Fabric paint pens. If you have acrylic paints, you can buy a small bottle of fabric medium (looks like a whitish thick goop). This will make acrylic paint into fabric paint. It does not dilute the paint or soften the color, just makes it pliable and ok for fabric. Mix it one to one. For projects that you are suggesting, I would just mix a couple drops of each on a margarine lid and start painting.