Painting with Sharpies

My first art experiments this year were inspired by a few videos I saw on YouTube. (Thank you, Algorithm, for tempting me).

Using Sharpie permanent markers, draw a design on a background of choice, then distort the design with rubbing alcohol. The result is a tie-dye effect.

I gathered my tools, all of which were in my stash, er, retirement supply stores:

Clean white 4" tile

Sharpie markers in a variety of colors

Cotton swabs

Rubbing alcohol

Using scribbled lines, I created my design. Up to this point, I was happy with my process.

Next, using a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol, I placed droplets in the white spaces between the scribbles to allow the Sharpie to bleed. I was rather pleased with the results. 

So I grabbed the can of spray adhesive I had on hand and gave it a light coating.

and immediately moaned (or cussed. I'm not sure which). Apparently this spray has an alcohol base. My design immediately bled more than I'd intended. 

I tried using more Sharpie and alcohol dabs to fix it. No go. 

So I next tried coating the "revised" painting with Gloss Mod Podge applied with a disposable foam brush.

This time I'm positive I cussed.

The foam brush scratched the image, leaving this:

Ugh! I thought I was done with this experiment. I threw the tile away and went downstairs to calm down with a jigsaw puzzle (Hint, hint: more puzzles to come).

But the next day I thought I'd try something else. I have some canvas-covered boards on hand. So while waiting for a video call to start, I scribbled a similar design on the canvas with Sharpies. I used the same colors I'd used on the tile.

Then, instead of dabbing the painting with cotton swabs, I used an eye dropper to let the alcohol drip onto the canvas without the dropper tip touching the canvas. That worked well.

After the painting dried, I touched up the heart a bit and added a few more drops of alcohol. This way the heart shape is very distinct with the bleeding happening behind the shape.

I tucked my completed Sharpie painting into a frame I had on hand.

I don't know that I'll keep this version, either. But it was fun to try both surfaces to see how the Sharpie and alcohol reacted. I like the look of the tile better, but the colors are fragile on that slick surface. The canvas version, even without a sealant, feels like it will last longer.

Later I did a bit of research and learned that Dupli-Color Acrylic Enamel Sealant might be a better coating to use on the tile because it won't distort the finished painting. One could also experiment with the original formulation of Mod Podge. It's supposed to work well, too. But I don't recommend applying it with a foam brush. I'd use a soft paintbrush that I won't mind throwing away afterwards. Mod Podge is a glue. It's really hard to clean out of brushes.

I'm not going to try again right now. I don't feel like spending $15 on a sealant I won't use often.

Here's one of the videos I watched to learn the process: