Colouring with permanent markers

I was doing a little project of adding card labels into my photo albums and was using a new set of permanent markers that I have bought to write, draw and decorate my labels. While using the markers I found something surprising - the ink from the markers actually make it nice to colour things!

The inks evaporates a short while after getting onto the paper so it is easy to blend them and they don't leave streaks behind that shows which section of the colouring is overlapped the most. Most importantly, they will not rub away the surface of the paper if you go over it too much! This is my first time experimenting with coloured permanent markers; previously I have only used water-based markers which do not give good results for colouring - they leave streaks and uneven colour, plus also rub away the paper if you work on it too much.

So in some ways, the permanent markers are able to act like alcohol based markers, they contain alcohol too, which I could smell when I'm using them, though not that strong to give me a headache. If you are sensitive to the fumes from permanent markers, I suggest that you don't work too close to the paper and the marker tips and work in a well ventilated room. Don't work with them for too long too and stay safe!

I used the Bic Marking (Mark.it) permanent markers if you are interested in which markers I used. But any alcohol based permanent markers should work well, and they are much less expensive then craft store alcohol markers such as the Copics and Promarkers. Experiment a bit with what you already have at home!

A new start and new beginning

It's the first ever blog post for this blog! I decided to start one after thinking about it for a while. I guess I want to share more about my crafty journeys and inspirations and ideas with other people. And also crafting within my limits and budget. That means using materials that can be more or less easily found near me (i.e. in my country, Singapore) and something that is more suitable for the culture here. And since I've been thinking about this for a while, I guess the first step to getting anything done is to start. So, here we are!

I'll admit I'm not too much of a blogger. I'm not even much of a computer person. I'm a young person, mind you, but I just don't like the idea of using the computer too much or slaving to my computer. It's just.. so wrong to me. But that's my choice and belief. And off we go!