FTF Celebrates 10 Years!

I designed these two posters for a pretty big event in coming up. It is a double celebration - the twentieth anniversary of the Technology Innovation Center, one of the country's leading incubators for tech startups AND the freakin' TENTH anniversary of FTF (Face To Face). The annual parties for FTF have grown to be very well attended by current incubator tenants, TIC alumni, and curious bystanders.

Pretty amazing for an incubator that was told over and over that it should not, could not, and would not exist by various parties of varying degrees of ignorance. As for FTF, it started as a few fledgling companies coming up for air and sharing a few beers and chips at the end of another endless work week. A decade later we're celebrating that willingness to share and build a community among seeming competitors.

As a founder of FTF, I would personally like to thank co-founder Larry Mills-Gahl, Jim Currie, Dennis Director, Charles Smith, Rob Jacobi, Andrea Winship, Louise Burton, and Tim Lavengood for their faith, hard work, time and money over the last decade. I believe it was worth it. Thanks to the brave souls who showed up at our small, dingy joint for around 500 FTF parties, big and small. Some of you have created companies like Google and Peapod or invented the Skip Doctor or were successful enough to become venture capitalists yourself, while others have seen the harsh, brutish side of entrepreneurship. I salute all of you.

And thanks to Dan Kelch of Lulu's for all the great food.

Halloween Party Invite Part Two

That's done and it didn't end up anywhere near where I expected. Lotsa surprises and getting use to a Wacom tablet again after many years. Much to learn and practice. Now for the insides of the beast.

First Rule of Fight Club

Drawing machine, Ray Frendon, has taken on an inspired bit of lunacy wherein he will draw a fight between himself and all comers. Damned if it didn't get me to draw myself in fine fightin' form at 3AM. Take on Ray, if you dare.

Halloween Party Invite Part One

Okay, some drawings. Not from The First Fear, but drawings none-the-less, damn it. We're having a small gathering of an odd assortment of friends that are connected in a weird sort of way and I thought I would throw together a Halloween related invite.



I wanted to include Julienne in the piece and so here is an initial sketch of her sweet face. I was gonna be in the damn thing too, but realized there is only so much my friends can take.



This is a piecing together of several sketch ideas to get the foundation of the illustration going. I quickly draw these out on paper, scan them in and then manipulate details in Photoshop. I'm going to set up the Wacom tablet tomorrow and I may just continue working directly in the computer from this point or I may go over this sketch collage again in pencil. Once I feel good about it, I'll attack it in Photoshop for the final piece.

Charlie the Younger

A friend from college was kind enough to dig up this picture of me from around 1978. I was sooo ready for the Sex Pistols. It is this sullen, obnoxious, fuck-the-world artist that the older me is seeking to recapture just a tiny piece of these days. I was thinking creatively 24 hours a day and had no limits. Reality and experience has a way on knocking that confidence out of you over time, but I'm working hard to push through those scars and find the spirit of that kid in the photo again.

And Now a Word From Our Sponsor

And that word would be - Arrgh!

There will be drawings to post next week. I am out of town on yet another family event. Back Monday. Grindstone is sitting in my studio and waiting for my nose when I get back. And Ray, I'll tell how I'm gonna do the magic (pencil/paper/scanner/Maya/Photoshop/kitchen sink) when I get back. I didn't ferget ya.