Never read the book but it makes for a great title.
More comic book art goodies
The Armageddon pop culture expo was on this weekend and the only reason I went was because Jim Lee was going to be there. After Baltimore, the idea of heading to an pop culture expo really didn’t seem that appealing, especially when it features live wrestling. Bleugh!
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on some exhibitors passes so I didn’t have to pay to get in which was great. This’ll be harsh but it wasn’t anywhere near as good as last year and I found myself able to walk around the entire thing in about 10 minutes flat. A good con should take at least half an hour to navigate around, even if you don’t stop to look at anything. I suppose what I want from this sort of thing is different from other people because I want a proper artists’ alley. There were only a handful of local artists so my idea of getting a stack of Doctor Who sketches went out the window. Maybe next year at Supanova.
As I had an exhibitors’ pass, I decided to check it out on Saturday, even though I was on my own. I took my camera along, hoping to get some shots of artists at work but the light was so crap I couldn’t get decent shot without a tripod. I was most disappointed because I really wanted to see if I could get a photo of Jim Lee in a similar vein to the ones I’ve got of Barry Kitson. I really didn’t want to resort to using a flash, especially as I don’t have proper one and it would’ve been the one in the camera. At least I got to find this out before today. It would’ve killed me to have taken my camera only to discover I couldn’t use it in my normal fashion (ie: without a flash).
Anyhoo… I did get me some goodies…
Chris Bones – Batman.
Chris was great. I had a giggle talking to him and he loves Matt Wagner and Tim Sale so I got to excessively name-drop while I was talking to him. He also had a busted knee and a sign that said Will draw for food (or beer) which I found highly amusing. Great guy and a super artist. Good way to spend $20.
Sarah Milne – zombie Batman.
Sarah was fabulous. She was so funny and her sketches were brilliant. She was doing portraits of people but as zombies. But I didn’t want one of me, I wanted one of Batman. It makes me chuckle every time I look at it.
Joel Gomez – Green Arrow.
Joel was so lovely. He has a real enthusiasm for his work and I really loved talking with him. While queuing for Jim Lee, I saw him with Green Arrow sketch that looked extremely cool. I approached him and asked if he still had it but it turns out it was someone. Then he offered to do one for me. Very cool and I like the fact that Ollie has narrowed eyes. Bargain for $45.
Jim Lee – Batgirl.
I think I would’ve lost it if I’d queued for six hours and not come away with something from Jim Lee. I got this at about 5pm and he’s started timing himself in an effort to get to everyone in the line. He knocked out my Barb Gordon Batgirl in about four minutes. It was amazing watching him work. Best of all, the sketch was free.
For all my complaining at the start of this post, the day was pretty good really. I had good company in the Jim Lee queue and I got something that I wanted. Plus I managed to score a few other really nice pieces so I’d rate today as a success.
Really pleased with this shot
Flutter
One tweak in Lightroom and here it is. Shot out of the front of a bike shop in Clifton Hill.
Happy snaps
A select few…
Tim and I with my It’s not a toy piece freshly inked.
Kelly and I. Kelly was one of the people I really wanted to me so this photo is special to me.
Kate and Trina.
Steve and Haley. Two of the most gorgeous people I’ve ever meet. I’m missing them both terribly.
Steve, Lisa and Rich.
And finally…
Tim Sale and Matt Wagner.
The rest of the photos can be found on Tim’s forum. I have no group shots because I was actually in them and I can’t just hand my camera over to someone because it’s not a point and shoot. Probably should’ve taken a point and shoot with me. Oh well. Other people took group shots so I’ll be collecting them at some point.
I’ve also added three new pieces to my RedBubble folio
1. Master at work
2. Work in progress
3. Lincoln
Post trip blues
I managed to scan two more of my pieces last night so they’re finally up in my CAF gallery.
Sigh.
Coming back to work hasn’t be a world of fun. I didn’t realise how badly I needed a break from it all. It’d been nearly two years since I’d taken a proper break that wasn’t just a few days. Of course now I’m left wondering what to do next as the thing I’ve been planning for and thinking about for the last fifteen months has happened. What do I do now? It kinda feels like I really don’t have anything to look forward to and be excited about. Plus I’m really missing all my peeps.
Perhaps it’s time to start planning for the next trip.
Photos with famous people
Well-known at least. By some…
Me with Dawryn Cooke
That Matt Wagner. He’s a crazy man. (Tim Sale, me and the crazy Matt Wagner)
See, Matt can be normal when he wants to be.
Scanning session
I bought a Canon multi-function unit so now I can print and more importantly, scan with my laptop. This morning there was a long scanning session going on. There’s four pieces that I haven’t scanned because they’re too big for my little A4 scanner.
Special mention must be made of a few pieces:
1. Barry Kitson – Daredevil
2. Matt Wagner – Green Arrow
3. Matt Wagner – pencil prelim for a cover of The Spectre
4. Dean Trippe – Doctor Who
5. Darwyn Cooke – Selina Kyle
6. Kelly Tindall – Catwoman
last but definitely not least
I have a few photos I want to work on but that’s for tomorrow.
Home
Well, I’m home.
Yup… home. Sigh. I think I have either post-holiday blues or I’m just really fatigued. Contemplating buying a scanner today so I can scan all the pieces I picked up.
I did manage to get some sleep on the plane. The seat next to me was empty so I ended up using it to help me stretch out. I got about six hours of reasonable sleep which is pretty damn good considering my track record. We didn’t board until after midnight even though the flight was supposed to leave at 11.40. Yay for flat batteries. Unlike the trip out, there were crying kids on this flight and I can see why it drives some people crazy. My taxi driver didn’t pay attention to me when I said I wanted to go to Bell St and he nearly drove straight past the exit. Gah!
Anyhoo… I’m home. I’m doing a load of washing. Fresh, clean clothes were a treat to put on.
A lack of photos
There will be photos at some point. I’ll probably leave it until I get home and have had some sleep. Personally, I can’t believe I’m still awake. It’s 7pm LA time and I’ve had about an hour and a half’s worth of sleep. Super-human effort from me!
I’m thinking of putting my trousers on (still wearing my jim-jams and a t-shirt) and heading downstairs to find a bottle of water and maybe some fruit. Getting a hotel room was a brilliant idea. I haven’t slept but at least I’m comfortable and I’ve had a shower. Only a few hours left in America now. I’ll be going to the airport in about two hours. Eugh. Not looking forward to the insanity that is LAX.
Then plane, loooooooooooooong flight, Melbourne and finally home.
Baltimore, Sunday
Sunday was a more relaxed day. Haley and Jared went straight to Barry’s line for their pieces and I kept popping back to see how it was going. Haley’s Dazzler piece took nearly two hours. And I’m sure it’s because she was distracting him. Heh. But I was pleased to see Jared finally get his Obi-Wan piece and I watched for awhile as Barry was working on it.
I picked up my Cliff Chang Green Arrow/Black Canary piece which I love and my Batgirl piece from Danielle Corsetto which I’m liking more and more. I wandered around a lot on my own but I kept bumping into people I knew. Kelly helped me locate Dean Trippe who did the most awesome Doctor Who piece for me and I managed to score a Hawkman head sketch from Rags Morales even though he doesn’t usually do sketches. I’m not too ashamed to admit I pulled out the “But I’ve come all the way from Australia” line to get it. Hey, whatever works!! The look on his face when I popped back to give him some chocolate macadamias told me I should’ve whipped those out from the beginning. I missed out on a commission piece from Darwyn Cooke because he knew he wouldn’t get it finished in time and I really didn’t want him to put it in the mail. But I did score a rather detailed Selina Kyle head sketch from him.
However, the sketch I’m really not supposed to have is the one I got from Frank Cho. I didn’t know this at the time but apparently he doesn’t do sketches at cons. So there you go, being a girl and from Australia really helped out. But really, being with John H (the sketch ninja) at the time had the most to do with it.
Every time I passed Richard Starkings’ table he gave me something. I’ve ended up with two Elephantmen trades and two comics. Personally I think he was doing it to not have to carry them all home but I’m well pleased. I must remember to email him to get the photos of he took of me with various people. He had me cracking up all the time and being a fellow Doctor Who lover, we had much to talk about. He did me a Elephantman sketch which is pretty cool.
The most expensive thing I bought (and I still can’t believe I did this) was a cover from Batman and the Monster Men. Because I didn’t get a piece from Darywn I had more money than I expected to at 4pm on Sunday. I always loved the cover and there it was in Matt’s folio. I really hesitated over the cost – it really wasn’t cheap – but Matt said he’d knock $100 off it for me. As I was thinking about it, I started flipping though his colour pieces again. I found a Batman one I really liked so we managed to work out a deal: the cover for its original price but with the piece I’d just discovered thrown in. So I blew a sizable chunk of money on a single piece but I can’t believe I have a comic book cover! And it’s a great piece. Matt’s a champion guy. I had such a blast talking to him and he seemed to really like my photo. He also took a stack of my mini moo cards and let me put some out on his table. I put some on Tim’s table too and Christina flipped out when she saw them which was enormously flattering. She took an entire set. It was also gratifying to see they all disappeared by the time the day was done.
I spent very little time at Tim’s table. His queue was so enormous and he was always busy. I have to admit to being rather tongue-tied around him to be honest. Tim seems to bring out my innate shyness, probably because he’s someone I admire enormously so I don’t want to say anything that sounds stupid (which is me all the time). It’s often said that you shouldn’t meet your idols because they can never live up to your idea of them but I’ve had the best experience. Tim was so generous and he seemed to really appreciate the fact that I’d made the effort to come. Sometimes he’d look my way and just smile at me, this big genuine smile, and it’d make me feel special and not all stalkerish for flying 20,000 kilometers so I could meet him. Always a good thing to not be considered a stalker.
By the end of the show, the bulk of us Tim Sale board members were sitting at the back of Tim’s area. The show seemed to wind down really quickly and before I knew it, it was over and Tim and Christina were leaving. I got a big hug of both of them and they dashed away to get to the airport. It was over so quickly and I was decidedly sad to see them go. But I still had my peeps to hang out with. However, as the evening wound down, I found myself getting quieter and quieter as I realised my trip was almost over and the next day I’d be leaving them all.
Anyhoo… Kelly did a truly fabulous Catwoman sketch for me after dinner. Turns out it was the first one he’d done where you could see more of her costume and it totally rocks. I see a big future for that lad in comics. I can’t wait for Squeak to come out and I hope he remembers I wanted one of his pages from it!!
At 11pm, they all trooped off the Marriott to meet up with Barry Kitson and I stayed behind because I still had to pack and I felt really tired. But the hotel room felt so empty and depressing so I decided I should spend more time with them while I could. I ended up calling Steve (the only number I have!) and he said he’d come get me. We ended up at the Marriot until 2am. It was wonderful to be able to spend a few more hours with them all and to hear their voices, even though I wasn’t talking that much. Just being around them was enough. (All together now: aaaaawwwwww!!)
So, now it’s 6.45 Monday night and I’m still at the hotel. I haven’t left this room since I checked in. I’m missing everyone terribly and I haven’t even left the country yet. I think this trip will make my connection to the board even stronger because I have voices and faces to put the words I see on the screen.
Never in a million years did I expect my trip to be like this. I knew what I was doing was remarkably risky but I still felt secure enough to do it. I put my faith in total strangers and was more than repaid. I’ve never met a more generous bunch of people and I wish, wish, wish I could find a way to spend more time with them. So many great things happened on the weekend and it’s probably been the best time I’ve had in a long, long time.
So if my peeps are reading this: I love you all and I can’t wait until the next Timmypolooza!!