Truth be told, aside from one day at the Calgary Comic-Con the last couple of years, I've never travelled to a convention, which makes it all that more odd that I organized one last year for the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists in Banff. It went very well, and I had a lot of fun, but it was incredibly exhausting.
This year, I decided to attend at least one convention a year, and I had three to choose from, so I spent the last month weighing the pros and cons (pun intended). It wasn't so much the cost of attending three of them (although that did factor in, of course), it was the exhaustion factor that would very likely occur from all of that travel while still trying to maintain a business.
Here are the three, all of which I think are worthwhile.
Success in Comics Seminar: Two 2 day seminars in Las Vegas from September 26th to 29th. I actually registered for this one and then canceled. Even though I've got a project in development that would have benefited from the information I would learn there, I won't have it ready in time for those dates, and I don't want to show up half-prepared. Doesn't mean I won't try to attend next year, however.
International Society of Caricature Artists Convention (formerly the National Caricature Network): November 2nd - 7th in Sandusky, Ohio. I've been a member of the NCN (now ISCA) for a few years and they're a great bunch of people. This was definitely tied for first place. There's a lot of talent in this group and honestly, I want to be a better caricaturist before I spend a week drawing and painting among them. Many of my favorite artists regularly attend this one. Tom Richmond, Jason Seiler, Stephen Silver, Joe Bluhm...it's a BIG list. Unfortunately by skipping it this year, the earliest I can attend is now 2011, as I'm already committed to the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists Convention in Hamilton next year. So 2011 it is for the ISCA.
Photoshop World in Las Vegas. October 1st-October 3rd. This convention happens twice a year, once on the east coast (Boston this year) in the waning days of winter, and the other in Las Vegas in the fall. I've been a member of the National Association of Photoshop Professionals for the past 5 years and even though I plan to go to this convention each year, something always comes up or I find an excuse not to go. This year, however, I am finally attending. Flight and hotel have been booked and my registration is paid.
Consisting of three days of classes and events, in addition to a tech expo with all the latest hardware and software, this is also a great opportunity for networking and making connections in the commercial art world. This conference actually starts on the 29th of September for me as I've signed up for the pre-con classes as well.
While I could have still attended the 'Success in Comics Seminar' right before this one, as I'd be in Vegas anyway and they are back to back, it would have meant taking a full week off work, plus the added expense and exhaustion. From what I understand, Photoshop World is tiring enough, so adding more onto it ahead of time, means I probably would have been dealing with sensory overload and wouldn't end up retaining anything from either convention.
So it's Vegas and the Mandalay Bay in September. The classes I've chosen are largely related to painting in Photoshop and Painter, in addition to learning more about lighting, colour and composition in general.
Of course, this means I'll be spending my summer painting caricatures, building up my portfolio and preparing promotional material, but I can think of worse ways to spend my day.
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