The Sharpie marker range has dominated the marker space for over a decade now and although there are some alternative marker brands that are better for arts and crafts, the branding and marketing of Sharpie ensures that they are the more popular option. With Sharpie marker pens being so popular, we have noticed more and more people reaching out with various questions on how they are able to get the best possible performance from their marker pens.
With the trend of sharing canvas based Sharpie art on Instagram, we have noticed more and more people reaching out to ask how to seal Sharpie on canvas. There are some extremely talented artists out there using their Sharpie markers on canvas creating beautiful arts so sealing it correctly is important to ensure that the artwork will last for as long as possible.
Thankfully, there are a number of quick, easy, and cheap ways that you are able to seal your Sharpie marker art onto canvas without issue to preserve it for as long as possible. For this article we are going to be focusing on a method that uses Mod Podge as we feel that it is a better sealing agent that some of the spray based sealants on the market when used with Sharpie marker pens.
How To Seal Sharpie On Canvas Easily!
You are able to seal your Sharpie marker art onto canvas by applying a thin layer of Mod Podge over your artwork once the Sharpie marker ink has dried. The Mod Podge will form a protective layer over the top of the canvas and help to protect your artwork for many years to come.
One of the main issues that we see when people use Sharpie markers for serious artwork is a surprisingly high amount of people actually use counterfeit Sharpies. Be sure to always source real Sharpie marker pens if you are looking to seal your work to preserve it for as long as possible as the counterfeit Sharpies use low quality ink that will naturally fade within weeks.
When it comes to the Mod Podge, you really do only need a very thin layer to seal your Sharpie ink correctly. So many beginners add way too much Mod Podge over their canvas and this takes longer to try and can slightly change the color of your Sharpie inks too.
What Can I Use To Seal Sharpie?
Although you can try the spray based sealing agents designed for use with acrylic paint to seal your Sharpie, they can have issues with causing the ink to run. This is why we usually recommend that our readers just use Mod Podge as their sealing agent as it is so simple and easy to use.
There are a number of different types of Mod Podge on the market these days but the yellow or red label tend to offer the best performance for sealing Sharpie marker art on canvas. That said though, the orange or blue label Mod Podge can work well too.
Although some people do use the sealing agents on the market that have been designed for use with acrylic paint to seal their Sharpie pen on canvas, the results can be hit and miss. This is why we usually recommend that you go with Mod Podge due to it essentially being a PVA glue with sealing agent added too it avoiding the issues the sealants designed for use with acrylic paint can have.
Can You Paint Over Sharpie On Canvas?
You can paint over Sharpie marker on canvas with most paint types and get good results when layering other paint types on top of your Sharpie artwork. If you are using a water based paint be sure that there is not too much water in the paint when applied or it may cause the Sharpie ink to run.
We would usually recommend that you avoid using water color paints over your Sharpie marker on your canvas once dry as it can easily make the ink run. Acrylic paints can work but any acrylic paints with a high water content also risk making your ink run with oil paints usually being the best option to paint over Sharpie on canvas.
Please also note that if you are planning on sealing your Sharpie artwork on the canvas then be sure to apply the sealant after you have added your paint of choice to it too. The sealant will make it a paint to apply most types over it and outright stop some paint types from drying so it is best to apply your paint on top of your Sharpie art, let it dry, and then seal everything at the same time.
Is Sharpie The Best Option For Canvas Work?
Although the Sharpie marker range is a very popular option that does have a ton of potential, when it specifically comes to using a marker pen on canvas, we feel that the Posca pen range or the Prismacolor marker range will be better. They tend to take better to the actual canvas offering better color retention as well as an easier application process too.
Although the Posca pen range can perform very well on canvas, they can be a pain to find right now. This is why we usually recommend that our readers go with the Prismacolor marker pen range instead. Although they are a little more expensive, they are easy to find both online and in your local arts and crafts store while also offering the best performance possible for marker pens.
There are also a ton of other alternatives that you are able to use if needed too. We actually have a dedicated article going over the 7 best Sharpie alternatives that may be worth checking out if you do plan to use marker pens on canvas on a regular basis. Some of those alternatives are actually cheaper than the Sharpie range while also offering very similar performance to them when used on canvas.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over how to seal sharpie on canvas to a close. The actual process of sealing your Sharpie marker pen art onto your canvas is very simple and although there are a number of different ways that you are able to do it, we always recommend that our readers stick to Mod Podge as it tends to offer the best possible performance when it specifically comes to sealing Sharpie on canvas.
