Ridiculously Easy Light on Dark Method

[chromesphere]

Posted this on my facebook page.  Has to be the easiest Light on Dark method I have found to date (next to sticker letters probably).

Drawing with posca paint pens!  At some point, going to do a short video with some visual demonstrations of how they draw on enclosures and what you can do with them but here's a short break down of what I have found so far, as far as benefits / drawbacks:

Benefits:
- Light on Dark option (big plus in my books as easy light on dark methods are few and fair between)
- Erasable (water based paint can be rubbed off with your finger or a wet cloth)
- Colors can blend while still wet (see the photo below of the Arcadiator, the little sun/web doodle next to the stompswitch)
- Limited only by creative ability (could be a drawback if your no good at drawing )
- Creative outlet (One thing I personally admire about midwayfairs pedals and others that paint/draw)
- Paint / draw over the top of already dried paint  for easy touch ups

Drawbacks
- Price, pens are around $5 each in Australia.  But...they will last MANY pedals.  For pedals you really only need 1 size, the larger sizes aren't really necessary, unless you plan on covering a large area in a solid color.  Might be worthwhile to get a larger size as well in that case.
- not durable, you have to clear coat over, but we are all used to that anyway.

Anyone else tried it?  If you have a bunch of dark enclosures and not sure what to do with them, get a white posca (I think the best size is 1.3mm from memory) and start drawing! 

Also you can use a black sharpie, or as I have used here, 1mm artline, to highlight areas as well, but a posca works better (see black lines in the photo of the Egyptian eye for what I mean by 'high lights')

The pharoh (rullywow King Tut) still needs ET (epoxy coat), arcadiator is done.

What do you think?

[peAk]

Dammit Paul,

You got me excited, then reality kicked in.

These are great.....IF YOU ARE AN ARTIST.

for everyone else, not so much.

[chromesphere]

Hahaha, artist...Seriously Justin, I have the art ability of a 2 year old, that's why I like posca's.  Give me a paintbrush and ill draw you a stick figure.  All you have to do is write neatly for the words.  For the eye, I googled pictures and just roughly copied. 

This guys an artist :|

[Lubdar]

That does look like a cool approach!

[wgc]

These look fantastic!  Thanks for sharing.  Might give it a try if I get brave.

[chromesphere]

OK, we're learnin!  Dont use artline / sharpies if you are going to clearcoat with epoxy
Or maybe, you could say, USE artline / sharpies.  Looks like an electric effect!

[Willybomb]

Oh, that is heartbreaking.

[midwayfair]

[Bret608]

Thanks for sharing! I could get my daughters to do the art for me. I thought of myself as okay at drawing when I was a kid but the things they do consistently blow me away.

[billstein]

OK, we're learnin!  Dont use artline / sharpies if you are going to clearcoat with epoxy
Or maybe, you could say, USE artline / sharpies.  Looks like an electric effect!

I wonder if you could have sprayed on a few light coats of clear first. After letting the art dry for a few days. Then trying the epoxy.

[davent]

OK, we're learnin!  Dont use artline / sharpies if you are going to clearcoat with epoxy
Or maybe, you could say, USE artline / sharpies.  Looks like an electric effect!

I wonder if you could have sprayed on a few light coats of clear first. After letting the art dry for a few days. Then trying the epoxy.

+1 on clearcoating, a light, sprayed on isolation coat to protect the art from the epoxy, something that does't flow upon application.

Also i find Sharpies aren't truly black but a deep blue. Some of the Japanese and German permanent markers give you a much better black and are available in a very wide range of tip sizes. I like the the Microns and Staedlers.

Any idea on the 'light fastness' of the Poscas?
dave

[alanp]

As is probably infamous here by now, I like to use India Ink. I clearcoat it with clear nail polish (dries rock hard, doesn't come off easily (or at all), and you can get it at the pharmacy).

The only catch is that you have to brush the nailpolish on FAST -- after less than a second, the ink becomes liquid again underneath it, and will smudge if you touch the area. Speed is king.

[wgc]

OK, we're learnin!  Dont use artline / sharpies if you are going to clearcoat with epoxy
Or maybe, you could say, USE artline / sharpies.  Looks like an electric effect!

Bummer, right in the nuts.
I also found out the hard way that sharpies are soluable in alcohol, so look for a clear that doesn't include alcohol base solvents. Easier said than done. Probably easier to use a different black ink (or dark blue/brown per davent).

The good news is now you know that you can fix misspelled words on dvdr with a little isopropyl

[chromesphere]

It turned ok, the eye looks kind of funky.  I wouldn't use it again though and just use a black posca instead.

[wgc]

Yah I dig it