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Back in 2020 when everyone was still living in isolation, president of The Plastic Club Susan Ploeg suggested that club members create and mail art cards to each other.

She proposed that each postcard be a "visual conversation", started by the sender and completed by the recipient, who would then mail it back.

It was a great idea that I anxiously volunteered to try and Susan and I were soon zapping cards back and forth. You can read about the process and see all of our cards in this series of posts.

Susan maintained art card correspondence with several members of the club for much of the year and until just recently, those cards have been on display in the glass vitrene at The Plastic Club gallery.

Susan, Carla Stine, and TL Cheung did an amazing job of gathering and arranging the forty-plus pandemic postcards created by club members during this unique time in the club's history.

In case you missed it, it looked like this:

Photo by TL Cheung

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upper shelf, click photo to enlarge

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Cover design by TL Cheung

They even put together a book illustrating the collaborative process by which the cards were created. Here are two excerpts from the book:

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And you'd think that would be the final bow, bringing a project that was highly valued by the artists involved to a worthy conclusion. But then this arrived in my mailbox last week, an original work from an inspired fellow club member:

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Since I started illustrating on the computer, it's been a rare treat to do inking and coloring by hand. When I do, this is how I do it.

I draw the illustration with an automatic 2B pencil. When all the lines are where I want them, I erase them out, carefully leaving the slightest impression of where they were.

Then I add the watercolors. When it's dry, I ink in the lines using a 108 tip quill pen, dipping it into Higgens Eternal ink. The 108 is a flexible tip that allows for a lot of line variety.

After this piece was inked, I realized I forgot to put the birds' wine glasses in. So I zapped them in using gouache and acrylic. Oddly, Big Bird wasn't quite right until I added his blue eyelids.

Cookie Monster is meant to look a little dubious. At one point he was going to be pre-heating an oven. I gradually found that he's more dubious when he's less obvious. Something shady may be going on, but it isn't clear what.

And I couldn't resist having him bring the mashed potatoes. Cookie Monster is all about the starch.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Compare to the initial version in this post.

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Susan's next challenge has arrived by mail. She writes, "As October closes I am thinking of fowl and the vanities of men! What do you say to that?"

Holy heck, what do I say to that? I will ponder on this. It isn't evident above, but Susan used reflective paint for the gold bits, so this one sparkles.

In other news, happy time change day. I'll be hosting a graphics meeting this afternoon with Laurel (AKA: Mom). We're putting the finishing touches on Episode 4. That extra hour in the day will be put to good use.

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Susan's response has arrived by mail: Whale saves the day!

Compare to the initial version in this post.

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Here's the new visual conversation I'll be mailing to Susan. Previous cards have been right/left. She'd fill in one side; I'd fill in the other. To change things up, I've filled in around the edges and left her the middle. Looking forward to seeing what she does with this one.

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Here's my reply to Susan. It felt great to get away from the computer and make something by hand. I broke out the watercolors and even the 'ol dip pens. Compare to the initial version in this post.

In art school, I learned to never use your first idea. This was my third idea.

My first idea was a curtain rising over the Muppets stage with maybe Fozzie Bear telling jokes or something. Nah. Idea number two: curtain reveals Dancing with the Sharks. No.

[Those are victims splashing at the top of the tank.] First thing Monday, I'll go to the post office and send the card trekkin'.

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A new challenge has arrived by mail. Susan writes, "It's your color story to make!" Hmmm. What to do?

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What a treat to receive art by mail! Friend and Plastic Club president Susan Ploeg continues the humor from our previous card with a new punchline.

Compare to the initial version in this post.

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It's my turn to mail an art card to Susan. My magic marker rendition of Godzilla will go out today. As per visual conversation rules, Susan can alter this however she likes before mailing it back.

This is the Godzilla I grew up with – the guy-in-a-rubber-suit Godzilla. He breathes some kind of nuclear lightning ray. My Godzilla breathes scratchy white out.

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Friend and fellow Plastic Clubber Bob Lee writes:

Hey Andy, Love the cartoon! I'm a tennis player and I don't see any technical flaws–those mermaids look just like the real thing.

Actually, if four balls in a can is the "technical flaw" you're referring to, it's no flaw–they really do come that way in real life.

All right! As mermaids might say, I'm off the hook. Thanks Bob!

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Friend and Plastic Club president Susan Ploeg has been having visual conversations by mail with members of the club. Last week, this card arrived with Susan's color contribution. I stared at it for a while, then added the lines and text in ball point pen and mailed it back. Tennis players will spot the technical flaw.