How to Paint With Sharpies and Alcohol

Marybeth Santos
by Marybeth Santos
3 Materials
I have a new favorite crafting project! I painted some tiles with Sharpies and Rubbing Alcohol and the outcome is crazy good!
This project is super easy, especially with the tips I can give you based off of the mistakes I made.


First, after cleaning your tile with soap and water and drying it, color in the tile with coordinating colors (or try for colors that don't coordinate! My daughter did and hers came out gorgeous!).
Next, using a small paint brush, dropper or small straw, drop small amounts of the rubbing alcohol. You'll start to see the rubbing alcohol blurring the colors together. Be patient and don't drop too much alcohol. You can always go back and do a little more if you think you need to.
Your wet tile should look like the one above. If it looks like the one below, don't fret! It's an easy fix.
Just add some more color with your Sharpie and then drip the alcohol to get the blurring going again.


And if you are totally dissatisfied with how your tile came out, the paint comes "paint" comes off easily with water!


Which brings me to my next point. These will need to be sealed really well. I'm in the process of experimenting with how to seal them, so I will update with the best way of doing that!
Be sure to head over to the blog for all of the details including the mistakes I made that you won't have to!
Suggested materials:
  • Sharpies   (Michaels)
  • 91% Rubbing Alcohol   (Grocery Store)
  • 4.25 x 4.25 in Tiles   (Home Depot)
Marybeth Santos
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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Frequently asked questions
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3 of 36 questions
  • Mary Mary on Oct 01, 2023

    Do i need do buy a special kind of sharpie?

  • JanM JanM on Oct 22, 2023

    What did you finally use to seal the completed tiles, please? I’m teaching a group of children to do this and I’m sure they’re going to need to be sealed.

  • MEG MEG on Feb 20, 2024

    Yes, my question also. I tried clear Krylon paint spray but did not works so well. MAYBE I need 2 or 3 coats. Any suggestions out there?

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  • Eli76367725 Eli76367725 on Jan 06, 2023

    i just saw a similar craft to this one except they were using the sharpies on plastic , they sealed them with spray varnish, that could work on the tiles too as long as they were left flat until dry

  • Wul90569995 Wul90569995 on Sep 30, 2023

    These are so pretty! Did you ever find the best way to seal them?

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