"Dancin' with Heavyweights"
17”x11” Pen & Ink Fine Art Edition Printed on White 80 Lb Paper Cover Stock
In the fall of 1977, Conrad completed all the requirements necessary to graduated from Utah State University, in Logan, Utah with a bachelor degree in advertising & design and a composite in illustration and compiled a portfolio of samples fit to procure a top-notch job in Los Angeles, California. In January, he packed all of his belongings into a small U-haul trailer strapped to his blue Chevy Nova and moved to LA to pursue his dreams of becoming an advertising art professional. With divine assistance, he found an upstairs 1-bedroom apartment in a 4-plex near the beach in sunny California. In this apartment, he quickly crafted a B&W logo and printed business cards on colored paper stock and started setting appointments to interview & show his portfolio at every ad agency and design studio he could. After a couple of months without successfully securing a full-time job, he realized he needed something more — a leave behind self-promotion piece and a mailer he could send out to help secure appointments & that dream job he was looking for! On a severely cramped budget, he set out to compete against other artists & photographers who were mailing & leaving behind full-color brochures about themselves & their work. This is when, in his humble little apartment and bedroom, he created this pen & Ink illustration (yes, it’s rendered with an #00 Koh-l-Noor Rapidograph Pen on illustration board) of “Dancin’ with Heavyweights”. And, yes that’s is him second from the right! He created a 8.5” x 11” black & white promo sheet with a simple, clean headline, image, text and address for himself…
It worked!
Conrad mailed it to a bunch of prospects, including Peggy Lancaster, creative director at Scott Lancaster Mills Atha, in Century City and she called him! He interviewed with her — and got a job! He started working for blue-chip advertising agency with a staff of 11-people billing $11-12 million annually with accounts on the east and west coast. Their accounts included TYCO Toys, SonicAir Courier, Century Bank, Gund Stuffed Toys and Denby Stoneware of England. His first assignment was drawing +40 B&W renderings of Denby Stoneware place settings included in a retail ad kit distributed to newspapers & magazines throughout North America. After six weeks, Scott Lancaster was so pleased with his work, they hired him as a full-time art director.
To purchase a custom sized giclee print on 140 lb textured watercolor paper of Conrad’s pen & ink drawing "Dancin' with Heavyweights" please contact customerservice@1to1greetings.com and describe your request. Please include your name & contact information. Thank you!