Make It: Doodle Lightbulbs Pop Art

I’m turning plain lightbulbs into works of art! Sharpie crafts are all the rage and I used my Sharpie to doodle on lightbulbs.

#Doodle Lightbulbs #Sharpie Crafts Tutorial - such graphic pop art for any light! kellyelko.com

 

The garden state …

yes, I mean New Jersey.

NJ – home to the Statue of Liberty (no, it’s not in New York!), beautiful beaches (we say “going down the shore”), skiing, farmland, history …

take it from me – it’s amazing (once you get past the factories by Newark airport) and …

 

New Jersey (Menlo Park) is also the place where Thomas Edison invented the light bulb.

 

I had a real light bulb moment – literally – when deciding how to show off my state pride.

So here’s my tribute to Edison and NJ.

Make your own doodle lightbulbs - with this simple tutorial! kellyelko.com

How to Make Doodle Lightbulbs

Lightbulb Doodles - from boring to pop art! (click to see how cool they look in a light fixture) kellyelko.com

1) Choose your favorite lightbulbs – I like white bulbs

2) Channel your inner 4 year old and start doodling with a Sharpie marker (any color will do – I like black)

3) Doodle a section at a time so you don’t smudge your work (I rested the bulb on a small container until it was dry – a few minutes)

Doodle Lightbulbs - these look so cool in a light fixture! kellyelko.com

4) Go crazy – add a few large doodles and fill in with swirls, dots, dashes, x’s and o’s …

Tip: If your bulbs have writing on them (wattage) – just doodle right over it (I covered it with a big black circle – the center of a flower)!

5) Screw into your favorite light – or just display in a bowl for instant pop art

Lightbulb Doodles - see how to make these to add some pop art to your lights! kellyelko.com

Doodle Lightbulbs - instant pop art for display for any light fixture kellyelko.com

Sharpie Lightbulbs - instant pop art (click to see how cool they look in light fixtures)! kellyelko.com

They really light up my life.

No they don’t project images on the wall – but they do look cool lit up!

Doodle Lightbulb at Night - make your own for a cool look! kellyelko.com

P.S. If you’re ever driving through scenic New Jersey, stop by the world’s biggest lightbulb (13 feet) that towers atop a monument where Edison’s laboratory once stood.

World's Biggest Lightbulb to honor Thomas Edison - 13 feet tall on a monument in NJ

Jerseylicious!

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48 Comments

  1. So…. do you know Snookie? HA! Just kidding. My aunt lived in New Jersey for many years and always talked about how absolutely gorgeous it is! Can’t wait to visit, gotta see a 13′ lightbulb!!! Love your doodlebulb. How cute is that?

  2. This is beyond a light bulb moment. I am sharing on my FB page later today. So cool. I am not letting my kids in on this or everything in our house will be doodled.

  3. What a fun party! I love the theme, state pride. This is going to be fun to follow.
    Your lightbulbs look so cute, and talk about super easy!
    Debbie 🙂

  4. This is such a cool party and what a neat idea. From one Jersey girl to another, you did us proud, girl!!! Love the way this came out, however, if I tried this, with my luck the bulb would have broken. I am a bull in a china shop, LOL!! I love how this looks.

    Cynthia

  5. This is a brilliant light bulb moment, what an excellent idea! I think someone who can not draw at all (like me) could come up with a design to enhance a bulb or two. Thinking the bulbs in the ceiling fans will likely get some sort of treatment to spiff them up. Dots, diamonds, perhaps some swirls, I will be pondering those questions in the coming days? Thanks again for a fantastic, easy and original idea!

  6. I’m a Jersey Girl by proxy (having married a Jersey boy). I lived there for 6 months (ten years in the surrounding Philly area) and did possess a Jersey drivers license. It is also my most favorite place in the world to go to the shore. Ocean Beach anyone? We just returned from a weeks vacation in Jersey and I am missing it. (Nowhere else have I ever found the Jersey pizza that you can fold, and proper boardwalk fries.)

    I like the lightbulbs. That’s a creative idea. Do you have any issues when you turn them on? Like a smell from the Sharpie?

  7. I grew up in Edison, NJ and frequented the Menlo Park Mall =) This is an absolutely adorable craft and I’m going to try it.. Thanks!! Saw you over at IC and had to message you =)

  8. Rick and I are now arguing over weather or not he knew the Statue of Liberty was in NJ. I know he didn’t Kelly!! This is very clever…I need one over my doodled bench lol.

  9. From one “jersey girl” to another – FABULOUS! Edison didn’t know what he was starting!
    Love your pinspirational project! I have pinned this and also blogged it for my Walkabout Wednesday series. Sharpie Inspirations post here
    Hugs, Antonella 🙂
    Sorry if this is a duplicate, didn’t mean for that to happen…

  10. I am in the uk. I am a tetraplegic of 17yrs. So I had to learn to write ,draw ,everything again So i was glad to find you i will give this a go.
    Many Thanks
    MisT in the UK

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