The Site
Fanime 2008
My first year at the Artist’s Alley was a complete success! Thank you so much to anyone who dropped by my table to say “hello,” or even buy one of my prints, fans, or bookmarks. What made it such a wonderful experience where the people around me! Even on the first day, waiting in line for our table we where greeted by friendly people who loved to draw! I have never had such a welcoming con experience. It was truly special.
There are a few people I’d like to thank who made the whole thing possible:
Kat - Getting a table was her idea and she let me tag along! She was responsible for all the paperwork and prep work that went into getting the table, including getting the seller’s permit and making sure we had receipt books to keep track of our sales. She even came up with unique ideas such as our custom fans and our Death Note/Guest Book. Both items were a big hit. Thanks Kat, for everything!
G - Who gave us golden advice on how we should run the table. His advice prevented us for making some of the worst newcomer mistakes, and his ideas and humor were greatly appreciated by everyone. I am so glad he could hang with us as much as he chose too. I know he is super popular. *wink*
Luis – I was worried that sharing our table with him would be a bad idea, but it turned out to be completely the opposite. Sharing the table with him was what allowed us to have so much fun! Not only did he provide us with constant refreshments with his magical cooler, but supplied us with music that entertained the tables around us. He also worked as our eyes and ears as my face was buried drawing commissions. He helped sell a lot of our stuff. In general, he’s just a fun guy to hang out with. We must try this again.
Megan – She was our surprise guest and was also a lot of fun. She snuck her way all the way from New York to surprise her twin sister, Kat. She dressed in Grim cosplay to disguise herself, though it came in handy for our Caramelldansen. She even earned the love of the guy running the Snafu booth and he gave her a free print. Megan also acted as a translator for our encounter with the Gainax animator. It’s so nice to hang with Kats’s other half. Rock on!
Sonny - For driving all the way up from Costa Mesa, arriving at 3 AM, to hang out with me. I apologize for neglecting him too much. He also brought me food and love for whenever I needed it.
Sonja and Robert –Thanks for dealing with the craziness of the trip, and for supporting me in my creative endeavor. You guys mean the world too me and I hope in the end, you had a good time. Because seeing you guys really made me so happy!
Sanji – Thanks For entertaining us, and for perfectly portraying “Love-sick Sanji.” You made so many fangirls’ dreams come true! Not to mention you helped me sell a few prints and bookmarks too! Thanks for the memories.
●Highlights●
Tuxedo TeamI am super embarrassed to say it, but I love these guys’ cosplay photos so much! When I found out they were coming down to Fanime I went straight into fangirl mode, which I try very hard to suppress. When I saw them walk by, I honestly didn’t want to bug them, but knew I would never get another opportunity to show them my appreciation. I gained the courage to go up and try to at least say hi. I recognized Miguel and assumed it was Jin next to him but, it wasn’t until later I realized I was talking with Jin’s sister (I think)! I had sent a message to Jin saying I would give him a free print if I could take a picture with them. Obviously they weren’t aware of the deal and politely refused. I felt really stupid after and hope I wasn’t being too pushy. But they did stop by to flip though our book and we had a very small conversation. I was trying not to act like a total idiot. Not sure if I succeeded. Anyway I am super glad I got to meet them, they were both very nice and gorgeous…
The first day was slow but a lot of fun. The dealer’s room was open pretty late and everything else was closing down. I noticed a guy flipping though our art very slowly and carefully. I asked him if he was interested in buying a print. He just said Thank you. It was then that I noticed his badge had a Gurren Lagann logo on it and it dawned on me: he was one of the Gainax staff and didn’t understand a word of English! So I turned to Megan and asked if she could translate for us. We totally put her on the spot but she did a wonderful job. He said he was an animator and I proceeded to geek out over him. He was super nice and chatted with us for about 20 minutes. We got him to sign my Yoko bookmark and our Death Note. We even took a picture with him. Yay for random encounters!
It all stared when Luis ordered us some pizza at the con. The boxes were strangely blank so he requested us to draw on one. I drew Sanji holding a pizza with the title “Sanji’s Pizza”. It was a big hit but when a cosplayer dressed as Sanji walked by and said he must buy my bookmark. Then things got crazy. Before we knew it we had him taking pictures with G and posing with our box, which Luis had customized with a special handle. We all signed the box in the end.
What’s a con without some random group dancing!