Christopher Jones at C2E2 2016

I’m headed to Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend! I’ll be at Artist Alley table U1 for all three days of the convention. And for the first time, my pal Mister J will be joining me! (Sat and Sun only)

Anyway, here’s a handy map to help you find us at the con!

2016 Con Exclusive Free Mini-Print

Those who have been following me for a while know that C2E2 is also where I unveil my new FREE mini-print for the year! These are convention exclusive 4″x6″ signed prints that can only be obtained by visiting me at a convention and showing me that you follow me on Facebook or Twitter. It’s a way that I can say thank you to my fans for sticking around. And they’re sort of starting to become collectible, apparently.

I’ll admit it. This year’s mini-print was based on a pun. I call it “The Millennial Falcon”. There’s just something fun and awesome about Falcon taking a selfie, though.

I’ll still have my mini-prints from previous years for C2E2 since I’m driving (not worrying about luggage weight really increases what I can bring with me!) So if you’ve missed one, get it while you can.

New Prints Since Last Year 

I’ve got a few new 11″x17″ full color and 9.5″x11″ full color AND black-and-white prints for purchase since last year’s C2E2, too. I think you guys are going to like these. As usual, I’ll be offering all of my prints at a significant discount from my Etsy store prices.

This includes my new “Last Look” Doctor Who print, guaranteed to pull at your heartstrings…

And my Svengoolie print that I had the pleasure of presenting to the man himself at C2E2 last year! (have you noticed it on the set of the show?)

C2E2 2016 At-the-Con Sketch Rates 

I will be doing sketches during the convention. Stop by my table, U1, on Friday or Saturday to get on my list! Here are my at-the-con sketch rates.

Full Figure: $80 for the first character + $60 for each additional character

Head Sketch (shoulders & up): $60

Don’t Forget to EAT SOMETHING

Yes, there’s a lot going on at a big convention like C2E2, and yes, the food court can be kind of expensive if you’re attending the con on a budget. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. But it’s important to eat, so if you for whatever reason need a snack during the convention, stop by my table (U1) and ask for a granola or breakfast bar. I’ve once again bought a couple big boxes from Costco to share with fans who need it. Free. I do this at all the big conventions because taking care of yourself is important, guys.

Cosplay Repair Kit!

New this year, I will also have a cosplay repair kit with sewing stuff, different sorts of tape, contact cement, and other misc. cosplay repair items. Just ask if you need to use it.

Looking forward to seeing all you wonderful Chicago people again!

Lastly, just to cover a few other questions I often get on twitter:

• Autographs are always free and I’ll sign anything you bring me. (Check out my guide to asking for signatures and drawings at conventions!)
• I do not charge for photos and I am happy to take a photo with anyone who asks!
• I’m happy to do interviews, podcasts, snippets, goofy stuff, and whatever any day but Sunday, but the earlier you can drop by, the better!
• I will draw any cannon character ship kissing if asked. I will draw any two characters together doing non-romantic/sexual things, regardless of whether it’s cannon or not.

Please stop by and say hello, grab your free mini-print, and if you’re cosplaying, let me take a photo for my Facebook page. Oh, I have an Instagram now too, so some photos might also end up on there. We shall see…

Now, what else was there…

Oh yes….

YAAAAYYYYYYYY C2E2 YAAaAYAAAAY!!!

Young Justice: #KeepBingingYJ on Netflix

 

So there’s a lot of chatter going on right now about Young Justice and Netflix, including some enthusiastic well-meaning customer service representatives with Netflix providing some information that seems a little fuzzy. So here’s my understanding of what we know and where we can go from here:

New Doctor Who Art Print & My Schedule for Gallifrey One: Station 27

This art print has been in my head since we finally got a good, long look at Gallifrey. I just love the design and colors of the city, and the planet, and I imagined the Doctor and Susan saying goodbye to it—how emotional that last look must have been for them. Well, I finally made it. “Last Look” will be available at Gallifrey One: Station 27 this weekend.

It will be in the Gallifrey One art show, and I’ll also have copies available in the Dealers room, along with many of my other art prints, including:

  

   

So feel free to come and find me if you’d like me to personalize my signature on your art, flip through my portfolio, or if you’d just like to geek out over Doctor Who (Or Young Justice or Superman or Batman) with me. Because you know I’m always down for that. And DEFINITELY make sure you stop by my dealers room table if you want to get yourself one of these:

You’ll find me at my table most of the time, except, of course, when I’m on a panel!

My Gallifrey One: Station 27 Schedule

Here are the panels and events I’ll be part of this year!

Fri 11:30am-12:30pm – The Cornell Collective Podcast Show

Join Paul Cornell and his guests for a live recording of his podcast, The Cornell Collective, a late night chat show where, each month, Paul introduces a television writer, a comicker and a novelist, and they talk about… well, there’s usually a lot of Doctor Who, and this time round it’s just about all Who. For this chapter, Paul welcomes writer Simon Guerrier, illustrator Christopher Jones, comedian Joseph Scrimshaw and writer/podcaster Deb Stanish!

With: Paul Cornell, Simon Guerrier, Christopher Jones, Joseph Scrimshaw, Steven Schapansky, Deborah Stanish 

Sat 11:00am-12:00pm – Is the World Ready for a Female Superhero Lead?

Comic book based films are just about the hottest commodity in Hollywood right now… and while the past 15 years in cinema have seen numerous women superheroes, none are yet carrying a film on their own. We’ve seen tons of female leads on TV shows – from The Bionic Woman to Jessica Jones – so what is Hollywood afraid of? Will Wonder Woman break the trend?

With: Christopher Jones, Anita Sengupta, Audry Taylor, Michelle Thaller, Greg Weisman, David Wise, Marv Wolfman

Sat 12:pm-1:00pm – Also Known As: The Whole Story

In a world where intellectual properties are everything, where a movie or graphic novel is never ‘just’ that, and where transmedia properties are the future, ALSO KNOWN AS by Boxfly Pictures is a new science fiction epic that aims to cover movies, gaming and comics, with a graphic novel being launched at this years San Diego Comic Con. Meet BoxFly producer Haydn Pryce-Jenkins as he talks about building a property, its journey and its future, with AKA’s screenwriter Tony Lee, artist Christopher Jones and colorist Charlie Kirchoff with some sneak peeks of the artwork, and behind-the-scenes info on the story!

With: Christopher Jones, Charlie Kirchoff, Tony Lee, Haydn Pryce-Jenkins

Sat 4:00pm-5:00pm – The Craft of Comic Book Illustration

It’s not just sitting down with a pen and paper (or, more and more frequently, Photoshop and a powerful computer); the art of comic illustration is intense and ever changing. We’ll sit down and discuss some insights on comics illustration, including how it influences the writers and other creative minds, with some people who know the business.

With: Christopher Jones, Charlie Kirchoff, Todd Nauck, Blair Shedd, Richard Starkings, Lary Stucker, JK Woodward

Sat 6:00pm-7:00pm – Kaffeeklatsch: Greg Weisman & Christopher Jones

Kaffeeklatsches are small events with guests and up to 12 fan attendees. Sign-ups are required at the Kaffeeklatsch desk, next to Member Services and adjacent to the elevators on the convention floor. The Kaffeeklatsch desk opens at 10am on Friday and many sessions fill up quickly; be sure to check at the desk for updates.

With: Christopher Jones, Greg Weisman, You???

Young Justice Fans at Gallifrey One

While there will not be an official Young Justice event at the con this year, Greg Weisman and I would still like to have an informal Young Justice Meet-up on Saturday evening at Lobbycon, starting at approximately 7:15pm. So come look for us in the lobby and let’s hang out and talk some Young Justice!

Lastly, a special offer for Saturday night (including at the Young Justice Meet-up)…

Last year on Saturday night at Gally I was drawing Batman on everyone who asked. This year I am expanding the offer. I will draw either Batman OR Nightwing’s butt on anybody who asks. This is a Gallifrey One Saturday night offer ONLY. Just come find me and ask. I’ll be around. Remember, it’s either Batman or Nightwing’s butt. Not both. Choose wisely.

 

My 2016 Hugo Eligible Fan Art

I’ve been contributing artwork to conventions for a really long time. As in, about two decades. Most notably as a CONvergence co-founder, I created the CONvergence mascot characters and over the years have produced a vast majority of the art for the convention. But I like to contribute to other conventions too. It’s just something I do because I love fan-run conventions and I love lending my skills as an artist to make those events a little more special and unique. I never really gave it a lot of thought outside of generally being proud of my work, and enjoying the community’s reactions to it.

So it’s fair to say I was surprised when a good friend suggested to me that these works are eligible for Hugo nomination under the Fan Artist category.

This is a great (if you’ll pardon my pun) illustration of the dichotomy inherent to being a professional artist who is involved with fandom. There’s this whole side of my life as an artist that is absolutely professional—yes, I get paid, under contract, to draw comic books. But then there’s also this significant side of my life producing artwork that is, well, not professional at all. It’s all about being a fan and contributing to fandom. And it honestly, really never occurred to me before that my non-professional works could potentially be significant enough to be recognized.

I understand it’s common for those with Hugo eligible work in a given year to do a post listing it. So this will be me doing that. I’ve never done this before so I hope it’s not too off-base.

Click on any art to see it larger.

CONvergence

The theme for CONvergence 2015 was Dystopia. Here is the art I did for the con in 2015.

Programming Guide Covers

I created the covers for the CONvergence 2015 programming guide and pocket programming guide (called “The Grid”; its cover always has a grid theme. It’s possible I’m fond of visual puns.)

 

T-Shirt

The CONvergence 2015 T-shirt art references 1984, but with Connie Mark 2, the (slightly evil) little sister of Connie, CONvergence’s mascot.

Badges

I created the art for three of the four CONvergence 2015 membership badges. (Space intentionally left at the bottom for names to be printed.)

Guest of Honor Badges

Every year I create unique, custom badge art for every CONvergence Guest of Honor. Here are the Guest of Honor badges I made for CONvergence 2015. (Click here to read more about the process behind them.)

CONvergence 2016 Ad

The ad I created for CONvergence 2016, which will celebrate the great and interesting modes of transportation in science fiction and fantasy. This appeared in the back of the CONvergence 2015 programming guide, and on the CONvergence website. Bonus points if you can name all the vehicles!

CONvergence 2016 Logo and Web Graphic

Every year I create a new custom logo to reflect CONvergence’s theme, and 2015 was no different. The logo and website header graphic must be created a year in advance of the con, so that they can be published in printed materials and go live on the website immediately after the convention. Here is the logo that I created for CONvergence 2016, pictured as part of the website header graphic that I also made.

Rocky Mountain Con

Rocky Mountain Con is a fan-run convention in Denver, CO that serves as a fundraiser for Aurora Rise, a charity established to support victims of the 2012 Aurora Theater Shooting. For their 2015 convention, I created this commemorative artwork for them to sell at their merchandise table, with 100% of the sales going to the con’s charity.

Midwest Comic Book Association

MCBA is a fan-run organization that produces two nonprofit comic cons in Saint Paul, MN annually. In 2014, Nick Post, the beloved founder and driving force behind MCBA, passed away unexpectedly. It hit the community very hard. This is a piece of artwork I produced for MCBA’s Spring con to memorialize Nick and to raise money for MCBA’s partner charity.

Gallifrey One

2015 was kind of a light year for me doing artwork for Gallifrey One, a fan-run Doctor Who convention in LA. I did draw this train sporting the seal of Rassilon, which the con used for the Gallifrey One 2016 (Station 27) ad in their 2015 programming book.

JOFcon

Umm… platypus? Fez? Badge art? Yes.

Other Fan Art

This is some other fan art I made in 2015. I put it in the art shows and/or display it in the artist alleys of conventions I attend.

Exclusive Art Print to Benefit Aurora Rise at Rocky Mountain Con 2015

I first met up with Aurora Rise at Denver Comic Con 2013, where I did a signing at their table and a sketch for their charity sketch book. I reached out to them to do the same when I returned to Denver Comic Con in 2014, and I’d been looking for an excuse to do a little more ever since. You see, Aurora Rise is this amazing example of how the comics & fan community can be a wonderful, supportive, thriving force for good, even in the face of ugliness and adversity. Since the tragic events of July 20, 2012, Aurora Rise has provided continuing support to those affected. They are a shining presence in the Colorado fan community, and now even have their own convention, which is where I’ll be this weekend – Rocky Mountain Con.

Rocky Mountain Con 2015 is where you can be one of the first to pick up this exclusive 11×17″ art print by me for just $10. All sales (and I mean 100%) will go straight to Aurora Rise to help fund their works. The print will be available at the Aurora Rise booth.

Additionally, I’ve donated the digital file of the art to Aurora Rise for them to do with as they wish – be it making more prints, posters, or whatever else they want. This print will not be available through my Etsy store or from me at any convention. You will only be able to get it through Aurora Rise.

Returning to Denver

I know Rocky Mountain Con isn’t as big as Denver Comic Con, but I’m really looking forward to it and hoping to get to see some Denver fans.

If you live in the Denver area and are on the fence about going, just know that there are some benefits to smaller conventions, including: shorter lines, easier access to guests, more face time with guests and creators, and a sense of community that you don’t always get at the mega-sized conventions. So I encourage you to give it a shot. Plus I’ll be there! And so will my pal, the puppet extraordinaire behind Transylvania Television and Vermin, Gordon Smuder. (Not to mention this other guy who’s sort of big in comics… you might have heard of him… I think his name is George Perez?)

Rocky Mountain Con 2015 Panels 

Here are the panels I’m scheduled to be on this weekend at Rocky Mountain Con 2015. If I’m not at my table during the con, I’m probably on a panel!

Saturday 11/7

11:00 am – Doctor Who: The Companions (panel room 2 with local cosplayer Erin Card)

4:00 pm – Visual Storytelling (panel room 1 with Chad Hardin)

Sunday 11/8

11:00 am – Professional Comic Book Artist Q & A (Main Stage with Chad Hardin)

Rocky Mountain Con 2015 Sketch Rates & Prints

Yes, I will definitely be doing commission sketches at Rocky Mountain Con.

Full Figure: $80 for the first character + $60 for each additional character

Head Sketch (shoulders & up): $60 or $40 with a current student ID

If you would like to send me your  sketch request ahead of time, putting you first on my list, please email it to chris@christopherjonesart.com as soon as possible with the subject, “ROCKY MOUNTAIN CON SKETCH REQUEST”.

I will also have all of my prints available for purchase. You can preview all of them in my Etsy store.

Free Mini-Prints!

As with all my convention appearances, I’ll have free buttons and mini-prints for anyone at Rocky Mountain Con who shows me they like my Facebook page or follows me on Twitter.