Chicago Comic Con 2009 Report

Hello! Sorry for the late update but it takes me quite a while to get back into work mode and I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to talk about my first comic book convention appearance. I thought I'd share the When I Was Little... side of the Comic Con where as I'll post (hopefully soon) a more detailed NERDY version with more pics and more sketches on my sketch blog.

I was a bit nervous...who am I kidding...a LOT nervous right from the start but by the end of Day One I was feeling a bit more confident. It helps having a support team there and that was my incredibly wonderful girlfriend and my awesome older brother who would check up on me once in awhile. I can't thank them enough for watching my table, getting me lunch, picking up TPBs, and just being there to support me and my art.

According to my table mates and friends from Comic Related, I had a really good first show. Nic and I created a "submissions" box for the new book where anyone could submit a favorite childhood memory and if they did I would draw them a sketch of whatever they wanted. I didn't expect to get any submissions but I was amazed at how many people loved the idea and wanted to participate.

I didn't know how well I would fare in a big guns and sexy woman type of comic crowd but I was surprised at the amount of families that showed up. I got a lot of moms and dads stopping at my table with their kids telling me how great the idea was. It was good feeling especially going in with the mindset that I was an underdog and crazy to think that I could sell children's books at a comic book convention. But thats what was so great about the crowd and being on the other side of the table. I was able to see how well my idea could fit not only in a children's market but a market for art lovers and independent artists. I expected other artists to walk around and dis my stuff but everyone was helping everyone out. When people would stop to look at my neighbor's art they would quickly mention my stuff and sort of pass the on-lookers over to me. I thought that was just so cool. It wasn't about who could sell the most or who's stuff was better it was artist appreciation and respect for their work.

By the end of the convention I had made a lot of new friends and did what I set out to do. Get my name out there. The response to the books was amazing and I didn't expect to get the amount of submissions that I did. I've gone through them and it's safe to say that I can officially start working on When You Were Little.

I'll keep you posted on its progress and let you know of it's release.