Month of August Recap

The month of August was a busy one for me starting with my gallery at the Orland Park Library. During this month the library showcased my art, which celebrated my ten years of self-publishing and making cool stuff. You can check out this behind the scenes video:

AUGUST 5 - The first of FOUR conventions I did in August was Comicopolis in Lockport. I always love attending this show because I feel like the show runners know how to really draw in a crowd and they utilize all of the floors. They even took a chance and added outside tables, food trucks, and live entertainment that paid off in a big way for everyone involved. I also shot an episode of Art 2 HEART with Dave and Rene of Instant Press Comics.

AUGUST 11 - The library scheduled a Meet The Artist event where people can show up, look at my gallery, and ask me questions. I had a wonderful time speaking and some close family and friends came out to share the moment with me.

AUGUST 12-13 The second comic show I did was a new one, RETCon Chicago. This two-day show really celebrated a diverse group of comic creators and I was among some of the best in the indie comics scene. I'm really excited for the potential this show has.

AUGUST 14 - I submitted to the Ghost City Comics Competition in the One Page Comic category. I had a great time creating something fun for this competition. It not only challenged me, but it sparked ideas for a future comic. Good luck to all the creatives who entered! Finalists will be announced September 1st.

AUGUST 17 - Hot Topic along with Kevin Smith was having a contest to design a tee-shirt for the upcoming Jay and Silent Bob Reboot film. I'm a huge fan of Kevin Smith and didn't want to miss an opportunity to throw down on this with the potential to be flown out for a walk on role in the movie and some cash. Why not, right? Not sure I can share the piece I did yet but maybe when the judging is over.

AUGUST 19 - The third show I attended was also a new comic show entitled, Fandom Fest. This one took place at the Niles Public Library. I met a lot of families new to comic book shows and had wonderful conversations with author, Lisa Maggiore.

AUGUST 24-27 - The fourth and final show was Wizard World Chicago Comic Con. This was a long four day show. The Thursday and Friday night crowd was pretty sparse. Thankfully I kept busy on the weekend with two Doodle To Drawing workshops. One on Saturday and one on Sunday. It was nice because I had an overhead camera so people can see what I was drawing. This definitely helped drive people to my table and I got to interact even more with the attendees. I ended my show by recording some Art 2 HEART episodes with creators Gavin Smith, Leo Perez, and Jon Lennon.

AUGUST 26 - Also on Saturday night, I had a signing for the Thing Art Book, published by Printed In Blood, at Chicago Comics. I was really excited for this event because I got to see and hold the book for the first time since it was released. (Still waiting on my comp copies.) All the Chicago creators who did something for the book were there including Jim Terry, Angel Onofre, Tom Kelly, and Jonathan LaMantia who helped set up the whole thing. A big thank you to Chicago Comics for having us at the shop and to all the customers who bought a book and got it signed by all of us.

I'd say it was a pretty packed month of making comics, showcasing art, and conventions.  Next up, I go back to teaching at the end of the month. In October, I attend New York Comic Con for the first time! I'm super excited and nervous but really looking forward to it.