Step One: Gather materials.
- Plastic highlighter
- 3 feet bare wire. We used floral wire.
- Small piece of conductive foam*
- Electrical tape
- Pliers
- Scissors
Step Two: Start by removing the innards of the highlighter. Use pliers to remove the tip and the felt ink by removing the end plug of the highlighter. The artist will be left with these parts: an empty highlighter shell, the end plug, and the cap.
Step Three: Thread the wire through the barrel of the highlighter so that the wire is coming out both ends.
Step Four: Tightly wrap the wire around the piece of foam, which should be cut into something about the size of a pen cap. Make sure the wire is tightly wound.
Step Five: Grabbing the other end of the wire, pull the foam into the highlighter so that just 1/4 inch of the tip remains showing. This is the pointer for your stylus.
Step Six: Wrap the remaining wire around the barrel of the highlighter, making sure that the wire covers the highlighter from top to bottom. A hand touching this wire is what creates the charge to control the touch screen.
Step Seven: Using the electrical tape, wrap the barrel of the highlighter with the electrical tape. Many fun colors are available.
Step Eight: Trim the foam at the tip to a rounded point. Don’t trim too close, the artist still wants about 1/4 of an inch of foam for their stylus tip.