Holiday Card 2010

Ever since 2006 I've been designing my own cards. What I usually do is draw a Christmas image and find a quote that best represented the image I had in my head. Last year, I designed a card based on my books. As it turned out great and quite humorous, I felt it didn't quite have a Christmas spirit about it as the cards done previously. So I wanted to get back to what I originally did. I had two ideas in mind but at first only thought to do one depending on which quote was the strongest. Luckily I had my wonderful girlfriend find me two great quotes that I was inspired to get both ideas done this year. So some of you will get this:




And the others will get this: http://justincastaneda.blogspot.com/2010/12/holiday-card-2010.html

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! We'll see you in 2011!

Human Centipede Exclusive Print @ Atlanta Comic-Con

If you're heading down to Atlanta Comic Con this weekend stop by and visit table 1105. Drew Blank, writer of Memoirs of an Anti-Hero hit me up with a print based off the disturbingly bizarre horror film, The Human Centipede in honor of the film's stars attending the weekend's convention.

This was such fun to work on! Click for more info on this limited print exclusive to Atlanta Comic-Con:


Human Centipede Print by ~happyfestivus on deviantART

Links:
Drew Blank - Memoirs of an Anti-Hero: http://www.drewblank.com/shop.html
Atlanta Comic-Con 2010: http://www.wizardworld.com/home-atlanta.html

Mid Ohio Con 2010

Mid Ohio Con marks the end of my convention run for the year. Wow, I thought I had a good show last weekend, MOC was just great fun all around and a terrific way to wrap up the year.

This year's show marked the 30th Anniversary of Mid Ohio Con and they really made it worthwhile for the artists. There weren't a lot of Media Guests and dealer shops but a big focus on artists, writers, independents, and comic superstars.

Saturday was a huge success. I probably ended up leaving my table once or twice to go to the bathroom and the rest of the time I was glued to my seat responding to sketch requests.

I think by the end of the day I did about 25+ sketches with another 10 carrying over into Sunday. It flew by so fast! I think posting some of the unique character sketches (at least to me) on the blog, I gotten a lot more of those requests from people at the shows.



I've also noticed that whoever I make my sketch sign of for the weekend, that is usually the most requested character. Hence the army of Iron Men:




Big win for the Pixar prints I framed as within the first two hours, [I think, I have no concept of time, the day was a huge blur of amazing-tude] I was able to sell it.

I seriously thought I'd be taking it home after Sunday.

The only thing that stunk about the show which isn't a real huge complaint, was that I missed 75 percent of the artists/creators who were there. Nic was a real trooper scouting the tables for me and keeping me in the know with what was going on with the show. I was way too focused into drawing to even pick my head up. I tried my very best to meet and greet with all the folks who stopped by the table.

Sunday was nice and light but I was consistently busy. I was able to take some time to meet with some new creators but not really a chance to talk shop. I did get some things signed and met with friends I've made at the show last year.

With the spending spree Nic and I went on last weekend, we decided to put a limit on purchases and instead we focused on getting stuff for other people.

Sunday worked out perfect for me, heck the WHOLE SHOW worked out for me. I am always surprised by the amount of people who dig my work and have a really affection towards the book series. So to all those who got a sketch, prints, or books from me, a big thank you goes out to all.

It was a great time and I hope to do it again, I'll see ya next year. ;-)

Detroit Fanfare 2010

This past weekend I attended the Detroit Fanfare at the Hyatt Regency in Dearborn, Michigan.



The Fanfare was a great con for me and quite a fun one. I think having it take place on Halloween weekend opened up the flood gates for creativity on Detroit Fanfare's part. They had a Zombie Walk, a kid's costume contest, charity events, and a well rounded group of artist and creators.

It was nice to walk around and see an enormous amount of talent everywhere you turned. There weren't any ex-wrestlers, porn stars, or tv stars in attendance at all.


This year I shared a table with the very talented Mike Roll whom I met at SPACE back in July. There I picked up Apooka, his Adorable Zombie book. Check out that and some more great artwork here:

Having Stan Lee as your guest of honor really drew in the crowd and the flow of people was consistent. I did tons of sketches for people and met some great new creators and book dealers who were looking to purchase books for the comic shops.


The movie geek in me couldn't pass up the chance to meet Brian O'Halloran, better known as Dante from Clerks and Clerks II. The guy is real nice and very welcoming of the fan appreciation for the work he's done.

On Halloween there were a lot more people dressed up and even some artists passing out candy for the kids. It was a bit slower that day but I did manage to sell quite a few books and sketch some more unique requests like an Iron Fist and a Thanos. The guy who wanted Thanos actually went and bought a comic for reference. I thought that was real nice of him considering he told me he just dropped 2 and a half Gs on an X-Men #1 for Stan Lee to sign.



And the award for most requested character sketch goes to:



The volunteers at the Fanfare were really accommodating, always coming by with snacks and water for the artist. One of the coolest things was that they gave out one of the Fanfare exclusive comic books that they were selling at the welcoming tables.

Overall it was a nice weekend getaway and even nicer introducing my art and the When I Was Little series to a new audience.

Updates and The Detroit Fanfare!

Hi all,

Sorry for the lack of updates but I've had some busy weeks with welcoming two new additions to the family. My brother just had his second child, a beautiful girl they named Jenevieve Pearl or "Vie, Vie" for short. My cousin also had his first child, a healthy baby boy named Nicholas Apostole. They've taken to calling him "Stole.

With all the hoopla and baby excitement it's been hard to manage the blogs and keep you posted on my where-abouts. So let's get right to it!

A while ago I had mentioned on twitter that I had a few things to share, I was just waiting for information to come my way so I can give you all the proper details.



On Halloween Weekend I am invited to be a part of the inaugural Detroit Fanfare Convention down in Michigan at the Dearborn Hyatt Regency. That is October 30 from 10am-6pm and October 31 from noon-5pm!


I will be at table 85 with the very talented Mike Roll. It should be an exciting time and please click on the link to see more details and buy your tickets.

If you're in the area, come on by and say hi! And for more news....

Mid Ohio Con 2010

This has got to be one of my favorite cons and I will be attending again this year. The Mid Ohio Con goes from Nov.6-7 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in Columbus,OH. I will be at table CC22! I'll be selling my books, a variety of prints, and doing sketches for the weekend. I hope to see you there!!




Click on the banner to find out more!

Recap: 57th St. Children's Book Fair 2010

It was a bit chilly on Sunday but people still came out to attend the 57th St. Children's Book Fair. It was my first time attending so I was a bit nervous on what to expect. I heard someone say it was one of Hyde Park's biggest events and it did show. They had a nice balloon archway to greet you and stage performers and a parade to kick things off.

My brother and his family came down to see me. My niece is super cute and she was dancing to the music they had playing at the festival. Also my coworker came down with one of her friends to see me and they told me how amazing the 57th St. Books was.

As an exhibitor at the event I'd have to say it was a bit underwhelming. The key reason being location, location, and location. The entire event was a stretch along 57th St. and Kimbark Ave. and if you looked at it from above it was kind of a reverse L shape. I was one of the last tables on the end, a bit further from where the main intersection and balloon archway. 57th St. Books being at the central tip obviously drew the most traffic.


Being where my table was, I missed a majority of the people coming in and got a lot of people coming on there way out who have already purchased for the day.

I still made a good chunk of change just a little less than I'm used to. It was a good experience and I was able to talk to some fellow exhibitors and the locals about my books. With the amount of kids that showed up and it being a book fair, I was expecting to connect with the audience instantly. It was not the case, and it seems the comic-con crowd is really where I fit. It doesn't hurt to reach out to a different market. Hopefully with all the business cards and mini one-on-ones I did, I'll see a spike in online orders.


After the fair, Nicole and I checked out that 57th St. Books and it was an impressive book store. There are about five rooms filled wall to wall with books. It was like a cave with each room descending further and further back. If you are ever in the Hyde Park area, you should certainly check out that store. It was hard to walk away and not buy anything. Our post fair dinner was at Giordano's and we ended the night with a trip to Family Video. It was quite the Sunday.

Until the next show!

Special items for 57th St. Book Fair

Hi all!

Just a quick reminder that I will be attending the 57th St. Book Fair this Sunday (please weather, keep the rain away!) and I have some special items that I will be sellin' at the show.

I was informed that the theme for this year's fair is Mystery and Science: What Will You Discover at the 57th Street Book Fair? So I decided to do a special print based on that. I'll be selling these limited exclusive prints for 10 dollars a piece OR free with any book purchase.


57th Street Book Fair Print by ~happyfestivus on deviantART

Also my wonderful girlfriend had the idea to design some bookmarks I can sketch on the back of. So come on down and pick up one of these $2 dollar sketchmarks and you'll get a free doodle done by me!



Once again, here is the link to the fair: http://www.57cbf.org/

The 57th St. Children's Book Fair

Just a reminder:


Click on the poster for more info!

I'll be attending this year!

Buttons!

My good friends over at Mutant Cactus were kind enough to make some When I Was Little themed buttons which I will be debuting at the 57th St. Book Fair this coming September.



And please if you haven't yet, go check out Mutant Cactus, they have some great stuff for sale and even have their own web comic, Blue Collar Invasion!

Thanks MC!

Process: Green Lantern Print

Hello all. It's been a while.

I finished a new print that I'll be having for the Mid-Ohio-Con this November. I've been doing these special When I Was Little limited prints this year for my 2010 con tour. I thought it'd be a cute way to put my own personal spin on well known comic characters and incorporating the idea of my children's book. The response to them have been great.

I have two new ones I want to do for the end of the year which I'll be selling well into my 2011 con tour. One of them is Green Lantern and the other I'm working on is Bat-Girl.

I thought I'd share you my process. I've seen other artist do this and found it interesting to see the layers that go into a finished piece. Here's my take on it.

Whatdya guys think? Click for big!



Starting with top left: rough, inks, flats, shades, highlights, glows, and the Final.

Save the date! On a side note, don't forget I'll be at the 57th St. Book Fair this year on September the 19th. I'll be selling my books and other goodies too (more details to come).

57th Street Book Fair deets

Hello all,

I hope everyone had a good 4th of July! I just came back from vacation yesterday and I'm ready to get into things again. Here are the details on the book fair I will be attending in September.

57th Street Children's Book Fair
Sunday, September 19th
Hyde Park, Chicago
www.57cbf.org

Hope to see you there!

Character Design and updates on books to come.

I've been on an art funk and I'm slowly coming out of it. Did a bit of character designing for a new story idea I've been tinkering with. These designs are for a main character I had in mind, a little girl with a giant treasure chest on her back that she wears like a back pack. Now, this isn't the new book I've been tweeting about. That book is written and I've been doing some art style tests and character designs for that as well. That goes into production July/August and I hope to fish it around some publishers. Wish me luck! Anyhoo here are some concepts I've been playing with:

Here's some concepts for a story in the works...WAY in the works. It's fun to play.




P.S. - New blog header! YAY!

Mid Ohio Con Nov. 6-7 2010

Hello,

Sorry for the lack of updates but my freelance and commission work has kept me occupado, as well as principal concepts and character designs for my new book. (what?! new book!)

And on to even more awesome news, I'll be attending the Mid Ohio Con's Creator's Common again this year. Click on the icon for more info:

Commission List open for June

Hi all,

I'm going to be taking a road trip fourth of July weekend to visit some family and I need some extra cash. I'll be opening up my commission list starting in the month of June.

Here's what I'll be offering:

5 Sketch Cards done with Prisma Markers - $5
5x17 Black & White or Water Color Drawing (one character) - $20
12x12 Water Color Character Bust - $25 (one character)
14X17 Black & White Drawing - $30-35
11x17 - Hi-Res Colored Digital Print sent to your email - $40-50 (price varies on complexity of piece)

Shipping is not included in these prices. I will be accepting payment only thru PayPal. I'll have 15 slots to fill so if you are interested, email me at wheniwaslittle@gmail.com with what you want from the list above and your address you'd like it mailed too (digital prints will be emailed). The sooner I receive payment the sooner I can get it to you.

If you have a special piece in mind that is not listed from the above, email me and we can talk about what you'd like to get done.

I'll keep you posted as to when the list fills up.

FCBD 2010: recap

I wish I had more to post about FCBD but my partner in crime had to work so I wasn't really able to capture any pictures. The main reason was because when I got settled in at Dreamland Comics, I threw this sign up:



The sign really worked and the store got really busy in the afternoon. I was amazed at the number of parents coming in with their kids getting them interested in comics. I met some nice people who really took a liking to my art style and said it was perfect for their kids. All in all it was a fun event. I drew a lot of Supergirls and Wonder Women for the kiddies. I want to send a big thank you out to Laurie and the staff of Dreamland Comics, they were all great! Next year, I'll remember to bust out the camera and snap some photos.

Of course I didn't walk away empty handed:


Funny I picked up mostly the kid comics...go figure. My coworker was kind enough to give me War of The Supermen #0. I spent the other day reading up on the back story and must now collect the entire 2 years worth in hardcovers and trades to catch up. I can't wait! Buuuut I gotta read all these comics first.

If you live in the Schaumburg area, please check out Dreamland Comics.

www.dreamlandcomics.com

1415 West Schaumburg Road
Schaumburg, IL 60194-4051
(847) 524-6060

Free Comic Book Day: Saturday, May 1st!

Hi all! I'll be at Dreamland Comics in Schaumburg doing a signing and free sketches from 12pm-3pm on Saturday May 1st, for Free Comic Book Day! Come on in get your free comics, get a sketch, and peep out the awesome store that is Dreamland Comics. See you there!

www.dreamlandcomics.com

1415 West Schaumburg Road
Schaumburg, IL 60194-4051
(847) 524-6060

c2e2: 2010 Recap

C2E2 was simply an amazing show for me. This was my third comic book show and my first for the year. As always, I went into it super nervous because of the huge crowd this con was going to turn out. I was surprised by the amount of business I did on Friday and thought that it would be equally as busy Saturday. Boy...was I wrong. Saturday was just a constant flow of people. I was so busy interacting and sketching, I barely had time to leave my table! It was an amazing turn out and I had a lot of support from family and friends. Nicole's parents and younger sister even came out to show their support which meant a lot to me. Nicole was quite busy herself as she was meeting the stars of Kick-Ass including her new boyfriend, Christopher Mintz-Plasse.





Saturday was also wonderful in that I reunited with an old grammar school friend I haven't seen since 1992. My friend, Aireen, has come into her creative own as well, as an art director and graphic designer for hire. Please click on her name and check out the wonderful work she does. She is amazing.


Sunday was the slowest day and that is when I was able to make some quality purchases and catch up with Eric Rampson and my good friends over at ComicRelated.com. I met a lot of artists that I admired like Katie Cook and Skottie Young. I even got some great inking tips from the incredible Sanford Greene. I ended up not really spending that much money which was odd because everywhere I looked I saw something that I wanted to bring home.

All in all, it was the best show I exhibited at and really set the bar for me. I'm excited to continue this positive uphill toward building my art career.


Of all the comic book characters in the world, Krypto was the most requested...ain't that some shiiii......

I was ready for the S.P.A.C.E. show...

Heading into SPACE

Just a quick reminder of where I'll be this weekend:



If you're in the area stop by table 145.

When You Were Little...NOW AVAILABLE!

UPDATE: 4.12.2010

Now available on Amazon.com! Click here now!



About a year ago, I announced plans for the third installment of my picture book series. After all the conventions, submissions, emails, tweets, and facebook posts I can now say that When You Were Little is available to own! The book goes live on Amazon in two weeks but if you can't wait, go here and pick yourself up a copy!

I will also be bringing all three books of the series to the comic book conventions I will be attending this year starting with c2e2 at McCormick Place in Chicago, April 16-18.

SPACE table and floor plan

After posting my table number for c2e2, I just got informed of my table number as well as the floor plan for the 11th Annual SPACE Convention on the 24th and 25th of April.

I will be sitting at table number 145. They provided a link to the floor plan that you can check out here: http://www.backporchcomics.com/hotels.htm

c2e2 Bio and Table Number!

Hi all,

C2E2 is just another 2 weeks away and I'm getting excited (nervous) to be a part of it. Just to let you know, they put up my creator bio in the Artist Alley section of the convention's website, so give that a glance when you get a chance. They also emailed me my table number which is O2...so if you plan on going, swing on by and get a sketch done or pick up a book and print. We'll see you there!

Final PrevYOUs

Hello friends,

I finished illustrating my third book and it's being put together as we speak. (er I mean as we blog) I'm hoping to order a proof this weekend as the process is quite tasking. I'm kind of nervous buuuuut I'm keeping my fingers crossed we get it right on the first try. (I sometimes go through two or three proofs before I get it just right) Well either way, I thought I'd offer up some final previews for you before it gets put together. I've also been getting my books in as well so I'm getting organized before c2e2 which is a month away.

I also brain farted some sweet ideas for comic book prints to sell at the conventions as well. Must.....draw........more.

Comics for Cures Sketch Cards

I'm back from sick leave. I got hit with some nasty fever, sore throat, chills, about a week ago and haven't had the time to work on my book OR do any type of drawing whatsoever. Fresh from my Lazarus Pit resurrection, I'm getting back into the art swing of things. I finished a new page in my book (coming up on a 3 days past the personal deadline I set [so annoyed by that but I was sick, what was I going to do, turn in a completed book with the last few pages drenched in vomit and sweat? I don't think so, Tim.]) and I mailed off my Sketch Cards for the 3rd Annual Comics for Cures Sketch Card Benefit Auction. These will be auctioned off on Ebay on April the 3rd. Please visit http://www.comicsforcures.com/ for more info.

When I Was Little...@ C2E2!!!

So the big news that I was talking about on twitter is that I was asked to be a part of the Inaugural Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, better known as c2e2.

It's a great honor to be a part of what should be an amazing convention!! I'll post more updates as I get them.

Here is the main info:

C2E2 - April 16-18, 2010 - McCormick Place

Click here for the FAQ.

Preview Too!

Hello!! I have been working hard on trying to get this book done and I have a deadline that I want to stick to. It's been rough but it's also been a lot of fun working on these pages for you guys. There's some really cool stuff coming your way and here's a look at the new batch. More to come!!! Enjoy weekend!













P.S - I have some announcements to make in a few weeks, so please stay tuned and hit me up on all the usual spots. (facebook, blog, email, etc)

A little sneak peek!

A couple weeks ago I made the announcement that I'm attending SPACE. This week, I thought I'd share a sneak peek at some of the pages I've been working on for When You Were Little.

The goal is to have it done before the convention, wish me luck!!!

When I Was Little...in SPACE!

Hi all!

I'll be attending the 11th Annual Small Press & Alternative Comics Expo in Columbus, Ohio the 24th and 25th of April this year. I will be selling my books, some prints, and doing sketches. Stop on in and say hello.

Click for more info: SPACE 2010