"A setback is never a bad experience, just a learning curve." -Richard Branson
"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm." -Winston Churchill
The War on Sharpies
In this complex world, there exist horrible and irreversible truths. Computers crash, immediately obliterating carefully stored memories and work. Homes burn and flood - years of toil and care ruined instantaneously. Cars are wrecked and stolen. Jobs are lost, phones break, and . . . sharpies fade. You heard me. Sharpies. Fade.
Due to this unrelenting, unalterable fact, I have lost 86.5 hours of archivable art making. A massive 6ft x 3ft image of intricate patterns -mostly sharpie - will fade and yellow in five years, give or take a few.
Detail of the bluefin tuna base layer
Like many others I believed sharpie's lie printed on every pen's side - permanent marker. True, it won't run or bleed under my distressed tears, but over the years, as light and oxygen snack on it, this artwork will become dull and thin. Failure is the key to success, right? And knowledge is power. This is not the end, but the beginning of better work. This piece is miles from finished, and the rest of the trip will be gassed by micron pens, india ink, and watercolor paint. If the fires and floods don't get it first, this work will be hale and hearty in 100 years.
This Week's Work
I finished a skull . . .
. . . played in Photoshop . . .
. . . and continued work on this gal.
It's been a good week.
Artists, always remember . . .
For those in love with sharpies, here are some archival, fade free (a.k.a. lightfast) options.
Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pen
Pigma Micron Pen
Dr. Ph. Martin's Bombay India Ink
Interested in seeing some fade tests? Check out these pages made by art nerds for art nerds.