Gift to the Gods 10/87 I believe that this is my first attempt to ever seriously illustrate realistically. I remember at the time feeling like this picture was quite an accomplishment.

Evil Clown 88 I went through an "evil clown" phase. It seemed original at the time.

Untitled 88 For a while I was filling paper with this elaborate design technique. I tired of it quickly, and looking back I don't see why I even wasted my time with it.

Death 88 Yes, it's Death. And he's standing by the skeleton of a priest in front of a haunted house next to a graveyard. I hadn't yet realized the importance of being original.

Demon 4/91 In 1990 I started writing this story (Pork) that put a dark and evil twist on Alice In Wonderland (it's even less original than it sounds). This is a character from that story. My first Devil?

Vampiress 4/91 This is another character in the story. Clearly it was a part I hoped to one day hold auditions for.

Tom Cat 90 As the story goes, my rip-off character (Valerie) stumbles through the mirror and is greeted by this cat-person who I loosely based on Tom Waits.

The Clown 90 I called my story "Pork" for no better reason than because it was the name of a movie by Andy Warhol. I was learning to draw, all of the ideas just weren't there yet.

The Frog 4/91 So Valerie falls through the looking glass and finds herself face to face with this gruesome frog. This was from a dream that I once had.

Valerie 90 I had written this story as if it were being performed in front of a live audience. This is Valerie at the front of the stage looking into the blinding spotlights, while she holds her cat.

The Balloon 4/91 The conclusion of my story was a tattered, confused Valerie following her balloon back to the mirror from whence she came... while the clown face taunted her from the wading pool below and the cat-person tinkered out a tune on the piano. No, I wasn't high!

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All illustrations & designs are that of Normal Bob Smith (C) 2000 - 2009
NORMAL BOB SMITH DESIGN NEW YORK