And Then There Were Two -- Sam Ellis Finally Joins My Archer Collection!

They say patience is a virtue. While that may be true, it more often than not blows. I don't need instant gratification to be happy but there is a nice middle ground between instantaneous joy and waiting 10 years for something to materialize. But wait a damn decade I did for the below to finally reside within my gracious and giddy clutches, and it will never ever leave them.

When I decided to collect the Cryptozoic Archer Master Set including at least one sketch card from every artist, I was a little late to the party. I know I missed out on some really good deals and multiple rare artist sketch cards by not committing sooner and not being willing to spend slightly over my means when I could have done so and survived it. I understand why I didn't want to spend the dough at that time....but it was only later on that I realized just how rare and difficult some of these talented artists would be to secure and add to the collection.

Flash forward ten years and I've narrowed down my needs list (artist-wise) to three souls, all of whom worked directly on the show. I was content with likely never seeing them appear as each artist produced less than 14 sketches for the release. However, as I was standing in line for a card show earlier this month, I decided to hop on eBay to pass the time. I checked my "Archer sketch" saved search as I do about 10 times daily and I was floored with what was staring right back at me.

SAM FUCKING ELLIS!!

I did a double take and was stunned speechless for a handful of seconds. I clicked on the link and it was being sold by a seller I have done an absolute ton of Archer business with over the last five or so years. I couldn't click Buy-It-Now fast enough and after a harrowing few days of no movement on tracking, this beauty arrived safe and sound in my mailbox.

Sam Ellis served as a Designer, Illustrator, Artistic Talent Scout, Lead Trainer, Lead Character Designer, and Lead Illustrator on Season 1 of Archer. While his time on the show was brief compared with some other artists, he left an indelible mark on the program. As Ellis notes, he was "instrumental in the design of the characters, props, and vehicles for the show." He was a big force in the specific look of the characters to help them blend into the ambiguous time period the show is set in. A distinctly Season 1 aspect of the show that disappears in Season 2 when Sam leaves is the perspective shots of many of the characters where we see them with the camera facing up (as displayed prominently in the above sketch card and almost all of Ellis' contributions to the set).

This sketch may not be from an exact scene although it feels very familiar. The color of Lana's mini sweater dress in Sam's sketch narrows it down but without re-watching those specific episodes I pinpointed what I believe to be the moment it depicts. I think this originates from Season 1, Episode 3: "Diversity Hire."