Showing posts with label IX. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IX. Show all posts

Tuesday, December 31, 2024

IX 2025 Announcement!

I am thrilled to announce another convention that I will be attending in 2025! Notices went out a week or so ago, and I can now announce that I will be returning to the main show of Illuxcon in Reading, PA, in October 2025. We love IX, and it is a truly unique experience to attend and be a part of. I will share more once we get closer to October; I am sure I will have a surprise or two planned.

That's all for another exciting YEAR on the blog. See you back here in 2025! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

IX 2024 Recap

There has been much to do since IX, which is why my IX 2024 is several weeks late. Much to do, AND it now takes time to Shade and Glaze my images, so it is a double blow to getting posts up quickly after events.

Now that IX 2024 has come and gone and I have had some time to think about it, it was, of course, amazing. Save for last year (which was 110% the fault of my car having a catastrophic unrecoverable event), every year at IX is simply the best. It is a time for celebration, community, fellowship, and art love. You have to go to one to know what I mean. It is a long show, but it also flies by, so there is a bittersweet aspect to it. It is so wonderful, but the moments do fall through your fingers. It was wonderful to see so many friends and familiar faces. IX is usually my last event of the year, and it is such a great completion of the convention year. I feel like I should be saying more, but if you know, you know, and if you haven't attended, you truly owe it to yourself to attend one year, even if you only attend and don't show. Here are some photos from IX 2024.

The Google Works building is where it all happens (except the Showcase, which is at the Double Tree).
They are in the midst of doing some major updates and renovations to the building. We saw just a little bit of their work while at the show, but they had displays of what they planned to do, and it was all very impressive. They will be bringing a lot to the building and the community.

My booth this year. IX is the one place I can bring the entire Grand Bazaar.
All of my available with were on display, as well as prints, MtG APs, books, and more were with me this year.
Not to mention the rug and chairs!

I tried to do a better job getting photos of the show this year. Here is a photo from the first floor.

Here is the second floor where I was set up.

Peaking out from the Grand Bazaar at the rest of the second floor.

I took part in the first of two Magic the Gathering artist proof drawing sessions.
I was seated at a table with Donato Giancola, which, you know, is super cool. It was surreal to be sitting there as peers doing parallel play as we drew, painted, and talked. FUN TIMES!!!

The Ancient Carp I did during the session - SOLD

The Festering Mummy I did during the session - AVAILABLE!

The artist jam session returned this year, and there was some serious rocking to be had.

Here are some additional photos from the first floor of IX this year.

The Showcase was amazing, as always, and there was so much great art and excitement in the room.

AND there was Destro with an actual (mini) HISS tank! Grant Cooley killed it with the costume this year!

So, more photos from the second floor.

And some photos from the fourth floor.

A little salivating raccoon on an artist proof.

All good things must come to an end.
After helping others, I was in a mad dash to get packed up and out of the way as the walls came down.

Where there was once IX on the second floor, there is now only space...

...as with the first floor.

A new tradition has been to get dinner together at a great Asian restaurant around the corner from the hotel. They can take a massive crowd, and we chair-hop to chat with everyone.

Another amazing year, the 17th IX, to be exact. Here is to 17 more! We are already looking ahead to IX 18 in 2025. I hope to see you there!

That's all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

IX is Next Week!

IX is finally here!  The IX Art Show marks my final show of the year, so I am gearing up to end the convention season with a bang. I will be returning to the Main Show at the GoogleWorks building in Reading, PA, with the Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia and the rest of my monsters. I will be debuting new art from the Grand Bazaar, and if things unfold as hoped, I will have new client work to debut as well. As with all my events this year, I will have Magic the Gathering artist proofs, original art, books, pins, and more.

See you at the Main Show of IX at the GoogleWorks in Reading, PA!
 
I am in booth 218 - head to the second floor of the Googleworks, you will find me in the back of the gallery.

In addition to being in the Main Show, I will be taking part in the first of two Magic SketchFests. At the SketchFest, groups of Magic the Gathering artists will gather in Studio 411 and work on Magic Artists Proofs while fans and attendees talk, ask questions, and purchase the artist proof. I took part in the first one a couple of years back, and I am thrilled to be back and taking part again. It was a lot of fun, and I hope to see new and familiar faces there.

See you at the first of two Magic SketchFest!
Thursday, October 24th, from 3:00-5:00pm in Studio 411 in the GoggleWorks Building.

There are many amazing looking panels, demos, and discussions planned this year, and there is part of me that wishes I was not showing so that I could attend all of the events. And don't forget that on Friday and Saturday nights, the IX Showcase will be taking place in the convention hotel. The Showcase is ALWAYS a blast, and there should be tons of amazing art. I hope to see you in Reading next week!

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Thursday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Friday, December 22, 2023

2024 Convention Annoucment!

I am thrilled to announce what will hopefully be one of several events that I will be attending in 2024! Notices went out a couple days ago, and I will be returning to the main show of Illuxcon in Reading, PA, in October 2024. We love IX, and after the bumpy journey this year with all the car trouble and craziness, we are doubly pleased to have a nice long trip next year - hopefully with 1000% less chaos. I will share more once we get closer to October; I am sure I will have a surprise or two planned.

That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here next week! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

IX Showcase - Then and Now

With IX a couple of weeks behind us now, I happened to stumble upon photos of the first IX Showcase and, with that, my very first Showcase table setup. In 2010, the third year of IX, they began setting up tables at the hotel on the evenings of Friday and Saturday of the event. This was new to the show and was a more organized version of what happened the previous year. People had set up tables in a common area at the hotel where they shared their collections and had art for sale. Now that there was an official Showcase, a ballroom was set aside, which allowed artists to set up and leave their items for the next night. It was an exciting time as the (often) younger artists could now show their work at the event, and many of our heroes were also exhibiting. Many cut their teeth at the IX Showcase as they figured out how to booth and share their art effectively. There was a lot of excitement built into the Showcase, as those exhibiting in the Main Show could now walk around and take in art. Thirteen years ago, I started doing conventions, and it all started at the IX Showcase. That said, here is my Showcase table from 2010 and my Showcase setup from 2023.

Illuxcon 3 Showcase November 2010
I had a little D&D work under my belt, a couple of binders of drawings, a few prints, some canvas prints, and my first self-printed sketchbook. I sold a lot of sketchbooks with criminally underpriced drawings in them. I spent most of the night drawing in sketchbooks.

IX Showcase October 2023
I have a LOT of client work under my belt, boxes of drawings, prints, enamel pins, many framed and bagged painted and mixed media originals, MtG artist proofs, and my first illustrated novel, stats guide, and coloring book from my Grand Bazaar series. I would hazard to guess that any single transaction that I had this year was greater than the entire sum of my sales in 2010.

I think it is essential to be objective and realistic about yourself and your work. To that end, you must know that it takes time and effort to do the things in this world that are worthwhile. Nothing worth doing is quickly done. I could never have reached 2023 without starting in 2010, and we all have our own 2010 that we start at. You can not start at 2023 - sure, you can try, but it will end up more like 2010 than you want it to. I have shared my journey in all of this here on the blog since 2009, and I hope it has shown that if you work toward a goal, you will find yourself moving in that direction. It takes time, and it takes a lot of work. I am not sure I would have ever believed the 2023 booth was an option for me. Even if I had shown a photo to myself of what my current booth looks like, I would not have believed it. Even now, I find it important to see these images side by side. I need to remember where I started and where I am now because there is always room to grow and new directions to explore. This is our art, and this is our life, and it is ours to enjoy and explore.

That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Friday, October 27, 2023

IX 2023 and AECT Recap - A Not So Funny Thing Happen on the Way to the Forum

The last two weeks have been eventful, to say the least. Not only did I return to the IX Showcase, but I and the team from the day career debuted the augmented reality (AR) proof of concept project that we have been working on for close to two years. And if you attended IX, you will likely know that I had to deal with a sudden and unrecoverable mechanical breakdown with my car on the way to IX - more on this before. I will start things off with a photo of my booth at IX and then pick up the story of AECT below.

My setup for the IX 2023 Showcase

At the day career, we have been working on and off in the background of several test projects as we experiment with different applications, production methods, and delivery systems. You might remember my VR and AR experiments that I have been sharing here on the blog. While we have had some exploration freedom to pursue these technologies in our own way, we have also been focused on making something more relevant and valuable in the direction of our regular work - for yearly accreditation of childcare homes and facilities staff. To that end, the team created an AR experience in which you explore a virtual life-size van to ensure no children are still inside. As I live in Florida, we have an issue every year with children being left in vehicles, and doing so can have deadly consequences. While I did a fair amount of concept work and art direction with what we were creating, I realized I was best positioned to help guide the team on boothing at the event. While we have presented before at events, we haven't boothed in the same way that I am familiar with my art shows and conventions. I ensured we had a retractable banner, table runner, and other signage. I brought my walls and lighting to the conference, and here is how the booth turned out. 

My setup for the AECT 2023 conference

We had monitors with a looping video that explained the experience and demonstrated a user going through the various steps.

We had a large space marked off on the floor to serve as the position to set the virtual van. To put it mildly, it was a massive success. The team did amazing and knocked it out of the park. We were able to set up early and turned a two-hour presentation window into close to five hours. So many people came and tried out the experience. I could not be more pleased with all that the team did, and the booth looked great. There were no others presenting that could match our display. It was excellent from start to finish.

We had the full range of users, from experts to complete novices. We got SO much user feedback information to improve the experience more.

It was all hands on deck at times, as up to four people were demoing simultaneously.

This team knocked it out of the park!

After the presentation window closed, I had to gather all my convention gear because I had to drive four hours to get home, pack for IX, and leave the following day. No rest for the wicked! I rushed back into town and loaded the car and trailer in the dark. I was able to get a little sleep, and we were on the road at 7 AM. 

THEN IT ALL WENT WRONG

On the first day of the drive to IX, an hour out from our stop for the night, my car's transmission failed. Failed going up a hill with the trailer. Failed while I was surrounded by semi-trucks. Failed as it was getting dark. Failed in the middle of nowhere. Well, we were not in complete nowhere, but the nearest place to be towed to was Wytheville (With-ville), VA., which was 20 miles north. We got the car and trailer towed there and then started to see what our options were. In the end, we had to leave the car since it was the transmission and rent a massive U-Haul truck to tow the trailer that had all our stuff in it. This year's trip to IX was getting increasingly expensive by the second. But we did not have a lot of options. On the drive to IX the following day, we repeatedly contacted the dealership to determine how bad it was. The replacement transmission would cost $6300, but it would be a month before they might get one. This, of course, was not an option. SO we braced for the worst and started planning on buying a new car... but before that, there was IX.

I was the second artist to set up in the Showcase. This was how it looked from my corner. When I finally finished my setup and turned around, the room was full of art and people.

Another look at my booth in the Showcase. I had left my banner in the room, thinking I would not have room. Once I was done, I realized I could include it, which is the photo at the top of the page.

The portraits of the citizens of the Grand Bazaar were very popular and the first one sold before the Showcase opened.

I was asked to add to a sketchbook filled with drawings of penguins and tortoises.

So many portraits went to forever homes!

The annual IX lunch at the Peanut Bar was fun, as always.

Sadly, with everything going on and the fact that we were so distracted by the car situation, I feel like we missed most of the Main Show. It also felt like we lost out on a lot of time with friends. But it is what it is, and nothing can be done about that now. I do not have any pictures of the Showcase or Main Show, but I have some photos of the second floor as we tore it down.

Where once hung art, now only memories remain.
 
Every year, I help tear down the second-floor gallery, and every year, we seem to do it a little faster.
 
One last look at the Goggle Works building before we left. There was so much construction going on at the venue this year I was very happy to have not had to load in around it. Granted, if I had been in the Main Show, I would not have been able to attend AECT with the team, they wouldn't have had my walls and lights, and the car issues would have had even more negative effects on the show.

We had to rush back to Virginia to see about a car after IX concluded. We had been dealing with one salesman, but after he sold the car we had been talking to them about for days, an hour before we got there, we switched up who we were dealing with. They made right by us, and in the end, I went from a Rogue to a Pathfinder. Not what I had planned, not what I had wanted, but this is what needed to happen. It will be a much better vehicle to tow with and a better car to travel to conventions.

The new car will hopefully get us to and from events for many, many years to come.

In the end, we made it there and back. It was a very expensive pair of weeks, but like I said, we are safe, the art is safe, and we got us and the art home in one piece. There are plenty of other frustrations and issues that happened along the way, but I think the meat of the adventures has been shared here. I now know some fun things to do around Wytheville, VA., if anyone is curious.

That is all for another week on the blog. See you back here next week! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com

Monday, October 16, 2023

IX This Week! *Update*

 See you at the weekend Showcase Friday & Saturday nights 8-12!

IX is this week, and I am thrilled to be returning, but some things have changed. I will be arriving later to the event than we originally planned. My day career has an event happening this week as well, and we are debuting a project we have been working on for about two years. Obviously, I need to be there for the team and to represent the center in the work that we do. The long and the short of it is that instead of leaving for IX today, we are leaving on Wednesday. This has us arriving on Thursday instead of Tuesday. We will be missing out on a bit of the show, but I need to be in Orlando for the team. 

This does not change the fact that you can find me and The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia at the weekend Showcase. From 8 p.m. till midnight on Friday and Saturday nights, you will find me and a ton of other amazing artists at the Doubletree in Reading, PA. The Showcase is a blast, and it will be fun to return. I aim to be in the Showcase until the next book is completed, maybe, likely... I don't know. Depends on how fast I can work. 

Those attending, please do not have all the fun before we get there!  

That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here after IX! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability, head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com