GenCon was last weekend and I’m finally in the last throws of the cold I caught in Indianapolis. Overall it was a fun time, good to see old friends and make new ones. From the top we have me sitting at my table (exciting, yes?), my neighbor and all around good guy (yet slightly disturbed as we see in this photo) Joe Slucher, some cool knight costumes, Boba Fett and his single stormtrooper friend, an L5R playmat that I contributed to (mine’s the one on the far left), and the look down from the 17th floor of the Embassy Suites my wife and I stayed at.

I think most artists who attend and are wanting to work in the RPG industry are happy if they make their table fee back and maybe a little more. There are also other artists there selling various non-fantasy/sci-fi type art. All in all a diverse and fun group of creative individuals. It was nice to see people in person I’ve worked with and also talk to some I hope to work with in the future. I came close to making my table fee back and only time will tell if more illustration work will come my way. So, to recap, overall a fun time, though I could’ve done without the cold.

Next stop is the Cincinnati Comic Expo on September 18th. It’s is the first year for this particular show. The organizers are doing a great job getting the word out so hopefully it will be a great turnout for a first year show. Check out the to the right to see what it’s all about and if you’re close enough to get there, then get there!

Here’s the pile of stuff in my office, ready to be put into the car on Wednesday for the haul one state over to the city of Indianapolis and the giant show called GenCon. Hoping for a nice large amount of sales. My wife and I aren’t splitting the room with anyone so it’s a pricy trip, but I’m not really the share a room kind of guy. Well, with anyone other than my wife. I’m getting really stoked to see old friends and make some new ones. If you’ve never been to a big convention, it’s a pretty cool atmosphere. And if you’re going to be there stop by the art show and say hello.

Last weekend I had a booth at the art show at the Origins Game Fair. Had a pretty good time hanging with many fellow artists. The show was a little lighter in attendance I think, and kinks were being worked out as we had a new art show director, but it ended up being my best con appearance yet. From top to bottom, left to right: there’s me setting up, my booth and table fully set up, a quick watercolor sketch of general Star Warsiness, Kyle with a couple L5R cards he wanted signed which I did the art for(first time that’s happened to me and I must say a very awesome feeling), Morgan who’s bought some prints from me before snagged the original acrylic painting I did for the Origins program, and Jennifer who snagged the first of five limited edition prints of “She Came to Play”.

I want to thank everyone who stopped by, everyone who helped make the show happen, all my artist friends new and old, and all the people who liked my work enough to take some home with them. I am truly grateful.

My wife and I went backpacking over the past week. What was supposed to be 3 days and 2 nights, and hike of about 6 miles a day, quickly got changed. We were told the trail was good for beginners but the first part was a bit challenging. Well, the first part was more than a bit challenging. Though we could’ve kept on keeping on if it wasn’t for the mosquitoes. Our timing was not good with rain over the past few weeks, and temperatures in the mid to upper 80s as we arrived, it was perfect mosquito time. I think it’s that time of year anyway, but there was a good amount of mud and a few marshy areas. Once we passed the first marsh spot it was like we crossed into the filming of some B movie titled “Killer Mosquitoes”. As we woke the second day, and the mosquitoes weren’t letting up(even with massive amounts of OFF), we decided to call it off and chalk it up to a learning experience. We had a decent time with all things considered, but we’ll certainly research the bug populations and trends before our next trip. And yes, I’ll pack in such a way not to have so many things hanging off my pack like an idiot:)

Last weekend was the Small Press and Alternative Comics Expo here in Columbus Ohio. It was a pretty good time for my first comic convention. I met a lot of other creators who were all very nice and talented and far too numerous to list here. Sales were OK, I made the money for the table back, not taking into consideration what the printing costs were. That just means I’ll have books to sell at Origins and GenCon this summer. Attendance was decent on the first day, but the second day seemed to be mostly other exhibitors walking around checking everybody out. Who knows if it was the economy, the new location this year, or the weather. I didn’t take many pictures. The one above was right after I finished setting up my table and the doors hadn’t opened to the public yet. Mike Kitchen was one of my neighbors and is shuffling through some of his Spy Guy books.