Paint Pen Color Swatches
Instruction
I found some really good fine tip paint pens but wanted a way to see the color on a project before committing to the paint. I created these very quick "swatches" to test each color on wood, so I wouldn't have to waste paint (and make a mess on scrap material) to get the color I wanted on my final piece. With 72 colors, this also gave me a way to organize & reference each color by numbering each pen and the corresponding swatch.
I used 1.8mm 4"x6" basswood sheets (Amazon) and created the design in XCS utilizing the Grid Array feature + shape library (any simple shape would work.) I had 72 pens, so I made 3 sheets. I processed each sheet individually due to a slight variance in my package of basswood sheets. In total I spent about 15 minutes processing after about 20 minutes of measuring and design, now have a visual of all of my paint pen colors! This concept could be used for markers or stain, (it would be interesting to see if the stain remained inside of the scored lines.)
I used Grid Array feature and a simple shape set to “score” to create the design inside XCS. I sized the grid to fit on a pre-cut 4"x6" basswood sheet.
I've used these 1.8mm basswood sheets for all kinds of things (mostly design & setting testing) so I already had the material added to my Material Library with settings for scoring. You will want to adjust the settings to score the design on whatever material you choose.
I processed each sheet individually and the whole processes (adjusting depth, perimeter settings & changing out each sheet,) took about 15 minutes total. Your time may vary based on that material you select, the size of your swatch grid, and machine.
I chose to use a zig-zag line through each scored shape, this gave room for the number to be painted in the shape, but it also highlights which colors have more pigment (bleed) and which pens may pool more easily than others. This step isn't necessary, the shape could be colored in completely and the number of shapes on the swatch increased or reduced depending on how many colors you would like represented on your swatch.