"Sharpie pens for shield painting?" Topic

Has anyone used ultra-fine point sharpie pens for shield painting?

Years ago, I tried Magic Markers, but found that they bled over time and looked like a mess.

I am painting some Boxer Rebellion tigermen, like in the Osprey book, with the "smiley face" on the shield.
I have tried a few with the Sharpie pen, but so far they have not bled. If I varnish them with the usual Minwax, will they then bleed?
I KNOW I can just experiment and try it myself, but I am just wondering if anyone has experience in this.

I haven't done the minwax over the top. But I use sharpies to paint the reigns on my cav. Hasn't ran or anything when dry. I do dullcoat over the top though.

I think I've been there, tried that, and it worked… but maybe it was all a dream sequence.

Yes and they work. After lunch I'll dig up the mini I used this method on and post a pic for you.

I've tried it and was not too happy with the results. Most of the colors are too translucent and the background color shows through. Maybe if you used a white background.

However, black Sharpie is your friend. I've drawn the outline of a shape or symbol on a shield and then colored it in with paint. The silver Sharpies work well to quickly put a silver metallic color on something like a sword. The silver ink is opaque.

I use Future floor wax on my figures and have not had a problem the marker ink running, but suspect if you use the organic solvent version of Minwax, it would.

I use the scrap book micro pens in .05 and .005 black. They work well. They also come in other colors. You can find them at Michael's

Matthew

Micron. That's the brand you want. They do black in many sizes (I use 'em for eyes) as well as blue, red, brown and green. Those are the ones I have used.

Get 'em from Michael's, AC Moore etc. About $3 USD each.

Other brands have bled after varnishing.

Howard is exactly right: Micron. Works well.

Ditto on Micron.

A recent quickie effort using Sharpie ultra fine pens. I can be a lot more precise/controlled but lacked the patience this time. I think the mass effect is adequate….

Yes, Micron 005 is great link . Used it for striping Highland tartan. Don't forget to use the 50% off coupon link too

Ditto on Mexican Jack Squint.
Works the best.
I have found that sharpies will bleed all over when you seal. Its the solvent in the sealer that screws up the Sharpie ink.

Micron, eh? Thanks.

I've had Sharpies run on me when varnished.

Micron Art .005 are great -- archival ink that doesn't run. Variety of colours.

Also Faber Castell india ink XS. Black only.

As promised. My painting is not at the same level as yours but I am practicing.

Shield work with a black sharpie.

I liked the lines that the Sharpie did, until I sprayed the Celts with Dull Coat. The ink ran. I had to redo a lot of shields and striped pants. I think I let the Sharpies dry at least 24 hours, but i could be mistaken. I'd like to find an effective way to seal the ink though.

Mike

I used them to put tatoos on my Celts and they worked fine.

I've used paint pens and the ink bled.

I think the trick is to let them dry for a minimum of 24 hours to several days.

Then, when applying the first coat of spray sealant, do so very lightly and let dry.

If you don't do the latter, the solvents in the spray will make the ink run.

These are Tigermen I painted some years ago. I outlined the face with a .05 Micron pen then painted. Min waxed, over then dull coat.

Curious regarding those that get running ink when coating figs--are you using spray coats or painting them on with brush?

Rob

I've used Faber-Castell Pitt artist's pens with some success.

I used a spray sealant.

Microns give a much sharper line than even the Sharpie ultra fine point. They're also less temperamental. I put sandal straps on 100 VC/NVA with a micron. I tried the Sharpie, but the ink wouldn't stay put as well as with a Micron and the larger point size of the Sharpie caused the line to skip and jitter more than the smaller line produced by the Micron. The Micron's brown and black are much deeper than the Sharpie's as well. Also, in my experience Sharpie ink put over paint tends to dry with a metallic sheen that's very noticeable. I haven't tried painting over Micron ink, but I've had a lot of trouble painting over Sharpie ink -- the ink tends to rise up through the paint and makes wierd colors.