As promised, here is a selection of drawings and photographs from the anime convention. First, a peek behind the scenes at my booth. You can see how I secretly stored my drawing supplies to keep the display tidy. I also brought a clipboard so I could draw on my lap. It proved useful.

Now for some drawings!

Left to right: Himura Kenshin (from Rurouni Kenshin), sailor sketch, sailor in color. I drew the sailor as a thank-you to another artist at the convention for a drawing he gave me. I changed the expression for the final drawing–determined and ready for adventure!

Left to right: Afton (original character) Elethea (original character), Meliodas (from Nanatsu no Taizai).

This is my favorite photograph from the convention. The drawing is a Pokémon spoof on Mozilla Firefox. The plush toy and the Pokémon in the drawing are both Flareon, a fire-dog creature. I talked with the plushie owner a lot over the weekend. (She stopped by my booth every day). On the last day, she had the little Flareon with her. Picture-perfect.

About a week and a half ago, I attended what is both my 2^nd and 3^rd anime convention artist’s alley. 2^nd because it is the second different convention I’ve attended (the other one being Kawa Kon) and 3^rd because it is my third time hosting a booth.

No matter what number, I get ideas each time: ideas for art projects, art supplies to try, web & print resources, display—all sorts of things. I also learned how a button press works.

To spruce up my booth, some new items were added. I used a scarf and a table cloth on top of the white already provided by the hotel. (Both textiles are from India—gifts college friends brought back from an abroad program—and I am glad for these beautiful items to come out of storage.) The new chests double as display bins by day and storage bins by night.

The table set-up was a bit different than I expected. Instead of being lined up right next to each other, the tables were spaced a few feet apart, leaving the sides open for display. I put Pandagram stickers and sticky tack to (hopefully) good use. I’ll have to think more about how to utilize the short sides of the booth in the future.

This convention seemed larger than Kawa Kon, but still comparable. Business was slower than expected, but I am grateful the numbers came out okay in the end. I am also grateful that I got to know some new people over the course of the weekend. Talking with other artists (musicians, too!) and convention guests is fun, especially (as I have said before) encouraging other artists and writers.

To add to the fun, I drew a lot during the event, too. Between commissions and slow periods, there were many opportunities to draw. Seeing the cosplay is also great fun. Costumes are a wonderful outlet for creativity. More on these creative endeavors later, I think. I’ll post pictures (definitely drawings, possibly photos) some time after the holiday. 

Until next time, smooth sailing, and blessed Thanksgiving!