The month of April is over and, as they say, those springtime showers have started to bring us flowers!!
Flowers are such a widely used element in MANY forms of art. Some artistic styles and even colors were created because of an artist’s joy in drawing & painting floral scenes.
So we have another fun contest for you as we celebrate flowers through the month of May!!
Just send us a photo of your flower artwork and tell us which markers you used to make it. It can be a finished flowery page from a coloring book, something that’s bloomed in your own sketchbook from markers or pencils, watercolor-style botanicals, floral fabric art, or even a decorated flower pot!
You can post it to one of our social media pages, or email a photo to us! And for the best part- every entry gets a free marker gift AND gets entered to win a grand marker prize!!
To be eligible for the prizes: Make sure we receive your email address and your mailing address along with your artwork. If you post your art photo on our social media, send us a separate email with your info so it can be kept private. At the end of May, all entries will be mailed a fun free marker gift! Also at that time, one entry will be chosen from a random drawing to win a super awesome grand marker prize!
Artwork copyright note: Marker Supply won’t use your artwork for any purpose without your permission. However, we love seeing our markers in action and sharing how awesome they look, so we may contact you to see if you’d be ok with us posting your art to our website, newsletter, etc.
We are excited to see what kind of garden your markers will grow!!
Happy Spring,
~The Marker Supply Team
Instagram #MarkerSupply
Twitter @MarkerSupply
Happy Spring everyone! This beautiful time of year has plenty of holidays where more marker-made crafts can be fun to give AND to make! Here are a few of the projects happening at Markerland this week:
TIE-DYE FLOWERS!
Another version of the up-and-coming art of Sharpie Tie-Dye! Growing in its popularity among fabric crafts, this neat effect using regular Sharpie markers and rubbing alcohol can turn old fabric flowers into a colorful new bouquet!
The next time white flowers are all you can find- try this!
Take 2 or 3 sharpies of complementary colors. Scribble around a little on each flower petal. A little ink will go a long way, so you don’t have to color in all the white space.
Then using a dropper or spray bottle, apply some rubbing alcohol to the colored petals. Watch the ink begin to immediately spread around! The full effect will happen within a few minutes. It helps when the flowers can detach from the stems for coloring. Either way, paper towels are great to have on hand for controlling any drips!
TIP: Use 91% alcohol, as opposed to a lower percentage. See the difference in using each type for Sharpie blending:
Experiment with different color schemes.. Try warm colors, cool colors, or a blend of a little dark with some light. See what awesome designs you can create!
This simple process can turn your old, plain flowers into new works of art!!
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GIFT BASKETS!
Grab some old baskets and give them a new splash of color! As always, thrift stores and yard sales are excellent places to pick up cheap, plain-colored baskets that are perfect to use!
Make repetitive patterns, go crazy with your favorite colors, or add in some little details!
Use markers with a chisel tip or brush tip to get color along straight lines and edges.
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PAINTED EGGS!
A fun tradition for many! This year instead of using messy dyes, try markers! You can have more control over your designs, and the artwork style possibilities are so much greater!
You can use plastic eggs or real eggs- either hard boil them or, to save the egg inside, use an egg blowing technique (poking a small hole in each end of the egg with a pin, nail, etc. and blowing the contents into a bowl) or for a quicker way- gently tap one end of a raw egg on a hard surface so it starts to crack. Carefully peel away some shell pieces- just enough to shake out the egg into a bowl to be used separately for something delicious! Rinse out the shell with water and let dry. Then they will be empty but are only missing a small part of the end (which can be useful for helping them stand up!) ..and then they are ready to decorate any way you like!
TIP: When doing these crafts with young kids, use caution with the types of markers you use. Paint markers can do some nice work, but are often oil-based or contain harmful ingredients like Xylene. Make sure to have water-based, Xylene-free markers on hand when crafting with the kiddos.
These super simple and inexpensive crafts are great pastimes for people of all ages! And the finished products make fun decorations for springtime holidays!
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Some recommended markers for Springtime (or anytime!) crafts:
* Zig Fabricolor Fine Tip– These markers aren’t just for fabrics!! They come in a nice range of basic, opaque colors that look great on many surfaces! The light-colored Gold especially stuck out for us in these crafts.
* Sharpie Markers– These come in fine, extra/ultra fine, and chisel tips that are great for crafting! The look Sharpie ink had on our decorated baskets was velvety and awesome! Also use for a variety of rubbing alcohol blending projects. Try the multipack with 16 colors!!
* Sakura Identipen– A handy little permanent marking pen for basic black lettering and designs. (Although it’s also available in different colors..) Has a fine tip on one end, and an extra fine tip on the other!
* Zig Woodcraft and Marvy Decocolor Acrylic Paint Markers- nice water-based, chisel tip choices for adding color to your crafts!
* Marvy Bistro Chalk Markers– Looking for good fluorescent colors that pop? Best for use on non-porous surfaces, the fluorescent Bistro markers are nice and bright!!
*Zig Chalk Pastel Markers- ‘Tis the season for pastels! These dual tip markers are available in a fine/bullet tip (Writer) or fine/chisel tip (Calligraphy). These nice pastel colors are great for drawing/lettering on cards and paper crafts!
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Have any neat marker project ideas you’d like to share? Visit/Tag us on Facebook (Marker Supply), Twitter (@MarkerSupply), Instagram (#MarkerSupply), or Pinterest (MarkerSupply)!
