Paint Pen Project #1

Sept. 17th update-this project has been featured at the Power of Paint Party over at Domestically Speaking. Thanks, Maryann!




Since my cancer treatments ended I have been s-l-o-w-l-y getting my creative mojo back. I found I could not yet do fine detail with a paint brush, so when my son's sweet wife asked for a personalized plate for her kitchen I knew it would be a challenge.

Luckily, I found and tried the new generation of paint pens and boy, howdy, I think I'm hooked!

Here is how the plate turned out and I am MORE than pleased with the finished project.


I used a beautiful burnished wooden charger which won't break if dropped. It was a Goodwill find, of course! I just LOVE the black design on the rich wood grain. LOVE IT.

(Note to self-Go back to GW for the rest of those chargers, pronto!)

Paint pens have a notoriously bad rap and the old ones were hard to use....gloppy, prone to over saturation and hard to control. Anyone else remember tapping the moveable tip to try and get just a little paint and getting a whole puddle? Horrible. Also, they stunk something awful. This new generation gives you great control and wonderful coverage and they don't smell so bad.

I started out with a penciled design but soon branched off to extra curlicues and lots of dots. Lots. Crisp and clean and easy. I am hooked. The paint is thin enough for fine lines and dries very quickly.

Now I'm wondering how they will do on other surfaces, like paper, canvas and even fabric. They come in dozens of colors. I would be so jazzed if I could make my own fabric with song lyrics written in longhand. Designer fabric with script is expensive, plus it is not very personal.

Aargh, out of focus shot! The pen I used is by DecoColor though I am sure there are other new and improved paint pens out there. I grabbed this one when I went to buy a new liner paint brush and I'm glad I did.

I won't be giving up my paintbrushes for big projects, but I'm thinking this new generation of paint pens might be perfect for fine detail on those same designs. Have some ragged edges on that painted or stenciled project? These paint pens might be just the ticket to clean em up and save what could be a creative disaster.

I wonder if the ceramic paint pens have improved a bit? I can think of lots of projects on glass, ceramic and tile. Ceramic paint makes the project washable. My mind is clicking with ideas now. I'll update you on what else I find out.

I'll slowly be getting back up to speed and posting on the parties in my sidebar. Come on by and see what interesting projects are being posted, you never know what will spark your own imagination!