The 10 Best Markers for Canvas, Shoes, Metal, Wood and More in 2020

Because canvas has a rough texture, not all markers will work well. Paint markers are a good choice for drawing and writing on canvas.

We’ve reviewed the best markers for canvas based on paint flow, quality of the paint and ease of use. After trying out different types of markers, we have an idea of what works best for different purposes.

You want to use high-quality markers, so that your designs look professional and to have an frustration-free experience. Continue reading to learn about what the 10 best markers for canvas are.

10 Best Paint Markers for Canvas:

Review

These acrylic markers have sturdy extra fine tips and consistent flow. They’re great to have on hand for the finer details in your artwork. The markers have an opaque finish and are non-toxic. They also dry fast.

White, black, silver, gold, brown and pink are included in this 12-pack of paint markers as well as the standard colors you’d expect. These markers show up vividly on light and dark surfaces.

You can use them on a wide variety of surfaces besides canvas, including fabric, rocks, stones, plastic, polymer clay, metals, card stock, treated smooth wood and terracotta. Your finished art becomes waterproof after sealing or baking it, depending on which is appropriate for your medium.

What Consumers Are Saying

Conclusion

All artists need markers that can draw fine lines. We consider this pack of Artistro markers the best paint markers for canvas when you need to draw in the details. The paint flows reliably for an enjoyable drawing experience.

Review

Because a box of these paint markers costs over $30, you’ll want to save them for finished pieces. The paint is permanent on canvas, but can be scratched off of non-porous surfaces like glass. It has an opaque finish, and the colors stay vibrant after the paint dries.

You can use these paint markers on photos, wood, metal and plastic in addition to canvas and glass. They’re also non-toxic and waterproof. Once the paint has dried, you can draw over it with another Uni Posca Paint Marker. As medium point markers, they can be used for coloring and drawing details.

This 15-set includes all colors of the rainbow, black, white, brown, golden yellow, pink and a few other colors.

What Consumers Are Saying

Customers have successfully used these paint markers for creating beautiful designs on canvas shoes. They also have positive results using these Uni Posca paint pens on canvas paper. The paint dries fast and appears vibrant.

Conclusion

The Uni Posca Medium Point Paint Markers are the best paint pens for canvas as a professional artist or creative. You can also use them as a hobbyist.

Review

This 12-marker set comes with all of the standard colors you need as well as black, white, gold, silver, pink and marigold. There isn’t a brown in this set, so you’ll want to choose another pack on this list if you need brown.

The Jr. White Acrylic Paint Marker Pens are non-toxic and provide reliable paint flow. After your canvas painting has sit for 24 hours, it will be permanent. These paint markers are suitable for use on canvas shoes too.

Other surfaces they work on are rock, stone, wood, plastic, glass, ceramic mugs and leather. The paint is easy to wash off of your hands and other surfaces with soap and water as long as you clean up within a few hours of using the markers.

What Consumers Are Saying

People who have used these paint markers on canvas confirm they give good coverage and have reliable ink flow. The markers last long and work well on other surfaces.

Conclusion

The Jr. White Acrylic Paint Marker Pens are good markers for canvas coloring because they provide smooth coverage. You’ll have almost every basic color you need except for brown in the pack.

Review

Do you like colors with a metallic finish? This set of markers has 15 metallic colors, including red, yellow, orange, light green, dark green, light blue, dark blue, purple, white and bronze. It also has gold and silver as you’d expect from a metallic pack.

These markers are designed to look vibrant on black backgrounds, so you can use them on black canvas and other dark surfaces. They still apply beautifully to light surfaces too. You can use these paint markers on numerous surfaces, including canvas, cardstock, rock, glass, wood, metal, plastic and ceramic.

What Consumers Are Saying

People who have used these paint markers for canvas say they work well. They’re easy to use and show up vibrantly with a metallic sheen.

Conclusion

These are some of the best markers to use on canvas when you need a metallic sheen to your colors.

Review

If you’re looking for the best canvas markers for shoes and fabric, we recommend the Tulip Fine Tip Fabric Markers. They are designed to not snag. The colors also apply smoothly and evenly. They dry fast and stay vibrant for a long time.

These markers have fine tips, so they’re good for intricate details. You don’t need to use heat to set the paint. Any fabrics you draw on will still be safe to throw in the washing machine once the paint is dry. These fabric paint markers work best on light colored backgrounds. 20 ultra bright colors come in the pack. A black and brown are also included but no white.

What Consumers Are Saying

Customers are happy with the quality results they got using these paint markers to design canvas bags and shoes.

Conclusion

The Tulip Fine Tip Fabric Markers are great for drawing colorful designs on canvas bags and shoes. If you’re working with a dark background, however, you may find another option on this list more suitable.

Review

This set of paint markers has four metallic and 12 opaque colors. The metallic colors are gold, silver, metallic violet and metallic blue. All colors of the rainbow plus black, white, brown and pink are included in this 16-pack of paint markers.

The Acrylico Extra Fine Paint Markers work on a variety of surfaces, including canvas, leather, glass, rock, wood, ceramic, metal and plastic.

What Consumers Are Saying

People who have used these paint pens for canvas say they like that they’re not as messy as using paintbrushes. The paint pens lay down paint well, resulting in professional-looking designs and an enjoyable drawing experience.

Conclusion

Consider these fine point pens if you need them for drawing small or detailed designs. Their extra fine point draws thin lines, and the ink flows smoothly for a seamless experience. You’ll have all of the basic colors you need except for gray.

Review

These medium point paint markers provide great coverage and a reliable flow of paint. 12 colors come in the pack, including black, white, gold, silver and all colors of the rainbow.

You can use them on canvas, fabric, pumpkins, rocks, wood, glass, ceramic, plastic and greeting cards. The paint becomes permanent on non-porous surfaces after baking. For your canvas artwork, however, you’ll need to seal it.

What Consumers Are Saying

People who’ve used these paint pens on canvas say the paint dries fast and applies smoothly. The paint markers also work well on black canvas.

Conclusion

The Dyvicl Acrylic Paint Pens are one of your best options for black canvas. They also provide vivid, smooth color application to light surfaces.

Review

Some oil-based pens have toxic ink, but these paint pens are non-toxic. They’re waterproof and weather-resistant, so you can use them to personalize canvas bags and shoes. Other surfaces these Aroic paint pens work on are glass, plastic, wood, rock, metal and ceramic.

16 paint markers come in the pack. It has all colors of the rainbow, brown, black, white, gold and silver. The Aroic Oil-Based Paint Pens come with an e-book on stone painting – a nice extra if you’re also interested in drawing on stones.

What Consumers Are Saying

Customers love that these pens are good for coloring, hand lettering and drawing. The paint flows smoothly and provides good coverage.

Conclusion

The Aroic Oil-Based Paint Pens are great for painting on canvas because the pigments are easy to blend. You can safely use them to personalize canvas shoes and bags. We wouldn’t recommend choosing these pens for young children since they spill out paint when you press too hard.

Review

These cheap paint markers provide smooth, easy coverage when you’re coloring. They have all basic colors except for brown. Gold and silver are also in the pack.

Oil paint pens usually take longer to dry than other types, but the Zenacolor are designed to dry a little faster than the average oil paint pen. If you use these pens for glass or plastic, you’ll need to hand wash these items. The paint isn’t safe to go in the dishwasher. Also avoid using a heavyduty sponge to clean an item decorated in this paint.

What Consumers Are Saying

Customers love that it’s easy to draw and color precisely with these paint markers. The colors look beautiful on their finished designs. Parents have said their kids loved the markers, and there weren’t problems with the markers leaking.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for paint markers that kids can use without making a mess, the Zenacolor Oil Paint Pens are a good choice. These paint markers are great for coloring and drawing with precision too.

Review

These paint markers provide good coverage for extra fine point markers. The paint dries quickly and stays vibrant for a long time. It looks great on light and dark surfaces.

The tips on these paint markers have valve-action tips, which prevents them from becoming frayed. 18 colors come in the pack, giving you the more options than the previous items on this list. An e-book on rock painting comes with your purchase.

What Consumers Are Saying

Consumers say these extra fine point markers work well for touch-ups in canvas paintings. They don’t need to apply a lot of paint to get good coverage while drawing.

Conclusion

The Tooli-Art Premium Quality Acrylic Paint Pens provide smooth, reliable paint flow and covers the surface well when you’re filling in areas with color. Because the tips are designed to not fray, heavy-handed artists may find these the best choice.

Factors to Consider When Buying the Best Markers for Canvas

Tip Size

Your choices in tip sizes are extra fine, fine, medium and broad. Extra fine produces the thinnest lines, and broad writes the thickest lines.

What tip size you need depends on how large your drawings will be. If you’re coloring large spaces on canvas, then medium and broad point would be your best choices.

Keep a pack of extra fine or fine paint markers on hand for adding accents, detailing and drawing finer lines. You’ll have more control over the marker, so your intricate drawings will turn out better.

Type of Tip

Tip sizes for paint markers are bullet, chisel and brush. Drawing and writing on canvas is easiest to do with a bullet tip. A bullet tip is a rounded top that writes lines of a consistent thickness. Most paint markers have bullet tips, including those we listed above.

Brush tips marker are suitable for calligraphy writing because they adjust the thickness of your line based on how hard you press. Some artists enjoy drawing with them too, but it takes practice to master.

Chisel tips are like an in-between type of tip. They are slanted in order to give you the ability to draw thick and thin lines depending on which angle you hold the markers.

Type of Paint

Paint markers have water-based, acrylic or oil-based paint. Water-based paint tends to dry the fastest and doesn’t have strong odors. They wash off easily too.

Acrylic is a type of water-based ink that becomes permanent when it’s dry. Like other water-based paints, acrylic is easy to wash off and doesn’t emit a lot of toxic fumes.

Oil-based paint markers take the longest to dry, but the upside is they’re easy to blend. Another benefit of this type of paint marker is the dried paint tends to be more durable.

Oil-based paint can be difficult to wash off, so you may want to go with water-based if you’re buying paint markers for young children.

Markers for Canvas FAQ

Can you use markers on canvas?

Not all markers are suitable for use on canvas. Some markers will have problems with skipping as you attempt to draw on this rougher surface. Check that the markers are suitable for canvas before buying them.

How do you keep your paint markers in good condition?

Store your paint markers horizontally, and correctly prime them before attempting to use them. The manufacturer usually includes instructions on how to prime them. Always remember to put the cap back on your paint marker to prevent it from drying out.

If you want to clean the tips off after using them, use a paper towel. You don’t want to use water on a marker tip that isn’t watercolor-based.

How do you use paint markers?

You’ll need to shake the marker in all directions for 2‒3 minutes, then press it down on a scrap sheet of paper. Don’t be alarmed if the tip goes inside the marker as this is supposed to happen with most brands. Wait a few seconds for the paint to flow to the tip, and press it down another time.

You should repeat the process of waiting a few seconds and pressing it down until you can draw a line of paint. If the paint is skippy, you need to press down on the tip again and wait several seconds.

It’s important to be patient and not repeatedly press the tip down, or you’ll damage the markers. A lot of paint may flood out if you do that as well.

Making the Decision

Our top choice, the Artistro Extra Fine Tip Acrylic Markers, meets the needs of most people. They are easy to prime, fun to use and fast to dry. You can trust the markers to have a steady flow of paint while you focus on drawing your designs. They can be used on light and dark surfaces as well as canvas fabric.

If you need medium point pens, then we’d say the best markers for canvas are the Uni Posca Medium Point Paint Markers. They’re waterproof, non-toxic and known for being of excellent quality.