Houston Grand Prix

The Houston Grand Prix was a great event. At the Boston GP last summer, I only had two cards in print. So this time, it was great to have a collection of cards behind me, even if, as I heard many times, my cards are "only good in limited." This refers to the kind of gameplay in which my cards would see action. As the cards I illustrated are fairly weak common cards, no one uses them in their premier play decks.


But not a big deal. I was there as an artist, not a gamer, so I set up my display and got to work. I signed stacks and stacks of cards, but I spent most of the weekend sketching on playmats. These are protective surfaces on which one can put cards without fear of them getting dirty on the table. Many have a blank face, so some fans of the game like to have signatures and original drawings inscribed on them.




I was also selling sketches on the back of my white-backed artist proof cards, which have the playable side printed, but no logo on the back. I created some sketches that a player could potentially use in the game: placeholder cards called "tokens."



I sold a few art prints, but no one took the jump and bought one of my original canvases (yet!).

The other artist in attendance was Steve Argyle, who seemed to have the opposite experience I had. His cards are mostly pretty powerful; some of the better cards in the game. He had a line of fans any time he was at the table. Some wanted signatures, some wanted sketches and others wanted to buy prints. He had to take breaks during the day to catch up on commissioned work. He looked swamped, but managed to stay in a good mood the entire weekend. He's a great guy, so check out his website.

When I go to these events, I'm usually not one of the big-name artists (Not yet, anyway). So I'm trying to make a name for myself as a good sketch artist until I have some powerful cards commissioned to me. I try to make sure everyone who purchases a sketch has something great in their hands when they leave. Doesn't always happen, but I try. So spread the word. I like drawing dragons.