GenCon was fun

Hello everyone!

I figured I would give an update on how GenCon went; it's been a week past already!

On Thursday, Zignoff and I got to Indianapolis at about 11:00 AM. When we got to the Convention Center, there was a MASSIVELY long line wrapped around the corner of the main entrance, going on for almost two blocks total. Two hours later in the sweltering summer heat later, we were able to get inside to the nice air-conditioning and purchase our 4-day passes. The wait was well worth it!



The first day was used mostly just to check out all of the vendors and event schedules, and calculate how much money I would need for the duration of the Con. I ran into quite a few people I haven't seen in a while, and got to catch up on things over the past year or so with them.

The second day was far more busy. After figuring out how much money I could afford to spend, I went on a merchandise binge. A lot of the vendors were selling their wares at much lower prices than they would be available for otherwise, so it was a perfect opportunity to get some stuff I'd been wanting for a while. :D
Things I managed to pick up while I was there:
MG Hi-Nu Gundam
MG Gundam F91
HG 1/100 Gundam F90 Type-V (One of my Grail kits! :D )
DeathNote wall scroll
Fate/stay night wall scroll
Fate/stay night Rin Tohsaka PVC figure
Dokuro-Chan Sabato PVC figure
Gackt/Malice Mizer singles collection CD
Midnight Syndicate CD
Fate/stay night soundtrack (for the anime version; the song "Unlimited Blade Works," Archer's theme, is nowhere near as awesome as the version from the game. :'( )

On the third day, I did most of my people-meeting and hanging out. Since Saturday is usually the day that the most people were able to be there, it was the perfect opportunity to socialize with as many people as possible. I also got a portfolio review from one of the Art Directors for High-Voltage Studios (a major videogame production company; they work behind the scenes of many of the popular games today). He said that with my art style and skill, I would have been hired on the spot had it been 5 years ago, but since digital art is taking over the industry there is a greater demand for more versatile artists than those who just use traditional techniques. He then gave me some advice on getting started with Photoshop, and suggested some schools to go to in order to further improve my skills and study about graphic design. Next year, I will hopefully have the skills to back up my talent, and be able to enter the industry.

On Sunday most of the vendors were packing away their stuff, and there were no major events scheduled beyond 2:00PM, so we decided to head out once the anime theaters at the Westin stopped for the day. After that I had another day off to rest and recuperate, and then back to work I went!

Here are some pictures I took during the Convention:

The upper lobby of the Westin Hotel. The nime theaters run by the Indiana Anime Club were downstairs and to the left, and straight ahead at the bottom of the escalator is in fact a Starbucks (INSIDE the hotel!). They really are everywhere nowadays, aren't they...



This is the "Card-House City" that was being set up by a group of people throughout the convention. The one black tower of cards is roughly 11 feet high!





Some downtown scenery. From top to bottom, we have the Capitol with the Westin to the left, then a street area I found interesting, and finally a shot of the new Colosseum that's being built.



He is The Batman. Oh, and some guy with a lightsaber to demonstrate how bad my camera is at motion shots. :P



Some MechWarrior / BattleTech / EarthSiege stuff. The large ones are actually papercraft!





And what is a convention without a few Cosplayers! These were just a few of the literally hundreds who sported costumes of their favorite comic book, anime, or movie characters!



One of the many performances that kept us all entertained throughout the convention was the comedian/juggler Christopher Yates from New Zealand, seen here doing a show in the persona of his character "Rusty Balls." I was not able to get very many good shots out of his show (see above comment about my camera's poor shutter speed), but I assure you it was quite entertaining.



And saving the best for last: Spam Sculpting! I missed the actual event, but thankfully the results were still out on display for all to see (and smell, unfortunately...).