How to Make Your Own Paint

Whether you're planning to paint a wall or decorate one of your latest craft projects, you'll need the right colors to make your project satisfying. If your local craft or home improvement store doesn't have the color you need, you can still have the paint you desire. Just make your own paint in the comfort of your own home. Even if finding the right color is not a problem, you may still enjoy getting creative with your own hand-mixed paint.

Things You'll Need

• Acrylic paint
• Powder grout
• Bucket
• Flour
• Tempera
• Salt
• Water
• Pot
• Screened clay
• Mica

Instructions

Make Your Own Chalkboard Paint

1. Gather the materials you need for your chalkboard paint. You'll need acrylic paint in the desired color for your chalkboard paint, powder tile grout and a bucket.

2. Put one cup of the acrylic paint in a bucket.

3. Mix the paint with two tbsp. of tile grout. Your paint will turn out the best if you mix it very well, so make sure it looks lump-free before you stop mixing.

4. Stop mixing and start painting. You can use this paint on the wall, decorative objects, or even pieces of furniture.

Make Your Own Finger Paints

1. Get the materials you'll need for your finger paints, including flour, tempera, salt, cold water and a pot. In the pot, mix two cups of flour with four cups of cold water.

2. Put the pot on the stove and cook your mixture on low.

3. Take the pot off the stove once the mixture has thickened.

4. Allow the mixture to cool off before you proceed.

5. Add the dry tempera to the mixture.

6. Add a dash of salt to complete the process.

Make You Own Flour Paint

1. Buy a screened clay filler at a local craft or art supply store. Choose the clay in the color you want for your paint.

2. Blend one cup of flower with two cups of cold water. A basic kitchen whisk can help you remove the lumps that are likely to form.

3. Boil one and a half cups of the water.

4. Add your flour mixture to the boiled water.

5. Reduce the stove heat to low.

6. Stir your mixture until it thickens into a paste.

7. Add two cups of water to your paste to dilute your mixture. You don't want to dump this in all at once. Instead, add it just a little bit at a time.

8. Mix one cup of clay with a half cup of mica in a separate bowl.

9. Add this dry mixture to your flour mixture.

10. Mix the whole batch together until it reaches the consistency you desire

Tips & Warnings

• If you have trouble finding clay in the right color, you can buy dry pigment instead. Just make the paint as instructed and then add the pigment in a little bit at a time, mixing as you go.