I would first like to extend a big thank you to three people who helped me so much during Comic-Con: Pat, Starr and especially Shane! There is so much that goes into exhibiting at a show from set-up, to actual selling, and break-down. Comic-Con spans for 5 days, therefore having a little extra help makes my job so much easier! I would also like to thank everyone that came out to support my work! Many of you have come back to visit my booth year after year, and I sincerely appreciate your business. Your support helps me to continue making new work and to do what I love!

Because I had a little help, I had an opportunity to wander the exhibit hall for a bit! Of course, I had to purchase a few things! The Small Press area is my favorite! You see a variety of independent artists approaching the art of comic making in such creative ways! I encourage everyone to support local art.

I picked up a couple of comics from Toshwerks which is a small company based here in San Diego. I was first drawn to the Peaburt comic.

I love how the comic comes so cleverly packaged in a peanut bag sleeve! The comic itself is beautifully illustrated in watercolor.

My next purchase from Toshwerks was Broken Buttons.

Broken Buttons offers a unique approach to the comic book format. The author combined photography with traditional illustration. The layout of the comic is similar to a family photo album, where actual photographs are attached to each page. I really enjoyed the creativity of this comic and I look forward to picking up the sequel to this story.

The next thing I purchased in Small Press were corgi stickers and postcards!

I love corgis, so I immediately fell in love with Boudika’s illustrations! Growing up I used to have a Pembroke Welsh Corgi named, Hobbes and he always had such a cheery disposition. The illustrator captured the corgi’s charm perfectly!

My fellow exhibitor, Tae Young Choi, gave me a present of an original acrylic painting of a tree! I love the painting! In exchange, I gave him one of my hamster tote bags that he could give to his daughter.  He is such an amazing illustrator! He currently works for Blizzard as a video game concept artist.

I came across Drawn and Quarterly, which is a company based in Montreal that publishes independent comics. They gave me a great deal on the two comics I purchased and in addition they threw in a screen-printed tote bag!

The first comic that caught my attention at their booth was Big Questions.

I just finished reading this comic about a week ago and I am very happy that I bought this! The book is well-written and very thought provoking.  The book questions the idea of reality and how everyone will interpret the same event or experience in their own way.  That interpretation can be so vastly different from another person’s. That person’s perspective becomes their own reality.

Not only is Big Questions an excellent story, the illustration work equally matches in quality. The illustration is incredibly detailed and each page is well-composed. The author, Anders Nilson, spent over a decade writing and rendering this nearly 600 page graphic novel! This was definitely my favorite purchase at Comic-Con and I cannot recommend this book enough!

The second book I purchased from Drawn and Quarterly was Susceptible by Genevieve Castree.

Susceptible, like Big Questions, is philosophical in its approach. I just barely started to read the first few pages. I will definitely write a review about this book in a future blog post.

Next, I purchased a print from an exhibitor across the way, Helen Yoon.

I love the soft, pastel colors and the little foxes nestled in their den! It’s a gorgeous illustration made by this recent graduate from Art Center.

The next two pieces were also from a fellow exhibitor across the way. The artist was Brett Bean and I purchased a print as well as an original work of art. Brett Bean works as a freelance character designer in Pasadena.

If you look at the print closely, the wolf has a subtle Celtic pattern on his coat. I love this hidden detail as well as the pool blue color scheme.

The second piece from Brett was an original painting/ink drawing.

I bought this as a present for Shane for helping me out so much during the show. I love the whimsical quality of this piece. Brett created this painting by taking a sponge soaked in brown ink and then haphazardly dabbing it across paper. He then went back in with pen and ink and created fantastical creatures. Shane loves to draw patterns and odd animals, so I thought this would be something that he would enjoy!

My last purchase would be my second favorite! I purchased a tote bag from Awkward Animal.

Awkward Animal is a recent business that was created by the popular YouTube sensation, Wong Fu Productions. The Wong Fu trio is primarily known for creating short films online, however, they recently launched their Awkward Animal business that debuted last year at Comic-Con. They sell stuffed animals, prints, tote bags and t-shirts that they designed themselves. I was lucky enough to meet one of Wong Fu’s members, Ted, as he happened to be walking down my aisle.

He stopped by my booth and we had a conversation about jewelry making! His mother actually makes jewelry through the lost-wax casting method as well.

I made it a point, later on to stop by their booth and picked up this tote bag.

Not only is the bag cute, but it is well-designed with nice details!

The above image is the back of the bag. All the graphics are traditionally screen-printed. I love the colors and cute graphics!

The interior of the bag is lined with a pretty pink polka dot pattern. It has few pockets and a zippered pouch inside.

I only noticed much later that the bag has a surprise compartment! It has a hidden zippered pocket! What a nice detail! The zippers on the bag are all cast with the company logo.

The surprise side pocket is even lined with the same polka dot interior lining. Great job Awkward Animal!

I hope you enjoyed reading about all of the fun things I picked up at Comic-Con! Seeing great work definitely inspires me and I hope you feel inspired too! If you would like to watch the video review, click on this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLX_Un0imKM