What is a paint marker?

A paint marker pen is similar to an everyday marker pen, although instead of regular ink, it uses oil based paint. Due to the use of paint, they can write permanently on all sorts of different surfaces such as plastic, metal, stone and glass, but have the ease of use and creative control of a pen rather than a paintbrush.

Paint markers have become increasing popular in the decoration and illustration art community, allowing for unique and vibrant designs to be added to all sorts of different items, like surfboards, plates, cups, windows, signs and many more. Their use cases are essentially unlimited, and provide a perfect tool for the creative to turn everyday objects into unique pieces of art.

A paint marker works by the user shaking them, similar to an aerosol can, which causes the paint to access the tip. The tip is usually retractable in that pushing it down causes paint to flow through the tip and onto the object. Most paint makers take a bit of shaking and a few presses of the tip to get the paint going. They are a very simple tool, with a great result.

They can come in a variety of colours, and are generally single use, with several different tips to choose from. For more information on which one to go for, see ourpaint marker buying guide, and then our paint marker ideas for inspiration.