Fun Coloring Placemats Activity for Kids of All Ages

I remember painting in, coloring in designs on cotton table cloths, among other things, when I was a kid. I felt more grown up knowing that my coloring was going to be used.

I still have the table cloth that I colored in.

Today, you can purchase paint markers at a local arts and crafts store, or from a number of places online.

Although the drawing is there, creativity is there too. Being able to choose your own colors is important.

I worked at an arts and craft store, and hosted birthday parties that were held there. All the kids loved the painting projects, and got very engrossed in what they were doing.

Even though they all started with the same set of materials, and design, the final projects all looked very different, and unique.

One kid might color in everything with solid colors, and another might start adding polka dots and or stripes. It's fun to watch their creativity flourish.

To adjust the size or placement of the drawing, click on the product of your choice, then on Customize It, and then on the the Design. You can then click on a corner box around the design and stretch it out or drag it in. Place the cursor in the center of the design to drag and move it. Click on the center of the plus sign in the Edit box to the right of the design to center it.

I haven't yet painted on the placemats, but have painted on other material, such as aprons from Zazzle. The aprons turned out great, so I imagine the placemats will work well too.

However, if you would like to wait, I ordered a placemat myself, and will post about my experience.

Note, that the placemats takes an extra 7 - 14 days to process, before they are shipped.

Update: The placemat arrived and looks great. The yellow was a bit lighter than pictured online, but is still plenty dark enough to show up for painting it in.

The placemat is two layers thick and the edges are hemmed under. The fabric feels substantial and sturdy, and washed up well in the laundry. However, it didn't lay as flat once laundered.

I placed a thick flat sheet of cardboard under the placemat before I began.

What I noticed:

• There was a little bleed through to the back layer of fabric, from some of the markers (both kinds), but not much.
• The Elmer's paint markers left a thicker, textured layer of paint on the fabric, which left this part of the fabric stiffer.

• The Sharpies permanent markers left the fabric smooth and bled a little bit in to the surrounding colors, but not much.
• The Elmer's markers covered underneath colors better. The Sharpies markers could be blended.
• Upon washing, the colors from the Sharpies markers spread, and the Elmer's markers didn't.

My recommendation:

• If you want a smoother feeling placemat and you're not concerned with the colors running or bleedthrough, then choose the Sharpies markers.
• If it's something you're going to frame, or if you don't care about the stiffness, and you want to add more options, like pearlescent, then the Elmer's markers is a good choice.

Once I heat set the paint and wash it again, I will post those findings too.

Update:

I heat set the designs with a hot iron for a couple of minutes. After a couple of days, I put it in the wash. Some of the Sharpies marker colors washed onto other areas of the placemat, and also on to a couple of miscellaneous clothes.

My recommendation is not to use Sharpies Markers for fabric painting, and to stick with the Elmer's Paint Markers.