Just got the word that this weekend's Boston Comic Con has been postponed until some time later this year due to the bombing craziness.
It will be interesting to see how and when the show is rescheduled but I guess it is for the best.
Now I just have to figger out how to get the pre-con commissions I did into the hands of my Boston buyers d'oh

Okay, all went smoothly for my first con of the year. Megacon was a great show but now that I am home it's time to reset the convention countdown clock and gear up for April. I have two shows back to back in April so things are bound to get tricky. I'll be attending Boston Comic Con (April 20-21) and then C2E2 (April 26-28) the following weekend...sheesh. I've got a pre-con sketch list going for both shows. So as usual if you want to set up a commish to be picked up at either show, drop me a line asap.

I just realized that Megacon in Orlando is less than a month away (March 15-17) so I figgered I'd pass along the head's up that I have a pre-con sketch list going for those of you that might be wanting to pick something up from me at the con. As usual I will be drawing the whole weekend while I am there, but it always a good to get some of the requests done at home before the craziness of the con. Sooo, if you want to set something up, drop me an email for details. I'm doing stuff like these...busts, figures, variant covers, 1887 themed pieces etc. thanks.

My buddy comic artist Jim Lawson just launched a graphic novel project called DRAGONFLY which looks pretty cool.
I know that there are a lot of Ninja Turtles fans out there, and it sure would be nice if you used your combined clout to support a project that may not be Turtles, but is created by somebody that gave you a zillion Turtle stories over the years.  Check it out here and be sure to spread the word, Gracias.
[link]

I recently saw the Alex Ross art exhibit at the Norman Rockwell museum. I am a fan of his art and thought that I would pass along this video that was shown at the show for those of you who might not be making the trip to Massachusetts to see it
[link]

I get commission requests throughout the year and once con season starts it definitely shifts into high gear
I officially start a sketch list for each con I attend about a month before the show, but if you know you are going to a con I am attending, feel free to contact me earlier.
Here's the con list in progress. I will probably add some others as I go, time permiting.

MEGACON ORLANDO               MARCH 15-17
BOSTON COMIC CON               APRIL 20-21
C2E2 CHICAGO                       APRIL 26-28
HEROES CON                          JUNE 7-9
SAN DIEGO                            JULY 18-21
BALTIMORE COMIC CON            SEPT.7-8
NEW YORK COMIC CON            HOPEFULLY

So, what are your favorite cons that are not on the list?

Here's hoping that 2013 is a great one for one and all. I don't know about you, but this time of year I think a lot about what I should be aiming for in the coming months because one small change or addition could make all the difference.
Okay 2013, let's do this!

Even as a full time working artist, I am still fascinated by watching how other artists draw. Maybe because I know how difficult it is, there is nothing more impressive to me than seeing somebody who has really strong skills and makes it all look easy  I never had classic drawing training so I've been doing my best to fill in the gaps on my own via stuff like the Andrew Loomis books for years.
If you are looking for really strong drawing foundation info, you owe it to yourself to check out Stan Prokopenko's online drawing videos. He puts them out pretty regularly and they are fun and super clear to follow. You can even buy dvds with more involved content directly from his site. I don't know Stan, and I am not getting a kick back here I am just passing along a great resource that I know a lot of your will love!
Check out the vids here and I am sure you will be hooked!  [link]

Yeah, I'm fascinated by Kickstarter...the comics, the books...even the strange gadgets The whole idea of do-it yourself production really appeals to me. Some of my artist pals have done projects or are planning to do some through there and I am determined to test the waters myself at some point in the new year. If you have any ideas of what you like or hate to see in Kickstarter projects, videos or incentives, let me know. Plus if you've done a project let me know how it went for you, I'm all ears.

Something that I find interesting on DA (and online in general I guess) is the huge difference in numbers between viewers and commenters. I know some artists that gave up on their blogs because after a while they were wondering if anyone was out there!
Something can get literally thousands of people looking at, hundreds saving it, and maybe one or two viewers comment. I don't know much about Marketing, so I wonder if those kinds of percentages are considered acceptable in the 'real' world as well as the digital one somehow. Discuss.
One of the reasons why I focus more on DA than I do on my blog is that DA gives easy to read, real time hard number info on every post. So even if I don't always hear about it directly, I can can see that "X" number of people have looked at a post and saved it or whatever.
Another fascinating thing about this info to me is that while on the surface it may seem that some big name artists get a ton of comments (and they do!), the percentages are pretty much the same across the board...lots of lookers, not a lot of "act-ers", like I said, interesting.

In the comic world, if you draw a lot of girls, it's easy to get lumped in with cookie cutter 'bad girl' artists which is not really my thing. I am very grateful that my work seems to be very 'girl friendly' (and girlfriend-friendly!). I hear a lot of nice things from female comic fans at cons and it always makes me feel like I'm on the right track. I also hear a lot of, "My wife really liked the picture you drew for me and she hates comics" type stories

I survived NYCC...whew!
NY and San Diego are the most grueling cons to do and this year I think that it would be safe to say that artist alley in NYCC was even more hectic than San Diego. Since we were in a separate room from the rest of the con, a LOT of artists were very concerned at first but the crowd was constant for all 4 days and I for one liked our new big, bright, high ceilinged digs!
New York was my last scheduled show for 2012, sigh. It's been a long con tour for me this year but I can already tell that I'll be chomping at the bit to get back out there in the Spring. Now if somebody would just start a con in the dead of winter some place warm so we could all warm up for a weekend at least, I'll sign up for sure.

I'm heading into the home stretch, NYCC (Oct. 11-14) is my last planned con appearance for 2012 and I am sure it will be crazy as usual. This NY con started off big and has only gotten bigger and more intense with each passing year. You can find me at artist alley booth # S6. I'll be there drawing all weekend as usual. Depending on when you are reading this it may not be too late to squeeze in a couple more pre-con commissions if anybody is interested.

Epic fail here. I usually snap away while I am at cons. I take pics of the town, the cool costumes and the some of the sketches I do at the show. This time in Baltimore, I think what happened was that I switched my camera setting when I was shooting at night and then forgot to switch it back when I was shooting inside....welcome to blurry town...ugh!

I'll be at the Baltimore comic con this weekend. You can find me a table A51. Once again I seem to be against the wall and not in the main artist alley section even though I got my paperwork early and specifically asked to be in the thick of things....hopefully folks will find me anyhoo.

Whew, back from Fan Expo. I hadn't been to this con in a few years so it was interesting to see the changes. Overall it seemed much more crowded but ironically I was less busy than at any con I've been to in ages. I am normally drawing every waking minute at cons, but at this one I only did a couple of drawings and then just kept myself busy doing drawings for my next con...Baltimore. It really made me wonder, what was up and where the usual art buyers were hiding Toronto is still a cool city to visit though.

I'll be attending Fan Expo in Tortonto Canada Aug.23-26 [link]
. I haven't been to the con since 2009 so I am eager to get back since I always had a good time there. You'll be able to find me in Artist Alley at A236. I'll be drawing and chatting the whole time so swing on by and say hey

I just wanted to let folks know that I have a pre-con list going for commissions to be picked up at Fan Expo at the end of August as well as Baltimore in Sept.
Since there is only about two weeks between Fan Expo and Baltimore Comic Con, I thought that I would put the word out now for folks interested in setting up pre-con commissions for either con to give me some time to get things done. You wouldn't believe how many emails I get just before I leave home for a con...which kind of misses the point of the "pre" in pre-con commissions
As usual I will be drawing the whole time at the cons, but for those of you that like to be sure of getting something, this is the easiest way. Take a look at the pic below , these are the types of pre-con commissions available. Just click on the "EMAIL ME" link on my blog [link] to get the ball rolling.

It takes me a while to recover from San Diego but it was another fun, busy, jam packed con. Thanks to all of the kind folks that visited me in artist alley...and what the heck, thanks to all of you also who decided to stay home and not go to that crazy madhouse of a con...it's hard enough to walk around in there as it is
I saw a bunch of my regular con buddies, passed Felicia Day on the escalator, saw the cast of Fringe and Bones (whoa, Dr. Brennan looks amazing in person, sheesh). I even had a few artists that I admire stop by to say they liked my stuff (and even buy some) which is always a thrill.
Now, back to work.

The grand poo-bah of comic shows is coming up fast. I'll be manning my artist alley table the whole time, since it's too crowded to walk around the con anyhoo! I'll be at DD-22. I've had the same comic-con 'neighbors' for the past couple of years which makes it extra homey. I'll be chatting and drawing and selling my stuff, so come on by.