Fire & Ice: Farewell gift to buddy Rob

Here's a little B&W Illo, and a quick story behind it.

I worked a desk job for many years in Syracuse NY. One day, I was told my small, cramped office (that had barely any air circulation) would be filled with one extra person other than myself. I was less than enthused. The person who was taking what little space remained was a fellow named Rob.

At first, my opinion of Rob was not high. I had enjoyed being by myself in there, so another person in that tiny room did not really interest me. Also, my first impression of him wasn't that great... NO ONE can be this happy and smiley ALL THE TIME. What was up with this guy?

Over time, What can I say. I lightened up. I stopped being a grumpy bitter cuss (or at least, LESS of one) and we became buddies. In-jokes grew. I discovered he was the underweight long-lost twin of Comic's C.B. Cebulski... Internet Memes were swapped and many Lulz were had. Most of all, this fine Gentleman said something that changed my life: "You really should watch the Venture Bros. You'd really like it."

Well when this guy announced he was leaving Rainy Syracuse for Rainy Seattle, for WUV, then I felt I owed the guy something. (I mean COME ON, he got me watching the freaking VENTURE BROS.) Since he and his sweetie were avid MMORPG'ers, and had ridiculously high-leveled Red Mages in Final Fantasy Online, well it seemed a no brainer to draw their Avatars slinging off some magic.

Fire and Ice, ladies and gentlemen.

Rejected flier: Bauhaus Bash 2007

In 2007, the Spring "Promise Breakers" art/music show was in danger of not having a flyer. The usual artist of the flier had been incommunicado and there was no flyer artwork for "A Bauhaus Bash." These fliers are used to promote the show, and then printed onto a limited run of TShirts that are given away at the show as souvenirs.

I just wouldn't be a Promise Breakers show without a flyer! It wouldn't be a promise breakers show without a TShirt! So being the wide-eyed optimistic boy of initiative, I sketched and sketched and cobbled together a rather busy... yet attention grabbing flyer for the event, "A Bauhaus Bash." I got this put together in about two days, and gave a printout to the gentleman organizing the show. He was happy to use it to promote the show, and I was excited to see them around town, and eventually on the front of a real live TShirt!

And then came the day of the show, when what do I see? The usual artist apparently got a design done just in time, fliers everywhere, adorned on the TShirts.

I went with a "Vampire" theme. It being Bauhaus (the band), it being Springtime, I went with the whole fact that Syracuse is finally getting more sun, therefore it's a bad time to be a Vampire. And hey, more sun? A GOOD reason to celebrate! So enjoy music and art and alcohol at "A Bauhaus Bash". Right?

What did they wind up using? The usual artist went literal, choosing to loosely illustrate the 1933 closing of the Bauhaus school, by drawing a Nazi Fraulein burning a stack of canvases.

Yeah, no better way to advertise a fun evening out of music and art and alcohol than Nazis destroying art. Pff. Whatever. I like mine better, but that's just me.