Ball point painting

Ball point painting can bring out sparks of creative talent in almost anyone, and it's easy to do. You can decorate any basic material such as wood, glass, china, pottery, fabric, metal, leather, and plastic.

Create your own freehand designs, or use stencil patterns or transfer patterns included in some paint sets. The paints are packaged in tubes with ball point tips and dry almost instantly. One kit contains 29 colors, and suggestions for creating other shades or tones. These paints are said to be permanent and should not fade when dry, even when they're machine washed, or are dry cleaned.

The secret for applying the color is to paint a narrow outline first, then fill in the design with short wide overlapping strokes to give a smooth image. All paint sets provided suggestions for blending colors, for different methods of creating depth to a color, or for filling in very narrow outlines or areas.

Once the design is completed you may wish to apply several coats of shellac, polyurethane, or clear plastic spray for additional durability (not on fabric or leather). And for painting on glass, china, or pottery the color can be baked in for long lasting decoration. Just put it in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes at 275 degrees F. When the time is up, let the object cool slowly.