My 2018 Playlist

2018 has been one hell of a year, hasn't it? Antho and I packed our vehicles up and drove from the bottom Southwest corner of the state of Nevada all the way up to the northern corner of Washington state, a trek that took us the better part of three days and covered over 1,200 miles! There was that stop in Merril, Oregon, where I thought my transmission finally clunked out on me only to discover she was just dehydrated... Before that, there was that bright, cold morning in Reno, Nevada, where we awoke to find wild horses grazing not far from our temporary campsite. We took a side trek out to Mesquite, also in Nevada, during the spring so I could draw a graduating class of high school seniors, and then the extended journey out to St George...  We saw goats, and Gila monsters, lions and tigers and dolphins! There were photoshoots at Valley of Fire, Mount Charleston, and at home! We went to the China Lights Festival and the Intergalactic Art Car show, among many other things! Like I said, it's been one hell of a year.

There were some real ups and downs along the way too, but that's the nature of life. So it goes. One thing that remains consistent is the need for music, to help power us through. You can't spend three full days driving without something to listen to, right?! While I'm generally more than happy to listen to endless hours of the Mysterious Universe podcast, to get my fix of paranormal stories and Aussie sass, I have to admit that it was a great gift when Antho upgraded us to the Spotify Premium family plan. This is NOT a sponsored post- I just really appreciate how much Spotify has helped open up my listening experience. I'm definitely one of those people who can fall into a hard rut with music, listening to the same 5 songs for weeks until I burn myself out so utterly and completely that I force myself to forget the song exists until I end up stumbling upon it sometime later in a playlist, like the handy one Spotify compiled for me of my top 100 songs of 2018. I used to gather all my favorite songs via music video into a playlist on Youtube, which I'd let play in a background window, but that's growing to be more challenging as Youtube pushes their pay-to-play services more and more. It's a lot of fun to look back and see (or rather, hear) what songs dominated my year. A lot of K-pop is present as I'm still nursing the comedown from living in South Korea and being immersed in it daily... also, K-pop (and J-pop) is definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. If I'm having a tough day, it's safe to say that a peppy girl group (or smooth boy band) will perk me right back up. A lot of these songs helped get me through long, slow nights working in the jewelry shop at Harrah's and withstanding profuse rejections from potential customers. Retail sales is a tough gig to be in for me, and it was the job I held throughout the vast majority of the year... I mean, I'm not a hideous specimen of a human, and I can be some measure of charming when I wish to be, but I have a hard time trying to pressure people into buying things that I know they don't really need at prices I personally wouldn't want to pay... I've made comics about this before, man!

But now, here in Seattle, I've found a gig that suits me a lot more on a philosophic and personal level. I'm not going to delve into too many details about it, but suffice it to say I've found a company and form of work that aligns much more closely with my personal values. They're eco-friendly, have pet chickens (and kittens) at the company office, provide acupuncture and yoga classes for their staff, and are flexible enough to allow me time off for a caricature gig when it arises while also paying a living wage. Pretty fricking legit, right? I know I can't complain!

So, here's to 2019!

I'm excited to see what new opportunities and challenges come our way in this new year. While we still have a few weeks yet to wrap up this year, I've been preparing for 2019 for a few weeks already...

💘

XOXO,

NAU 

Vegas: Zappos Fandom Friday Marvel Mini-con April 2018

May the Fourth be with you!

From time to time, I'm lucky enough to donate my time to help Critical Care Comics, a 501c nonprofit organization, with their cause. What, exactly, is their cause, you may ask? To put it simply, Critical Care Comics is; " Dedicated to bringing joy to children in hospitals by delivering comic books to help them escape the discomfort of hospital life. If only for only 28 pages. "... the long version, however, is a bit more personal. The founder of Critical Care Comics (referred to as "CCC" from here onward) was diagnosed with cancer when he was young, causing him to spend weeks in the hospital at a time for treatment and missing out on time with his friends and other normal adolescents pursuits. It was a challenging situation to be in and his greatest escape was in the form of comics that his family would bring him to read. While he recovered and has gone on to grow and become a healthy man with a loving wife, he's always wanted to give back to the community and help others who find themselves in a similar situation to his. CCC was born of that need and in the 5-6 years since it began has gone on to donate thousands upon thousands of donated comics to children in Las Vegas area hospitals. I've been working with them now for about 3 years, tagging along on hospital visits and events to draw and help where needed. All of the comics and toys that we take to the hospitals and give to the kids are donated by kind-hearted citizens! There are several comic book stores throughout the city of Las Vegas that have partnered with the cause and have permanent donation boxes in their stores where people can drop off their books, too.

The cause naturally attracts the hero types who, between saving the world, might drop in for a visit. They're all pretty busy, of course, with that whole saving-the-world thing... it's pretty amazing how often Earth finds itself in peril, isn't it? Luckily we've got so many heroes who call our humble planet home or at least have taken a liking to it, like Chewbacca up there. He was kind enough to pose for photos with all of us, who were honored by his presence. Hawk Eye, Wolverine and Spider Gwen also hung out with us for a bit, ensuring the safety of our supplies and the other people attending the Fandom Friday mini-con.  There were even a few surprise appearances from other Avengers, too! Pretty cool, man, pretty cool. Every hospital visit has at least three of our galaxies greatest heroes there, so kids get to bond with Wonder Woman, Batman, Spiderman, even Deadpool!

This event, in particular, was Zappos Fandom Friday, a free event to the public celebrating Marvel and all things nerdy held at the Zappos corporate office in Downtown Las Vegas. The event was on the official release date for Infinity War, so they were definitely celebrating the momentous occasion. There were banners for each of the Infinity Stones, life-size cut-outs of Thanos (definitely don't want him attending in person), many different artists and vendors celebrating and sharing their crafts, and raffles galore! CCC was there to collect donations with games and raffles and spread awareness of the cause. It's an awesome event and totally worth attending if you get the chance! I went back in 2016 as an artist and had a great time. There are painting classes, the Taco Fest truck, amazingly talented artists and so much more! You definitely don't want to miss the costume contest!

Star Lord, meet Star Lord and crew. 

Lots more photos below!

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2016 Day 2

Day Two of the Amazing Las Vegas Comic con was even more lively with additional cosplayers, vendors, speakers, and more to be seen with the weekend allowing more people the chance to escape reality (and work) to attend. There were even a pair of tyrannosaurus rex romping around, terrifying and amusing people as they flailed their tiny arms about and brought all sorts of fresh new chaos from the cretaceous, as the grand beasts have a tendency to do (exhibit A, exhibit B, exhibit C, exhibit D) . Creativity in all it's forms was on proud display with an outstanding array of costumes and creations to be seen. It was a lot of fun and great to see so many people coming out and sharing their love for their fandom! Whether you're a fan of DC, Marvel, Star Wars, gaming or cartoons there really was something for everyone which was lovely to see given how divisive some fans can get. 

While I understand being enthusiastic about your particular obsession of choice, I personally don't really understand the DC/Marvel hate, or the Trekkies vs Star Wars type wars that go on. I like all of them! Each franchise has their own unique and enjoyable aspects to bring to the table, whether it be DC's excellent television franchise (oh, Barry Allen, quit futzing with the timeline, you loveable rascal!), Marvel's grand cinematic universe, Star Wars's epic lore and expansive  universe, or Star Trek's optimistic vision for humanity's future and tales of comradery, challenge and cooperation. You're allowed to like them all, or none of them, for your own reasons- just don't be a jerk, man. Luckily, this event I did not encounter any fanboy-supremes who piss all over anything outside their particular fandom of choice and the peaceful interactions and enthusiastic acceptance of eachother's fan-love is a huge attraction to the event. I mean, seriously, no one really wants to be that guy from the Simpsons, right?

Among the peaceful and happy attendees there were ample collectibles to be had, from rare Funko Pops to ultra rare Spider-man comics! While hanging out with the wonderful crew of Critical Care Comics, someone donated this rare issue of Spider-man much to the shock and awe of the group. This one comic alone was worth $300 at the time and is probably worth more than that now, given the amount of time that's passed since the event and how rarity tends to go. I could be wrong, of course, as I was more the Pokemon card collecting kid and much of my collection didn't really appreciate in value, so my understanding of these things may be limited.   

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2016- Day 1

This post is long overdue! 

My apologies, denizens of the internet and blogosphere. I've been really busy with this whole living in Korea thing, and my poor bloggy-woggy has been terribly neglected as a result. On the plus side, as a result of how busy I've been going out and exploring, having an adventure on nearly every day off, I've now got a backlog with a plethora of fun new content to share with everyone in the near future!  

But this post is not about the near future, it's about an event that is now, sadly in the past. 

Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2016!!

BAM! POW! FLASH!

What is the Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con? According to their website:

"AMAZING LAS VEGAS COMIC CON is Nevada’s premiere pop culture event, taking place June 23-25, 2016. The 2016 event is back bigger than ever before, moving to the Las Vegas Convention Center. Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con features the very best creators in the world with favorites from the Las Vegas Community, Extensive programming, an International Artist Alley, and the Wizards of Cosplay."

As a participant, I can say that it was an absolute blast! Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con provides a chance for the geekily inclined to gather and celebrate their love of the art of telling stories in panels, dressing up, sci-fi, fiction, art, on and on! There were extremely talented artists galore, both illustrators, crafters, and cosplayers, as well as panels from celebrity guests and veterans of the industry throughout all three days. As an artist myself I was blown away by all the cool creations and could only wish I had more cash to buy all the cool stuff. There was so much awesomeness!!

I was lucky enough to be invited to attend with the Critical Care Comics crew, who are a fabulous group of heroes who gather together to fight the forces of sadness and illness that attack our young friends and fellow comic fans who find themselves hospitalized for any number of reasons. To help bring a smile to their faces your friendly neighborhood Spider-man, Supergirl, Starfire, Wonder Woman, Batman, Raven, Deadpool and Wolverine (and more!) will pop in for a visit with fat-stacks of community donated comics to surprise them! I'll tag along and draw the kids as their favorite hero or cartoon character. It's really a wonderful group to be a part of and to help with. I feel very honored to be able to play any part in their excellent community work. I highly recommend checking out their webpage or Facebook and if you happen to have any unwanted comics to send them their way. It really does brighten the kid's days, and as some parents have told us, might be the first thing to bring a smile to their face in some time. 

Anyhow, this post is about Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con 2016, and photos galore follow below!

Vegas: Zappos Fandom Friday 2016-03-25

On Friday, March 25th I was lucky enough to participate in Zappos Fandom Friday event! Zappos, for those not in the know, is an online retailer based in my quaint little home town of Las Vegas, Nevada. On top of being a successful company that ranks as one of the best in country to work for,  Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has taken a very active role in helping to revitalise downtown Las Vegas, leading the way in it's resurgence as a popular tourist & local hipster destination. And yes, if you read the Wired article I linked there, it's true; there is a giant praying mantis that shoot fire in Downtown Vegas, located in front of the Downtown Container Park. Thanks, Tony.

As a participating artist/vendor at the event, I got to hang out in their lobby area and partake in all the nerdy goodness afoot! There were many super talented artists, groovy vendors, cosplayers, banging DJs, and even some llamas. 

Yes, llamas.

Gosh they're cute! 

And really, it was a very cool event to attend. If I'm not mistaken, this was the first ever Fandom Friday thanks in no small part to Rogue Toys! Rogue Toys partnered with Zappos to get the gears rolling on this event and I'm so grateful they did. It's always great seeing new opportunities and events pop up for the artistic community in this city! And what a fun event this was; there were dancing storm troopers, amazing cosplay, fantastic original art, live performances by Decaying Tigers, arcades games free to play, food trucks, and fun and games for all involved!

I came out with some limited edition Batman Vs. Superman prints in honour of the new movie. Have you seen it? Antho and I had already watched it by the time I went to the event, but I made sure not to give away any spoilers...but I didn't really get much opportunity as almost everyone I asked about the movie admitted to being less than excited to see it...womp womp. 

Even so, I managed to sell a few of the prints. ^_^ I'm thinking of putting them up on Etsy, but I have a few Superhero events left here in town first so I'll see how they do. The nice thing about prints is once they're made you have them, so even if I didn't sell out of them at the event I'm glad to have gone! 

How often do you get to encounter random llamas or dancing Storm Troopers, after all?

This is going to be an image heavy post, so be forewarned ye of sluggish internet!!

Also, if you see yourself or anyone you know and want me to include their name or remove photos, please contact me ASAP and I'll be happy to oblige! 

Critical Care Comics Hospital Visit 2015/12/12

On a cold and gloomy December day, an unlikely team of heroes quietly gathered in front of UMC Children's Hospital in the Las Vegas valley to battle the forces of sadness and evil!

Taking on a couple of side-kicks in the form of FatBeard & your's truly, our mission was to bring some fun to the hospital-bound kiddos' day. 

I've discussed my work with Critical Care Comics before, but this was the first time I was invited to tag along on a hospital visit. It was a great honour and privilege to take part in their work and seeing the excitement the heroes and comic books inspired was wonderful! Wonder Woman was a surprise hit, with multiple fans proclaiming her as their favourite, much to Batsy & Spidey's chagrin. ;) 

Spider-Man keeping a watchful eye as I work on this drawing of a young Star Wars fan. 

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!