I was ready to put liquid vs cake tempera to the test. But first, what is tempera paint?
Simply put, it’s that goopy paint that you’re used to from school. The stuff that slides onto the paper like yogurt with vibrant, bright colors.
It’s also messy, and it can take forever to dry.
What Are Those Colorful Hockey Pucks?
Except now there’s also cake tempera. Little hockey pucks of glorious color.
I don’t know how long cake tempera has existed, but when I discovered it, it was a bit of a game changer.
On days that I didn’t want to wait for the paint to dry in order to add details, or if I wanted to be able to gift a painting to their visiting grandparents an hour after we made it, it made it super easy.
The Flower Power Challenge
On paper, with an adult’s hand, it’s hard to tell the differences up close. Here are two cake temperas – in regular and neon green, and four versions of liquid tempera, including a glitter and metallic version.
So in order for you to be able to see the differences more distinctly, I gave one of my kids liquid tempera and the other cake tempera to create some flowers.
First my daughter had to draw her flower, then it was time for the liquid tempera.
She dug into her paint selection with gusto. She insisted on making a rainbow flower, especially since she was given a selection of rainbow paint colors.
Her little sister wanted to make a rainbow flower as well, simply because she was wearing rainbows on just about every inch of her body.
Cake tempera does require a similar technique to watercolor painting. Kids need to dip their brush in water, swirl their brush in the paint, and then put the brush to the paper.
You can make this easier by pre-wetting the cake tempera paint. Of course, I never remember to actually do this.
The Results Are In
One of the most noticeable things off the bat was how bright and vibrant the liquid tempera was. There was no need to do anything else to make the colors pop off of the page.
The cake tempera was more muted. In the hands of an adult or older child, cake tempera is more vibrant, but with young kids, they often don’t get enough paint on their brush, or enough water in their puck in order for the color to deliver. It takes practice.
Pros and Cons of Liquid vs Cake Tempera
Liquid Tempera
PROS
Liquid tempera is super vibrant, but it’s also fun to use to make new colors. Squirt a little red and a little orange and a little white and you suddenly have a new color that pops off the page in autumn.
Kids also love how it encourages them to paint big and with large strokes, and the sensory exploration it offers.
It’s also easy to use for multiple kids – just squirt out a little in a container or on a plate and it doesn’t matter where the kids are sitting, one bottle can go a long way.
CONS
It’s messy and takes a long time to dry.
It also is easy to overuse. If you squirt too much out of the bottle, you can’t easily put it back. You can put it in the containers (like the ones above), but it can run out quickly.
Cake Tempera
PROS
It takes forever to run out, and it’s easy to share. We bought one tray and the three of us use it and I don’t think we’ve even made a dent.
It dries super quickly so if you want to do a project in the same day, and in the same session, it makes it easy.
CONS
Sometimes they are harder to find at a store, and they can seem a bit expensive for one tray. It makes it important that at least a few of you are using the same tray.
They are a bit frustrating to store, especially when the pucks aren’t dry and they pop out of the tray before you’ve put them away.
So Do You Need Both?
The short answer is no.
However, if painting is still a bit daunting to you and your homeschool, picking up a set of cake tempera might be an easier solution. Less mess.
Also, if you have less storage space, a tray of cake tempera takes up less room than a bunch of bottles of paint.
However, if you want to explore the different types of paint, have kids test out different mediums, and switch it up from time to time, then it’s definitely worth it to have both in your homeschool.
Links to Find Them
These are all products that we have and love.
Crayola Artista II Washable Liquid Tempera
Lakeshore Superbright Liquid Tempera
Lakeshore Washable Glitter Tempera Paint
Sax Non-Toxic Giant Tempera Paint Cakes
Sax Non-Toxic Fluorescent Tempera Paint Cakes (these glow under a black light)
Try out your Tempera!
Grab your favorite tempera – cake or liquid! – and paint a big, juicy apple. Click on the banner below to take you to the project!
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