Painting my Surfboard

Montana Paint Pens

So in my last project, I put some traction on the tail that stays on permanently, but doesn't get in the way. Now, since I can't leave well enough alone, I wanted to paint this surfboard since I haven't painted one in a while.
This time, I used fine point Montana paint pens, since they were up at Michaels', and they have the 40% off one item coupon. Not kidding you, I got a lot of my markers one at a time over a couple of weeks so I could use the coupon. Paint markers are pricey. I've "heard" Poscas are the best, but they do not take sealant very well if you need to preserve your item (which you do). I used to use Painters' Paint Pens- they sell them at craft stores and WalMart- but ever since Elmer's Glue bought them, they're pretty awful.
Some people will recommend sandpapering the area of the surfboard you want to paint, for it to "stick better", but I think that's a quick way to ruin a good paint pen nib, and gives you no way to undo errors cleanly. I just make sure the board is clean, wax, water, and chemical free!

I had a few aquatic photos of seadragons I wanted to try and paint for inspiration. First, I sketched out the main body and the head in pencil so I could get an idea of the overall proportion I wanted.

Pencil Sketch on the board

Next, I started filling in with color. These are pump-style markers, so you have to press the nib down to get them to feed more paint, so I keep a scrap of paper nearby to start a new feed of paint.

Scrap paper to pump out more paint

These markers are pretty decent, I did need to go back over the main fields about 3 times to get the really bright colors. To shadow and highlight, I found it was fun to bring Pointillism back! Paint pens are perfect for this, and blending colors is neat-o. Just remember to let the paint completely dry before moving on to the next layer, and DON'T lay it on thick- it should go on kind of marker-"like".

Adding dots for highlights and shadow

My collection of big markers

Technically, when these markers dry, they're waterproof. And yes, if you kept a light coat of wax on this (if the painting's on the deck), and kept it from getting scratched, it MAY not chip off for a while. But it will. And that can be a good thing, especially if you're concerned about resale.
If you want to lock your creation down, and protect it from sun, sand, and wax comb scrapes, I recommend sealing it- no matter what side you painted.
This is where is gets tricky. A lot of people claim that paint pens bleed badly when you put sealant on them. I think this typically happens when the paint is put on too thickly, or the painter didn't leave enough time between sealant coats to let it dry.
To set up for this, I took the surfboard out to the garage with the door open, fan on, with my FILTER MASK and SAFETY GOGGLES ready to don when getting ready to spray (HINT). I taped off the board with Frogtape (painters' tape) and butchers' paper to prevent any other areas from getting sprayed.

Frogtape and Paper to section off area

I used a "2 in 1" Rustoleum "Ultra Cover" spray, but I still used 2 light, even coats. I had no problem with running or bleed with the Montana markers.

Here it is completed:

Gee, I hope I like the board. It's all mine now, like a tattoo on the butt.