Lesson 5...it's in the details...

The never-ending question seems to be "What do you paint with?" or "What did you use to create that look?" And I kept asking and kept asking until I got answers that worked for me.  This would be thanks to several knowledgeable and generous-with-that-knowledge people.  I find myself wishing I had a "tag" button so I could tag people as I write, like on FaceBook.  It's got me a bit spoiled.

These are not in any particular order....

1.  Posca pens:  These are the bomb diggity of coloring with paint and still having control.  They flow, the nib does not stop up or quit writing...they really are just completely awesome.  They even come in fine tip, and larger tips.  Here is the Posca website:  http://www.posca.com/uk   For some reason, I can't make the link work by clicking; it acts like it is broken, but if you will copy and paste, it should work.  It did for me.  These are a *must* for any kind of painting, in my books.  Here are a couple examples of things I've made with my Posca pens:

 The lettering above was done with my medium Posca in light blue, and if you can zoom up, you can see the the highlighting done on these letters in white was done by my fine point one.  The surface is canvas, and they worked like a charm.

Mr. Fishy was done with Posca for the red, and the thicker lines, while the fine-tuning in white and black were done with Elmer's paint pens, which you can purchase at Wal Mart in varying sizes for a whopping buck .97.  Run.  Get one of every kind.  You won't be disappointed.  They look like this:

http://www.elmers.com/products/paint-pens-and-other-supplies?filters=paint-markers

Here is another example with the Elmer's paint pens:

I know I've used this rock as an example before, but this shows the writing with the paint pen really well, so I'm using it again.  Also, I use my Elmers markers to write on the backs of my rocks.  Don't forget to clearcoat that part, too, so you can see just how far your rock travels.

Again, not sure why the links aren't working, but copy and paste.  These come individually at Wal Mart, or I see you can buy them in sets now.  (Mr. Rock might not care for that new knowledge...then again, getting them all at once will save him from the paint marker area, so he may be glad.)  LOL

Another item that you can use to decorate rocks is gel pens.  For real!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M0F4U2S/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is the set I purchased.  They work great...my warning is LET THEM DRY WELL!!!  When you *think* they are dry, let them dry LONGER.

Here are two that I did with them:

 The example of why you should let them dry-a lot- right up there ^^^^^.  (I wrote "embrace imperfection" on the back and we hid it anyways.)

The light pink I used for lettering on this one is the Posca pen, but all the rest of the pink and green are done with the gel pens.

Last but not least, THIS.

The orange of the lettering is Posca, and the white is gel.  Third time's a charm. :)  After letting this dry for an eternity, I lightly misted with clear spray.  Very lightly misted.  I repeated this process probably 6 0r 8 times until I felt certain the rock was covered well.

Last on the list for today is Sharpie OIL paint pens.  They look like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Sharpie-Paint-Marker-Point-Based/dp/B005QEZ9YW/ref=sr_1_3?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1499099998&sr=1-3&keywords=sharpie+oil+base

And they tend to have a bit more brilliant color to them, like this:

While they are "OK" and some claim them to be their favorite, and you could, too, I don't like the way they glide? move across? paint? on the rock.  It's not as smooth a motion as the Poscas.  And the paint doesn't flow as easily.  But I do own every color, and I do use them.  They are just not the first thing I reach for.

Throughout posting, as I try out new items, I'll be posting my thoughts on them here.  If anyone has something they want to try, or have seen, I'm always up for a challenge.  On my list is my Prisma Color pencils, chalk markers, crayons, oil pastels, metalic markers, and there are a few more items up my sleeve.  :)

Thanks for staying with me to the end, if you made it this far!  :)