Paint markers are astonishingly versatile. They are great for having a painted look without using any paintbrush and other materials. Few easy techniques can make you an expert, even as a newbie. I’ll briefly describe these techniques, so you don’t struggle to paint with your marker pen strokes.
Acrylic Paint Pens and Markers: What Can You Use Them For?
There are lots of neat tools to add to your acrylic painting supplies list but one I have been wanting to get for some time now are acrylic paint pens. The artist John Beckly on YouTube uses them a lot in his abstract paintings which is just one of many things I would like to try with them myself. There are a whole lot of cool ways to use acrylic paint pens. When used for acrylic painting, acrylic paint pens can help with adding highlights, lines, fine details, and text to paintings. They are great for use in abstract art, pop art, and graphic design art projects too! They can be used not only on canvas but also on wood, glass, ceramics, furniture, metal, paper, foam board, rocks, and even vinyl too! I had no idea what a great tool I was missing in my collection of art supplies! They even have qualities that withstand the weather and exposure to the sun! With so many ways to use them and so many options to choose from it can be tough to know where to start. Before we do a deeper dive into all of the available paint markers out there let’s have a detailed discussion on the many surfaces you can use them on and what all we can use them for! I have a feeling by the time I’m done writing this page I will be ready to load up on a bunch of these paint pens myself!
Paint Marker Techniques for Canvas Painting
There are plenty of great ways to use acrylic paint pens in your canvas works. Used by painters of all kinds, the variety of tip sizes and shapes of those tips gives one a multitude of ways to add awesome details to their paintings. Details that you can’t really get with a traditional brush. You can use them to add abstract details to your paintings like many abstract artists on YouTube like John Beckly, Ray Grimes, and Oliver Maass. In making the painting above I used them to create a variety of straight lines with a ruler. All of these artists you can see using paint markers on occasion to add abstract details to their works. They mostly use them in the final stages of their work. Other artists will create the entire canvas painting using only their paint pens. Creating these eye popping illustrations and pop art style type of paintings becomes a breeze with tools like these! If you want to see how I used them to make the painting featured above check out the video below and then go subscribe to my YouTube channel here to stay up to date with all my new videos!
Some wood products you may want to work on will come pre-primed and ready to go. Others may not require primer at all because the marker is designed for use on a variety of surfaces. In fact, many paint pens are designed with this use in mind. A product like Chroma Mural Paint Markers is designed for indoor/outdoor use. This particular brand has a huge tip and is clearly meant more for mural makers and painting on walls. Most of these brands actually offer a variety of tip sizes too. So if you need markers with a large fat tip or a more fine pointed tip you will be able to find something to suit your needs. 
Another brand you may be interested in trying for painting on wood is Elmer’s Painters Paint Markers. When it lists out wood as one of the things it can be used on I would think that means it’s ready to go without the need to prime the wood. 
I’m sure if you wanted to prep and prime your wood panels or other wood surfaces you may want to paint on then it would improve the quality of the results you get. Especially if you’re ultimate goal is to sell your finished work you may want to take the extra steps to ensure higher results. That said, sometimes you just want to doodle or make something. I also am quite skeptical on the quality of the Elmer’s brand. Perhaps that is my own personal biases coming into play though as when I think of Elmer’s products they don’t strike me as products made for professionals seeking to sell their finished results.
I of course could be wrong about this perspective.
Rock Painting With Acrylic Paint Pens
Getting into rock painting is super easy once you have a bunch of acrylic paint pens on hand. It seems like a fun idea to me to just carry paint pens with you everywhere and leave neat little artworks on rocks for people to find. If this excites you too then you would be interested in something like the Ironlak Pump Action Paint Markers. They pretty much boast to be usable on everything! When looking for acrylic paint pens for rock painting there are a few key things in the description of the product you want to look for. You want the product to say it’s opaque, permanent, and lightfast. Semi-opaque pens will require multiple layers and when the pen has lightfast qualities that means that the paint is not prone to discolor when exposed to light. The Ironlak Paint Marker has all of those qualities plus an additional resin creates a film to protect your work from the elements. Sounds pretty great for rock painting to me! I will need to grab a set of these markers to try them out and see if we can make a good rock painting without prepping the surface of the rock with gesso.
Some rocks are quite porous and most of them really need to be sealed before we start putting artwork on them. So to be able to create a decent picture with just paint markers and no gesso will definitely take a set of paint pens that has qualities like those listed in the Ironlak Paint Markers.
Related Articles:
- What Can You Use Acrylic Paint On? 13 Surfaces To Paint On!
- Abstract Acrylic Painting Techniques: Tools & Techniques For Beginners
- 6 Acrylic Paint Sets With Brushes (Paint Sets To Get You Started!)
- Wood For Acrylic Painting: The Products You’re Looking For
- Canvas for Acrylic Painting: The Beginners Quick Reference Guide
Glass
First up, the pens work amazingly on glass! Make sure to go slow and .
[Credit: @jenns_crea on Instagram]
Shoes
This is a new one to us, but you can even use them on shoes. Yes SHOES!
[Credit: @valovanity on Instagram]
And shoes of all different fabrics!
[Credit: @chouchoumai on Instagram]
Plant Pots And Household Items
Want to brighten up your decor? You can personalise them with any design of your choosing!
[Credit: @itsalexik on Instagram]
Here’s a lamp that’s been decorated with the acrylographs:
[Credit: @shedesignskc on Instagram]
And some gorgeous dishes:
[Credit: @happy_skull_planner on Instagram]
FAQs
What can you draw on with paint markers?
Paint markers are undoubtedly great for drawing on various surfaces such as paper, metal, stone, rubber, plastics, glass, ceramics, and so on. It is used to write or draw something permanently.
There are various applications of paint markers. These include sign designs on photographs or scrapbooking, rocks, and ceramic paintings. It is also used for drawing lettering and arts and crafts. Even professional artists use this marker for various purposes in their drawings.
What kind of markers does Moriah Elizabeth use?
Moriah Elizabeth is an American YouTuber known for publishing her soft and squishy toy videos and DIY craft vlogs on her own YouTube channel. She is famous for her highly creative works of arts and crafts worldwide.
She generally uses paint markers for many of their arts and crafts YouTube videos.
Paint markers can be from different brands, but she uses these markers because paint markers are budget-friendly, and their performance is awe-inspiring.
That’s why Moriah Elizabeth usually uses paint markers in her works.
Can you paint a squishy with acrylic paint markers?
Yes, it is possible to paint a squishy with an acrylic paint marker. Squishes are extremely popular all over the world. And it has several different designs and bright colors available.
Acrylic paint marker dries quickly and applies smoothly to the surfaces. That’s why it is straightforward to paint squishes with acrylic paint.
But you have to follow the right ways to increase the adhesion of the paint and prevent cracking. If you can complete this process by following all the required steps correctly, you will surely get the best outcome.
What kind of paper is suitable for paint markers?
Paper is one of the most excellent surfaces for using paint markers. But all papers are not suitable for paint markers.
The thin, smooth, and coated paper papers are the best for paint markers. These papers are ideal for sketches, illustrative fashion, and automotive design work.
GSM also plays a vital role in choosing the paper. GSM means gram per square meter or the weight of the 1-meter length of the paper. Usually, you have to maintain the GSM of the paper around 80 to 250 GSM.
So, if you find a paper following these requirements, that paper will be good for paint markers.
Final Words
So far, we have covered every small thing you need to know about paint markers. You can now instruct any of your friends about using paint markers.
Instructions and preconditions are discussed. Now it’s time to implement them in real life. Our goals will be fulfilled once you successfully make the best use of our tips.
So, let’s get on to it!
- Make the Best Uses of Dual Tip Markers
- Alcohol vs Water Based Markers
- How to Color with Markers Without Streaks
Hi there! I’m Eva, artist, designer, photographer and mom of three little gentlemen altogether. When I’m not playing with my kids, you’ll find me researching and writing for ChooseMarker.
Recent Posts
When it comes to Halloween, there are some classic creatures that always make an appearance. Ghouls, ghosts and witches are all common sights during the spooky season, and often show up in people’s.
If you are looking for an ancient iconic character for your next Halloween project, the mummy is a perfect choice. This character is wrapped with both mystery and history. That’s why it can be your.
ABOUT US
We’re here very passionate to do drawing. We all are professional and we know more than most of them. Here, we do honest reviews to choose the best art supplies and provide tips to become a great artist. Stay on, Have fun!
ChooseMarker.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
