Clattertron

[dc]T[/dc]he Free Comic Book Day event at Clem’s Comics & Games was, in a word, amazing. The store set a record for foot traffic, well over 1100 people, and it also set a record for sales. Folks were already lined up at the door when I arrived just before 8AM. Always a nice thing to see.

Free Comic Book Day Sketches

You can see in the photo (that’s me in the plaid¹), I am hard at work sketching for a youngster (thanks to Cristen Rishell Mushong for the photo, via The Bait‘s Facebook page). Clem’s Comics & Games asked the artists to give free sketches to kids. We each had our own way of approaching it, but I did quick sketches on the back of my Clattertron promo cards, and inked them.

The requests for sketches ran the gauntlet from the expected (Batman) to the unexpected (the Ender Dragon from Minecraft) to the amusing (the Hulk dressed as Spider-Man).

What really caught me off guard, were all the requests for Sonic the Hedgehog characters. What is interesting though, none of the half-dozen requests were of Sonic or Tails. (Related: thank Batman for smartphones and Google Image Search)

I can’t stress enough the value of this drawing experience. Forced to draw characters (albeit just head and shoulders) out of my comfort zone, and quickly, I gained a lot of experience over the course of the day. I probably drew more on Saturday did I did all through the month of April.

These shown here were my own ideas. When I didn’t have folks waiting for sketches, I just cranked out a few to lay out on my table. The Wolverine saying ‘Actually, I’m an Ohio State fan’ cards disappeared in a flash. I’m aware of the limits of my abilities, but also of my strengths (goofy faces and on the spot jokes). I stuck to two cartooning fundamentals: simplify and exaggerate.

Were all of my sketch cards museum worthy? Of course not. Did I let that bother me? No. They were fast, free, and small. And folks, especially the kids, loved ’em. Case in point, a young woman asked me for a Heath Ledger joker. She liked it so much, she put the sketch card in her wallet’s ID window.

Hogan’s Alley

As I said last week, I had the honor of being able to join the ‘artists alley’ at Clem’s Comics & Games this year. Having a table at a show isn’t anything new to me, I did so many times while selling The Magic of Eyri, but this was my first time appearing as an artist at a comic book event.

I spent the 8am to 11am shift sharing the company of Adam Talley and Sherief AbouElSeoud, and again later in the day at 2pm to 5ish. I learned a lot about running a table from both, which is reason enough to appear at cons and shows: to learn. But more importantly: to meet other local artists.

Selling Yourself

I had enough fun sketching for folks and chatting with other artists, I coulda cared less if I sold anything.

Thankfully though, I did have some sales (I got a cat to feed). I sold my three remaining copies of The Magic of Eyri and 12 minicomics (18, if you count the pair of minis I included with each novel).

What’s Next?

With a big event like Free Comic Book Day under my belt, especially the sketching workout, I feel ready to take on another. When that will be, I don’t know. The perk of the event at Clem’s Comics & Games was, it didn’t cost me anything for a table, which is a rarity. Most events charge $100 or more. With our wedding on the horizon, I need to save a much money as I can. That means no cons for a bit.

But, as His Holy Bieberness taught us: Never Say Never.

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¹. I’m also wearing a Chewie is My Co-Pilot tshirt in honor of National Star Wars Day.

². Other sketches included, but weren’t limited to: Finn from Adventure Time, Mordecai from Regular Show, Rodimus Prime, Spider-Man, a Dalek, Mega Man, more Jokers, Iron Man, a man shaped iron, zombies, the Hulk, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Cyclops, Supermans, a kid as Superman, Wolverines, and a few No Filter Foxes. Good grief. I’m surprised my hand still works.