This summer is all about finishing our outdoor spaces and enjoying them! Keep reading to see how to use paint pens on terra cotta pots and bring color to your outdoor space.
For the first time I attended Haven Conference this year and had the best experience! What does this have to do with outdoor spaces and color and terra cotta pots? Well, Haven is a DIY/home decor blogging conference and different brands kindly give away products for attendees to try. One of the items this year is a pack of Colorshot acrylic paint pen markers.
A blogging friend, Stephanie from Gathered In The Kitchen came up with the clever idea of a Get Your Craft On Challenge, where we use the ColorShot markers to create a project that we can all share. If you are joining from Jen at Yellow Cottage Living, thanks for stopping by! Make sure to visit all of the other amazing projects linked at the end of the article.
Colorshot Marker Pack
If you have been following along, you may have seen our backyard One Room Challenge project. It has had a domino effect, prompting us to finish up small projects in the front and inspiring me to decorate!
In the backyard I have a lot of green and white in the landscaping and I thought it would be fun to introduce more color. Annual flowers are an easy and inexpensive way to add color in outside. Instead of the plain terra cotta pots I’ve been using lately, I thought they would look great with a colorful design.
I chose three of: the ColorShot markers from the pack for this project. Check out these fun names:
Summer Pedicure
Emoji
Orange Slice
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Here’s what I used:
- ColorShot Markers-Neon Acrylic Craft Paint Pens
- Frogtape
- DecoArt White Acrylic Paint
- Terra Cotta Pots
- Craft Paint Brushes
Option 1: Whitewash Your Pot
Clean the terra cotta surface: Before starting to paint on your terra cotta pot, make sure that the surface is clean and dry. You can use a damp cloth to wipe off any dirt or dust.
I’m not very careful with paint. I just plop it on the pot and start brushing. I then dip the brush in water and apply a coat over the white paint.
Draw/Paint Your Pattern Over Whitewash
Plan your design: Plan out your design on paper first or use stencils to guide your painting.
Note- Before painting with the markers, make sure to read the directions to shake and press the tip until paint releases. There is also a product note that tips are removable and washable.
I then attempted to make a cross hatch pattern on another pot, but I overworked it and ruined the effect.
I took some time to re-think my approach and decided to try the markers directly on the terra cotta. The Colorshot package says it is suitable for wood, metal, glass, plastic and crafts. So I figured it should work directly on the pot.
Option 2: Loose Chevron Pattern
Once I pivoted to paint directly on the terra cotta, I found a sort of loose chevron pattern that I liked. I didn’t have any stencils so I used Frogtape (also a giveaway at Haven!) to provide guidelines for the dashes. You can try different sizes. Since my pot was on the smaller side, I did dashes of bout 1 inch.
The paint applies really easily. You can be more precise and find a stencil, but I wanted to try free hand.
Start painting with the paint markers.
With one dash done, I measured for the next.
The line on left looks thicker because I had paused for the photo and pressed the marker down. The line on the right was just one stroke, so you can see how you can apply thick or fine lines according to your pressure or number of coats.
Next, Let it dry: Allow the paint to dry completely before touching it or adding another layer. COLORSHOT paint markers dry to touch in 30 minutes and then fully cure at 24 hours.
Optional – Seal the paint: To protect your design, apply a clear sealant over the paint. This will also help the paint last longer. I didn’t seal my pots, but the paint pen has lasted after being exposed to two Seattle winters!
Ta-da!
I also tried the chevron pattern with the Orange Slice color layered under the Emoji color (right). The chevron on left is Summer Pedicure.
I am excited to try these on other projects!
Pin How To Use Paint Pens On Terra Cotta Pots To Save For Later!
More Inspiration
Check out the projects my fellow bloggers came up with!
Stephanie from Gathered In The Kitchen made a fun back to school wreath.
Danielle from Faith and Farmhouse painted this cute lemon cup and coaster set.
Juliet from A Loverly Life made this super sweet pillow.
Jen of Yellow Cottage Living made this clever wreath for back to school.
Anne of Ikorn Crafts made a colorful tray for all of your taco Tuesday celebrations.
Leslie from Feet Under My Table created a cute craft for teachers to welcome back students.
Get The Colorful Look For Your Outdoor Space
FAQ – How To Use Paint Pens On Terra Cotta Pots
Can you use Colorshot paint pens on terra cotta?
So far the paint on my pots is holding up. When I planted the flowers in the pots, the soil was very wet and soaked through to the front of the pot, but the paint wasn’t affected.
Can you use Colorshot paint pens on top of a coat of paint?
Yes, on the package it states you can use multiple coats. I also tried it on the white paint, which was also acrylic, and it worked fine.
Will Colorshot paint pens work on light and dark surfaces?
Yes! This was fun to test out. I like the subtlety of the markers against the terra cotta, but I also like how they pop against the white paint.
What other materials will ColorShot paint pens work on?
Per package, the paint pens will work on metal, wood, plastic, glass and crafts.
Are the COLORSHOT pens available in other colors?
Yes, there is a pack called Rainbow and one called metallic. Some of the other participants I teamed up with used the Rainbow pack, so make sure to check out their projects.
I love love love your terra cotta pots! I’m thinking I need to put my paint markers back to work and copy you! …because I made another project where I spray painted my terra cotta pot black and then painted circles all over them…yours is definitely WAY cuter!!
These flowers pots turned out so cute and are so cheerful! I love them!
Thanks Stephanie! You’re so sweet. The black with circles sounds cute! Thanks for organizing this challenge too. Such a fun idea.💗
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Such a cute idea with those pens! I have pots that are waiting to be painted! Love it! and loved hopping with you!
Thanks Leslie! I loved your idea & post about teacher appreciation. Now I’m thinking of things to get my son’s teachers 😊
These are so fresh and fun! Love the simplicity of your designs and the clever trick with the tape guides! Smart, very smart!
Thanks so much Diane! After a failed attempt with a more complicated project, I had to put the KISS principle to work 😆
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I just love how your pots came out! The colors are so bright and cheery! Wasn’t this a fun challenge!
Thanks so much! It was really fun to see what everyone came up with 💗
These are absolutely adorable. I am having a luncheon and will be creating these as little take home gifts at their place settings. Love it.
Thanks so much! I love that idea! Plants always make a great gift.
Great idea to use the pens for flower pots. It’s fun creating on flower pots isn’t it?
Thank you! It’s been a while since I’ve done a flower pot craft!
These are the best! So many ideas now for painting terracotta pots to save money on pots for all the flowers and plants I want on my porches!
Thanks! A really easy & fun way to update old pots!
Oh my gosh! Love, love, love these pots. I want some of those pens! I’ll have to see if I can get them here. Thank you for sharing this. Glad you had such a great time at Haven. Would love to go one year.
Thanks so much Carol!! They are sold at Home Depot & I think on the Colorshot website… I should send you some! That would be amazing if you could go!
Great idea for freshing up your pots. I have to dig mine out!
Thanks for reading! It was fun & sort of therapeutic!
Love this so much, Marie! Great idea!
Awww thanks Elle!!!
So clever to use pens to decorate your flower pots! I love the herringbone design – super cute!
Thank you! I wasn’t sure how it would work, but happy with the result 😊
I love how you decorated the pots with neat designs.
Thank you! ❤
Great use of these paint pens. I love to add color in my spaces.
Thank you! My backyard definitely needed a pop of color!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE your colorful gorgeous pots!!!! How clever to take those pots up a few notches.
Thanks for giving us the how to:)
Thanks so much! You should definitely give it a try. The paint markers are fun to use. Happy you stopped by.
I can’t believe how fun these pots are … and that you created them with pens! Love this … and all your projects! xo
Thanks Juliet! It was fun to try these out & now I’m thinking of new projects 😁
I love this project Marie!!! You did a great job pivoting the project. I love the chevron design you came up with. You ladies did a great job collaborating together!
Thanks Cindy! It was a fun challenge. Happy Stephanie came up with the idea 😊
Sooo Adorable! I need to use mine on Terra cotta for sure! Great ideas!
Thank you!! I’m thinking up the next project I can try them on. Happy you stopped by!
I love the added pops of color to the terra cotta pots-they are my favorite pots to plant in and you have inspired me to add some color to my indoor potted plants as well.
Thanks for stopping by & commenting! Have fun adding color to your pots 💛🧡❤
these pots are simply adorable! thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much! ❤
Absolutely love this DIY! Wish they had black and white, even gray!
Thank you! There are other packs with black & white. You can click the link for more options 😊
these are soooo sweet! Love a quick and easy DIY!
Thank you! Such an easy way to spruce up pots 🙌
I’ve never heard of these paint pens before, Marie. Thanks so much for the heads up! This project is super cute so I definitely need to check them out. They’re the perfect way to celebrate the season. Hugs, CoCo
Glad to share these with you! They also come in other colors. They were easy to use too. ❤
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I love these paint pens! The pots are adorable! 🙂
Thank you so much! Thanks for stopping by 🥰
How cute! I would not have thought of this at all. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks! Could be good for labeling pots too!
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