SHOPPING SUNDAY

I can’t post all the details about everything I bought cos some of it is a surprise for some friends, but I will do what I can.

I started sketching at 10:30am and finished about 230pm. My queue was even bigger than yesterday. My sketches, were faster and better. I think I’ve figured out how to generate a line. Soon as you sit down, start drawing. I was lucky as late yesterday one of the Top Cow booth dudes handed me a sketch book from a Wizard Magazine dude named Gabe. Apparently Gabe had seen my sketches and wanted one of Batman. I broke that baby out and did arguably one of my best Batmans ever. As people milled past I grabed the first person who bought my book and offered to do them a free pic (holding up the Batman sketch to show them what I meant). I went all out on the pic and showed it around at all the stages to the people milling around. I cracked wise, told some stupid stories and before I knew it, I had a queue of smiling, happy, entertained people that were enjoying my company and watching me draw. My sketches were even better today and the worst of em was about the average one from Saturday. Entire families came back to get sketches again from yesterday. One father told me he had to buy all three of his sons sketchbooks yesterday cos they wanted sketches from me so badly. That was an incredible buzz.

I obviously spent most of my time behind the booth drawing well after my sketching/siging times were over. It was a great opportunity to meet everyone in front and behind the booth. I have to say, the highlight of the con for me was doing those sketches. Wandering around was awesome, but it was signing, chatting and sketching that really made the con for me. I think I made it to one panel and joked to JAn that I probably experienced about 6% of the total con-entertainment content.

Shania was around again and became my artist’s assistant. Anything I needed was in her hand proffered towards me before I even knew I needed it. Pencils, pens, ink wash. We had a great laugh and I promised to meet her at Top Cow later in the week with her commissions for her dad and Renae.

I struggled out of my seat at around 230pm and ran to Subway for lunch just to get some sun, fresh air and avoid the extortionate prices at the con. When I got back I decided it was time to go shopping. I only bought myself sketchbooks from my favourite artists who were selling them; Adam Hughes, Bernie Wrightson and Jason Pearson. I then found that all the things I wanted to buy people had already been sold, or the artist had left. I still found some great stuff, including a print from Scott Hampton. I pointed to which one I liked and started reaching for cash in my wallet when Scott said, “What about you? Do you have any limited prints in there,” gesturing towards my portfolio “that you would want to swap for this one?”

I was shocked, and repeatedly mentioned to Scott that this was a totally unfair deal. Scott wouldn’t have the bar of it and pointed towards the "Fisher: Cathexes" cover that I did. We signed each piece and I walked away with the kindest/greatest deal of the century.

I then grabbed a limited edition print from Gene Ha (which he practically gave away cos he didn’t want to take it home) and another beautiful print from Adam Hughes. Unfortunately Geoff Darrow had already gone home, and I was left Darrowless.

The con wrapped up and after all the people had left we began to get an idea of just how big this place was (our exhibitor status on our badge let us stick around). We said goodbye to Jason Cranford-Teague and headed back to dump our stuff back at the hotel. We then made our way to a Brazillian all-you-can-eat restaurant that Tim Bradstreet recommended. It was there that we bumped into fellow Australian and Melbournian comic shop owner, Matt from Comics R Us. It was a tiny bit pricey, but the food was incredible. We dragged our sorry asses back to the hotel and collapsed. Our plan was to get up early and check out the world-famous San Diego zoo.