From the Beanworld Archives!

Beanworld Gothic

1986 5 1/2" x 7 1/4"

Ink on Crescent No. 201 Illustration Board

I've written before about the little illos I used to call "chip drawings" and sold off of my table at conventions.
Most of the time I made the actual drawings on the spot, but sometimes, I'd make some bigger and fancier ones in advance. This is a photocopy of one of those advance drawings.

It was drawn on Crescent No. 201 Hot Press Medium Weight Illustration Board which is what we used for all our keyline mechanicals at the ad agency. We had a big ol' heavyweight paper cutter that was already a junky antique when I first "met it" over 30 years ago.

It actually took some skill to cut board with it straight and smoothly. A lot of long and thin slivers of board used to end up in the trash can. I thought it was a shame to waste such good drawing stock. So I'd slice up the long slivers into little rectangles of thoroughly arbitrary sizes. I'd put 'em in a baggie and then take the "chips" to cons and pull 'em out and draw on 'em.

I probably sold hundreds of "chip drawings" between 1985 to the mid-90s. I have absolutely zero idea of how many still survive. Nor do I have a clue as to who might have taken home "Beanworld Gothic" and if it is still in their possession.

I still have a small stash of blank chips in my possession. They are at least 20 years old because it has been almost that long since I regularly worked with it as an art supply.