Surtex Sketches

Basically, you sit in a tradeshow booth for nine hours staring across at your neighboring booth across the way. A drama plays out between you and them during the show. Sometimes they sneak over to eat your candy, sometime you theirs. Sometimes they let their life stories spill out in sad, excruciating detail. The weaker exhibitors lose their minds, the boredom is so crushing. I deal with it by drawing in my sketchbook.

This year, my neighbor across the way was "Can I keep It?", a whimsical artist who probably rakes in gazillions with her endearing dog-related artwork. In addition to all the dog art, the Can I Keep It people brought an actual dog. Children aren't allowed in the Javits center, but apparently dogs are okay. But this dog was not okay with me.


The potential licensors would approach my booth, eyes wandering from side to side until something grabs 'em, and then they stop and talk. But each time one approached my booth and their eyes went right, toward my cleverly designed booth and highly merchandisable art, they would suddently crank away left and to the floor, where that little cutesy stood wagging his adorable little tail. Out-cuted! It's not going to happen again! (See below).