A string of party lights3 highlighters (yellow, pink, green) and a black pen. One sagging pen line. Hang a bulb every thumb width.
An OPEN sign in a shop window2 highlighters (pink, blue) and a black pen. Each letter is one tube line. A thin pen frame is the window.
A lemon slice with pen lines between the yellow wedges1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Color eight wedges with gaps between them, then ring the rind in pen.
A banana with a face, its peel half down1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Yellow the peel flaps, leave the fruit white and give it a small pen smile.
A cactus in a pot with pen spines over the green1 highlighter (green) and a black pen. Three green lobes. Short pen ticks for spines sit on top and stay sharp.
A fried egg whose white is bare paper1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. A yellow disc for the yolk and a wobbly pen edge around it. Nothing else.
A frog on a lily pad drawn in one green1 highlighter (green) and a black pen. Go over the frog twice so it reads darker than the pad under it.
A ghost holding one pink balloon1 highlighter (pink) and a black pen. The ghost is pen and bare paper. Only the balloon gets color.
A goldfish in a bowl where only the fish is colored1 highlighter (orange) and a black pen. Bowl, water line and weed in pen. The fish is the one bright thing.
A honeybee whose stripes are pen bars over a yellow oval1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Yellow oval first. Three pen bars cross it and the yellow shows between.
A lemon slice with pen lines between the yellow wedges1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Color eight wedges with gaps between them, then ring the rind in pen.
A row of chicks, each one a single yellow blob with pen legs1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. One fat blob per chick. Beak, eye and two legs go on in pen.
A sleeping cat in a square of window light1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Pen the cat first, then lay one slanted yellow block across cat and floor.
A slice of watermelon with pen seeds1 highlighter (pink) and a black pen. Pink triangle, a pen curve for the rind, seeds as teardrops over the pink.
A snail with an orange shell and a pen spiral1 highlighter (orange) and a black pen. One orange disc for the shell. The spiral and the body are pen only.
Two or three colors, layered 12
A bunch of grapes in pink, blue and both2 highlighters (pink, blue). Some grapes pink, some blue and a few colored twice for purple.
A butterfly whose wings run from yellow to pink3 highlighters (yellow, orange, pink) and a black pen. Yellow near the body, pink at the tips, orange between.
A carrot whose orange is yellow under pink2 highlighters (yellow, pink) and a black pen. Yellow cone, pink over it, the leafy top left out. Pen the creases.
A leaf that is green only where yellow crosses blue2 highlighters (yellow, blue). Color the whole leaf yellow, then one half blue. The overlap reads green.
A parrot with a yellow head, a blue wing and green where they meet2 highlighters (yellow, blue) and a black pen. Let the wing overlap the body, then pen the eye and the beak.
A peacock feather eye in three rings3 highlighters (yellow, blue, green). A yellow oval, a blue ring inside it, a green center. Then long green barbs.
A plaid scarf woven from pink and blue stripes2 highlighters (pink, blue). Stripes down in pink, stripes across in blue. Every crossing turns purple.
A stack of see-through jelly cubes3 highlighters (yellow, pink, blue). Shift each square a little from the one below so every pair shares a corner.
A sunset in bands, with pink laid over the lower edge of yellow2 highlighters (yellow, pink). Overlap the two bands by a finger width. The orange band is one you did not own.
Three fish swimming through each other3 highlighters (yellow, pink, blue). Draw each fish solid and let them overlap. The overlaps look like glass.
Three hills from two colors2 highlighters (yellow, blue). The far hill is yellow, the near hill blue, and the middle hill is where they cross.
Three overlapping circles with a new color in each overlap3 highlighters (yellow, pink, blue). Let each circle dry before the next. Count the colors where they cross.
Glow shapes and neon signs 12
A jellyfish with a pink bell and blue arms2 highlighters (pink, blue). Long wavy strokes for the arms. Go over the rim of the bell a second time.
A light bulb with a yellow halo1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Pen the bulb, then scrub a soft yellow ring wider than the glass.
A lighthouse whose beam is one yellow wedge1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Pen the tower and the waves. The beam widens as it crosses the sky.
A lightning bolt over pen rain1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Slanted pen dashes first. The bolt goes over them and they still show.
A moon with a paler second ring of yellow1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. A solid yellow disc, then a ring of light quick strokes around it.
A neon arrow pointing down, with bulbs along it2 highlighters (yellow, pink) and a black pen. A pink arrow outline, yellow dots along it, pen rings for bulbs.
A neon cactus drawn as one bent tube1 highlighter (green). One fat line that never crosses itself. Leave gaps where a real tube would bend back.
A neon diner sign of a coffee cup with a curl of steam3 highlighters (pink, yellow, blue). Outlines only: a pink cup, a yellow saucer, a blue curl. No filling in.
A row of lit windows at night1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Hatch the wall dark in pen. Leave the window squares clean, then fill them.
A string of party lights3 highlighters (yellow, pink, green) and a black pen. One sagging pen line. Hang a bulb every thumb width.
An OPEN sign in a shop window2 highlighters (pink, blue) and a black pen. Each letter is one tube line. A thin pen frame is the window.
Fireflies drawn as pen specks inside yellow dots1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Pen an open jar and tiny bugs. Each bug gets a yellow dot twice its size.
Notes and page corners 12
A banner behind a heading, with folded pen ends1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. One wide stroke, then pen a notch and a fold at each end.
A battery in the corner that shows how full the day was1 highlighter (green) and a black pen. Pen the battery shell. Fill as many green bars as the day earned.
A cat peeking over the bottom edge of the page1 highlighter (orange) and a black pen. Two ears, two eyes and two paws on the edge. Nothing else of the cat.
A divider line of bunting flags3 highlighters (pink, yellow, blue) and a black pen. A pen string across the page with triangles hanging from it.
A margin vine with leaves pressed from the wide tip1 highlighter (green) and a black pen. One wavy pen stem up the margin. Each leaf is a single press.
A page corner turned into a slice of pizza2 highlighters (yellow, orange) and a black pen. The corner is the point. Yellow cheese and an orange crust.
A paper plane with a dashed trail across the top margin1 highlighter (blue) and a black pen. Pen the plane and loops of dashes. One blue stroke shades a wing.
A row of tiny potted plants along the bottom line1 highlighter (green) and a black pen. The ruled line is the shelf. Pen the pots and press green leaves.
A speech bubble around the one line to remember1 highlighter (pink) and a black pen. Pen the bubble, then color inside it. The words under stay readable.
A sticky note drawn in the margin1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. A yellow square, one corner curled in pen and a shadow line under it.
A weather icon for each day of the week2 highlighters (yellow, blue) and a black pen. Yellow suns, blue drops, pen clouds. Seven small boxes in a row.
Bullet points drawn as tiny suns1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. A yellow dot for each bullet, with eight short pen rays.
Lettering 12
A date header with a rising sun behind it1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Half a yellow disc with rays on the line. Pen the date over the top of it.
A name with a highlighter shadow set off to one side1 highlighter (pink) and a black pen. Write the name in pen. Repeat each stroke in color, a little down and right.
A one-word poster in knockout letters1 highlighter (green). Pencil the word lightly, color everything except the letters and leave them paper white.
A word on a ribbon scroll1 highlighter (yellow) and a black pen. Color a wavy band, pen its edges and folded tails, then letter inside.
A word with an echo line in a second color2 highlighters (blue, green). Write it once in blue with the corner of the tip, then trace beside it in green.
A word written with the wide edge, thick down and thin across1 highlighter (blue). Hold the tip at one angle the whole way. Downstrokes come out wide and crossbars thin.
Block letters filled with slanted stripes2 highlighters (pink, yellow) and a black pen. Outline fat letters in pen. Fill with stripes, colors in turn.
Bubble letters with a shine mark left blank1 highlighter (pink) and a black pen. Fill each letter but skip a small curved patch at top left. Outline in pen.
Letters that change color halfway up2 highlighters (yellow, pink). Bottom half yellow, top half pink, overlapped in the middle for an orange band.
Open letters filled by turns with dots and solid color2 highlighters (green, orange) and a black pen. Pen open letters. Fill one with dots, the next solid, and repeat.
Three stacked words, each on its own bar of color3 highlighters (yellow, pink, blue) and a black pen. Three bars down the page. Pen one word on each, in capitals.
Two initials on a colored badge1 highlighter (blue) and a black pen. A solid disc, two pen initials over it and a ring of pen dots outside.
How it works
Highlighter ink is see-through. A black pen line still shows under it, and two colors make a third where they cross. These 60 highlighter art ideas use both, and each one says how many highlighters it needs.
Read the full guide
With one highlighter, two or three
One highlighter is enough for 35 of the 60. The color goes down as a flat shape and a black pen adds what makes it a chick, a bee or a cactus. Sixteen need two and nine need three, and every hint starts with that number.
Where the pen goes first, let its ink dry before the highlighter crosses it.
Layer light to dark: yellow first, then pink or blue over it, so the yellow tip stays clean.
Questions and answers
What can you draw with a highlighter?
Flat bright shapes with a pen line on top: a lemon slice, a honeybee, a goldfish in a bowl. Glow works too, as a yellow halo around a light bulb or a lighthouse beam. There are 60 ideas in five groups of 12.
What are cute things to draw with a highlighter?
Small animals made from one blob of color: a row of chicks with pen legs, a snail with an orange shell, a frog on a lily pad. A ghost holding one pink balloon needs color on the balloon only.
What colors do highlighters make when you layer them?
Yellow and blue give green, yellow and pink give orange, and pink and blue give purple. Three overlapping circles in yellow, pink and blue show all three at once.
Can you see pen lines through highlighter?
Yes. A highlighter is made to cover writing and leave it readable, so a black line stays visible under the color. The lightning bolt over pen rain and the sleeping cat in a square of window light both depend on it.