EL MARKO RIDES AGAIN !

Another mixed bag of markers, most of which came from an ebay lot I popped on last month. Lot of nice classics in the mix.

EL MARKO WATERCOLOR

Wow. The El Marko was my Holy Grail for the longest time until I got one from the homey DIET HTK earlier in the year. This is the watercolor version - same silhouette as the other el Marko, but a white body. Nice multi-faceted chiseltip. Really nice indigo hued ink, similar to Crayola - makes crisp, sharp lines. Just as excited to have this one in the collection. El Marko rides again !

CARTERS MARKS-A-LOT

This is a classic. Tri-color foil sticker label on black plastic body. Has the old skool CARTERS logo/wordmark on it, before MARKS-A-LOT became the property of AVERY. Chisel tip. Smells like italian salad dressing. Gem.

FABER CASTELL 3000

This is a low-key, no frills marker. All black plastic construction with simple 2-line metallic gold imprinted logo and labeling. Lightweight. Chisel-tip is all mashed in and soft so give off tar-scratch lines. Mellow odor. 

AEROMARKER 900 

A simple, long black sleek marker with stylish gold metallic wordmark and minimal labeling on side. Chisel tip. Makes good clean marks with no bleed. A fancy marker to be used while wearing white gloves and a monacle. Fancy. Nice acidic bite in the odor. 

EDDING No.2

This is a unique tapered silhouette from edding. Plastic construction, Grey body, bold blue wordmark. The “e” is scratched off. Huge deviation from all the previous edding designs. Gone is the familiar red/blue/white colorway, logo and wordmarks. Bullet tip. Makes super precise lines that cut and curve without bleed or loss of control. An understated, utilitarian marker that performs extremely well.

ARTLINE POSTER MARKER

Surprised that I didn’t have this one yet. Water-based tempera marker. Circle tip. Juiced up right now, works like gangbusters. 6mm tip. Pretty solid construction for a plastic body. Eccentric White/Red/Yellow/Blue color scheme on black base. Artline always makes dope products, this beauty included.

MERANGUE PERMANENT

Here’s some random marker from the dollar store. Has the weird metallic grey plastic body color prevalent in dollar store markers. Chisel tip. Makes nice clean deep black lines. Good quality marker. Better than average for a dollar store find, on par quality with some name brand markers.

METAL DETECTOR

Here’s a power grouping of vintage metal markers that I got off of ebay. Not often that I get to see these older specimens just out and about, so when I saw them up for bid, I had to pop. All amazing specimens that wow with bold, clean design and sturdy quality construction. 

MARKTEX TEXPEN

A vintage piece that seems to be the precursor to a Dalo Texpen. Rubber pump on the back to get the ink inside flowing. Super sturdy metal construction features nice red and white design and labeling on black body. Nice thick clip on the side. Metal ball tip. Nice weight to it. Dried out. 

MAGIC MARKER

Alakazam ! I wish I had more vintage Magic Marker brand in my collection. Great mix of construction, font, and color on this. Bold orange on white body, which has yellowed due to age giving it a nice look. Quirky wordmark. Solid consturction. Hmm. This one says it comes from the Magic Marker Corporation in Glendale NY. All other Magic Markers I have came from the UK. The container was made and printed in Canada. The mystery continues. Don’t know why I haven’t come across more of these things around my travels. Really nice transition from barrel to chisel tip. A nice aged haze to the odor. Still works perfectly. Makes consistently even, clean lines. A great addition to the collection.

BLAISDELL LIQUID TIP

“The Gentleman’s Marker”. My words, not theirs. This is a really sleek, well designed subtle black marker. It looks like the end with the pen clip is the cap, but that is a fixed design detail that doesn’t come off. The cap is on the other side, form fitting to the chisel tip nice and snug. Clean gold and black labelling. “Liquid Tip” wordmark in nice script font. Says “large” on the side. Does that mean this thing comes in “small” and “extra large” ? Challenge accepted. Sturdy chisel tip. DOA but still has a pungent stank. A unique/throwback classic ! 

IDEAL MARK 

This is a true classic from one of the most respected and historied marker making companies. Based in Belleville, Illinois, IDEAL MARK is manufactured and distributed by Diagraph MSP. The modern version retains many of the same characteristics as this early model. It’s a very distinct, well-constructed silhouette. Super sturdy metal barrel, gloss orange paint with black Stencil-style wordmark and labeling. Lovely barrel-to-tip metal transition. Great sturdy pointed felt tip. Has a nice shoe-polish-ey odor. These have stood the test of time rather well. Easily one of my TOP 10 favorites in the collection, which numbers about 700 different black markers right now. Would love to have these be my everyday markers, but I find them a bit too precious to use. Over the moon to have these added to the collection. 

BUT IN BLACK - 002

A great buncho older style markers, but not in black. Just a reminder that there are still a lot of markers out there that I need to track down.

AUTOPOINT

This has the same body silhouette as the el Marko. I’m pretty sure it’s the same manufacturer, just different label imprint. 

MARKETTE

One plastic and one metal body Markette…but not in black. Really nice throwback styling. Anyone seen these out there in black ?

GUARDSMAN

This is an amazing metal body marker with a knights helmet on it. Sturdy, heavyweight, with a great vintage look. Keep my eyes peeled for one in black.

SANFORD 69

This is a great pick-up. Complete set of in-package vintage Sanford 69 markers.

Does 69 mean something else in marker code ? I have this other Magic Marker that has 69 on the label, and that one is small scale as well.

Cardboard slipcover, styrofoam tray slides out to store markers.

SANFORDS MARKER DELUXE 69

Really like these mini metal Sanfords. Have the modern version, which has an updated Sanford logo, but still retains the striping motif up-barrel. This vintage one is in great condition. Sturdy metal fabrication, chisel tip. Nice worked in fibre on the chisel tip. Makes nice flowing deep black lines. Has a great, familiar, elementary school lets-get-dizzy odor. A really nice well preserved specimen. 

INK-AN EMPIRE - HECHO EN PERU

Heres a slew of markers my friend Suzette copped for me when she went to Peru. There’s an entire world of markers out there - gotta start getting more international pieces in. 

KP 580

First thing I noticed about this is the packaging. Rather than plastic clamshell they shrinkwrap it to the cardboard backer. Guess it’s a cheaper option. Nice basic bullet tip marker. White screened label on black plastic body. Works well, no odor.

KAMSET PERMANENT MARKER

This one wasn’t from Peru, picked it up from corner store on Queen St. Kamset brand markers are usually found in all sorts of dollar stores and tend to base their marker silhouettes on other existing brands. This marker is patterned off of a Mon Ami Super. I’m not sure if that is the OG source, but this Kamset marker does follow the shape and label characteristics. Sticker label with white and silver color blocking, simple text. Text is in English, French and Spanish. Chisel tip. This marker creates deep black lines with minimal bleed. Good marker for a value price.

ARTESCO AQUAMAX 47

Hecho en Peru. This is a nice basic marker that has a similar shape to Artlines, but with plastic, not metal, body construction. Bullet tip. Fibrous bullet tip. Makes nice smooth lines. Again, no odor. Wonder why these Peruvian markers don’t really have strong smell. Woulda thought the opposite. Pretty good basic marker.

ARTEL MARCADOR PERMANENTE 60

This thing is shrink wrapped and i’m gonna leave it in its packaging to preserve it for now. Well I changed my mind and started unwrapping it from the bottom and it started taking off the entire label markings. If I continued, it would just be a black plastic shell with no labelling. 

ARTESCO SCHNEIDER MULTIMAX A23

Nice sleek marker. Black plastic construction, glossy full color label. Has Tecnologia “Cap Off Ink” that prevents it from drying out if you leave the cap off for days. Apparently. Hecho en Peru. 1-3 mm Bullet tip. Nice strong alcohol smell. Good strong black ink quality and smooth marking consistency. Artesco makes a wide range of stationary products, and although they don’t have a wide selection of black marker products, the quality is good. Check ‘em out here.

KP 770

Other than the barrel color of this marker, I can’t tell what the big difference is between this one and the KP 580 that I posted first. Both are bullet tips, although the angle of the 580 is a bit - sharper. Perhaps the 770 is a bit larger at 5mm ? Negligible difference in marker line shape. Anyways, a good marker, same characteristics as the 580. Numbers game. One more marker as we inch closer to 1000.

VAGABOND SKATEBOARDS - PRO MODELS

Been working with Shanghai based Vagabond Skateboards as creative director to develop their deck program and special projects since their inception in 2010.

Fresh off their Vietnam and Thailand tour, the gang got together last Sunday to premier their video from the trip, and launch of their first Pro Model decks.

“Hello My Friend” was shot by Charles Lanceplaine over a 2 week period and features all the Vagabond pro riders. 

Peep the full video here.

The first Vagabond Pro Model decks made their debut, and feature iconic guitars that sync up to each rider’s personalities and/or musical interests.

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Alex Hwang - 1971 Gibson Flying V

David Chu - 1956 Gibson Sunburst

Cyres Wong - 1965 Epiphone Casino

Jay Meadow - 1980 Fender Stratocaster

Keng Qu - 1979 Gretsch

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Additional photos courtesy of Kicker Club.

STUSSY STOCK STITCH TEE

Close up detail of the marker illos I made for the front and back graphics of this STUSSY STOCK STITCH TEE.

Available as part of this seasons tee lineup online at the STUSSY STORE or your LOCAL CHAPTER.

SOLITARY ARTS - MINI SKATE SHOP - MAXIMUM RESPECT !

Many-a-moon ago I woke up hazy and confused in a foreign land surrounded by a stranger and a trio of curiosities; a The Last Days of the Golden Age of the Handmade tee, a Solitary Bird tee, and a hand-shaped deck of unknown origins adorned with a mysterious, mystical-looking symbol.

And so began my first steps in pursuit of the Solitary Arts.

It’s been an enlightening journey thus far and i’ve been blessed to have such a bright, guiding force assist me on the long road ahead.

The support continues with the addition of the ALLISTER LEE x ATLAS artist series decks to the SOLITARY ARTS MINI SKATE SHOP.

Both BLACK MARKER and MARKERHEAD decks come signed and numbered with original artwork included in the package.

Check out all the goodness.

Seek - Support - Skate 

CAST SPELLS

CHARLIE BLACK