[Groop]RE: sketches

[Nate Piekos]

Gary wrote:

"... you're such a hard ass!"

~~~ <begin longwinded response> Naah.  I'm really not.  (quiet, 
Shane)  --  I'll do a sketch for just about anyone at a con.  Admittedly, 
there's not much call for a Piekos original since people mostly know me for 
comic lettering, but I do get asked  by readers of the Lint books, or even 
readers of TWE.  What I don't like is people who simply assume since you're 
sitting behind a table, they will get a sketch.   One of the highlights for 
me at Chicago was a little girl who came up to me while I was standing in 
front of my table and asked if I'd do a sketch.  She didn't know who I was, 
or what I did, she just loved artwork.  She must have been about 11 years 
old.  She was just wandering around Artist Alley with her mom collecting 
little drawings.  So I knelt down on the floor with her and drew a half 
page or whatever.  And she was SO appreciative -- that childlike wonder of 
"Wow... you can make the pencil do that!"  It was a nice change of pace 
from Joe Collector who wants you to draw something for him just in case 
your book becomes a hot item someday.

Ruben brought up a good point about the fact that it's good for your fan 
base if you do drawings at cons.  I agree.  It's good PR.

Most of the guys I saw who were charging were the ones who had a backlog of 
people.  Big names.   To the point where they were writing down people's 
requests and telling them to come back later or tomorrow.  It seemed like 
an insane barrage of work each day, but these guys paid a hundred bucks for 
a table in Artist Alley and ended up making their money back 10 fold or more.

It helps if you're a people person.  Which I admit, I'm not.  I'm no good 
at small talk.  I'm no good at turning on that salesman smile and 
pretending to be thrilled to meet someone who I don't know from a hole in 
the wall.  Not that I'm a cold fish; I'm just not a people person.  My wife 
on the other hand, is awesome at that.  So she comes with me!

~N
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