If you’ve wandered through Target’s craft aisle (as I am wont to do) you may have noticed Hand Made Modern acrylic paints in their pretty little bottles.
As a mixed media artist, I’m always curious about new products, so I decided to give these paints a thorough test drive. In this post, I’ll share not just my results but also tips, techniques, and ideas for getting the most out of budget-friendly craft paints like these.
Check out the video to see the paint in action and hear my opinion on it:
First Impressions
These Hand Made Modern acrylic paints come in a variety of finishes, including satin and neon (which are the two finishes I tested). The packaging is user-friendly, with the paint color clearly displayed on the cap—a small but helpful detail for organizing your art supplies. However, since the paint comes in jars, you’ll need a palette knife or similar tool to scoop it out.
Opacity Tests on Different Surfaces
To assess the paint’s coverage, I applied it over both white and black gesso.
Here’s what I discovered:
- Satin paints: Surprisingly opaque, especially after a second layer.
- Neon paints: Disappointingly transparent, even on a white surface. Adding a bit of white acrylic paint helped, but the vibrancy still fell short of expectations.
These results make the satin paints great for base layers, while the neon might be better for layering techniques such as glazing.
Techniques and Experiments
- Stenciling
- Using a Balzer Designs stencil, I tested how the paint performed.
- The satin paints produced crisp, vibrant patterns, while the neon required a white base to show up clearly.
- Pro tip: mix neon paints with white to boost opacity and make your designs pop!
- Stamping with Art Foamies
- I loved how the paints worked with stamps!
- Whether you’re using foam stamps or traditional rubber ones, these paints give clean, vibrant impressions.
- And remember, the paints dry quickly, which is a bonus for art journaling.
- Gelatin Printing
- Gelatin printing (also called Gelli Printing and Gel Printing) is one of my favorite ways to create layered, textured backgrounds, and these paints didn’t disappoint.
- The satin finish added a lovely matte texture, while the neon offered interesting (though subtle) accents.
This is the stamp I used. This is the stencil.
Final Thoughts
Hand Made Modern acrylic paints are a solid option for crafters and beginners. They’re affordable, easy to use, and versatile enough for various projects like stenciling, stamping, and printing. While I wouldn’t recommend them for fine art projects requiring high pigmentation or archival quality, they’re perfect for art journaling, DIY crafts, and mixed media play.
Have you tried Hand Made Modern paints? Share your experiences in the comments—I’d love to hear your tips and tricks!
Thanks for stopping by!
My Other Hand Made Modern Product Reviews:
Thanks for sharing these paints! I know I’m going to love them! As for the orange color, I’ve tried watering down one of my orange craft paints to look more transparent (like the one you’ve reviewed) but I’ve not been too happy with the results. I think I’ve found the orange I’m looking for. I’m on my way on that yellow-brick-road to Target! Thanks again for enriching and titillating our artistic “muses”!
How serendipitous! Glad you found this video useful!
Satin, for me, will be the way to go with these paints. Another great review. And your intros to these sessions are so much fun!
I’m so glad that you enjoy the videos!
Thanks for showing us these paints! I am leaning toward the Satin for occasionally using in my art journal.
Sounds like a plan!
I haven’t used them yet. I like the aqua blue and might try the satin when I’m next at Target. Thanks for the video Julie.
You’re very welcome!
Julie this entire line is made by artist, author, clothes designer, etc, Todd Oldham! He’s such an amazing guy! I had the luxury of meeting him when he was just starting out with clothing in 87 ish in Dallas! Super nice guy, his entire family are artists! I have really loved following him over the years! Check him out I think you would like him! I recently got the handmade modern wood Pom Pom kit from target and it’s so adorable!!!! Different animals!
I didn’t know that! What a great tip. Thanks!
I have some of the HHM paints which I like to use for art journaling. I like the range of colours and the great price point!
The price is hard to beat!
Hi Julie I saw them yesterday at my Target. I did pick them up and looked at them but didn’t buy them….Thanks do much for your opinion, I will be back to get some
Let me know what you think of them!
They look OK–but I already have so many craft paints, I probably can pass these up without regret. I prefer using artist quality paint if I can.
Me too.