Inktober 2017 and the Troy Library Mini-Con
Just like last year, I’m participating in Inktober again this year… trying to draw at least one new hand-drawn illustration each day. Last year I didn’t quite make it to the end, but I hope to actually complete 31 illustrations this year. Time will tell. Be sure to checkout the Inktober Web site if you want to find out more of what this is all about. I have been posting daily to Facebook and will be posting weekend summaries on the blog like I did last year every Sunday to collect all of the week’s creations.
For now, though, I would like to call your attention to the Troy Library Mini-Con, which takes place on October 14th (one week from today) in Troy, NC. The convention is being held at the Montgomery County Library, located on 215 W Main St in Troy and runs from noon until 5:00pm. There will be lots of free comics, cosplay, trivia, dealers, guest artists, and pretty much everything you expect from a comic convention! Also, there will be a raffle as part of a fundraising effort to raise money for Rod Haase and his battle with cancer. Rod is an actor who has been in many things, but comic fans of the 1970s might remember him from the Legends of the Superheroes on TV where he was the first live-action Flash!
Please checkout the Troy Library Mini-Con page on Facebook for further information and updates about the convention. Also, please visit Rod Haase’s GoFundMe page if you aren’t going to be able to attend this convention but still would like to contribute to helping him with his expenses. For my part, I am unable to attend this convention in person but I did donate my first two days of Inktober sketches to the cause, so if you want to own the original art for either of these pieces shown below you will need to attend the show next Saturday!
The first illustration is on 9×12-in. Canson 98-lb paper and is a portrait of the Flash inspired by Rod Haase’s original portrayal on TV from 1979. The second illustration is a 2.5×3.5-in. personal sketch card of the Flash in motion. I have signed both sketches on the reverse side and included a link to my blog in hopes that whomever wins these at the convention will visit here and say hello. I hope everyone who attends the convention has a good time next weekend!
04/23/2017 Raleigh Comic Book Show, Epilogue!
Was so tired at the end of the day Sunday that I went to bed early, and slept late Monday… so I didn’t get to write about my experiences at this weekend’s Raleigh Comic Book Show until late tonight. It was good to see all of my old friends, make some more new ones, and (as I would find out by the end of the show) pose for a super portrait!
There were four invited guest to this show, counting myself. I was seated next to Buddy Prince, and though I didn’t get to talk with him much this show, it’s always good to see him there. Seated to my right was Glen Richardson. It was a pleasure to meet and chat with Glen throughout the show. Turns out we have some similar world views and while our styles are somewhat different, the subjects and references within his work mirror some of my own.
Glen had a bunch of nice prints for sale at the show as well as copies of his self-published comic Sgt Sasquatch: The Bigfoot of Liberty. Make sure you check out the link to Glen’s Web site! We each discussed our own projects and the creative process. He also brought his daughter Ziley with him to the show, who pleasantly surprised me at the end by having drawn a picture of me, for me, while Glen and I had been talking. They also bought a Two-Face sketch card from me, so I know that one is going to a good home!
Super-Me by Ziley:
On the other side of Buddy was Dan Johnson. Unfortunately Dan got there a little after the show had started, and I kept busy so I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself to him before the show had ended. I hope to get a chance to meet him in the future.
I had a lot of new personal sketch cards for sale that I had drawn since my last show appearance. I also brought lots of glossy prints as usual, and some freebies to give away to promote the blog and my ‘Sects comic strip. Even though ‘Sects has been on a hiatus of late, I still hope I prompted some new fans to take a look so they’ll be here and ready for when all the guys and gals make a comeback soon!
One fan, Bradley, commissioned a sketch card of the Olympian, from the Global Guardians, during the show. I had to borrow his smartphone for a while for reference because I had to admit I had only a passing familiarity with the character though I did seem to remember something about the Global Guardians. Bradley was patient with my blank brain, and I think I was able to make a good sketch card for him when all was said and done. He is also supposed to share a scan of the card at some point. When he does I’ll make another blog post about that and share the artwork for everyone else to see.
I was also able to connect with Shelton Drum of Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find and pick up a small box of blank sketch covers comic books. At some point I’ll take inventory of all that I have and make a post so that if anyone wants to request a commission on a blank comic you’ll know what I have available.
All told… I always enjoy appearing at this show, and seeing old friends. Some unique experiences for me this time with the show commission, being an unwitting model for a super-portrait, and making a new creative friend.
Thanks go to Lyn Anderson for the invite, and to all the fans who came out today to support comics, this show, and all of us invited guests! Welcome to all the new followers of my blog or Facebook that come from our meeting at this show too!
Raleigh Comic Book Show, Sunday 04/23/2017
Just found out early last week that I’m going to be a guest at the upcoming Raleigh Comic Book Show, next Sunday! As always, I am looking forward to seeing show runner Lyn Anderson and all the great dealers and convention regulars who attend these shows. Other planned guests at this show are Buddy Prince, who is a solid artist, good guy, and another Raleigh show regular… and Dan Johnson, whom I have not yet met but am looking forward to seeing for the first time!
I will again have original art and sketch cards for sale, including a bunch of new sketch cards from last Inktober that I drew after my last convention appearance. I’ll also have lots of glossy prints of a bunch of illustrations that I’ve drawn over the last few years. Time permitting, I might even be able to do some commission sketch cards or head/bust sketches during the show too. I’m getting ready for the show this week, so I could even surprise myself with new things I don’t yet know I’ll be bringing!
I hope to see lots of Facebook and blog followers at the show… and I promise to try and warp your brain with my nonsense while you’re there. 🙂 If you’re anywhere near Raleigh, NC next week you really ought to stop by the show… you will not be disappointed! For those who can’t attend, I will be blogging about the experience sometime next Sunday night as I normally do after these shows.
08/21/2016 Raleigh Comic Book Show, Epilogue!
It’s the end of a long day, that while the day has ended (in terms of it being night and also the next calendar day already) I have not yet gone to sleep, so it hasn’t entirely ended for me yet! I’m still unwinding after a long but fun day at the Raleigh Comic Book Show. I enjoyed seeing many old friends again, making a few new ones, and even a big surprise.
I was there with fellow guests Michael Eury and Buddy Prince. This was my third time appearing at a show with Buddy Prince, but the first time I was not sitting directly beside him. Sandwiched between us was Michael Eury. While I was familiar with some of his work (writer/editor for Comico, DC, Dark Horse, and Back-Issue Magazine) I had not met him until today. In between mingling with convention attendees, I got to spend a bunch of time talking with Mr Eury. He is a wealth of knowledge and experience, and happens to enjoy many things that I too enjoy… such as old EC comics, like MAD, or the Batman 1960s TV show!
I had a bunch of new prints for sale that I didn’t have for my last convention appearance, and lots of new art that was not a part of my portfolio last December. I also engaged a lot of new comic fans, kids and adults, that I hope to have turned on to my ‘Sects comic strip as I told them about it and handed out more of the promotional character cards I had made for my last convention appearance.
Had it not been for a surprise in the afternoon, getting to meet and talk with Michael Eury would have been the highlight of the day. Meeting new and interesting people is usually the highlight of any convention appearance! But today that was trumped by an unexpected surprise…
I play quite a bit of Words with Friends on my phone. Every once in a while someone asks me about my avatar there and I’ll explain that I drew it and that I have a blog. I try not to be too preachy because I don’t want people to think I’m only playing the game to sneak in self-promotion! But every now and then I connect with someone and we play a lot and they develop a sincere interest in my blog too.
So, imagine my surprise when one such friend surprised me today by driving up with his wife from South Carolina just because he knew I was going to be a guest at the show today! It’s a pretty cool spontaneous thing for someone to do, especially since it marks the first time he and I have actually met outside of the game, though we have been playing for so long now that I’ve lost track of everything except how soundly and often he has been beating me lately! 🙂
Long story short… I met a friend for the first time today, who went out of his way just to come meet me AND he bought a couple of prints from me! I met Michael Eury and he bought a print from me! I connected with a lot of new people who I hope will become regular readers of the blog and my comic strip… and now I am VERY tired and need to sleep because I have a lot of errands to run on Monday.
Thank you to Lyn Anderson for inviting me… thank you to all the comic book fans who came out today… and thank you, in advance, for everyone new to my blog who I hope to see start following me real soon!
Raleigh Comic Book Show, Sunday 08/21/2016
Here we are, nearly a year since my last appearance at the Raleigh Comic Book Show and I am once again an invited guest this Sunday! I’m looking forward to seeing show runner Lyn Anderson and lots of other friendly dealers and convention regulars.
I’m definitely bringing some original art and sketch cards to sell. I will also have lots of glossy prints of a bunch of different illustrations I have created over the last couple of years. Time permitting, I might even be able to do some commission sketch cards or head/bust sketches during the show as well. I’m still preparing everything for the show, so I could come up with some surprises. You never know!
I hope to see lots of current Facebook and blog followers, and I hope to turn lots of new people over to the dark side as well during the show.. 🙂 For those who cannot attend, I’ll be blogging after the experience on Sunday to let you know what you missed. I hope to see lots of ‘Sects fans there!
2015 Raleigh Comic Book Show, Epilogue
(Buddy Prince is in this photo, on the left. I’m on the right, in the green shirt, behind the pastries!)
Yesterday was the big day! As expected, I did not get a lot of sleep in advance of the convention. I never do. It’s not even about being unprepared, I was more prepared for this show than any I’ve ever been to before… I just never end up sleeping much or well before any big thing.
I had a bunch of original art with me, and some sketches and prints for sale. I loaded up the truck and actually got to the show early! The new venue was nice. It was a good looking hotel and the layout of the comic showroom was nice. I found my spot, checked the WiFi access, and setup my table for the day.
For a post-Christmas show, you never know what to expect. Are people tired from celebrating the holidays? OR are they ready to get out of the house for a bit? Did they spend all of their money already on Christmas? OR will all the people who received money as a gift show up ready to spend? It seemed like the show got a pretty good turnout, but I literally only sold one of my prints.
I’m still new to the guest artist gig, so I don’t know how much my lack of sales had to do with me being new versus people just not looking to spend money. I did have a lot of people looking through my stuff, and got a lot of positive comments… so I’m figuring it was a mix of me still being new and people being choosy how they spend their money. Being honest, going into the show I wanted to have stuff for sale and hoped to sell some things but I was mostly there to spread the word, advertise myself, and promote my blog and ‘Sects comic strip.
Specifically for this show, I made eight promotional ‘Sects character cards (Buzz, Red, Bob, Blue, Buzzarro, Dez, Nell, and Al). These were 2.5 in. x 2 in. cards with a brief blurb about the character and a link to my blog. During the show I handed them out to everyone who stopped at my table, and tried to flag down people as they walked by to let them know they were free for the taking. After the show I also went around to all the dealers who hadn’t stopped by my table already to bring them into the fold as well. I’m hoping my blog will see some new visitors and fans as a result!
Fellow guests at the show were Chris Kemple and Buddy Prince. Buddy was at the first show I did, back in 2014, and I hadn’t seen him since that time. Chris and I talked a bit and each thought the other looked familiar, and we mutually concluded that we probably already knew each other because we used to shop at the same comic book store (Capitol Comics) and I actually worked there many years ago. Buddy and Chris are both good guys, and good artists, and they seemed to have a lot of interaction at their tables too.
During the show, I was able to draw some ‘Sects sketch cards and a Batgirl sketch card. I also drew a nice larger Spider-Man sketch. I posted these last night on the blog after returning from the show, but I was too tired to post this summary until tonight! 🙂 It was nice to be able to prove to myself that I could finish sketches while talking to people at the same time. Sometimes multitasking can be challenging, so it was good practice.
All in all, it was a good experience. It was a much better experience than my first show too. I was much more prepared going in, and I had a stronger comic strip to promote this time around. Next time I’ll have more art to sell and more comics to promote too… it’s a growing process. It was good to see some old friends that I hadn’t seen in a while, and make a few new ones. If anyone reading this met me for the first time yesterday, and has now come to check out my blog as a result, thank you for coming to the show and thank you for visiting my blog. Hopefully I’ll be able to get to more shows in 2016!
Star Wars, the Sketch Cards Begin!
For my guest appearance at the Raleigh Comic Book Show tomorrow, I’m preparing to bring many things… I also have been spending time this week creating some sketch cards for the show. I may be able to draw some more at the show, but wanted to have some done in advance. I’ll be making a series of posts today to show off some of the ones I’ve already made. Hope to see some of you at the convention!
BB-8
Raleigh Comic Book Show Sunday, 12/27/2015
I’ve been invited once again to appear as a guest artist at the Raleigh Comic Book Show. Lyn Anderson is a long-time friend and always puts on a good show. There are also a bunch of friendly dealers with a wide variety of comic books and collectibles. There are usually some good guests too, so hopefully I don’t mess that up too much! 🙂
I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and making some new ones. I’ll also be bringing some freebies and perhaps some original art for sale, and I hope to gain some new followers to the blog and my Facebook page. If you’re a fan of anything you’ve seen from me, please come by and say hello!
For those who cannot attend, I’ll be blogging after the experience next Sunday to let you know what you missed. I hope to see lots of ‘Sects fans there!
Sketches from Raleigh Comic-Con
For the Raleigh Comic-Con, I created the following 11×4.25 in. flyer design on a 67-lb cardstock paper to promote my blog and the From Where I Sit series:
I left a small area to the right of the flyer blank so that I could do quick-sketches at the convention. Everything was done with colored pencils (and a regular pencil too). Below is a categorized display of all the sketches I was able to finish today…
Emblems:
Weapons:
Character Heads:
Poncho Patrol Characters:
View From Where I Sat at the Show:
Raleigh Comic-Con Epilogue
Here I am (was) near the start of the convention this morning:
Now I can say “been there, done that” and I survived to tell the tale. As I unwind from a long day I am trying to collect my thoughts. There is a lot of stuff to blog about, and rest assured I will be blogging… for now, though, a brief summary of the experience.
I was late. I wonder what is worse… being late to your first professional appearance? or the fact that nobody really seemed to notice? If I were not an unknown, it would be worse that nobody noticed… but since I am a new kid in town, it probably helped cover my lateness. Truth be told it was only 15 minutes after the convention had started, but since I had intended to be there early it felt worse to me.
I was seated next to two friendly and talented professional artists:
I felt like I was in a live-action version of “one of these things is not like the other…” next to those two guys. They were both friendly, and I felt welcomed even as I felt a bit in over my head. I got to talk about my blog and my daily comic strip and random other things. I also was able to draw a lot of quick-sketches during the show. I will post scans of these at some point when I have the chance to process them.
On the way home, I made a trip to Edward McKay Used Books and More and dropped off my remaining copies of a promotional flyer I had designed to promote this blog. If you’ve found me from one of those flyers, please let me know so I can thank them for helping me distribute them.
All-in-all it was a learning experience and one well worth having. Thank you again to Lyn Anderson for running a nice show and for inviting me to be a guest today!
Last, but not least, I was inspired to create a companion piece to Friday’s one-shot bonus From Where I Sit episode. So I guess that makes them now collectively a two-shot? Or perhaps I was fouled on the play and this is the one from the charity stripe?
i.e. Sequential... Journal... Visual... 
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