Comic-Con Preview Night
Baby Tattoo artist and friend Ragnar once commented that San Diego Comic-Con is either a year away or a week away. This insight perfectly captures the “let’s plan for next year” optimism and “where did all the time go” pessimism that occur like clockwork after and before each successive convention.
Starting today, Baby Tattoo will be posting about Comic-Con every Wednesday; the feature will be called Comic-Con Preview Night. Hopefully, the information and ideas in the weekly post will be entertaining to people interested in Comic-Con; however, the real reason for committing to regular updates is entirely selfish…
It’s time for Baby Tattoo to actively combat Comic-Con Is Either A Week Away Or A Year Away Syndrome.
The Way-Back Machine
Dozens of retroactive posts from a previous Baby Tattoo blog have magically been imported into this one. So click “Older Entries” on the bottom of each page to go back and back and back to a time when I did a pretty good job of updating things.
And here’s hoping that the second half of 2009 will usher in a new era of blogging productivity.
Paper
Stunning art made from paper on exhibit In a Giant Robot curated show at Scion Space in Culver City, California.
Life is a Circus
Brian McCarty is shooting the cover for his forthcoming book “Art Toys” in Lucerne Valley, California today. Baby Tattoo is en route to the location for a visit. All of the participants are meeting at Denny’s in Hesperia before caravaning to the dry lake bed. Elton John is playing; there is an empty circus tent across the street. More later.
Orphans and an Abandoned House
Two great openings tonight. Each haunting in its own way.
Ana Bagayan Orphans at Billy Shire Fine Arts
Justin Jorgensen Party Monster
The Road West
The Chicago Weekend of Horrors is over. Traci and I are on the road to the Kansas City airport. We wanted to stop at a Jizz ‘n’ Whiz, but all we could find was a Kum & Go.
China Gate
I had dinner alone at a small, out of the way place. Man was the food fantastic! The owners were throwing a birtday party for a six year old family member; I walked in feeling like a crasher, but I walked out feeling like a well-fed family member. Compared to all restaurants, this place rates an 8, but compared to other family-run, family-friendly, neighborhood gems, China Gate is a perfect 10. Kudos to my Yelp iPhone App for allowing me to discover the place.
Prepping and Testing
Baby Tattoo Webisodes are coming soon. We just shot a test at the Fangoria convention with Nicole F., a supercharged, supercute Chicago local. If all goes well, we’ll post the video in the weeks ahead.
Fango Continues
It was a dark and stormy night… fitting atmosphere for day 2 of Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors. The Wyndham Chicago O’Hare feels appropriately gloomy, and the crowd seems appropriately amped.
Fango Begins
Fangoria’s 30th Anniversary Tour kicks off today at the Wyndham O’Hare in Chicago. Baby Tattoo is a proud sponsor of the tour. If you purchase a gold admission to the Chicago, Los Angeles or New York convention, you’ll receive a free copy of our popular book “Tales of the Sisters Kane” autographed by artist Christy Kane.
Rooster
Breakfast is hard to rate on a scale of 1 to 10 because it’s usually either good or not (in exceptional cases, it’s great or it sucks). So, for breakfast, were using a 4 star rating. ****Excellent, ***Good, **Not So Good, *Sucks.
Breakfast today was at Rooster in St. Louis. Both Traci and I rate it ***.
The store next door to Rooster is called UMA. It looks interesting. We wish we were here during retail hours.
Kitchen K
Traci and I had dinner in St. Louis at Kitchen K on Washington and 10th. On a scale of 1 to 10, Traci rated it a 9 and I gave it an 8. Yummy, tricked-out basics.
KC to St. Lou
Traci (Baby Tattoo freelancer extraordinaire) and I are en route to Chicago for Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors. We’ve stopped for the night in Missouri at the Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel & Suites. Our room has a special feature where the bathroom door locks us out and we need to use a penny or dime as a surrogate key.
chefBURGER
One of a few locally owned businesses in Kansas City’s slick Power & Light District is a casual joint named chefBURGER. I stopped in for dinner with my dad-in-law, Alan Cunningham. On a scale of 1 to 10, both Alan and I gave it a 5 (nothing below average, but nothing outstanding).
UPDATE: I should mention that chefBURGER offers a selection of spiked milkshakes. If you want to indulge in a booze-filled shake with your burger, this place ranks way higher that a 5.
Dr Sketchy Kansas City
One of those things that needs to be experienced in person. Wish you were here. Look for Dr. Sketchy in your home town.
Phase 2
Individual judging is complete. Now my fellow judges and I will discuss and debate which pieces will win awards.
The snow has stopped.
It’s All About…
Art, beans, paperclips, Styrofoam cups and the snow outside. We’ve seen the Advertising, Books, Comics and Concept Art categories. Everyone’s quiet this morning. In the afternoon, we’ll argue about what we like.
Things Change
It wasn’t snowy a few hours ago. Looks like a good day to stay indoors and look at lots and lots of art.
Welcome to Kansas City
I have arrived in KC and have received a personalized welcome bag. I am really looking forward to the Spectrum judging.
It Seems a Fitting Start
I’m kicking off Baby Tattoo’s new blog with a series of rapid-fire posts covering my trip to Kansas City where I will be judging the annual Spectrum Fantastic Art showcase. I am at LAX, and I am ready to fly. My trusty Baseman man-purse is by my side.
