I will be teaching a few glass painting classes at the Michael's Store on Capital Blvd in Raleigh NC in Feb (January slipped by before I knew it!) and I started looking at their line of Martha Stewart glass paints. I have a huge assortment of paints in my studio. Along with my professional paints (as a portrait artist I have the requisite oils, acrylics and watercolors!) I have everything from spray paint, to craft paint to glass paint. But my glass paints are a different brand and they require "baking" in the oven to set the paint. A bummer! I also have my share of the Martha Stewart paints by Plaid for a variety of purposes. SO I was happy to discover this blog review dated August of 2011 showing that the then "new" paints bu MS could be used on any surface.
Although there are new glass paints by the company, it appears that ones I already have will work fine! They will also be perfect for my students who can use their multipurpose paints for a variety of art projects!
SO I have printed the review in its entirety,with thanks to the author, along with the photos, so that you too can see how these versatile paints may apply to your artsy journey! -Theresa
Craft Product Review: Overview of Martha Stewart Paints by Plaid
One of the biggest hush-hush buzzes this year at CHA was the debut of
Martha Stewart Paints by Plaid.
(Remember my foray into the secret locked room to get a sneak peek?)
Now, however, the secret is out, the products are on the shelves- and in
the hands of yours truly!
Now, there are SO many products in this line that I’m going to have
to break them down into a whole series! Today, though, I thought I’d
give you the 101 on the line of paints, which promise to work on
multiple surfaces without special preparation. Here’s how they are
described on the website:
Transform everything from curtains to
glassware to flower pots with the first multi-surface craft paint
available! Martha Stewart Craftsâ„¢ premium acrylic paints provide
superior coverage for all fabric, wood, glass, ceramic, plastic, and
metal craft projects.
Offered in a range of beautiful colors and five
high-quality finishes—satin, high gloss, metallic, pearl, and glitter,
inspired by her original glitter colors—Martha’s craft paints
resist fading and wear, are ideal for indoor or outdoor use, and even
safe for dishwashers.
This paint comes in a staggering 160 colors in the aforementioned five finishes. (And they are certified non-toxic, too.)
Now, I did get to see a swatch of the finishes at CHA- and they
looked amazing- but nothing beats a good old SWATCH TEST! (I am nothing
if not consistent.) I used a piece of cardboard box to see just how well
the paints covered with one, two, and three coats:
Another view of the swatch so you can really see the difference between High-Gloss and Satin finishes.
As you can see, all but the Glitter covered well in just two coats.
Since the Glitter paint is the odd man out, let’s first talk about the
Satin, High Gloss, Metallic, and Pearl paints. All of these have a
creamy, smooth texture and are the consistency of hot fudge. There is
almost no odor, too.
The Glitter Paint is, of course, a “gritty” texture suspended in a
transparent base. My favorite was “sugar cube”- swoon- which featured a
lightly tinted lilac base with super-duper iridescent glitter! The
glitter is actually a fine grit- and comes in both “bright” and
“iridescent” versions. Did you notice that the Glitter Paint I used on
the swatch test is green, but looks purple in the second view?
Yeah. It’s awesome like that.
The base is lightly tinted and transparent- perfect for letting the glitter shine through!
I can best show you, though, on these snowflake samples.
The top snowflake is unprimed/unsealed, and has one coat of Glitter
paint. You can barely see any color in the paint itself- which allows
the maximum sparkle to come through! The second one is base coated with
Satin paint on one half, with some of the same Glitter paint layered on
top. I love that they complement each other, and the glitter base is
light enough to let you layer the paints for a really customizable look!
Now, I wanted to play with the satin and gloss paints a bit, so I
base coated this birdhouse. The blue is satin finish, the red is
high-gloss. (By the way, I LOVE this red- it’s the best hue of red I’ve
ever used. Seriously.)
You also can really see the difference in sheen after just 2 coats.
I’m also happy to report that the High Gloss paint isn’t tacky to the
touch after it’s dry- although it’s hard to tell by looking at it when
it IS dry! I decided to embellish the little birdhouse with all of the
finishes of paint- gold metallic trim, high-gloss black stripes, glitter
to accent the roof, and pearl green stems & grass.
I used the fine tip to draw the leaf accents.
Now, we expect acrylic paint to work well on porous surfaces like
paper mache, cardboard, and wood. But the Martha Stewart Paints are also
listed as a great paint for non-porous surfaces. Time to put that to
the test with a little bit of stenciling on a glass ornament.
I used the adhesive “Holiday” stencils.
I used the Gold Metallic paint on the “Merry Christmas” stencil- I
literally used a craft stick to spread the paint on. I let each coat dry
in between, using glitter paints for the snow flake and pine trees. I
finished it off with “Sparkle Texture Effect” to act as snow (more on
that product later this week!) Here’s my finished ornament:
Super cute, right? But what is more impressive is that I tried to
flake off the paint with my thumbnail- you know, just to see if it would
lift up. And it didn’t! Furthermore, I read on the package that if you
let it cure (air-dry) for 21 days, it will even be dishwasher safe in
the top rack. Wowza!
I also used a number of tools- sponge brushes, paint brushes, and
stencil brushes- and they all cleaned up easily with just a drop of hand
soap and tepid water. I love that the paint covers well but still has
easy clean-up. Score!
So let’ talk nitty-gritty. Right now the paints & accessories-
even some cool starter sets- are available at HSN.com. They are also
rolling out the displays in
Michael’s stores-
my local one has the products, but not all are set up yet. The prices
are really varying right now (especially at HSN, where you can find some
great introductory specials) but on the average it’s under
$1.99-$2.99Â per 2 ounce bottle.
Considering that it works on so many surfaces, and has SO many
gorgeous colors and finishes, it’s really a good paint. And when I tell
you about the different mediums you can use it with (coming in a few
days) it’ll really blow your mind!
Feel free to leave me questions in the comments section & I’ll do my best to answer them for you!
One of the biggest hush-hush buzzes this year at CHA was the debut of Martha Stewart Paints by Plaid.
(Remember my foray into the secret locked room to get a sneak peek?)
Now, however, the secret is out, the products are on the shelves- and in
the hands of yours truly!
