photo: comic con new york 2015

Sorry all. I was missing in action for a bit. But that’s because New York Comic Con happened last week and I had a lot of enjoyment walking the floor and meeting fellow geeks while putting my dSLR to good use. Here are some pics from the show. I shall return with more artwork to share soon. Enjoy!

photo: comic con 2014

sketch: empire state building

I am lucky enough to walk by the Empire State Building several times a week, so how can I not stop and draw it? This sketch of mine is the view from Herald Square.

photography: comic con 2012

This past weekend was the Comic Con convention in NYC where geeks gather each year, including yours truly.

Needless to say, it was a challenge to snap photos in mediocre lighting (I try not to use a flash) amidst the ever-flowing crowds. Though, with the help of my trusty, fast Sony dSLR, I managed to capture some images to share with you.

For me, there were several highlights sprinkled around the show. I was impressed by Wacom’s Cintiq drawing tablet which is like a big iPad, a monitor with a touch interactive screen, but this tool also helps an artist achieve a natural line, digitally, with paint brushes using Photoshop or Painter software.

Also, having the chance to demo Halo 4 multiplayer was a treat for me. Halo 4 will be released on November 6th which is also election day. Yikes.

In my opinion, the best costumes (photos featured in this post) were the classic Batman (ripped, with a splash of color blue, yet darker), the ensemble of characters from Lincoln The Vampire Hunter and Captain America in his patriotic pose.

If you want to see some more pics, please visit my flickr.

photography: enterprise space shuttle

I took these photos of the Space Shuttle Enterprise being piggy-backed over the Hudson, in lower Manhattan.  It is on its way to JFK airport.  Sometime in June, the shuttle will be ferried to the Intrepid aircraft carrier on the West Side.  Feel free to download as wallpaper.

cartoon: santa sighting (part 1 of 3)

new york comic con 2011

I didn’t get to do my artwork this week because of a monster. And that monstrosity was called New York Comic Con. I attended 3 full days of absolute geeky madness. Though, like a kid in a candy store, I enjoyed every minute of it. Besides, it was good exercise with all the walking.

The highlights of Comic Con for me was about the art and creativity that comes in the form of comics, costumes, videogames and movies.

I got the chance to preview the Halo Anniversary game for the Xbox 360.  Updated graphics and new armor give this classic a recharge.  Playing capture-the-flag on linked up Xboxes felt sort of laggy.  Hopefully, the official release, next month, will have that issue smoothed out.

To me, Rockstar Games had the best freebie – a black t-shirt with the Grand Theft Auto III logo on front.  They were celebrating the 10 year anniversary of GTA.  They just asked you to mention them on a social network of your choice – Facebook, Foursquare or Twitter. Good publicity for Rockstar.

Nintendo was also giving out t-shirts for those who would demo the new Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword game for the Wii.  But that waiting line was insanely long.

Talking about merchandising, The Walking Dead had a big table full of hats, mugs, t-shirts, etc.  Unfortunately, the shirts were made with American Apparel brand, a rather cheap material.  But the graphics were too cool for me to pass up.

This year, Chevrolet let people test-drive their new car, the Sonic, which comes in sedan and hatchback styles.  They claim it will get 40 MPG.  It seems Chevy thought the convention was a car show, because their cars were being displayed all around the floor.  Most of them sported graphic art for a paint job.

In addition to being a haven for comic book lovers, toys are a big item for collecting as well.  Plenty of toys can be found including those from DC Comics, Hasbro, Lego, Star Wars and various anime series.  The collectible toys that caught my attention were the mascot from the Google Android commercial.  Each android figure is designed by different artists. Very simple vinyl toys, but graphically pleasing. (See them in my pics).

What was the best costume by the cosplay-ers you ask? I think it was a toss-up between the guy in the Transformers Bumblebee contraption, who had a difficult time moving around much, and the lady as Poison Ivy, who was posing everyday. I guess she was really proud of her costume.  (These two cosplayers are also included in my pics.)

Anyway, enough of my blabbering.  Here are some of photos I took of the Comic Con event.  More can be seen at my flickr page.

sketch: tugboat medium-sized

This is my tugboat drawn from memory. Tugboats are so peaceful, yet so powerful.

illustration: wonder woman

Inspired by my adventure at NY Comic Con, I created a fan art illustration of the iconic American super heroine, Wonder Woman. Next to Supergirl and Green Lanter girl, Wonder Woman was a popular female comic book character at the show, at least, according to my flickr page. Who is your favorite superhero?

new york comic con 2010

I didn’t have time to do my artwork, unfortunately, because I attended the three days of New York Comic Con, this past week.  As expected, the show was even bigger than last year. And that’s a good thing for us fans of sci-fi, fantasy, horror, etc.

As an artist, it is inspiring to be surrounded by so much creativity from comic artists of all different styles. One of my fave comic book artists is Cliff Chiang with his simple, yet realistically proportioned graphic characters. And there he was, sitting there and drawing at his table. I got a chance to meet him, and purchase some autographed work. I hope, one day I can be as popular as he is.

But take note, Comic Con has grown into a much greater monster than comics. There are now movie panels, how-to sessions, book sales and displays of amazingly detailed toys, just to name a few. There is a large presence of videogames, and, of course, the cosplay costume extravaganza. As I toured the floor, I took some photos and I wanted to share them with you.

For more pics, please visit my flickr. Comments are welcomed!