Sharpie Mustang

Out on the edges of car customizing lives a couple of artists whose trade includes using regular black Sharpie markers to create pieces of art. Chris Dunlop may be the best-known marker in the pack, and this is his latest work, a Sharpie-styled 1999 Ford Mustang GT that took about 50 hours of freehand drawing to finish.

Dunlop was a practiced pinstripe artist who took notice in 2010 after a Miami artist gave a complete Sharpie makeover to a Lamborghini Gallardo. There's several benefits to using Sharpies: They're cheap, come in a few widths and will last years when protected with clear-coat paint. The biggest drawback is that there's no do-overs; once the ink's down, it's not coming off.

Chris Dunlop Sharpie Mustang

Dunlop had customized the roof of this Mustang last year, but when the owner made some upgrades, he decided to call Dunlop back for a more complete covering. Dunlop tells the Maryland Gazette he's done about seven such projects over the past year, and another one -- a gray Chevy Camaro SS -- just rolled into his shop this week. While much of the work goes on in black, Dunlop has used colors before, including on what I'd call his best project so far, a 1971 Camaro pro street rod.

Haters can save their fire, because Dunlop has heard most of it already and knows that his art isn't for all tastes. Even if you disagree with the results, there's no denying the creativity in the effort.

Photos: Bethany Eteeyan, courtesy Chris Dunlop