Trash Talkin’ With GPK Sketch Artist Jeff Cox

Interview is republished, by permission, from Sybil Ferro and the Garbage Pail Kids Misfits Facebook group, © 2020.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for…let’s get ready to Traaaaaaassssshhhhh Talk!!!!!!

You know the score by now, we ask 13 lucky questions, to your favourite GPK artists, so you can get down and dirty, under the skin, and up the nose of one of the living legends in this sick world of ours.

And this weeks very welcome addition comes in the form of, true misfit Jeff Cox!

Sybil Ferro – Almost immediately after you attended Gross Card Con 2020 Vegas shut down… first of all, congratulations, and second of all, what was your Vegas Adventure experience like?

Jeff Cox – Well, thank you, but technically, I wasn’t invited. Ha! At the time of the announcements regarding who would be there, I still wasn’t an official GPK artist. I had done some work for Topps on Star Wars, but didn’t get my first Garbage Pail Kids invitation until January this year, to work on the Mr. & Mrs. Valentine’s Day set. “Toofless” Jay O’Leary, another GPK artist who lives a few hours north of me, had purchased a table in artist alley, so we kind of crashed Gross Card Con, and they set us up right next to all the other GPK artists. The entire drive to Vegas we were listening to the radio, and even as we approached town, they announced all the conventions that were getting cancelled that weekend. We really weren’t sure if it was going to happen or not, but it did, and it was a great turnout. They shut the city down immediately after we left! Rubbing elbows with all the other amazingly talented artists was definitely one of the highlights of being there: meeting and talking art with Pat Chaimuang and his 11 year old son, Jenye; hearing war stories from Smokin’ Joe McWilliams, Mark Pingatore, and Chad Scheres; hanging out after hours and making more art with David Acevedo, Toofless, and other Team Trash alum Floydman Sumner and “Kid Grimm” Shane Garvey. It was a blast. One night, Toofy and I were on our way back to the hotel, and he tells me about a drawing that Jeff Zapata did the previous year with a sharpie on the wall of the Nerd Bar, a nearby watering hole. So, we walk down Freemont Street to go check it out, and just as we enter, we see Noah Hathaway, the actor who played Atreyu in “The Neverending Story”. It was total luck running into him, and he remembered us from the convention which was being held on the other side of town. We even name-dropped another amazing artist, Bekki Sharp, and he remembered her, too, since he was just in England a week prior and had signed some of her art. It was surreal, the entire experience. The weekend went too fast, but the experience is one that I’ll look forward to for many years to come.

SF – Tell us about your earliest GPK memory?

JC – Going to the mom and pop store just across from my grade school when I was a kid. My best friend, Mike, and I would cross the road at lunch or after school and buy 25 cent wax packs, Icee’s, and whatever candy we could afford with the leftover change in our pockets. We’d flip through those cards on the playground, the back of the classroom, the bus ride home, and at each other’s house during sleep-overs, studying them almost. It’s ingrained as part of my childhood. I had a pretty good stash of OS cards back then, wrapped up safe and secure in rubber bands and tossed in an old shoebox. If you had told the ten-year-old me that one day I’d draw these pee and fecal stained, snot-nosed booger cards for Topps, I would never have believed you.

SF – Who were your artistic influences growing up/who are they now?

JC – Growing up? MC Escher was definitely one of the biggest influences on me. His calculated, mathematically-constructed, black and white drawings are so clean, and his linework impeccable. The impossible imagery fascinated me. I tried several times to emulate his shifting of one image into another without much success. I even had a tee shirt with Relativity printed on it. It was honestly one of my favorite shirts, and I literally wore holes in it. I’d also have to say Shel Silverstein was a big influence on me as a kid. His books were always the most coveted from the library, and you rarely found them on the shelf. He made me appreciate poetry by using potty humor; I mean, the dude spoke straight to my prepubescent soul. My mom also had a coffee table book of Norman Rockwell and the Saturday Evening Post covers that I used to flip through all the time. I’d stare at the pages for hours, and imagine the scenes about to be played out and what each person was thinking and feeling. The detail in them is incredible, too. I have to give a shout out to Bill Waterson, Berkeley Breathed, Gary Larson, Charles Schultz, and Jim Davis for making some of the best comic strips on the planet. I’m also a huge fan of Salvador Dalí. I visited Tampa, Florida many years ago and I still regret not popping into the Dalí Museum. I’m also loving what Lowell Isaac is doing, both with GPK and other projects. I guess because I have such a clean, polished design, that I appreciate the loose, flowing style that he brings to the table. Pat Chaimuang is another GPK artists that’s on a whole other level. The guy does absolute legendary work, a fusion between cartoon and photorealism. I’d love to become a fraction as talented at the brush as he is already. It was an honor to have my table directly across from his at Gross Card Con in March, since I caught a couple endearing moments between him and his son, Jenye, being instructed on color blending and lighting. Truly the master teaching the student.

SF – What was the initiation process with getting through to Topps to become an official Topps Sketch Artist? Describe for us how you felt when you found out you were in.

JC – Oh, fuck. Can I say that? “Oh, fuck”? Lol. The process of getting on with Topps was challenging, to say the least. But I used to remind myself that things happen for a reason, and when the time is right, everything will fall into place. So, you could say it was also a test of patience for me. I would submit a sample of my portfolio every month with a warm, brief introduction about how I’d love to become a card artist and work on projects like Star Wars and Garbage Pail Kids. Lather, rinse, repeat. It took me nearly 11 months to finally get my first invitation, a Star Wars set, “Rise of the Skywalker”. I was absolutely elated! I felt like I had finally reached a milestone I had been pursing seriously for nearly two years straight. You see, in my mid-twenties, I dated a girl who told me my art sucked, and to stop doing it. And I listened and believed her. Because of it, I didn’t do any art at all for many, many years. That is, until March 1, 2018, when I picked up a pencil again and drew my first sketch card. I had heard about sketch cards and thought it was an interesting novelty, drawing a miniature work of art on a tiny, tradeable piece of paper. That first card was Wicket the Ewok, but with the words “Thug Life” tattooed across his belly, Tupac style. It surprised me that I still had some artistic chops even after years of dormancy. So, I drew, and drew, and drew some more. I remember some of those first cards took me about four hours to draw and color. But eventually, I became faster and more proficient. Brent Scotchmer and I used to chat and was an incredible mentor to me in those early days, constantly giving me advice on improving my speed and consistency. One of the challenges of working on big sets, especially with Topps, is that you have anywhere from 40 to 100 cards that need to be drawn up according to minimum standards per contract, and you only have three to four weeks to do them all and get them returned back to New York City. So, it becomes a test of endurance, being able to do at least 4 or 5 cards a day, every day, for weeks without break. Easier said than done. But eventually, my persistency won, and after months of submitting portfolio samples, I finally got a response back from the powers that be in the Topps HQs. Be careful what you wish for, because you just may get it.

SF – How many sketches did you have to do for the 35th anniversary set and what was the process like dealing with knocking out the sketches?

JC I did 99 sketches (all the artists that worked on it got the same number of blanks) for the 35th anniversary set, which I literally just wrapped up less than a day or two ago. We all had to do 6 four-card loaded puzzles, 14 die cut shapes (7 trashcan, 7 poop), 3 panos, 3 tryptics, and 46 regular shaped card. Most artists, myself included, did full color. I mean, this is a big set! 35 years of GPK is pretty amazing, and I think we all wanted to push ourselves and really give collectors something special. I’ve seen a ton of artwork from the other artists, and it’s really mind-blowing (I was going to put in an Adam Bomb pun here, but decided to pass, so use your imagination, kids). It was exhausting, an artistic marathon, getting to the finish line, especially considering we had just slightly more than three weeks to meet the deadline, but it was rewarding knowing that our art would wind up in someone’s loving collection. Unless you’re a flipper. Then you can eat a bag of dicks. It’s one thing to sell at fair market value because you’ve got bills to pay, and it’s another to buy low and sell high with the sole intention of profit with zero love for the hobby. But, alas, I’ll step off my soapbox…

SF – What was your best Saturday morning cereal and cartoon combination growing up?

JC – Lucky Charms with Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. Even with all the toy-based cartoons that came out in the 80’s, I always preferred the classic cartoons, where all the characters were voiced by Mel Blanc. Sugar cereal as a kid was also key to Saturdays, and Lucky Charms was like crack cocaine to my young mind. By 1pm I’d be bouncing off the walls, all jacked up on sucrose methamphetamine, getting kicked out of the house to go ride my bike with my friends and play in the woods, only to come back at dusk, covered in dirt, bruises, and bug bites.

SF – Describe your art/sketch corner, where all the magic happens.

JC I have a nice little drafting table in the corner of the basement, which I’ve entirely taken over with my ever-growing vintage toy collection and assorted curios (no, not sex toys, unfortunately). I collect vinyl records and my storage rack of music and the turntable is down there, though I usually put on my noise-cancelling headphones which charge right next to my station where I work. For me, having very few distractions is important to staying focused and remaining productive. I’m too easily distracted by…what were we talking about again? I’ve got everything I need within arms-length: my pencil and eraser, a small army of fine-liners and markers, colored pencils, acrylic paint, watercolors, brushes, and all the necessary accoutrements to get the job done, and more than a few unnecessary ones, too. Proper lighting is also key. I’ve got a nice engineers light that I can position directly over my drafting table and get the right angle of lighting no matter what degree I tilt the table. I keep my laptop and cellphone nearby for reference pics. And then after the work is done, and it’s time for a little r & r, I’ve also got a cushy lounge chair, big screen tv, and several assorted game consoles from the original NES, to first the first and second gen PlayStation, and my Xbox One X. I can watch a little Netflix or Hulu down there if I’d rather just zone out on a television show or movie, or even go old school and pop a VHS cassette in the VCR or pull out a DVD from my classic movie collection. And then, of course, all my GPK are there, too. I can pull out a binder and flip through different series of cards or admire the sketches that I’ve collected (in case anyone needs to know, I have two GPK sketch card focuses: Junky Jeff, and Beastie Boyd. Feel free—emphasis on free—to send me any and all art cards from your personal collections pertaining to these two characters).

SF – What music is guaranteed to get you in the mood to draw?

JC – Wow, that’s a tough question, because I have really eclectic tastes in music. Everything from classical to the heaviest of metal. But no country (with the exception of Johnny Cash, the man in black) or new age crap. One day, the sounds I need might be 90’s hip hop or grunge, the next it might be EDM. Everyone knows I’m a huge Slipknot fan. They’re like Wu Tang Clan, but scary. I’ve seen them a half dozen times in concert, even caught one of Chris Fehn’s drumsticks at a show in Atlanta, Georgia, and they just. Keep. Getting. Better, so they do get me hyped when I’m in need of motivation. But it’s like saying a single grain of sand on the beach is your favorite above all others. There’s so much great music out there, especially the stuff they don’t play on the radio. If you’re only listening to one genre of music, you’re doing it wrong. Lately, I’ve been tossing my iTunes on random for my entire library, just letting it ping pong from artist to artist. It’s actually quite refreshing to rediscover a really great song that you haven’t listened to in the longest time.

SF – What’s in the garbage can closest to where you sketch right now?

JC – An empty box of condoms, a used roll of duct tape, empty cans of energy drinks, a disposable camera, and Velcro gloves with sheep hair caught in the hooks. I don’t want to even begin to tell you what kind of crazy shit went down last Tuesday.

SF – Which GPK sketch artist do you admire most and why?

JC – Pat Chaimuang. I mean, just look at his work! LOOK AT IT!!!

SF – What is GPK missing, what would you change and what do you want to see more of?

JC I love the family relation we have with all the members of the community from collectors to artists and everyone in between. Sure, there’s the occasional douche that comes along and pisses in everyone’s oatmeal, but 99% of the time, we all get along and joke with each other. And I love that. I do have several items on my list that I wish Topps would consider bringing into fruition: priority would be a second and third volume of the OS card books; you know, the one wrapped with a wax paper dust cover that we artists use for card reference? It would be nice to be able to have a hard-bound book with detailed photos of the cards from all 15 (or 16?) OS series, not just the first through fifth series. And, I don’t want to bite the hand that feeds me, because Topps is the company for which we all want to work, since they have the best properties, GPK included. However, it’s usually the smaller Kickstarter card companies that have a more hands-on approach between artist and art director. Those smaller sets usually have high quality sketch card stock, very forgiving and realistic deadlines, and larger compensation per card as well as more returns. I’d love to see Topps become more competitive with the same treatment offered by these other parties.

SF – If you could bump into your younger self, doodling sketches, what advice what you give him?

JC Don’t give up. Don’t stop. Keep pushing yourself and trying new things and new mediums. Constantly be a student. Don’t be afraid of making mistakes; they’re inevitable and it’s how we learn how to better ourselves. Keep a sketchbook with you at all times. Not everything has to be a perfect work of art, and a doodle can be just a doodle.

SF – And finally, heavyweight championship against Deaf Geoff and Junky Jeff. No holds barred, who wins and why?

JC – Dammit! You had to pit your dude against mine, didn’t you, Slippa. First of all, Junky Jeff literally has trash for brains, and Deaf Geoff just blew his brains out of his head with loud music, so both don’t have too much going on upstairs. Not too much strategy, just balls-out grappling. However, Geoff has a boombox, which could be used as a blunt-force object or a sonic weapon. Likewise, the other Jeff could grab one of the trashcan lids in defense. I’ve seen enough heavyweight fights that have gone the distance and came down to the scorecards, I think this would play out the same, it’s pretty fairly matched up. But I think Deaf Geoff would pull out some dirty street fighting move, like a sleeper hold or knee to the crotch, and tap Jeff out. So, it pains me to say it, but decision in favor of Deaf Geoff.

Interview was conducted by longtime GPK collectors Sybil Ferro, Will Marston, Slippa Chervascus, Roddy Francisco Fell, and Alicia Forrest in August 2020, and originally appeared on the Garbage Pail Kids Misfits Facebook group. Sybil can be contacted here.

Trash Talkin’ With GPK Sketch Artist GPK Nik

Interview is republished, by permission, from Sybil Ferro and the Garbage Pail Kids Misfits Facebook group, © 2020.

“Who is going to step into the hot seat this week?” I hear you scream! Well…we thought long and hard, searched far and wide, looked high and low, worked day and night, sailed the seven seas, weighed up all the possibilities and then messaged GPK Nik…and guess what… he said YES!

Sybil Ferro – How long did it take for you to decide on your name?

GPK Nik Castaneda – Y’know I’m not sure actually! I remember setting up a separate Instagram page for my GPK stuff when I was starting out. The engagement was super low in comparison to my other art I was posting at the time, so I thought to create an entirely separate page for this stuff and I’m certain I just thought of “GPKNIK/Garbage Pail Nik” on the spot hahh

SF – Do you have any aspirations to draw sketch cards for any other franchises? And if so would you be TMNT Nik? Etc…or have you not thought that far?

NC – I’d be happy to jump into most any franchise that does sketch cards! I think I saw Fright Rags doing wax packs recently and I think that’d be AWESOME to have sketch inserts in there. Considering there’s alot of crossover between GPK fans and horror fans, I think there’s alotta potential there, of course counting Mark Pingitore’s Horrorible-Kids, which I had the GREAT pleasure of doing 100 inserts for!!

As for having an adaptive name, I think I’d credit myself as just “Nik Castaneda” outside of GPK stuff hahahh. Or maybe just Nik!! I’ve actually considered on dropping my last name. Not for any dramatic family reasons but just because I think it’d be funny to be simply known as “Nik”

SF – You’re easily one of the most creative artists on the scene, and it seems to come so naturally to you – to try new things, experiment and set new trends. Have you tried any ideas that you’ve bailed on with GPK where you’ve thought you’ve gone too far?

NC – Bawwww, I’m fluttering my eyelashes at this one, I really appreciate you saying that, thank you!!

I LOVE toying around with new ideas and stuff. I love that element of surprise where someone may pull something and it just kinda catches them off-guard and that’s like my M.O. To just kinda give long-time collectors something they aren’t used to seeing (or smelling).

As for ‘going too far,’ I’d probably chalk that more up to ‘ideas that didn’t work out so well.’ There’s alot of trial and error with experimenting with different styles. I’ve got HEAPS of pages in my sketchbooks that are like chicken scratch for new ideas hahahh. So there’s definitely stuff that I haven’t managed to pull off or maybe it’s too much effort for too sloppy of a result.

But I’m always playing around with new stuff!

SF – When did you stumble across GPK and what got you in the deep end?

NC – Back when All New Series was starting up, my mom got me a pack while we were out shopping, saying “Ohhhh your aunt and I used to collect these nasty fuckin’ things” So that was when I first heard of them.

But it actually wasn’t until Fall of 2018 that I REALLY fell in hahahh. Some friends and I watch alotta movies together and we once watched the infamously bad Garbage Pail Kids Movie. And I’m naturally a really nitpicky kinda guy and I was SO mad that the movie went in the direction it did hahahh.

The whole time we were watching it, I was like “dude this does NOT have to suck like this” and in the following months, I was almost devising a plan to pitch an animated GPK film to Topps. And when I got a hold of them, they thought I was wanting a position as a sketch artist. So when I looked into what that was exactly, I was like “WAIT, THIS IS A JOB YOU CAN GET!!??”

So then I started practicing drawing the characters and got invited into these groups and started doing commissions, caught the attention of the sketch artists and collectors, who all started rooting for me to get an official position, which I’m SO thankful for, and now I’m blowin snot rockets on official Topps cardstock!!

SF – Life is rough and the struggle is real… What is some advice you can offer to other artists or aspiring artists when times are rough?

NC – Yeah, I feel that bigtime. Uhm, there’s this single panel comic strip done by one of my favorite artists (I can share the image for the comments section) and it usually pulls me up for air when my lungs are full of shitty energy or my batteries need recharging. I’ve got it nailed to my corkboard above my computer, actually.

The artist drew himself sitting with a monk, basically asking “My life is challenging and confusing, what should I do?”

And the monk responds, “I hear you are an artist.”

He attempt to respond, “Yes, but…”

The monk cuts him off and says “Please, make art.”

And that shit just FUELS me. And I wish that kind of positive energy just could infect everyone I know that is sad and depressed about whatever is going on in their lives or their loved ones’ lives, even their enemies’ lives. Like real talk, everyone’s tryin their best, whether you consider yourself a creative person or not. And I think everyone’s got a creative bone in their body.

This is kinda silly but whenever I show family members the stuff that I’m working on, they usually respond with stuff like “shit, I can only draw stick figures!” And I usually tell them that I actually WANT to see what that stick figure would look like.

An artist I admire had recently said something about how emotional and creative expression is far more valuable than technical skill and I couldn’t agree more.

So if you’re struggling, I’d honestly say, please make art. Art can be anything you give meaning to. You can draw, you can write, you can dance, audio mix, interior decorate, party plan, scrapbook, it doesn’t matter who you are or when you started. You’re creative. So create.

If it’s something you REALLY want, it’s impossible to let go of.

Also, TAKE A BREAAAAAAK. Like for real, TAKE. A. BREAK. So many of my friends and family members, peers, myself, we all overvalue “hard-work” and “dedication.” Take naps! Drink water! Watch something! Rest and relaxation are CRIMINALLY undervalued!! Recharge those batteries and don’t feel bad for needing to power down every once in a while!! Seriously. SERIOUSLY. TAKE. A. BREAK.

SF – You’ve crashed into the GPK scene at high speed with refreshing takes.. How would you explain your style?

NC – Thank you thank you very much!! I always like to practice with different styles, so lately, I’d say it’s a combination of newspaper comics, 70’s cartoons, and western-influenced 2000’s anime! I’m big on character design, so I kinda pull my influences from hundreds and hundreds of different places!

The way I’ve approached my artstyles for GPK is to essentially ghostwrite for some of my favorite artists and styles, like “how would my favorite director draw this character” or “if there were GPK greeting cards in that hallmark style,” stuff like that! And it’s always kinda changing with whatever I’m influenced by that week.

SF – Who would you say have been your biggest influences in the world of illustration?

NC – Ooooooh that is SO tough to narrow down!!

Someone that jumps to mind is Rodney Greenblat. He did that comic I mentioned and also created Parappa the Rapper! Love his character designs so much. So simple, eyecatching, cute, and funny!

Another that I’ve been OBSESSED WITH is Masaaki Yuasa. He’s done several films and series and it’s just so hard to explain just how magical this guy’s stuff is. After i grabbed some of his artbooks in maybe 2018, it practically showed me a whole new way to care about art and animation.

Like there’s so much I could say about that guy and the things he makes AND I’m making a recommendation RIGHT now.

He did this film called Mind Game. It’s this incredible BATSHIT animated movie that’s all about this young guy who’s let his life coast by. He meets up with his highschool fling and they both get into some trouble and have to find a way out. And if you look at the way it moves, it’s very well animated but the drawings themselves are really crummy, if that makes sense? I don’t think he’d be offended in me saying that by the way! He’s said “even though we had a big budget for it, we wanted it to look like we didn’t try very hard making it even though we did” Plus it hits you in the face with a new artstyle every couple of minutes. Right up my alley hahahh.

I did it no justice explaining it, his films are basically really sweet and positive life philosophies. The Night is Short, Walk On Girl is another one he did, I recommend that one as well. Walk on Girl and Mind Game are kind of more adult, I know there’s alot of parents in these groups so fair warning in case you check these out! BUT he did another called Lu Over The Wall, which is more family friendly. A really sweet one too!

And lastly, there’s this dude who I feel like alot of people in here would like, JJ Villard. His style is PUTRID and ugly and violent and I love it hahahh. The shit he’s been posting on his instagram is great. It’s like that facebook mom ‘live laugh love’ stuff but if it was done by some shitty kid drawing skeletons all over his in-class notes hahahh. It’s really aggressive self-help and I can safely say it’s given me tons of different perspectives on things I’m going through.

He’s also made 2 shows for adult swim! King Star King and JJ Villard’s Fairy Tales. Fairy Tales is cool because he got alot of horror icons to do the voices. He’s got Elvira in there, Robert Englund, Linda Blair, Finn Wolfhard, lots of horror stars, both new and old!!

SF – We saw your Nintendo World Theme Park concept work, (fucking beautiful!!!), did you ever submit that to them? What’s your favourite video game of all time?

NC – Hahh, thank you!! i did actually submit those in an attempt to get a job doing merchandising concepts but was rejected hahahh. I’d love doin stuff like that. Those get passed around some so i’m glad people think they’d be cool ideas!

My favorite game of all time is Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage!! Really nostalgic for that one. I run through it several times out of the year hahahh

Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze gets an honorable mention!! Playing that games feels amazing.

SF – I can see you as an award winning Creative Director at an Ad Agency, but what would be your dream job?

NC – Damn you with all these compliments! My eyelashes are getting worn out hahh!!

To be honest, GPK is kind of all-encompassing right now, it’s like the BIGGEST thing I care about. Doing sketches has been so much fun.

But I did notice Adam Goldberg saying that he was funding some GPK shorts with Joe Simko and I gotta say, I’d go crazy if I got to contribute to those in SOME kind of way. Like if I could contribute a character design, a joke, a plot idea, voice even the most minor of roles, just ANYTHING. I’ve always wanted to get into the animation world somehow.

I’ve been going crazy lately thinking of a full fledged GPK cartoon and have about a million and one ideas for it. But if I could just be some small part of the production process, I’d wet my metaphorical pants.

SF – You get abducted by aliens. They pass you coloring pens and paper… What would you draw for them?

NC – I’d probably draw them! Whenever I’m with friends or family, I usually doodle them a few times to warm up. Hopefully they’d laugh! And if I’m in a situation where I can understand them and they could understand me, I’d probably ask them what they’d want me to draw!

SF – You’ve mentioned in the past that you have a ton of ideas for a new GPK animation series. Pitch it to us in 50 words, you never know who’s listening!!!! Or if you can’t share that yet, tell us an obscure character you’d definitely bring back!

NC – SHIT OKAY!!!! Starting now!!

“A Garbage Pail Kids animated series that feels as though you’re ripping open a dirty pack and shuffling through the cards themselves, with each containing a 2 minute story or 5 second gag, with TONS of familiar faces in unique off-the-wall artstyles hitting you upside the head every minute!!”

If I had a few more words in there, I’d harken back to the MAD Magazine cartoon they made a few years ago. The transitions between cartoons were super cool in that show. It was like you were flipping through the magazine and tearing out pages and throwing them away.

A PERFECT way to do that with GPK would be throwing a card away after the short is over, or accidentally ripping a sticker while trying to peel it off. Maybe you tear the wax pack slightly and there’s a little character underneath doing something weird,

like Potty Scotty is bathing in the toilet before he notices the viewer and peels the wrapper back over hahah. Or maybe TV Stevie is in a trance and he eerily looks at the viewer. Neat little stuff like that! And you could have reverse card art characters get the animation treatment!

As for the story and gag ideas, I do have a couple in mind but I’ll keep those on hold for now!

SF – What is your favorite and least favorite thing about GPK? Tell us what you think GPK is missing.

NC – Well, my personal favorite thing is seeing so many different kinds of folks enjoying collecting these things for their own different reasons! I’ve spoken to so many different artists and collectors that have each explained to me why they collect or draw it in the first place and have been asked to draw so many characters and tributes for so many reasons that I’m so thankful for and touched by!

I think everyone can agree that we all miss card backs! And it’s great to see them making a return!! More certificates! More report cards! Bring back those little word scrambler games! Bring back the comics! Let me help, I’ve got time! Hahh!

SF – And finally the now our usual fight question to wrap things up…Nasty Nick Vs Lovesick Nick? Or what we really want to know is Markers Vs Colouring pencils?

NC – Hrmmm that’s a tough one! If the sun is shining, all Nasty Nick can do is delivery quippy insults. But if Lovesick Nick is TRULY lovesick (as we’ve all been), his admiration for his one true love would transcend his now withered, bloodless physical form. (as it always does). So, I’d say Lovesick Nick!

I like using both markers and colored pencils but I can say I’ve used markers much more often!

Interview was conducted by longtime GPK collectors Sybil Ferro, Will Marston, Slippa Chervascus, Roddy Francisco Fell, and Alicia Forrest in August 2020, and originally appeared on the Garbage Pail Kids Misfits Facebook group. Sybil can be contacted here.

Trash Talkin’ With GPK Sketch Artist Bekki Jayne Sharp

Interview is republished, by permission, from Sybil Ferro and the Garbage Pail Kids Misfits Facebook group, © 2020.

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for…the third instalment of Trash Talkin’. We caught up with Bekki Jayne Sharp and asked her 13 questions to find out what makes her tick.

Sybil Ferro – We’re just gonna barge right in and start with the big one. The most important question for anyone who doesn’t know you…Whats so good about the 80s?

Bekki Jayne Sharp – Well what isn’t? How much time do you have? Is there a limited amount of characters for this response?

Haha well to be honest with you for me it was the era of freedom . I was a carefree kid, with no responsibilities. The only thing that matterd to me was trying to save enough of my spending money to buy some Santa Cruz wheels for my skateboard.

There were things I’d never or even the world had never seen or read before that lit my brain up like a Christmas tree.

Like the weird and wonderful worlds of Roald Dahl..Jim Henson..Spielberg I could go on. The imagination and talent of the time was so fresh and innovative like nothing ever before it … which is probably why 80s movies get remade often these days and referenced. The music was great ..video games were so awesome even though we all know they were basic. It was the last decade before the internet came along and ruined everything. Don’t get me wrong I love social media its helped me get where I am today, but if I could eradicate it tomorrow I would.. sadly it’s the only way I can really show the world my work!

I had a rather traumatic childhood and the movies, games and music of the time allowed me to escape.
The 80s holds a special place in my heart and always will.

SF – What is your earliest memory of GPK?

BJS – The Garbage Pail Kids movie was the first time I really found GPK. I’d have been 7 years old..I just remember laughing my head off at these funny little gross characters..soon after I started buying the little packs of stickers . I’ll be honest though it wasn’t until last year that I really got back into it.

SF – Who’s been the toughest character to draw and why?

BJS – FRYIN RYAN !!! I just can’t seem to get his scaly skin right ..if I ever have to paint him again it’ll be extremely close up infact just painting his eyes will be fine.

SF – What’s the wackiest custom commision you’ve had to draw? (Or had to turn down for being too weird?)

BJS I never turn work down unless I’m just really booked up with commissions but I haven’t had a weird custom commission as yet. I’m sure I will in time ..who knows!

SF – You can turn your hand to so many different art styles, was that a deliberate move on your part – to not pigeonhole yourself in one particular genre?

BJS – You know it wasn’t deliberate actually. I’ve just always been able to. I distinctly remember in college having it drummed into me that I NEEDED to have a style or I wouldn’t get anywhere. I could never understand this. Wouldn’t that mean you turning away work or being turned away for work because it doesn’t fit? It made no sense to me. I can knock out some weird creepy sketches from my imagination or paint Adam Bomb with tinsel on his butt ..it doesn’t matter ..I just love art in all forms and the more forms I’m familiar with the better!!

SF – Who would you say are your biggest art influences? Who’s your favourite artist outside of GPK right NOW?

BJS – A couple of oldies..Van Gogh and Dali ..adore their work! Quentin Blake was a master . Drew Struzan brought to life some of my most treasured movies with his poster art. Brian Froud – His work blows me away and of course the late great GIGER! My favourite artist outside of GPK would have to be Christopher Lovell. His vivid imagination and attention to detail is insane!

SF – Do you remember the first piece of art you sold? If so, what was it and did it make you feel any different about yourself as an artist?

BJS – Haha it was my take on an old Lichtenstein painting and it sold on Ebay for £50…how did it make me feel? Filled me with joy that someone was willing to part with their hard earned cash just to buy something I made. I still feel like that today when people buy my work. I am ever so grateful for it! Yeah.. that feeling has never gone away.

SF – The massive amount of sketches you have had to create for your first GPK series…. can you tell us what this experience has been like for you?

BJS – Man..all I can say is ..MY EYEEEESSSSSS !!!
Haha nah it is such an amazing franchise to work on and it’s by far the most fun I’ve ever had painting.

It’s tough though. This job isn’t for the faint hearted. You have to be fast ..accurate and reliable ..deadlines are tight too.But the community has welcomed me with open arms. I’m still quite new to the GPK world..there are some seriously amazing people I’ve had the pleasure to connect with I really hope this is the start of something amazing.

SF – What are your GPK aspirations?

BJS I genuinely don’t know ..I’ve so many ideas I wanna execute it’s just finding the time I guess. Ask me in a year!!

SF – If you made an 80s themed set, who would be your figure head (Adam bomb)?

BJS – Captain Chunk from Goonies of course!!!!!!!

SF – Are there any other franchises you would love to work on, outside of GPK?

BJS – GOONIES AND LOST BOYS!

SF – If you were a GPK character who would you be?

BJS – Is there a GPK character that’s annoying, short and has a penchant for Guinness?

SF – Who would win in a fight between Drunk Ken and you after a night on the Guinness?

BJS I tend to pass out after 8 pints so probably Ken ..unless I plied him with tequila chasers at the beginning of the night!

https://www.etsy.com/nz/people/dasilva79
Instagram @truffleshuffledesigns

Interview was conducted by longtime GPK collectors Sybil Ferro, Will Marston, Slippa Chervascus, Roddy Francisco Fell, and Alicia Forrest in August 2020, and originally appeared on the Garbage Pail Kids Misfits Facebook group. Sybil can be contacted here.

Trash Talkin’ With GPK Sketch Artist Lowell Isaac

Interview is republished, by permission, from Sybil Ferro and the Garbage Pail Kids Misfits Facebook group, © 2020.

In the second installment of Trash Talkin’, we caught up with illustrator extraordinaire Lowell Isaac and asked him 13 lucky questions and some bonus ones, so we all get to know him better.

Sybil Ferro – First question, nice and easy… what kind of deal did you strike with the devil to draw like you do? You don’t have to answer that…but seriously…what demon possessed you?

Lowell Isaac – The deal is that you have to be willing to be bad at everything else in life to be decent at drawing cartoons. I think it is the same amount of work that it takes to become a doctor or lawyer, but none of the benefits. Just the satisfaction of depicting a convincing pile of vomit.

SF – Did you collect Garbage Pail Kids when you were younger and what is your earliest memory of GPK?

LI – I think I had a few, to me they blend together with all the great gross irreverent creepy content we had at our disposal in the 80s. GPK, Mad Magazine, Madballs, and all manner of grotesque toys and comics. That was so natural to us, it’s in our DNA. Maybe as a reaction against corporate sell-out culture in the 80s there was this strong undercurrent of subversive, anti-social material that struck a nerve with young odd-balls like me. I don’t even question why I gravitate to that kind of imagery still– but I do feel like it’s missing from the scene a bit today. Instead of figuring out how to sell weird new ideas, everyone just wants to sell-out. Or maybe I’m just old and grumpy. But the truth is, my wife is the hardcore GPK nut, and she got me back into it. Without her it would never have crossed my mind to pursue this.

SF – I have to ask you about your influences. Who inspired you to get into illustration and who else working right now, rocks your socks, bakes your cake and ruffles your truffles?

LI – I was really lucky to grow up in an art family, going back to my grandfather– so there was a constant flow of art-books and museum trips– which means too many influences to name. Some that stand out would be R. Crumb, Ralph Steadman, Jack Davis, Kathe Kollwitz, but the list would go on and on. I always tend to look back at artists from the past more than now (although many of my old heroes are still around and kicking). There are some current European comics artists I love, like Jorge Gonzalez and Lorenzo Mattotti– reaching back again Alberto Breccia and Jordi Bernet knock my socks off. I think they do more interesting things with comics in Europe– even though the US invented the medium we haven’t moved too far past men in tights.

SF – GPK is riding a crest of a wave at the moment, any ideas why and what do you think is still missing?

LI – Selfishly, I would love to see Topps embrace more diverse styles and approaches, because then they might let me do some of the official cards. I’m not too good at changing my approach, it’s hard-wired at this point– but it seems to me that many fans get excited about that. We’ve got some sketch artists doing really innovative and interesting work– and I personally think they should all be doing official cards, and guiding the property in new directions. I think that would please the core fans, but also possibly attract some new ones. Plus that’s the kind of art I like; I want to see the hand of the individual artist in the work. Yes, Topps is a big company, and big companies are risk-averse, but isn’t it sort of at the heart of GPK to go against the establishment?

SF – Do you have a favourite GPK character to draw?

LI – To be completely honest, I can’t get tired of drawing Adam Bomb. He’s asked for a lot– but he’s so simple and perfect that you can do a lot with him. I could draw Adam Bombs all day.

SF – Where else outside of GPK can we find your art? What are you working on at the moment that has you excited?

LI – I always have a few projects going at a time. I’ve got some picture books and comics out there, but lately I’ve been doing more with animation. I got to work on an opening title sequence for an upcoming Troma film (“Kill, Dolly, Kill!”) about a transvestite serial killer– and now I’m working on a wacky animation project on my own that I’ll probably start showing people bits of soon.

SF – What would be your dream illustration job?

LI – Well, the good (and maybe bad) thing about being an artist is that you don’t have to wait for a dream job– if you want to make something you can just make it. You don’t need much money to do it, you don’t have to wait for someone to give you permission– which is great, but it also means that all the steam has to come from you. I have sketchbooks full of ideas that I want to make into books and short animated films and everything else– it’s just a matter of doing it! Once you do the work opportunities tend to materialize– that’s what happened with GPK. I just started drawing goofy stuff for my wife, a sketch artist saw it and connected me to Topps. Now I’m a part of this really cool community.

SF – Would you recommend drawing sketch cards to any of your students? Do you think it’s opened any doors for you?

LI – I think I would– but it would need to be one who could draw really quickly. I wouldn’t recommend anyone do sketch cards who would spend time laboring over them, because the money from Topps is an insult (I don’t even bother to send in my invoices half the time, to be honest!). However, for me, “GPK” means the fans more than Topps. The fans are so enthusiastic, supportive, appreciative, and they make it worthwhile both creatively and financially. The thrill of saying you’re employed by Topps wears off fast– and I will admit I don’t treat them with much reverence anymore. But I will always be loyal to the fans, they’re such great people to work with– I would call a few of them real friends. And yes– I’ve made some interesting connections with GPK fans that led to other work, for sure.

SF – With the world in the state it is, do you think we need GPK right now more than ever (to parody politicians and champion counter culture)?

LI – We do– and again I think we’re missing a vibrant anti-commercial counter-culture right now. I don’t know how much good it does though, to be honest; we’ve got big problems, and too many people who want to ignore them (and are ready to fight to the death to preserve their ignorance). I’m a lot more cynical about the power of parody than I used to be. But, it makes me feel better to draw the things that piss me off or freak me out– it’s cathartic to make, and I think cathartic to look at, if nothing else.

SF – If Topps asked you to work on a political set, would you/could you do it?

LI – In a heartbeat– as long as I had some say about what I was drawing.

SF – What’s the last thing you drew? And can you show us?

LI – Sure– it was a weird little animation experiment I did last night– I’ll attach it as a gif.

SF – Are there any other franchises you would love to work on, outside of GPK?

LI – It was fun to do my take on TMNT– and when they let me do Star Wars, which I’m a life-long fan of, I was compelled to make fun of Jar Jar on every card. They wouldn’t accept a single one– but I made myself laugh, which is ultimately the goal. I just couldn’t play it straight– Star Wars has been eaten up by this massive corporation and my heart isn’t in it anymore. The truth is, I’m pretty tired of franchises altogether. You know what was great about all these franchises from the 1970s and 80s that we all love so much? They were new ideas! People were throwing out whatever odd-ball gross-out thing they could come up with– and we loved it! Star Wars, Ninja Turtles, Ghostbusters, Gremlins, Robocop, Toxic Avenger, Pee-Wee, Beetlejuice, etc. etc. — there was no formula, it was just crazy shit– and we ate it up. If we really want to keep that spirit alive, we need to come up with crazy NEW ideas! Or at least visit these old properties in completely new ways.

SF – If you were a GPK character who would you be?

LI – I drew myself as a GPK character– I’ll send that along. I’ve done quite a few actually– the first GPK I ever did was my wife. That’s what I originally thought people would want– new characters based on themselves, that would be a lot of fun on my end. A couple of folks have asked for that. If I had to say, I guess Nasty Nick– what’s better than a Dracula? They did one Lowell card– a hockey player named Lowell Goal. Yuck!

SF – Who’s your favourite artist outside of GPK right NOW?

LI – I’m going to choose an illustrator who I was a fan of, who became a teacher, and eventually a friend. C. F. Payne could easily have done GPK, he did a lot for Mad Magazine and other editorials, and I’ve learned a lot from him in every way. That includes some of his techniques but also his approach to art and to the creative life– he’s a great artist and educator.

SF – We started on Demons so let’s end there too…(bonus question!) who would win in a fight between Hot Scott and Cranky Frankie?

LI – I’ll say Hot Scott because I think he looks cooler.

Lowell Isaac
Illustrator, Lecturer
lowellisaac.com

Interview was conducted by longtime GPK collectors Sybil Ferro, Will Marston, Slippa Chervascus, Roddy Francisco Fell, and Alicia Forrest in July 2020, and originally appeared on the Garbage Pail Kids Misfits Facebook group. Sybil can be contacted here.

Trash Talkin’ With GPK Sketch Artist Barry Nygma

Interview is republished, by permission, from Sybil Ferro and the Garbage Pail Kids Misfits Facebook group, © 2020.

In the first instalment of our soon to be regular feature – “Trash Talkin”, we caught up with Misfit favourite, Barry Nygma and asked him 13 lucky questions, so we all get to know him a little better!

Sybil Ferro – Did you collect Garbage Pail Kids when you were younger and what is your earliest memory of GPK?

Barry Nygma – I absolutely was obsessed with them… My Mom would take me shopping about once a week or so and I would always talk her into letting me buy a pack or two of trading cards. I started out with Baseball cards (in ’85, the Royals, my hometown team, won the World Series), but in addition, I also loved comics and cartoon images so Baseball Grossouts and Garbage Pail kids were right up my alley. After a while, it was mostly GPK and I would sit on the floor of the grocery store (GPK and non-sports cards wer bottom-shelf items) and try to use the Force (yes, I was also a Star Wars nerd) to figure out which pack or two to buy…

SF – Who’s your favourite character to draw?

BN – It changes from day to day… I always try to slide a few of my favorites into every set; Janet Planet, Heavin Steven, etc… But really I’m trying to draw more characters that I HAVEN’T drawn repeatedly. Or that get ignored in sketches. Working with quite a few more ANS Kids this round.

SF – Are there any scenes or characters from GPK that you won’t draw?

BN – I don’t care much for a lot of the more sexualized characters. And characters that are playing with poo. Adult GPK aren’t much fun. And after having recieved my only rejected card on a Trump piece, I’m avoiding a lot of political stuff, as well.

SF – Other than in its hay day, GPK has always been quite niche and on the fringes – what do you think that says about us Collectors?

BN – I think that most collectors are fringe people who’s tastes aren’t dictated by any particular cultural trends. It’s a weird hobby for adults to have and most of us still clutch onto that childish side for nostalgia… It takes us back to a wistful time when we we’re young, innocent, the whole future was ahead of us still and we didn’t have herpes yet.

SF – What are your GPK aspirations?

BN – I’d like to do a base card or two someday… But I’m pretty solid with where I am now with it. There’s politics involved with getting to the top in any field and I don’t know that I’m willing to contend with that side of the Art world.

SF – GPK is definitely riding the crest of a wave right now. Why do you think that is and how long do you think it will last?

BN – I think most people who remember them fondly from their childhood are now working and have the money to buy things from their childhood that make them happy… Or they didn’t have them as a kid and never stopped thinking about them.
I think it will last as long as there are crazy collectors willing to splash out the kind of money that things like tiny statues and superfractors demand… Having said that, I still have a hard time wrapping my head around what people are willing to pay for manufactured rarity.

SF – What’s the weirdest reaction you’ve had when you’ve told someone that you draw GPK for a job?

BN – Blank looks, mostly. Then I have to explain what a sketchcard is… Or what a Garbage Children is. Then it’s mostly polite smiles and nods.

SF – Have you missed the convention scene whilst we’ve been in lockdown?

BN – Yes and no… I was looking forward to GrossCon, but couldn’t risk it with my wife being high-risk. I love talking to other fans about what we do and the history of our hobby. Local Cons, not as much. There have been a few that were great and a few that were pretty meh. But for all the preparation and having prints/stickers/pre-sketched cards/comic covers/etc. is pretty time-consuming and takes away from time spent creating.

SF – Are there any other franchises you would love to work on, outside of GPK?

BN – Honestly, I’ve done the Big 3 that I really wanted to do. GPK is always nearest and dearest, but Mars Attacks and Wacky Packages were also on my list. And I did them both, and even got to draw some Ninja Turtles, as well!

SF – What GPK character are you most like? (If you were a GPK character who would you be?)

BN – Probably that Smokin’ Joe character from Late to School that’s covered in a rainbow of paint… I’m always finding ink smudges or acrylic paint smears on my arms and clothes.

SF – What is GPK missing?

BN – I still miss the old fashioned Bazooka Joe style comics on the back, along with the mail-away items. I also miss file folder backs… They both held my attention even more than the front of the cards. Clever writing, great gags, a new bit of art for beloved characters… It was all there.

SF – Who’s your favourite artist outside of GPK right NOW?

BN – Probably Ron English, Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, Ernie Bushmiller, or Banksy.

Though, not to be sneezed at is the work of many of our fine GPK Artists outside of GPK. John Pound and Jay Lynch’s work on various underground comix blew my mind when I first stumbled across them in my Uncle’s basement, and Tom Bunk’s MAD work is outstanding, as is Denis St. John’s and Lowell Isaac’s comics.

SF – Who would win in a fight between Ray Decay and Toothie Ruthie?

A Dentist.

Interview was conducted by longtime GPK collectors Sybil Ferro, Will Marston, Slippa Chervascus, Roddy Francisco Fell, and Alicia Forrest in July 2020, and originally appeared on the Garbage Pail Kids Misfits Facebook group. Sybil can be contacted here.

Artists Start Work on 2020S2 Garbage Pail Kids 35th Anniversary Sketches

GPK sketch artists are starting work on sketches for the next major retail release, 2020 Series 2 Garbage Pail Kids 35th Anniversary. Most of the artists have been busy this summer on online sets or other brands. They have their work cut out for them this time, as sketch numbers are up and deadlines are tight. Invites started going out late last week, and artists began receiving sketches in the mail this week. In what seems to be a Topps tradition, once again the artists have a short deadline to complete sketches. Artists have a three week deadline to get sketches returned to Topps for the mid-Sept release of the set. Collectibles during the current pandemic have been more popular and in demand as ever. GPK has been on a roll, and pre-sale demand for boxes has been high. In perhaps a hint of increasing production for the upcoming set, Topps has increased the number of sketches from the artists. Each artist is being asked to complete 46 regular, 14 die-cut, 6 loaded puzzle, 3 panoramic, and 3 Tryptych sketches. This is an increase in regular, die-cut, and loaded puzzle over the previous set.  The number of artists for the set also appears to be up compared to 2020S1 Late to School. This should help make up for any production increases.

Topps is going with green for the color on the headers and backs of sketches. The fronts feature the Garbage Pail Kids banner in green. The regular sketches have a white name plate for the first time. The back of the regular sketch features the classic Adam Bomb. The back of the pano sketch features Double Heather, while the Tryptych sketch has Potty Scotty and Tattoo Lou. For some strange reason Topps has not included any logo or reference to the 35th anniversary on the sketch blanks. This seems to be a missed opportunity to help celebrate the anniversary. In keeping with recent tradition, Topps has two different die-cuts. Joining the trashcan die-cut is the new poop emoji die-cut.

It looks like the total number of sketch artists for this set will be higher than 2020S1 Late to schools. Only 44 artists completed sketches for the first set of 2020. So far 41 of those 44 of confirmed they are doing sketches for the 35th anniversary set. Set to return are; David Acevedo, Simone Arena, Rö García Astorga, Quinton Baker, Bobby Blakey, Emma Burges, John Brewer, Neil Camera, Nik Castaneda, Pat Chaimuang, Jasmine Contois, Sobot Cortez, Jason Crosby, Dave Dabila, Vincenzo D’Ippolito, Joey Fitchett, Dave Gacey, Shane Garvey, Patrick Giles, Kelly Greider, Jason Heil, Lowell Isaac, Robert Jimenez, Rickey Kipfer, Mike McHugh, Rory McQueen, Lily Mercado, Rich Molinelli, John Monserrat, Victor Moreno, Jay O’leary, Darrin Pepe, Cathy Razim, Chad Scheres, Brent Scotchmer, Anthony Skubis, Mike Stephens, Gregory Tilson, Magnus Von Robotsson, Gavin Williams, and Clinton Yeager. Three artists, Joe Dobbins, Dennis Gortakowski and Daniel Goodroad have declined the invite for the set. Topps is adding a number of returning or new artists to the lineup for this set. Artists Dan Contois, Simon Jacobsohn, Chris Meeks, Barry Nygma, Todd Rayner and Matt Steffens are all returning to retail GPK sketches after taking a break. Topps also added Jeff Cox, Bekki Sharp, Brandhen Snyder, and Greg Treize, who all made their GPK sketch debuts this spring and summer on online sets. In addition Karl Jones is making his GPK debut with this set. This brings the current confirmed sketch artist total to 52 so far. This article will be updated as any additional artists come forward.

Excitement is high as collectors anticipate the upcoming celebration of GPKs. 2020 Garbage Pail Kids Series 2 35th Anniversary is set to release on Sept. 23rd, 2020.

Gross Xperience Events Set for Upcoming Las Vegas Convention

In just over two weeks the Gross Xperience is set to take on Las Vegas. The yearly convention that celebrates Garbage Pail Kids will take place March 13-15 at the Eastside Cannery Hotel and Casino. Collectors can expect to see a number of changes with this year’s show. The first obvious one, the name of the show has changed to Gross Xperience. This will be the 4th annual Vegas show, formally called GPK Con and Gross Card Con. Once again, the show takes place inside a larger toy convention. This year’s show is being co-promoted by Vegas ToyCon and Cool World. This marks the forth different hotel used for the show, and first time the show will be held a ways off the Vegas strip. The host hotel is sold out of rooms already, collectors still needing accommodations will need to book at another hotel and plan transportation to the venue. There are 12 current and former GPKs artists scheduled to attend this years show. Current final card artist Smokin Joe McWilliams headlines a group that also includes sketch card artists Jon Gregory, Michael Barnard, Chad Scheres, David Acevedo, Floydman Sumner, Shane Garvey, Victor Moreno, Pat Chaimuang, Jay O’Leary, and Jeff Cox. Additionally, Magic Marker Art owner and former GPK artist Mark Pingitore will also be on hand. Layron DeJarnette was originally scheduled for the show, but unfortunately will be unable to attend. Read on to learn everything you need to know about this year’s show.

Events and Tickets

Collectors wanting the full experience can purchase a special GPK VIP ticket for $350. That ticket includes early entry to the show all three days, a B&W sketch, an exclusive GPK print, all special GPK show events, a Hall of Honor dinner ticker, a breakfast ticket with the GPK artists, and an exclusive backpack. A regular show VIP ticket is also available for $150. That includes early entry to the show all three days, dinner ticket to Saturday night’s Hall of Honor toy dinner, event backpack, comic cover, and VIP badge. A regular admission three day pass can be purchased for $25. Individual daily entry passes are also available to purchase on their website. There will also be a handful of special GPK related events taking place during the show. It all kicks off for early arrivers at Thursday night’s Gross Bowl Social. The event will be held at Sam’s Town at 10:00 PM. The event, limited to 20 people, costs $20 per person and includes a 11×17 print. Friday night, from 8:00-9:00 PM, collectors can attend a UNO game at the One Six Sky Lounge, and win exclusive GPK prizes. The game is limited to 25 players, with the entry being $45 per person. There is also a GPK Designers Breakfast taking place Saturday morning from 8:00-9:00 AM in the One Six Sky Lounge. The event is only open to GPK VIP ticket holders, or collectors can purchase tickets for just the breakfast for $60. The breakfast will include an artist Q&A session, and a special event exclusive. All events are included for collectors purchasing the special GPK VIP Package.

Show Exclusive Card Set

There will once again be a special show exclusive card set being offered at the show. Clint Coleman and family will once again have his GPK & Wacky Warehouse booth setup at the show selling a number of GPK items. With Smokin Joe McWilliams doing much of the artwork and setup on the card sets, Clint will have a few show exclusive offers. This year’s set will feature 15 cards with artwork from Layron Dejarnette, Smokin Joe McWilliams, Jon Gregory, Chad Scheres, Mark Pingitore, Pat Chaimuang, Floydman Sumner, David Acevedo, Shane Garvey, Michael Barnard, and Victor Moreno. There are a number of options and packages that will be available for purchase. The 15 card foil wrapped artist set with a chance at a show redemption will be available for $40. Collectors will have a 1:5 chance at pulling a redemption for a sketch, medal set, or merchandise coupon. There will also be a 15 card wax wrapped canvas set also available for $40. There are 250 artist, and 100 canvas sets that were printed. For the first time there will also be a 15 card metal card set, numbered /25, that will be offered for $50. In another first, there will be an 8 count poker chip set also being sold for $15. The poker set will be limited to 75 copies. Package deals will also be available. Collectors can purchase both the artist and canvas sets together for $70, or they can add on the poker set to the package for a total of $80. Clint will also have his popular scavenger hunt setup on Sunday!

Artists

The highlight of every show is getting to spend time with your favorite artists. There will be 12 former and current Garbage Pail Kids artists in attendance at this year’s show. This is a great chance to hang out, ask questions, get autographs, and buy merchandise to help support these artists. The artists will all have many different items available, some you will only find at this show. Here is a rundown of just a few of the items you can find at the show.

GPKs sketch artist Jon Gregory will again be in attendance and have 11×17 prints of his original Howard Stern and Baby Yoga artwork. He will also have a new Wacky Package signed promo card.

GPK sketch artist Chad Scheres has attended every Vegas Con so far. He will be in attendance once again and will have a table full of items featuring his original artwork. He will have some new prints, and a large assortment of stickers for sale. He will have sketches, and some small canvas that he will be painting before the show.

Magic Marker Art owner and artist Mark Pingitore will be in attendance, and as always will be offering a lot of his very popular cards and merchandise. New for the show will be a Gross Xperience Promo Pack ($20), that will include 4 promo cards from upcoming releases, 2 exclusive prism stickers, and a 1/1 black printing plate from Marveless or Horrorible Kids. A new Horrible Kids Edgy Eddie binder ($30), and Horrible Kids skateboard decks ($60) will also be at the show. He will also have boxes, packs, and sets from Marveless Kids, Horrible Kids, ThunderBrats, and Star Warped Kids. Some Magnets and stickers will be on hand as well.

GPKs sketch artist Pat Chaimuang has quickly risen to the top of popular sketch artists. He will be attending this year’s show for the first time. Pat will have some posters, postcards, some original color rough sketches, and some amazing looking hand drawn postage stamps, (actual size)!

Another popular GPK sketch artist, Floydman Sumner, will also be making his first appearance at the Vegas show. He will be debuting his brand new Rocking Dead trading card set. The set will feature sketch cards from GPK artists Chenduz, Shawn Cruz, Simone Arena, Shane Garvey, Neil Camera, Lily Mercado, Jeff Zapata and more.

Once again, Michael Barnard is serving as the show artist for the Vegas show. Michael did all the art for the ToyCon, from t-shirts, packaging, backdrops, web graphics, and displays. There will be a 20 foot gallery displaying Michael’s work at the show. Michael did a special comic book cover, that will be given to the first entries to the show each day. He will also have his usual booth at the show filled with his original artwork, 11×17 prints, sketch cards, custom matchbook sketches, and more. He will also have his highly sought after GPK Bucks and some new GPK themed mini-golf discs available for purchase. Some popular items from previous shows like the Eye Roller diecast car, GPK Bucks Mugs, and his 12 card set.

GPK Sketch artist David Acevedo will be attending his second straight Vegas show. He will have some Toycon sketches available at the show for purchase. He will also be taking commissions on both official GPK sketch blanks, and Toycon blanks. He has a limited number of comic covers also available for commission. He will be debuting his original 5×7 prints of EZ Bake Kate/Cookin Kelly. They will be limited to /25 a/b sets made.

GPK sketch artist Victor Moreno will be attending his second Vegas show. He will have an exclusive 5 card set available at the show. He will also have some large 11×17 prints, and sketch covers available.

GPK sketch artist Jay O’Leary will be attending his second Vegas show and has some big things in store! While pre-orders are selling fast, he will have some of the cards he created for GeePeeKay.com available for sale. The Vegas cards were foil pressed on the back and numbered /40. Jay will also be debuting his new card set To, Two, Too Soon Toons. Jay, along with artists Shane Garvey, Barry Nygma, Jeff Cox, and Brandhen Snyder have combined on a new series featuring adult gags. They will have their first 100 card run foil stamped and numbered /100 available at the show. After there will be an open print run with sketches, metal, and other rare cards inserted in. Each artist involved in the set will have 10 exclusive packs also available with their names foil pressed. Exclusive packs will be available for $15, while open edition packs for $10.

Jeff Cox may be one of the newer GPKs sketch artists, but he has done work on Star Wars sets as well as other companies. He will be attending his first Vegas show and sharing a booth with Jay O’Leary. In addition to the To, Two, Too Soon Toons packs, he will have some of his personal sketches, larger original work signed by actors, some prints, and 1″ handmade GPK buttons. He will also be doing sketches at his booth.

While Matt won’t be in attendance, the presence of GeePeeKay.com will be felt across the show. Matt, in addition with many talented artists has created his own characters, and has sold cards and merchandise for these on his popular website over the last year. At this year’s Vegas show, three artists will have some new items available.

  • Mark Pingitore will have 25 artist autograph cards (numbered to 50) featuring his Geep character available for sale. There will be a limited edition set that contains the remaining 25 autos in the geepeekay.com store after the show.
  • Shane Garvey will have 25 artist autograph cards (numbered to 50) featuring his Grodee character. There will be a limited edition set that contains the remaining 25 autos in the geepeekay.com store after the show. Shane will also have a limited number of Keepers and Jumbo Keepers sets available at the show.
  • Jay O’Leary will have a stamped and limited to /40 of his new creating for GeePeeKay. He will also have a very limited number of 4 card non-stamped, and jumbo non-stamp cards at the show. There will be a limited edition set containing the Jumbo card and 4 card set available in the geepeekay.com store after the show.

Artists Smokin Joe McWilliams, and Shane Garvey will also be at the show selling their art.

This year’s Gross Experience will be open on Friday March 13 from 4:00 – 9:00 PM, Saturday March 14 from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, and Sunday March 15 from 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. This show promises to be another fun filled weekend for GPK collectors. This is your chance to meet some of your favorite GPKs artists, meet collectors from around the world, and be immersed in everything GPK!

Artists Begin Work on 2020S1 Garbage Pail Kids Late for School Sketches

Updated 11/21 to add Sobot Cortez and GPK Nik

Topps sketch artists are hard at work once again. After staying busy with recent On Demand GPK sets, artists are now beginning work on 2020 Series 1 Garbage Pail Kids Late for School. Topps sent invites out late last week, and artists started getting sketch blanks in the mail this week. With a mid-January release date, Topps is really cutting things close this series. Artists were given a 12/13/19 due date for sketches. This gives artists just one month to complete sketches. This series each artist is being asked to complete 36 regular, 12 Shaped, 5 Loaded, 3 Panoramic, and 3 Tryptych sketches. Those numbers are very close to what was requested last series. With the number of artists falling this set, expect sketches to be an even tough pull than they were last series. In a bit of good news for artists, they do not have to mail in their artist returns this series. This should help to ensure a smoothly process between artists and clients for returns.

Topps is going with a dark green and red color theme for this series’ sketches. The fronts of most of the sketches feature a hunter green GPK banner,  the exception being the apple which has a red banner. Topps is going with a number of different mascots for the card backs. Stoned Sean is featured on the back of the regular sized sketch. The panoramic sketch has Cranky Franky, while the tryptych sketch has Brainy Janie and Glooey Gabe. Once again there will be two different shaped sketches. The regular garbage can version is joined by an apple with a bite out of it shaped sketch.

The total number of sketch artists is down again from the previous series. 2019S2 Revenge of Oh the Horror-ible had 51 artists. So far only 38 of the 51 have confirmed they will be returning for 2020S1 Late to School. The returning artists are; David Acevedo, Simone Arena, Rö García Astorga, Quinton Baker, Bobby Blakey, John Brewer, Neil Camera, Pat Chaimuang, Jasmine Contois, Sobot Cortez, Jason Crosby, Vincenzo D’Ippolito, Dave Dabila, Joseph Dobbins, Joey Fitchett, Shane Garvey, Patrick Giles, Daniel Goodroad, Dennis Gortakowski, Kelly Greider, Jason Heil, Robert Jimenez, Rickey Kipfer, Mike McHugh, Rory McQueen, Lily Mercado, Rich Molinelli, John Monserrat, Victor Moreno, Jay O’leary, Darrin Pepe, Chad Scheres, Brent Scotchmer, Anthony Skubis, Mike Stephens, Gregory Tilson, Gavin Williams, and Clinton Yeager. A total of 12 artists so far have declined the invite for various reasons. Some cited burnout, other projects, the tight deadline, and artist pay as reasons why they are sitting this set out. The 13 not returning are; Michael Barnard, Daniel Contois, Shawn Cruz, Jon Gregory, Simon Jacobsohn, Chris Meeks, Barry Nygma, Ryan Moffett, Steve Potter, Todd Rayner, Matt Steffens, Floydman Sumner, and Dan Burn Webster.  There are however five artists who didn’t sketch the last set, that are coming back. They are; Emma Burges, David Gacey, Lowell Isaac, Cathy Razim, and Mangus Von Robotsson. For the first time in a long time Topps has added a new artist. GPK Nik will be making his retail sketch set debut. That brings the current total number of sketch artists to 44. If Topps doesn’t start to add new artists there will be far fewer sketches in the next set.

Artists haven’t been sharing as many previews as in the past. With the tight deadlines we might not see many previews ahead of time. 2020 Series 1 Garbage Pail Kids Late to School is set to release in stores on Jan. 15, 2020.

October Philly Non-Sports Show to Feature Rare GPK Items

The next Philly Non-Sports Card Show is just over two months away. The 71st version of the country’s largest non-sports show is set to take place Oct. 19-20. Once again, the Toser’s have a lot of things planned for the show, with many interesting Garbage Pail Kids offerings. In addition, long time GPK artists Joe Simko and Brent Engstrom will be in attendance at the show. GPK collectors will also have the chance to purchase a number of rare items.

Joe Simko and Brent Engstrom will be collaborating on an exclusive Topps licensed card. The cards titled, Paint Job Joe(1a) and Brushwork Brent(1b) will be available at the show for $20. Collectors signing up for the Meet and Greet, Saturday night of the show, will have first crack at purchasing the cards. If you are interested in attending the Meet & Greet with Simko and Engstrom you should e-mail Roxanne Toser to reserve your spot. Only 100 copies of the cards will be available. The cost of the meet and greet is $22 and will be held 7:00 PM Saturday night at the Hilton Garden Inn after the show’s auction. By the way GPK collectors, the Saturday auction will feature a number of high end PSA graded GPK cards.

Collectors attending the show will have a chance to purchase a number of items from Jay Lynch’s personal collection/archives. After Jay’s passing his collection was donated to the Billy Ireland Museum in Columbus, OH. After organizing the collection, the museum wanted to sell off any duplicate items. Roxanne Toser was able to purchase many of these items. She will have many of these items, including a number of GPK and Wacky Packages items available at her booth during the show. About the items Roxanne told GPKNews, “We visited the Billy Ireland Museum in Columbus, OH where Jay Lynch’s collection was donated. It is 2-1/2 years since Jay passed and the museum personnel having been organizing the collection. The museum is fantastic and has so much material from many famous comic artists. Jay’s collection was quite unusual because besides the mammoth amount of correspondence and artwork, there was cards and card-related material. This doesn’t happen very often but the museum found it necessary to sell any duplicate material and gave me the opportunity to purchase it. The GPK and Wacky items are mostly from the 2000s but everything is in pristine condition. I am thrilled to be offering these items and feel collectors will be thrilled to purchase these items which were owned by Jay.”

Collectors who are after GPK merchandise from the 1980’s will also be in for a treat. While searching through a closet Roxanne hasn’t looked in for years, she came across a number of highly sought after merchandise items. Also at Roxanne’s booth will be, Pencil Billboards, Pencil Cases (one box available), Stick-On Pictures, Stick-Ons, Sunglasses, Stick-On Name Tags, Pop-Ups, Memo Books, Theme Books, Jewelry, Zipper Pulls, Hi Bounce Balls, Costumes, and Pencils! Some of these items, especially the pencils you don’t see come up for sale very often. Roxanne said the items will go on sale for the first time at the show and there will be a lot of each item available.

There will be more announced as the show gets closer. GPK collectors should start planning their trip now to the next Philly Non-Sports show. The show will take place at the Merchants Square Mall in Allentown, PA on Oct. 19-20, 2019.

Artists Begin Work on 2019S2 Revenge of Oh the Horror-ible Sketches

Updated 9/21 – Removed Lowell Isaac and Bryan Abson.

Topps sketch artists have begun receiving their sketch blanks for 2019 Series 2 Garbage Pail Kids Revenge of Oh the Horror-ible. Artists will be hard at work over the next few weeks completing the sketches for the next retail set. Topps has given artists a 8/5/19 due date for sketches giving artists just over 6 weeks to get them completed. While that’s not a ton of time, it is more than the artists got the the previous set, We Hate the 90’s. Each artist being asked to complete 37 Regular, 5 Loaded, 12 Shaped, 3 Panoramic, and 3 Tryptych sketches. Those numbers pretty much fall in line with the previous set. The number of shaped sketches is double what was asked for on the previous set. Does this mean production on Collector cases will be way up with this set? The number of regular sketches is up slightly, but it appears the number of artists is slightly down for this set.

In a bit of a disappointing move, Topps is keeping the green colors used on the 2019S1 set for the sketches. The fronts of the sketches appear to be exactly the same as the We Hate the 90’s set. Both the Garbage Pail Kids banner and nameplate are green. Just like with the 2018S2 Oh the Horror-ible set there will be two different shaped sketches. Artists were given half of their die-cuts in the regular garbage can version, while the other half are a tombstone die-cut. 2018S2 had coffins as the additional die-cut. The backs of the sketches feature some familiar OS characters. Dead Ted, Weird Wendy and Tommy Tomb.

The confirmed sketch lineup appears to be down from the previous set. 2019S1 We Hate the 90’s had 56 artists complete sketches. So far 49 of the 56 have confirmed they will be completing sketches for 2019S2 Revenge of Oh the Horror-ible. The returning artists are: David Acevedo, Simone Arena, Ro Garcia Astorga, Quinton Baker, Michael Barnard, Bobby Blakey, John Brewer, Neil Camera, Pat Chaimuang, Daniel Contois, Jasmine Contois, Sobot Cortez, Jason Crosby, Shawn Cruz, Dave Dabila, Vincenzo D’Ippolito, Joe Dobbins, Joey Fitchett, Shane Garvey, Patrick Giles, Daniel Goodroad, Dennis Gortakowski, Kelly Greider, Jason Heil, Robert Jimenez, Rickey Kipfer, Mike McHugh, Rory McQueen, Chris Meeks, Lily Mercado, Ryan Moffett, Rich Molinelli, JM Monserrat, Victor Moreno, Barry Nygma, Jay O’Leary, Darrin Pepe, Steve Potter, Todd Rayner, Chad Scheres, Brent Scotchmer, Anthony Skubis, Matt Steffens, Mike Stephens, Floyd Sumner, Gregory Tilson, Dan Burn Webster, Gavin Williams and Clinton Yeager. Emma Burges, David Gacey, Lowell Isaac, Paul Mangione, Joe McWilliams, Cathy Razim, and Magnus VonRobotsson for various reasons will not be completing sketches on this set. Once again, for the second set in a row, there have been no new sketch artists identified. However, there are 2 artists returning to GPK sketches cards after a break; Simon Jacobsohn and Jon Gregory. This brings the current total of sketch artists to 51. This article will be updated as new artists are confirmed.

As the release date gets closer in Aug/Sept previews of some of the sketches should start popping up. 2019 Series 2 Garbage Pail Kids Revenge of Oh the Horror-ible is set to release in stores on Sept. 25, 2019.