SixGunslinger

Alright friends I'm back from Florida Supercon 2013! I have to say it was a success!!! Thank goodness. I was really REALLY worried about attending my first "big" convention and showing my face in Artist Alley. The 4 day convention really tested me. First of all to even have the funds to afford the table I had to take on several big commissions. I managed to collect all the payments up front and I used that plus some savings to reserve a table for the event. I have to say I had a lot riding on this. It was one of those situations where honestly if I didn't do well at the convention I would not have had money for food, rent, bills, etc. So I went there with a warrior mentality that I was going to take any and all commissions that come my way. I brought all my tools, ink, pens, brushes, pencils, markers of all kinds, charcoal (just in case), toned paper, bristol, big and small sizes, basically if I could draw on it I brought it... I even had a white wallet for sale that I could draw custom art on. So once I was there I found my way to the 2nd floor and set up my display which consisted of prints on short metal wire walls on the table and some large prints suspended from the tablecloth hanging across the front like a banner. Not much, nothing fancy. The first day started off really really sloooow for me. That early portion of the day had maybe 10 or so people actually come past my table and glance over at my work at all. Worry began to creep up my neck after the first hour of this slow torture. Then suddenly, a young woman appeared and requested a drawing to which I promptly agreed. Now busy on my first (and possibly my only commission) I did my best to draw something that would she would love... and it worked. She lit up when she saw the piece and became somewhat emotional too (the drawing was of Wonder Woman) and I believe it was for a friend who was having a very difficult time in life and this kind lady was bringing it to her. After she left I felt renewed and I held on to the fact that I may have helped someone feel a bit better, not just given them a cool piece of art. And that means a lot to me. Over the next few hours the commission waves started assaulting the shore, one after the other after the other! I was a machine. It wasn't until a woman requested to purchase one of my originals that I even looked up from my paper for a few seconds. My Wolverine had caught her eye and she purchased it right on the spot. And with that single purchase along with the commissions from that day, I had earned enough money to pay off all the financial things I had listed at the start! It was a very good feeling indeed. Hard to put into words. Just a very good feeling of "I was right, I can do this" as cheesy as that sounds. Doubt and I know each other all too well lol. Anyway, day two and three were just all a blur of commissions for me. I took some pictures and posted them here of those pieces. I made a bunch of sketches to do those two days in particular and on the 4th day I wrapped up the Deadpool drawing. The guy who commissioned the Mohawk Storm is actually the same guy who commissioned the Deadpool one with all the bullets, he was really a cool guy. Well I don't want to drag this on too long but, I wanted to share some of this victory with you all since, honestly, you all have been fighting this battle with me. Your comments, advice, criticism, support and views in general (that really does motivate me sometimes lol) really do help me keep pushing myself to get better and keep heading towards my goals. Really couldn't do it without you all. So... thank you, friends.

Alright so, I've got 3 more conventions lined up so far. The biggest one is Supercon in Miami, Fl. www.floridasupercon.com/comic-… check that link out, I'm actually listed on their towards the bottom. Anyway... things are going pretty well. I've met a ton of awesome people and even made a few fans. I'm sorry I haven't updated my dA page in awhile but, I have been using my time better I think. I mostly just draw and work and sleep. I've also managed to meet a whole bunch of stellar artists since I've been doing more conventions. I even met some legends like Darwyn Cooke, Ethan Van Sciver, Adam Hughes, Eric Basaldua, J. Scott Campbell, Mark Morales, Jimmy Palmiotti and the list goes on and on. And the reason I mention those guys is at every encounter I had with them I asked them to impart as much knowledge to me about my art and tips to make myself better as they could spare... and man did they help me out. I found them all to be very kind and honest without being mean or just critical for the sake of being critical. I also found a lot of weak points because they pointed them out to me about my artwork and so... I've added them to the list of things to improve. I just wanted to give you a quick update on how things are going for me, thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings, I really do appreciate it. I hope all is well with you, friend. Take care... and go doodle something.

Alright, sorry I'm a bit behind with this journal entry but, the Orlando Toy and Comic Convention was a big success for me! I had sooooo much fun and got to meet some of the coolest fans out there. My day started at about 9am when I arrived and got set up at the hotel convention space. It was a slow start, I didn't really get busy until about 12p or so. I basically just sat there looking around at all the people and doodling a Ghost Rider in my sketch book to keep me warmed up. But, one brave soul ventured over to my little unassuming table and then the flood began. I was situated between two VERY talented digital artists and they were really drawing a crowd (their booth space was better laid out than mine honestly) and I think one of the reasons I got any people to come to my table at all is that I was actually drawing things live on the spot and neither of the two people next to me were. I think maybe I'll put up a sign or something next year that says I do live artwork... but, people are SO observant that all I had to do was keep doodling in my sketch book and person after person kept coming up. I even had the privilege to give a quick tutoring lesson to 3 different kids from ages 6 up to about 10 (2 boys and a girl) at different times throughout the day. I had a blast doing that... I tell ya, those kids listened to me like I was Jack Kirby or something and they caught on SO fast. I really got a lot out of helping them in my own small way. Anyway, after about 1pm I didn't have a break from drawing. I drew NON STOP the entire time. And I gotta tell ya, it's tough. I have only done 1 other convention before this and I didn't have any "fans" before but, this time I had people actually come BACK to me from last year which was overwhelming and very gratifying. I learned a lot though from trying to draw characters I've never tried before much. I had a hard time at first taking an idea and breaking it apart into something I could make in about 10-15mins but, after awhile I got really comfortable with it and things just went smoothly. I found myself forgetting how bad my hand hurt lol. It was a really good time and I can not wait until I find another convention to get into. Thanks for reading!

Alright so tomorrow is the first comic convention of the year for me! It's only my second convention ever so wish me luck? I am really excited to get some more exposure and at the same time I'm really afraid about being right there on the spot making art. The convention last year went really well for me and I learned a TON and got to meet some great people who are fanatics for comics and the like soooo I have high hopes it'll be another great event. Anyway, take care and I'll be posting new stuff soon!

In a few week's I'll be kicking off my most busy (and hopefully most successful) year of chasing down this comic book artist dream of mine... and if you'll be in the Orlando, Fl. area I would loooove for you to come by and say, "hey"! Here's the link to the info. It's a small con and it's run by a local guy who's really cool so I expect this event to be even more awesome than it was last year. There should also be some big name talent from Marvel/DC Comics in attendance as well. Here's the info mikescomicsandcollectibles.com… I hope to see you there!!!