Denver Comic Con 2017 has come and gone. (Yes, 3 months ago…) Like last year, I had my own table. This year, however, I and my wife got things organized much more in advance. This really reduced the stress of packing and getting ready, and increased my confidence going into the show. Emily was amazing in plotting and planning out which products would go where on the table and backdrop. Granted, a lot of that got thrown a wrench when we had to adjust our backdrop for the table space we had, but even that went pretty smoothly! 🙂
As far as business went, the Con was actually rather difficult and a little disappointing. Not many people were in buying moods, perhaps because of the crowds that were there. But we did have some people come and look at the art and chat, and that was pleasant. All the art I had for sale there can be found at my gallery, and the comics I was selling are available at Indy Planet.
Some other perks that happened:
Several friends came by and hung out around my table.
I got to enter the Line Webtoons Vertical Story contest and get my portfolio reviewed by Tom Akel and Zach Howard. The feedback was constructive, giving me things to push towards in my art. I also was able to go to the Line Webtoons panel about their platform and monetizing web-comics, so that was interesting and exciting.
I also got to meet Mark Morales, Crystal Sully, and Stephen McCranie and his wife Kristal! And I also met and sat next to Michael Matsumoto. Having already been following Mark, Crystal, Stephen, and Michael online before the con, it was great to get to meet them. All were really nice and willing to chat and share advice. Artists are real people, don’t be nervous to talk to us!
Finally, I got to spend some time just drawing out a Star Wars sketch cover, which was really pleasant, both as a relaxing thing and getting to draw Star Wars.
Overall, the Con was difficult, but a good thing for me to have gone to.