{"product_id":"putting-pen-to-paper-projects","title":"Putting Pen to Paper Projects by Christen Olivarez","description":"\u003cp\u003eI’ve wanted to play around with \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/paints\"\u003eMontana Acrylic Paint Markers\u003c\/a\u003e for a long time now, so when Shoppe Manager Vanessa Spencer brought a set by my office, I was very excited. There are a lot of paint markers out there, and I’ve purchased just about every kind, only to be disappointed. They just don’t work the way I want them to. The paint is often very transparent and runny. When applied on top of other acrylic paint or mediums, they appear streaky and pale.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e I was hoping I wouldn’t be disappointed with the Montana line, and I wasn’t. Almost immediately I noticed how opaque the paint appears on just about any surface. I’m an avid doodler, and one of my favorite surfaces to decorate is the covers of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/cards-and-journals\"\u003eMoleskine journals\u003c\/a\u003e, especially the kraft ones. I was delighted when I used the light pink color on one — it was so opaque, and it actually popped off the kraft background! I added a few light pink scallops and personalized the journal with the letter A to give as a gift to a fellow employee.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e I also really like drawing on simple \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bags-tags-and-sleeves?limit=22\u0026amp;page=2\"\u003ecotton fabric drawstring bags\u003c\/a\u003e. They make the perfect packaging for a gift, and the recipient can keep the bag to re-use for something else. There’s no need to get fancy: just a few circles or hearts customize the bag.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Because of my love of doodling, I also like adding writing to my mixed-media pieces. However, I’m kind of a nightmare with very fine paintbrushes and lettering. I’ve tried to incorporate writing with other big-name paint pens before, only to find that they don’t work very well on top of layers of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/paints\"\u003eacrylic paint\u003c\/a\u003e. On this piece, I first loosely brayered green paint onto my substrate. I then added a layer of blue with the brayer. Once dry, I sponged coral circles onto the left side, and then stamped stars randomly all over. To finish, I journaled a few thoughts in writing that only I can read. The paint easily went over the layers of paint I had already applied.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The verdict? I might be a converted Montana marker user. I have to admit that at first, the price threw me off, but after using them, I actually think they’re a value for what they can do!\u003c\/p\u003e \u003ctable style=\"width: 100%;\" border=\"0\" cellspacing=\"5\" cellpadding=\"5\"\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"center\" width=\"25%\"\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn11.bigcommerce.com\/s-87od2q0wh1\/image\/assets\/parts\/christen-olivarez.jpg\" alt=\"\" height=\"150\"\u003e\u003c\/td\u003e \u003ctd width=\"75%\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #cc8108;\"\u003eAbout the Artist:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Christen Olivarez is the Director of Publishing for Stampington \u0026amp; Company and editor-in-chief\u003cbr\u003e of \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/somerset-studio\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSomerset Studio\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/somerset-life\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSomerset Life\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/mingle\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMingle\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/handcrafted\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eHandCrafted\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/artists-cafe\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eArtists’ Café\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #6e6f3c;\"\u003eInterests: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003eart, slow food, writing, books, yarn, authentic living\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14px;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #6e6f3c;\"\u003eFollow Christen on Her Blog: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/thedeliberatelife.typepad.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\"\u003ethedeliberatelife.typepad.com\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003c\/td\u003e \u003c\/tr\u003e \u003c\/tbody\u003e \u003c\/table\u003e","brand":"Free Projects","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45452521701527,"sku":"PROJ-0844","price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0659\/5546\/3319\/files\/PROJ-0844__03256.1558401652.1280.1280.jpg?v=1746792979","url":"https:\/\/stampington.live\/products\/putting-pen-to-paper-projects","provider":"Stampington \u0026 Company","version":"1.0","type":"link"}