Acrylic paint markers are a wonderful tool to create artwork. I have been using the Posca paint pens for over 25 years and have developed my entire art style around these markers. Acrylic paint pens can be used on many surfaces and come in a variety of colors and brands. In this post I will share with you my top 10 tips and tricks for using Posca paint pens, my acrylic paint marker of choice, due to their opacity and their range of colors.
Tip# 1 SHAKE UP YOUR PAINT PENS FIRST
This may seem like a pretty redundant tip but so many problems can be avoided when the paint inside the marker is mixed correctly. You’ll get less spills (too much paint out of the tip), you’ll get more life out of the paint markers. There is so many benefits you’ll get from just making sure your paint in your pen is all mixed together properly. I generally shake a new pen for 1 min before opening and starting the paint. Once a paint pen has been started I will shake the pen for at least 5 seconds before each use.
Tip# 2 STARTING YOUR PAINT PENS
Your Paint marker does not come ready to use, you will have to get the paint inside the marker to flow down into the pen tip in order to use it. So make sure your pen is shaken up (tip1) then you can begin this process. Press firmly down on your paint pen and you will notice the tip of the pen receding back into the pen. This is allowing your tip to accept paint into it. There is usually about 1/8” that the tip will recede. I don’t recommend pressing the tip all the way in till it bottoms out. This may result in too much paint coming out at once or dulling your pen tip. If you do bottom out your tip don’t stress, it should be fine, just try to avoid pressing the pen tip down so far. This may take 20-40 presses to get the paint fully flowing in the tip. You will see the paint start to fill your pen tip as you do this. The pen tip does not have to be fully filled with paint to start working. As soon as the pen can start drawing its good to go. The entire tip will get filled shortly.
Tip #3 STORE YOUR PAINT PENS HORIZONTALLY
The best way to store your paint markers is to store them horizontally. Storing your pens vertically will pool the paint to the bottom, paint can dry and get crackly in the corner of the pen tube. Storing your pens horizontally will increase the lifespan of you pens significantly. It will also make it easier to get your pen started again if you haven’t used it in a while.
Tip #4 PUT THE CAP ON TILL YOU HEAR A CLICK
This seems like a tip for a child but I cant tell you how many pens I have lost over the years just from not getting the cap on correctly. If the cap doesn’t click you’re not done with it. Some pens might not get an audible click but thats ok. Do your best to make sure the paint marker pen cap is on correctly.
Tip #5 HOW TO FIX PAINT PEN OVERFLOWS AND SPILLS
Some times you may be drawing on an art piece and you’ll get a “spill” or “overflow” where too much paint seems to come out of the paint pen. This can happen for a few reasons: pushing too hard down on the tip of the pen, paint pen is too hot, paint pen may not be shaken up enough. So if your paint pen does a spill, the best trick I have learned is to stop drawing, get a paper towel or toilet paper, and use the thin edge to pull the paint away from your art piece. Don’t try to blotch out the paint until you’ve sucked up most of it into the paper towel. The paint marker paint can spread easily so you want to get the majority or all the paint sucked off your piece before you start to blotch out the rest. Doing this correctly you will see the paint suck up into the paper towel and away from you art. You will have to do this a few times until most the paint is removed. Don’t get frustrated when this happens. It happens to everyone. Just make sure to get as much paint off your piece and try not to spread it around and make it worse.
Tip #6 DON’T SMEAR YOUR ARTWORK
If your right handed, work left to right and away to near. If you're left handed work right to left and away to near. The paint in these paint pens does take a little time to dry even out here in the hot Maui weather. Working on your piece you need to be consciences that you're not dragging your arm through your artwork and ruining it. You can rotate your artwork or object to make sure your drawing arm doesn’t smear you paint, but just make sure you are paying attention. Still to this day I will sometimes smear a little. It's not often but it does happen. Pay attention and don’t get disappointed when it does happen.
Tip #7 MAKE SURE YOUR DRAWING SURFACE IS CLEAN
Weather you’re drawing on glass, a surfboard or object, make sure the area is clean. Acrylic paint markers need a good clean surface to adhere too. If the area isn’t clean you’re not going to get a good bond between the paint and the object.
Tip #8 REMOVING OR REPLACING YOUR PEN TIP
If you get something in your pen tip, it wears out, or the paint dries a little in the tip, you can replace it with a new tip. To remove your old tip just use two fingers and pull the tip straight up and out while the pen is vertical. Do not tip the pen when the tip is out. The paint shouldn’t come out of the top while the pen tip is out but its best to be safe and keep the pen vertical. You can replace your pen tip with a new tip from a new pen, or from a pen of the same color. If you do not have either of those options you can use another color pen tip but it may take a fair bit of paint to completely saturate the old color in the tip.
Tip #9 REMOVING YOUR PEN’S HEAD
Removing the head of the pen to mix colors, refill or check paint levels in your paint markers.
If you need to remove the head of the Paint marker on a Posca paint pen you will do opposite to what you’re used to. Posca Paint markers heads can be removed by twisting clockwise and tightened counter clockwise. Righty loosey - Lefty tighty. The head of the Posca paint marker is the colored part and the tube is the black part. Hold firmly on the head and tube and twist. Sometimes these ca not be loosened with just a tight grip and may need to use vise grips or pliers.
Tip #10 CLEANING YOU PEN TIP
Sometimes softer paper can get pulled up into the pen tip and you might see little clumps of paper in the tip. You may also notice your pen tip clogging if your using a pen over an area which you have already worked on. Earthier way you will need to get the debris off your pen tip. For me, and it may not be the best idea, I usually just use the back of my opposite drawing hand to wipe the pen tip off of. A little spin of the pen while pulling away from the tip can relieve your paint marker’s tip from any unwanted debris that is messing up your line work.
If you have any questions please leave a comment below and I will get back to you as quickly as possible.
Here is a video I made for my YouTube channel where you can see in a little more detail these tips for Posca paint pen use.
Check out all my artwork using acrylic paint markers on my website at www.welzie-art.com
Follow me on Instagram @welzie_art
Sign up for my newsletter here.
Visit my Art Gallery at the Andaz Resort in Wailea Maui where you can take an art class and use the same process I use in all my artwork.
No comments:
Post a Comment