The Big Con came and went, just like they said it would. It was fun, and plenty work, too. The Art Institute had me manning each of their three booths in different buildings, shuttling us back and forth. Mica stayed with me the whole time, along with Don Markstein and several colleagues from AIPX.
I tried to recall the last time I had attended one of these events- it was probably Sandiego ’78, the last year they held it at the El Cortez.
I got to look around the bourse/dealers’ room a bit, picked up some old comics, (late ‘40’s-early 50’s), looked at original art, talked to artists, saw celebs.
While talking with Tone Rodriguez, we got on the subject of CraftTint DuoTone Illustration board, which we concluded after some inquiries, is no longer made or sold anywhere at any price. I let it slip I still have a small stash, and he suggested I try putting some on ebay, just for a giggle. Not a chance. I’m saving mine for a special project, and hopefully I’ll be able to get some more somewhere.
I did have, however, the good fortune to find the original(?) patent for the stuff, from the early 1930’s, on line. So if any junior chemists out there are feeling ambitious, here’s a project for you: lots of artists loved this material and used it for decades- it was a staple of the best EC comic book artists and editorial cartoonists all over the world. You can’t get it now. It’s a (relatively) simple formula to manufacture it, and as far as I know, nobody is doing it.
HAPPY VALENTINE, MICA!
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