Baltimore’s going well. Yesterday was pretty busy. Random highlights:

1. One of the commission requests I received was “Draw Charlotte in the superhero costume she’d wear for Halloween. After much thought, I drew her wearing one of those store-bought impractical but oh-so-cute Batgirl costumes. Then I had her in a sassy pose saying “Face it tiger, you just hit the jackpot… unless you’re going to mention that Mary Jane said that and I’m dressed like a Batman character, in which case, move along.”

2. Joe Murray at Captain Blue Hen Comics arranged a tour of the Geppi Museum, full of comic book goodness. It’s the first time I was able to go there, since it’s usually closed after the show. There was a lot of fun stuff there and a chunk of stuff I had or have. And some of the Toon Tumblers I designed were in there, too.

3. At the bar last night, a couple wedding parties came in. I accidentally walked into a photo of the bride’s parents and apologized. The picture taker said (jokingly) “How could you do that? Wait, you’re handsome! Get in the photos.” So, there are a couple of photos they’ll have of me in their group.

Also, the father of the bride was a dead ringer for the Dos Equis guy, you know, The Most Interesting Man in the World. When they send me the photos, I’ll post them for you to see.

Speaking of which, for some reason, my iPhone can’t upload photos to the Twitpic website. So I haven’t been able to post images from the show. I can’t tell why I’m not able to do it, whether it’s a password issue or a connectivity issue or what. So, there are photos, but they may have to wait until I get back.

And finish that page of Love and Capes that’s waiting for me, of course.

One of the other things I like about doing commissions is the specificity and originality of the requesters. As an artist, the mission statement "Draw whatever you want" is always daunting. There’s too much to choose from. Well, not too much, I can wrangle it down, but it takes effort.

I love when people come up with a sketchbook of all one character or theme. It gives me a starting point, and usually the other commissions in the book make me want to up my game to compete. The estimable Chris Sims had a Jimmy Olsen sketchbook, and I drew Jimmy as Flamebird from the Bottle City of Kandor… life size. Too up all of an inch on the page.

Here, my requester wanted Major Kira, from the excellent and dreadfully-underrated Star Trek: Deep Space Nine looking in the mirror and seeing her Mirror Universe equivalent, the Intendant. I had to research the characters, and get out my Deep Space Nine Companion, which ate up a ton of time because I can never just look at the pictures. I start reading, and then I want to start watching again. Such a good show, and one that really schools you as a writer.

But, I eventually broke away and finished this piece. I’m pleased with how Nana Visitor’s likeness was captured, the expression on each face, and the body language of each character.

Right before I left for San Diego, I got a couple of commission requests. I take orders online, too, and I’m actually pretty quick. These took almost a month because I had to fit in my World Tour of All The US States With Disney Parks in. This one is of Kilowog, of the Green Lantern Corps.

He’s fun to draw, especially because of his cartoony proportions. I can never remember how his face is constructed, though, so it always takes reference to do it. Fortunately, I have the action figure.

Speaking of conventions, I’ll be doing commissions at Baltimore. I charge $20 for a black-and-white image, $40 for color. Color requires me to take the piece home and color it on my computer, since I color digitally. Here’s a fine example of that, a Ms. Marvel piece that I did in San Diego and then brought home to add some color.

I actually posted this days ago on my Twitter feed. Twitter is so low-maintenance that it’s easy to get stuff up there fast, as opposed to here where I feel compelled to write complete sentences. What? You’re not following me on Twitter? Perhaps you should.

Have I mentioned lately that the Thom Zahler World Tour continues with a trip to the most excellent Baltimore Comicon, where New Daddy Marc Nathan will be throwing one of my favorite shows off the year? I’ll be there selling books, taking commissions and not eating seafood. Really, the Baltimore Comicon is a great, great show. If you’re anywhere nearby, you should definitely come.

This is probably a good time to mention the pre-Convention Love and Capes t-shirt sale. Just like San Diego, you can pre-order some shirts at crazy low prices, and I’ll bring them to Baltimore for you to pick up.

I’ll also be doing the new Cincinnati Comic Expo, Detroit Fanfare, New York Comic-Con and, of course, Mid-Ohio-Con this year, too. Five conventions left this late in the year? That’s a lot of traveling.