I discovered Instant PlayColor solid poster paint sticks at the CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) show over a year ago. I found the product intriguing because it looked like markers, but it wasn’t ink – it was paint. So the nice people at the booth had a bunch sent to me to try out. Notice I said this was over a year ago. And I’m just now trying them out. My bad! Actually, there is a reason for the delay. While I’m a designer of many things, I do not consider myself a fine artist. I just don’t draw that well, and I am definitely not good with paints. I have tried painting acrylic on canvas, and the results were not pretty. So the product sat in a drawer for the past year. Then while I was doing my beginning-of-year organizing, I saw my PlayColor stash and thought, “I really need to create something with these.”

When you twist the bottom of these PlayColor markers, you see right away that these are not your typical markers. To me, they actually look like a tube of lipstick.

The first thing I tried was just doodling on a piece of paper. Right away, I loved how the paint glided on the paper. I got great coverage too, so it wasn’t like a colored pencil or crayon. Seeing how well it looked on a scrap piece of paper, I was emboldened to try it on canvas. I bought small 5″x5″ canvases because I figured it would be hard to mess up that size. And I started drawing. Suddenly I was a master painter (well, in my mind, anyway). These PlayColor sticks go on canvas with the look and feel of oil paint. I know! Oil paint, which I would never attempt. They go on like buttah. You have total control (unlike paint on brushes), and they dry in just a couple of minutes. I love how I was able to layer and the paints for extra depth. It created a nice impressionistic quality.

It took me less than 2 hours to create this triptych of canvases. They’re very “me,” with the hat, glasses and bow tie. Paint what you know, right? And I was amazed how nice they turned out. Should I remind you I don’t draw? These PlayColor paint sticks make me look good.

It’s interesting that PlayColor is marketed towards kids and schools. It makes sense, since this is a pretty mess free way for kids to draw and make posters. But I say this product is not just for kids. Kids, step away from my PlayColor sticks. Hands off. Get your own. Where can you get your own? I’ve seen them at Dick Blick, and you can get them on Amazon.  Now let’s take a closer look at my masterpieces. They’re going on the refrigerator.

Disclaimer: This product was provided to me for free, but my comments about it are true and from my heart. I was not paid for this post.