TeachKidsArt

a resource for teachers & families

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Artist Birthdays
  • SHOP TPT
  • About
  • Contact
  • TIP Vault

2 NEW Tips for Using Prang Watercolor Sets in Your Classroom

By Cheryl Trowbridge 1 Comment

Share
Pin
Tweet
Print

2 New Tips for Using Prang Watercolor Sets in Your Classroom

For decades, the Prang OVL-8 Watercolor Set has been a staple in elementary classrooms far and wide. Their convenience, consistent quality and affordable price is hard to beat.

A while back I posted 6 tips for success using these popular watercolor sets, and then even more watercolor tips here. Adding to all this, one of my readers, a missionary teaching art to kids in Kenya, recently shared a couple of new ideas with me. I think her advice is genius so I wanted to share it with you here!

“The classic Prang watercolor paint tray is designed with individual sections on the tray cover to give the painter a place to lay the color puddle to paint from. Simply use a spray bottle with a water mist to soften all the colors and leave small puddles of water in those divided cells on the opened cover. The student then wets his paintbrush in a puddle, tips his brush lightly onto the softened paint, and carries that little bit of concentrated paint back into the puddle with which he will then paint. (This also helps the paint stay transparent.) Using this method, the paint lasts a long, long time, the colors don’t get mixed as often, and not much actual paint ends up in the water dish being wasted. Also, the divided cells that were used to paint from seldom have to be washed clean – once the paint dries, it can be brought back to life with a wet brush.

Another tip is to use a tube of watercolor paint to fill the oval once the color has been used up. Usually one color gets used up quickly while others are still full. Student grade tube watercolor paint works just fine. Once it hardens in the tray oval you are good to go for many more paintings.”  

~ Judy Stokes, the Rafiki Foundation

I love the idea of using student grade tube watercolors to refill Prang watercolor sets – I don’t know why I never thought of that! Blue (sky and water) and green (grass and trees) always seem to be the first to go, while brown and black rarely ever get used up. I used to order the individual Prang refill pans but they can be difficult to find and usually require purchasing in dozen quantities. Refilling with a tube makes a lot of sense and creates less waste…..
Make your Prang watercolor sets last longer by refilling empty pans with student grade tube paint

…. and misting the colors with a spray bottle is a super quick and efficient way to prep watercolor sets for painting. Using the puddles created in the cells of the lid will help train students to mix plenty of water with their paint! Thanks for these great tips, Judy!
Use a squirt bottle to soften paint and create "puddles" to paint from
Judy Stokes has been creating and teaching art lessons to students and student teachers in Africa for many years through the Rafiki Foundation. You can read more about Judy’s current ministry projects here.

Do you have any favorite tips for working with watercolors? Please share them in the comment section below!

Share
Pin
Tweet
Print

You may also like...

Default Thumbnail6 Tips for Watercolor Success with Kids Default ThumbnailTips for Working with Watercolors Default ThumbnailFeed Your Creative Soul – with a Sketchbook Better Paint Brush Habits for Kids - Is Your Paint Brush Having a Bad Hair Day?Better Paint Brush Habits for Kids

Filed Under: Painting, Supplies / Products, Tips for Teaching Art, Watercolor Tagged With: Prang watercolors

Trackbacks

  1. Helpful Tips for Painting with Kids • TeachKidsArt says:
    at

    […] Use a spray bottle to moisten paints and refill empty pans with tube paint. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Me

  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Never Miss a Post - Follow by Email

Find a ** FREE ** Lesson (Below):

  • Lessons Inspired by Famous Artists
    • Britto, Romero
    • Burch, Laurel
    • Calder, Alexander
    • Carle, Eric
    • Cezanne, Paul
    • Chagall, Marc
    • Chihuly, Dale
    • Dali, Salvadore
    • Da Vinci, Leonardo
    • Delaunay, Robert & Sonia
    • Escher, M.C.
    • Goldsworthy, Andy
    • Haring, Keith
    • Johns, Jasper
    • Kahlo, Frida
    • Kandinsky, Wassily
    • Klee, Paul
    • Klimt, Gustave
    • Matisse, Henri
    • Miro, Joan
    • Mondrian, Piet
    • Monet, Claude
    • O’Keeffe, Georgia
    • Old Masters
    • Picasso, Pablo
    • Pollock, Jackson
    • Pompon, Francois
    • Posada, Jose
    • Remington, Frederick
    • Renoir, Auguste
    • Seurat, Georges
    • Seuss, Dr.
    • Van Gogh, Vincent
    • Van Honthorst, Gerard
    • Wood, Grant
  • Lessons by Holiday
    • 100th Day of School
    • Chinese New Year
    • Christmas
    • Day of the Dead / Dia de los Muertos
    • Earth Day
    • Easter
    • Father’s Day
    • Halloween
    • International Dot Day
    • Memorial Day
    • Mother’s Day
    • New Years
    • Other
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Lessons by Culture
    • Africa
    • America
    • Chile
    • China
    • Europe
    • Haiti
    • Japan
    • Mexico
    • Middle East
  • Lessons by Process
    • 3D / Sculpture
    • Bookmaking
    • Calligraphy
    • Collage
    • Drawing
    • Embossing
    • Folding
    • Lettering
    • Micrography
    • Mosaic
    • Origami
    • Painting
    • Paper Cutting
    • Paper Folding
    • Printmaking
    • Quilling
    • Recycling with Art
    • Sketching
    • Stitching / Embroidery
    • Weaving
  • Lessons by Medium
    • Acrylic
    • Clay
    • Colored Pencil
    • Crayon
    • Digital / Computer
    • Fabric / Fiber
    • Markers / Pen and Ink
    • Mixed Media
    • Oil Pastel
    • Paper
    • Pencil
    • Tempera
    • Watercolor
  • Lessons by Style
    • Abstract (Non-representational)
    • Abstract (Representational)
    • Cartoon
    • Cubism
    • Expressionism
    • Fantasy
    • Impressionism
    • Op Art
    • Orphism
    • Pointillism
    • Pop Art
    • Post Impressionism
    • Realism
    • Surrealism
  • Lessons by Subject
    • Abstract Design
    • Animals
    • Birds
    • Buildings
    • Butterflies
    • Cityscape
    • Color / Color Mixing
    • Creatures / Monsters
    • Cross
    • Faith
    • Elements of Art
    • Fish / Marine Life
    • Flowers
    • Greeting Cards
    • Hearts
    • Imagination
    • Landscape
    • Mandalas
    • Masks
    • Math with Art
    • Misc. Subjects
    • Names
    • Nature
    • Ocean / Seascapes
    • People
    • Portraits / Self-Portraits
    • Religion
    • Quilts
    • Scripture
    • Seasons
    • Sky
    • snow
    • Stars
    • Still Life
    • Trees
    • Words / Letters
  • … and More!
    • Bulletin Boards & Displays
    • Classroom Management
    • Elements of Art
    • Imagination
    • Inspiration
    • Middle School Art
    • News & Announcements
    • Philosophy
    • Portfolios
    • Product Reviews
    • Quotes & Stories
    • Supplies / Products
    • Teacher Workshops
    • Tips for Teaching Art

Follow me on
Teachers Pay Teachers

Support Teach Kids Art When you shop Amazon.com

TEACH KIDS ART IS AN AMAZON AFFILIATE. I earn a small commission when you visit Amazon.com by clicking through my site and make a purchase of any kind. This supports Teach Kids Art at no extra cost to you.

Click here to shop Amazon.com!

Related Posts

  • A Creative Color Game for All Ages
  • An Engaging Art Museum Activity for Kids
  • TIP #66: 10 Ways to Save Money on Art Supplies for Kids
  • Better Paint Brush Habits for Kids
  • Review the Elements of Art with a Beachball Scavenger Hunt

Copyright © 2023 Cheryl Trowbridge / Teach Kids Art · All Rights Reserved · Privacy Policy · Design by Laugh Eat Learn



We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT