Awesome Con 2017
This past weekend, Awesome Con celebrated its first five years in the DMV with style. As usual, the con improved upon last year with more guests and panels than ever before. However, it was the people who definitely made this con the fantastic event that we love attending. Art Way Alliance is proud to have been a part of Awesome Con for the past five years, and we hope that we will continue to be a part of this wondrous community for many more.
Each day of Awesome Con was packed full of fans of all ages and interests. Many dads celebrated Father's Day early by cosplaying with their children. We saw Flash and Kid Flash; Green Lanterns, and a family of Street Fighters that was just too amazing for words (pictured).
For our President, Eric Suggs, seeing Bryan Turner speak about Storyboarding was a dream come true. It was especially refreshing to hear the established creator highlight the importance of utilizing reference materials, a constant theme that we discuss with many of our students. When asked if using references when drawing should be considered cheating, Tuner said, "absolutely not. Animators have to use references all the time in our work. [...] the only way to draw an elephant for instance would be to use examples so you make sure you are capturing the likeness of the elephant."
Another great moment was when a participant of the con walked up to our easels and began to draw with only an inking pen provided by our booth mate, Artists and Craftsman Supplies of Washington DC. From 11:30 am until just before the con's closing, the unnamed artists worked tirelessly to create his own creation. The picture was definitely something to behold. (Click to see the whole photo!)
But our absolute favorite moment was co-hosting the Coloring Contest with Venus's Comic Shop in the Awesome Con, Jr. section presented by Nickelodeon. The tables were full of eager contestants whose pieces showed a deft understanding of color choice and presentation. At the end of the contest, the owners of Venus's Comic Shop picked five winners, each of whom walked away with fantastic prizes. "Our favorite part of Awesome Con was the support from beginning to end," said Raymond Francis, co-owner of Venus's Comic Shop. "AWA was such a tremendous help in our coloring contest project! Once this was thought up I immediately thought of AWA. Thank you SO much!" In addition to hosting, AWA donated Nickelodeon themed artwork by Eric L. Suggs, Damien Duckett, Darren Soto, and Dennis Johnson for the participants to draw. Artist and Craftsman Supplies of Washington DC was kind enough to provide the coloring materials needed to make it a true contest. And as a bonus, the five winners will also have their finished artwork on exhibit when Venus Comic Shop opens on July 8 at Union Station. We hope you come out to see their hard work!
Thank you again to Awesome Con for having us and please support our friends, Venus's Comic Shop and Artist and Craftsman Supplies! Their support helped to make this possible.