In my stage-dooring, I've noticed that a fine point Sharpie is not really ideal for getting Playbills signed. It's too thin.
So I'm looking to get a pen that gives a better signature. I'm thinking a medium point paint pen. Does anyone know of a good one or have a better suggestion?
I want to get one black pen and one metallic silver pen.
Most folks use sharpies....but the "regular" ones.
If we're not having fun, then why are we doing it?
These are DISCUSSION boards, not mutual admiration boards. Discussion only occurs when we are willing to hear what others are thinking, regardless of whether it is alignment to our own thoughts.
Yes. It is pretty smart to get one of each because some playbills are darker than other(so you would use the silver) and ones that are lighter(which you would use the black sharpie). For example, on the Spring Awakening playbill I have it signed with silver sharpie because it mostly black.
Not Ultra fine, like a regular pen, or the really fat ones, like highlighters. Just the.."regular" Sharpie, which would be Fine Tip (I just bought them, they are under "Fine Tip"). Get a Metallic Silver and Black.
I'm assuming the 'regular' that people are referring to is a fine point Sharpie. That's the one I always use when I go to stage doors and it works just fine.
"You mean what was the best picture of the year or what did they pick as the best picture of the year?" - California Suite
I just want to add that you should avoid paint pens that can be bought at craft stores. With many of those pens the user needs to press down fairly hard while writing to get them to work. When actors are trying to sign as many playbills as they can fooling with a paint pen can be a bother. A regular silver sharpie will do just fine. I have, also, used the pink, purple, and blue sharpies with nice results.
"All our dreams can come true -- if we have the courage to pursue them." -- Walt Disney
We must have different Gods. My God said "do to others what you would have them do to you". Your God seems to have said "My Way or the Highway".
Like I said, I've been using "regular" (which are fine tip) Sharpies, but the autograph is often very thin, sometimes it looks like it's barely showing up. That's why I was looking for something different.
When you say that the fine point Sharpies are too thin, do you mean the black ones or the silver ones? The black fine point ones are pretty standard, and as you can see from roseaddams's avatar, the black fine point Sharpie signatures show up just fine. I've used medium point, but the line is too thick IMO, especially if you want to get a lot of signatures on a Playbill.
If it doesn't look like the signatures are showing up (and you're using a fine point not an ultra fine point -- the ultra fine point ones don't always work well and have exactly the problem you describe), I'm guessing you're running out of ink. The silver ones run out of ink incredibly quickly (sometimes after just a handful of signatures), and they also don't write well on a windowcard or program all the time (as opposed to a Playbill) unless they are really, really new. The black ones last a while but run out eventually.
The other thing that makes it look like the signatures are not showing up is very cold weather, but I'm guessing that's not the case at this time of the year!
"What was the name of that cheese that I like?"
"you can't run away forever...but there's nothing wrong with getting a good head start"
"well I hope and I pray, that maybe someday, you'll walk in the room with my heart"
between autographs do u keep the sharpie lid off? I learned this the very first time stage dooring at Ave Q. By the time I was getting my last sig (Jen Barnhart) it came out very small and dry and she asked me if I kept the cap on cause they dry out very fast. She told me to always keep it capped between sigs
I've used black, silver, and blue. Some actors come with their own Sharpies, but some don't, so if the first actor has a Sharpie ready, don't assume they all will.
kchenofan's computer is broken right now. This is her fridge. Now, you can leave a message, but say it slowly, so I can write it on a post-it note and stick it to myself.
Has anyone used bronze? I'm shopping for sharpies right now and thinking of getting silver, black, and blue sharpie pens. Does red work well on dark-colored playbills?
I'm really a fan of the gold sharpie and have received many compliments from performers on it. At one point I found a retractable one which was good too as you didn't have to fuss with a lid.
StephieElise said: "I'm really a fan of the gold sharpie and have received many compliments from performers on it. At one point I found a retractable one which was good too as you didn't have to fuss with a lid. "
I use a Sharpie on work documents for a word or two to stand out. And I am addicted to the retractable ones. Much easier than a lid. I'd think this would work best at the stage door, Playbill in one hand handing to the actor while you hold the Sharpie and click it with your thumb just before handing off. Retractables haven't taken off yet so I've found some folks fumbling with it trying to take off the non-existent cap. But maybe actors are more well versed in Sharpies than the general public.