Invent a new drawing tool
Make a DIY multi-tip drawing tool from recycled pens, modeling clay, and tape to create varied line textures and explore pattern design.
Step-by-step guide to make a DIY multi-tip drawing tool
Step 1
Gather all your materials on a clean table so everything is ready.
Step 2
Choose 3 to 5 recycled pens with different tip types and colors to make interesting lines.
Step 3
Ask an adult to help open the pen barrels so you can get to the tips.
Step 4
Remove the ink cartridges and keep the pen tips for your tool.
Step 5
Line up the pen tips side by side on the table in the order you want them to draw.
Step 6
Roll a small ball of modeling clay about the size of a walnut.
Step 7
Press the clay onto the back ends of the pen tips to hold them together firmly.
Step 8
Wrap tape around the clay and pen bases to secure the tips and form a handle.
Step 9
Trim any extra tape or clay with scissors so the handle feels comfortable to hold.
Step 10
Test your multi-tip tool on scrap paper by pressing and dragging it across the page.
Step 11
Adjust the spacing of the tips by gently pushing or pulling them in the clay for different textures.
Step 12
Make pattern tests like stripes dots zigzags and spirals to explore the tool’s effects.
Step 13
Try changing the pressure and angle while drawing to see how the lines change.
Step 14
Create a finished picture or pattern on a clean sheet of paper using your new multi-tip drawing tool.
Step 15
Share a photo and a short description of your finished creation on DIY.org
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use if we don't have recycled pens or pen tips to make the multi-tip tool?
If you can't find recycled pen tips, use small paintbrush heads, cotton swabs, or nibs cut from felt-tip markers and secure them into the clay and tape the same way as in steps 5–8.
My pen tips keep wobbling or falling out when I test the tool—how do I fix that?
Press the walnut-sized modeling clay firmer around the back ends of the pen tips, add extra tape around the pen bases (step 7), and ask an adult to add a small dab of hot glue where the tips meet the clay for extra hold before testing on scrap paper (step 9).
How can I adapt this activity for younger kids or make it more challenging for older kids?
For younger children, have an adult open barrels, remove cartridges and pre-roll the clay and trim the handle (steps 3, 6, 8), while older kids can try 5–7 tips, experiment with tip spacing in step 11, or design detachable tip modules for varied textures.
What are some ways to enhance or personalize the tool and the finished drawing?
Personalize the handle with colored tape or beads after step 8, arrange tips into patterns as in step 5 for specific textures, and layer different pressures and angles (step 12) to create mixed-color stripes and spirals in your finished picture (steps 13–14) before sharing on DIY.org (step 15).
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Facts about DIY drawing tools and texture techniques
♻️ Upcycling old pens into a new tool gives them a second life and keeps plastic out of the trash.
✨ A multi-tip drawing tool can stamp repeating patterns and varied lines in seconds, supercharging pattern design and texture play.
🎨 Artists can get dozens of different textures just by changing pen angle, pressure, or speed — one tip can behave like many!
🧱 Plasticine, a famous modeling clay, was invented in 1897 and never dries out — perfect for reusable grips and prototypes.
🖊️ The modern ballpoint pen was popularized after László Bíró patented a practical design in the late 1930s.
How do I make a DIY multi-tip drawing tool from recycled pens?
What materials are needed for this recycled multi-tip drawing tool?
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