Sharpie techniques?! With pictures!!

[Twizel]

I've used metallic Sharpie and sealed it with polyurethane without bleeding before. Of course, in those instances I was only using a little bit of ink - a signature, etc. I'm not sure about yours - but I really like the blue WIP!

[StarFaerie]

Had some unexpected emergency junk to deal with today so I only got part one of the video up, but here it is for those interested in seeing it, http://youtu.be/0TJH53Z9Xac

There is a BIG disclaimer at the beginning of the vid (and I prolly should have added something in the OP) concerning the nature of sharpie ink. I honestly have no idea what these guys might look like in a few years. I have one custom that was done with sharpie that I have had for several years that still looks as great as it did when I purchased it, so I'm hopeful!

  To answer the questions, no I did not seal them beforehand as I was using alcohol to create the watercolour/ gradient effects. But, they were all heavily sealed after the ink had dried.

  Thank you all for the kind words!! :3

Please keep us up to date. I'd love to know how it goes over time. If this works long term it'll make for some great ponies. I really like the pink mottling effect.

[kCherry]

Cheers, ponies!

I've used metallic Sharpie and sealed it with polyurethane without bleeding before. Of course, in those instances I was only using a little bit of ink - a signature, etc. I'm not sure about yours - but I really like the blue WIP!

Thanks for posting Twizel. I know that people have used sharpie (and been happy with the results) before, but you definitely see more unfortunates than fortunate where sharpie and customs are concerned. I'm still hoping that more customizers will come along with stories with happy-endings.

Please keep us up to date. I'd love to know how it goes over time. If this works long term it'll make for some great ponies. I really like the pink mottling effect.

  Will do, Star Faerie! I have learned alot from just these three ponies. I'm sure time will teach me much more.


I got the 2nd video up today and should have the third and final video up tomorrow morning. I will edit the original post to include all three videos once they are up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utIa5GuIzeA

[Saja]

wow thats cool

[Baby Sugarberry]

The main problem is that you can't really call a given technique safe or good until it has stood the test of time - there's no telling what these customs will look like in five, ten, twenty years.  I remember back in the day when acne cream was hailed as the be-all and end-all of stain removal, before the community realized the stuff never stopped working when white bleached patches started showing up on ponies who had been exposed.

Vinyl has the unfortunate properties of being porous and readily leeching dyes, like a very slow sponge, which is why sealing is necessary.  Dye bleed happens with paint too, particularly reds and pinks, and even non-ink items like the infamous pink 'saddle sores' and some Pony Wear / shoes left in contact for many years can do it.

That said, 'it's your pony to do with as you please' is always the final word - just go into it knowing that sharpie markings will likely deteriorate over time.

[Tulips]

I'm looking forward to seeing the third video. The WIP G4 custom looks incredible, i need to see how you made it so mesmerising!

[Lore-Lei]

What's a sharpie exactly?

[kCherry]

Thank you, Saja and Tulips!! Here is the Third and final video!!!
https://youtu.be/DJcM9V_Wg9o

The main problem is that you can't really call a given technique safe or good until it has stood the test of time - there's no telling what these customs will look like in five, ten, twenty years.

  You are right in one! Which is why there is a huge, bold disclaimer in the beginning of every video posted and in every description box of each video. I can only hope that they look this good down the road, but the nice thing is that using this method it doesn't matter if they bleed further; they are already "washed" with alcohol so there are no bold lines (all the clear lines, such as the kanji, and eyes are done with acrylic paint.)
  My main curiosity is if the colours will fade, more than anything. The "sharpie pony" that I own has been kept in a stable environment away from the sun and humidity, ect. I have owned her for seven years now and she still looks good. I can hope!

  All the same, everypony, please, please, please do bear in mind, that I DON'T know what these alcohol-washed ponies may look like down the road! This is an experiment and in posting this thread I was looking for other customizers who may have used Sharpie successfully. I was not posting this thread with the intentions of introducing a great, new technique for every customizer to use.

What's a sharpie exactly?

  "Sharpie" is a brand of permanent marker that can be found in the United States. It comes in a plethora of pretty colours. 

[TwistedRiver]

I love these videos and I'm very interested to learn how these ponies hold up over time, my favorite is the G4, she does look like she would make an amazing galaxy/nebula pony, can't wait to see what she becomes when she is finished!

[Baby Sugarberry]

I've only had personal experience with black sharpie (milage will likely vary by color, as not all pigments are equally stable), but yes it does fade slightly over time at best guess.  ~15 years ago I picked up a Baby Moondancer second hand that had about half her body covered in black permanent marker - finished off the job to make it even, seeing how she wasn't ever likely to be salvageable. 

Fast forward to today, you can see that the original ink was blue-black, while the one I added back in the day was more of a brown-black, and they're both a bit patchy.  Can't say how prevalent the bleed might be, as the whole pony was intentionally covered evenly at the time.