It's Clobberin' Time

I am not, nor will I ever be, too cool to attend a comic book convention. Myself and some friends drove over to the super-crowded Dallas Comic Con last weekend (presented by Stan Lee, no less) and had a great time. Typically, I don't buy much at cons; I just like to take in the extreme nerdiness. Oh, and I got to attend a Q & A with Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman. Aw yeah. Check out some pics below, courtesy of my pals Jeff Welborn and Travis Eck.

A guy dressed as Wolverine. And my buddy Trav dressed as Cyclops.

Why is Jean Grey texting? Can't she communicate telepathically?

A slew of DC characters.

Small Flash. Smaller Flash. Overweight Thor.

Artbreak 2012

A few weeks ago, Shreveport & Bossier City held the 28th annual Artbreak celebration, a showcase for elementary, middle, and high school artists. I never pass up an opportunity to check out student artwork and soak in the creativity that just jumps off the walls...plus I've gotta keep an eye on my future competition, y'know.

I remember when I was a part of Artbreak (way back in the day), and what a charge and a motivation it was to have people see my work. Below are some of my favorite pics from the afternoon!

Spring Bash!

Last year's Spring Bash was my second show ever as a vendor, and my first in the "big city". Though it turned out to be an amazing experience, I majorly stressed myself out in the weeks leading up to the big day, overanalyzing my products and displays and...everything! But this year? Cool as a cucumber.

So with a ton of shows under my belt and a pretty fair amount of confidence this time around, Spring Bash 2012 at the Palladium Ballroom was an absolute blast. Got a good response from the crowds and even had some folks who remembered me from last year (and stocked up again this time — pretty cool).

Big shout out to Etsy Dallas for making this show such a success, and it was great to see talented friends new and old alike. Check out the awesome work of Red Ranger Ray Guns, ReGEARED, Dowdy Studio, Soza Designs, and Robo Roku...I'm lookin' forward to Bashing it up again soon!

A dramatic shot of the Palladium Ballroom complex sign out front.

Though it's ever-evolving, I've gotten this table display thing down to a (semi) science.

The Lone Star room -- one of two big spaces that held the Bash.

Rex and Jeremy posing for the camera.

The Porter Flea

Out of 140 applicants, I'm happy to say I was one of 70 chosen to participate in Nashville's Porter Flea Modern Handmade Market on June 16th! This will be my first time to bring TOOMASOOBA to Tennessee and I'm really pumped to introduce my art to a new audience — I also plan to hang with good friends and see a couple of rock shows while I'm there, too. Check out the Porter Flea site to learn about the great artists involved...more details coming soon!

Park-It-Market

My buddy Brad and I headed out to Noel Community Art Program's first-ever Park-It-Market to strut our stuff on Saturday morning. Back in February, we taught several "Design Your Own Superhero" classes for elementary & middle school students at NCAP and were asked to set up an art booth at this event.

...And we also made sure to bring along some TOOMASOOBA and Roofus merch. Gotta do a bit of self-promotion, y'know.

Armed with nothing more than pencils, paper and winning attitudes, we got started...had a good crowd throughout the morning and had a great time as well. It's always fun to do a bit of teaching and get a smile out of the kiddos...below are a couple of pics!

Brad ready to ambush some young artists.

Drawin'. Photo courtesy of Kathryn Usher.

Spring Makers Fair

Yesterday I attended the Texas Avenue Makers Fair in downtown Shreveport, and it turned out to be the biggest and best yet! Huge crowds, a great variety of talented vendors & performers...and a surprising amount of hula hoop action throughout the day.

Always proud to be a part of this event and I love to see the local (and ever-growing) art community get together. Below are some photos I snapped when I got to sneak away from my table!

A quick shot of the TOOMASOOBA booth. I try to vary my setup and offerings a little
bit for each show I attend...gotta keep it fresh.

Twang Darkly playing a set on Saturday afternoon. Gotta love that upright bass.

Some prints and such by Lesley John...I dig the figures she painted up for the Fair!

The always-rad Art Punch representing for America.

Danielle Griffith and her killer illustrations. Needle-felting, too!

I have no rhythm at all, but I was mesmerized by Paul King's Index Drums.

Boomabot Plush

In late 2010, I collaborated with my good pal Samantha Krause to produce a series of limited-edition handmade (and oh-so-cute) Boomabot plush. They turned out amazing...and sold like gangbusters! I recently ran across some pics and, since the little guys were completed in the pre-blog days, thought I'd show off a few photos below.

Samantha has a new venture these days called POKEY!!! -- check it out and buy some handmade awesomeness from her. We plan to work together again this summer on some TOOMASOOBA creations, so stay tuned for glimpses at what gets cooked up!

The Boomabot Army.

Enjoying a healthy snack.

Totally Tote!

Little known fact: Boomabots love musicals.