Markers and paint pens make Easter egg decorating easy for artists of all ages and abilities. Invite children or adults to decorate Easter eggs with the easy decorating ideas below.
There are several fun ways to decorate hard-boiled or wooden Easter eggs with colorful markers or paint pens. Whether commemorating the arrival of spring, celebrating Easter, or engaging in a cherished family tradition, decorating Easter eggs with paint pens offers endless creative possibilities for novice and experienced artists alike.
Paint pens and markers are modern art tools that have become convenient for adding vibrant colors to wooden or hard-boiled eggs to decorate them for Easter, the spring equinox, or another spring holiday. Best of all, using paint pens to draw various patterns and designs, from simple to intricate, is an easy way for children and adults of all ages and artistic abilities to decorate eggs for Easter. You might also enjoy this list of Easter art projects, painting ideas, and crafts.
Use the step-by-step instructions below to encourage children and adults of all ages to create unique designs on hard-boiled eggs, or try these wooden egg decorating ideas. The directions include simple paint pen Easter egg decorating ideas that can inspire the creativity of young and old artists alike. First published in March 2019; this Easter craft tutorial and list of egg decorating ideas is updated and republished regularly to improve the content. Invite children, from toddlers and preschoolers to teens, to decorate eggs with paint pens or markers using the creative ideas and easy step-by-step instructions below.
Related: Watercolor Surprise Easter Egg Art
The Tradition of Egg Decorating
Decorating Easter eggs is a cherished tradition celebrated by many cultures around the world. Across different civilizations, eggs have symbolized fertility, rebirth, and new beginnings, making them a fitting emblem for springtime festivities and religious observances worldwide. You might also enjoy this list of Easter Traditions from around the world.
Why do people decorate eggs?
The tradition of decorating eggs dates back centuries and is deeply rooted in various cultures worldwide. For example, In many Christian traditions, Easter eggs symbolize the resurrection of Jesus Christ, with the egg representing new life emerging from the tomb. Boiling eggs and decorating them is also an easy way to keep them from spoiling during Lent. Similarly, in pagan rituals, eggs were decorated to welcome the arrival of spring, honor the Goddess Eostre, and invoke blessings for a bountiful harvest through summer and early fall. These a a few of the reasons people decorate eggs for Easter.
How to Decorate Easter Eggs with Paint Pens or markers
Decorating Easter eggs with paint pens or markers is fun and easy. You can use paint pens and markers to decorate Easter eggs creatively: draw a picture, make stripes and polka dots, draw flowers, create patterns, make them into baby chicks, or doodle to your heart’s content! Scroll down to learn how to hard-boil eggs to decorate them. (You Can also prepare wooden eggs to make Easter eggs that last.)
Then look through the step-by-step instructions for different types of paint pen Easter egg decorating ideas to decorate real hard-boiled or wooden eggs. We have provided a few delightful paint pen Easter egg decorating ideas you can find after the supply list and step-by-step directions.
I wish I had more than 18 Easter eggs to decorate with paint pens when my small family made these. We did our best to provide at least one example for each marker or paint pen Easter egg decorating idea, but alas, we had more ideas than eggs—lol!!
My daughter, husband, and I were racing for the last eggs to decorate because we had so much fun coming up with creative markers and paint pen Easter egg decorating ideas. You can even use paint pens to color natural brown eggs. Below is a photograph of a few natural brown Easter eggs we decorated with paint pens.
Easter Egg Decorating Supplies:
- Real eggs (white or brown) or white wood or natural wooden eggs
- To hard-boil eggs, you will need:
- A stovetop
- Stockpot or saucepan
- Kitchen timer
- To hard-boil eggs, you will need:
- Choose at least one set of paint pens or markers:
- Complete set of extra-fine tip paint pens
- Pastel-colors only set
- Set of metallic dual-tip paint pens
- Washable markers
- Permanent ink pens
- Optional–Choose one of the spinning egg decorators to add fun designs to Easter eggs quickly and easily. Here are a few slightly different models to choose from:
- The original EggMazing Easter Egg Decorator Kit (Includes egg decorating spinner and 6 Markers)
- JOYIN Motorized Easter Egg Decorator Kit (Battery-driven spinning egg decorating machine with 10 non-toxic markers)
- MindWare Eggmagic Decorator Dynamic Easter Egg Coloring Kit (with automatic 360 egg spinner and vibrant non-toxic marker set)
- Halovin Easter Egg Decorator Painting Kit (Includes bunny egg decorating spinner, 8 colorful quick-drying markers, and 6 white wooden Easter eggs to decorate.)
Easter Egg Decorating with Paint Pens or Markers Step-by-Step Directions
Read the instructions below before decorating Easter eggs with paint pens or markers so you know the steps involved and what to expect before getting started. You might also enjoy these Rock Painting ideas and tips.
1. Make Hard-boiled eggs or Use Wooden Eggs:
- Skip steps one and two if you are decorating wooden eggs.
- The step-by-step directions below share our favorite way to hard-boil eggs without cracking.
How to Hard Boil Eggs (Best method to make hard-boiled eggs that don’t crack):
- Take eggs out of the refrigerator and allow them to come to room temperature.
- Place eggs in a single layer at the bottom of a pot.
- Fill the pot with enough room temperature water to cover the eggs, but not much more.
- Bring water and eggs to a boil in an uncovered pot.
- Once the water reaches boiling, set a timer and allow them to cook in the boiling water for one minute.
- After one minute, turn the stovetop off under the pot of boiling water, cover it, and allow the eggs to sit and cook in the hot water for 10 to 12 more minutes without the flame. (Don’t let them sit too long.)
- Rinse and soak eggs in cold water to cool.
2. Allow hard-boiled eggs to cool completely before painting them:
- Give your eggs time to cool completely before using paint pens to decorate them.
3. Use paint pens or Markers to decorate Easter Eggs:
- Using paint pens or markers to decorate Easter eggs with children is fun and easy.
- Our favorite pastel paint pens are water-based, non-toxic, and easy to use!
- I like extra fine-tip paint pens best for detail work and coloring small spaces, while broader tips and brush paint pens make it easier to shade larger areas quickly or paint eggs one or two solid colors.
- Paint pen egg decorating tip:
- Place eggs in an egg carton to make it easy for toddlers and preschoolers to color them with paint pens. (See this tip in action HERE.)
- First, place an egg in a carton and start drawing on it.
- Allow the paint to dry before flipping it over to paint the other side.
- Place eggs in an egg carton to make it easy for toddlers and preschoolers to color them with paint pens. (See this tip in action HERE.)
- Scroll down for step-by-step instructions on using paint pens to decorate eggs for Easter, the spring equinox, or another spring holiday.
Easy Marker and Paint Pen Easter Egg Decorating Ideas
Markers and paint pens have the creative potential to decorate eggs far beyond most traditional methods. Using a marker or paint pen with a fine, medium, broad, or brush tip allows artists to create designs ranging from delicate floral patterns to whimsical characters of various types.
Related: How to Make an Easter Egg Tree
Types of Easter Egg Decorations and Designs:
The versatility of markers and paint pens allows various designs to adorn Easter eggs. Intricate geometrical shapes, patterns inspired by cultural motifs, or playful depictions of animals and nature can all be achieved with precision and detail or wild abandon.
Additionally, different types of paint pens and markers offer artists of all ages and abilities the flexibility to experiment with varying combinations of color and textures, which enables them to personalize their creations to suit any personal aesthetic or theme. Scroll through the festive paint pen Easter egg decorating ideas in the following sections to gather inspiration.
Use Markers or paint pens to color an Easter egg one, two, or three solid colors:
- Metallic brush paint pens made painting an entire Easter egg with one, two, or three solid colors easy.
- You can see a purple metallic egg my daughter painted in the bottom left corner of the photo below. Isn’t it pretty?
Make Stripes, Polka Dots, Hearts, or Shapes on Easter Eggs with Paint Pens or Markers:
- We used paint pens to draw stripes, polka dots, hearts, and other shapes on our Easter eggs, but markers would work just as well.
- An easy way to add strips and a few other creative swirling patterns is with an egg-spinning decorating kit like THIS. (Several more options are included in the Easter egg decorating supplies above.)
- The photos above and below show some of our designs and the vibrant paint pen colors we used.
Flower Easter Egg Decorating Idea:
- Drawing flowers with paint pens or markers is an easy way to decorate Easter eggs that look fabulous!
- Use at least two complementary or contrasting colors to make flowers on an egg to decorate it for Easter or another spring holiday.
Related: Best Flower Art Projects for Kids
2 Easy Ways to Draw Flowers on Easter Eggs with Markers or Paint Pens:
- How to draw flowers with stems on Easter eggs:
- Start by drawing a single flower stem or a bouquet of flower stems to make a flower bouquet on your Easter egg.
- Next, add a colorful flower to each stem to complete the bloom on each Easter egg.
- An example of this Easter egg decorating technique is in the upper left corner of the photo tutorial below.
- Or, here’s another quick flower egg decorating idea you can try:
- Draw polka dots on an egg in at least one paint pen color.
- Make sure there is enough space to add flower petals around them.
- Next, Add flower petals around each colored polka dot in another complementary or contrasting paint pen color (as shown in the photo below)
- Or use multiple paint pen colors to create a rainbow of complementary or contrasting flowers on the Easter egg to decorate it.
- A step-by-step example of how to draw flowers with an extra-fine-tip paint pen with this simple Easter egg decorating method is in the bottom left corner and on the right side of the photo tutorial below.
- Draw polka dots on an egg in at least one paint pen color.
Related: Wooden Easter Egg Decorating Ideas
Easter Chick Easter Egg Decorating Idea:
- We love turning eggs into hatching baby chicks for Easter!
- One of my favorite wooden Easter egg decorating ideas is making Easter Chicks with wooden eggs.
- Markers or paint pens can turn real hard-boiled Easter eggs into Easter chicks with the same simple design.
- Do your best to copy the baby chick Easter egg in the photo below using the following step-by-step instructions:
- How to Decorate Eggs to Look Like a Baby Chick Hatching:
- Choose a color and sketch a cracked line around the middle of the egg.
- Use the same color to fill in the space under the cracked line, creating the appearance of half an eggshell.
- Draw a small orange triangle to represent the beak of the baby chick.
- Add two black dots for the eyes.
- How to Decorate Eggs to Look Like a Baby Chick Hatching:
- Look at the directions for this Easter chick egg decorating idea to learn how to decorate wooden Easter eggs to look like Easter Chicks.
How to Draw a Picture to Decorate Easter Eggs:
- Imagine an Easter egg as a blank canvas to draw any picture you wish.
- I wanted to draw a sunrise with a cross on an Easter egg, but we ran out of eggs!
- My daughter drew a butterfly, dragonflies, and an Easter bunny to decorate some of her Easter eggs.
- Make spring or Easter symbols and characters, doodles, and any other creative designs you come up with.
- Allow your imagination to take you on a journey to create something new!
Create Pansky Easter Egg Designs to Decorate Easter Eggs:
- Creating Pansky egg designs with paint pens or markers to decorate Easter eggs is another fun Easter egg decorating idea.
- I decorated part of a Pansky egg on the right side of the photo below. I would have made a few more Pansky Easter eggs, but again, we ran out of Easter eggs to decorate!
Decorate Easter Eggs with Motivational or Inspirational Words and Phrases:
- Another creative idea is to write motivational or inspirational words and phrases on eggs to decorate them for Easter.
- You can use the inspirational words on this printable list of ideas or write your own motivational words and phrases.
- How to decorate an Easter egg with words and phrases:
- First, use block lettering, cursive, calligraphy, or another fancy or simple script to write a word or phrase onto the egg with a paint pen or marker.
- Next, draw a picture or create doodles around the word or phrase to dress it up and make it beautiful.
Doodle on Easter Eggs to Decorate them:
- Here’s part of a doodle egg my husband made in the bottom left corner of the photo above and how he made it in the picture below.
- First, he used an extra-fine tip black paint pen to doodle on the egg. Next, he picked extra fine-tip paint pens and metallic brush pen paint pens to fill in and around his doodles to finish the egg.
Fun Ways to Use Decorated Eggs
Beyond their symbolic significance, decorated Easter eggs serve a multitude of purposes. They can be displayed as ornaments on spring nature tables or centerpieces during Easter gatherings. No matter how you use them, Decorated eggs add a festive touch to homes and communal spaces in the springtime.
Decorated eggs also make delightful gifts, offering a personal and thoughtful token of appreciation to friends and loved ones. Especially hand-painted or crafted wooden eggs of various types.
In modern traditions worldwide, decorated eggs are added to Easter baskets and incorporated into various spring holidays. They are also a popular feature of Easter activities, such as egg hunts, egg rolling races, and egg decorating competitions, where their vibrant designs add excitement and joy to the festivities. Learn more about these fun Easter egg activities in family Easter Traditions.
Whether a wooden egg that can be cherished as a keepsake for many years or enjoyed as an edible treats that disappear into happy bellies, decorated eggs bring color and cheer to Easter celebrations, uniting people in the spirit of creativity and tradition.
Decorate Eggs with Paint Pens or Markers for Easter
Try decorating Easter eggs with paint pens this year. There are so many fun ways to use paint pens to decorate Easter eggs.
If you wonder how Easter eggs, baskets, and the Easter bunny became associated with Easter, hop on over to read about Easter Traditions from around the world. We have uncovered some fun facts to share!
And if you’d like to see more fun ways to use paint pens, check out this collection of rock painting ideas.
You may also like this fantastic collection of Easter Art Projects Kids LOVE!
Learn more about Rhythms of Play HERE!
If You Liked Decorating Easter Eggs with Markers and Paint Pens, You Might Also Like
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