Ten bucks of Sharpie to a whole! new! room!
September 25, 2008 7:04 AM Subscribe
Think it costs a fortune to redecorate your basement? Not anymore -- you can do it for ten bucks worth of permanent marker.
Very cool and really gives dimensions to that basement.
I keep wondering how he did it with no mistakes, which could not have been erased. Do you suppose he did it in pencil first, and then drew over it with Sharpies?
Also, I would have put flames in the fireplace, rather than just logs;-)
posted by orange swan at 7:09 AM on September 25, 2008
I keep wondering how he did it with no mistakes, which could not have been erased. Do you suppose he did it in pencil first, and then drew over it with Sharpies?
Also, I would have put flames in the fireplace, rather than just logs;-)
posted by orange swan at 7:09 AM on September 25, 2008
His pool table rendering is very realistic.
posted by jimmythefish at 7:11 AM on September 25, 2008 [4 favorites]
posted by jimmythefish at 7:11 AM on September 25, 2008 [4 favorites]
Maybe he can draw himself some cardboard flames and slap them up over the fireplace when he wants a good blaze.
Very cool!
posted by sararah at 7:11 AM on September 25, 2008
Very cool!
posted by sararah at 7:11 AM on September 25, 2008
Neat.
Somewhat related, Wired magazine has a profile this month of the most incredible personal library I've ever seen. Mr. Walker's Library of Incredible Collectibles.
posted by stbalbach at 7:12 AM on September 25, 2008 [18 favorites]
Somewhat related, Wired magazine has a profile this month of the most incredible personal library I've ever seen. Mr. Walker's Library of Incredible Collectibles.
posted by stbalbach at 7:12 AM on September 25, 2008 [18 favorites]
He could hang some venetian blinds that he's drawn flaming logs on already, and then just Let Down The Fire whenever it gets too cold.
posted by cortex at 7:13 AM on September 25, 2008 [3 favorites]
posted by cortex at 7:13 AM on September 25, 2008 [3 favorites]
how he did it with no mistakes
Probably a projector.
posted by stbalbach at 7:14 AM on September 25, 2008
Probably a projector.
posted by stbalbach at 7:14 AM on September 25, 2008
how he did it with no mistakes
Probably redefined as success.
posted by DU at 7:17 AM on September 25, 2008
Probably redefined as success.
posted by DU at 7:17 AM on September 25, 2008
That's pretty awesome. The Wired article on the library was so lust inducing I was in physical pain reading it.
posted by jeffkramer at 7:22 AM on September 25, 2008
posted by jeffkramer at 7:22 AM on September 25, 2008
The link provided in within sugarfish's link didn't work for me. This is a copy of the story on the same site..
posted by knile at 7:23 AM on September 25, 2008
posted by knile at 7:23 AM on September 25, 2008
you can do it for ten bucks worth of permanent marker
No I can't. He can. Ten bucks worth of permanent marker and craploads more artistic talent and ability than most of us will ever have. VERY cool though!
Sharpies are the wonder tool of modern life. I was once hired to restore the harp on a vintage piano. The original gold paint and black filligree work were wearing off and fading. The smaller curlicues were impossible to paint, no matter how small the brush (by me anyway) so I used a fine point permanent marker. With his permission of course. It worked fine, although I was concerned about interaction with the paint.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 7:24 AM on September 25, 2008
No I can't. He can. Ten bucks worth of permanent marker and craploads more artistic talent and ability than most of us will ever have. VERY cool though!
Sharpies are the wonder tool of modern life. I was once hired to restore the harp on a vintage piano. The original gold paint and black filligree work were wearing off and fading. The smaller curlicues were impossible to paint, no matter how small the brush (by me anyway) so I used a fine point permanent marker. With his permission of course. It worked fine, although I was concerned about interaction with the paint.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 7:24 AM on September 25, 2008
Oh, thanks knile. Does a mod want to replace my link with that one?
posted by sugarfish at 7:26 AM on September 25, 2008
posted by sugarfish at 7:26 AM on September 25, 2008
Sharpies are fucking awesome.
posted by louche mustachio at 7:29 AM on September 25, 2008
posted by louche mustachio at 7:29 AM on September 25, 2008
No I can't. He can. Ten bucks worth of permanent marker and craploads more artistic talent and ability than most of us will ever have.
And time. You actually could get a basement exactly like this, but you'd have to pay an artist thou$and$ for it.
That's the reason redecorating takes so much money. You are purchasing other people's time. Either the time to the redecorating or the time to make the materials (furniture and so forth). If you don't need either of those things, and you have the spare time, of course it's cheap.
posted by DU at 7:29 AM on September 25, 2008
And time. You actually could get a basement exactly like this, but you'd have to pay an artist thou$and$ for it.
That's the reason redecorating takes so much money. You are purchasing other people's time. Either the time to the redecorating or the time to make the materials (furniture and so forth). If you don't need either of those things, and you have the spare time, of course it's cheap.
posted by DU at 7:29 AM on September 25, 2008
That's so cool. It really makes the basement look bigger, too.
posted by Nattie at 7:31 AM on September 25, 2008
posted by Nattie at 7:31 AM on September 25, 2008
I saw this a few days ago and was very impressed. I also wondered how he did it without any errors. Maybe he painted over them?
I wonder how my landlord would feel if I sharpied my apartment.
posted by hallowdmachine at 7:32 AM on September 25, 2008
I wonder how my landlord would feel if I sharpied my apartment.
posted by hallowdmachine at 7:32 AM on September 25, 2008
stbalbach: that library is awesome. Thanks for that.
The Sharpie room is nice. I was expecting something silly.
posted by Goofyy at 7:34 AM on September 25, 2008
The Sharpie room is nice. I was expecting something silly.
posted by Goofyy at 7:34 AM on September 25, 2008
What's an error really when you're doing a loose drawing?
posted by smackfu at 7:47 AM on September 25, 2008 [2 favorites]
posted by smackfu at 7:47 AM on September 25, 2008 [2 favorites]
No I can't. He can.
Tell me about it. With ten dollars worth of sharpies, I could maybe get together the artistic wherewithal of a high school metal kid drawing on his backpack. Sure, nice pool table and all, but what about this awesome anarchy symbol?
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 7:47 AM on September 25, 2008 [4 favorites]
Tell me about it. With ten dollars worth of sharpies, I could maybe get together the artistic wherewithal of a high school metal kid drawing on his backpack. Sure, nice pool table and all, but what about this awesome anarchy symbol?
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 7:47 AM on September 25, 2008 [4 favorites]
Does a mod want to replace my link with that one?
Done.
posted by cortex at 7:48 AM on September 25, 2008
Done.
posted by cortex at 7:48 AM on September 25, 2008
Very well done. So, at night do black lights reveal an entirely different environment?
posted by JBennett at 7:59 AM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by JBennett at 7:59 AM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
A few years ago, my friend and I lived in a big loft apartment. The interior walls were 16-foot-high drywall, painted white. So we had a "paint our walls" party, and the result -- ah, the result.
One example: two cartoonist friends of ours did a massive mural on one large, curving wall: a robot and monkey war (back when that monkey vs. robot video was viral). It was frigging brilliant. Done in pencil with minor corrections; we then traced it with sharpie over the course of the next few weeks. It was Boschian in its scope, drama and, yes, moral instruction.
You can indeed paint over that sort of thing -- you use a king-hell primer like Glidden Gripper and give it two coats before you apply your color.
posted by xthlc at 8:03 AM on September 25, 2008
One example: two cartoonist friends of ours did a massive mural on one large, curving wall: a robot and monkey war (back when that monkey vs. robot video was viral). It was frigging brilliant. Done in pencil with minor corrections; we then traced it with sharpie over the course of the next few weeks. It was Boschian in its scope, drama and, yes, moral instruction.
You can indeed paint over that sort of thing -- you use a king-hell primer like Glidden Gripper and give it two coats before you apply your color.
posted by xthlc at 8:03 AM on September 25, 2008
That Lamborghini was pretty cool.
20 years ago or so I was thinking about buying this 1955 Chevy pickup truck from the original owner. My goal was to paint it in leopard print, and have teeth up front like those flying tigers planes. Still wish I had done that...
posted by Eekacat at 8:07 AM on September 25, 2008
20 years ago or so I was thinking about buying this 1955 Chevy pickup truck from the original owner. My goal was to paint it in leopard print, and have teeth up front like those flying tigers planes. Still wish I had done that...
posted by Eekacat at 8:07 AM on September 25, 2008
I'm amazed at how, despite the obvious fakeness of it, there's still enough trompe l'oeil-ness to it that it really makes the room look bigger than it is. Very cool.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:10 AM on September 25, 2008
posted by jacquilynne at 8:10 AM on September 25, 2008
Very well done. So, at night do black lights reveal an entirely different environment?
Back in grad school, we had a wall-painting party at my place with yellow hi-liter markers. The drawings covered most of two walls, but were pretty much invisible against the lemon-yellow paint. Under blacklight, though, the place came alive.
posted by darkstar at 8:12 AM on September 25, 2008
Back in grad school, we had a wall-painting party at my place with yellow hi-liter markers. The drawings covered most of two walls, but were pretty much invisible against the lemon-yellow paint. Under blacklight, though, the place came alive.
posted by darkstar at 8:12 AM on September 25, 2008
This is great, very creative. Anyone know if there are better pictures of the details?
I can't even paint a wall without specling the floors and ceiling. I'm very envious of those with artistic talent.
posted by genefinder at 8:12 AM on September 25, 2008
I can't even paint a wall without specling the floors and ceiling. I'm very envious of those with artistic talent.
posted by genefinder at 8:12 AM on September 25, 2008
craploads more artistic talent and ability than most of us will ever have.
ooooor an overhead project, some works of art on transparencies, and a first go-around with a pencil. tip courtesy 10th grade latin convention.
posted by soma lkzx at 8:19 AM on September 25, 2008
ooooor an overhead project, some works of art on transparencies, and a first go-around with a pencil. tip courtesy 10th grade latin convention.
posted by soma lkzx at 8:19 AM on September 25, 2008
My favorite part is the Sharpie coffered ceiling. So much easier than building box beams!
posted by pernoctalian at 8:36 AM on September 25, 2008
posted by pernoctalian at 8:36 AM on September 25, 2008
I would have been more impressed if it was done because of necessity. Ugly couch throw that looks possibly crocheted, ok. Elliptical/treadmill, eh, you can get that on craigslist. Pinball machine - could have been a throwaway at a yard sale. Pool table, okay. It was all well and good until I saw the gigantic flat panel TV. I mean it's nice, I just lost a level of amazement after thinking it was some person who couldn't afford to make their broken down Kentucky basement look better that improvised, then finding out it's a lawyer for a nationally known company (Lexmark).
posted by cashman at 8:38 AM on September 25, 2008
posted by cashman at 8:38 AM on September 25, 2008
Dude, everyone has a flat screen TV now.
posted by smackfu at 8:47 AM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
posted by smackfu at 8:47 AM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
I have a magic Sharpie. It allows me to draw doors that lead to other dimensions.
posted by doctorschlock at 8:53 AM on September 25, 2008
posted by doctorschlock at 8:53 AM on September 25, 2008
He got so high on pen fumes doing that he started talking to his R2-D2 trash can. It's well done. I like.
posted by podwarrior at 9:10 AM on September 25, 2008
posted by podwarrior at 9:10 AM on September 25, 2008
ooooor an overhead project, some works of art on transparencies, and a first go-around with a pencil.
A-ha! I was trying to figure out an hacky way to do it, but never in a million years would I have thought "projector." Thanks!
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:30 AM on September 25, 2008
A-ha! I was trying to figure out an hacky way to do it, but never in a million years would I have thought "projector." Thanks!
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:30 AM on September 25, 2008
"Because it was a 'rich' lawyer who did this, it's nothing great."
Truly mind-boggling.
posted by Zambrano at 9:57 AM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
Truly mind-boggling.
posted by Zambrano at 9:57 AM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
$10 worth of Sharpie and a boatload of creativity + playfulness = ++++Awesome. This makes me very happy. I just realized this makes me think of one of my favorite books when I was a little kid: Harold and the Purple Crayon.
Ignore the naysayers. Metafilter is the crotchetiest place on Earth; heaven itself would be get mixed reviews.
posted by tula at 10:18 AM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
Ignore the naysayers. Metafilter is the crotchetiest place on Earth; heaven itself would be get mixed reviews.
posted by tula at 10:18 AM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
doctorschlock : I have a magic Sharpie. It allows me to draw doors that lead to other dimensions.
You aren't supposed to sniff them. It does bad things to your brain after a while.
posted by quin at 10:31 AM on September 25, 2008
You aren't supposed to sniff them. It does bad things to your brain after a while.
posted by quin at 10:31 AM on September 25, 2008
I have a magic Sharpie. It allows me to draw doors that lead to other dimensions.
Simon? Is that really YOU???
posted by Stewriffic at 10:32 AM on September 25, 2008
Simon? Is that really YOU???
posted by Stewriffic at 10:32 AM on September 25, 2008
i don't have a flat screen smakfu.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 12:00 PM on September 25, 2008
posted by misanthropicsarah at 12:00 PM on September 25, 2008
Ugh, the pictures are simply not working for me. Trying to click on the link at the top-right for the 360 degree picture gives me a 404 page; there's an area that I thought might be a flash ad (but which might be the room?) but is completely black. Most recent flash player installed... Same problem in IE.
Well, poop.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 12:35 PM on September 25, 2008
Well, poop.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 12:35 PM on September 25, 2008
The pictures aren't working? Damn, I thought he just painted the basement black. Very, very well.
posted by spamguy at 12:49 PM on September 25, 2008
posted by spamguy at 12:49 PM on September 25, 2008
Alas, I had the same frustrating experience as flibbertigibbet. I have a flat computer screen, so I should be among the cool kids.
posted by Cranberry at 12:50 PM on September 25, 2008
posted by Cranberry at 12:50 PM on September 25, 2008
OOOPS! I erased myself.
posted by doctorschlock at 1:37 PM on September 25, 2008
posted by doctorschlock at 1:37 PM on September 25, 2008
This is really cool. I wish I had that kind of talent.
When I used to live in a warehouse downtown, I covered the walls with newsprint, and left markers and pens and paints and stuff all over the place. As one panel filled up, I'd replace the paper. I have about a dozen art tubes filled with some of the most amazing poetry and art and stuff done by friends and friends of friends at parties. Most of my friends at the time were comic artists and writers...and some of the stuff that got done is awe inspiring. I just wish I could figure out a way to display it all without needing an entire gallery.
posted by dejah420 at 2:10 PM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
When I used to live in a warehouse downtown, I covered the walls with newsprint, and left markers and pens and paints and stuff all over the place. As one panel filled up, I'd replace the paper. I have about a dozen art tubes filled with some of the most amazing poetry and art and stuff done by friends and friends of friends at parties. Most of my friends at the time were comic artists and writers...and some of the stuff that got done is awe inspiring. I just wish I could figure out a way to display it all without needing an entire gallery.
posted by dejah420 at 2:10 PM on September 25, 2008 [1 favorite]
those are some greeeeeeeeeeat sharpie fumes!
posted by blue_beetle at 2:15 PM on September 25, 2008
posted by blue_beetle at 2:15 PM on September 25, 2008
I'm pretty sure he meant to write "mind-buttering".
posted by cortex at 5:43 PM on September 25, 2008
posted by cortex at 5:43 PM on September 25, 2008
Denatured alcohol will remove sharpie ink before it dries, and acetone will remove it afterwards (might also wipe off the underlying paint).
posted by benzenedream at 5:51 PM on September 25, 2008
posted by benzenedream at 5:51 PM on September 25, 2008
"bottling"? come on.
Bottling -- you know, when things are so crazy it gets your thoughts all trapped, like in a bottle?
posted by inigo2 at 7:24 AM on September 26, 2008
Bottling -- you know, when things are so crazy it gets your thoughts all trapped, like in a bottle?
posted by inigo2 at 7:24 AM on September 26, 2008
I have about a dozen art tubes filled with some of the most amazing poetry and art and stuff done by friends and friends of friends at parties. Most of my friends at the time were comic artists and writers...and some of the stuff that got done is awe inspiring. I just wish I could figure out a way to display it all without needing an entire gallery.
Maybe you could get one of those poster displays:
http://www.mouseplanet.com/merchandise/PosterDisplay.jpg
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:23 AM on September 27, 2008
Maybe you could get one of those poster displays:
http://www.mouseplanet.com/merchandise/PosterDisplay.jpg
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:23 AM on September 27, 2008
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