Make A Watercolor Tote Bag With Paint Pens

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Sharpie, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia  #PaintYourWay http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Paint pens are one of my favorite crafting tools; they’re so easy to use, and way less messy than painting with a brush! And the coolest thing is, even though it’s shaped like a marker, it’s still actual paint that comes out of these pens, so you can do the same painting techniques you can do with a brush! Check out this “watercolor” tote bag made with water-based paint pens!

Make a watercolor tote bag in just fifteen minutes with paint pens!

The whole thing only takes about fifteen minutes to make, and all you need are water-based paint pens and a bag to decorate!

Make A Watercolor Tote Bag

Here’s what you need:

  • water-based Sharpie paint pens (I found these at Michaels)
  • plain canvas tote bag
  • stencil (optional, you can draw freehand if you’d rather!)
  • bowl of water
  • gallon ziploc bag

When I saw that my local Michael’s had Sharpie paint pens in a bunch of new colors, I knew I had to try them out! Aren’t these pastels perfect for summer?!

Once you pick your favorite colors, let’s get started!

Make a watercolor tote bag with paint pens!

Fill a bowl with water and set it within easy reach. This project shouldn’t get too messy, but there is water involved, so make sure you’re working on a washable surface and have a few towels nearby just in case!

If you don’t want to draw freehand, pick out a fun stencil. I made my own with my Silhouette Cameo and contact paper.

Place your stencil on your canvas tote bag, then slip the plastic bag inside the tote to keep the paint from leaking through to the back.

Make a watercolor tote bag with paint pens!

Dip your hand in the bowl of water and let a few drops of water drip off your fingers onto the bag, through the holes in the stencil. You can control how much the paint pen “bleeds” by how wet you get the bag; if it’s soaking wet the pen will bleed a lot, and if it’s just slightly damp the paint will only spread a little.

Once the entire area under your stencil is damp, start drawing with your paint pen! The paint will slowly bleed away as you draw, but be patient. If it seems like it’s not “running” enough right away, just give it a few minutes. If it still hasn’t “bled” enough after a minute or two, add a few more drops of water to the bag and go over your line again with your paint pen.

Make a watercolor tote bag with paint pens!

When I painted the word “love”, the bag was only slightly damp. When I did the hearts I used more water, and you can see the paint on the hearts spread a lot further than the paint on the word.

Once you’re done painting, pull the plastic bag out from inside the tote and hang the tote open to dry. If you’re in a hurry, you can use a hairdryer.

Once the bag is dry, fill it up and start using it!

Make a watercolor tote bag in just fifteen minutes with paint pens!

Have you ever painted fabric before? What’s your favorite thing to decorate with paint pens?

If you liked this project, check out these other wearable and apparel projects!

Disclosure: I received compensation from Michael’s and Sharpie in exchange for my honest discussion of their products. But the Sharpie paint pens from Michael’s are really amazing and all opinions in this post are 100% my own. I would never write a post about something I didn’t think was useful or interesting for you guys, and Practically Functional will only publish sponsored posts for companies or products I love and believe in! 🙂
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Jessi Wohlwend

I believe that anyone can do crafts and DIY projects, regardless of skill or experience. I love sharing simple craft ideas, step by step DIY project tutorials, cleaning hacks, and other tips and tricks all with one goal in mind: giving you the tools you need to “do it yourself”, complete fun projects, and make awesome things!

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Reader Interactions

  1. sya says

    8 years ago

    hi ! that’s was amazing. By the way, can we use paint marker on tote bags and using clear coating spray afterwards ? thank you

    • Jessi Wohlwend says

      7 years ago

      Are you trying to make it waterproof? It definitely won’t hurt the bag or the paint to do a coat of clear spray afterwards, but I’m not sure if it will actually make the bag waterproof.

      • sya says

        7 years ago

        yaa.. i’m trying to make it waterproof but I dont know how.. sobs!
        Thanks for replying my comment.. Appreciated

  2. Tonya Staab says

    10 years ago

    I don’t know why but I suddenly want to go out and buy a pair of white canvas shoes and paint them.

  3. keri @ shaken together says

    10 years ago

    What a great idea, Jessi! And I am a HUGE Sharpie fan, so I’ll grab a few the next time I am at Michael’s!

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