I've always thought it would be cool to draw someone famous, then get them to autograph it. Well... I finally did it! I heard that New Orleans Saints running back Deuce McAllister was going to be in town signing autographs for a meet & greet at a local cell phone store. I heard this on the radio last Thursday afternoon, and he was making an appearance on Friday - the next day! [PANIC!] This was my chance, but I didn't have much time. Usually, drawings of this nature take me at least 10-12 hours of tedious mind-numbing detail work over a time span of at least a week or two. It's very exhausting to spend an hour drawing an area the size of a postage stamp, but that's what it takes to achieve that level of detail.
I hurried home and decided that it was gonna require pulling an all-nighter. I grabbed something to eat, put on some music and started to work. By 10:00 p.m. I had finished the preliminary sketch and started on his right arm and the football. At 5:00 a.m. I started on his helmet and face. I was really scared that I had gotten this far, then wouldn't be able to get his helmet/face to look right in the limited amount of time I had left. That was probably the hardest part of the entire picture to complete. The helmet and face-mask have to be perfect in order to look real. One little line out of place and the whole thing will look retarded. I finally finished the piece at 9:30 a.m., scanned it, then hurried off to work.
I was completely DEAD! Michelle said that I was dumb for staying up all night (and I was beginning to agree with her), but it was something I had to do if I wanted that all-elusive celebrity autograph. I had a little time to relax before going to meet him - he wasn't scheduled to appear until 5 p.m. I made a couple of prints to be autographed as well (one for Scott and one for a Christmas present). I was a little nervous because I wasn't sure if he would be willing to autograph something like that. Sometimes those autograph sessions are pretty strict about what can be signed - some won't let you bring anything from outside, some will only allow a certain number of things to be signed, etc.
Scott and I arrived at the store and hoped there wouldn't be too much of a crowd. We were pleasantly surprised! There were quite a few people there, but the line was moving really fast. He was sitting at the back of the store with a stack of photos on the table. he seemed very quiet and polite. He shook my hand and asked how I was doing. He signed one of the promotional photos, and then I asked the big question... He said that he would gladly sign the prints. [YES!]
He never really said much about the drawing itself. I asked if he would like to have a print, and he asked me to write down my contact info. I don't really expect him to get in touch with me - he's probably got a million nuts trying to get his attention. So I figured it might be easier if I got in touch with HIM! I'm going to try and contact him through his charity organization and see if I can send him a framed print. You never know, he might even hang it up somewhere!
