The Word on the Street (and Under the Street)

So here it is; the last of the three shows I've been doing from late August until now!

The Word on the Street is a huge Canada-wide festival celebrating reading and all forms of the written word. It's only natural that Vancouver would be a part of that fun. ;-)

It usually happens on the last Sunday of September (which in this case is the 25th...and it's creeping up ever so closely) but this year it's been expanded to include some events on the Friday (September 23) and Saturday (September 24).

The main festival itself will still take place in and around Library Square and the CBC Plaza right downtown in Vancouver, British Columbia on Sunday, September 25. It runs from 11 AM until 5 PM and, perhaps one of the best parts of all, it's totally free!

I'll be there on Sunday as part of Word Under the Street, the marketplace and exhibitors devoted to independent and alternative comics and zines. This will be located inside the library, downstairs in the Alice MacKay room. Not only will I have all my goods in tow (portfolio, mini comics, greeting cards, original sketch cards, bookmarks, prints and some buttons! Everyone loves buttons! Hooray!), I'll also be taking part in the Comic Critique sessions. If you have any unpublished comics that you would like some feedback on, bring them over and you'll have an awesome oppurtunity to have professional creators and artists look at them and give you plenty of advice and input. For more information on the Comic Critiques along with all the other things going on Under the Street, look here.

Of course, there's plenty more things going on outside the library (and trust me, that's an understatement). There will be hundreds of vendors, exhibitors, readings (from authors, poets and storytellers), panel discussions of all topics under the literary sun, publishers, live performers...and that's just immediately off the top of my head!

For more information on Word on the Street and all the events and programs involved, check out the main festival site (specifically the Vancouver branch) here.

I checked this out last year as an atendee and there was so much to explore and take in. I absolutely enjoyed every moment of it and I can't wait to step over to the other side of the table. ;-)

See you guys there! :-)

An Embarrassingly Belated Follow-Up on Vancouver Comicon

Yeah. If there was a title that stated the obvious, it would definitely be this one. I would have posted this earlier but random colds are a total snot to deal with.

Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I just want to thank everyone who came down to the Vancouver Comicon last Sunday...even during the crazy hot weather that fell on that day! Though strangely enough, the Hertiage Hall didn't feel as balmy as it did during Comix and Stories. Maybe it's because the artist/creator tables were placed under the ceiling fans.

Anyways, I also wanna extend a huge thanks to everyone who stopped by my table that day. Whether you gave my work a glimpse, took a business card or flyer, chatted with me or bought something, every little bit is greatly appreciated and it makes my days at the cons all the more memorable. You people are awesome.

Speaking of awesome things; over the last few Vancouver Comicons I've been to, I've noticed a small rise in cosplayers. There was a movie-verse Wolverine, a girl in a Supergirl costume and a pair of steampunk girls (of all the days I choose to break out my badass goggles!). I totally approve of this trend. Keep 'em coming, Vancouver.

A shout out goes to Frank who asked me to draw a sketch in the vein of my "Do It Yourself, Dammit" piece. Luckily, I took a picture of it just before I gave it to him...but I still have to upload it onto my Photobucket.

Overall, another fun con experience. I still find it hard to believe I've done this many in such a relatively short frame of time (a year could be considered short, right?).

Two down, one more to go! And trust me, this one's gonna be a pretty freaking massive one...and different from anything I've done before!

You're intrigued, no? ;-)

Con #2: Vancouver Comicon, September Edition

Here's the second of three conventions I'm doing this late August/September.

Once again, I'll be doing another appearance at the September edition of the Vancouver Comicon this Sunday (September 11) at the Heritage Hall in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The show runs from 11 AM until 5 PM and admission is $4 person but you admission is free for kids under 14 or if you have a new or gently used grade school appropriate graphic novel to donate. Those books will go towards Vancouver public schools.

I'll have my usual goods in tow (prints, greeting cards, mini comics, original sketch cards etc.) as well as some brand spanking new material such as my cyber gothed out bookmarks and, if I'm lucky, some buttons! Yup. I'm the proud new owner of a DIY button making press. I can't wait to help further the button addiction epidemic (for which I pray there will never be a cure). Plus, I'll also have my portfolio filled with all my original art work, comic pages, concept art and character designs for you all to browse through. Perhaps even a sketch card or two will be drawn on site.

So come on down, check out the comic-y goodness (perhaps you may even win one of the hourly door prizes!) and don't hesitate to give me a shout. I'll be sure to remember my industrial sized water bottle this time! :-P

For more info on the convention itself and all the creators and guests involved, you can check out the main convention site or direct your gaze to the spiffy flyer just below all this text.

Hope to see you there! :-)

Attack of the Bookmarked Cyber Goths

WHOO! I'm on a roll tonight! :-P

Anyway, you ever have certain characters that you just love to revisit every couple years?

Yeah. Clearly this cartoony cyber goth gang fits that bill for me.

Here's their last iteration (in 2008!):



Blast from the past, yes?

I actually had a majority of the pencils completed last summer with the intention of making bookmarks. This year, I returned to them, did a few revisions and tweaks and colored them in.

I'm gonna be selling these bookmarks for $1 a piece at the Vancouver Comicon this Sunday (September 11) at the Heritage Hall in Vancouver, British Columbia. More info will come in the next post.

There may be a new addition or two this gang. Stay tuned. ;-)

Art Trade: The Nurse Will Take You...

Okay. I promise this will be the last thing bloody and nurse related I'll post for a good while. Really! :-P

Anyways, this is my embarrassingly late half of the art trade I have going on with CureMyBlackendHeart (on DeviantART) who wanted me to draw a nurse from the "Silent Hill" games.

I will admit, my only real knowledge of the "Silent Hill" games comes from watching my older brother play the first game when I was a young 'un and the copious amounts of fan art and cosplays of characters like Pyramid Head and, of course, these fabulously creepy nurses.

After completing this drawing, I'm really starting to wish I played the games before. ;-)

When looking for reference pictures, I didn't realize there was more than one character model/design for the nurses so I tried combining a bit of the Bobblehead Nurse with the classic designs. For any big "Silent Hill" fan (and CureMyBlackendHeart), I apologize for any inaccuracies in the detailing.

On a technical note, I'm so happy with the skin (especially the veins if you squint hard enough).

Hope she likes it!