I look like a drug addict right now with a red eye and dazed head from allergies, shaking from weakness due to lack of rest and overwork during one of the worst monthly gifts. I just started taking down yesterday at FanEXPO while everyone is still trying to rake in last minute sales because I could like barely stay sane from the exhaustion (and I didn’t even do shit man I just sat there the whole day like every other con) and got the hell out LOL. Ate a chicken drumstick when I got home at 8pm and just slept until 1pm today HAHA holy crap. But I brought this on myself because instead of sleeping Saturday night, I tried to get the minor alterations for my artbook done so I could upload the 500mb file overnight and save time, and have it sent to the printer by day and let them make the proof copy while I was still at the con to save time. But since I was half asleep I missaved all my flattened and paginated files to cmyk at the wrong step and fucked up their colours LOL and ended up having to paginate them again with my raw psd pages… It took me all day today to get that done, but I guess since I’m mostly ok now I was able to do some other major improvements to the book that I would not have done had I sent the file off Saturday night. Can’t wait for the proof to get here!
That aside, here is the FanEXPO report and Otakuthon report that never happened because I was trying to finish up my artbook before the latter HAHA. Click below the photo to read on!
Otakuthon:
I didn’t take any pictures of the con at otakuthon because I didn’t walk around at all. It’s in Montreal and almost none of my friends were there so I couldn’t get someone to sit in for me LOL. But I love the 8′ table at the con there I could actually spread out the prints that I couldn’t fit on my stand, and I had sooooo muuuch spaccce ‘w’ And my fears of people speaking french to me were vanquished, it’s just that I felt like a foreigner all the time because everyone discusses what they see in french and I couldn’t understand them with my grade 9 french LOL;;;;;;;; The con itself was very… generic, nothing amazing or terrible happened (or at least I don’t remember much now because my memory is bad), the only thing that I can remember with the aid of the actual item here in my hands is a giftart by Raikozu! (sorry I don’t know your online links ): ) i was sooooo happy and then she told me she stayed up until 5am working on this the other night and I felt soooo bad LOLOL ): SHE DREW ME MY PRECIOUS BB
I’m going to have to buy a gift folder now because of all the gift prints/signed prints that I’ve accumulated over the years that’s piling up; I just put them into my portfolio before but now that I am bringing the portfolio to cons people keep trying to peek at the hidden prints to see what’s inside, also I shouldn’t pile gift arts and ruin them LOL
A lot of people who knew my art came by to buy stuff and a number of people who knew I was there but couldn’t come sent their friends to come buy stuff from me, I was kind of surprised! In the end I did really well there, and because I stayed at a close friend’s place, the costs were minimal for me and made it even better. The real deal with the convention was actually my stay at the friend’s house; they are my dad’s bffs back from university so they’re his age, with his mentality and really hospitable in the nothern chinese sort of way, aka kind of assertive when it comes to trying to help me, especially in the money department. I tried to invite them out for dinner because they housed us, but also because I really want to eat a good meal at least once in the 3 days LOL but they refused so hard that it couldn’t happen in the end. They also almost had me taking the transit for 45 minutes each way rather than letting my dad drive me there because it would be free and only has 2 transfers, when I don’t want to go that far in terms of saving money when I’m on a potentially tiring trip. We also engaged in like a 2 hour chat about my career, responsibilities and marital prospects, not even discussing with me about my current situation but more telling me about what I should or shouldn’t do, it was kind of nuts, like I had 3 parents for those few hours there. I understand in the end though, it’s just the way of people from that part of China that I’m not used to.
And on the way back we drove through like 3 huge fucking thunderstorms where I could barely see the car in front of me and streaks of lightning was coming down in the night sky. Too bad I was too busy trying not to drive off the road and couldn’t really try to look LOL
Fanexpo:
1.5 weeks of mad rush later, I’m at FanEXPO! I hate their thursday show time because it’s pretty much totally pointless; not too many people go to the show and it made our transportation arrangements really difficult since the show starts before my parents get off work with both cars, so I had to give them carpooling trouble for two days instead of just one in 2007? 2008? when I last went. The spaces were also pretty cramped compared to my past 3 cons because this con is actually a business where they try to milk the shit out of the show floor. It felt just like the downtown area it’s in HAHA. Everyone had enormously tall stands and everyone’s chair is backed against everyone else’s and I couldn’t get outof my isle without excusing myself like 3 times. I also had my woman’s problem on the first day and on so I was realllly tired each day, falling asleep in the morning and just plain tired in the afternoon. Contrary to other conventions, my books didn’t sell as well even though my prints sold about the same. I think it’s because this con is either more fandom focused or comic/scifi focused? A lot of people came up to me and asked if I had posters for ______ series even though I could see those series on the stands in front of and behind me LOL. In the end I didn’t do as well as the other cons but it’s still worth it aside from all the sickness crap LOL. Ironically this con table alone cost like 150 more than all of my expenses at Montreal LOL FUCKING DOWNTOWN TORONTO
GIFTART#2 by mega-chan11!. Sometimes I feel bad (and really grateful) that people who draw them in this outfit follow my designs so painstakingly, even though I draw them differently in each picture of my own lol Q___Q I MAKE PEOPLE’S LIVES DIFFICULT
My 1 artbook per con quota yay! I will slowly build up my collection of overpriced amazing korean/japanese artbooks. but I loved everyone in there so I have no complaints; I was reading it at my booth and I had to hide it under my table because the art makes all my shit look soooo bad LMFAO sldajfskhklj
Super kawaii charms I bought from the booth across from me! they are separate but I put them together because they just look so happy together ffffffffffff. I was thinking of giving them to juby and jc because of their sickeningly cute fat cat doodles but I decided against it in the end because I couldn’t part with them LOL.
one of the numerous kawaii plates I saw
And one of the two commissions I took (forgot to take a pic of the other one HAHA) before I rejected everything cus I was tired lol Q___Q
AWW YISSS DEM AZNS ALL LOOK THE SAME :D!!!!!!!!
And here are some of the 500000 commissions I took at otakuthon because a lot of people who saw my commission sign before I took it down came back on the second day all prepared and I felt bad refusing them LOL….
Lumina from Lunar Souls by Hiromi!! I don’t know what the commissioner wanted it for but she was like do you know her, and I was like FUCK YES LOL THE BEST ONLINE MANGA I KNEW AT THE TIME. She only gave me a smallheadshot ref but I was all ballin and was like AWW YEEEE I STILL REMEMBER HER DESIGN WITHOUT REF. and then half way through I realized I don’t remember how her uniform worked lol;;;;;;;;;;;;; I AM SO ASHAMED
{ John Keel }
OMFG actually I am kind of glad I don't live in America because should I ever stop by your table I will go broke buying all your stuff ;v; also I would lose my voice because I would be shouting non-stop in excitement.
Rest well! I can hardly wait to get a copy of your artbook! If I could I would commission you, but I live in Asia, so I'll never get to see you ):
{ Osaaru }
I WANT YOUR ART SO BAAAAAD!!! DDD;
{ Cielo }
Oh, the things I would have done to get a sketch commission by you on the spot, asdaf. They all look amazing ; v ;
{ Tiff }
SHILINNNNNN-
Come to Australia sometime! Please? T_T
I'd love to see you at a convention like Smash or Animania. I'D SOOO COMMISSION SOMETHING FROM YOU! And it'd be nice to just say hi.
Anyway, those drawings look awesome! I agree, YOU DRAW SO FAST, and they're all such good quality. *is jelly* Main problem with me is that even gifts take literally months to finish, LOL. =_='
{ Shilin }
too farrr paddle australia closer XD
{ Tiff }
Eh?
CANADA IS TOO FAR. >:3
Maybe you could visit Australia for a holiday sometime, one that coincides with a convention… or something like that…
Because I seriously doubt I'll be able to visit Canada before I turn old and wrinkly. T_T
Either way, tell if you plan to come! :)
…PLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE-
*ahem*
Anyway-
I WANT PRETTY ARTBOOKS. 8D Wonder if China has bookstores which stock any good ones… Good for reffs, I guess.
{ ikutsukeito }
your lines look incredible!!! can you please make a tut on how you keep your pencil lines (or are those pen lines…? i can't quite tell) really clean from roughs to final? :)))) pleaseee..?
{ Shilin }
they are pencil lines. I just draw the sketch really really lightly and erase a lot as I go along!
{ Styfles }
hai (first time leaving a comment, hope im doing this right…)!
YOUR COMMISSIONS ARE AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! you are truly an inspiration to all aspiring artists!!! >w<)b
and this is so random, but you have such a bad-ass signature ;w;)/
{ Beryl }
I'm glad you had fun at Otakuthon, and I hope you come back next year. c8
{ Shilin }
thanks for coming by again!
{ Chris }
It sounds like us Montrealers are lazy :P. Sending out friends to buy stuff for us at conventions. Not me though! Although I'm still wondering if I should have introduced myself… :P
And hot damn, you draw fast! All the commissions look great though :)
{ A. Hormell }
It sounds like you've been run rugged, poor Shilin, you need rest :(
I hope you get to feeling better though and try to relax and enjoy your time a bit more. I understand you're career could be demanding but I still think you should try to get some rest. Here's what you do, lock yourself in the bathroom with scented candles, a nice hot bubble bath, and music, piano and bubble baths works together.
And as always your art is so beautiful, I can only wish to be that good one day. I still say when I become rich and famous one day I'll ask you to do a commission for me, but for now I can only enjoy your skills.
Good luck with the art book! I've already tucked away my money for it lol.
{ Shilin }
thanks! I enjoy wearing myself out sometimes actually, it's just I'm too much of a weakling XD
{ R e a f u }
Man, back to back conventions sounds way too intense for me. Please enjoy the down time :(! Thanks for the fancy business card :D! Who made that art book, the work looks familiar.
{ Shilin }
I have no idea, it's a collection of many different artists and I just happen to not recognize the cover art XD
{ Aqu }
One of the artist is http://www.pixiv.net/member.php?id=45438
I remember I had the site of the artist who drew the top picture of the art book but I can't find it now =/
{ Shilin }
yeah that was one of the few that I recognized XD