Art Fun Cheap

The interesting thing (to me) about glitter glues and dimensional (3D) paints is that while the package says “water washable,” that’s only while they are wet. Once dry, they are water resistant. You can layer them, and they don’t melt each other (except the pearls).

You can also paint over them with watercolors, using the gels as a resist. The header graphic on the front page of this blog is a detail from a painting that began as an experiment in using acrylic glitter gels as a resist for watercolor.

Here is another painting that started out as a test page for glitter glues and 3D paints. The originals of both paintings are 9 x 9 inches.

I can’t tell much difference between the best glitter glues and dimensional paints. Maybe that’s because I spread them with my fingers and rarely use the dimensional effect.

However, each brand, even each color or type within a brand, has slightly different properties, so it is fun and worthwhile to experiment with them. As soon as you get a new set of paints, it’s a good idea to try them out in your sketchbook.

Here is a miniature abstract painting on an artist trading card (2 1/5 x 2 1/2 inches). If you look closely, you can see that some of the glitter paints form raised, 3D effects.

For writing or fine, raised detail, the best brands are Ting-a-Ling Sparkles, RoseArt, and Crayola—in just about that order. All are excellent. Elmer’s is the most beautiful and varied in colors and styles, and has tips almost as fine, so it’s still my all-around favorite choice. Here is a sample of writing with fine-point glitter glues.

You can often find several varieties of Crayola and Elmer’s glitter glues and 3D paints in Walgreen’s and CVS pharmacies. Target carries those brands, plus Creative Hands (glorious colors and best overall value), RoseArt, and other wonderful cheap art supplies—probably the largest and best selection anywhere outside an art supply or craft store.

I’ve found Elmer’s Variety Pack (31 glitter and dimensional paint pens) at Target ($12.99) and at Office Depot ($14.50).

Important: There are two very different Elmer’s 3D paint collections in similar boxes. One set contains multiple sets of a few colors, for use in classrooms. The one you want has over 30 different varieties of dimensional paint, including transparent colored gels (no glitter), pearlized gels (no glitter), and several types of glitter gels. It is an incredible value.

The Creative Hands 17-pen glitter glue set, which comes in a soft, clear-plastic carrying envelope, is only $5. If you’re not sure you want to go glitzy, yet you want a great selection of colors and looks to try out, this is a great buy!

It does not include pearls or transparent gels with no glitter, I don’t think it’s very dimensional, and the points are not very fine, but the colors are glorious, and you can always add a set of Elmer’s gels or pearls for $3 a set. I have only seen the Creative Hands brand at Target.

I don’t recommend buying dollar store glitter glue. Some of it is useful, but most dollar store glitter glue is very poor quality, really not worth the money.

And the really great glitter paint is so inexpensive, it’s not worth trying to make the ultra cheap stuff work. It is just not nearly as good. However, if you’re like me, you will try it anyway, because that in itself is fun, and you will use it anyway, so it’s not a waste.

On the other hand, some dollar stores do sell name brands that are truly great. My local King Dollar often has brands like Crayola, Prang, and Colorific! So keep your eyes open wherever you go.

BigLots seems to be competing with Elmer’s now with their own brand, Creative Kids. You will notice the similarity in the packaging. The quality as not as good as Elmer’s, but it is good, and the prices are irresistible. BigLots sells packages of 24 glue paints for $4.99, or giant packages of 48 glue paints for $9.99!

I have found these 48-color sets around Christmas. They may not be available all year long, but check your local BigLots store, and try several locations if need be. The different locations seem to have different stock, and sometimes have the same products at different times, so check around. They make great gifts, too.