Had a blast at SAN DIEGO COMICON this year! At last year's show, I basically never left Artists Alley during the day, skipped lunches, and staying up all night at the hotel doing commissions...which of course left me mentally and physically wrecked by the time Monday rolled around. But this time, my schedule and whereabouts were little more varied, and it made for a much more enjoyable experience.

I spent most of the convention in my own little corner of the NCsoft booth, drawing color marker sketches for CITY OF HEROES fans. It's always such a treat to meet COH players and to chat with them while I'm sketching.

We also had TWO--count 'em--two models at the booth this year! Ms. Liberty and new villain Desdemona (from the upcoming COH: GOING ROGUE expansion) were a HUGE hit with fans, and they posed for pictures almost non-stop all weekend.


Desdemona and Ms. Liberty with some guy


Shannon the Desdemona model with a Desdemona sketch by yours truly

Each morning, part of my job involved applying an elaborate temporary tattoo around Desdemona's neck, so I guess I can feasibly add 'Makeup Artist' to my resume now, right? :) Technically, there was no makeup or painting involved--rather, I had the design on preprinted transfer paper and simply pasted it down in four pieces, being careful to keep the edges aligned.

Beyond drawing and model duties, I had some time to see the Joss Whedon panel, Adam Hughes' excellent sketch panel, the COH panel (natch) and of course a few friends in Artist's Alley. Thought I'd have more time to walk around and shop, but the hall was almost standing-room only, so I restricted myself to must-buys like J. Scott Campbell's new sketchbook and a Black Lantern t-shirt.

Had dinner with co-workers and friends every night and kept the after-hours sketching to a minimum, thus preserving my sanity for another year.

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