Sharpie Squad member, Laura Kelly, may be one of the cheeriest bloggers we have  had the pleasure of working with! For the past 3 years she has brightened the Sharpie world by guest blogging and sharing her Sharpie love with the world (and across the country, in this case); so, what better way to celebrate the season than to share Laura’s cheer with you all!

What better way to spread BRIGHT and happy love this holiday season than to add a little Sharpie fun to my already planned adventure across the country from North Carolina to California.  With my backpack full of Sharpie markers to give away, sketchbooks and other random Sharpie gear, I grabbed my stuff and made my way to RDU to meet my long time BFF and get on our way.

Ready to jet set!

We started in Raleigh, North Carolina on a beautiful sunny morning.  Having arrived at the airport earlier than necessary we decided to grab breakfast at the super yummy 42^nd Street in terminal C.  When our server arrived, we informed her that she was the first lucky Sharpie winner.  From the large plastic tub of Sharpie markers, she chose green as her favorite and I used it to draw a quick “Me and My Peep” character of herself.   Our first stop was Boston and while there, I left the tub of Sharpie markers on my chair in Delta’s Sky Lounge while going to get some fresh veggies and a refreshing beverage.  Upon my return, I found the chair empty and heard the following over the loudspeaker, “Will the owner of the Sharpies please come to the front.  Your Sharpies have been turned it.”  I dashed to get them and was told that I was lucky to get them back, that sometimes valuable left like weren’t so fortunate as to be returned to their owners, like laptops and cell phones.  She was one smart concierge; she sure knew the value of the Sharpie pen collection!  I doodled a few things for some of the “business” travelers and witnessed a few overly dressed and somewhat pretentious professionals shift from uppity bumps on logs to open, connected and interesting regular folk.  Who knew that a little Sharpie doodling and laughter could create a table of new acquaintances swapping holiday stories and plans while swapping Sharpie markers from my tub to keep  or take back to loved ones at home.  My favorite guy took four, two for each daughter (pink/purple and chartreuse/lime green).

Throughout the day, from airport to airport and on the planes; I sketched “Me and My Peeps” for those around me and made LOTS of new friends.  The most popular colors taken from my collection were bright pink, lime green, red, black and purple.  I got to hear so many great stories about the ways people use their Sharpies, how amazing their artistic children are with Sharpies, what kind of Sharpies they wish they had more of and so much more.  I even got to doodle one of my all-time favorite men, Santa Claus.  He asked me if I wanted more Sharpie markers in my stocking to which I replied, “OF COURSE I DO!  

On Saturday morning we went shopping and I doodled along the way.  The workers in the t-shirt shop were psyched to get their own “Me and My Peep” drawn and put them on display behind the register.

 The dude working at the San Francisco Bath Salt store was another proud owner of his “Me and My Peep” and more than excited about the possibility of showing up in this blog.  He was definitely a SILVER Sharpie marker kind of guy…with a sparkly personality to match!

During the day on Saturday, I took my Sharpie collection along for our outing to Alcatraz, thinking I might be able to graffiti a little in the cells…JUST KIDDING!  While doodling in line I found a fellow Sharpie marker user…the girl assigned the job of marking our tickets!  She was happy as could be when I replaced hers with a new sharp tipped red and happily let me photograph her in action.  She said she wished she could use purple but that red was her only choice.  I gave her a purple to use on personal time.  She gave me a hug.  I call that a GOOD DEAL!  The boat trip over was a bit choppy so I kept my tub packed up and enjoyed the ride!

That evening we attended a wine tasting and once again, my tub was a hit!  The tasters used the markers for their customer tasting notes.  Personally, I recommend the 2010 Mendocino!  It gained a bright red Sharpie heart on my notes!

On Sunday morning, I left a black Sharpie marker with a doodled up message on the paper machine.  I watched from afar while people stopped to read it and chat up their Sharpie stories.  Finally it was taken by a teenage girl who stated as she ripped it from the machine, “I think someone left this here for me.”  She was right.  I guess I did.

That afternoon while shopping at Pier 33 and strolling Fisherman’s Wharf, I took a break to sit down and sketch only to find myself surrounded with people who waited in line for their turn to get sketched.  It was crazy fun.  I passed out Sharpies and smiles at the same time.  Some wanted to know where my tip jar was and I laughed.  Can you imagine, drawing “Me and My Peeps” for tips.  I do it for fun…for the mere pleasure of spreading cheer.  Once inside Boudans to buy some sourdough bread, we decided to head upstairs and grab a bite.  I put my tub of Sharpie markers on the bar while I dug in my backpack for my wallet and the man next to me said, “Wow, you are so lucky.  You have so many Sharpies.”  I chatted with him and ended up giving him a few doodle tips.  He practiced his skills on the postcards he was writing back home to his grandmother in Sweden.  When I gave him the handful he used for his masterpieces, he reacted as if he won the lottery.  He gave me the cheek and then the other cheek European kiss and then was whisked off with his mate to his table to eat.

I was then requested to draw the bartender and the girl on our other side so happily doodled some more, handed out some more love in the form of Sharpie marker, then celebrated my new friendships with a little time trading stories before heading back out to the piers.

I continued to doodle and hand out the markers until they were all gone.  I was invited to new places to meet strangers’ families, speak to their schools and illustrate their stories into books.  I was thanked for sharing myself, for offering inspiration and for reminding people that they too were born to create…that doodling counts too and that they are already qualified!

I learned a lot from my adventure.  The most important lesson that I was reminded of through this attempt to spread bright holiday love was that people from all over the world, of all ages and in all sizes love the joy that comes through creation and imagination.  I was reminded that although I am often teased for being a doodle artist, my gift is unique and it makes a difference in the world we share.

  Together with paper, Sharpie markers and strangers…we can connect, grow and care about others.

MERRY HOLIDAYS!  May your celebrations be filled with lots of BRIGHT, CHEERY and HAPPY CREATIVE LOVE!

To keep with Laura and see where else her Sharpie travels take her be sure to check out her website and find her on Facebook!

Scroll on and prepare to blown away by all the amazing black and white Sharpie creations!

Hunter Cramer, our Facebook fan, is piece of Sharpie work!

Polly Allen- http://pinterest.com/pin/298739638/Give a little Sharpie love

I just LOVE a good mustache pun

Sharpie for your table

Straight hood

Stephanie Stewart's contribution

Sharpie-wood forest

 Reaper in Sicily started with Sharpie for their music video, “Worlds End” using black Sharpie markers! 

Oh Hedwig. via girlydoharistyles.com

via gaksdesigns

via imaginationartshop

Facebook fan, Kelli Suchorski, started with Sharpie

Sharpie Headgear

Sharpie fan, Kayla Basham's art

via http://www.flickr.com/photos/maggiestiefvater/5790764838/

via http://adamants.wordpress.com/page/3/

Sharpie Facebook fan, Joshua Aldrich

VROOOM

Sharpie Facebook fan, Jeff Anema.via theberry.com

Facebook fan, Ashley Elizabeth Murad

Facebook fan, Alexandra Lowman has a Sharpie Standoff

Those are just fantASHtic, don’t ya think? (ps this little guy is via raspberrymilk)

Want more!?! Of COURSE you do and we got it! Check out our Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels for more black Sharpie marker madness! And be sure to share what you started with Sharpie, too!

And for those Black Friday shoppers still looking for a deal, Sharpie will be giving away special Black Friday sets of Sharpie products FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS to 100 lucky winners on our Facebook page. Hurry! No lines!

See it PAYS to read all the way to the end… Happy Sharpie “shopping”!

Check out some of the Sharpie stars below and be sure to add your own at sharpie.com!

Guest blogger, Stephanie!

It’s time again! Check out our latest Sharpie Featured Artist, Warren Beinart, and hear what he has to say to guest blogger this week, Stephanie Markadonatos, a fellow employee and Sharpie fanatic.

I’m sure we’ve all done a little doodle-ing at some point in our lives and thought nothing more of it; Warren Beinart, the creator of “The Doodle Daily” blog, is the exception.

The doodle Doctor, himself.

He has taken this creative pastime to a new level; it has become his passion, “I started my Daily Doodle Blog as a challenge to myself to see if I could create something new every day for at least a year using social networking as the only means to spread the word.

Since the start of Warren’s challenge 2 years ago he has posted a new doodle every day for the past 750+ days.

Originally from Cape Town, South Africa, Warren now resides in the Washington, DC area working as a Business Analyst by day (with numerous meetings giving him plenty of time to doodle.) Warren chose Sharpie products as his primary implement, “because I loved the diversity of the products, the fine point and “no-bleed through” features of the Sharpie pen, and the markers are perfect for the think lines and preciseness of my work. I have never looked back. As you say, ‘It starts with Sharpie.’”

Warren’s dream is to encourage the doodlers of the world by challenging them to a “World Doodle Challenge.” He hopes to receive 1,000,000 doodles from around the world and connect with other passionate sketch artists and doodlers, therefore “uniting the world 1 doodle at a time.”

Sharpie is proud to be Warren’s product of choice, “[Sharpie] products have been invaluable to me…I cannot tell you how many Sharpie Pens and Permanent markers I have been through during this journey.”

Accept Warren’s challenge and submit your own doodle or scribble to his blog, scroll through some of his master doodle pieces, and check in with his progress by following him on Twitter and Facebook.

Our favorite teen fashion-centric magazine chose 10 fashion savvy young women from it’s online “It Girl” panel to host the ultimate girls-night-in for themselves and five of their closest friends.

Sharpie provided the goodies, including a Sharpie product lineup some could only dream of — all so they could show the world what they were starting with Sharpie.

HUGE Thanks to all of our TEEN VOGUE “It Girls” for sharing what they have started with Sharpie… Lia Girdano, Stephanie Maldonado, Maddi Doering, Takiara Bullock, Sarah Hass, Amanda Provost, Cassy Stone, Brigitte Dale, Octavia Childs and Alexis Martin!

For more pictures and more on the “It Girls” and the Night In event, check out the October issue of TEEN VOGUE, on sale September 13th!

We challenged our amazing Newell family to share what they are starting with Sharpie and now we are taking the opportunity to feature one of these internal Sharpie rock stars and what they (or in this case their daughter) has started with Sharpie.

Myra Lee, Director of Marketing Communications for sister brand, LENOX Industrial Products & Services in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, submitted this adorable photo of her 11-year-old daughter, Paige, who took creative liberties when writing her name on her new bag with Sharpie markers.

It’s amazing how something as simple as labeling your stuff can turn into an outlet for self-expression!

Now that you have seen what some of us are starting with Sharpie…what are you gonna start?

Dude or no dude, fact is there are more than 20 million skateboarders in the U.S., most of them under the age of 24. These dudes (which I mean only in the coolest way) ride their boards for lots of reasons, among them this one that I thought was particularly insightful extracted from the dclaim blog: Carving out creative lines under cloudless skies.

I get it. Like sky writing and more. Skateboarding IS an art. So is it any surprise that this daring form of self-expression should also find its way onto the skateboards themselves?

Sharpie has a dude (well, we are sort of just borrowing him) — an acclaimed skateboard artist who takes no offense at the term because his amazing art speaks for itself. Meet Mark Rivard. Mark currently appears in Sharpie’s new advertising campaign alongside one of his amazing skateboards and the Sharpie MINI Markers he used to create it.

Here’s Mark’s Sharpie ad, currently running in issues of TransWorld Skateboarding magazine:

Mark got his start designing skateboards after a serious skiing accident left him with time to ponder — and practice — his art.  In his own words, borrowed from Mark’s website:

Skateboards are the cornerstone of my work.  They are what sparked my re-interest in art.  We’ve all heard skaters say “Skateboarding saved my life.”, well in my situation it was a skateboard that literally altered the direction of the rest of my life.  I don’t think I would have died if I had never started skateboarding but I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for that first board and that first sketch.

Mark’s story is a good one, so we put together a video where Mark takes us behind-the-scenes and shares with us the details of how he came to discover his passion and the true mission of his life:

Something else you should know about Mark. We’ve been working with him for awhile now as part of his participation in the Sharpie Squad,  and he gets our vote for best-skateboard-artist-all-around-greatest-guy-ever!  It’s awesome to be able to point you to someone so deserving of all the praise.  Mark is one nice guy…he’s the duuuuuuuuude!

 Friend Mark on Facebook, then check out his appearance on FUEL TV:

 

Sharpie MINI markers are small enough to go anywhere. They offer:

 

• A portable fine tip marker in half the size
• A cap clip that easily attaches to key chains, golf bags, lanyards… and belt loops perfect for skateboarders on-the-go
• 8 assorted colors, including Turquoise, Red, Blue, Lime Green, Green, Valley Girl Violet, Black, (and Magenta, not pictured).

Visit www.sharpie.com for more.
 

Marirose

She may be the youngest member of the Sharpie Squad, but at just 16-years-old, Marirose Weldon is already penning a name for herself in the music business with the recent release of her debut single, “I Want Love.”

Marirose uses Sharpie Liquid Pencils to write her lyrics, which is how we found her and why we decided to feature her in our new Start with Sharpie ad campaign.

Marirose joins three other Sharpie fans debuting in ads running in some of your favorite magazines, including, Seventeen, TEEN VOGUE, and Us Weekly.

Check out Marirose’s ad below:

Marirose has been hard at work establishing her music career and we hope her appearance in our ads helps her start something big.  She’s already meeting with agents and her song is getting lots of airplay on Chicago radio stations (Marirose lives in a Chicago suburb).  But fighting through adversity and meeting new challenges is nothing new to Marirose.  When she was 9-years-old, her mother passed away from a brain tumor.  The video below gives a peak inside Marirose’s life where she talks through some of those personal struggles, and her commitment to her music.

Below is an excerpt from a story that appeared about Marirose in My Suburban Life prior to a benefit concert she was throwing in her mother’s honor.

Why did you decide you wanted to be in show business?
I would always see people on TV. It would just be like a dream that I never thought would happen… I took acting classes for fun and it became something I started to take seriously. (Singing) was something if you got into you have a lot of opportunities.

What are your songs mostly about?
They’re really upbeat. They all have a really great message. There’s no swearing… they’re not about sex, guns or money. They’re songs you can jam out and dance to in your car. The songs are like Rihanna’s and Kelly Clarkson’s.

Do you still have plans to attend college, despite all your success?
Right now, I’m definitely planning on going to college. I’m not a big star right now, I’m just trying to be successful in the music industry. I’ve got to be smart. I’ll probably go to college for music to get experience.

Why did you decide to throw a benefit concert?
My mother passed away when I was 9 years old from a brain tumor. We literally had no idea. She was too afraid to go to the doctor… (She died) during a family vacation in Florida. It’s still shocking to me today… (The concert) is basically for her. Everything we do is in memory for her.

What’s your next big project?
I’m working on a deal with Sharpie, (an ad campaign) for their liquid pencil. They’re looking for brand new artists…to say that they started writing their songs with the pencil. (The ads) will appear in 17 magazines including US Weekly and on billboards.

This rising star not only has the pipes but the personality to make it big!  We are thrilled she is a part of the 2011 Start with Sharpie campaign!

Stay in tune with Marirose on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace .  Be sure to grab her single, “I Want Love” (also available on i-Tunes)!

Last but not least, check out Marirose’s writing instrument of choice – the new Sharpie Liquid Pencil.  It features a unique liquid graphite formulation that eliminates the age-old problem of broken pencil leads.  And it’s now available in four new barrel colors!

Cheeming

Cheeming Boey is a California-based artist who has gained notarity for the AMAZING art he creates on coffee cups.  By combining two very simple things, paper cups and Sharpie Pens, he ceates museum-worthy masterpieces that continue to ignite interest around the globe.  In the same way that Warhol made soup cans famous, Boey is pushing the limits of pop culture with his coffee cups.

This veteran Sharpie Squad member uses Sharpie Pens to create his intricately designed Joe-holders and then sells the cups online at iamboey.com. Beyond being featured in the OC Register and on maxim.com, he is also the man behind the cups in Sharpie’s 2011 magazine ad for Sharpie Pen as part of the Start with Sharpie campaign.

Not only has Cheeming been busy busting out amazing new work and ad campaigns, he has also just returned from a nine-week stint driving around the U.S. and documenting his travels comic book-style– complete with video highlights– while also working on his literary debut, funded completely through Kickstarter.

Follow Boey’s adventures on Twitter & Facebook and IAmBoey.com. Trust me, your cup will runneth over.

STARTING RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW…  

Today we are launching our new “Start with Sharpie” campaign.  It’s all about our passionate fans and the amazing things they have started with Sharpie.  This year we’re showcasing our fans in a way we’ve never done before, hoping that what others have started will inspire YOU to start something with Sharpie too.     

FAN SPOTLIGHT 

Our fans (and if you’re reading this blog, maybe you’re one of them) have done some pretty amazing things with Sharpie.  We have been so impressed — and so overwhelmed by the sheer volume of Sharpie projects out there – that we decided to show off some of them in our magazine ads this year. With nearly two-million incredible Facebook fans and our Sharpie Squad members, we didn’t have to look far to find the right candidates – but, the choice was definitely not easy. Ultimately, we selected three veteran Sharpie Squad members, along with a newcomer, teen singer and songwriter Marirose Weldon, who uses Sharpie Liquid Pencils to write her lyrics.  

LOOK WHAT THEY STARTED!  Please meet…  

 Erica Domesek– DIY expert, author and creator of P.S.- I Made This, Erica’s creations are inspired by some of the biggest names in fashion. She has been featured in top entertainment and fashion media, and both her website and her book feature several Sharpie DIY projects.  In her Sharpie ad, Erica breathes new life into a standard-issue pencil case using new Stained by Sharpie^®  fabric markers to create a chic purse.  The good news is you can make too - just follow the steps listed in the D.I.Y. with Domesek blog post!

Here is Erica’s Ad:

Boey

 Cheeming Boey– Known as the “coffee cup artist,” Cheeming’s work has been displayed in galleries nationwide. In his ad, Cheeming demonstrates how a Sharpie Pen and a simple Styrofoam cup can be combined to create something truly inspiring. 

Here is Cheeming’s “Start with Sharpie” ad:  

Rivard

Mark Rivard– Using skateboards as his canvas, Mark’s designs have appeared in sports commercials and viewed in galleries worldwide.  Mark demonstrates how he uses Sharpie Mini markers to create coveted custom boards.

Here is Mark’s “Start with Sharpie”  Ad:

Marirose

Marirose Weldon– At just 15-years-old, Marirose is already penning a name for herself in the music business with the recent release of her debut single, “I Want Love.” Marirose uses Sharpie Liquid Pencils to write her lyrics and show the world what she is starting with Sharpie.   

And finally, Marirose’s “Start with Sharpie” Ad:

Keep an eye out for them in Seventeen, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly and others, where not only can you see fellow Sharpie fans gracing the pages of your favorite publications, but you can also unlock EXCLUSIVE content and videos of each Sharpie project through the QR codes in the ads.    

GET INSPIRED…AND THEN GET STARTED: 

We like the print ads a lot because they show what’s possible with Sharpie and a little imagination.  But even better are the webisodes we created showing how each of our four Sharpie stars got started, not only with their projects but their careers and ultimatley their dreams: 

New Products, Packaging, Web Site and More

Not only are we shining the spotlight on some of our amazing fans and their work but we are also introducing three exciting new products.  You’ll want to be sure to add these to your back-to-school shopping list:  

• Gel Highlighter™:  this year’s back-to-school must-have features gel stick technology that prevents smearing, bleed-through and drying out – and makes highlighting fun with its smooth gel formulation.
• Stained by Sharpie™:  The first-ever Sharpie marker specifically developed for performance on most fabric surfaces. 
• Sharpie^® 80’s Glam: Vibrant, limited edition permanent markers perfect for creating hip, colorful masterpieces.  The collection turns back time with five new colors, chosen by Sharpie’s Facebook fans, including – Argyle Green, Leg Warmer Orange, Jellie Pink, Banana Clip Yellow and Valley Girl Violet.

We have also been listening to you over the past year and are adding new colors to Sharpie Mini (Magenta, Valley Girl Violet, Turquoise), Sharpie Pen fine tip (Turquoise, Coral, Clover, Hot Pink), and Sharpie Liquid Pencil (new barrel colors — Turquoise, Orange, Lime, Purple). You asked for it and now we have delivered!  

Sharpie’s Fresh Face

After 10 years we have taken a hint from Hollywood and given our packaging a facelift.  But don’t worry, the iconic Sharpie logo remains unchanged! The key differences include brighter, whiter packaging, a larger and angled Sharpie logo, and help with product features and benefits that makes shopping for Sharpie — in its multitude of colors, tip sizes and varieties — easier than ever.  Check it out in stores and let us know what you think!  

Another part of Sharpie’s refreshed look for 2011 is a re-designed  website – which can still found at www.sharpie.com.   

The site features a new, more user-friendly community experience that takes the best of what we had and makes it even better! Now, you can:  

• Create your very own Sharpie profile so you can connect to your friends and other fans who love Sharpie, and the profiles have also been enhanced so they have a cleaner, more ‘Facebook-like’ feel to them.
• Navigate Sharpie products in every color and tip size imaginable via an interactive color wheel (it even lets you shop for Sharpie by color – so you can see all the possibilities in, say, the color red.)
• Check out how-to videos and Sharpie fan galleries.
• See everything Sharpie  is up to on all our social sites, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the Sharpie Blog!
•  Create detailed multi-step how-to’s that combine your own user-created videos, images, and text. You can even show which products you used to create it.
•  Issue a Challenge to the community to start something with Sharpie using certain products or tools. For example, who can create the best set of Sharpie shoes, or the best project using only Sharpie Metallic markers.
• Share all the great user submissions and blog entries through an improved Share functionality.
• Greater ability to sort and search for user submissions, how-to’s, challenges, and videos by time submitted, popularity, etc.

LAST BUT NOT LEAST, IT’S ALL ABOUT THE GALLERY! 

Be sure to upload images of your Sharpie creations and share with the world via our interactive gallery.  More than 10,000 have already been submitted – we just need YOURS! 

START SOMETHING ON YOUTUBE

This back-to-school season, Sharpie will take its gallery of fan submissions to new heights when for one day, on August 27th, Sharpie stages a takeover of the YouTube homepage, where thousands of images of Sharpie creations will combine to create an interactive mosaic.  For all the details, check out the official blog post here.  

NOW, puuuuulease head on over  to  www.sharpie.com to see it all for yourself! What are you gonna start?! Upload something to the gallery today.