Loose Expressive Lettering With Paint Sicks On Newsprint

While catching up with my friend, Salli, she asked me if I tried paint sticks. Salli’s an award winning illustrator. She likes to experiment with layout and color. She shares her work on Instagram. Take a look. During our visit she pulled out a giant basket filled with paint sticks of all colors. Paint sticks are tacky, solid tempera paint in plastic tubes - imagine a lipstick case. They leave a textured, inconsistent mark. Line quality will vary and that’s good. Colors can blend while the paint is still tacky. They’re an ideal tool to get loose.

Every now and again I draw letters on large sheets of rough newsprint. Dragging a paint stick with an inconsistent tip over newsprint adds to the mark’s irregularity. I love making my expressive letters with these tools. If you get your hands a pack of paint sticks, let loose. To Salli, thanks for turning me on to this medium.

Here’s a list of tools I used:

• TBC The Best Crafts Paint Sticks, 24 Classic Colors, Washable, Non-toxic, Tempera Paint Sticks for Kids and Students

• Pacon White Newsprint, 30 lbs, 18” x 24”, 500 Sheets/Pack

Below, I included a few short videos from my YouTube channel.