Cincinnati Comic Expo 2019 Sketches

Well, I'm back from the Cincinnati Comic Expo and I had a fantastic time. Business was good. Technically, I did about average sales-wise, but considering that con sales have been going pretty well bellow average this year, average felt like a decent boon this time around. And it was a lot of fun, too! Lots of cool people stopped by my table to chat and I got to see a few friends I hadn't seen in a while.

I also did a crap-ton of sketch cards. Admittedly, only two (and the full sized sketch) were commissions, and the rest were done for my own amusement, but I still had a blast playing with my markers and I wanted to share what I came up with with you! The characters featured are:

Samus Aran: I've feel like I've gotten comfortable enough with the basics of coloring with Copics that I've been wanting to start experimenting with more unusual, dramatic lighting. Tried to give everything a bit of a green glow from her armor.

Lady Mechanika: My first commission of the weekend. I have to admit, I was unfamiliar with the character, but they seemed pretty cool. I think I inadvertently channeled a bit of Gozer from Ghostbusters with this one. I later found out that the creator of the character was at the show. I wonder if the commissioner showed it to him. (Hell, for all I know, he might have BEEN the commissioner. I'm the worst at recognizing comic pros.) 

Supernatural Ghost: I read on Twitter that Travis Mcelroy was coming to the show on Saturday, and being a big MBMBAM fan, I wanted to have something to give him if I saw him. Knowing he's a Supernatural fan, I made this. (And it's true, I've only seen, like, one episode of Supernatural) Unfortunately, I never saw him, so I was unable to enact my plan to destroy him and absorb his power Highlander style, because There Can Only Be One Travis!

Kimberly Hart, AKA: The Pink Power Ranger: I... don't think I need to explain this one. BIG crush as a kid. Hell, pretty big crush as a 34 year old.

Cosplay OC: My second commission and only full sized drawing. This one was pretty cool for a couple reasons. First, the subject of the drawing has an absolutely awesome costume and it was a lot of fun to draw. I should know, because I've drawn her before! That's the other cool thing, someone liked my art enough to pay me TWICE! lol Seriously, it's always an honor when people remember me and come back to me again. I can sometimes have a fair bit of self doubt when it comes to commissions. Just due to the nature of convention sketches (the limited time, the not-exactly-ideal drawing environment), I worry about not giving people what they expect, and the last time I sketched for this person was one of those times. Having her come back was pretty validating, and I really tried to give this one my all.

Sub Zero: This turned out to be a surprisingly tricky one. There were one or two points where I wasn't quite getting the effect with the markers that I had wanted and almost gave up on it. Luckily, I actually started this one before the previous commission and set it aside to do that, and by the time I came back to it, I was able to see it with fresh eyes and managed to press onward. In the end, I think it came out pretty okay. (Just like Sub Zero himself, Scorpion 4eva! *air horn* *Turn Down For What starts playing*)

Obi Wan Kenobi: Remember what I said about wanting to experiment with more dramatic colored lighting? This is me turning the dial up to 11. In the attempt, anyway. I'd still like to improve, but I'm still pretty satisfied with this as a beginner. 

Kyoka Jiro: There was a lot of My Hero Academia cosplay at this show. Actually, there's been a fair amount of MHA cosplay at most of the shows I've been to this year, leaving me kicking myself for not really having anything from it to sell. I love the show, why haven't I done a print (or 10) of it yet? Anyway, this card is based on a gag from Jello Apocalypse's brilliant So This Is Basically My Hero Academia video.

OC: My last commission of the weekend, a very interesting original character of a rock character. It was a really unique design, so it was fun giving it my spin. 

Final Pam: Appropriately, my final sketch of the weekend.