A couple weeks ago I went to the Denver Comic Con and here is my report:
1) I did ELEVEN commissions. I love doing these at shows because:
A - I always end up drawing something, or being exposed to something I never really new that much about (i.e Modok?!)
B - I love seeing people's faces when they see their commission.
C - It's a great way to make some extra cash at the show.
Here they are:
Hellboy Mech
MewTwo Mech
Hyper Light Drifter
Gordon Freeman
Kraven the Hunter
Invincible
Nightwing Mech
Howl and Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle
The Roll Out Rangers
Modok
C'Thulhu Mech
2) I made about 20% less money at this show than the last time I went to Denver and I think it's because:
A - I went from selling $30 prints to small $20 prints
B - I had only one table instead of two. It seems like having two tables demands more attention and invites people to inspect your wares. Plus it displays your artwork a lot better. I have a friend that calls it the gauntlet. As people are walking by they see image after image, and if it's just one table they can easily get their attention pulled away by the next table. But two tables has a way of sucking them in by the time they get to the end of it and they have to stop and take a look.
C - Con-fatigue. I talked to a lot of other exhibitors and they said their numbers were down too. I think maybe the good people of Denver are spending less money on things they might not need, or their money is being spent somewhere else at the show. I don't know. Just a theory.
3) Recommended books
I went to an after-party for the book awards that the Denver Comic Con gave out. At the party I met a bunch of Librarians who were flown in to be judges for the award. So I asked them for book recommendations for summer reading. Here's what they said I should read:
The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World - This was the one that sounded the most interesting to me!
-Jake