FAQs

SIMPLY ART^® wood products are not treated with any chemicals. Although SIMPLY ART^® Craft Sticks are not treated with any chemicals or preservatives, they are not considered to be food quality and are not manufactured in an environment for food safe products.

All Loew-Cornell paints are tested for lead and other heavy metals, and considered non-toxic.

Because Loew-Cornell™ Watercolor Pads are made of light-weight paper, stretching is optional. However, if you’re painting washes or using other water-heavy techniques, you may want to stretch the paper before painting.

Put a damp, thin sponge (or damp paper towels) in the tray section of your palette and then seal the tray with deli wrap. Commercial sponges and palette paper for making wet palettes are also available at arts and crafts retailers and on-line.

Loew-Cornell’s transfer paper is meant for surfaces that will be painted or otherwise decorated. It is not a “final” design and is not recommended for use with ceramics. To transfer a pattern, put the white side down on your surface and then position the pattern on top. It helps to secure each paper in place with a light adhesive tape so they don’t move. Then using a stylus or other blunt point, trace over the pattern lines. This will transfer white pattern lines onto your surface. Remove the transfer paper, and you are ready to work on your surface design. After painting, pattern lines can generally be removed using a white eraser and light pressure. (Be sure to test first!)

Yes, acrylic paints are water-soluble. For best results, we recommend a mild soap or brush cleaner formulated for acrylic/water-based paints. This will help break down the paint quickly and thoroughly to keep your brushes in the best possible condition.

To ensure durability and paint adhesion, sand the wood with the grain, working your way from coarser to finer grades of sandpaper. Remove all dust with a tack cloth. Seal any knots with shellac to prevent bleed-through, and seal or prime wood on all sides, especially if it will be exposed to weather. Lightly sand the sealed wood, then sand in between additional coats of paint.

All paint is essentially ground pigments, binder (in the case of oil paint, most often linseed oil or safflower oil), fillers such as wax and sometimes other additives like a drier or stabilizer. Loew-Cornell offers several sets of oil paints, which would be considered hobby/student quality. If possible, purchase a few small tubes of various brands to try for yourself.

Yes! When brushes are made, the heads are dipped in a starch solution that makes the hair stiff and protects it during shipping. It is important to remove this solution before painting. Rinsing in lukewarm water with a mild soap will do the trick. Natural-hair brushes may also shed when new. Rinsing before use will remove stray hairs.

Camel hair is a broad term for brushes that can be made from any number of hairs, including goat, ox, and pony. These hairs are absorbent, but lacking in strength, spring, and point, so are best for very light paint, washes and blending.

Natural hair is not all the same length, so when brushes are made, there may be some stray hairs that are not caught in the ferrule of the brush and will shed. Be sure to rinse new brushes before using. You can also lightly tap the brush head on the sticky side of a piece of masking tape to pull out loose hairs

In most cases, yes, but if you work in both regularly, you will probably want to keep separate sets of brushes. Oil-based products can interfere with the adhesion and other properties of acrylics and vice versa. If you do use the same brushes, be sure to clean them thoroughly, removing all residues.