Finished Game of Thrones Handmaiden Dress at Granite State Comic Con

Very late in posting, but here is a look at our finished hand-maiden dresses from Game of Thrones, debuted at Granite State Comic Con, 2014.

These dresses were super comfortable to wear, and the look required very little for hair and make-up. It was kind of like wearing a big blanket all day!

To see the dress in progress, check out this post. And this one to learn how to make the belt!

Granite State Comic Con was a blast! We met several members of the Game of Thrones cast, and took a picture with Pod!

 

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Steampunk in the City: New York Comic Con 2012

Finally, I have gotten the photos back from New York Comic Con. This  year I headed into the city with a big group of friends to get our nerd on. All the ladies in the group, four in total, attended the convention in steampunk. Below is my costume, mixed in with some group pictures including the other lovely ladies of my cosplay group, MetaCosplay.

I find New York Comic Con to be too crazy and crowded of a convention to cosplay a popular character. There is no room to have your picture taken anyhow, and the days are so long that not having to worry about a wig or high shoes is really the only way to make it through. New York City is exhausting, so a comfortable steampunk or street clothes is the only way to keep me in a good mood after a long day of crowd-wading and line-waiting.

This Steampunk is my own original design, imagined through an effort to make a steampunk the likes of which I have never seen before. The character is an American “business women” from the western frontier, who got into some “trouble” and had to “flee the country.” She is now essentially a high-class gypsy, traveling with friends and associates from both the U.S. and England.

Our group was supposed to meet up with a photographer from Nerd Caliber on Saturday of the con to have some better pictures taken, but in the madness of the con and the lack of cell-phone service at the Javits, we never connected. Which is just as well because I have some edits I would like to make to the accessorizing of this outfit. If the weather holds out a little longer, the ladies and I should be able to arrange a real photoshoot in early november. But for now, these pictures are all I’ve got.

The convention itself was a great time, but mostly because of the good company. As I said, the convention was too crowded to take pictures at, so I don’t have much else to report! Again, I will hopefully have more, and better pictures of this costume next month.

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Review of Connecticon 2012

I have returned from Connecticon 2012, and will now share with you my review of the convention.

Thursday night I attended Connecticon’s formal dance for preregistered guests only. I think that this dance was a fantastic way to encourage attendees to preregister. However, Connecticon wasn’t able to even announce the dance until a few days before preregistration closed. As a result, several people that I knew personally who would have attended the dance, we’re not able to because they didn’t get word of the event until it was too late. I am sure that there are many other con attendees who also missed out because of the late announcement.

Tardiness aside, I thought that the formal was a great success. They played great, popular, danceable music, and everyone seemed to be having a really great time. As the con-chair put it, “it looks like a prom in there.” It wasn’t nearly too crowded, and people for the most part, did abide by the formal-attire-only rules. I think this is the start of a wonderful pre-con tradition.

The rest of the weekend however, I found things to do to be lacking. The convention significantly downsized their dealers room, and artist alley. I found nothing of interest to buy, could spend only twenty minutes or so browsing before I had seen everything for sale, and what’s worse is that I heard the convention is planning to have all of the same vendors back again next year. That is no way to attract new guests! We want new merchandise, not the same stuff we didn’t buys this year.

Interesting panels were also in short supply. I didn’t attend a single panel on Friday, and on Saturday nothing caught my interest until the 18+ panels started running at 10pm.

Fortunately on Sunday the panels were a little less disappointing. I attended a very exciting demonstration of medieval combat, followed by a sword lesson, as well as a spot-on panel on how to talk to girls (which wasn’t nearly as bad as it sounds, nor was it a joke. The panel was actually really impressive).

The dance Saturday night looked to be a great time, though I mostly hung around outside because of the long line to get in. It was a beautiful night and the convention had plenty of outdoor space for socializing and hanging about. There are also a lot of bars in the area that are walking distance from the convention center.

The cosplay at the convention this year was a little sparse. I expect that a lot of serious craftsmen went to San Diego this weekend for the big one. But still, there was plenty to look at, and I found more variety than usual (as in the entire convention wasn’t dominated by one series for once, i.e. Naruto, Soul Eater, Bleach, Homestuck). Cosplayers were also very well received by those not in costume, as usual.

I did not personally have any bad experiences with Convention staff this year, though I have heard stories of others who did. The convention center staff on the other hand, who are associated with the building and not the convention, are always an absolute nightmare. They are rude, pushy, intolerant, judgmental and mean. I have come to expect this from Connecticon because of the consistently bad treatment year after year.

Other changes that I was disappointed to see where with the schedule. I know in the past people had requested larger type on the printed schedule, but I think things went a little too far here. The “pocket schedule” this year was as tall as a nine year old in a wig and wider than a lolita skirt. It was impossible hold unfolded, and an overall pain in the ass to carry and look at. I miss the one-day, one-sheet schedules of old.

The badges also got bigger this year, had no pockets for papers, and couldn’t fit in your pocket for pictures.

Overall Connecitcon this year was a disappointment. I had a grand time dressing up, having my picture taken, and hanging out with friends, but those are all things that I arranged. The convention didn’t really enhance my weekend other than providing us with a place to congregate.

If San Diego Comic Con overlaps with Connecticon again next year, I might be buying a plane ticket.

I will have pictures up here next week. Thanks for reading!
shaunart.net

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Connecticon is here!

Connecticon has begun! But I won’t be arriving until 4pm on Friday afternoon. Here is my cosplay schedule for the weekend:

Friday 4-10 – Princess Kraehe (Princess Tutu)
Saturday 10-8 – Claudia, Gaston’s Red Bimbette. (Beauty and the Beast)
Sunday 10-3 – Tentatively Princes Kraehe.

Sunday is my whatever day. I always like to take it easy on the Sunday of a con so if I get lazy Sunday morning, I won’t be cosplaying.

If you see me, please feel free to introduce yourself. I love meeting other cosplayers, crafters and artists.

Now, for your entertainment, here is a preview of my Claudia costume. Make sure to check back here after the con for new pictures of both Claudia and Kraehe in full costume, hair, and makeup.

Thanks for reading!

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Review of Granite State Comic Con

Hey all,

This year was my first time attending the Granite State Comic Con in Manchester, NH.  It was also my first time back in Artist’s Alley since I was a teenager! I have been selling at other festivals in the mean time, but I haven’t been a vendor at an anime convention in a while. Part of the reason is because most artist alleys have just gotten way too big. The overcrowding, ridiculous competition, and huge discrepancies in the quality of work is discouraging at most large conventions. Granite State Comic Con was a wonderfully refreshing change of pace. This con was only one day, Sunday, and ran from 10-4pm. It was small, quick, and painless. It was also a great family convention.

I exhibited this year with a friend, Kelley; we split a table, and tailored our services and inventory to fit a younger audience. Because of the small size of the convention, we were able to do face-painting, temporary tattoos, and caricatures on-site behind our booths. That is something that NO large convention would ever let us do. We were able to get an extra chair from the staff, bring one of our own chairs, and have people sit behind our booths inside the artist square. Our neighbors were very friendly about it, but we made every effort to stay as compact as possible regardless. At most conventions, we would never be able to get an extra chair, and the space behind booths are normally way too small to have more than two people behind the table. Let alone a child and their parent. At big conventions, you also have to be concerned with blocking the narrow hall-ways, so chairs or standing room in front of a booth is also out of the question.

We met some really nice people at this convention too! Everyone was so friendly, and all of the vendors seemed very passionate and professional. Artist’s Alley was combined with the dealers room and I think that really encouraged steady traffic.

I didn’t get a chance to go to any panels, but I heard good things about the costume contest from other con-goers. The costumes in general were very good when present!

The ridiculously low admission was also a huge plus with this convention: $8 for adults and only $4 if you were in costume! That is just unheard of. The price of a booth was also very affordable, and it included admission, which fewer and fewer cons are doing these days, which I think is ridiculous. If you are renting a booth, you are there to work, not have fun, so give the vendors a free pass or two!

Overall I was very happy with my experience at Granite State Comic Con. Though it wasn’t a huge money maker because of its small size and short duration, it was a very small investment with cheap parking, and great people. I will definitely go again!

I left my camera in the car, but I did take this picture on my phone of Kelley, my table associate, with a balloon sword.

Don’t forget to check out my work at http://shaunart.net

Thanks for reading!

 

 

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Granite State Comic Con Artists Alley

Hey Everyone!

I will be exhibiting at the Granite State Comicon Artists Alley this Sunday, June 10th, 700 Elm Street, Radisson Center – Manchester, NH

The convention is a one-day event, and runs from 10am – 6pm. The artist’s alley opens at 10 and closes at 4pm. I will be exhibiting with a friend, and together, we will be doing caricatures, selling prints, henna tattoos, face painting, and more.

Admission for adults is only $8!!!

The convention will have costume contests, panels, and special guests.

If you are in New England and want to check out a small, up-and-coming convention, then you should stop by!

You can find more information on the convention on their website: http://www.granitecon.com/

 

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R2D2 Uses The Elevator at New York Comic Con 2011

Adorable, isn’t it?

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Crowd Video! From New York Comic Con

Here is a little video I made giving an overview of the crowd and atmosphere at this year’s New York Comic Con. You can think of it as teaser content. Enjoy.

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