I’d really like to attend Comic-Con this year but will have to skip. It’s not exactly a cheap trip for me to take. There’s the flight, the hotel, the admission, the food, and the $200+ I usually wind up spending on art books. Then there’s the hidden cost of lost time from freelance work.
Although the first time I attended (in 2003) I made a connection that eventually led to my current Penguins gig on NBC. So in that sense the ‘Con has paid for itself and then some.
In my two previous trips I’ve also picked up great tidbits from the seminars, and incredible inspiration from the talented artists I’ve met and chatted with. Each time I’ve come back a little poorer financially but much richer professionally.
Unfortunately I’ve just got too much going on this year to attend. Besides Penguins I’m designing a corporate mascot, illustrating some spanish curriculum, illustrating a humorous self-help book, creating a dog character for an ad campaign, and doing artwork for Flash-animted web game. Whew!
I’m also afraid that if I attended every year the Con would start to lose its luster and feel too much like just another business trip. So if I can make it down every two or three years, I’ll be happy.
To all who are attending (from the sounds of it, that’s a lot of you)….have a blast!!!