Niagara gets Spent...

So a long delay since my last update, I just happened to fall onto one of those stretches of days were everything happens at once. And honestly it's going to be nice to get home and rest for a little bit, and wake up tomorrow morning and get to work harder then ever. After finishing a long week of work, it was time to meet up with the SP crew and get to work on some potential new art for the upcoming convention in Niagara that took place this weekend. I stay up literally all night try to get some prints done for the weekend, but I couldn't colour them up in time and honestly I don't want to half ass it, if I am going to do anything I want it to be the best kind of work that I can do. But it's two more possible prints that I want to have finished and ready for Fan Expo, the more the merrier. I also had to meet up with my old friends from high school, one which is getting married (congratulations Murray). So I had to go get suited up, by the time I got home, I just crashed and fell asleep, having to be ready for the next morning.

Day One: 

6 AM? Why am I awake at 6 AM? 

7 AM wake up call from the boys, I totally slept in. Have I mentioned in the past that I am not a morning person? So I get up and grab whatever I need and all my materials, a quick bagel and a banana and I am out the door and ready to hit the road, ready for whatever may come! We meet up with the rest of the crew and we grab some coffee to get the day started and make our way down to Niagara. Traffic is pretty tamed all things considering it's a Saturday morning and all. An hour and half or so later and we are at our destination, we get in and we set up and we pass out. The first hill we get over is just getting there right on time and setting up, Spent Pencils, always making an entrance. The team for this weekend; Arnold, Vince, Daniel, Gerard, Paul, Kevin, Rico, Oliver, Maddsketch, Tiffany and me, the ChileanStorm. We start drawing right away and the crowds line up, a lot of prints going and a couple of commissions as well. I decided to try something new, an experiment if you will. I placed a free sketch card on the table and see how long it takes for someone to notice. Took about 20 minutes for someone to see the card and use it, I drew a pretty cool Scarecrow and they seemed to enjoy that. It pays to look is essentially the idea here, and I will be doing this at different shows and cons, so come on by and take a look, you could be getting some free art. I had a few sketch cards and postcard sales, but still haven't been able to sell some of my sketch covers, but in time, plus it gives me time to post them online. I really do need to get prints done and ready for conventions, it's what really sells. I am also trying to figure out different ways of getting my art to more people at these shows, maybe stickers or smaller prints. So any kind of suggestions, by all means throw them my way. 

So after a long day of drawing, sketching and candy apples, we headed back to our hotel room. Here I thought it would be a night to relax and kick back, but you know how we do it, we decided to go out and see the town. And also use this chance to congratulate our soon to be married pencilneck, Gerrard. And if you haven't been to Niagara Falls before, it's a tourist trap kind of city, with the best and worst of both worlds, the states and Canada. But a lot of bright lights, different attractions, and stores are open really late. Needless to say, photo opportunity are plenty in the falls. From one attraction to another, just taking plenty of pictures and making tons of silly faces. We hit up one of the bars and had a couple of drinks, no big deal. And of course what would any reasonable person do after a few drinks, hit up the haunted house. But thinking back, I don't think it was that scary, but it was still a lot of fun and shenanigans to be had by all, in other words a night well spent.

Day 2:

After a late night, it was an early morning for the SPC, but no day can get truly started without a hardy breakfast. So we hit up a breakfast buffet, and well, we truly did have all we could eat. So much bacon, I didn't even know where to start. I even went with the black coffee challenge in the morning, I am not really a black coffee drinker, but it's really damn strong. After breakfast, we made our way down to the convention and get ready to do it all over again. A lot of drawings and plenty of donuts and coffee, a long day of drawing. But its great being able to meet and connect with all the fans of comics and arts, seeing the smiles on all the faces, that makes my day. And also being able to see all of the other talented artist in the artist alley, we are all on the same boat and it's a great community to be part of. A big thanks to everyone who came by this past weekend, to con for being a great shows and to all the stores in the GTA that supports us along the way. Thank you.

Luckily we didn't go home on an empty stomach, a big thank you to Oliver and his family for inviting all of us for an awesome meal. It was a longer drive back home, but not on an empty tummy.

And now I am back home, finishing this up and just looking ahead to what's next. And the amount of work that's ahead of me is plenty, so stay tuned, I am going to update as much as I can, be sure to follow me on Twitter and on Instagram, @ChileanStorm for both those sites. The rain is still pouring out here, so stay dry and stay cool Toronto.