Painting or decorating anything is an enjoyable way to spend your time. The main thing about painting something is determining how you want to depict what you are trying to represent. For example, if you wanted to paint the beach with lots of waves, then you would need to source some good quality materials for this.
If you do not take enough time to research your paints, then it will not look nice. It may also be difficult to find the right colors unless you have done this before. Luckily, there are several types of plastic that can be painted using acrylic as a medium!
There are many ways to use plastic as a canvas for art. This article will talk about one such material: styrene foam board. Also known as cold process foamboard, styrene foam boards come in various sizes and shapes. These qualities make it very versatile for artists to work with.
Some people even create their own brushes out of styrene foam! Artists design these brushes to fit into different areas like drawing, painting, writing, and more. Many people add glue to the surface and roll up the material to get a thinner brush size, while others cut it down to thicknesses closer to the skin level.
Overall, this product is worth exploring since it does not cost too much to experiment with. There are many websites with tips and tricks for working with styrene foam.
You need to use a primer
While most people choose to cover their styrene or plastic foam with fabric, you can also coat it in another material. One of these is paint!
It is possible to spray-paint your new tableware just like painting any other surface. Yours will not melt down or burn up in a fire like ceramic or glass pieces would, but it may discolor slightly due to some chemicals in the acrylic paint.
This article will tell you how to take care of your painted foamware so that it does not look bad and/or fades away nicely.
It isn’t hard to do
Painting or decorating anything is never easy, but painting plastic like styrene foam is pretty simple. Almost anyone can do it!
Acrylic paint is one of the most versatile materials you can use to paint with. This article will show you how to add some color to your new tabletop or house decoration using only acrylic paints.
You don’t need any special equipment to get great results. Just make sure you work in a well-ventilated area and wash the painted item immediately.
What we will be doing here is covering the surface of our styrene tableware in several thin coats of colors, then letting each coat dry for a few minutes before applying the next layer.
You may damage your paint
Recently, there has been a craze of people painting everything! From drinking glasses to food trays to furniture to even styrene plastic foam products such as packing material or pillows!
Many artists use painted items as decorations or to represent something more substantial. For example, some use canvas bags to symbolize how protected you are when buying bare-bones goods that also protect you from pollution and negative effects of good hygiene.
Acrylic is one of the most commonly used mediums for painters. Since it is waterbased, it can be easily washed off if you accidentally put too much on the item.
However, some acrylic paints contain additives to help them dry faster, which could lead to burning or melting of the coating surface. This could potentially ruin the paint job or at least make it hard to re-coat.
Some types of plastic foams will not react well with certain colors of acrylic paint. It might burn or peel away due to the chemical content.
You may damage the foam
While most of us use plastic cups or bowls to hold our acrylic paint, you can also use something more unique- styrofoam!
Acrylic comes in many colors so it is not limited to just using regular glass dishes for your paints. Many people have experimented with painting on different types of foam including craft foam, packing foam, and dishwasher foam.
Most often, artists will use either spray mount gel or liquid glue to attach the painted surface onto the styrofoam. When spraying the glues onto the surface, make sure to spread out the foam first to ensure it does not get stuck.
After the glue has dried, you can run some heat underneath the painted piece to dry it further.
You’ll need a lot of paint
It may seem like painting the most basic materials, such as plastic or paper, is easy, but that isn’t always the case! Painting an unprimed piece of styrene foam can be tricky because it doesn’t take acrylic paint well.
Acrylic paints are typically mixed with alcohol and water to form a gel-like liquid. When applied onto a surface, the alcohol evaporates leaving only the painted product. This process doesn’t work with polystyrene though, because the alcohol simply seeps out and you will get nothing but sticky resin.
That being said, there are ways to use acrylics on unpainted styrene. Two main strategies are adding some sort of primer to help lock in the color and/or using oil-based acrylics instead of water-based ones.
You should test it out first
Painting or decorating anything made of styrene (the plastic that most foam products are made of) can be a bit tricky. Because it is such a polarizing material, people have strong opinions about whether or not you can paint it wrong!
As with any new painting mediums, testing is important to see how well your painted item will hold up.
You do not need special equipment to test this. All you really need is some acrylic paints and styrene of varying shapes and sizes. Start by trying it on something cost-friendly like a plate or box.
Once you are happy with the look you got, move onto larger items. We suggest starting with the average size container used for cups of coffee or water. If you are ever stuck as to what colors to use, try mixing brands of white and black together!
We hope we were able to help you learn more about painting with acrylics and foams! Let us know if there was anything specific you learned here.
It’ll stain everything it touches
Painting or decorating anything made of styrene foam is tricky, to say the least. Styrene is a plastic that you can easily find in most stores nowadays!
It’s very easy to colorize polymer substances, but painting one becomes trickier as the paint will usually not stick onto the surface. This could be due to either poor adhesion or maybe the painted item needs special care for that.
If there are some markings or designs on the styrene foam, trying using a primer first to see if that helps. The same goes for decorations, you may need to put a protective coating over them before applying the new coat of acrylic paint.
You should only do this exercise with great caution
Painting or decorating any type of surface is always a fun way to spend your time. Unfortunately, not all surfaces are meant to be painted! That includes most types of plastic that can be melted down and re-shaped into new products.
Styrene foam (the kind used in almost every packing material you find at stores) is one of these materials. It will melt and burn if exposed to too much heat which makes it very difficult to work with.
That’s why trying to paint styrofoam with acrylic paints is tricky at best. The thin layer of primer that usually comes pre-applied onto newly cut pieces of styrofoam won’t hold up well when painting layers of thicker acrylic paint over top. If you try to push through that hard, the foam may break so don’t even think about doing that!
Acrylic is a chemical compound that we use to create many different things such as watercolor paintings and nail polish. So although there’s nothing inherently wrong with using it on paper or wood, just make sure your don’t apply it to something that cannot withstand high temperatures.