look somewhat professional, these are not the paints for the job.

I was referring to the painting I make, not the paints themselves, but I guess your answer would apply to that too. Thanks!

As long as you store them uncovered, so the air can dry them out, they’ll keep indefinitely, with no spoiling, Jill.

Sorry if this question has already been answered – you have a ton of comments here and I didn’t read them all! Thanks.

Hmmm.. Interesting. I’ve always made it exactly how I’ve described in the post, and never had a problem. Thanks for sharing your experience though. It may help others who encounter a similar problem. I’m glad it ended up working out for you, Angie! Enjoy!

Hi, Nichole, Cornstarch is one of those substances that feels almost like a solid when there’s a little liquid added to it. If you mix it with a stir stick or a fork, it will become a very thick liquid. It will seem extremely thick and paste-like when you’re trying to mix it. If it’s extremely dry, I would add your food colouring, and see if that’s enough to liquify it so that you can mix the colour in, but yes, it will be very thick and dry-ish. If you still think it’s too dry, and not working, I would try adding a couple of drops of vinegar. You don’t want it to be too wet and easy to stir though. Hope this helps. ๐Ÿ™‚

Thanks, Dee. Glad they turned out well for you!

Sorry my comment was a bit confusing lol. I used the recipe as stated but after mixing I added a little extra vinegar and they still turned out well. Although they took about 2 1/2 days to set. love them

So you used baking soda instead of cornstarch, Dee? How did they turn out once they dried?

You’re welcome, Anne! How wonderful that your granddaughter will be able to experience the joys of painting with our recipe!

Hi Shirin, that’s a double batch that I’ve made there. I mention that a little further down in the post. I guess I should make that point a little earlier in the post. I’ll do that now. Have fun with your paints!

Have fun, Amy! Mixing up these paints never gets old for me. They ARE fun to make! ๐Ÿ™‚

Yes, Shantelle, they’ll last for as long as you have them. When you’re finished using them, they harden back up. I don’t think you can leave the corn syrup/karo syrup out. I haven’t heard of anyone leaving it out. I’m not sure what purpose it serves in there, but I would think it’s needed for holding it all together because it’s sticky stuff. You could try it without though, but it might be a waste of the other ingredients if it didn’t turn out.

Yes, Tammy, they’ll be wet immediately after making them. You have to let them sit for up to 48 hours until they harden. If you can find a warm spot to put them, they’ll dry faster though. I set mine by our gas fireplace, overnight, and they were dry in less than 24 hours. That layer of water on the top will evaporate as they dry. When you look at the first photo of my blog post (the one with the writing on it), mine are so wet on top that you can see an air bubble sitting on the surface of the red paint compartment. Have fun with your paints!

I’m so glad you found us, Janet, and so happy that you’re planning on doing some of our crafts and activities with your granddaughter!
Sending you well-wishes for a speedy recovery! x

I think in certain baking recipes, the honey can used as a substitute for Kayro/Corn syrup, but I don’t know if it would work for this recipe, Sara. Sorry I can’t be of more help!

do you think light honey would work?

Perfect! You’ll love these then (and so will your daughter). Have fun with them! So glad you found us!

Hi Jessica! These paints ARE cheap and easy, but I should tell you that they’re not a suitable replacement for the tempera type water paints you use in the classroom. They are vibrant and fun to use, but the quality when they dry is chalky, and will rub off if you handle the artwork. We just use them in the daycare as a replacement for the cheap watercolours that you buy at the dollar store. The work that they produce with them, isn’t work that you would really be able to keep and store. If you’re just looking for cheap paint to let the kids go nuts with though, then you’ll love this recipe. ๐Ÿ™‚

Cheers for now! Jackie

Thanks I appreciate your replies, it’s all sorted now…the egg cartons dried quickly and before I finished the paint. Now i just have to wait for the paints to dry. Cheers Margie

Hi Margie, Ok, so I notice that you made your paint and msg’d me at 2:42am (my time I guess), and then painted your egg cartons and were letting them dry at 3:09am, and were waiting for them to dry before adding your paint. The paint must be poured into your carton as soon as they’re mixed. If you let them sit while you prepare your egg carton and let it dry, the paints will start to set up, and I think you’ll have difficulty transferring them to the egg carton.

So many opportunities for learning before the paint even hits the paper! Thanks for pointing them all out!! And thanks for your stain fighting tip! Hope your kids have a blast with these! ๐Ÿ™‚

Thanks for sharing a substitute for the corn syrup, Missy!

Making mine with the substitute today. Used all my corn syrup last night on peanutbuter pocorn!

We didn’t have any staining here, Sarah. Not on hands, or on the washcloth that I cleaned up with, but if you’re concerned, you could put your little one in an apron or a smock. Have fun!

You make an interesting point, Mom V. I can only speak for the colouring that I used (Wilton Icing Gels), and the doodle art that I painted a couple of months ago is still as vibrant as it was when I painted it. Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend using this paint for a “masterpiece” that you want to keep forever anyway, simply because of the quality and the ingredients of the paint, but it’s great for those every day projects, or times when your kiddo “just wants to paint”. ๐Ÿ™‚

I’m not sure they’d last that long, if you were actually painting for a whole 2-plus hours. Our first batch lasted over a week with the kids painting every day for a little bit here and there. I’ve just made a second batch recently, and 2 girls went through the purple one in one sitting. They were both two years old though, and just kept adding water to it with their paintbrushes, and every single thing they painted that day was purple. lol If your kids are older, and can control the amount of water they use a bit better, they would probably last.

Thanks!

I’m going to mix up a new batch for us over the March break too! They’re so easy to make. ๐Ÿ™‚

Thanks, Megan! Glad you liked!!

Yay! So glad you’re going to try this! I love that you don’t have to worry about how quickly they’ll go through them too, since it’s so inexpensive and easy to whip up another batch!

Can’t wait to see what you do with them, Valerie! Thanks for suggesting I link up the denim aprons! I’ve gone and done that. Brilliant! ๐Ÿ™‚

Thanks, Aleacia. Can’t wait to see what you do with yours! Be sure to share with the rest of us! ๐Ÿ™‚