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.

MSP Comicon (Formerly SpringCon) This Weekend!

This weekend is Midwest Comic Book Association’s MSP Comicon, formerly known as SpringCon. It is a convention that means a lot to me. Not only if is my home turf and a vibrant and inclusive community of comic creators and fans, but it was the first convention I ever exhibited at, and the con I was first treated like a professional so many years ago.

So when they asked whether they could use my “Trinity” art for their promotion materials this year, I was more than happy to give my blessing!

I’ll have my full selection of prints available, of course, and be doing sketch commissions as usual. I may have some comic books available too, as well as Young Justice trade paperbacks.

I do have a few new pieces of art since last year, including one very special print I created to memorialize someone who seemed larger than life. (I shared some of my thoughts on Nick in another blog post.)

I have 100 copies of this 8.5×11″ full color print and will be selling them for $5.00 for as long as they last. 100% of the sales of “Kingpin of Comics” will be donated to the Lupus Foundation of Minnesota.

I’ll also have no shortage of fun new Superhero art for Minnesota fans to take home.

Lastly, I have a new free mini-print for my Minnesota Facebook and Twitter followers!

Okay, I think that’s it. I’m heading to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds to set up my table. Looking forward to seeing all of you this weekend! Viva la MCBA!

Nick Post, the Kingpin of Comics

Last summer marked the passing of someone very important to the local comics community here in Minnesota. Dominic Postiglione (Nick Post) left us all too soon, and I still find myself mourning him frequently.

You see, Nick was a larger-than-life personality, driven by a deep passion for comics. He was a steadfast supporter of local talent, always happy to use his resources as an organizer of the Midwest Comic Book Association (MCBA) conventions or as one of the owners of Source Comics and Games to help struggling creators out.

Nick had been an enduring presence in my life since the early days of my comics career. It was one of Nick’s MCBA conventions where I first set up at a table at a con. Nick gave me the chance and treated me as an established professional even though I hadn’t yet earned any clout. That made a lasting impression on me and generated a great deal of my loyalty to Nick and MCBA.

I’d never had the opportunity to get to be really close friends with Nick. I was always seeing him fleetingly at comic book conventions—either one of the MCBA shows he organized or at one of the other conventions where Source Comics and Games was exhibiting. Grabbing dinner with Nick outside of a convention was a rare treat, and the time he joined some friends and me for an hour in the hotel bar one convention weekend is still a source of oft-told tales.

When Nick passed last year, it was a shock that hit me surprisingly hard. Nick had been a constant presence in my career. I looked forward to sharing milestones of progress with him or picking his brain about things I was trying to work out. He seemed like the kind of giant who would go on forever. I know I wasn’t alone in the way I felt about Nick, so I’m sure his legacy will go on forever.

But I still miss you, Nick.

I had been tossing around the idea of drawing Nick as Kingpin for a while before he left us. It just seemed so . . . right. And amusing. And perfect. This week, I finally did it. I will have prints of this available exclusively at MCBA’s MSP Comicon this weekend.

Prints are 8.5×11″, full color, and just $5 until they run out. (URL watermark not on actual print.)

100% of the sales of this print will be donated to the Lupus Foundation of Minnesota, Nick’s charity of choice and one of the charities MCBA cons support.

Dominic Postiglione, Nick Post, the Kingpin of Comics.

Remembering Nick Post

I drew this portrait of my friend Nick Post (Dominic Postiglione if you want to be formal) who passed away this past week for a tribute to him in the upcoming Parallel Man comic book I’ve been drawing.

Nick had been very supportive of this homegrown Minnesota-based project, which should come as no surprise to anyone who knew him. I’ve never known a more passionate supporter of the local community of comic book fans and creators.

Nick was co-owner of The Source Comics and Games and the driving force behind the long-running MCBA comic conventions (Fallcon and Springcon). I can count on one hand the times I had a chance to have dinner with Nick or otherwise see him outside of a convention or an event at The Source. But for over 20 years Nick had been a regular presence in my life, always greeting me with a smile and always eager to support any project I was working on.

Every year when I showed up for Fallcon and Springcon I made it a point to seek out and have a chat with Nick. Those conventions have always been very special and considered must-not-miss appearances on my annual calendar. They were the first conventions I ever attended as a professional, and I was always treated *professionally* there even when I was just starting out and was an absolute nobody. I’ve always felt extraordinarily well treated by all the volunteers and staff at MCBA shows, and I don’t hesitate to attribute that to Nick who led by example.

I’m going to miss Nick so much and am sad to think how conspicuously absent he’ll be at Fallcon this year. But I’ll console myself in looking at those ongoing conventions as part of Nick’s legacy. I’m sure others will step up to not only run them but to help welcome the next generation of comics fans and creators to the fold.

It’s what Nick would want.

Come see me at MCBA Fallcon October 5 2013!

October 5 2013 I’ll be at MCBA Fallcon, open from 10am to 5pm at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds! I’ll be talking to fans, signing autographs, doing commission sketches and selling art prints, so stop by and say hello!

Tickets are available at the door ($8 for adults, kids 9 & Under FREE). Save $1 off admission with a Canned Food Shelf donation. Free MCBA Grab Bags for the first 500 attendees. Costumes encouraged.

This year Mark Waid will be joining the creators appearing at MCBA Fallcon, so you won’t want to miss it!

I’ll have Young Justice trade paperbacks and Art Prints for sale. And I’ll have my usual convention exclusives like the ever-popular Disco Wing mini-print for fans who “like” my Facebook Page or follow me on Twitter!

Remember, at conventions I’ll have all the prints available at my Etsy Store, but at the reduced price of $20 for an 11×17 color print, plus NO SHIPPING FEE!