Hulk with Zia - Boston Comic Con 2015

I asked the artist for The Hulk giving a little girl a flower (loose reference from photograph of my daughter). Watching him craft this was incredible, even more so knowing I could take it home. This was his second commission of Day 1. First was a Supergirl. After mine he did a Talia, and then a Batman.

***Update 4 years later*** When is a Con Sketch a Commission? When Tim Sale is feeling his oats. I really didn't realize how lucky I was. For some context, this was my first con, and my first time interacting with an artist - leave alone that it's an artist I've long admired. Well, Essential Sequential handled the logistics, and as a first time newest of newbies, that probably made it a bit easier for me - a clearly demarcated line, which I dutifully got into the minute the show opened. Waited probably an hour second in line until we were able to put our names down and pay. Talk about a wake up re: BRING CASH TO SHOWS. Luckily I had enough. I've always enjoyed Tim's Grey Hulk , and was toying with the idea of putting my kids in the commissions - so many thoughts run through your head waiting in line. After Tim showed up I hovered around as much as I dared, watching him work. When he started mine we chatted a bit and I sent him a reference picture. And then he just started working. As I recall the slots were theoretically slotted at 30 min - but he easily went about 45 min on the first one, and this probably took slightly longer than that. The first brush stroke was the heavy black of Hulk's thigh. A few seconds later he was gashing the horizon line across the paper. It was completely chaotic and it was really like magic watching it all come together. I had some videos but I just can't find them. This is a piece I'll always treasure, and a perfect example of an exemplary con commission. Thanks for looking!

***Update 7 years later*** For many years I only had a rather poor camera-through-glass picture of this piece. After the untimely passing of Mr Sale earlier this year, I decided that it was finally time to crack open the frame and put up a decent scan.

This is the art that started it all. When I picked it up they didn't have time to photograph it properly so the Essential rep asked if I would be putting it up on CAF. Whaaa? CAF?

I opened an account, posted my piece, and promptly forgot about it. I would continue to get a commission or two at Boston Comic Con until that fateful year 2018, when I discovered Albert's booth, met Joseph Melchior, and my journey to the Dark Side was complete. So, a tip o' the Hat, in respectful memory, to Tim Sale and 2022.