This’ll be a fairly cliff notes version of the Con, since I’m behind on Digger, and completely bereft of art, but I’ll hit the high points.

Chemical spill in Virginia. Sat in traffic for over an hour while we crawled past the gentlemen in hazmat suits. Woo!

Everything went very well, sat next to Sanguine, Sofawolf did a fabulous job with the Digger book, nice matte covers, very classy, and I’m now the proud owner of a giant Digger advertising poster that I’ll hang in the studio. (They’ll be on sale the 15th, links will be linked.) Set-up was great, the jumbo prints in magazine rack worked wonderfully, as did the mouse-pad holder. We actually had the back of the table clear! It was awesome! Glorious space! I am tempted by the gridwalls that some of the other dealers have invested in–maybe next year.

Printer worked overtime, performed well, although we just couldn’t keep up with demand. Minor crisis when the Really Important CD (A-E of the most recent work, which included Azezaelbunny, demonrat, air and earth mouse, dillostones…a LOT of vital art) failed. James rose to the occasion magnificently, found a program that could rescue data from the messed up CD, bought it on-line, and we had the prints by Saturday evening. James is amazing, have I mentioned that?

As usual, no predicting anything in print sales–smallrus and morning dragon and the sea sock, normally great sellers all, moved maybe one print apiece. Little Red Riding Gulo? Couldn’t keep the damn thing on the table. Go figure. However, demonbunny and demon rat both did very well, the elemental mice and the ABC set did pretty good, and those I had predicted, so that was good, and the abusive hamsters are always pretty strong sellers. Rafferty tells me that the demon-animals are the way to go, and I believe him. Gotta paint more. Maybe after Trinoc…I sort’ve have an idea for a demon badger…well, anyway. Jumbo prints sold quite well, I’m down to a bare handful.

Met zillions of people in passing, generally who I wanted to talk to at greater length, and didn’t get a chance. Price of being chained to the table, alas. Peganthryus sketched porn for me. I am scarred and proud. Had a deeply awesome dinner with Matt Harpold and Andy. Laughed until brain hurt. Hung out and did homework with Heather Bruton and crew, always delightful, finally got to meet Kyoht and her husband, had a long, strange, but entertaining dead dog dinner with the Sofawolf guys and a bunch of other artists, which was made particularly memorable by someone who shall remain nameless shoving rose petals up their nostrils. I cannot even begin to name all the people I met, so I won’t try.

Art show was good, we’re starting to see more people doing weird, experimental stuff, which is all to the good. Got a poster from Chris Goodwin that I am deeply delighted with, was outbid on a lovely piece of an oryx from Thomas Blue. Sketchbooks were good. I’m starting to get into the groove doing those, and the work is more weird and distinctively me–this was the Year of the Turnip and a number of people now have sketches that involve their characters summoning turnips, being stalked by turnips, snuggling turnips, etc. They generally seemed pleased. I didn’t get any weird requests. Well, I got a couple requests to draw “something weird” but for me that’s not actually a weird request. Er. Thing.

And a Digger fan presented me with a fabulous stuffed wombat. And I have much new art to try and find spots for, even though I didn’t get to do a quarter of the print trades I wanted to. (E-mail me, O artists! Always up for swapping!) And Kyoht drew me a sketch of Naked Mole Rat stealing the noble lima bean spirit, which I am inordinately delighted with. And I am out of braincells and need to go work on Digger.

Otter Painting!

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/20490318/