A Portrait Worthy of Svengoolie for C2E2 2015

The late night horror host Svengoolie has been the on-air persona of Rich Koz since the mid-70s, and fans of his show know that it features vintage horror films served with generous helping of cheesy jokes along with background information on the films he shows and their stars that conveys a real love of the material. Ever since Me-TV came into the Minnesota market a few years ago, I have made sure to catch the show whenever I could. I really enjoy it. I didn’t know that Svengoolie would be at C2E2 last year until the 11th hour, and wrote on my twitter that I hoped to get away from my own Artists Alley table long enough to visit Sven at his signing, but I was skeptical that I’d be able to. Lo and behold, Sven and his camera crew stopped by my table as they did a tour of the convention, capturing material to be used in upcoming episodes of the show! It was tremendously cool!

I did a little video with Svengoolie (which was really fun), and then gave him a gift of my Re-Animator print, which seemed like the most appropriate of the selection I had. Given the body of all ages and animation-based comics I’ve done I’m amused by how many people don’t know I got my start doing a lot of horror comics, including the original comic book adaptation of the Re-Animator film! Sven seemed to really like it, and I honestly don’t even remember that his crew was still filming when I gave it to him. I determined right then that if I saw Svengoolie again at C2E2 in 2015, I wanted to do something more to express my appreciation for the show.

It didn’t take me long to settle that would be fun to do a portrait of Svengoolie in a gothic, over-the-top haunted house kind of style. I got the idea of trying to evoke the style of Basil Gogos, who is best known for having done many great portaits of figures from classic horror as covers for Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine.

  Svengoolie seemed like a fitting addition to that gallery of ghouls, and the piece would present an interesting challenge for me. It was stylistically worlds away from my usual work, especially since I typically do hand-drawn line art with color added digitally, as opposed to the rich paintings done by Gogos. That said, I was delighted with how the piece turned out and hoped Sven would be pleased.

Hal reached out to Svengoolie producer Jim to share the finished artwork and see if it would be possible to surprise our favorite horror host with the gift at C2E2 this year. I spent the whole of Saturday at C2E2 2015 looking forward to Svengoolie’s visit after his scheduled signing. When team Svengoolie made their appearance, I was able to give Rich a framed copy of my Svengoolie portrait and he seemed delighted. I had a few extra copies for Jim and members of the Svengoolie crew, and made a point to get Sven’s signature on my own personal copy of the print for my living room.

I’m pretty over the moon about this whole thing.

If you’d like your own copy of the Svengoolie portrait, yes, you can get one. If you can’t get to one of my convention appearances to get it from me in person, you can always purchase it from my Etsy store.

I’m looking forward to seeing Svengoolie again, but I don’t know if I can top this!

 

 

Christopher Jones at C2E2 2015

I’m headed to Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend! C2E2 is a con I’ve made a point to get to every year, partially just because it’s driveable for me—an 8-hour road trip but still driveable—which means I can actually bring short boxes of comics. So if anybody is looking for apparently-hard-to-find issues of The Batman Strikes!, you’re in luck! I also like C2E2 because it’s run by ReedPOP, who have always been good to me, and on top of that, seem to try to prioritize positive fan experiences and safety. (Seriously – just have a look at their anti-harassment policy.) I like that in a con.

I’ll be at Artist Alley table U10 for all three days of the convention. Here’s a handy map to help you find me!

 

 

2015 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.

For this year, all three mini-prints are still free (choose one per visit) but next year I may start charging for previous years’ so get yours while you can! Anyway, without further adieu, here’s my 2015 free convention exclusive mini-print!

 

New Prints Since Last Year 

I’ve got a few new 11″x17″ full color and 9.5″x11″ 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.

 You can see the rest of my prints in my gallery. 

C2E2 2015 At-the-Con Sketch Rates 

I will be doing sketches during the convention. Stop by my table, U10, 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 (U10) 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.

 

One Last Thing…

So, I don’t know the specifics, but Hal tells me that you guys probably will not want to miss Gene Ha’s spotlight panel on Friday at 12:30pm. I understand he’s announcing some big new project that will probably appeal to fans of all-ages works like Young Justice. Plus, “Special edition preview comic for Panel Attendees only!”

 

Okay, time to collect Hal and Jenna and hit the road in my fancy new-to-me-and-actually-made-in-this-century Dodge Caravan. This is my friend Jenna’s first forray to C2E2. I’m looking forward to her reaction to the thing. Please stop by at the con and say hi! Looking forward to seeing all you wonderful Chicago people again!

C2E2 2015 Sketch Comissions

 All of my convention sketches are black ink on 9×12″ bristol. I will also draw on sketch covers and in sketchbooks by request. Payment due when you pick up the completed sketch. My C2E2 sketch list does fill up fast, so the earlier you can get me your request, the better. I will be in Artist Alley all 3 days, easy to find at table U10.

 

C2E2 2015 Advance Sketch Rates 

I will be taking a limited number of advance sketch commissions at a reduced rate.

Full Figure: $60 for the first character + $40 for each additional character

Head Sketch (shoulders & up): $40

If you would like to commission a sketch in advance for my reduced rate, please email your request to chris@christopherjonesart.com no later than Midnight on Wednesday, April 22, 2015. The earlier, the better to get on the list.

 

C2E2 2015 At-the-Con Sketch Rates 

I will be doing sketches during the convention. Stop by my table, U10, 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

 

Student Sketch Rate Sweepstakes

I know many of you are students who can’t afford my regular sketch rates but really, REALLY want one of my sketches. I hear you, so I am going to hold a sweepstakes for 5 students to purchase a custom convention sketch at a special student rate.

Full Figure: $40 for the first character + $40 for each additional character

Head Sketch (shoulders & up): $20

Entries will be accepted until Midnight on Wednesday, April 22, 2015. Winners will be notified by email on Thursday morning. If you win, you must be present at C2E2 2015 and you must show me your student ID in order to get your sketch at the special student rate. Use the form below to enter the sweepstakes.

Student Sketches now closed for C2E2 2015.

 

Christopher Jones’ C2E2 2014 Schedule & More!

I am currently packing for my annual visit to Chicago – a strong contender for my favorite city of all time – and very excited to see the C2E2 crowd again! It really is a great show for comics fans and I look forward to every year.

I will be at table U18 in Artist Alley most of the time, but I do have some other events & signings going on!

 

C2E2 2014 Schedule

 

Friday:

12:00pm – 1:00pm  Artist Alley Stage

Watch me draw LIVE on a BIG screen in the middle of Artist Alley!

3:00pm – 4:00pm  Signing at FutureDude (Booth 518)

Come check out my new project & get a free signed poster!

Saturday: 

2:00pm – 3:00pm  Signing and Sketching at FutureDude (Booth 518)

Come check out my new project & get a free poster or quick head sketch!

7:15pm – 8:00pm  C2E2 2014 Young Justice Meet-up!!

Meet other Young Justice fans at C2E2, take some photos, just hang out and talk Young Justice! SYMBIOSI!

Sunday:

11:00am – 12:00pm  Signing at FutureDude (Booth 518)

Come check out my new project & get a free signed poster!

7:30pm – 9:30pm  C2E2 Charity Art Auction

I may not be present for this depending on how tired I am at the end of the weekend. But I do have a sketch up for auction! The sketch is of the “Evil Genius” character from Time Bandits, a movie everyone should see. It is ink on paper. Either way, go ahead and bid on some art – all proceeds benefit St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital!

 

Artist Alley

When I’m not off signing at FutureDude or on the Artist Alley stage, you’ll be able to find me at Artist Alley table U18. Here’s a handy map:

 

I’ll have all my Young Justice & comics 11×17″ prints available at my Artist Alley table, including a new Artemis Crock and Wally West print aptly titled, “Spitfire”. Prints are $20/ea or 3 for $50, which is a significant discount from my Etsy store.

     

I’ll also have some smaller, black & white prints for $5, including a Young Justice and a Batman ’66 print. As far as comics, I’ll have some Young Justice: Invasion Trade Paperbacks for $15 and I may bring a box of The Batman Strikes! comics… we’ll see.

Signatures are ALWAYS free, so feel free to bring stuff for me to sign.

Classic Doctor Who fans may be interested in picking up my new-in-2014 print, “For the Fans”, based on Peter Davidson’s fantastic 50th Anniversary special, “The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot“. This will be the first comic convention I’ll have it at! And of course I’ll have all my other Doctor Who prints, too.

 

I should also mention that, per usual, I will also have some healthy snacks available free for fans at my Artist Alley table. They are granola & fruit bars. They are completely safe and definitely are not made by Lexcorp. But I know conventions can get expensive and it can be hard to eat healthy at the food court, so if you need an energy boost, just stop by and ask me.

 

Sketches

I will be doing custom sketches at:

$80 for the first character + $60 for each additional character in the same sketch

However, my sketch list fills up FAST at conventions, so the earlier you bring me your request, the better.

 

FREE Mini-Prints!

I debuted my very popular “Disco Nightwing” free mini-print at C2E2 2013, so it seemed fitting to debut a NEW free mini-print at C2E2 2014! Presenting “Fastest Man Alive”! Visit me at C2E2 or any other convention in 2014 to get your own free signed copy!

 

Don’t worry – I’ll still have Disco Nightwing mini-prints and Christopher Jones Art buttons available free at least through the rest of 2014!

 

Young Justice Meet-Up

Greg Weisman and I have been organizing a little guerrilla programming in the form of Young Justice Meet-Ups at as many conventions as we can – we know the Young Justice fandom is still alive and kicking! So… want to meet other Chicago area Young Justice fans? Take some cosplay photos? Just hang out for a while with me and talk Young Justice?  Come to the hall across from the Speed Dating room on Saturday at 7:15pm! See you there! SYMBIOSI!

 

FutureDude

FutureDude Entertainment, publishers of “Parallel Man” (the  new sci-fi action-adventure project I’ve been working on this year,) will have an Exhibitor booth and they will be giving away all kinds of goodies! Including FREE 11×17″ posters featuring my art and colored by Young Justice colorist, Zac Atkinson!

  

I will be signing & sketching over at FutureDude’s booth throughout the convention (see my schedule above). Here’s a handy map to find FutureDude at C2E2 (Booth 518):

 

 

Well, I think that about covers it. I had better get back to packing!  See you at C2E2!

 

I’m donating Micronauts art to the C2E2 Charity Auction

The Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) is THIS WEEKEND and I wanted to share with you the piece I’m donating to the C2E2 Charity Auction which benefits the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Original Line Art on 11×17″ Bristol

The final page of the Microns story from Avengers: EMH #7

This is a group portrait of The Micronauts (re-named the “Microns” for legal reasons) as they appeared in Marvel Universe – Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes #7. This art was used as part of a special-effects panel where the Microns were shrinking from action figure size down into their sub-atomic universe.

The Auction will be held Saturday night at 7:30pm in room 1W475B and if you’re interested in attending we would love to have you come down and join the fun! There will be some great items up for auction, and the proceeds go to a great cause, so please check it out!

I hope to see MANY of you at C2E2 this weekend. You’ll find me at table B7 in Artist Alley, and remember to like Christopher Jones Comic Art on Facebook or follow me as @ChrisJonesArt on Twitter to get a FREE 1″ button or full color, signed mini-print! Check out this post for all the details.

And if you can’t make it to C2E2, click here to see the rest of my upcoming convention appearances!