How to Make Glow-in-the-Dark Paint

Choose glow-in-the-dark powder. You can find glow-in-the-dark powder or fluorescent powder at craft stores or art supply shops.

• The powder comes in various colors and particle sizes. Larger particles produce brighter colors, but the paint will be less smooth, resulting in a speckled light effect. Smaller particles give you smoother paint but with a less intense glow.

Choose a paint medium. This will be the actual paint base you mix with the fluorescent powder. If you want the paint to be invisible under light, opt for a transparent medium like acrylic gel. For visible color under light, you can select acrylic or tempera paint in your preferred shade.

• Ensure the paint medium is compatible with the fluorescent powder. For instance, if using a water-based medium, you'll need "coated glow powder" or "coated fluorescent pigment." For solvent or oil-based mediums, standard or untreated glow powder is required.

Add the fluorescent powder to a bowl. Mix one part powder with five parts paint (or 20% glow powder relative to the paint ratio).

Pour the paint into the bowl. Slowly add the paint medium to the powder in the bowl. Stir the mixture thoroughly. You can add more paint to achieve a thinner consistency.

• The powder won't dissolve, so just stir until the mixture is even and free of clumps.

Use the paint. Most glow-in-the-dark paints should be used immediately. Depending on the powder-to-paint ratio, the mixture you've created may or may not last long. Therefore, only prepare an amount you can use within an hour.

• If you need to store the paint, pour it into an airtight container and remember to stir well before reusing.

Open a highlighter and remove the ink cartridge. Use pliers to carefully open a non-toxic highlighter. Extract the inner felt core and discard the outer casing.

• Ensure the highlighter glows under ultraviolet light. Test by writing on paper, turning off the lights, and shining a UV light on the text. You should clearly see what you've written.

Pour water over the felt core. Place a cup or jar in the sink. Slowly pour water over the core to allow the yellow ink to flow into the container. Stop when the core turns white.

• You may need several highlighters to produce enough ink-colored water.

Add cornstarch to a bowl. Use 1/2 cup of white cornstarch. This will serve as the base for your homemade glow-in-the-dark paint.

• The mixture will be quite thin. Combine equal parts cornstarch and highlighter ink water.

Mix in the highlighter ink water. Carefully pour 1/2 cup of the ink water and stir until the cornstarch is fully dissolved.

Add food coloring. If you want to change the paint's color, add a few drops of food coloring and mix well. Adjust the amount until you achieve your desired shade.

• You can pour the paint into small containers. This allows you to create multiple colors using food coloring.

Apply the paint and let it dry. This type of paint is quite thin, so you'll need to wait for it to dry and apply multiple coats. By layering the paint, you can enhance its glow intensity and longevity.

Observe the glowing effect. Turn off all lights and close the curtains. Then, use a UVA ultraviolet light to see the paint glow.

• If there are small children at home, store the paint out of their reach to prevent accidental ingestion, which can be toxic.
• While most glow powders are safe, they can still pose respiratory risks. Additionally, many paint mediums carry their own hazards. Therefore, glow-in-the-dark paint is not suitable for crafts involving young children.

• Fluorescent powder or crystals
• Paint medium
• Mixing bowl
• Stirring tool
• Paintbrush
• Highlighter
• Water
• Cornstarch
• Food coloring
• Ultraviolet light