Thin Stix Creativity Pack REVIEW

The Pencil Grip, Inc. has done it again with their fantastic assortment of colors in their Thin Stix Creativity Pack.  I reviewed Thin Stix 6pk Classic Colors in an earlier post of mine and we absolutely LOVE these tempera paint sticks.  These are perfect for a no mess kids art project!  The paints generally will dry within about 90 seconds.  The kit has 24 paint sticks that include 12 classic, 6 neon, and 6 metalix colors. 

My kiddos just LOVE these and so does this mom!  No need to get out the water, cups, brushes, paint trays, smocks, oh my!  So many supplies and such a mess at times when we use our regular tempera paints.  With Thin Stix you just pop off the cap, twist and go!

Even though the name implies the sticks are thin, they are not "thin" enough to do much detail work, but they sure are quick, easy, and fun to use.  You also have to be careful about mixing colors.  Unlike traditional paints, Thin Stix do not generally "mix" well. The paint from one color easily transfers from one paint stick to another, so mixing is not a good idea.  We also tried to let our layers dry and then layer another color on top of the dry layer.  This worked for the most part, but you still have to be very careful about paint transfer and some of ours did get transferred a little.

Little Bug with her "colorful" armadillo

The Thin Stix are recommended for ages 3+ and even I enjoyed using them.  The catch with the younger crowd is to supervise them so they don't try to eat the paint or push too hard when they are "painting."  My 5 year old really likes the bold and bright colors and would just color and color and color over the same spots and the paint would be pretty thick in areas.  The thicker you put it on your paper (press harder), the more time it will need to fully dry.  The sticks are actual tempera paint so they are water soluble, non-toxic, and washable.

My crew just loves these paints and they are so easy to use.  We absolutely LOVED this 24 pack that included not only more classic colors but the neon and metalix colors also.  In my last review, we painted on paper and cardstock.  This time we not only did the cardstock (their armadillo pics) but also wood and fabric.  You can paint on paper, cardstock, wood, poster board, probably some plastics and just about anything else you can think of.  The paints were great on the wood but I quickly found out that we should have ironed the fabric bags to create a smooth, wrinkle and bump-free surface.  It was a little tricky but we managed.  The neon colors are very vibrant and the kids had fun with the metalix colors.  They add a very nice touch to the projects (including putting gold stars on the Christmas trees).

Armadillo using gold and silver metalix colors

Wooden Christmas Ornaments were fun to make! Highlights of white snow,
gold stars and even a golden tree

Fabric bag

Another challenge with the fabric is proper pressure to create a nice application of the paint.  It is very difficult to perform any kind of detail so it is best to stick with larger pictures and thicker lines.  If you apply too much paint it will take much longer to dry.  Also be aware that these are NOT fabric paints so your projects will not be washable.
With the amount of fun we had with the Thin Stix Creativity Pack, how could we not recommend it?  Paints like this could keep my kiddos occupied for hours if I would let them!
You can connect with The Pencil Grip, Inc. on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and PINTEREST.
Please also take the time to check out what other reviewers have to say about this product.