New York Comic Con, Day 1

Only there half a day and we're already wiped out! This year looks to be even better than last year. I just got that vibe when we entered Javitz Center - there definitely seems to be genuine interest this year.

Hit a few of the main toy booths, primarily MPH and Toy Qube for a few signings (MAD, Tokidoki) and also got kidlew, kaNO, Andrew Bell, and Lou Pimentel to tag my sketchbook.

I also drew my first official tag in Saki-Waki's sketchbook. Quite a few people recognized my sketchbot character from this blog and my Flickr page, so that was a pleasant surprise.

The sketchbot swag we handed out is also receiving positive reactions. It's a pleasure to give something tangible to the fans. I'd like to invite everyone to check back often for progress on sketchbot's journey from initial design stage to a fully realized vinyl toy.

Jonlyn and I did catch one panel at the end of the evening - Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz were on hand for an entertaining Q&A after premiering the new X-Files movie trailer!

Hit my Flickr stream for plenty more pics. More posts coming Sat and Sun nights!

Sketchbot Sticker In Da House!

Sticky Ricks came through with a last-minute ONE WEEK TURNAROUND for me!  This is my first ever sticker run and I'm pretty happy with the outcome, with the exception that the yellow ochre of the character's body came out a bit orange-ish.  I'm still learning about how my CMYK designs on the computer translate via different printing methods.  I can live with this batch, as overall, the entire sticker just "pops."

Keep an eye out for all the Sketchbot swag as I roam the floor over the next three days at NY Comic Con!

Sketchbot Cards

Received my cards yesterday from 4by6.com.  They turned out great, with the exception of two annoying white streaks on the back of the postcard.  As expected, they will be reprinting the entire run for me, however, I'll be stuck handing out the defective ones this weekend at NYCC. The stickers are sitting in a FedEx warehouse in NJ today and should arrive tomorrow!

Robyn Hitchcock & Nick Lowe @ Grand Ballroom with special guest Elvis Costello!

Last night, I got to see my top two, all-time favourite singer/songwriters on stage together for the first time.  And, Nick Lowe too.  ;)

During the encore, Nick introduced a very special guest, Mr. Elvis Costello.  The crowd, and myself, went wild.  They sang a duet of "Indoor Fireworks", the song Elvis wrote for Nick.   I so called this surprise visit earlier during the show when I leaned over to Jonlyn and posited how cool would it be if Elvis came on stage to sing "Peace, Love & Understanding" with Nick?!  Little did I know what was in store for the encore.

Robyn then re-joined both Nick and Elvis and sang a beautiful rendition of The Beatles' "If I Fell", and the night ended with a raucous interpretation of "Mystery Train" with all three rocking the house.  Check out the youTube clips below captured by Mike Sweden and others, and some excellent observations remembered almost verbatim by Jeremy Osner!

More shots up on Flickr.

*EDIT*  There's also a torrent of the show now up on Dime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPjKchngIDk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eaWn6kzPZ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnvMKMKl2B0

Sketchbot Buttons!

Here's my first test run for a new batch of 1" sketchbot buttons. You'll also notice a Joe Ledbetter pin for reference. ;)

HUGE thanks to Vince over at My Plastic Heart for letting me borrow his button machine. They'll be available at NYCC next week, along with new stickers and postcards. There's still a few tweaks that need to made here and there before cranking out the lot of 'em, so let me know which ones are your faves and any tips to bring them to their fullest.  Close-ups viewable at the sketchbot Flickr set.

sketchBot Sticker Final - Version 2

Yeah, yeah, so I just had to do 2 more tweaks. First, I felt the logo needed to be centered and more "heroic" as opposed to smaller and off center (think Batman vs. Robin logo positioning). Second, after conferring with the printers, it was determined that the die cut could be tricky with such a small gap between the pencil and the left foot, so the best bet was to close off the negative space. Which doesn't bother me too much, as the extended arm now has less chance of tearing off from the body of the sticker. I also opted to put the URL on the front for this run. Better exposure for my first sticker outing I figure. Working on some cool 1" button graphics that i'll post later...

sketchBot Sticker Final

Ok, returned to a more symmetrical form, fixed some shading and outline issues, and applied the logo. Looking good!

sketchBot Sticker

Just finished this last night and trying to get a batch printed up for NY Comic Con in 2 weeks, though I might be cutting it short on the turnaround...

Technobabble @ My Plastic Heart

Finally getting around to posting photos from last Friday's opening for the excellent show currently up at My Plastic Heart. 'Technobabble' features the amazing works of Nakanari & Dave Quiles. Playful paintings are accompanied by these incredible relief sculptures built up from coloured backgrounds - not to mention a few fluffy plushies - sandwiched between intricately cut plexiglass. As always, more pictures up here on Flickr!

Tara McPherson @ Kid Robot Pirate Store NYC

A quick morning post to point you to a few pictures I took last night from the NYC Kid Robot Pirate Shop.  Tara McPherson was putting the finishing touches on a giant Dunny figurine she started painting last Friday.  Using only acrylics, the finish has a clean appearance with some visible brushstrokes that keep it in that "hand-made" realm.  She then applies several clear varnish coats for sealing and protecting the finish.  Definitely head down to the store if you're in town to see this up close in person.