Clearly I haven't updated my journal here as often as I've been keeping up with my Facebook art page,
(facebook.com/ArtofEricMcConnell) so I apologize for that. Just got back from SC ComicCon and I was extremely impressed with the size of the show they have set up there. I had a LOT of first time Con attendees come by the table and I think that's great that people are getting the chance to come to a show like that and both see what it's all about as well as hopefully enjoy themselves and plan on coming back to future shows.
One thing I noticed specifically was that I had many ladies of all ages stop by my table. Perhaps I was just more aware after all the articles and opinion pieces on various forums, facebook, twitter, tumblr, etc...regarding women and comics, but it really hit me how MANY women there are who both love comics and are actively seeking art from creators. So I took the opportunity to do a little informal survey of the ladies who came by the table on what it was they specifically were looking for from an artist at a show like this. For many it was simply a broader selection of characters (Raven from Teen Titans was a major request, which surprised me), while others definitely had a greater interest in seeing not just specific characters, but women characters in more of a 'kick ass' mode than pin-up (for poster type art). An eye opening experience for me was when one young lady who was there with an older gentleman (uncle? dad? no idea) just had a look of disgust on her face as he described a piece of art he had commissioned for her at a prior event, and honestly after hearing the description myself had to wonder what he was thinking... My epiphany moment was when she looked him in the eyes and growled that she was going to look for art that didn't have women falling out of their costumes and stormed off. I would have loved nothing more than to have found her later and asked her what specifically she was looking for from artists, and it was that conversation that prompted my questions to many of the ladies who stopped by my table for the rest of the weekend. So to the anonymous young lady, thank you for prompting some great conversations over the weekend with many attendees.
Now all that said - many, many people who stopped by were very complimentary and I appreciate it. I did have one or two folks come by who could learn what I'll call "con etiquette", such as 'don't insult the price the artist has set for a particular piece of art, especially when they're standing right in front of you'. It's just rude. I'll chalk that up to it being the first time at a show like that and I'm glad to say that was a rare event for the weekend. Overall it was a fantastic show and Rob and his crew who put it together did a great job. I will definitely plan on returning next year and hope to see many of the guests who stopped by this past weekend at HeroesCon in June.