C2E2 & Pittsburgh Con Recaps

So much has been happening recently it's hard to keep it all straight!

I just got back from the Pittsburgh Comic Con and before that I was in Chicago with Enrica Jang from Red Stylo Media. Now that I'm home, I hardly have time to catch my breath before packing my stuff back up again and setting up for the Gloucester City Art Festival.

First things first - C2E2 was incredible! 

I had no idea how overwhelmingly massive this convention center was until we got there. (Apparently, McCormick Place is the largest convention center in the country. Who knew?) It was easily as large as NYCC, but mercifully less claustrophobic and less smelly.

I was sharing an Artist's Alley booth with Enrica Jang from Red Stylo Media. She's the editor for the Shakespeare Shaken Anthology I've been working on and was personally responsible for getting me involved.

I really cannot say enough good things about her. She's whip smart, energetic, and a joy to work with. She also said that if anyone tried to hurt me, she'd stomp their hands apart, so yeah, I'm pretty much in love.


New Shakespeare Shaken information: The release date is August 15th!
I'll post links here (and everywhere else) as soon as it's available for purchase.

Despite the fact that our booth was situated as far away from the entrance as it was possible to be, we got plenty of foot traffic all throughout the weekend! We were situated immediately behind comic legend George Perez and vaguely adjacent to sometimes actor Shia LaBeouf, which helped keep a steady stream of new faces coming our way.

This was my first time in Chicago and the windy city did not disappoint. I ate some of the most delicious food I've ever had in my life, made a ton of new friends, and got to spend some time hanging out with old ones!

I hung out with the talented Sara Richards and I can confirm that she is exactly as awesome as you think she is. Possibly more so. She's silly and fascinating and I really hope to run into her at another convention sometime soon.

(This was the view from
the hotel window!) ---->

I also got to meet the minds behind the Kind of Epic Show podcast. David, Gabe and Ian are the kind of people I wish I met everyday. There's a kindness about them that radiates outward and they're the perfect blend of silly and amiable that makes them fun to be around. If they didn't live in the middle of the country, I'd hang out with them all the time.

Just when I thought the visit was pretty much over, we met longtime Spiderman artist Alex Saviuk in the airport shuttle. He was super friendly and offered all sorts of advice for an artist trying to break into the industry.

  

Then off to Pittsburgh!

The Pittsburgh Comic Con is an annual favorite of mine. I don't know what it is about the place, but every time I go there, I meet the most amazing people. This year was no exception!

I met long time comic book veteran Mike Grell at a drink and draw event and proceeded to chat with him for hours! If you ever have the opportunity to meet him- do it. He's funny and tells the most amazing stories.

I stopped by the booth for Bad Place Productions and had a really promising discussion with one of their creators, Paul Schultz. So, fingers crossed, I hope to be hearing from them again soon. I also talked to the crew at Hound Comics, and I may end up doing a pinup illustration for them in the near future. I'll post any developments here as they happen.

And perhaps most excitingly, I picked up a copy of the Eisner nominated comic Princeless from Action Lab. I was hooked on the story after reading the 8-page preview in Feedback Magazine (it starts on page 20). It's about a princess who's been locked in a tower waiting for a prince to come slay the dragon that guards her and rescue her from imprisonment... only she decides that's stupid and teams up with the dragon to save herself and her equally trapped sisters. It's extremely well written and a joy to experience. Seriously, go pick it up for yourself.

As usual, my first day at the Pittsburgh Con was spent shopping my portfolio around. After that I booth-babed for Stormwatch Comics, and sold my prints on a section of the table that Bob was kind enough to let me use. 

I'd been working my fingers to the bone on a Poison Ivy costume that was unveiled for the first time at this convention. I sewed every leaf onto the body suit by hand. One leaf at a time. Because I'm some kind of creative masochist. 

At the 70% completion mark, I was completely sick of greenery and cursing myself for ever thinking this was a good idea, but I'm nothing if not stubborn and I saw it through to the end. I worked right up to the deadline too. The drive from Jersey to Pittsburgh is 5 hours, and I sat in the van sewing for every minute of it. I wasn't done until 1 AM on the night before it's maiden voyage. 

The struggle I went through made the finished product all the sweeter though and I'm REALLY proud of how this costume turned out.

Upcoming Events:
This weekend is the 4th Annual Gloucester City Arts & Music Festival! I've participated every year they've had it and I'm not stopping now. I'll be in Proprietor's Park in Gloucester City, NJ from 11AM to 5PM. It's all happening on Saturday, April 28th. There'll be local bands and tons of artists. Come check it out if you're in the area!