Simple Highlighter Pen-Decorated Easter Eggs

I've been so inspired lately by illustrator (and dear friend) Margaret McCartney's new highlighter pen drawing series. I love her patterns and funky neon recoloring of familiar objects. Seeing them made me want to play with highlighters too! Margaret and I got together to decorate some Easter eggs and had so much fun!

These fruit patterned eggs are straight off a textile design that Margaret was working on.

Here are some of Margaret's eggs next to one of her plant sketches.

I love using the highlighters's chisel tip to get wide strokes, as in the tulip blooms and thin lines like the stems. TIP: The highlighters can be smudgy until (and even after) they dry. If you want to cover the egg in a pattern, work on one area at a time, letting it dry before working on the other part of the egg. Once it is dry, hold the egg with a paper napkin so sweat from your fingers doesn't smear the ink. 

Here are a few more of Margaret's highlighter sketches. I love the patterns on the teacups (above, left) and the birthday girl's skirt (above, right).

A few peeks into her sketchbook. I love these girls and the patterns on their clothes!

This egg's floral pattern was stolen right off the girl's shirt!

These can be made on hard boiled eggs or blown out eggs (so you can keep your favorites!!). Here's a link to video instructions for blowing out eggs.
Check out Margaret's website to see her other work. I hope you'll try this fun technique!