Three artist alleys, one very battered sketchbook, and not nearly enough sleep — here's what the last few months on the road looked like.
Stop One: Small Room, Big Energy
The first table of the season was the smallest room of the three, and somehow the loudest. A reader showed up with a Static City mini comic from two years ago, cover worn soft from being carried around — that's the kind of thing that makes a weekend behind a folding table worth it.
Stop Two: The Sketch Line
By the second convention, sketch requests had turned into a two-hour line by Saturday afternoon. Every quick sketch in the alley is a little different from the polished cover work in the shop — looser, faster, more instinct than plan. A few of those convention sketches are being cleaned up now for a future print — more on that soon.
Stop Three: New Faces, Familiar Covers
The last stop of the run was the first time Skyline Ghosts and Voltage Heart were on the table together, side by side. Watching someone pick up both and set them down next to each other — deciding which cover "won" — is a strange, small joy that doesn't get old.
What's Coming From the Road
Convention sketches are already turning into ideas for the next mini comic. Expect rougher linework, a few new characters, and probably one too many space themes — sketchbooks tend to get ambitious around 11pm in a hotel room.