Learning to paint kits

[eldamir]

So my 7yo has expressed an interest in painting, and I was thinking that I would get him some of his own 'stuff' for Easter .. How is the "Learn To Paint Kit: Core Skills"?  And, are it's instructions something that a 7yo can read / comprehend?

 

He's already painted a couple of his Army Men, a skeleton swordsman from a 3-pack I had laying around, Horned Hunter (89033) and Count Lorenth (77355).  The last 2, he had me order with his allowance money.

 

Or is he better off watching a few Youtube videos and using my paints & brushes?

[LittleBluberry]

I think that's a hard question for others to answer because we don't know your son.  How are his reading skills?  Has he tried other art kits, like the ones aimed at kids?  Are you willing to work through the instructions with him?  It's easy to get extra minis so that you can each paint one side by side.  I would recommend this approach for a 7 year old because it will help with their engagement to have you involved.

 

That said, my 7 year old daughter starting doing crafts at the school library and she's been able to pick up quite a few skills.  If the interest is there then it's worth a shot. 

[eldamir]

I guess I should have seen that coming :)  His reading skills are getting better, but I'd say they're middling-to-average for a 1st grader.  

 

 

p.s. - holy crappy camera shots, batman!  sorry about that!

 

[Glitterwolf]

Nice to see he is interested and it can never hurt to let him try and help him a bit to get better.

 

Fun is the most important thing, we all improve faster with things we like doing.

[Nunae]

I don't know your kid, so what I'm saying might be completly wrong for him, but most elementary school kids I know don't exactly love following instructions.

Choosing his own colors and miniatures might be something he really enjoys. That way, he can be creative and proud of his unique end results, instead of feeling like he had to make it look like in the pictures and didn't manage to do so. Or feeling like he has to get good at something or finish the tutorial before painting what he wants to.

 

Getting his own paints and brushes might still be something nice as a gift. 

 

[Pingo]

I just ran a Reaper Paint 'N' Take which included many children, some as young as two.

 

Seven seems just a little young for the focus and scope needed to follow written painting instructions, and I've observed younger children can get a little disappointed if their efforts don't match the pictures.

 

The Paint 'N' Take supplies basic tools, an assortment of paints to choose from, a small choice of figures to paint, and a quick talk-through of how to get started.  Thinking about it, the Learn to Paint kits are very similar, but with detailed instructions for how to get certain effects with specific figures.

 

Perhaps if you got duplicates of the Bones minis supplied with the kit or got some spare different minis for your child he could have some to experiment with and then have the instructions and the minis they apply to to for whenever he feels ready for some focused learning.

[Gadgetman!]

Get the kid a EPMK(Enjoy Painting Minis Kit), instead of a LTPK... 

Get a pistol case (Paint carrying case, 08706) when it gets back in stock, and fill it with paints you think he'll like, a few minis and a couple of brushes.

 

Let him have fun for now, and don't try to push him towards following a script.

 

Just leave a few empty slots for when he wants a specific colour. 

 

[NecroMancer]

I just have my son use craft paint and let him go to town.  I don't know about your son but if I had him using the reaper paint he would have the whole bottle used after one session.  I love him but he has no concept of conservation!

 

I think the craft paints help him get an understanding of how to paint with less expense.  That way too if he decides he wants a new color its not too expensive and I can get a couple chores out of him and can buy him 4-5 new paints for just a couple bucks.  This also gives him a chance to spend some of that chore money on a mini as well.  So where he could maybe earn a bottle or two of reaper paint he can get several colors and a mini or two.  But I guess this depends on your budget.

 

Once he's knocked out some more minis and learns a little self control with paint amounts I will up grade him to the better paints.

 

Also remember kids this age are still developing their fine motor skills, if your son is like mine, I feel like the written instructions would only frustrate him and maybe discourage him if he doesn't do it exactly correct (which he might not be able to physically do at this point).  We watch YouTube videos to get an idea of what to do I think this is a lot less pressure on him. 

 

That's just my two cents though.  Either way having your son interested in something that you are interested in is priceless.

[ced1106]

Michael's and other craft stores have plaster (?) paint kits for kids, as well as kid-targetted paint sets and brushes. Remember the 40% off coupon!

 

If you buy from Walmart, you can get a 24-pot kid's paint set. The pots are GREAT to mount your miniatures on for assembly-line painting!

[Arydis]

Remember that there comes a point when you will need to flip the 'craft paint to learn' principle on its head.  Growing up on the cusp of the internet and in a rural area, I only ever had access to cheap art materials.  I think if I had access to some higher quality materials (and today's easily accessible tutorials) somewhere along the way I probably would have pursued art more seriously earlier in my life as an intense hobby.  

 

It is harder to get good results from cheaper supplies and it can be discouraging to know what you are doing isn't good. 

[Gadgetman!]

I'd say rhat as soon as he is able to somewhat control how much paint he dumps onto the pallet it's time to let him start on the good stuff.  

If you get him craft paints that are in pots, get a few empty dropper bottles and fill those with the paint so that he has something cheap to practice on. 

if he ends up using 3 or 4 times as much paint as he needs, so what? 

(As long as you don't let him loose with your Special Edition paints... )

 

[eldamir]

5 minutes ago, Gadgetman! said:

(As long as you don't let him loose with your Special Edition paints... )

Haha -- I'm too cheap so far to have special edition paints!

 

He's been doing fine so far with the regular Reaper paints - only puts a tiny drop in the cap ( I use water bottle caps to hold the active paint - they're cheap, easily replacable and I have about a million of them laying around) and is pretty frugal with what he puts on the brush.

 

I think I'm just going to get him a few of the multi-pack Bones guys for Easter and let him go to town with those - and maybe a brush or two of his own.

[IgwanaRob]

23 hours ago, eldamir said:

 

I think I'm just going to get him a few of the multi-pack Bones guys for Easter and let him go to town with those - and maybe a brush or two of his own.

 

 

 

Cheap minis sounds like a good idea, bonus points if they fit into some plastic eggs for an Easter Egg Hunt. Definitely get a cheap pack of brushes - unless you're wanting to upgrade yours rather quickly :p

 

 

 

Edited March 29, 2017 by IgwanaRob