Two 1" Buttons (Spray Paint & Veggies) from Ben Claasen

Item Purchased: Two 1" Buttons (Spray Paint & Veggies) from Ben Claasen
Location Purchased: Ben Claasen / Renegade Craft Fair / Wicker Park / Chicago, IL
Price: $1.00 w/tax

Review: If there was one product you could find at almost every booth at this year's Renegade Craft Fair, it was buttons! Most booths were selling their one inch buttons for a dollar a pop, which I think is a bit on the high end, but Ben Claasen III was selling his for fifty cents a piece. Known primarily as a comics artist who illustrated Wil Wheaton's book, Dancing Barefoot, Ben's style is sparse and bold. His comics don't resonate with me as particularly funny or engaging, I do like his drawings, paintings and stencils (All of which can be viewed on Ben's website). For some reason, Ben's simple buttons that simply label the image drawn on them stuck out to me. Like flash cards for button-obsessed adults, Ben's buttons are an exercise in mundanity-turned-kitschy-turned-cute. The two I purchased ("spray paint" and "veggies") were for my friend Josh and my girlfriend respectively because I found the idea of wearing an aspect of your personality on your sleeve, lapel or bag not so much telling as it is a conversation starter. Irony and simplicity work well as thoughtful gifts sometimes.

Show some support for independent comics artists by heading over to Ben's website to check out more buttons and artwork in his admittedly "badly drawn" style: Bendependent.com

Rating: 3.5 / 5