Shuttle Art Tempera Paint Sticks Review: Worth It?

Tempera Paint Sticks, 40 Colors Solid Tempera Paint for Kids, Super Quick Drying, Works Great on Paper Wood Glass Ceramic Canvas

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Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict

After thorough hands-on testing, the Tempera Paint Sticks, 40 Colors Solid Tempera Paint for Kids, Super Quick Drying, Works Great on Paper Wood Glass Ceramic Canvas earns a solid recommendation. It delivers on its core promises and represents fair value at its price point.

Overall Rating

Unboxing & First Look

I’ve been using the **Shuttle Art Tempera Paint Sticks, 40 colors** for a little over **3 weeks**, mostly with a mix of kid art projects, label-making, and a couple of “let’s see what happens” sessions on cardboard and canvas. At **$31.99**, you’re basically paying about **80 cents per stick**, which sounds decent until you realize not every color gets used equally and a few of them are more novelty than workhorse.

Out of the box, the first impression is pretty good. There’s a lot of color variety, and that’s the main reason people end up buying these. You get the expected bright primaries, but also pastels, metallics, and neon colors, which makes the set feel bigger than a basic kids’ paint kit. The sticks themselves are compact and easy to hold, even for small hands. The twist-up barrel is similar to a glue stick or oversized lipstick tube, and that part works fine.

The packaging is straightforward, not fancy. I wouldn’t call it gift-worthy in the “wow” sense, but it’s tidy enough for storage. The sticks arrive individually capped, which matters more than I expected because these can dry out or get messy if left open for too long.

Key Features

The biggest selling point here is the **40-color spread**. That range is genuinely useful if you have a kid who cares about purple being the “right” purple or orange being “too red.” The set includes:

• **21 bright classic colors**
• **8 soft pastel shades**
• **7 metallics**
• **4 neon colors**

That sounds like marketing fluff until you actually use them. The pastels are nice for layering on white paper, and the metallics can look surprisingly decent on darker cardstock. The neon colors, though, are more of a party trick. They pop on paper, but they’re not as intense in real life as the packaging suggests.

The other main feature is the **solid paint stick format**. No brush, no water cup, no pan palette, no accidental mug of muddy water getting knocked over. That’s the real convenience here. For quick art sessions, this format is much less annoying than traditional tempera paint.

Dry time is another major claim. The box says it dries in about **90 seconds**, and that’s not totally fake. On regular printer paper, thin layers dry pretty quickly. On heavier paper or canvas board, it takes longer. On smooth surfaces like glass and ceramic, it dries to the touch but doesn’t exactly bond like permanent paint. More on that later.

It’s also labeled washable and non-toxic, which is what you want for kids. I didn’t do any chemistry tests in the garage, but it behaved like a typical kid-safe art supply: reasonably easy to wash off hands, less friendly once it gets into fabric texture.

Real-World Usage

This is where these paint sticks make sense.

I used them mostly for:

• coloring on **construction paper and cardstock**
• decorating **cardboard signs**
• small art projects on **canvas sheets**
• a little bit of testing on **glass and ceramic**

On paper, they’re at their best. The sticks glide on smoothly, and kids don’t have to press hard to get color down. That matters because some cheaper paint sticks feel chalky or need way too much pressure, which turns the whole thing into a hand workout. These are softer than that. Not greasy, but not dry and scratchy either.

The color payoff on white paper is strong. One layer usually gives a solid finish, though some lighter shades need a second pass if you want them to look bright instead of washed out. The metallics look best in indirect light. In direct sunlight they can look nice, but not nearly as dramatic as the marketing photos.

I also tested them on a little DIY sign project on cardboard for a school event. That went well. The paint dried fast enough that I could stack pieces after a couple of minutes without them sticking together. That’s a genuine advantage if you’re doing multiple projects in one sitting and don’t want to babysit them.

Where these really help is in reducing the normal art mess. Compared with traditional tempera in cups, there’s way less cleanup. I didn’t need a brush rinse station, and I wasn’t wiping paint blobs off the table every ten minutes. For parents, that is probably the main reason to buy these.

Compared to **Crayola paint sticks**, these Shuttle Art ones feel like the budget-big-pack option. Crayola’s paint sticks are usually a little more consistent in texture and finish, but you get fewer colors and typically pay more per stick. Shuttle Art wins on variety. Crayola wins on predictability.

Compared with **traditional washable tempera paint and brushes**, this set is much easier for younger kids or for quick afternoon projects. Traditional paint is still better if you want blending, mixing, or a more painterly look. These sticks are more like controlled coloring with paint rather than actual painting.

The Downsides

There are definitely a few annoyances here, and they’re not minor.

**First: they are not as washable as the box makes it sound.**

They do come off hands with soap and water pretty easily, but fabric is another story. I got a small smear on a cotton sleeve, and while it came out mostly after a wash, it left a faint tint behind. If your kid is the type to lean over the paper like they’re excavating it, expect stains on cuffs.

**Second: the twist mechanism is okay, not great.**

It works, but it doesn’t feel especially sturdy. If a kid twists too far, too fast, or tries to shove the stick back down by hand, things get annoying. I had one stick that needed a little fiddling because the paint wasn’t advancing smoothly after repeated use. Not a disaster, but not something I’d call premium either.

**Third: the smooth formula is a mixed blessing.**

Yes, it glides nicely. But on cheap paper, especially thin printer paper, it can create slight drag or leave the page wavy if kids go heavy-handed. If you’re using super thin paper, don’t expect pristine results.

**Fourth: the non-paper surfaces are more “fun experiment” than reliable medium.**

On glass and ceramic, the paint applies fine, but it’s not a permanent or especially durable finish. If you’re hoping to make kitchen glass labels or actual reusable ceramic art, this is probably the wrong tool.

And one more practical note: the **metallic and neon colors take up a lot of shelf space in the set’s appeal, but less in actual use**. Kids usually gravitate to the basics and ignore a chunk of the set after the novelty wears off.

The one scenario where this is **not** the right product: if you want **real mixed-media painting, blending, or classroom-style art projects that involve water and brushes**, skip these and buy actual tempera paint. These are convenience tools, not a replacement for real paint.

Would I Recommend It?

Mostly, yes, but with caveats.

If your main goal is to keep kids occupied with less mess and less setup, these are a solid buy. They’re especially good for:

• younger kids who struggle with brushes
• parents who hate paint cups and rinse water
• classrooms or homeschool setups where cleanup matters
• craft projects on paper, cardboard, and poster board

They are less compelling if you’re after artistic flexibility. The color range is fun, but the actual painting experience is still limited compared with tubes or jars of tempera. You don’t get blending in the same way. You don’t get wet-on-wet effects. You don’t get that satisfying “real paint” feel.

If I had to pick between this and **Crayola Paint Sticks**, I’d choose Shuttle Art only if I wanted the bigger color range and didn’t mind a bit less refinement. If I wanted something more polished and predictable, I’d lean Crayola. If I wanted the cheapest route to actual painting, I’d still buy traditional washable tempera and a cheap brush pack.

The value is okay, not spectacular. At **$31.99**, you’re paying for convenience and variety more than artistic quality. That’s fair, but it’s worth being honest about it.

Who should buy / who should skip

**Buy this if:**

you want a low-mess art option for kids, need lots of colors in one set, or are looking for something easy to use on paper and cardboard without dragging out a whole paint station.

**Skip this if:**

you want professional-looking results, true paint blending, durable marks on glass or ceramic, or a product that will hold up to heavy-handed classroom abuse without occasional mechanical annoyance.

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This review contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Updated: August 24, 2026