CONvergence Badge Art: #CVG2012 Guests of Honor

Happy CONvergence everybody!

Here’s THIS YEAR’S Guest of Honor batches, which were handed out to the #CVG2012 Guests of Honor at the hotel last night. I say last night, but I’m pre-scheduling this post on Wednesday, so they don’t have them yet and I’m still hoping they’ll like them! This is the grand finale to several days worth of posts sharing the art I’ve done for badges for the past several years of CONvergence.

#CVG2012 – Bonnie Burton

#CVG2012 – Jennifer Clarke Wilkes

#CVG2012 – Judith Walcutt

Author Bonnie Burton is a fan of Star Wars and Bettie Page, so there you go.

Jennifer Clarke Wilkes is an editor, notably of the book The Last Supper. So you can see what I did with a parody of that book’s cover. I hope she finds this joke funny.

Among her other credits, Judith Walcutt was Executive Producer of the The War of the Worlds 50th Anniversary Production.

#CVG2012 – Lyda Morehouse

#CVG2012 – Ruth Thompson

#CVG2012 – Sharyn November

Author Lyda Morehouse’s badge is a reference to her writer’s group the Wyrdsmiths.

Ruth Thompson’s badge is a Connie-fication of Ruth’s print Eye of the Storm.

Sharyn November is the author of the Firebirds series, including the award winning Firebirds Rising.

#CVG2012 – Sophie Aldred

#CVG2012 – Tamora Pierce

I love Sophie Aldred as Ace from Doctor Who, and this was the badge I had wanted to do for her since I first learned she was coming to CONvergence as a guest.

And finally Tamora Pierce’s badge is a reference to her Songs of the Lioness series.

So these guests are walking around the Double Tree hotel in Bloomington, Minnesota wearing these badges. Hopefully they like them.

Once again, watch for all the CONvergence-related tweets at #CVG2012. I hope to see many of you there! Look me up at one of my signings or panels!

I promise to return with some Young Justice blog posts soon!

CONvergence Badge Art: #CVG2011 Guests of Honor

It’s TOMORROW! CONvergence is as IMMINENT as it gets!

Here’s the last batch of art I’ve done for badges for the Guests of Honor of CONvergence 2011.

#CVG2011 – Edward Douglas

#CVG2011 – Brain Van Camp

#CVG2011 – Jason Carter

We had a three-pack of guests from the indie horror film The Dead Matter. Composer/filmmaker Edward Douglas of the Midnight Syndicate is the film’s director.

Actor Brian Van Camp was in the film and sported a zombie look not entirely dissimilar from this badge art.

The film also features actor Jason Carter, best known to many sci-fi fans from his role as Ranger Marcus Cole on Babylon 5.

#CVG2011 – Lynne Thomas

#CVG2011 – Seanan McGuire

#CVG2011 – Catherynne Valente

Author/Editor/Librarian Lynne Thomas came to CONvergence fresh off the success of her Chicks Dig Time Lords anthology. I knew Lynne personally and asked her if she had any special requests for badge art. She said she wanted the cover of her book with Connie. Done!

Author Seanan McGuire is a Munsters fan and made the mistake of mentioning publicly that she identified with Marilyn Munster. Clearly she paid for her mistake.

I was at a bit of a loss for what to do for author and poet Catherynne Valente, and ended up referencing the fairytale element of her work very literally.

#CVG2011 – Brian Keene

#CVG2011 – Anthony Tollin

#CVG2011 – Greg Weisman

This was my third Guest of Honor badge for Brian Keene, and after having reference his zombie stories and his comics work, I decided to go with his Conqueror Worms material, and had CoLynnie fighting giant earthworms. Lovely.

The first badge I had an idea for this year was Anthony Tollin’s. Anthony is a historian of The Shadow and other pulp heroes, and is publishing deluxe reprints of The Shadow and Doc Savage pulp novels. I first knew of Tony for his work as a colorist, specifically his work as colorist of Keith Giffen’s Ambush Bug series for DC Comics. Mash up! There you go.

And finally we had another returning Guest of Honor with Greg Weisman, who I was working with on the comic book version of Young Justice, based on the animated TV series for which is is head-writer and producer. Red Tornado is featured in Young Justice, a character Greg has a history with, so Connie got the Red Tornado treatment.

That’s it! We’re all caught up! I’ll be scheduling a post for tomorrow with the 2012 Guest of Honor badges, but otherwise I’m off to CONvergence! Watch for all the CONvergence-related tweets at #CVG2012. I hope to see many of you there! Look me up at one of my signings or panels!

CONvergence Badge Art: #CVG2011

CONvergence is IMMINENT! Like, it’s TOMORROW!

This is the final day of the countdown to CONvergence 2012 on July 5-8 this year, and sharing some highlights from past year’s badge art that I’ve done for the convention.

The CONvergence 2011 theme was Tomrrow Through the Past, not just a celebration of steampunk, but of all things retro-futuristic and of yesterday’s visions of tomorrow!

#CVG2011 – 5 & Under

#CVG2011 – 6-12 Badge

#CVG2011 – 13-17 Badge

Did you have a better time at CONvergence 2011 than some other years? Did it feel like a better experience? A better convention as a whole? It probably did, and it was because of how cohesive my badge design work was that year. Search your feelings. You know it to be true. Oh, that’s AstroBoy, Iron Giant, and the Rocketeer from left to right.

And that’s a steampunk cutaway Connie schematic on the Adult badge.

#CVG2011 – Service Animal Badge

#CVG2011 – Party Badge

That’s K-9 on the Service Animal Badge and the Party Badge which was new that year. We asked Party Hosts to badge parties in 2011, and as a trade off Party Hosts were allowed a certain number of Party Staff who could come in to help using these badges.

I used the Connie-in-the-Metropolis-Chair image which had proved to be quite popular that year on the Convention Committee Badge.

#CVG2011 – Temp Thurs

#CVG2011 – Temp Friday

#CVG2011 – Temp Sat

The Temp Badges were obviously a variation on the same design as the Party Badges. Again there was a color-coded variant for each day so the badges would “expire” after 24-hours when given out to performers and professional panelists.

If you couldn’t fathom based on Thursday through Saturday what the Sunday Temp Badge might have looked like…

…now you know.

If you’re coming to #CVG2012 be sure to look me up! I’ll be doing two signings and on a bunch of panels.

CONvergence Badge Art: #CVG2010 Guests of Honor

We’re getting close! CONvergence is IMMINENT as I count down to CVG2012 on July 5-8, sharing more art I’ve done for badges for the Guests of Honor of CONvergence 2010.

#CVG2010 – Chuck McCann

#CVG2010 – Jeremy Bulloch

#CVG2010 – LA Banks

Chuck McCann has had a lengthy career in acting and comedy, but two of his signature credits are impersonating Oliver Hardy and a series of “Hi, Guy!” commercials for Right Guard deodorant.

“Boba Fett? Boba Fett, WHERE?” Yes, I went there on Jeremy Bulloch’s badge.

An elegant design based on a character from L.A. Banks‘ writing. She is missed.

#CVG2010 – Paul Cornell

#CVG2010 – Wally Wingert

#CVG2010 – Bridget Landry

British writer Paul Cornell had recently written both Black Widow and Captain Britain for Marvel Comics. It seemed like a fun idea to cross them with those other Avengers.

Wally Wingert’s obsession with the Adam West Batman appeared again, this time mashed up with Wally’s new gig as the announcer for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.

Yep, it’s another plain Connie badge for cosplay queen of the rocket scientists Bridget Landry. I wanted to produce a new badge in the style of the 2010 Guest of Honor badges, but I made sure the scale and position of the Connie figure was the same as her previous badge, so the costume overlays I was providing her with would work equally well with the new badge. I didn’t try to keep this plan a surprise this time, and contacted her in advance of the convention to ask if there were any planned cosplays I could match.

#CVG2010 – Bridget Draco

#CVG2010 – Bridget Kira

#CVG2010 – Bridget Maleficent

So we got Draco Malfoy, Mirror Universe Kira, and Maleficent overlays for Connie, to go with Bridget’s planned outfits for the weekend. The next time she returns as a Guest of Honor, we’ll continue the series!

If you’re coming to #CVG2012 be sure to look me up! I’ll be doing two signings and on a bunch of panels.

CONvergence Badge Art: #CVG2010

I’m counting down to CONvergence 2012 on July 5-8 this year, and sharing some highlights from past year’s badge art that I’ve done for the convention.

The CONvergence 2010 theme was Bring on the Bad Guys, a celebration of villains that saw Connie’s slightly evil sister Connie Mark 2 take over the convention. This was a goldmine for artwork ideas, and I tried to give a lot of the graphics a fascist, propaganda poster edge, while still having a fun, CONvergence flavor.

#CVG2010 – 5 & Under

#CVG2010 – Ages 6-12

#CVG2010 – Ages 13-17

Stewie from Family Guy seemed like the obvious choice for the 5 & Under Badge.

The evil alien kids from Village of the Damned made for a creepy badge for the 6-12 crowd.

And the teens got Red Mist from the newly released Kick Ass.

And a row of menacing Mark 2’s adorned the Adult Badge.

#CVG2010 – Exec Badge

#CVG2010 – Service Animal

Who else would be on the Exec Badge that year but Mark 2 herself?

And the Service Animal Badge that year saw the evil Mirror Universe version of Connie’s dog Sparky.

In 2010 we eliminated having separate badges for members of the Board of Directors, and we just got our own ConCom Badges. It was a good call. All hail Mark 2!

Mark 2 was overthrown by Closing Ceremony, of course, and all was right with the con once again. But Mark 2 plots her return to power from her new role in ConSuite. Who thought letter her near the food was a good idea?

If you’re coming to #CVG2012 be sure to look me up! I’ll be doing two signings and on a bunch of panels.