Anthrocon Blitzkrieg

Liz & I are back from Anthrocon, and all I can say is, WOW! What a convention!

Actually, I can say lots more stuff - watch me go!

For starters, we sold more graphic novels than I'd expected. I figured, last year we had Volumes 1 & 2. And the year before that we had Volumes 1 & 2. By now, pretty much everyone's had a chance to pick up a Volume 1 & 2, case closed.

Apparently not - Dreamkeepers books were selling like hotcakes! And I have never seen hotcakes being sold, nor do I know what they really are, and I'm now feeling curious and a little hungry. But we sold out of books by Saturday, began sending people over to the 'M&T Comics' booth where our books are carried - and then THEY sold out of books!

We were trying to give out free posters at the time, and being disrupted by selling things was somewhat distracting. But despite our tragic difficulties, we succeeded in the epic 'give away a shitload of free posters' quest, aided by a +5 attack minion. The world now has that much more random color floating about in it.

And Volume 3 - goodness, it turns out people really want it. It seems like everyone and their dog (or everyone as their dog) was inquiring about whether it was finished. On the one hand, it's fantastic that people like our stuff and want more: but on the other hand, it felt like going to school and having no homework to turn in. But instead of just one teacher expecting & asking for the assignment, it's every single person in the entire school. Students, faculty, and life-size spectacularly neon classroom pets.

It feels great to be back at home, and primed for more V3 production. Though we've got a solid start, it's a huge project that won't be done any time soon. But there's only one way to finish an ambitious task - and that's to get crackin'.

This photo inflicted on you compliments of sleep - deprived convention shenanigans and Liz's quick reflexes with the camera. It should serve to dispel the pervasive myth that I am not a jackass.

Sneak Peek #14: 30 pages of progress

I've been drawing fast and furious over the last week or two, and 30 full pages of Volume 3 pencils are finally finished and in various stages of color!

Now, in a NORMAL Dreamkeepers book, 30 pages would be an entire Chapter. One down, two to go. But this is no normal book. Crammed to the brim with story, action, and (soon to be) full color, Volume 3's chapters are a bit more formidable to tackle. At the 30-page mark, Chapter 7 is still only about 2/3rds of the way there.

But fear not - We're on a roll, so the progress should be strong 'n steady from here on out. Plus, we've found a color assistant willing to work with us for free.

Oddly enough, it doesn't seem to be speeding things along much at all.

But despite our lackluster cohort, Liz and I are now working to get some color and glitz layered into the first run of pages. In the coming weeks, keep an eye out for some new finished colors and pencils as we work to complete the Mega-Chapter.

We'll be taking a quick break later in June for Anthrocon - if you're around Pittsburgh, be sure to check us out! We'll have 1,000 posters in need of a good home for anyone that wants them. This'll be your last chance to snag a poster for free, so be sure to show up or send a delegate whom you trust implicitly.