Phrolicon was always a small convention, no more than 100 people. If you were there the whole weekend, you'd probably meet most of them and sometimes make new friends. I enjoyed my social activity at the con and of course drew sketches of some of the attendees. The guy at upper left is Ozzie Fontecchio, famous in Philadelphia fandom for organizing and running conventions and science fiction meetings. He's still going strong since the 1980s, and has added an apostrophic flourish to his name so that his name is now 'Osvaldo.
At the bottom is Mark the origami master who we saw a few days ago. Two of the other faces have names but I don't remember them. I guess I wasn't social enough.
Black tech pen on sketchbook page, 5" x 8", August 2, 1997.
The science fiction community used to be a lot livelier than it is now. Every city in the USA had a convention, even if it was only a small one. This sketch is from "Phrolicon," which I have mentioned earlier here. The guys represented here are from the elite of the convention world, responsible for not only making appearances but for running the conventions. They devoted a large amount of their personal time to making these gatherings happen. Some of them were semi-pro or even professional writers and artists, whose work would be on display or discussed at talk panels and the art show.
This community still exists though especially now it has been put on hiatus and major events have been suspended. But the fans march on, aging and less in number, but still going using remote video technology and old-fashioned phone calls and even mail. I think that Phrolicon, fun as it was, is a thing of the past. Keep their spirit and names alive! Left to right: Darrell Schweitzer, professional s.f. writer and convention runner, Lee Weinstein, convention runner, Jerry Crossan, and "Rikk" Jacobs lower level, art show runner. Most of them were based in the Philadelphia area.
Black tech pen on sketchbook page, 5" x 8", August 2, 1997.
Screaming pink! The azaleas are in bloom! This is the only time of year when I can use this color right out of the tube (or marker, etc.) That also goes for red and flame colors, which stand out well against basic black. Instead of the rounded petals of azalea flowers, I use the straight-line geometric variations provided by Photoshop, where you can throw color and shape around easily and stack your elements one by one in Photoshop's "layering" system. This design incorporates the esoteric red triangle of Fire, along with a flame-like accent where the Eye in the Triangle will go.
Photoshop, 5" x 5", April 28, 2020.
A "relaxacon" is fannish slang for a small convention which is mainly for social rather than commercial purposes. It's an excuse to party and drink and sing and sit around talking. There may or may not be an art show but there's usually a writer guest of honor, along with crafts workshops. There used to be a relaxacon outside of Philadelphia in the summer, named "Phrolicon," which I attended. Phrolicon had an emphasis on comedy and satire, and it was always good for laughs.
This fuzzy gentleman in his fantasy vest is the late Mark Kennedy, a master of origami, the famous Japanese paper folding craft. He spent his days going to origami conventions (yes, they have them, all over the world and not just Japan.) He also went to science fiction conventions and gave demonstrations and workshops. He could fold any paper as long as it was bendable. I sketched Mark during one of his informal workshops. I have to confess that I have never succeeded in doing even the simplest origami so I just watched Mark.
Black tech pen on sketchbook page, 5" x 8". August 1, 1997.
The greens of April are especially vivid. You can even use the "grass green" marker or pencil without toning it down. I continue to create mini-borders for the date-stamp using simple design elements. The green study is a view out my window where a neighbor planted bamboo. Just as with the wide variety of "adult coloring books" I can draw my own and color them with my Arteza markers, except that I ran out of "grass green."
Markers, 7 1/2" x 2 1/2", April 24, 2020.
Here's a bit of experimentation with color and shape. Each date on the page has a journal entry scribbled next to it, which I have removed with Photoshop. The mini-logistics of scanning and processing this were difficult because the design is close to the spine of the book and hard to scan. But I gave it the old college try. (Does anyone still use that phrase?) Most of the image is OK but I missed April 18 and messed up April 19. Thrilling art details!
Markers on sketchbook page, 3" x 7", April 23, 2020.
Well, here I was again, sipping Starbucks Coffee and drawing my fellow mall-goers. This sketch is from July 1997, more than 20 years ago, but the people would look the same as now, (adjusted for the season), except they aren't in the mall right now, they are huddling trying to evade the entity that has transformed our world into a great big biohazard. I have nothing more to say that someone else hasn't already said, so I'll just take a few more sips of wine and listen to mind-numbing ambient electronic music.
Black tech pen on sketchbook page, 5" x 8", July 16, 1997.
