Japan: Design Festa Fall 2013, part one

What do you get when you combine some of Asia's most creative artistic minds together twice a year at Tokyo Big Sight? You get a wildly inventive, incredibly diverse array of outstanding talents and creations mingling together, sharing their crafts and selling their wares as part of the ongoing Design Festa Series! As mentioned above, it's a twice-annual festival, occurring in the spring and again in the fall, allowing artisans from across the land (along with nearby countries) to come and share their passion with each other. Meet and greet many of the creative minds themselves, live and in the flesh! Most of who and what I encountered during my visit to the Fall Design Festa of 2013 was thoroughly awe-inspiring, for the precision and sheer imagination or dedication that went into it, while sometimes it was more confounding or awkward, like school girls with fabulously voluminous hair getting railed by a faceless man who appears to be wearing a device intended to, I think, uhh, collect her fluids? 

Huh. But hey, just because it might not necessarily be my cup of tea doesn't mean it isn't a well-crafted piece of art that will titillate someone else! 

But anyway, here are some sweet elephants, in case you're feeling a little disturbed by the blatant hentai above. Remember, though, that these pieces were all publicly displayed for all to see inside of Tokyo Big Sight, so the artist wasn't trying to hide their creation from curious eyes. In fact, completely the opposite! This event is all about getting your work seen and sharing it with others. One of the coolest things about Design Festa is that it's not limited to one particular type of artistry- if you're into cosplay, there were many people milling about in costumes, from furry to space alien, steampunk pirates to mohawk and studded leather sporting punks. All are welcome, and all art is respected. It's a wild experience, and pretty psychedelic when you stumble down some of the more performance arts-oriented groups laden corridors, but do your best to keep your wits. I know it can be hard with the Japanese rope bondage demonstration in one corner, and the friendly lolitas in the other, but there's a lot to see here!

Given just how much there actually is to see here, I've broken this post into several different posts, and it's still pretty photo heavy. I didn't want to exclude any of it, though, because it's all so fabulous!

I hope you enjoy~

Vegas: Intergalactic Art Car Festival

Have you ever wondered what it might be like to roll up on an intergalactic convention for artsy minded extraterrestrials? Well, wonder no more, because the Intergalactic Art Car Festival, hosted by Lyft and Zappos, is here to answer that question by gathering some of the most outlandish art cars that could be found this side of the milky way. Las Vegas is a city that is no stranger to the weird, after all, and plays home to many of the people who make Burning Man into the event it is every year. Many, if not all of the cars featured here, were at a Burning Man at some point in their lives, or are affiliated with the event in a very 6-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon sort of manner. The friends I have who volunteered their time to help set it up were, naturally, Burners, as the tribe of annual devotees are called. Personally, I've never been. Something about paying several hundred bucks, plus transportation and all that, to go do drugs in the desert rubs me the wrong way. I've gone to smaller, regional events with a similar mentality behind them that were free to attend and had an absolutely stellar time with many of the same folks who attend the more expensive party every year. To each their own, though, and I'm sure that for the people who have gone it's absolutely the life-changing illuminating event that many people make it out to be!  

And if there's one thing you can say for certain about burners, it's that they're pyrotechnic lust rings true to their name. I was pretty thoroughly amused by how many of the art cars had some form of flame-throwing capabilities, but given that Burning Man is an event that literally culminates in the burning of a giant hominid effigy, it makes sense that Burners would like to play with fire. This could be a side benefit of living in an entertainment-oriented city like Las Vegas, because there are plenty of jobs for pyrotechnicians who surely like to experiment in their free time. Not all of the vehicles were solely flame-throwers in fancy garb, though, some were psychedelic light shows on wheels and other's cozy beds. There was even the Flintstones' vehicle making the rounds!  And to top it all off, this event was absolutely free to the public! I'm not kidding, it was 100% free to go! You were more than welcome to donate, with proceeds going towards funding education in the Arts here in Nevada, but admission was free!

While we missed the initial parade, we were able to see most if not all of the vehicles during our explorations! Naturally, plenty of photos to follow.

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!

Vegas: Springs Preserve Late Fall visit

The Springs Preserve here in Vegas likes to get dolled up for different holidays throughout the year and they try to be inclusive of the multitude of different cultures living together in the valley too, which is great! Whether you're a member like Antho and I or just a regular visitor going for a spontaneous outing you can expect to stroll up to occasionally discover a themed entrance appropriate for the most timely celebration, and during this trip out we found the Preserve dressed up for Dia De Muertos, an event celebrating beloved ancestors and family members in Latin cultures. The decorations are not the only way they celebrate as there are also fun activities and live events, music, food and crafts going on during the 2 day celebration! This year the event will be November 2nd through the 4th and you can learn more here. It's advised to get your tickets ahead of time! We didn't go for the paid event as we aren't particularly familiar with the celebration and we weren't there at the right time, anyhow. During our visit, the decorations were the only thing really going on and the preserve was pretty quiet. This was fine by us as we enjoyed strolling around in the late-afternoon light and checking out some of the hiking trails we hadn't yet ventured out to in prior trips. There's several routes you can take through the more open and natural side of the preserve, and we enjoyed our visit quite a bit. We definitely didn't see every trail or every thing there was to see out there, but it was a lovely use of an afternoon. I hope you enjoy the photos! Cheers.  

 

Vegas: The Watching Dead Party at Shakespeare's Grille and Pub

Happy New Year guys!

Believe it or not, I still occasionally go out and do caricatures. It's not something I like to do all the time anymore as I've made it my career for nearly a decade and, unfortunately, that didn't always make it fun for me but when the time is right and the fates align I can be found out doodling again for fun. This was one such occasion and for one magical night I could be caught at Shakespeare's Grille and Pub in Henderson for the Watching Dead party! There was no shortage of victims for my zombie caricature to slaughter off in new and amusing ways (bottle through the cheek? check!) or with entertaining new friends (birds in hair, squeakers in beards, etc). It was a good night and I had a lot of fun! I'm often surprised by the turn out of eager models when I do this, but I really should credit my buddy Danny, AKA Fat Beard, for his hard work putting these events together. Not only did he go through all of the work to hammer out the rights to view and display these shows in public with AMC, but he does an incredible job of spreading the word and promoting the events before they happen. Danny's a great dude and a key member of the Critical Care Comics  non-profit that spends their free time visiting children in the hospital to have Batman, Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, Deadpool or any of their other local heroes to deliver 28 pages of happiness at a time. They've been recognized by local newspapers like the Review Journal for their efforts and while this is an offshoot work done of Danny's own efforts, he's an integral part to the engine that keeps CCC running. It's always nice to work with him and he's always been a professional, caring dude who does the best he can with everything he has going at once. I'm happy to consider him among my friends and am excited for all the work we might be able to accomplish together in the new year! More photos after the cut...

Vegas: September visit to the Springs Preserve & OriGen Space Exhibit

As part of my birthday celebration, Antho and I went to visit the Springs Preserve. The Springs Preserve is a 180 acre property a short three miles from Downtown Las Vegas, and was actually the origination point of the city itself! Within it's boundaries are a plethora of things to see and do along with an ever rotating seasonal roster of events, flowers, and activities. Since this initial visit we've returned several times and despite that we've yet to truly begin to uncover everything there is to do inside the bounds of the preserve! There's the gardens, naturally, but also several hiking trails, multiple museums, a zoo, an old west style town, a cafe, and much more! There's even a butterfly habitat during the warmer months where you might get to live out a Disney princess dream with the little lovelies landing on you...singing is entirely optional. What brought us here for this particular visit, however, was the Space Exhibit inside the OriGen museum. 

While some of my friends dabble in astrophotography, which is incredibly beautiful, my curiousity in the cosmos stems largely from readings of Carl Sagan and documentaries/sci-fi. I do ever so love me a good (or sometimes terrible) sci-fi movie... and in space, no one can hear you scream...

We had so much fun during this visit that we actually sprung for annual memberships, which allow us to enter the gardens up to an hour prior to public opening as well as guaranteeing us free entry to the botanical gardens and museums for an entire year! When there's special events, like the Haunted  harvest we'd later go to, the entry fee is discounted for members. For the two of us it was about $50, which is really quite reasonable for everything included, especially when you consider that it's easy to spend $50 on a movie night (tickets, dinner, etc) it felt worth it to us. We could have gone an even cheaper route, but we wanted to support the venue and since the preserve is also rather close to where we're currently staying it makes for an easy budget friendly choice when we want to go out and do something but don't necessarily want to burn through all the gas (and gas money) it would take for us to drive out to Mount Charleston or Red Rock.  In all of our visits here, the staff have always been very pleasant and helpful. Walking among nature is known to be good for your health and we always leave the preserve feeling more relaxed and happy. Maybe it's from sunshine, or the exercise, but whatever the case we love the Springs Preserve!

More photos after the cut!

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: 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: the Watching Dead: Episode VI- Return of the party 2015-10-11

Once again I was lucky enough to be invited out to draw for a viewing party of The Walking Dead!

This event was hosted by Fat Beard, the cast of Evil Dead the musical and Very Awesome Girls Into Nerdy Activities (AKA VAGINA! Isn't their name great?) 

Spoiler alert!

If you look carefully you can see me chainsaw-dueling with Ash from Evil Dead!

Season 6 just came out, have you been keeping up to date?

Lucky for Antho and I season 5 was released onto Netflix about a week prior to the season premiere and we marathoned it before the event.

I actually missed most of the episode because I was so busy drawing, but I certainly can't complain about doing what I love. :)  

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!