We have used so many paint pens on rocks and have developed a great understanding about what works. We heavily test many pens and want to share our favourite outcomes.
Please understand that there are other great Paint Pens but we have narrowed it down to the ones that work best on rocks without having too much stress with their use and sealing. We do mention some pens below that are not suitable for use on rocks and we share – WHY
Let’s chat Paint Pens and putting colour on rocks ….
The most important thing to think about when choosing how to decorate your rock is what are you creating ? That will determine what you should use on your rock.
Drop Rock – This is a rock that is hidden outside in the elements and subjected to the elements like rain and sun. A Drop Rock must be sealed for the outdoors, you can find that information HERE
Art Rock – This is a rock you creatively design and it is kept inside AWAY from the elements so you have a lot more choice with choosing supplies that do not last outside.
Acrylic Paint Pens – We all have that collection of pens on our desk. It’s a thing that we grab our favourites for the task at hand , right? Our intuition tells us from practised use which pen you want for the finest line, the blackest finish, the feel or flow on the rock. What about if you are new to pens how do you even know which pen to buy ? Our advice is narrowed down to the three pen brands we use the most to colour on our DROP rocks & Tutorials. You can start with a variety pack of one of these brands easily and then branch out trying new pens if you want further down the line.
To start rock painting try –
Posca Acrylic Paint Pens Click here – Australia USA & other countries
or
Artistro Paint Pens Click here – Australia USA & other countries
or
Tooli-Art Paint Pens Click here – Australia USA & other countries
These pens are all easily cleaned up with water (water based) They are easy to use, seal well and last outdoors, We have 30 day+ tested all these brands (and many others) and know they are great for rock painting.
Are you in Australia? Pop on to one of these sites to get the best deal on pens
ARTMARKERS or POSCART
Click here – USA & other countries
Learn more about Posca – the paint types and how to succesfully use the pens on our POSCA PEN PAGE
Just briefly here are the few pens you need to get started with the Posca Paint Penrange –
For Colours – Get 3m the medium tips and get as many as you can afford, skip black and white – just grab the colours you like
For Outlines and highlights – Get 1mr or 1m they are extra fineliners and 0.7m in size.
Artistro are great on dark & light rocks and also have metalic & glitter ranges.
Learn more about Artistro – the paint types and how to succesfully use the pens on our ARTISTRO PEN PAGE
To get started using Artistro the have two packs that would be suitable. It is the 0.7m in size and they are available in
12 pack –Click here – Australia
USA & other countries
30 Pack –Click here – Australia
USA & other countries
Both pack have a great colour range the 30 pack just expanding on the 12 pack and both boxes include a black and white pen.
Tooli – Art have an extensive colour range over the other pens. If colour excites you check this range out the paint types and how to successfully use the pens on our TOOLI-ART PEN PAGE
To get started using Tooli-Art the have two packs that would be suitable. It is the 0.7m in size and they are available in
18 pack – Click here – Australia
USA & other countries
30 Pack – Click here – Australia
USA & other countries
Both pack have a great colour range the 30 pack just expanding on the 18 pack and both boxes include a black and white pen.
Ohhh but you found some pens that are cheaper right ? I could say they will cost you more in the end…. as you flick from pen to pen buying more trying to find one that works easy. You do not want to use pens that FADE in the light or BLEED when you seal them.
It is important to understand the difference between PIGMENT & DYE based pens.
Pigment based ink is finely ground particles of colour suspended in liquid medium to create colour. Dye based inks fully dissolve in their liquid medium. Pigment inks are made up of larger molecules which makes it harder for the sunlight to penetrate. This makes them very FADE resistant/ UV stable. Pigment ink ‘sticks’ to the surface and then settles in allowing it to resist water. Dye inks are fully dissolved in their medium and do not have these qualities.
Sharpies – you can get a pack of colours for half the price of paint pens. Can’t go past the price right ? Ask yourself this – If you spent hours creating rocks to share in your community knowing they would fade and your image would disappear – would you continue to use them?
Sharpies fade in the light, sometimes as quickly as a week. They are great quality pens, for other art – but not decorating rocks – Alcohol Based –
Water Based – Brush Markers – another dye based ink. There are so many colour choices for great prices and I am going to say it again – They BLEED when sealed and FADE in the light. Many people grab these pens as they have dual tips and seem very economical. They are not capable of leaving images on darker rocks. Yes you can paint out the rock in white and the pens then work…. then they bleed when sealed and fade in the sun – These pens are so great in Colour-in books and journals for which they were created for.
Our Supplies page is HERE to read up on everything you need to paint Rocks.
Learn heaps of different techniques on how to paint rocks – Right HERE
We are adding new tutorials all the time CLICK HERE for heaps of new ideas
