Haslett Community Yard Sale & Perryfest '12

It's easier to lump the Haslett Community Yard Sale and Perryfest together into one blog post, especially since they're both local shows and the only outdoor events that I've attended as an artist. Similar, to be sure, but different in certain respects.

For starters, let's talk about the weather. Haslett's Yard Sale is during the month of July, more often than not allowing for a sunny and warm – although occasionally hot – day. If Perryfest could take a lesson, here, that would be welcome, as there is an unwanted chance of colder, rainy weather during the September month. Fortunately, though, the rain that we were expecting on Saturday was postponed until around 4 PM that afternoon, and even then it was neither heavy nor lasted for very long. I was very rather grateful for that. When you're selling paper-based merchandise, water is one of your worst enemies.

Generally, business was better for me at Haslett than Perry this year, but it was rather close. Caricatures are always the big sellers, specifically with the parents or grandparents and their kids. A few other items sold at the former event (a sketchbook here, a print there), but at the latter it was only the caricatures. Some of this, again, could very well be attributed to the weather, which affects the turnout at these. One of the potential downsides to having it held outdoors.

Perhaps my first caricature of a kid as a superhero, and my personal favorite hero to boot. (Haslett Community Yard Sale)

Cute as it was, their parents decided to not include the animal face paintings. (Haslett Community Yard Sale)

But rain or shine, the kids are almost always cheery when they come by the table. If nothing else, I at least get to enjoy watching their faces light up when they see their finished caricatures or when looking over the colorful selection of sketch cards, which seem to be a particular attraction for them. It was for that reason, really, that gave me the idea of offering 11x17" prints of these, as they themselves simply can't afford the sketch cards (and parents aren't all that willing to shell that kind of cash out, either). Maybe not twenty-five dollars, but six dollars, and for art that's larger and not as apt to get lost? Sure, that seems reasonable.

Dun-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah, Spider-man! He's like a little Ben Reilly. (Perryfest)

No glasses and wearing a mask? This disguise would be foolproof in the world of superhero comics. (Perryfest)

Another pleasure that I had at both the Haslett Community Yard Sale and Perryfest was having unexpected company that came by and staying for most of the duration of these events. At Haslett's Yard Sale, there were two boys in particular (I wish that I remembered their names) that took a seat at my table and we just talked for the longest time. Seems like we covered everything from our favorite movies to video games to comics. And the thing was that they came freely. There wasn't any coercion on the part of a busy parent to make me an impromptu babysitter while they wandered about; they were genuinely interested. These are the kind of kids that give me confidence that I could be at least a somewhat cool dad or uncle.

At Perryfest, it was my lifelong friend Blake who came by and made the colder, overcast Saturday much more pleasant. And although they wouldn't stay as long, a number of other familiar faces took a little time, here and there, to say hello from our Perry Public school days. And man, I tell you, you feel rather self-conscious about your age when you see your peers married and with children of their own. Doesn't seem like high school was that long ago. But then again, in just less than a couple years it will be time for our ten-year reunion, come 2014. Hoo, boy.

But I digress. Blake certainly knew how to make the day more interesting when he put a curious challenge before me: drawing on a miniature pumpkin. There was a vendor selling pumpkins and other gourds, which undoubtedly gave him the idea, so he bought a few and handed one off to me. It wouldn't have occurred to me on my own, but it was rather appropriate, what with the autumn season. And as luck had it, he had a color set of Sharpie permanent markers. Given the texture of the thing, I doubt anything else short of paint would have effectively worked. And indeed it did.

This Iron Man mini-pumpkin is currently at Blake's home, sitting proudly atop his display cabinet, and the envy of the other decorative gourds. (Perryfest)

So with that, this concludes the outdoor events, leaving Detroit FanFare as the last show to come this Fall. I'll be looking forward to the latter, and if you missed me at the Haslett Community Yard Sale or Perryfest then be sure to stop by! And since it's during the weekend before Halloween, I'll also be handing out candy. (Added incentive, sweet tooth fans.) If not, not to worry. There's always next year.