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Design Boot Camp: Studio Notebook 2022

From The Archives: Two Posts About Sakura Solid Markers

Back in 2015 I discovered a new-to-me art supply: Sakura Solid Markers.  I wrote this post all about them:

People often ask me where my inspiration comes from.  It's a great question with about a million answers.  One of those answers is: new supplies.  (Can I get an Amen?)  There's nothing quite like a new tool or a new colorant to get the mojo cracking!  When I was teaching in Connecticut a student shared a new-to-me supply: Sakura Solid Markers.  

SakuraSolidMarker

I put together a quick video to share what I know about them so far:

I think they're perfect for art journaling!  They tick off everything on my happy list:

  • Waterproof once dry.
  • Opaque.
  • Write on a slick surface.
  • Blendable when wet.

I recently played with them in my art journal.  You can check out this fast forward video where I'm just mucking around!

Here is the page from the video:

Balzer-FlowerGarden-wm
Balzer-FlowerGarden-wm
Balzer-FlowerGarden-wm
Balzer-FlowerGarden-wm
Balzer-FlowerGarden-wm
Balzer-FlowerGarden-wm
Balzer-FlowerGarden-wm
Balzer-FlowerGarden-wm
Balzer-FlowerGarden-wm

And then a few months after sharing that post, I discovered a super cool hack for the solid markers.  Here it is:

Remember when I posted that video about the Sakura Solid Markers several months ago?  Recently, someone posted the following comment on that video on YouTube:

Often used as a Graffiti marker, you can split the marker in half and put two colors together.. The color patterns are very eye attracting.

Well, I absolutely had to try it out for myself!

I chose two colors I thought would work well together.

from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL

I turned the knob at the bottom of the Solid Marker to extend the inside as far as possible and then broke it off.  I repeated this for both markers.

from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL

I cleaned off the little bit at the top of the barrel and then rolled the pusher-thing inside back to the bottom.

from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
I used a box cutter to cut both colors in half.

from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL

And then I matched the halves together and pushed the new two-tone markers back into the empty barrels.

from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL

And now my new two-tone markers were ready to use!

from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL

I also tried it out in my art journal, adding a quick two-tone circle to the center of the page.

from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL
from the Balzer Designs Blog: Sakura Solid Marker Hack TUTORIAL

I love my new two-tone markers.  Time to start cutting all the colors in half and making all kinds of fun mixes!  I hope you'll give it a try too!

I hope you enjoyed this blast from the past!  Thanks for stopping by.

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