Paint Stick Art Part 2

Pigments have been used for ages to paint or draw. Most cave paintings were done by using a red or yellow pigment or charcoal, but the earlier forms of paint as we know it were made by mixing pigments with either rubber like the Egyptians did, or egg yolks as used by the Romans.

To apply the pigments equally and ensure all the components were mixed properly and evenly, it had to be stirred. There is no mention made anywhere, what our ancestors used to stir the paint, but my guess is that sticks were already used early on.

Nowadays, there are even more components added to paint and some of the heavier ones tend to sink to the bottom of the can during storing. In order to get the desired effect we expect from the paint, it needs to be stirred well before use and since not everyone possesses machines for shaking it up, paint sticks are the best solution and readily provided when buying paint.

The tendency to throw away these sticks after use is great, because we often see them as a means to an end and therefore overlook all the creative possibilities they could be used for.

This snowman is just one example of creativity, but for the same token several of these paint sticks glued together can easily be turned into an Easter bunny, another animal or figurine, or function as the background for a more detailed painting.

You really don't need many sticks to create art; even one paint stick can already be used for unique projects and cutting them in half gives you even more material to work with.

Since the paint sticks are made from untreated wood, the field of options like painting, waxing, staining, and/or gluing on other materials, are wide open and offer a variety of applications.

All it takes is a little imagination!