Want more? Catch Jessie in action in these amazing time lapse videos as he transforms run-of-the-mill choppers into amazing Sharpie creations.

In February, Threadless and Sharpie held a design contest challenging you to design a t-shirt inspired by Sharpie’s new 80′s Glam Limited Edition colors. After reviewing hundreds of designs, we’ve chosen a winner!

Congratulations to Rodrigo Leonardo Batista Ferreira and cheers to his winning design, Nostalgia. 

Nostaligia by Rodrigo Leonardo Batista Ferreira

“I can’t imagine an image that relates more to the 80′s for me. Who never rewind / fast forward a cassette tape using a pen/pencil to save Walkman’s batteries? Glamorous.” -Ferreira

The Nostalgia tee is available for purchase on Threadless in S, M, L, XL, 2XL for both guys and girls. Get em while they’re hot! 

for the boys

for the gals

Check out Sharpie’s new 80′s Glam colors at Sharpie.com. They will totally rock your world!

The event had an all-star lineup of five guest speakers, local Chicago DJs kept the dance floor moving and art auctions were held through out the night with proceeds going to Reason to Give. The walls of the venue were covered with white paper and blank posters with more Sharpie markers far and wide, luring the creative minds to draw, write, scribble and sketch. Even our friends from The Hello Project were present with a dedicated area for creating those favorite 3×3 ‘Hellos’. Find out exactly who was in attendance, speakers, DJ’s, sponsors and more at LetsMerge.

Big shout outs go to the list of sponsors and artists who helped make the event possible and of course two incredibly talented photographers, Kyle LaMere of IshootRockstars and Colin Beckett who captured Reply All in all its glory (…and here are some of them!)

photo by Colin Beckett

photo by Colin Beckett

photo by Colin Beckett

photo by Colin Beckett

by Kyle LaMere of IshootRockstars (you might recognize a few familiar faces in the top row)

Laura Kelly, Coffeesmiths, & Sharpie awarded prizes to the winners in four categories:

1. Professional Artist
   $100 in Sharpie Product. $100 Laura Kelly Stationery. $20 Coffeesmiths Gift Certificate
2. Big People (Ages 13 and up)
   $100 in Sharpie Product. $100 Laura Kelly Stationery. $20 Coffeesmiths Gift Certificate
3. Little People (Ages 0-12)
   $100 in Sharpie Product. $100 Laura Kelly Stationery. $10 Coffeesmiths Gift Certificate
4. School
   $250 in Sharpie Product, 100 memo pads designed by Laura Kelly (Value $600)
   and Coffee of Cocoa for Staff meeting (160 oz Box)

The results…

Artist Winner

Big Kid Winner

Little Kid Winner

School Winner

Other entries…

Aritist Entries

Big Kid Entries

Little Kid entries

School Entries

From the Baristas!

Want to see more coffee cup entries? There are TONS more to check out on Coffeesmiths’ Facebook album.

Sharpie Edition Ducati

Tell me about yourself:  

My name is Jody Whitsell and I live in Warwick, N.Y.  I’ve never been called “average” or “normal” and I like it that way!! 

How did you get started as an artist?  What kind of experience do you have? 

I use to always color and draw as a kid – especially animals.  Here’s a quick story.  In third grade I had an assignment to write a report on an animal of my choice and draw the animal on the cover of the report.  I had so much fun doing the report that I did 7 animal reports!  Fast forward to Ramsey High School (N.J.) where I get the Senior Art Award and then go to William Paterson College (N.J.) where I majored in you guessed it. Art!  Getting a job at a picture framing shop introduced me to lots of artwork, but I wasn’t ready to do anything but my framing job, as I had 2 sons to raise. Once they got out of high school, I got the itch to get out the paints. I guess being an artist or a creative person, you can’t stop yourself from doing creative things.  Sometimes I feel it’s a CURSE as I am always looking for “projects” especially around the house to appease these creative impulses. I have large murals and faux finishes in EVERY room of my house. “PUT DOWN THE PAINT BRUSH!” I sometimes have to say to myself! 

Describe your personal style: 

I’d have to say it’s a really fun style, and I like to make myself and others SMILE!  They say that artists paint what they know, and I know animals and especially love dogs, so I decided to paint my dog in crazy colors, and everyone just loved it because it was so different.  That’s how I got my start in the “paying” art world. 

But I do have a very realistic, tight style of painting too, which I like to do between the doing the dog portraits. Like I said… I am COMPELLED to paint or create! 

 

What does black & white achieve that a broader array of color would not on these particular canvases? 

With the black and white, it’s more graphic and I really loved taking my graphic design courses in college, but that was a LONG time ago!  I like the crispness of the design, and using only the black and white, I had to really look at the balance of dark and light, patterns, text, and drawings and how they related to each other, which was challenging.  My husband laughed at me and said “you spend more time LOOKING at the helmet than you spend DRAWING on it!” and that’s because I was always analyzing the design! 

What is your process like?  How long did it take you to customize the Ducati? Helmets? 

Well, I start with a list of things I want to put on the helmet/bike.  I then choose the best place on the helmet for the most important item that’s going on. I then work around that item to fill in the space as aesthetically balanced as I can, with the design items that I choose.  I like to use dots, arrows, stripes, and stars, in my “patterns” that I repeat as “fill in” between the text and images that me or my client wants. 

My helmet took me 20 hours, and my bike took me 75 hours (because I got better and faster at it!!) 

 You sell custom Sharpie helmets on  www.bigdawgzsquared.com.  What’s the strangest/funniest request you’ve had from a customer? 

It’s interesting for me to see the things that mean a lot to my clients and hear their story.  You never know what’s behind someone’s smile – both good and heartbreaking.  I think the “Iron Butt Association” logo was something funny someone wanted on their helmet! 

Your typical Chicken vs. the Egg question: Which came first the bike or the helmet? 

The helmet.  I got such a great price on my white Arai helmet that I couldn’t NOT buy it, but once I put it on, I felt like a Star Wars “Storm Trooper”!! I knew I had to do something about THAT, so my son suggested I “Sharpie it”.  Needless to say, I couldn’t sleep all night thinking about what I wanted to put on my helmet. In my mind, it was like a white canvas just crying out to become something interesting and different!! 

How do you use Sharpie markers in your art?   

I first have to scuff the surface of the helmet to more readily accept the marker, and make it easier for me to pre-sketch the important and complex images (the pencil shows up well).  I love the feel of the marker sliding across the surface and how nice and black, and crisp it is against the white of the helmet, so I guess it’s kinda tactile too for me as well as visual! 

Favorite Sharpie?  Why? 

Fine Point – definitely!! I love the pointy-ness (is that a word?!) of it. It kinda looks like it might make a thicker line than it actually does.  It gives me great control both drawing, and filling in.  When the point got a little “mashed down” to where it wasn’t pointy enough, I would take a blue sharpie and mark THAT marker with a blue dot so I knew that I was only to use that marker as “fill in”. When that marker got even more flattened, I would mark it with a pink marker, and use it as a larger area “fill in”, so I had quite the “marker system” going on!  So even though I was working in black and white, it was also blue and pink I was looking for! 

You incorporate some very famous characters, Daffy Duck & Homer Simpson, Stewie from Family Guy, C3PO… Is there a specific reason for these characters? 

Their “smile” factor!!!  For me… I AM Daffy Duck, and I put Daffy on ALL my stuff – he’s completely out of his mind! 

The rest of them just make me smile and laugh, and what’s better than THAT?  With all that’s going on to look at and read on my Ducati,  I got really playful and thought it would be fun for people to look for a specific character, and who better to hide amongst all the madness, but Waldo?  People get a kick out of trying to find him!  

What are some of your favorite drawings or written sayings on the Ducati?   

Stewie from Family Guy holding Sharpies in each hand saying… “Do you realize what the deuce you’re looking at? A MARKER I tell you!” has got to be my favorite drawing with text.  So many are my favorites as they were chosen by me very carefully!  They are personal, and tell the story of who I am.  On the back of my front fender it says… “Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube” and I agree totally! 

Proudest accomplishment to date: 

I could say having my bike shown in Cycle World magazine, or being published with my paintings, but I really am proud and thankful of my gift of making people happy (while having fun myself ) doing what I truly love to do. 

Motto to live by: 

WHATEVER  you do… make YOUR mark.

Are you currently working on anything that you can tell us about?!  

I have orders for helmets and paintings, but I have a few ideas rolling around my head as how to out-do my bike,  but it AIN’T GONNA BE EASY!  (and YES, it DOES include just a few Sharpie markers!!) 

Today’s featured artist is Michael Krivicka and I think you will come to find these adjectives suit him rather well.  Krivicka, aka Who is the Bald Guy, is not limited to creating only with his Sharpie though… This artist takes on all sorts of artistic endeavors - From animation to PSAs, smart phone apps to Twitter campaigns, he even proposed to his now fiancée on WEtv! Read on to find out exactly who this bald guy really is…

Michael Krivicka

Tell me about yourself!  My name is Michael Krivicka and I am a video producer living & working in New York City. I was born in Slovakia in 1976 and went to high school in Germany from 1986. I moved to the US in 1996 for college and graduated summa cum laude from NJCU with a BA in Media Arts in 2000. While working in NYC as a video editor I started creating short films and submitting them to festivals. I am constantly working on something. Even when I can’t sleep at night I start creating things – drawings, writings, scripting out video projects. I can not “not do” anything. I have to create. All the time.  

How would you describe your personal style?  My personal style is raw and gritty. A bit dark sometimes. I never create something just because it looks cool. There is always a message or expression. It has to have a certain feel of realism. Like New York City – it feels real. Every building is real – has a history, has a life. If you compare it with LA for example, then LA seems fake – it seems made up and made pretty and comfortable for other people’s happiness. I recently made this anti-smoking PSA which is targeted at urban teens: Smoking Skills It’s raw and gritty.  

What is your creation & design process like?  I create on impulse. I get an idea and want to drop everything I’m doing at that moment and jump right into creating that idea. Some things, like my Sharpie animations for example, take a while to create. Days or even weeks. While other people would shoot themselves in the head, I find a certain peace in the very long and detailed oriented creation process. I always have a very clear end result in mind, but I find myself altering things as I create them.

Where do Sharpie markers come into your work?  They are an essential part of my every day life. It can be anything from taking a simple note on a piece of paper to creating an elaborate animation project. (BTW I used hundreds of Sharpie markers for the two animations I created for Sharpie. Yes – hundreds.) 

When did you come up with the idea for this Sharpie commercial?  What is the concept behind it?  Not too long ago I had a blog. On that blog I started writing about ideas for ads and entire ad campaigns. One of the brands I blogged about was Sharpie. Instead of writing about the ad campaign idea I decided to create two of the ads that I pictured being part of the campaign concept, which was a series of art works created with Sharpies (drawings, animations, sculptures, etc…) The tagline was “Create Life”. So I created these two very different animation pieces. That was that. The broad idea was to create user generated content and turn it into ads. That would give artists and every day Joes like me a chance to submit Sharpie creations, have them be voted on, and get a chance to be selected as part of a series (which was the ad campaign). So the commercials would be actual art works by real people. It would add the “real human touch” to things. I thought it was a pretty good idea. Here are both clips:

The second one is rotoscope animation. I recorded myself on video first and then animated the individual frame.  Here are some pics:

Michael, bringing his vision to life

Michael, Uncapping What's Inside

I first saw your video a while back, just stumbled upon it and thought it was cool.  Then one day, I find you striking up a convo on Twitter about your “Sharpie Commercial: Butterfly at Night”.  (Cool, I’ve connected with the artist!)  That’s not it though, after digging around I find that you’ve got a little something going on in the Twitter-verse…  Tell me about what you are trying to achieve on Twitter.

Glad you took notice :) I was hoping someone from Sharpie would. I do various things –mainly viral & social media stuff. I like to create “what if” scenarios, like I did with one of my virals called “Nude It”.  “Nude It” is a revolutionary iPhone app that lets the user see others naked. The video now has over 1.8 million views on YouTube alone (more on other video hosting sites) and is still sparking conversations.  I basically like creating “what if” scenarios and give people stuff to talk about.

I use Twitter for various social media experiments. My latest was to reach Jimmy Fallon (and other celebrities). The concept was to use social media and news media to reach a celebrity and have that celebrity view a website & video I created

  http://www.jimmyfallonthanksforfollowingmeontwitter.com   

 http://www.jimmyfallonpleasefollowmeontwitter.com  

The video was a creative and elaborate plea to get that celebrity to follow me. The experiment worked, and I now have Jimmy Fallon, Ellen DeGeneres, Wendy Williams, and David Pogue following me. I basically wanted to prove that it is possible to reach ANYONE on Twitter with just a simple but creative idea. And I did. All it takes is an idea. That’s all. It’s that simple.

If you could get one person to follow you on Twitter who would it be?  A celebrity who is alive and who is actively using twitter? That would be Ashton Kutcher. I got some ideas he would want to hear. 

You’re really good at animation, yet I don’t see a lot of your work out there.  Why is that?  I simply can’t stick to just one thing. I have to do a wide spectrum of things. I like the moving image a lot. So it’s either my HD cam or my 16mm Bolex sometimes. I absolutely love animating, but sometimes the time is just not there. I am now planning my wedding. 

 I proposed to my fiancée on my own web show, which I have pitched to Wetv. It’s called Put A Ring On It. I’ll bet you five bucks you’ll cry at the end. So, basically, that is another reason why there is so little of my animation work out there: I do a ton of other stuff. And somewhere in between I try to get some sleep

If you grew your hair back, would that completely destroy the direction of “Who is the Bald Guy”?  Would you change it to “Who is the Hairy Dude”?  That’s actually really funny. Yes, it would affect the “bald guy” image quite a bit. Not sure if “hairy dude” would be the right term for it then. Seriously: that was funny. Made me laugh.

Out of complete random curiosity… Would you ever consider wearing a bald cap and customizing it with Sharpie markers?  I’ve done some crazy things in my life, but I’ve never worn a bald cap that was customized with Sharpie markers. I’d be open to a crazy bet that would involve that

Favorite Sharpie? Hmm, I don’t think I have one. Sorry. Just being honest. It all depends on the need. If I need a thick Sharpie, then that’s what I’ll use. If I need a fine Sharpie, then I’ll go with that.

Motto to live by:

Create. Leave your mark. You can sleep when you’re dead.

When I get old, I want to be able to look back at my life and see the things I have done. I don’t want to look back and see myself watching Jersey Shore.

Are you currently working on anything that you can tell us about?  Exactly a week ago I launched a new viral called “3D Hologram app for Iphone 5”.  It just got its first 100,000 views on YouTube. I am now creating a video invite for my groomsmen. It involves a lot of stop-motion animation. Will post soon

Follow Michael on Twitter @whoisthebaldguy.

Greetings Sharpie Fans! 

 I am Laura Kelly and I love SHARPIE and love being a leader in the Sharpie community!   I am a licensing artist which means that I create designs for companies to use on their super fun products.  I currently license with 14 companies and enjoy being a part of each and every one of those teams.  My life is pretty crazy!  I travel a lot between my two homes in Apex, NC and Cedar Rapids, IA.  The great thing about being a Sharpie artist is that I can take my “studio” with me wherever I go.  Sometimes I find myself designing more at home, at the soccer fields, in the coffee shops and on airplanes than I do I do in my real studio.

True happiness is hands full of Sharpie markers!”

I am one of those “accidental” artists.  I drew ALL OF THE TIME as a child.  I used to trace quarters and turn them into heads on people (little did I know that was the beginning of the Paper People collection).  I stopped drawing in sixth grade after being teased on the bus by a boy who will remain nameless.  He said that my drawings looked like they were done by a kindergartner.  That is all it took to shut me down entirely. 

I graduated from the University of Kentucky with a burning passion to teach elementary school and change the world.  After teaching until I was pregnant with Dylan, my big kid, I found myself at home…bored and playing with my Sharpie markers.  I began to unleash 20 years of bottled-up creativity beginning by designing his birth announcement and…..wah lah….I was an artist!

Seriously now, my friends and family went wild and empowered me to design stationery for them at a rate I couldn’t balance with a full time job.  So, I decided to put my teaching career on “hold” and become a real artist.  Almost 15 years later, I am having more than a complete blast.  While I love to design, I more so love to empower others to access their hidden creativity.  Being on the Sharpie Squad has allowed me the amazing opportunity to get out into my communities and encourage others to uncap all that they have inside.  Through Doodle Contests and visits to classrooms and schools, I have witnessed mature grown ups as they find that inner peace that comes when one expresses themselves through doodling.  The smiles, the laughter and the joy I get to be a part of creating is AWESOME!   Whether through my direct involvement in my community or through the circulation of products with my designs; I feel honored and privileged to have this opportunity to make a difference in my world.  (And to think that I thought teaching in a classroom was the only way….)

This Doodle Contest in Apex, NC rocked the Common Grounds house with help from my two sons, Dylan and Dawson!

Meet Kylie, our “Little Kid” winner of the coffee cup doodle contest in Cedar Rapids at Coffeesmiths.

Meet the Paper People!  I designed this collection for www.expressionery.com to use in creating personalized stationery and checks.  Expressionery customers have created tens of thousands of families and created connection through the written word from coast to coast.  With a demand for the people to jump off of the paper and to other products, Me and My Peeps was created as a collection.  The “Peeps” can be found on auto decals and iron transfers from Plaid Enterprises, coasters and carsters from Thirstystone, magnets from Leanin’ Tree and will soon be available on great products from Ganz.  I have 18 licensable collection being used today and thousands of Sharpie created images in my portfolio.  At the Craft & Hobby Shows in the winter I get to guest appear for Plaid Enterprises and draw the attendees as their very own “Peeps” which is quite a treat.

Meet the Paper People!

At CHA in January I got to work in Plaid’s booth at the same time as my friend, Donna Dewberry…the famous One Stroke artist!

My favorite licensing collection that I have completed is “Happy Haunting"!

I recently traveled on a Delta flight and brought the di-cut part of my logo that represents me.  She got LOTS of attention on the plane from those around me.  I posted a picture on my facebook page and my fans asked if she could come visit them.  Who knew???  Little Laura, the flat 17’ tall me, is on her way via FedEx to Atlanta to begin her travels with Vee, one of my enthusiastic fans.  Feel free to read about Little Laura’s travels on my blog.  After Atlanta, her next stop will be West Palm where she plans to walk in the GCDSO Buddy Walk with the amazing Jackson, my beautiful little friend and inspiration.

This is Little Laura on her first flight with Delta.

One of the things that I love to do is to reuse old stuff and make it into something new.  Here are a few pictures of how using Sharpie markers can recycle common items and recreate them into fabulous treasures.  I recently was filmed demonstrating some Sharpie doodling crafts like these so check back soon for some fun!

ReUSED coffee cups and carrier make a great surprise for coworkers!

ReCYCLED note cards and clipboards come together quite nicely with the help of some Mod Podge!

ReUSE a frosting container and make an extraordinary treasure holder!

Look at me through the camera having a blast in the filming studio!

If I could send a message to my fans it would be this.   Do what you love and believe in it with all of your soul.  I know from experience that when I am creating, drawing and doodling while at the same time empowering, loving and teaching…I am filled with happiness, peace and joy!  I feel lucky that I get to share that with you!

It’s a monster doodleabration! Check back soon for some great doodling techniques and projects!

Most recently, this DIY rockstar has even published a book of her own, titled,  P.S. -I Made This…  The book features original projects, taking inspiration from looks straight off the runway and recreating them with materials from the  hardware store, craft store and even her own junk draw!  Erica breaks down each project in an easy way, accompanied by tips and resources from the author herself.  Watch the book trailer right here and then hop over to Amazon to pick up your own copy of P.S. -I Made This…

For more on  P.S. I Made This…, visit the website,  become a fan on Facebook and follow on Twitter. 

You can also read an exclusive at Fashionista.com, giving you an inside look at what it takes to be a DIY superstar.  What do you think Domesek  uses as a potholder?? You’ll never guess!

The Sharpie Squad’s own Tali Buchler, creative genius behind Growing Up Creative, adds her own twist to the powerhouse of all publications- the collection of text containing every piece of information one could want/need to know.  Clearly though, Tali has found something that the editors have left out and she intends to correct them… 

A new reason to open an encyclopedia…

Used objects and discarded items (or what some may call -trash), always spark my imagination. Transforming an object – giving it a new life and purpose is something I like to do. In the past, I have used discarded magazines in designing a temporary space for a fashion show in an installation called – Read. 

My new “thing” is collecting encyclopedia books that people have been throwing away.  I started folding the books and turning them into sculptural objects.  I’m not sure where this will end, still a work in progress…

In my blogs I have started a series of tutorials called “Eco kids craft” where I use design ideas and craft techniques to encourage recycling creativity and creating with “whatever you have”.

Recently, I had my family over (my brother calls it/ us “the tribe”); a total of 8 kids – enough to start a preschool!  It was so hot that day, we couldn’t go outside. After a while, I started hearing the “I am bored” song coming from all different directions… Quick thinking made me pull out some of the many encyclopedia books I have been accumulating, one per child, and our big box of Sharpie Markers.

My instructions where very clear: DO AS YOU LIKE!

Before I knew it and without any planning, something magnificent happened:  the kids were absorbed, looking through the pages of an encyclopedia, reading and admiring the black and white images.

I gave them the OK to cut and draw as much as they wanted. So they did. And so did I.

We used all kinds of Sharpie Markers! Sometimes we drew together, and sometimes each one on his own.  My favorite thing to do was using the Fine Point Sharpie Marker to layer different colors in across hatch pattern.  These Sharpie markers were perfect for that because of their translucent yet brilliant quality.

To do this at home, you will need:

• An old encyclopedia (you can find it at your parents house or at a second hand store)
• Sharpie Markers
• Scissors
• Glue stick

How to:

1. Flip through the pages
2. Find an image you like
3. Start to color the image
4. Work in layers, it helps create depth and richness to the drawing (try and think like an impressionist)
5. Add details to transform the image into something new. Even add notes!

Ready, set, go!!!

Here’s a look at some of my fav pictures from the event but be sure to check out all the rest on ManOneWorld and on Man One’s Flickr page!

Gotta love a good graffiti artist –  Way to Uncap What’s Inside Man One!