Saturday, September 26, 2009

09/26/09 Back to School Special Meeting/Workshop Sunday

Tomorrow we will having our annual "Back to School Special" Meeting/Workshop at the Beaumont Branch Library. This meeting is our annual recruitment drive also - so you regulars: please bring that friend who you have been meaning to tell about our little group! New folks: bring samples of your work to share and get input from fellow comic creators, illustrators and animators.

It should be an exciting meeting, our special guest speaker and instructor will be Fran Riddell. Fran will be talking about her training and experiences as a caricature artist and give an introductory lesson to the group. Fran, besides teaching art full time at a local parochial school, is in great demand by groups and agencies for her skill at caricature. It is encouraging to hear her reports that her part-time vocation is in great demand and should serve as encouragement for many visual artists out there that there are still ways to make a living following their passion and creating art.

Friday, September 18, 2009

09/18/09 - Comicpalooza and 24th Worldwide SketchCrawl

Two events coming up tomorrow, Saturday 9/19/09:
Comicpalooza at Comics2Games in Florence, KY. There will be art demos and and instruction. Guests include Uko Smith.

For more information contact:
Comics 2 Games 859-647-7568 /
info@comics2games.com
Blue Line 859-282-0096 / info@bluelinepro.com


The 19th of September 2009 is also the 24th Worldwide SketchCrawl. Taken from the SketchCrawl site:
"...making the SketchCrawl a World Wide event: having people from different corners of the world join in a day of sketching and journaling and then, thanks to the Internet, having everyone share the results on an online forum."

Sunday the 20th is another Cabaret Life Drawing session at 21c Museum in Louisville.

Don't you just love Fall? The weekends are so packed with festivals and events - it's sometimes overwhelming just figuring out what to do!

Friday, September 11, 2009

09/11/09 - Scare Fest 2009 and CCG Sketch Walkabout

Scare Fest returns again this year, bigger and scarier than ever! This is a good opportunity to meet some talented artists (Billy Tackett) and popular local comic creators (RD Hall). I also encourage those who will attend to take their sketchbook and we can turn the three day event into an extended CCG Sketch Walkabout! There should be lots of folks in makeup and costumes! Feel free to post comments here or on the Lexington KY Comic Creators facebook PAGE, if anyone wants to meet up there for some drawing comraderie (post a time and place). Please send me links to your sketches from this so we can all share! (Please send links and not the actual files!)

CCG Sketch Walkabout not to be confused with the upcoming 24th World Wide SketchCrawl Drawing Marathon for 9/19/09! (Two links here, one for the blog and one for the Facebook EVENT.) Look for more about this later!


The Scare Fest is the Largest Horror and Paranormal Convention in the southeast where you will be able to experience three horror- filled- days in September 11th, 12th, 13th 2009 at the Lexington Center in Lexington, Kentucky one of the largest convention centers in the state with an abundance of parking on site. Come and meet your favorite celebrities in the horror and paranormal community.

*****NEW HOURS FOR 2009*****

Opens Friday at 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm ( Golden Ticket Entry: 4PM )

Opens Saturday at 11:00 am to 8:00 pm ( Golden Ticket Entry: 10AM )

Opens Sunday at 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm ( Golden Ticket Entry: 11AM )

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

09/08/09 - Report from 2009 Gen Con, Indianapolis IN

The following blog entry was written by Stevie Moore who attended a portion of this year's event held August 13-16 2009:

Gen Con Indy - Great Opportunity for Aspiring Sci-Fi and Fantasy Artists

Gen Con is one of the largest conventions of its type in the world, originally started by Gary Gygax (of Dungeons and Dragons) fame. Besides Gen Con INDY, there is another Gen Con in California, which is now owned by the ex-CEO of Wizards of the Coast and represents much more than just gaming. Having been to Gen Con Indy for the second time; this year my biggest complaint is there is simply too much to see, even if you were there for the full 4-5 days until 2 a.m. every night. My focus at Gen Con and this article will therefore be on the Art related features which are so wonderful and close by.

A major part of every years convention is the heavy emphasis and recognition bestowed upon the talented artists that work in the gaming industry. This has led to be an all inclusive mecca for the fantasy artist, where you can go to the art show and see artists that are very novice to seasoned veterans of illustration, from Dragon Lance novel covers to Magic Cards, to just about any artwork created for any game. Every year Gen Con selects an "Artist Guest of Honor" this year being Omar Rayyan, whose work has appeared on many magic cards.

I had a great opportunity to go the last day of the convention this year and talk with many of the 75 or so artists at their booths. I was amazed at how friendly the artists were and how helpful they all were with information about portfolios, networking, and other aspects of the freelance and illustration business. Artists booths range from $200-$400, depending on the number of panels behind their tables, where artists display their best work and sell pieces to a target audience of collectors and fans. Interestingly enough, many artists I talked to said they usually do better than break even but its much more than an art sale. Gen Con being one of the largest trade shows of its type, the networking is worth its weight in gold! Many artists talked about new jobs and contracts that they get every year just by showing up to the show. In addition to that there are free portfolio reviews by professional art directors and also many artists were happy to look at portfolio's, as I personally witnessed at one point and was surprised by the positive nature of the critique that differed greatly from my upbringing at the University of Kentucky school of Fine Art!

With just about every art director in the business crawling the floors searching for new talent there is no reason not to either investigate getting a booth or bringing your portfolio for any fantasy artists. Although not specifically geared to the comic world, Gen Con has plenty of Comic, Manga, Anime, Card and Board Games, Role playing Games, Video Games, and just about any other related activity you can think of. What sets it apart from many other conventions is the respect and highlight they give to the creative artists and designers that make so much of that imaginary world visible for those that enjoy it.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

09/03/09 - 2009 Lexington 24HCD Event Interest

24-Hour Comic Day (24HCD) is an annual event where comic creators attempt to produce from scratch a 24 page comic in 24 hours. This idea was born in 1990 from a dare Scott McCloud, noted comic creator and author of Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics and Making Comics made to his friend, and fellow comic artist, Steve Bissette.

Additional information about 24-Hour Comics Day can be had at :

The Lexington KY Comic Creators Group (CCG) is considering organizing such an event for October 3rd 2009 with the help of a Lexington comic shop host. Sponsorship is still a question but not a requirement. A small ($10-25) entry fee may required to help cover expenses.

The Colorado Alliance of Illustrators is hosting a 24HCD event and has some interesting plans:

Please follow the link below to complete an online survey form ASAP (hey it is a Census year!) so the CCG and any potential event hosts can determine :
  1. length of event
  2. number of people interested
  3. anything we didn't think of

Go to FORM