Epic Collection of Black Markers as a Poster

Over the past decade Allister Lee, founder of STUDIO B.I.B., has traveled the world collecting black markers. Now at 500 markers, Lee memorializes the collection in a limited run of posters featuring the collection.

“From vintage glass-barrel Magic Markers, famed Mini-Wides, metal-jacket Sakuras, and contemporary Sharpies, the collection as depicted in the illustrated poster, shows a historical and international spectrum of black marker design” making the release perfect for everyone from graffiti nerd to material culture connoisseur.

Peter Williams interviewed Lee for Curated Mag. He asked great questions that get to the heart of the process of collecting.

It began with a shoebox of drawing supplies, in a flat on Kings Cross Road in 2002. I drew most things using a black marker and needed a variety to get the effect I wanted in my drawings. I noticed I had 8 different black markers in the shoebox. I separated them into another shoe box and then consciously started looking for more.

Drawing each marker started concurrently when the marker collection reached 50 markers, for cataloguing purposes.

Whenever I get new markers I put them in a tin. When that tin gets to the overflow point, I take each one out and draw them on a brown piece of paper. The markers are drawn to scale, along with a test line from each actual marker to show the ink and line properties of that marker.

Read the whole interview here. Buy the 32″x42″ poster from STUDIO B.I.B. for $40 here.