Cue the strobe lights;  Neon is here! Prepare to go EVEN brighter, blow bold out of the water, and amp up your love for all things Sharpie with the latest electrifying product from your favorite uncapped brand. These bad boys are not only ULTRA-bright in daylight; they also fluoresce under black light!

Sharpie Neon does it all:

• Brilliant, vivid color in daylight
• Mark fluoresces under black light
• Vivid ink leaves permanent mark on most surfaces
• Durable, fine tip produces bold, detailed lines
• Great for use on paper, plastic, wood and leather
• AP Certified non-toxic ink is water, smear and fade-resistant

The Remix project is so huge that it will be split up into THREE phases with THREE different themes! Kicking it off will (of course) be “Music” and we can’t wait to see what our fans create inspired by all the different music that people love!  The Sharpie Canada team will be announcing the other two themes throughout the summer so keep your eyes peeled!

AND just to keep it interesting, each phase will have a randomly chosen cash prize of $2,500 for anyone that submits a Remix (WHAT?! Can you say CASH money, money?!?!). Oh, we don’t stop there, in addition each creation submitted will be entered for a chance to take home the whole enchilada, the kit-and-caboodle, the GRAND PRIZE EXTRAVAGANZA: A chance to see ANY band, ANYWHERE,  which will be announced after the contest wraps in September.

Just in case you weren’t hanging on my every word last year, let me offer a little background on the Sharpie Remix: Sharpie Canada and Much Music launched the Remix Project last year on April 15^th and for six short weeks had  hundreds of Canadians show off their talents and creativity with a Sharpie products. They remixed everything from toilet bowls (yep. even the ‘ole porcelain throne wasn’t safe) to filing cabinets and reallllly stretched their Sharpie muscles. When it came time to pick a winner, the team had a tough job selecting the ULTIMATE Sharpie Remix but eventually no one could deny Amanda Gobin from Toronto who remixed her. entire. room. The room remix included it all; the bedding, walls, clothes, shoes, no space was left blank. As we understand it, she was not grounded. Major props to Mom and Dad Gobin, wouldn’t ya say?

NOW, Amanda had the hardest decision yet- she could choose ANY show, ANYwhere. ANYWHERE! Can you IMAGINE ( well, if you’re this year’s winner… YOU will!) Amanda ultimately decided on jetting down to see our favorite Aussie country singer Keith Urban in his old stomping grounds of Australia. UNFORTUNATELY this time the show couldn’t go on and due to unforeseen circumstances had to be cancelled BUT we take care of our winners! That lucky girl got the chance to stay and frolick outback style in Australia and then when she got back home was given tickets to a whole slew of shows that were taking place in her very own hometown, Toronto.

Where will our new 2013 Remix winner choose to go? It’s up to YOU! Check out the Remix project pages to view, vote or create yourself! Annnnnd remember, this one is only open to our Canadian fans… those guys get have all the fun(for now…) .

English: www.muchmusic.com/sharpieremix

French: www.musiqueplus.com/sharpieremix .

So, to brighten up this cloudy weather, we thought of the perfect way to add a little color in our lives…SHARPIE COASTERS! These artsy, one-of-a-kind additions to your coffee table will make any appreciative guest marvel at your OBVIOUS skilled craftsmanship as you chuckle to yourself and shove your Sharpie markers out of sight.

In just a few easy steps, you can create these beautiful tiles quickly and for less than 10 bucks! hollaaa! What you’ll need:

• White ceramic tiles
• Rubbing alcohol
• Small straw or eyedropper
• Your favorite Sharpie fine markers

You may also want to purchase felt and glue for the bottom of the coasters and a shiny varnish to seal it.

Find white ceramic tile at any hardware store (they should be under a dollar each). Make sure to clean the surface thoroughly with soap and water.

Color with Sharpies! Pick a combination of dark and vibrant colors to create contrast. There are no wrong choices!

Use a stirring spoon  or eyedropper to methodically drop small “pools” of alcohol onto the tile. If you drop too much, the colors will all blur together and you won’t get any circles or patterns. Let dry! It can take up to half an hour, so just be patient!

If you think you added too much alcohol, you can go back and add more to create new “pools” on top. It will bloom again!

Seal it using a spray fixative first. Hold the tile at least 6 inches away and spray lightly over it. If you spray too closely or too much, the ink will reactivate and blur again. Do it in layers. After that, you can use a varnish or polyurethane to seal it with a glossy coat! Shine, baby, shine!

As a finishing touch, glue felt to the bottom of the tile to prevent the edges from scratching your table.

IF you’re really feelin’ crazy, you can add MORE Sharpie on top of the sealed layer!

Thanks for the inspiration, 52 Weeks blog!

http://52weeksproject.com/post/29302076841/guest-post-alcohol-ink-dyed-coasters

Just a fraction of what Scott created with only FIVE markers

Introducing Scott Davies:  

Tell me about yourself! Where are you from? Interests? Likes? Dislikes? Pet Peeves? Give us the good stuff!

Well where do I start! I’m a 17-year-old fine art and graphic design student, studying at Wyke Sixth Form College in Kingston upon Hull, England. Since I was very young I’d always been the ‘kid who did art’ my Dad is a painter and my Mother is a wizard with textiles. The artistic/ creative lives my parents live have definitely been influential on my interests and aspirations, and after maturing, art has become the driving force in how I go about living my life. As a school kid I’d spend countless maths lessons just doodling away, anything that didn’t interest me or I didn’t believe in I’d ignore and I’d just be doing my own thing in my own world, blasting a ballpoint pen with a chewed end or something. I’d often get in trouble, but I didn’t care because I knew what I wanted to do and that there was a place for me to make a contribution to the world if I worked hard enough.  Since then I’ve never stopped creating. I’m always drawing something and I feel certain that I want to study an arts-based-course at university (whether that be illustration or fine art) and to then attempt to make a freelance career out of art and illustration.

Wyke College

Off the topic of arts, I love the outdoors; hikes and such. I’d also like to make sure I do plenty of travelling; it’s humbling and inspiring. I need to see the world, and to make a little art along the way of course. [I am] very interested in music, too and it’s my main form of entertainment and I can’t seem to draw the same without tuning in, everything from Four Tet to Sigur Rós, if it matters. And if there’s anything I dislike, its people who just give up on art or show great skills but don’t believe it’s possible for them to make a career out of it, it fills me with pity. I just find it such a shame when people don’t have enough enthusiasm to just give something a shot regardless of what may get in the way. All art is beautiful in its own right and there will always be an audience for something.

What is inspires you to uncap what’s inside?
Things I see every day, personal experience which influences me to make work with relevance to society as it is today. I often find inspiration at the strangest of times so it’s always good to get things onto paper as they appear in your mind. I’m someone that’s probably blessed with a constantly imaginative and active mind which is great when it comes to having something to work from, however it does have its traits such as stressing yourself out over the littlest things and excessively over thinking yadda yadda.

How do you use Sharpie markers in your work?

Sharpie is a very iconic company, and I’ve been exposed to the products because of that. When I was little I used to draw on toy cars with them. But apart from my mural, ‘A warning’ I hadn’t used them in a piece of art before. Because I was aware that the pens would write on almost every surface I knew I needed some Sharpie markers to create an 8-and-a-half-foot illustrative drawing. A lot of my work is created with fine refillable pens and mechanical pencil when working [on a] small scale for the intricacy, so it seemed if I was working scale up I needed a broader tip that would have all the impact that comes with black ink (Sharpie fine point), but that would still be able to give me a delicate and highly detailed outcome. And they worked a treat!

Scott's pencil and pen work

Tell us how you got started with Sharpie?  
I had a voucher and I headed to my nearest stationary supplier and picked up three Sharpie Fine Point markers (these covered much of the whole mural) and I started on the board!

You created a HUGE mural using Sharpie, tell us what inspired you to take on a project of such magnum proportions! 

My art teacher Jon was aware I wanted to work on a large scale to create a drawing like my small scaled refined drawings, he was given the old photo board of students in 2011/ 12 which he then revealed to me, it left me in shock and perhaps fear. It’s around 8 and a half ft long and a good 3 ft tall, a massive blank canvas made of smooth plastic and I was going to be making a final piece out of it. I knew internally what I wanted to create, something that was an insight as that what I believe will become of the future of society as people become more media driven, brainwashed and subconsciously under control in a situation where there would be no such thing as freedom. The mural itself is titled ‘A warning’ because that’s its intentions.

In progress...

I didn’t make a single compositional plan for the mural, lots of people told me it was the wrong way to go about doing it and they seemed concerned that I would have problems down the line, but I carried on regardless just crossing my toes (hands too busy) that it would all just come together nicely. It started with a little pencil outline of a burnt out car and developed into a huge miserable inky dreamscape.

Still going...

It took a total for 5 Sharpie Fine markers with the assistance of a water based felt tipped grey pen for mid tones, which I’d smudge around the Sharpie lines (Sharpie ink unaffected). The Sharpie markers lasted for a very surprising amount of time; each one went a long way. Even pens that had run out I was using for grey tones. The pens never blued out, they stayed black, they were precise, stayed fine for as long as I needed them to be fine and they dried so quickly.

Almost there...

They allowed me to create the result of ‘A Warning’ I highly recommend them for anybody attempting to take on something of similar scale/surface. It took a total of 11 weeks to complete and 5 Sharpie markers (fine point) I’m unsure of hours and I neglected the board for a month to work on other things.
Favorite (or should I say favourite?) Sharpie?  Why?
Well so far I’ve only used the classic fine point Sharpie markers but I’ve only recently discovered that Ultra fine point markers actually exist, they’d be a joy to use amongst larger pens!

How would you describe your style?
I’d say something like contemporary illustration, traditional methods. Illustration for me is the bridge between graphic design and fine art; somewhere that seems appropriate for me to rest. I’m definitely a drawer but I would like to master it along with painting. Painting seems like another planet I’m yet to explore, and I’ve barely seen enough of drawing.

How do you decide what you want to tackle next, slash can you tell us what’s next for you!?

With me being a college student it’s all about university prep and I have to prioritize that work over everything else, my topic for my exam unit is ‘Body Language’ so expect some other large board filled based around that topic (potentially with the assistance of Sharpie ultra fine point) I’m currently working on my illustrative coursework final piece for graphics made with pencil, some progress images currently on my page. I’m also filling pages with sketches each day which I occasionally post on my little art page.

If you could have one super power what would it be and why?

Hm, well I did once see someone answer a question like this with ‘The ability to shoot three cotton balls out of your hands every ten days’ I thought that was nice and quirky. But in all seriousness I’d love to be able to pick up any instrument and know the techniques so I could create some weird one man loop machined orchestra, people would so see that.

If you could have dinner with one person, living or dead, who and why?

It’s definitely Rupert Murdoch, to give him a good slap with the mackerel I’d order.

Scott is QUITE the jack-of-all trades

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen is Scott Davies! I hope you all read that interview in a British accent, ( No? just me?) and were as blown away with Scott’s work as we were!

Have another question for Scott? Comment and ask away!

We recently had the AMAZING opportunity to help a local Atlanta teen, Erik, create a custom designed prosthetic leg using our products.  When the INCREDIBLE team at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta approached us with the idea, we were both thrilled and humbled at the prospect of helping Erik uncap his creativity and his love for sports through his prosthesis.  In fact, we even invited our own Sharpie Squad (a group of some of Sharpie’s most passionate and creative fans) to get in on the action.

Erik (middle) and the AMAZING CHoA team

After a few exciting brainstorm sessions, the Squad got to work.  Eventually Erik decided on a combination of two designs from Squad members and artists Drew Michael and Lauren Seal.

The final work for Erik!

For more on this incredible project and Erik, head over to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta blog!  Score one for Erik!

Introducing the NEW Sharpie Cheeseburger Limited Edition Collection! Available in the month of April only get all five Cheeseburger-inspired colors – Catsup Red, Cheddar Orange, Buns Beige, Beefy Brown & Pickle Green – to uncap an endless amount of creativity.

That’s not all! When you buy the Sharpie Cheeseburger Limited Edition Collection we’ll also throw in a FREE side of fries – aka Two Pack Taters.

So what are you waiting for? Click HERE to get ‘em while they’re hot!

Gotcha! Did you really think we would name a marker color “Beefy Brown”?!

As much as we love a good cheeseburger, there just isn’t enough room for this collection in the Sharpie vault. For now…

Have an idea for a limited edition Sharpie collection? Let us know in the comment section below or tweet your ideas to @Sharpie!

Happy April Fools’ Day!

Yah, we are looking at you, Winter...

Winter is gone. Dead. Finito. OVER. At least that’s what the calendar says right? The official start of Spring has come and gone and although the weatherman may not agree, we don’t care! It is time for pastels and bold spring colors, bunnies, ducks, egg-shaped chocolates and wardrobe makeovers! Sun, we neeeeed you!

Unfortunately UNTIL Mother Nature agrees and decides to warm up our snowy little piece of the universe, at which point we will whip out the flip-flops, we will make-do by sprucing up our living spaces!

Check out some of the ideas below and for more, hop on over to our Hop into Spring Pinterest board.

So, grab a Sharpie; fine, paint, Brush, Stained, we don’t care! Just get to work!

Winter, we hate to say it, but We. Are. Over. It’s official: Spring and Sharpie are officially going steady.

And because I just couldn’t resist the THOUGHT of some flippy-floppys…

Have your own Sharpie spring ideas? SHOW US!! Pin them to Pinterest and tag us #Sharpie– we will re-pin our favorites to our Hop into Spring board!

Each month, the company will feature one artist who uses Sharpie oil paint markers to decorate the humidifier, and Samantha is the first! AND once the humidifiers are finished, one lucky fan will win the one-of-a-kind creation!

To enter the raffle, go to: http://www.facebook.com/CraneUSA

To see more of Samantha’s work, visit: http://www.facebook.com/SGDart

The ink doesn’t stop here though, Crane is continuing the Sharpie love over the next year working with some AMAZING artists, including Sharpie blog alumni like Matthew Langille,so be sure to check out their Facebook and blog for more!

We KNOW the happiness-inducing effects of a Sharpie marker, but in far too many offices our colorful little magical wands are hidden in a drawer with paper clips and tissue paper. We knew we needed to change this. As luck turned out, the DX was in the final stages of their The Happy Show exhibit featuring the work of international renowned graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister. The show is the output of his ten-year exploration and takes a visual, empirical, interactive and quirky look into what makes us human-folk happy. Can we say match made in heaven?!

So, after a quick open call  and less than a month later we received thirty amazing entries including renderings, inspirations and detailed design specs. From this amazing group we had the difficult task of choosing ten finalists and had them show us their stuff! They were each tasked with creating their Sharpie designs in time for the opening night on January 9^th.

Then it was up to us to show them off! We set up an all white cubicle complete with a white desk, carpet, trash, tape dispenser etc.Truly a blank canvas for some Sharpie inspiration! Guests strolled through the exhibit floor and registered their vote with (what else) Sharpie markers on a giant grid scorekeeper. To date, we’ve been through over a dozen of these and the DX expects to welcome 35,000 visitors by the time the show wraps up!

The cubicles and Sharpie Holders were a permanent part of The Happy Show until it left town on March 3^rd.  We will have a winner chosen at the end of the show but DON’T WORRY, we want you to have a say, too! Be sure to cast your vote on Facebook and help us select our winner TODAY!

Are you in the Toronto area and want to check out the Design Exchange? Head right downtown to the Design Exchange and for more information, please visit the DX site www.dx.org.