Baltimore Comic Con 2014 Success!

Baltimore Comic Con was a successful trip!  Originally, I was supposed to share a table with Ellen Stedfeld and Carlos Abdu, but we were incredibly lucky that there were 2 vacant tables next to us, so we each got our own table!!  Probably one of the few times where waiting til the last minute paid off.  I almost didn't do the show because I was crazily apartment hunting, then moving.  But there was still table space left after I found a place, so we went for it!  We were way back in the corner, and it seemed like there were quite a few empty tables here and there, that of course filled up as exhibitors got wise and spread out more as the show went on.  Last year we were definitely cramped at 3 people for one table, and our sales reflected that.  I think we all did better this year because we got more display space and room to talk with customers. 

I was interviewed by Comic Pow!  http://www.comicpow.com/2014/09/05/baltimore-comic-con-day-1-interview-with-mindy-indy/ Eric Mesa kind of caught me off-guard Saturday morning - he mainly interviewed me about Aer Head (which I haven't worked on in awhile), and I sound like a total ditz, but he said nobody likes the sound of themselves :P  Anyway it inspired me to work harder on the series!

We stayed at Ellen's friends' place - super friendly couple!  Their house was super nice and had vintage decor.  There was fluffy carpet everywhere which, y'know, after being in NYC with all the wood floors for years, felt luxurious.  We stayed in the basement which was redone very nicely... but then... there were.... THE SPIDERS.  It's actually a myth that you supposedly swallow 8 spiders in your sleep per year. 

Rockaway Beach Studies

This weekend I went to Rockaway Beach in Queens, NY.  I heard it's a great surf beach, and wanted to sketch the waves and surfers for Aer Head references (besides just having awesome beach relaxation :)  The above sketch was done with Prismacolor markers.  I scanned it with my recycled scanner, but the colors weren't as vibrant.  I had to tweak it in Photoshop to get the bottom picture.  The top picture, just taken with my camera, is actually closer to the true colors.  So far, the scanner doesn't seem to be that great with colors (maybe that's why it was on the curb).  But for line art it's great.

When I think of surfing, I think of gigantic waves, and was a bit disappointed when all I saw was tiny waves.  Maybe it was the wrong time of day for big waves?  I still got to capture some surfing gestures.  It was hard because surfers move fast.  I mostly sketched the surf board's size in relation to people's bodies, because I had trouble with that size ratio when drawing Aer Head.  Also, a detail I noticed was that all the surfers have a cord attaching their board to their foot.

New Aer Head Sketch and Scanner

Yesterday I drew this in the park.  Drawing outside is a great way to enjoy the summer weather and still be productive!

Also, I scanned the new drawing with my "new" scanner that I FOUND ON MY DOORSTEP!  FREEEEEEE!!  This is a HP Photosmart C4280, is in good condition, and works pretty well so far!  Yay for rich people buying the latest gadgets and giving old ones away!  Awhile ago, I bought a complex scanner on sale (Epson Artisan 725) and it was WAY too complicated to use and didn't even print right (jagged lines).  After being frustrated with trying to figure it out and tech support saying it would take months to a year to tweak the settings and learn how to use it, I returned it.  I just want to press a button and have it scan or print!  User friendly is my main priority - I'm picky about colors, but not THAT picky to have the printer be a pain in the ass to use.  As for this new one, I need to get a black ink cartridge to test the printing, so we'll see.  My main need was the scanner anyway.

AER HEAD cover

Back to drawing more AER HEAD!  I've been sketching thumbnail tests of the cover for awhile, and decided on the layout.  I wanted the cover to have lots of important points that occur in the graphic novel.  Aeryan is dreaming of the future up in the left corner, and his dream merges with the waves (so the rest of the cover is his dream).  He's surfing in the middle, but with a look of determination because near the end of the novel he has to warn people of the solar flare (giant sun on the right).  You know how some covers just have a big picture of the main character looking cool, but not really doing anything?  I want all my covers to have a definite purpose.  Also, all the artwork will look the same INSIDE as it does on the cover!  My biggest disappointment in picking up a cool looking comic is that it has an awesome cover, but the inside looks nothing like the cover and is black & white with a crappier art style.  Aer Head will NOT be like that!