Introduction: How to Make Marker and Rubbing Alcohol Art on a Canvas
Have you ever attempted to make a pretty and perfect watercolor painting and failed miserably? Well, I have a solution for you! In this Instructable you will learn how to make a "watercolor painting" looking piece of art. This DIY is simple and can be done by multiple ages of people who can use markers and deal with a strong scent of rubbing alcohol. You can find the needed materials on the first step, along with the directions on how to make this project after. Let's get crafting!
Step 1: Gathering Your Materials
For this project you will need a white canvas (whatever size you want, I choose a 9 in x 12 in), rubbing alcohol, paper towels, markers, plastic cups to hold the rubbing alcohol, and lastly a 1/3 measuring cup. Keep in mind that the size of your canvas demonstrates how much of the canvas you need to color and how much rubbing alcohol you need! You can easily get any of these materials from a local craft store or drugstore. I got all materials easily from a drugstore near me for a very cheap amount of money. You can click the links down below to see where I got all of my materials! You can also see the images of the materials above, one of all materials, one of the cup and 1/3 measuring cup, one of the markers and canvas in a closer look, and one of the rubbing alcohol in a closer look!
Link to markers (I had some extras that I found around my house that were the same brand)
Link to 1/3 measuring cup (I could not find the exact one I owned but as long as it is a 1/3 measuring cup, you can use it)
Step 2: Drawing on Your Canvas
The second step is to draw on your canvas. You can draw shapes, sizes, or just scribble back and forth. By scribbling I mean moving your marker in vertically or horizontally on one section, or all of the canvas. You can see demonstrations above. I recommend scribbling on your canvas with different colors because after you pour the rubbing alcohol on, the colors will mix together and look like a watercolor painting and the shapes will not turn out how they started. So take off of the caps of your markers and draw until your hand hurts!
Step 3: Pouring the Rubbing Alcohol Over Your Drawing
From the title, you can see that the next step is to pour the rubbing alcohol over your canvas/drawing. There is no need to stress out about this part because it is pretty simple! To start, put the paper towel on top of the table or surface that is underneath your canvas. Also, put some around the canvas to prevent rubbing alcohol leaks and messes. I used a plastic red cup for convenience and to help make fewer messes. Take the cap off of the bottle of the rubbing alcohol, then pour a decent amount of rubbing alcohol into the cup, remember, you can always get more later. I poured 1/3 of rubbing alcohol into the cup. Start by slowly pouring the liquid across the canvas. Keep going in sections across your drawing. Remember to take your time as you do not want to spill the rubbing alcohol! I ended taking a little more rubbing alcohol, I poured about 1 tablespoon straight into the cup and then on the canvas. Cover the whole canvas until it is completely coated. You will start to see your DIY come together before the last step!
Step 4: Moving the Canvas
This step is not required but helps a lot. This step includes tilting your canvas in different directions to get the rubbing alcohol to even out across the canvas. What I will say about this step is that it mixes your marker colors a lot more than just leaving the canvas as is. So to do this you have to tilt your canvas in different directions such as left, right, and up or down.
Step 5: Waiting for Your Canvas to Dry
The last step is to wait and be patient. This is very hard, I know! But your masterpiece will only be complete once is dry so that you can hang it up for all of your family and friends to see. I waited a whole night of sleep for this to dry so that in the morning I had a fun surprise but waiting for 4-5 hours should be enough time.