Korea: Dinner with Kelly O., Wilfred L. and Fun Caricature Crew

When you work as an internationally traveling caricature artist, you're bound to run into a few others who share your predilection for wandering and drawing. The caricature community is fairly small and tight-knit, which makes sense given the nature of the work. You're often drawing with other artists at your side for long hours of the day and between customers, you can commiserate with the unique challenges and frustrations (and joys!) of being a caricature artist by trade. Taking your art on the road can be especially rewarding, but also presents its own set of challenges and tribulations. Depending on where you are you can get homesick or feel isolated due to linguistic difficulties, so forming friendships with your peers is an important part of making the duration of your habitation as enjoyable as possible. During my stay in Korea there were several other artists who came through to visit, and it was always an honor to meet them. I mean, just look how cuddly that guy looks! 

Drawing of Damien Dunn and Kelly O'Brien by Kosuke Miyagi.

Kelly was one of those artists who'd been to many of the same places I had, yet we'd never actually met until she came to Korea to visit.  This has happened a couple of times, and it was always so much fun meeting the other artists! She's an astoundingly talented artist and all around good person, so it was awesome having the chance to meet her! She already knew most of the Fun Caricature company because she'd worked with them for a good solid chunk of time, so she was already out with them when I met up with them for dinner. 

Perhaps not surprisingly, the presence of two tall white women didn't go unnoticed for long at the restaurant. Kelly, being an extroverted and friendly gal, made friends with these guys right away. 

Always the artist, she had her sketch pad at the ready. It turned into a trade, as it turned out one of the friendly fellows was versed in a traditional Korean cultural seal that he drew up for us as gifts. Righteous! I don't know about you guys, but these are some of the most meaningful exchanges for me, because they're so random and unexpected. 

Another talented artist, Wilfred Lee, joined us. While he had worked with Fun Caricature in the past, he had moved on to a new company by this point so I hadn't met him prior to this. He's since moved to Canada with his lovely wife, whom I also met that night. Both wonderful, kind people and also extremely talented. It was definitely my honor to get to meet them!

More photos to follow~

Art: Bellagio Fountains Caricature

The day after Christmas, despite the cold air and crowds, I found myself sitting near the Bellagio fountains awaiting a friend. It was a pre-destined meeting that evening, one that had been eagerly anticipated and planned in hushed whispers. Rumor had spread among our colleagues and Antho sighed as I hopped from the van, tools in hand. I had to be quick, stealthy. Hands stiff and cracking in the cold I set up my station; a chair, a clipboard, art supplies and a purse. And then, I waited. 

And waited a bit more.

My phone would buzz with the occasional update, until final confirmation: "We're on our way."

Yes, we.

You see, this stealth caricature set up was all a rouse, a grand set up for what was about to come. Our friend and my colleague Brando (the man behind VR Evolution on Youtube) had long-since planned his proposal to his lovely girlfriend Tia, and I was to help him pop the question via an "impromptu" caricature of the two. I had done most of the drawing prior to meeting with them so that I could guarantee it being of a quality I felt satisfied with giving them for such a monumental event. Once they found me I had to downplay my own excitement as I added the finishing touches and stalled for time to try to make it feel more organic. Luckily, Antho managed to find parking at a nearby casino and was able to make it back in time for the final reveal. He captured the photos to commemorate the moment, and this blog will hopefully help provide a little reminder of this precious experience. Thankfully for all involved, Tia said yes and the two went away on a staycation for a few days after this to celebrate! Brando's sister also arrived to stealthily capture some photos or video from a different perspective, which is awesome. 

All in all it ended happily and I look forward to seeing the next stage of their sweet story while grateful for what part I could play. 

💗Congratulations guys!💗 

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2016 After Party

After the fun had at the Las Vegas Convention center for the convention itself, the party moved to the Millenium Fandom Bar for the after party. Have you ever danced with Admiral Ackbar and Fiona the Human? I have. It was awesome!

In case you're not from Vegas, or even if you are from Vegas but lack a certain geeky-socialite je nai ses quoi, the Millenium Fandom Bar is a bastion of beverages and community for cosplayers and regular fans alike. While cosplay is certainly not required, it's definitely encouraged, so what better environment to celebrate the successful con with all the fabulous cosplayers and vendors who attended and plenty who couldn't?

The awesome staff and management of the bar let me set up and draw caricatures, as well, and I had a blast! It was so fun seeing and drawing people in character and with the liquid libations loosening everyone up a bit, it was quite the wild night. This was also something of a low-key going away party for me, as well, because shortly after this I would be leaving for Korea and unable to hang out with my Critical Care Crew until I return from my adventures in Asia. Spider-man and Batsy did a shot with me to send me off, and a very surprised Uber driver got to delivery Batman safely to his Batcave later that evening- in full Bat suit! Don't drink and drive, kids, unless you want to face justice. No one likes Batman when he's angry...and while Batman doesn't kill his enemies (most of the time) there's no guarantee what could happen. Just don't risk it!

All in all it was a super fun time (see what I did there? eh? eh?)! Critical Care Comics took over the sound system for a bit and held the costume contest and a raffle. All proceeds from the raffle went towards funding their efforts to bring a smile to the faces of sick kids throughout the valley, so even if you didn't win a prize you still won some good karma points! If you've never seen a drunk Spider-man MCing it's really quite a spectacle to behold. I may or may not have grabbed his bum... what can I say? I've always had a soft spot for the witty webslinger. Luckily he had given me a free pass to do so once or twice in my life when I casually mentioned the temptation at another time, so it wasn't assault. That's important, folks- don't go grabbing or touching people without their explicit consent, otherwise you're no better than the orange buffoon with the bad hair from the TV that (almost) everyone makes fun of. 

Just because someone is in cosplay does not give you the right to touch them.

EVER.  It doesn't matter how sexy their costume is or how nice they seem, unless they give you the OK to hug or otherwise touch them, respect their bodily autonomy and personal bubble. It's basic human decency, guys. 

Luckily for everyone, the group at the after party were all awesome people and a good time was had by pretty much everyone (as far as I could tell anyway, I for one saw no grumpy faces). I'm absolutely looking forward to attending next year's Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con!! Hope to see you all out at ALVCC2017!!

XOXO

Nau

The Watching Dead Mid-Season Finale Party @ Shakespeare's 2015-11-29

It was time for the mid-season finale of The Watching Dead, so I packed up my drawing supplies and made my way over to Shakespeare's Bar & Grill. Antho came dressed as Carl and my good friend Kaity joined us at my table for the event. As always,  we had a blast! We're grateful to Shakespeare's for hosting us, the cast of Evil Dead the Musical for doing trivia and giveaways, and FatBeard for organising and promoting the event and inviting us to attend. As I was so busy drawing I didn't really get to take any photos, all credit goes to team FatBeard! 

Vegas: Las Vegas Valley Comic Book Fest 2015

Did you know that Vegas has the 2nd most video game stores per capita?

Atlanta beats us, but we also rank high up there in number of comic book stores, 2nd only to Seattle if my source was correct. Either way, we've got quite a robust and healthy nerd population!

Between the Consumer Electronic Show in spring and all the other conventions throughout the year, there's guaranteed to be something for everyone. While the Star Trek experience has sadly gone dark, there's still plenty of good geeky fun to be had.

Las Vegas Valley ComicBook Fest 2015 is one great example!

Once a year, on the first Saturday of November, Clark County library opens it's doors to the arts community and hosts the festival. All ages are welcome and the event is free to attend!  

This year I was posted up with Critical Care Comics, a brilliant non-profit organization that has Superheroes deliver comics to children in hospitals. It's always a great honor to work with them and I had a blast attending the event! They're so cool, in fact, that Kevin Smith gave them a shout out recently during his show in Vegas. Right on, good sir!

Vegas: 2015 Halloween Comic Fest w/CriticalCare Comics@ Cheeseboy Comics

Did you know that Batman is quite the capable skateboarder?

Well, now you know.

For Halloween I was lucky enough to be invited to Cheeseboy Comics to join Critical Care Comics & FatBeard in the 2015 Halloween Comic Fest! 

Critical Care Comics is a non-profit organization that collects donated comics and delivers them to sick children in the hospital, along with visits from their favorite superheroes! 

Not only is their mission ridiculously awesome, they're a pretty cool group of heroes, too!

In the Halloween spirit, costumes were greatly encouraged!

Vegas: Trunk or Treat Halloween Caricatures Event!

I was recently lucky enough to be invited to draw for a Trunk or Treat event! 

It was a lot of fun and I got to meet and draw a lot of really interesting people. 

Due to time/crowd limitations I was only really able to do black and white drawings, but they were well received regardless!

Who knows, maybe some went home and colored them in themselves. ;) Next generation of artists in the works!

Everyone had the option to be drawn normally or as creepy zombie versions, which was delightful. You never know who'll want to get the scary version...

And really, how often do you get to draw a zombie baby?!

So much fun! Thanks again for having me, guys! 

Las Vegas: FEAR the WATCHING Dead Season 1 finale Party 2015-10-04

Grraarrrghhhh….Braaaaiiiiiinnnnnsssss….

I am a huge fan of zombie lore and also quite fond of drawing, so when Fat Beard gave me the opportunity to combine the two at yet another event, this time the FEAR the WATCHING Dead Season 1 Finale Party, I couldn't resist! Especially when you throw in the undead hosting talents of the cast of Evil Dead the Musical  and the tasty grub and gulps to be had at Shakespeare's a good time was guaranteed to be had by all!

Las Vegas: Fear the Watching Dear premier party 2015-08-23

Antho and I were recently invited to participate in the Fear the Watching Dead season premiere party hosted by Fatbeard and the cast of Evil Dead the Musical at Shakespeare's Grille & Pub. It was a freaking blast!!!

If you didn't know already, I'm a huge fan of all things horror! 

Ever since I was a little kid horror movies have been a favorite of mine, with The Thing, the Fly, Alien & Aliens, American Werewolf in London, the Evil Dead series, and the Nightmare on Elm Street series among my favorites, but I've also got a big sweet spot for zombie flicks. Shaun of the Dead, Dead Alive, Night of the Living Dead, Zombieland, Warm Bodies and more all hold very near and dear places in my heart. One of the biggest draws to the creepier side of the cinematic world for me is the practical effects utilized in a lot of the older movies. I was raised on a heavy diet of Jim Henson's astounding creations and was absolutely fascinated by the process I caught glimpses of in behind the scenes clips. Working in the world of creature effects and practical monster makeup has always been something of a dream job for me, and I geek out hard on videos showing how a talented team of professionals can turn a pretty little model into a crawling corpse. However, I'm currently much better at drawing, so I do! Being invited to events like this is always a great privilege and honor, and I'm happy to announce that we were invited back for the season finale! Yay!

Check out my art blog, Deviantart,  if you're curious to get a glimpse of some of the creepy stuff I love drawing, haha. Might not be suitable for the easily spooked. ;) 

More photos from the event below!

Seoul: Gallery Woo Fun Art

After my visit to Hongdae, I met with some fellow artists at Gallery Woo. 

There are prints from a wide array of caricaturists with differing styles throughout the gallery, and the building itself had a quirky and inviting interior. The location serves as a meeting spot and classroom throughout the month with various lessons offered from art to English, and their cafe serves delicious coffee on top of all the ample fodder for creativity.