Better Art Supplies for Budding Artists

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Paints

For young children, watercolors and liquid tempera paints are the easiest way to avoid VOCs. For the teen artist determined to work with oil paint, make sure all colors are free of toxic metals (see sidebar). Look for water-soluble oils or use linseed oil, a low-VOC medium. For cleaning brushes, use baby oil followed by soap and water. Rossol notes that titanium white, new carbon black, ultramarine blue and green appear to be the safest pigments in terms of inhalation and ingestion.

*Crayola Artista II watercolor sets ($3.73/16 pc. set) and liquid tempera paint ($3.46/pint; www.mrart.com)

*Prang watercolor sets ($2.68/8 colors) and liquid tempera ($26.98/12 colors; www.dickblick.com)

*Holbein Duo Aqua water-soluble oils contain no cadmium or cobalt ($38.29/set of 15; www.dickblick.com)

*Royal Talens' Van Gogh H2Oil water-soluble oil paints ($27.80/10 colors; www.dickblick.com)

*Eco-House light refined linseed oil ($5.39/4 oz; www.dickblick.com)

Pencils, Pens and Markers

Pick "low odor" pens and markers instead of strong-smelling permanent or dry-erase markers, which release VOCs.

*Colorific markers ($2.82/10 pens; www.officedepot.com)

*Mr. Sketch unscented ($6.99 to $8.74/12 pens; www.officedepot.com)

*Recycled pencils made from old blue jeans ($.29 to $1.10, www.amazingrecycled.com)

Resources

*See Art Supplies Product Report at www.thegreenguide.com/reports.

*Artist Beware, Updated and Revised by Michael McCann (The Lyons Press, 2005, $19.95)

*The Natural Paint Book by Lynn Edwards and Julia Lawless (Rodale Books, 2003, $24.95)

*Formulas For Painters by Robert Massey (Watson Guptill Publications, 1988, $16.95)

*ACMI approved product list: www.acminet.org

*Arts, Crafts & Theater Safety: www.artscraftstheatersafety.org

*Children's Health Environmental Coalition guidelines for art and hobby supplies: www.checnet.org

*Health & Safety in the Arts: www.ci.tucson.az.us

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