We don’t know all of what will be inside the Baseball Hall of Fame’s new, permanent baseball card exhibit when it opens later this year but we do know they’ll soon be featuring the work of an artist familiar to current collectors.
Todd Aaron Smith has already created numerous 1/1 sketch cards for Topps baseball cards. His work will be part of a display at the Hall that shows the process for making art for baseball cards. The display will show the initial rough sketches, the final artwork, and the printed card.
KSHB-TV in Kansas City met up with him at a local baseball card shop over the weekend. Watch their story below.
Smith studied animation and graphic design at the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio.
Topps keeps him busy with its sketch cards but Smith also does illustrations on commission. Through his website, he’ll also create a sketch card of a favorite player, a person or an animated character. He’s also worked as a professional animator and storyboard artist for television production, including the animated Batman series, Spider-Man, Family Guy, The Avengers, Pokemon, Godzilla and others.
“I am so grateful to be able to make cards that will be found in packs of baseball cards because I can remember the magic of opening a pack of cards when I was a kid and looking for my favorite players.
“I will never be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame,” Smith said, “but this is certainly the next best thing.”
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