The 2016 San Diego Comic-Con wrapped up this past weekend with another year of strong attendance and participation from a host of talented professionals – Dylan Cole, Stephan Martiniere, Sergio Aragones (Mad Magazine), Iain McCaig, Mike Mignola, Todd Lockwood, Dave Seeley, Allen Williams, Phil Hale, Dave Dorman, Paul Tobin (Weta), Kirk Thatcher (Muppets Director), concept/costume designer Simon Thorpe, Craig Elliot, Brian Ewing, Dave Palumbo, Travis Lewis, Jason Felix, Greg Spalenka, Mike Hayes, Eric Wilkerson, Eric Bouffard (Dreamworks), Brian Cole (Disney), Heather Theurer, Mark Winters and Cynthia Sheppard of WoTC, and that just scratches the surface of whom I stood face to face with and knew personally. There were Game producers, Animation producers, Publishing Editors, Gallery owners, Auction houses, Comics Editors, and hundreds of artists and pros I never saw and didn’t know would be there!
Even with all the changes that have occurred over the years, San Diego is still the number one place to meet professionals from the diverse industries related to comics and science fiction and fantasy, talk shop, discuss business, seal a deal, and get your work seen.
But it is not the only place, as I know very intimately just how difficult and expensive it can be to attend this event. My advise to those who were not there, take a look at upcoming conventions and consider making the time to attend and further your career in the arts.
You need not exhibit to take advantage of what happens at a convention. Dinners with professionals, booth discussions, portfolio reviews, business and creative lectures, live demonstrations, and marketing awareness can all be had for the price of admission. Shack up with a friend or two (or four as I did for my first two Comic-Cons!) and reap the benefits of an amazing gathering of the community.
Some up coming major conventions:
GenCon in Indianapolis
WorldCon in Kansas City
DragonCon in Atlanta
IlluxCon in Reading, PA
World Fantasy in Columbus, OH
Sergio Aragones and Donato
Killer Cosplayers!
Chewie, but no Han 🙁 Damn you Kylo Ren!!!!!!!
Michael Kaluta original art
Drawing during some morning down time at the booth
Vicki Williams, Travis Lewis, Allen Williams, and Iain McCaig
And it all goes away in a few quick hours Sunday Night!
Break down…
The Walking Dead Wrapped for a road trip.
Amazing ship references to be had in San Diego Harbor, a little walk from the convention center!
Kristine PooleonThe CallingHi Michael, Thanks so much for deciding to take a look and for sharing your thoughts! I also find it intriguing to get to wal…
Kristine PooleonThe CallingI am so pleased to read your words. When we "release" work into the world, we never know who might find it intriguing, engagi…
Kristine PooleonThe CallingThank you for sharing your thoughts. One of the things I love most about art is how it can communicate across time, cultures…
Sarah FinniganonInterior Illustrations – To Green Angel TowerI'd be curious to know how you tackled the signature pages, particularly the magic/edges of the magic meeting with the white…
HalloranonInterior Illustrations – To Green Angel TowerCan you talk more about the Pool of Three Depths? That image fascinates me and I haven't read the series (yet). What's the st…
This past month I have been posting on social media a collection of paintings, my Earth and Sea series. These works originally had been created for various projects from commercial book covers to gallery exhibitions to personal works which did not have initially any...
Back in 2020, I helped to put on a workshop called the Fantastic Arts Conference with my wife, Shari, and Dan Dos Santos, Justin and Annie Stegg Gerard. We had some great faculty who joined us. I have had lots of requests to do something similar again, but with less...
NASA is well into their preparations to launch Artemis II, the first manned space flight to go to the moon in over 50 years. The rocket has been rolled out to pad 39B and, if all tests go well, will launch as early as February 6th. And I’ll be there to witness this...
One of the highlights of my first SDCC was being able to show my work to the Dylan Cole, the new Production Designer on the upcoming Avatar sequels. Every day of the con was one great experience after another.
May I ask what colored pencils you use? Your work always looks so clean and polished.
Thank you for the recap! Very difficult to get tickets as an ordinary citizen. Good to see Allen Williams back in it.
Thank you Donato, I appreciate your advice on this subject. You will probably see me there next year.
It was great hanging out again. It always comes and goes so fast!
One of the highlights of my first SDCC was being able to show my work to the Dylan Cole, the new Production Designer on the upcoming Avatar sequels. Every day of the con was one great experience after another.
Great to see you and get to chat a bit Donato. Great recap! Until next time!