posted February 14, 2004 06:02 PM               

Let me strongly suggest black. As you can see earlier this thread, Doug Henry did a test with multiple colors of sharpies. Although it was unscientific, results indicated that blue faded pretty consistently across the board when compared with black (as does red and green also). Black was hands-down the sharpie color that faded the least.

Think of Armstrong, how often have you seen a dark blue Armstrong sig? They are almost ALL fading over time.

Blue is definitely pretty - I totally agree - but it's been gaining a bad reputation for fading over the long haul.

As a rule of thumb, I always go for black on the pieces for my museum exhibit. Just a suggestion.

posted February 14, 2004 07:07 PM               

Good luck with your choice,

posted February 14, 2004 08:37 PM               

These are only exposed to light when we're testing and making connections. Some boxes rarely get opened. But in every case when exposed to the heat of Texas summer time they fade out COMPLETELY after 1-2 years. The ink evaporates.

Just food for thought.

posted February 14, 2004 11:27 PM               

Also, on lithos, black sharpie used to leave an ugly yellow bleed, after a time. I hear this has been fixed, but we prefer the blue. It stands out better and we've had no complaints.

posted February 20, 2004 12:35 PM               

The good thing about blue is that if you keep it in a dark cool place, hopefully everything will be fine, assuming the fading Wayne mentioned is indeed caused by excessive heat. Also like he said, just display a high quality color copy in place of the original.

posted February 20, 2004 03:56 PM            

I have a dozen 16 x 20's color and B&W signed with black sharpies and silver paint pens.

Most of them have been hanging on my (northeast facing) office wall for almost 20 years.

They all look fine.

I couldn't imagine storing these away in the dark, and they are certainly to big for a note book.

Just my 2 cents.

posted December 30, 2006 04:44 PM               

Any advice?

posted December 30, 2006 04:57 PM            

Joel

posted December 30, 2006 06:20 PM               

Even blue signatures should have good longevity is stored and displayed properly.

What colors did you use? Also, like Joel asked, how were they stored or displayed? Remember, direct light is bad on photos, but so is reflected light. Flourescent light is bad too. I have a test card kept in my office at work where the reds and blues are looking pretty weathered after a year.

Also, was there anything consistent about the types of photos you had signed? Were they vintage or modern? Did they come from the same printing? Glossy or matte? Normally, it shouldn't make a big difference. But if perhaps you ran into a bad batch of gloss, that might be a problem (though I don't claim to be an expert here). Or was everything signed in the same pen or from the same batch of pens?

There are lots of Sharpie signed photos out there 20-30 years old and still looking good. So if you can isolate anything about your photos that is causing the fading, that might help you avoid it in the future.

posted December 31, 2006 04:47 PM               

The last time I was at the KSC gift shop, I learned a valuable lesson. The signed 16x20s on the wall done by Pete Conrad, Bean, and Cernan are exposed to constant flourescent light all day, every day, and some of the photos appeared to have been on the walls for several years. All of the Sharpie-signed photos had faded a good deal, with blue ink fading the worst and black faring just a little better.

The shocker: Even on photos where it was obvious that the photo itself had faded, each signature signed in metallic paint pen looked brand new. Note: These were NOT signatures done in Metallic Sharpie, as Metallic Sharpies did not exist when these photos were signed; rather I am talking about metallic paint pen or "paint marker."

As for me, I now use metallic paint pens exclusively whenever possible. I use Sakura Pen Touch Silver in Fine or Extra Fine point. You can get these at art supply stores like Michael's or online.

Meanwhile, I'm holding my breath on all of my black Sharpie-signed photos and using extra protection from all light. When I do need black ink, I have begun using black paint markers- Uchida Decocolor Fine Line or Extra Fine Line. You can also get these at art supply stores like Michael's or online.

Hope this helps!

posted January 03, 2007 04:45 AM               

I have several sharpie signed pictures hanging on a wall in a spare room but keep the curtains closed. I have had them framed with "filter" glass (or plastic?)

The bulk of my main collections however is stored in files, each covered with tissue, which I check regularly to ensure it does not "bond" or stick with the photo!

People often query the point of collecting these pictures if not displayed? I once asked Kim Poor for his advice on the best way to store a collection and he jokingly (maybe?) answered "Store them in the dark and lock them away" and, to be perfectly honest, that is what I do!

Glossies can be tricky but once the signature is well and truly dry, if stored properly, there should be no problems but, if displayed, I would suggest a dark area in a room away from sunlight!

posted June 24, 2007 05:31 PM               

Just a heads up in the event that your Sharpies aren't as sharp as they once were.

FWIW,

posted October 22, 2007 12:25 PM            

We use a new silver (not Sharpie) we like a lot, after much experimentation.

posted October 22, 2007 01:03 PM               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Novaspace:
We have two Destiny photos in the shop now from 1999. One was in blue sharpie, the other in black (we think.) Both are almost completely faded away. Colors in the photos are fine.

---