Fun with Bleach Pens

The idea of using a bleach pen to draw on shirts has been all over the internet for awhile, but I will try and find a few specific examples and post links soon.  

Leif and I thought we'd give it a try today, and it was super fun.

I think it's kind of addicting, if I had collected a pile of shirts before we started, there could have been trouble.  

We started with a plain black undershirt of Leif's.  He wanted a penguin.  We are into the penguin stage full force these days!  So we looked up some clipart on Microsofts page... and Leif picked out a Mom approved image.  We had to compromise a bit on the detail, Leif overestimates my abilities with a bleach pen!

I think this would be a really fun birthday party activity.  Quick and easy! 

You will need:

 -a shirt

 -a bleach pen (sold at most grocery stores)

 -cardboard/parchment paper/tinfoil (something to put in between the layers of your shirt to prevent the bleach from going through to the back side)

-chalk

Start by putting your cardboard or tinfoil or parchment paper in between the layer of the shirt.

Then use your chalk to draw an image on the shirt.

Leif choose a penguin that we found on microsofts clipart site.

Redraw the image with the bleach pen.

 Wait 10-30 minutes.  You will be able to see the color fading under the gel.  When it gets to the shade you want, just take it to the sink and rinse well.

I had to try one too... my free hand doodle shirt.

 here you can see the color fading out

These are after we washed and dried, and obviously did not iron them :)

 Leif's is very orange... if I do it again, I'll try waiting a bit longer.  But he loves it, so we will call it a success!