Silverfish, disgusting silverfish

This guy, John Q. Adams, asked me to draw something for his collection of silverfish drawings a while ago. I finally got around to doing it, but not without a lesson in American paranoia. I got kicked out of THREE (3) grocery stores within seconds of snapping a photo to use as reference.

The first one took me by surprise. I explained what I was doing and offered to show my "credentials" as an illustrator. They weren't having it. Apparently they thought I was a terrorist or an undercover investigator. I asked permission at the second place, but was denied. There they thought I wanted to steal their food label designs (which I could've easily done by purchasing them if I'd been so inclined). Even a call to their PR representative didn't work. Then, out of desperation I asked a guy on the street unloading his groceries if I could snap a quick photo of him pushing his grocery cart to use as reference. He quickly refused, saying that he'd been "on the wrong end of identity abuse" (I didn't ask for his social security number, for chrissakes!). After unloading his groceries he offered to take a photo of me pushing his empty cart. I didn't end up needing any reference, but it sure was a wake up as to how paranoid we've all become. I find it interesting that grocery stores are allowed to film us with countless security cameras, but we aren't allowed to take a photo of an empty aisle of groceries.

Anyhow, you can see how hundreds of other artists interpreted this vile creature at John's on-line gallery by clicking here.

The silverfish, for those of you not in the know, are nasty little bugs that delight in ruining books, among other things. They enjoy polysaccharides such as Dextrin found in adhesives, paper, photos, sugar, hair, dandruff, cellulose, dead insects, leatherware and even exuvia (their own moulted exoskeleton).

I've got my own similar collection of drawings, but instead of focusing on putrid insects, mine are of the most adorable chihuahua currently living. Each year I commission an artist that Karen and I both like to do a drawing involving Pony (our chi). So far we've got drawings or paintings from Renee French, Jeffrey Brown, Graham Annable, Raina Telgemeier, Paul Hornschemeier, Burt Silverman (Karen's dad) and a few from yours truly. I don't have scans of them all, but here's a few for your enjoyment.