“Wow!” ….I can’t think of any other way to start this post and describe this convention. First I’d like to point out that we really didn’t get the warmest of welcomes. Actually, compared to some of the cons in AZ, it was a terrible welcome. But as an exhibitor I was, in no way, prepared for the massiveness of this convention. After realizing how massive and important this convention is, I suddenly felt very small over in the corner at my little “Artist Alley” table. Once I got a hold of myself I realized that this weekend was going to be amazing. Wondercon kicks ass, and also kicked my ass
At first I was a little offended when I heard one con employee refer to the crowd as the “sheeple.” Once I saw the size of the crowd I understood where he was coming from.
The massive crowd began roaring when the announcer came on the PA and said (the convention floor is now open). It shook the walls. if I had to compare it to something, I would say it was like the first time you heard the dinosaur roar in Jurassic park. Frightening.
Well. Three amazing days go by. I take a ton of pictures. I did really well exhibiting in artist alley. But even more importantly, I learned so much and I got tons of information and experience about being successful in the future.
Upcoming conventions where you ca find me:
small one in tucson April 18th.
Phoenix comic-con may 28th.
For now, please enjoy these following pictures I took at wondercon. 🙂
this was a small portion of the crowd an hour before it opensstriking a pose at the boothsketching at the con, i actually ended up giving this away.commission i did for a fan. this is one of my favorite characters from my all time favorite game. cloud strifea batman drawing i did for the con. sold it for $20 🙂
these were some amazing figure sculpturesmy boys having a light saber battlei freaking loved these two. they were absolutely perfect.arent these two cosplayers cutethe absolute best cosplay ever. i fell in love with this person. absolutely epic. this costume made the whole convention for me
Lot’s of excitement with the up-coming events. “”I’ve got so much time and so little to do… wait a minute, strike that, reverse it…”” Enjoy this drawing of a Chocobo from the iconic game series “Final Fantasy.” If anyone is interested in purchasing a print please contact me. I will be setting up a shop online once I return from the convention.
I recently wrote a post that expressed my love for videogames, I also reflected on their relevance as a source of education for many young people. This was inspired by the Phoenix Art Museum’s (PAM) installation of a video game exhibit. I finally made it to the exhibit and today I will be sharing with you my response as an artist and videogame fanatic.
Let me start off by saying, this exhibit didn’t fit the hype. It wasn’t a bad installation, It was somewhat stimulating, but I have to say, it was kind of one note. It just didn’t reach my expectations. I had a feeling this was going to be an interactive exhibit. and it was, but I expected tons of artwork too. I expected storyboarding, sculptures, and scripts. I was expecting a little more depth. The exhibit consisted of 2 smaller rooms and 1 large main room. Within these rooms I came across a glass case that had some concept art inside. These drawings are awesome! You can tell how quickly these artists work. Almost as if their hand can barely keep up with their brain. As amazing as these drawings are, there was definitely something left to be desired. It may have a lot to do with the fact that I love drawing so much. And that I went there with the expectation of being surrounded by storyboards and sketches.
Concept Art for Fallout 3 and World of Warcraft
If you’ve walked through a used videogame store then you’ve seen most of this exhibit. There were some older things and a few rare systems that are worth mentioning. Old systems like the Sega Masters System and the Intellivision System. But as I was leaving the exhibit I thought, what about hand-held systems? I was also hoping to see some remnant souvenir from one of the video game events. In the late 80’s early 90’s there were some amazing video game contests. During these events they would have rare items and release innovations for the future. For example the Nintendo Powerglove. Oh man, I just don’t think there was ever anything as epic as the Powerglove. The more I reflect, the more I realize this exhibit lacked a lot of consistency.
Nintendo Powerglove
Okay, that was a little brutal, and now I’m feeling guilty, so let’s talk about some positive things about this exhibit. I loved seeing the transitions that videogames went through since the early 80’s. There has been a lot of growth and development in the last 30 years. Development in video game styles, graphics and technology. Now you have videogamers who prefer action packed ‘first person shooters’ or realistic sports games. But me, I am an adventure, RPG (role playing game) super fan. Games like Zelda and Final Fantasy. After talking videogames with a few fellow nerds, the consensus is that Zelda clearly paved the road for fantasy video games. Even though I love Zelda, my heart belongs to Final Fantasy. And there was barely any Final fantasy at this exhibit.
The Legend of ZELDA (NES)
The Legend of ZELDA: a Link to the Past
I gotta say, Seeing some of these systems and videogames streaming on different monitors was very nostalgic. Being at the museum, watching people get excited about videogames is something I’ll always support. Videogames are such a huge part of the culture and community. But if I’m going to be honest, it didn’t take long before my kids said “Dad, I’m bored.” So we went home, plugged in the old SNES and started playing Mario.
Andrew Horvath 