In the early 1980s, our agency changed its name to Admark and moved to a new location near downtown Topeka. This is where, on the 22nd day of December, at approximately 4:15, I was given a birthday card depicting the moment I became enlightened after opening a camera film canister. ↓

When I opened the card, I instantly erupted with uncontrollable laughter. I’m shown looking dumbfounded while opening the canister that revealed a sticker of a dumb-looking plumber I had illustrated for a kid's meal box some time ago. Our photographer took the photos of me holding the film canister for reference for another job months earlier. The card was a creation made by a close friend and fellow artist. ✒︎

A Closer Look

Admark was on the corner of 7th and Harrison, on the outer edges of the downtown business district in 1985. Bursting with excitement, I was about to return the favor of creating an equally amusing birthday card for my fellow employee who had made mine.

Of course, this was before computers, so to make colored comps and mock-ups, we relied on an image transfer system called Chromatec. Making one usually required mixing inks, applying the ink to film, exposing the ink-covered film to a negative, developing it to remove unwanted areas, and applying adhesive. It was then ready to be transferred, similar to rub-off lettering. The difference was that you were limited only by your imagination.

The inks came in translucent plastic bottles and would be mixed into an empty bottle to achieve the desired color, which required vigorous shaking.

I knew the Chromatec system like the back of my hand. I must have made hundreds, if not more. For his birthday card, I wanted to use metallic silver. I was on a mission to outdo the card he had created for me that made me cry with laughter. I thought using metallic silver would put it over the top, but I had never made a silver Chromatec before.

The silver came in a powder rather than a liquid and was to be mixed with a provided clear solution. So, I mixed it as usual and shook it vigorously, like normal, when I noticed something peculiar happening in the translucent plastic bottle.

So of course, I brought it closer to my face to investigate when, suddenly, it exploded and filled my eyes with metallic silver powder. In an instant, my sight became a pitch-black void. I thought for sure I was blind and would never see again.

My fellow employees hastily began to pour water into my eyes, drenching my clothes. When the ambulance arrived, the EMTs immediately flushed my eyes with saline and rushed me to the hospital, where doctors and nurses continued the same treatment.

Of course, I recovered—and the incident made it onto the local 5:00 news!

I later learned that the metallic silver powder and the liquid solution should have been mixed in an open container. Lesson learned: read instructions! ❦

What a butthead!