Oil Stick Product Information
Shiva Paintstiks (or Oil Sticks as I have called them for years) have been a huge part of my success in painting for the last 20 years. These colors will enhance any non fired product. (They can not be fired in the kiln). Not intended to be applied directly onto bisque. They work great over acrylic finishes, either applied directly on top of the basecoat, (however, works best if the basecoat has been antiqued) or over dry brushing / wet brushing to create and fine tune shading, depth and detail. Creates impressive shading, realisitc skyscapes, clouds, feathers, skin blushing, wildlife effects and much much more.
Shiva® Artist’s Paintstiks® are oil paint in a crayon form. They are made of wax, a small amount of low-acid linseed oil, and pigment. When the paintstiks are not in use, a thin film or skin forms over the paint and keeps the paint from drying up. Once the protective film is removed, paintstik colors are the consistency of a lipstick or grease-paint. Paintstiks are solid, but softer than a pastel or crayon. They are wrapped in a heavy cardboard tube that makes them easy to handle, help keep your hands clean, and prevent the warmth of your hands from softening the paintstiks as you work. Since their introduction to the market in the 1960s, paintstiks have been used on wood, fabric, carpet, metal, plastics, walls and floors, canvas and as I have found, on Ceramics!
Non-Toxic and no fumes. Shelf-life is indefinite (humidity is not a problem.) Liquid mediums and linseed oil are not needed with these, so there is no problem with taking paintstiks along with you as you travel. Because these colors have a sheer translucent finish, they go a long way and the sticks literally last through dozens and dozens of projects, and you may find you only need to reorder the basic colors that you use on every project (like white, because you can mix white with any color to produce lighter colors).
Artist’s Paintstik Oil Colors are tested in accordance to ASTM D-4236 and bear safety labels to the standards issued by ACMI. While most Artist’s Paintstik® Oil Colors are AP Approved non-toxic, some colors do bear the CL label with safety warnings.
Basic Instructions:
Shiva® Artist’s Paintstiks® are oil paint in a crayon form. They are made of wax, a small amount of low-acid linseed oil, and pigment. When the paintstiks are not in use, a thin film or skin forms over the paint and keeps the paint from drying up. Once the protective film is removed, paintstik colors are the consistency of a lipstick or grease-paint. Paintstiks are solid, but softer than a pastel or crayon. They are wrapped in a heavy cardboard tube that makes them easy to handle, help keep your hands clean, and prevent the warmth of your hands from softening the paintstiks as you work. Since their introduction to the market in the 1960s, paintstiks have been used on wood, fabric, carpet, metal, plastics, walls and floors, canvas and as I have found, on Ceramics!
Non-Toxic and no fumes. Shelf-life is indefinite (humidity is not a problem.) Liquid mediums and linseed oil are not needed with these, so there is no problem with taking paintstiks along with you as you travel. Because these colors have a sheer translucent finish, they go a long way and the sticks literally last through dozens and dozens of projects, and you may find you only need to reorder the basic colors that you use on every project (like white, because you can mix white with any color to produce lighter colors).
Artist’s Paintstik Oil Colors are tested in accordance to ASTM D-4236 and bear safety labels to the standards issued by ACMI. While most Artist’s Paintstik® Oil Colors are AP Approved non-toxic, some colors do bear the CL label with safety warnings.
Basic Instructions:
- Shiva Paintstiks are self-sealing, which means that a protective film forms over the surface of the paintstik when it is not in use.
- To remove the film, you can peel it away with a paper towel, rub it gently on a rough surface, or carefully pare it away with a knife. A vegetable peeler is actually the ideal tool for removing the film from Paintstiks. When the stick has begun to wear to the edge of the sleeve, simply loosen the sleeve from the oil stick at the seam, open the sleeve and push the stick forward. Press the sleeve around the oil stick again and repeat the peeling process as needed.
- Colors mix easily and you can make dozens of other colors and because they blend so well, you don't have to worry about trying to remix exact shades if you run out. They really take the fear and anxiety out of color mixing.
- Paintstik colors are not easily removed from clothing once they are dry. Wear old clothes or use an apron to prevent accidental “enhancements” to your wardrobe.
- In most cases, the paint dries in 24 hours and is "set" on the ceramic piece. When applied sheerly as intended on a ceramic piece, the color dries and is not sticky to touch within minutes to hours depending on application. The beauty of this product is that it can be moved around and or taken off until it is completely set or sprayed.
- Cleaning up Paintstik colors are easily removed from your tools and brushes with mineral spirits, linseed based brush soap or citrus-based solvents. With a little bit of extra work, they can be cleaned with soap and water.
- These sticks come in many colors. I have found that I only need 15 or so colors. this professional set of 12 contains the colors that I use the most on ceramics and there are a few single colors that I add to my list. These are the colors used in my project packets and they are all available here on my website.
- For more specific instructions on using them with ceramics and mixing charts see the downloadable "How to Use Paintstiks & Tips" Technique Packet in my online store.
- There are also specific project packets available in the online store for use with this product.
