# Sharpie Techniques



## Nargle (Sep 9, 2008)

I've heard that Sharpies are good for dyeing faux fur. Well, I want to make some realistic ears to wear, but I'm too cheap to buy that really awesome luxurious faux fur that looks like the pelt of an animal. So, I thought maybe I could try making my own!!

I'm thinking of starting with a plain white fur, and then skimming the surface with the marker. I want to get it too look two-toned, like it has a top coat and an undercoat. Will a sharpie do this? Or will it just bleed all the way through? Also, will it take a LOT of ink? Or will one or two markers suffice? (For a simple pair of ears.) 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Also, other ideas! I've heard of airbrushing, but it seems a little too involved for a little project...


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## Kume (Sep 9, 2008)

it doesnt work too well unless you spend some time on it
But for ears two pens would do


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## Kume (Sep 9, 2008)

by the way, you know those airpen things? I forget what they are called, blowpens i think. THose work well too


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## Nargle (Sep 9, 2008)

Will the blow pens remain mostly permanent? I mean, I don't intend on regularly washing them or anything, but it's nice not to have it bleed all over the place...


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## Kume (Sep 10, 2008)

Hmm, thats something you should look into. They are childrens markers, so they may wash out. But then again, they are made for fabric and such....So i would go check them out at your local craft store. There is one thing that i could suggest, but its a little risky. Take the ink cartridge out of a sharpie and put it in the blowpen. again, a little risky, but if you REALY want those ears colored, you could try it if all else fails. Or maybe they have pernanent pens MADE for those things, who knows. Just check your store, because i cant be  100% on any of this; i have never personaly tried to use them on fabric.


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## Kume (Sep 10, 2008)

Found some for fabric! 
http://www.asseenontvandmore.com/blfakit.html

They are called "bloPens" XD

Edit: I lied T_T they are washable....


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## Nargle (Sep 10, 2008)

Aw, oh well, but I appreciate your efforts =3

I suppose I'll just have to visit my local Hobby Lobby and ask around. 

(And spray sharpie sounds like a questionable idea XD )


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## Quiet269 (Sep 10, 2008)

lol, This reminds me of an idea I had for a furry costume.

"The Anonymous Furry" it is a solid white full furry suit, BUT the fabric is the same kind as those mark & wash teddy bears, so you can have people draw in whatever animal they want it to be, then you can just wash it off at the end of the con ^_^


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## Ozriel (Sep 10, 2008)

I've seen some well done sharpie inks on fur, but it leaves an artificial gloss on the fur that looks wierd.

If you want to try markings, use Permanent India ink.


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## Nargle (Sep 10, 2008)

Zeke Shadowfyre said:


> I've seen some well done sharpie inks on fur, but it leaves an artificial gloss on the fur that looks wierd.
> 
> If you want to try markings, use Permanent India ink.



India Ink is very fluid, right? Well, wouldn't it seep all the way through? I just want to brush the tips =/

As for the gloss, is it really bad or just a small flaw? Is it noticeable enough to ruin the ears? It's not like I'd me Sharpie-ing a whole fursuit, just a pair of ears, but I'd like them to look at least halfway decent.. And if the Sharpie ink ruins the fur, then maybe it would be good to avoid them?



> lol, This reminds me of an idea I had for a furry costume.
> 
> "The Anonymous Furry" it is a solid white full furry suit, BUT the fabric is the same kind as those mark & wash teddy bears, so you can have people draw in whatever animal they want it to be, then you can just wash it off at the end of the con ^_^


Dude, that sounds awesome =3 Especially with so many artists in the fandom n.n You may not want to wash it!!


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## Nargle (Sep 10, 2008)

Update- I tried some of my prismacolor markers on a scrap of VERY short pile (About .5 cm) fur I have laying around, and so far it looks really awesome =3 I dunno how Sharpies would differ (I need to buy some) but the results were so pretty @.@ And it didn't bleed like I expected it to! Oh gosh, I should go make some rainbow fur now.. (It's white tiger pattern) But yeah, I have yet to see what it would look like on longer pile fur.

I really don't wanna use up my prismacolors, though. I'll have to go get a sharpie and start messing with it. At least I can just use black, though =3 I was worried that I wouldn't be able to find the right color, but after putting black straight onto white, I realized that it was perfect! =3

And I still dunno about the durability of the color. I'll have to try to observe that!


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## Quiet269 (Sep 11, 2008)

be sure to test what it does when you sweat it in ^_^


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## Kume (Sep 11, 2008)

Ok, difference between Prismacolor and Sharpie: Prismacolors are AWESOME! I would have suggested them, but they are expensive.... And i dont know if you wanted to spend that much money on some markers. But since you have em, id say try em out.


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## Kume (Sep 11, 2008)

Hehe.... i tried sharpie on one of my plushies cause it sounded like a good idea. It does look alright, but there is a wierd shine with the black. I did my lions mane black with red tips, and the tips came out pretty good. The under part still looks good, but i dont know how it would look full scale. Well, anyways good luck! maybe when your done, post a picture of em here!


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## Ozriel (Sep 11, 2008)

Nargle said:


> India Ink is very fluid, right? Well, wouldn't it seep all the way through? I just want to brush the tips =/
> 
> As for the gloss, is it really bad or just a small flaw? Is it noticeable enough to ruin the ears? It's not like I'd me Sharpie-ing a whole fursuit, just a pair of ears, but I'd like them to look at least halfway decent.. And if the Sharpie ink ruins the fur, then maybe it would be good to avoid them?
> 
> Dude, that sounds awesome =3 Especially with so many artists in the fandom n.n You may not want to wash it!!



If you apply it generously and not too much of it, it won't leak through. I have used India ink on a number of occasions for markings:







I diluted it a little with a tiny bit of water before applying and let the markings dry before brushing it out with a dog brush. The Markings looked more Natural than with marker.


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## Nargle (Sep 12, 2008)

I found a Sharpie (A really small one, though) and a Papermate Permanent marker, and tried them both. I was actually kind of surprised by the results! So far, the Prismacolor is by far the best. The color just totally POPS, and it's really defined. The fur is also still really soft. I wasn't too sure of the Sharpies, though... It had a slightly purple iridescent glow in the light. Is that the shine you're talking about? Also, the sharpie made the fur the stiffest. I haven't brushed any of them, though. The Papermate wasn't my favorite, I guess. The color was pretty dull, almost like a dark bluish gray. None of the "undercoat" shows through unless I bend the fabric at an acute angle. It's also mediumly stiff. I dunno which is worse, the Sharpie or the Papermate... Sharpie's colors are more dramatic, even if it does look off in the light, but the Papermate's just blah. The Sharpie is really stiff, though.

As for the Prismacolor, I was thinking, "Why waste an expensive marker on a pair of ears when I could be doing art with it?" But I actually just realized.. Black markers are pretty much useless to me in art XD I don't think I've ever even used that marker in a picture. So I think I'm gonna try the Prismacolor. Still have to check out how well it'll keep from bleeding in moisture, though. That's a big factor.

Zeke-Wow, that's really pretty!! I'm really curious about India Ink now! Is it pretty expensive? And.. how do you work with it? o.o I always imagined it to be ink like in those old fashioned ink wells.. Like completely liquid. Is that how it really is?


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## Trpdwarf (Sep 12, 2008)

Hey, I remember selling that tail! I made the white blank, and Zeke painted it.

The ink, if I remember correctly comes in a little bottle, and it's not really really expensive but it isn't cheap either.


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## Ozriel (Sep 12, 2008)

Trpdwarf said:


> Hey, I remember selling that tail! I made the white blank, and Zeke painted it.
> 
> The ink, if I remember correctly comes in a little bottle, and it's not really really expensive but it isn't cheap either.



It's in between 3 and 4 bucks for a bottle of Permanent India Ink.


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## Ozriel (Sep 12, 2008)

Nargle said:


> I found a Sharpie (A really small one, though) and a Papermate Permanent marker, and tried them both. I was actually kind of surprised by the results! So far, the Prismacolor is by far the best. The color just totally POPS, and it's really defined. The fur is also still really soft. I wasn't too sure of the Sharpies, though... It had a slightly purple iridescent glow in the light. Is that the shine you're talking about? Also, the sharpie made the fur the stiffest. I haven't brushed any of them, though. The Papermate wasn't my favorite, I guess. The color was pretty dull, almost like a dark bluish gray. None of the "undercoat" shows through unless I bend the fabric at an acute angle. It's also mediumly stiff. I dunno which is worse, the Sharpie or the Papermate... Sharpie's colors are more dramatic, even if it does look off in the light, but the Papermate's just blah. The Sharpie is really stiff, though.
> 
> As for the Prismacolor, I was thinking, "Why waste an expensive marker on a pair of ears when I could be doing art with it?" But I actually just realized.. Black markers are pretty much useless to me in art XD I don't think I've ever even used that marker in a picture. So I think I'm gonna try the Prismacolor. Still have to check out how well it'll keep from bleeding in moisture, though. That's a big factor.
> 
> Zeke-Wow, that's really pretty!! I'm really curious about India Ink now! Is it pretty expensive? And.. how do you work with it? o.o I always imagined it to be ink like in those old fashioned ink wells.. Like completely liquid. Is that how it really is?




It's in a liquid for, in a plastic Bottle and not that expensive. Micheals sells it for 4 bucks, and a store a block away from my house with a school discount sells it for 3.50. You can use a brush to paint on markings, but it has to be a round shaped brush and apply markings from the surface and down into the grain and let it dry before brushing the markings out with a cat brush.


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## Whiskeyfoxtrot (Sep 13, 2008)

I used Regular sharpies on my head and I think it turned out great.  It took a little bit of time, but I liked the results.  And if you screw up, just gently wipe the fur with some acetone on a rag and the sharpie comes out.  Acetone doesn't affect my fur, but I suggest you try it on a piece of scrap fur before using it on your suit.


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