If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives): sharpie decorated items

Sharpie® markers are fast becoming a truly recognized art medium. Along with the glut of unexpected artful uses as shown on my previous post, And You Thought Sharpies We're For Writing Your Name In Your Underwear, the permanent laundry marker has made its way into the world of Couture.

Pasadena based fashion designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, the women behind the brand Rodarte, (and fellow graduates of my alma mater, UC Berkeley) featured their Spring Summer 2010 Ready-To-Wear collection accented with hand drawn tattoos and body art applied with a Sharpie marker to the runway models.

Applying the Sharpie art before the show:

As eerie yellow and green lit dry ice poured from the stage, models emerged clad in the latest Rodarte designs donning what at first looked like tribal tattoos and upon closer inspection- and information- turned out to be Sharpie marker drawings in black.

The runway show:

The drawn-on designs accented the collection beautifully without detracting from it, and were a welcome surprise replacement for what could have been clunky jewelry.

above runway photos Marcio Madeira, close up photos by Don Asby
all other photos courtesy of Rodarte.

above: Kate and Laura Mulleavy of Rodarte.
Rodarte

Don't forget to check out :

•And You Thought Sharpies Were For Writing Your Name In Your Underwear

•The Sharpie doodles of Charlotte Mann

See other wonderful uses of Sharpie markers at Sharpie Uncapped

above image courtesy of the Sunday Times Style section

Perhaps it time to stop reprimanding your kids for writing on the walls. That is, if you want them to have a career like Charlotte Mann. An artist/ illustrator/ doodlebug who works with black marker on walls, blinds, white emulsion paint, paper, backgrounds and more.

You may recall a previous post of mine on artists who use Sharpies to decorate everything from a Lamborghini to a basement. Well, Charlotte has turned her doodling into an impressive commercial career. Her work has graced magazine covers, backdrops for fashion shows, even store window displays.

Here are a few fab examples of her work. (click on the images to enlarge)

High Holborn Appartment Wall (2.5 x 8.5) Black marker pen on wall and blinds:

details:

Huf Haus wall (9.5 x 2.2m) Marker pen on white emulsion paint

details:

Hampstead wall (3.1 x 2.7m) Marker pen on white emulsion paint

The School of Life wall (20 x 2m) Marker pen on white emulsion paint

details:

Peter Jensen Resort 2010 presentation (2.3 x 2.3m x 1.6m) Marker pen on white Colorama paper mounted on wooden frame. Peter Jensen Backdrop (30 x 5m) Black marker pen drawing on white Colorama paper

B-store window space Black and white marker pen on glass, acetate and Colorama paper.

Cube P.R. (2.5 x 2m) Marker pen on white emulsion paint wall

detail:

Kickers X Project

Something... (4 x 3m) Marker pen drawing on white emulsion painted wall

detail:

India Knight's Wall (9 x 3m) Marker pen on white emulsion paint wall

BIOGRAPHY

above image courtesy of ELLE Decor

Charlotte Mann is an artist known for her large life-sized drawings. She was born in London where she currently lives and works. She graduated from Central St Martin's Fashion Design Women's wear BA in 2000, and worked in the various fields of fashion design, styling, and illustration, before focusing on her artwork.

She worked for Russell Sage, designing and producing show pieces (including a dress made from real bank notes, now archived in the V&A, and pieces made with antique animal skins, which were featured in an exhibition at the Metropollitan Museum of Art in New York). She also designed for, amongst others: Laura Ashley, Kickers and Okini, and she was the costume designer and stylist for Eddie Izzard's Sexie tour.

The shift to the art work she is currently involved in came in september 2006 when she created the 30 meter long densely detailed hand drawn back drop for Peter Jensen's Spring/Summer 2007 show. since then she has created pieces for a number of different clients including India Knight, The School Of Life and B-Store.

Charlotte had been teaching for the University Of The Arts since 2001, she is an Associate Lecturer at St Martin's, Chelsea School of Art and Camberwell College of Art, and curates the Camberwell Foundation Film program, at the Vue Cinema Leicester Square, attracting guests such as Mike Leigh, Lynne Ramsay and Bruno Dumont. She also teaches at The Prince's Drawing School.

© Charlotte Mann 2008