MC Jon Scieszka with Anna Dewdney, Judy Schachner, Loren Long, and Oliver Jeffers, contestants in the “Ultimate Picture Book Sketch-Off.”

“The rules are: I get to make up the rules for this thing.” And with that, Master of Ceremonies Jon Scieszka welcomed the audience to the first (and hopefully not the last) “Ultimate Picture Book Sketch-Off,” held June 29 at the Las Vegas Hotel as part of the American Library Association annual conference.

It was a fantastically funny and freewheeling event, with points awarded by the MC willy-nilly over the course of four rounds of drawing challenges. “Off” may well have been the theme of the event, as early on in the competition Scieszka unexpectedly shed his modest white button-down shirt for a bedazzled v-neck tee, VEGAS hat, and faux gold sunglasses ensemble. Also shed were the inhibitions of the competitors, who indulged in some illustrative fun for the sake of the appreciative audience. The lineup of illustrators included Anna Dewdney (the Llama Llama series), Judy Schachner (of Skippy Jon Jones fame), Loren Long (Otis), and Oliver Jeffers (The Day the Crayons Quit). All were game for whatever Scieszka threw their way.

And there were curveballs aplenty.

In round one of four, illustrators were given the challenge of drawing their favorite fruit. Contestants started in with the gamesmanship right away, tagging each other’s drawings and cracking wise at every opportunity. Loren Long’s apple became worm infested at the hand of Dewdney and Schachner. Aside from the impressive off-the-cuff drawing from the panel, the audience received some banana tips from Jeffers:

The second round upped the ante with contestants drawing one of their characters “Vegas style.” Out came the hot tubs, cigarettes, and high heels. While debaucherous renditions of their creations may have had the panel a bit conflicted, the audience was not—uproarious laughter ensued. You truly haven’t lived until you’ve seen Skippy Jon Jones wearing a gaudy bachelorette party tiara or Mama Llama sipping a cocktail poolside.

In a brave move, the MC announced that the next challenge would be for contestants to draw a portrait of Scieszka himself. The question arose: which direction would the illustrators choose, flattery or mockery? The result was a bit of both. Long gave his Scieszka a full-on Elvis pompadour, Jeffers imagined the former Ambassador of Young People’s Literature riding atop a unicorn, Schachner went with a Fu Manchu mustache, while Dewdney created a Scieszka/elephant hybrid.

There was an unexpected twist for the fourth and final round. Blindfolds. To paraphrase the MC, ‘it’s about to get real.’ The illustrators could draw anything they pleased, with the rather large hindrance of not being about to see a thing. Suddenly, an illustrator falling off the raised stage became a real concern. While all the competitors performed admirably, it was here that Schachner did the remarkable, taking a marker in both hands and completing an incredible ambidextrous image of a cat.

With that, the Ultimate Picture Book Sketch-Off came to a close—all too soon for those in attendance. The contest ended remarkably, inexplicably, and appropriately in a four-way tie. Here’s hoping this becomes an annual event.