My Favorite Series #5: Mark Making Tools

When I create I only want my most favorite mediums and tools with me. Too many supply options can become distracting and a bit overwhelming at times to me (can we say decision fatigue?). I have really been enjoying putting together this monthly series highlighting a favorite go-to medium or tool each month. I hope this series is inspiring to you and your own creative journey. If you missed the first four supplies, you can find them here: Supply 1: Graphite, supply 2: High Flow Acrylics Supply 3: Pastels, Supply 4: Color Shapers

Today is all about mark making tools. Mark making in art includes the different lines, patterns, textures, dots, repetitive movements (to name a few), that we create in our artwork. Marks can be loose and gestural, bold, soft, very neat and controlled. There are so many ways to create marks: foraging grasses and flowers from nature, skewer, cardboard, bubble wrap, paint brush, stapler, just to name a few.

You can scrape marks into paint, stamp marks, create repetitive patterns or dots, use a spray bottle or ink dropper to create less controlled marks, and don’t underestimate b=the beautiful marks that you can create just with some paint and your fingers!

There are countless ways to explore and create marks. Today I am going to share just a few of my very favorite tools to use for mark making: feather wire, an awl, steel wool, linocut, and a paintbrush. There are many more, but these are on my top favorite list!

How I like to use mark making tools:

I really enjoy using these tools when creating with both heavy body acrylic paint to create texture or interest in a painting, I think the more we explore mark making, the more we come to know our own style and what marks we are drawn to creating over and over again in our work. I like to use the feather wire and awl especially for carving into thick heavy body acrylic paint. I like contrasting a light and dark background so that the marks are beautifully seen. I use an awl to write poems into my journal pages or artwork, sketch floral patterns. Steel wool, linocut with watercolors or ink is currently one of my most favorite ways to make marks. They feel so organic and less controlled. I love the way that the marks are a little different each time I print with a linocut or stamp with the steel wool. And a paintbrush… I love the countless ways we can create marks with various sizes of paint brushes: dots, bold or soft strokes, organized pattern, swirls, etc.

Take a look at some of the photos in the post and you will see a handful of ways to create beautiful marks, some by carving into paint, others by using water-soluble mediums. Pairing together different tools and mediums is such a fun way to explore and discover mark making and what marks you are drawn to.

I created a video below demonstrating some of the ways to use a few of my favorite mark making tools that I have mentioned above and list a few of my favorites below! I hope you enjoy seeing a little bit of the process and are inspired to explore your own mark making!

A few of my favorites: Feather Wire, Awl, paint brushes of different sizes and shapes, linocut block/carving tools