Aftermath: LA trip and Designer Con!

In November of 2015, the week before Thanksgiving my husband Phil and I set out on our first dedicated vacation in over 6 years to sunny Los Angeles to visit friends, go to Disneyland and for me to vend my first West Coast show at Designer Con.

Me being the high strung, workaholic east coaster I am I scheduled full days of activities every day we were there. We flew in Monday night and stayed with our friends Ben and Karen (who you may know as our Best Man from Phil and I's wedding) who had recently relocated to Pasadena from Brooklyn for our first leg of the trip. In fact, MOST of our friends from New York had relocated to Los Angeles in the past year, especially our friends who work at DC Comics. At the time of our vacation, we had actually attended 6 goodbye parties for friends leaving New York City. So visiting Los Angeles we had the unique experience of seeing more of our New York friends out there in the span of a week than we had in the past 6 months back home. Also the weather was glorious and all of our friends had the cutest little houses with adorable little backyards. And omg the marijuana dispensaries out there were blowing my mind. So Phil and I's opinions about LA are… complicated, to say the least. There were a lot of feelings on this trip that we still aren't sure how to process.

Ben and Karen had the cutest little bungalow style house in Pasadena, and with a YARD! I was admittedly a little jealous, especially as it was late November when we were out there and it was in the 80s and sunny all week compared to the rain in the 40s we left NYC in.

Phil, Ben and I made a day trip to Little Tokyo on Tuesday of our trip and I went on a mini shopping spree.I found a super cute little store with cheap-yet-adorable Japanese housewares. I was SO EXCITED to buy sponges and tweezers.

On Wednesday we had an impromptu lunch with the awesomest of artists, the great Coop whom I've been friends with online but had never met in person. I've been a fan of his art since the 90s and was super excited to grab lunch and talk about comics and art.

Disneyland:

Thursday we spent the morning and early afternoon at Disneyland and then after a rest went to California Adventure in the evening. OF COURSE I got all dolled up to have my own little pinup adventure in the parks, the weather was PERFECT.

#TBT to last month when Phil and I were in sunny California for Disneyland. ::siiiiiigh:: We have to go back! 😭🌴

A video posted by Paige Pumphrey (@paigey_pumphrey) on Dec 17, 2015 at 11:45am PST

We hit Disneyland first to check out all the Season of the Force stuff that was up in Tomorrowland first thing. IMHO, Hyperspace Mountain wasn't very impressive. I don't know if it's that this particular version of Space Mountain is the first and thus very old, but all the Star Wars projections were so bright they drowned out the rest of the star lights in the coaster. As far as the rest of Season of the Force, it mostly just seemed like these expansive Target-like shopping pavilions had taken over the floorspace of Tomorrowland, and even for first thing on a Thursday the lines had already gotten a little out of control so we headed elsewhere. Hopefully the dedicated Star Wars themed world they're building now is more impressive. Lol, I'm such a snob. XD

STAW WAWZ. STAW WAWZ.

A video posted by Paige Pumphrey (@paigey_pumphrey) on Nov 19, 2015 at 9:42am PST

We also got on the Dumbo ride in Fantasyland. Since Phil and I are not small people, we figured it'd be best to get individual Dumbos (plus I got that floofy skirt!). Halfway through the line I also realized Phil and I were the only adults going on who didn't have some small child in tow, which I found humorous.

After Dumbo we went to get Dole Whip floats and get indoctrinated into the Illuminati, wait- I mean, watch the Enchanted Tiki Room. It was a much needed break in the dark with air conditioning and a tasty beverage.  

After we got out of the Tiki Room it was crazy crowded, hot, and lunchtime. So we decided to dip out, but managed to find the entrance to t he mysterious Club 33 where I could grab a quick photo.

Lunch!! And then a nap!

"No. No. You've got to sign for it."

We went to California Adventure after we ate lunch and took a nap, but we didn't know it closed so early (like 9 I think, we thought it'd be open til 10-11) so we were running around trying to see everything. Def want to go back and JUST see California Adventure when we come back next.

Buuuut- we did get to see THE THREE CABALLEROS, which is one of my FAVORITE Disney movies. Also Jose Carioca is my favorite Disney animal character, with Donald almost immediately behind. So it was a SUPER TREAT to run into such an obscure group.

Friday we spent coming back to Pasadena from Disneyland, then setting up my table for Designer Con, then meeting up with Phil's old coworkers and friends from DC Comics, who had all moved to LA from NYC in the past year. The dinner was a delight, I think it must have been about 20 of us all along a long banquet table at this great Mexican restaurant, all hooting and hollering and being loud obnoxious New Yorkers in Burbank. In fact we had SO much fun we didn't take a single picture. D'oh.

Designer Con:

Saturday and Sunday I spent vending at Designer Con alongside my pal Peter Goode whom I know from the art scene back in Baltimore. He actually curated some of my first group art shows! This was my first west coast convention table and I think I did ok. After just coming off the insanity of New Yoprk Comic Con a month prior I wasn't super blown away by the attendance, especially since I found out that CTN Expo was the same weekend over in Burbank and in all honesty I think THAT was more my ideal customer base. Ending the already packed vacation week with a con table to work was probably also not my brightest idea ever. I was SO TIRED from everything else that I just couldn't muster the energy to be excited about selling. I honesty would have rather been sitting poolside, but alas I was there and may as well make the most of it. It was great to see everyone that came by- I was so happy to finally meet followers from my social media accounts and other artists based in California who I've never had the pleasure of meeting in person. I felt so bad for my friends that I hung out with after the show, I was so tired I almost fell asleep over dinner- both nights!

#DesignerCon!! Booth 726 with @petergoodeart and husband Phil!

A video posted by Paige Pumphrey (@paigey_pumphrey) on Nov 21, 2015 at 12:37pm PST

I finally got to wear my Luchadora skirt!! A Paigey/Maria/Little Asian Sweatshop collaboration!!

I got to meet awesome Tiki artist BIG TOE! He was such a sweetheart!

With our NYC-turned-LA friends Pat and Jen and their new California baby!

Overall we had a fantastic time in LA. To the point where we almost didn't want to come back, especially with how cold and lousy the weather was when we returned. We def want to go back out there again next fall and see even more of our friends and all their lovely faces and all the cool locales and such.

Fall and Holidays, 2014

Me on my 34th birthday! I drank whiskey, got the meat sweats and went to bed at a reasonable time!

 Haha, WHOOPS. Looks like time got away from me and I haven't updated my blog in a while. Fortunately you guys didn't miss too much excitement- my last show of the year was NYCC and after that I kinda crashed for a month after some supreme burnout, so there hasn't been much new artwork, either. There were a few birthdays, Halloween and of course the holidays to enjoy, and strangely enough I found myself just busy enough to just go ahead and live life for a little bit. I know, WEIRD.

Halloween! Actually going out this year, I just grabbed stuff out of my closet to be a waitress. My wardrobe has actually become ridiculous enough to have several costume options right at my fingertips. I'm kinda proud of this fact.

"Smoking or non?"

I got a NEW TATTOO!! A super-cool, super-badass old school scorpion on my left, inner forearm by Hunter Spanks, one of my favorite tattoo artists. I got it because I'm a Scorpio and I need more tattoos of animals and stuff to balance out all these pinups, haha. So this is number 18! You can check Hunter out at Have Fun Be Lucky in Baltimore, Md. I love it! The colors are crazy and it's so super bold.

FEEL MY STING!

My NYC BFF Christy's twin sister Megan (who I used to work at Hot Topic with back in the dizzay) had a surprise baby shower! It was gothy and Edgar Allen Poe-themed! It was great to see a bunch of my Maryland pals all at once!

Obligatory bathroom selfie, of course!

My two bibs I made at the bib-making station! Dracula and Wolfman themed!

Such the little over-achiever. I'm was determined to make those fabric paints my bitch.

For my birthday present to myself, I *finally* ordered the What Katie Did Morticia underbust corset I had been eyeing for the better part of the year. And OMG it's AMAAAAAZING. I seriously can't wait to wear this at conventions with my costumes. Who needs dieting? (I kid, I started doing yoga after Thanksgiving...)

OOTD from when I went out for a friend's birthday in Dec

I had it SUPER tight laced, but then had to loosen it as I wasn't able to sit forward enough to do my makeup properly.

 REAL QUICK CORSET TALK: I don't screw with overbusts. They can't contain me, haha. I almost always prefer underbusts because then I can just wear my normal bras, plus they push everything up adding to how crazy the waist-hip-bust ratio looks. If you get a shorter one that doesn't come down far on your hips I've noticed that the more you sit in it, the more it gets pushed up under your boobs and you can't get it back down again unless you take it off and re-lace it. Which can lead to an uncomfortable skewering feeling as the boning goes up into your underboob, which happened at NYCC in my Marilyn outfit by the end of the day. The What Katie Did one I wore however has much lower hips (called 'gored hips'...) which seem to keep it in place better and actually helps with containing the stomach bulge that I've noticed in other corsets where the lower gut protrudes out because it's been squeezed out with no here to go. This Morticia corset is amazing, I read a lot of reviews (all great) and could tell when I got it that it was of a higher craftsmanship than most of my other corsets. It's HEAVY. They're def an investment. I justified that it would take all the dresses and outfits I already have and make them look better- you can wear this on top of or underneath clothing easily. I wear the Spanx hi-cut underwear underneath it if I'm wearing it under clothes. I read that it's better for you and the corset to have something between it and your skin while wearing. Keeps it cleaner, causes less irritation and friction. And if I'm not wearing pantyhose I'll put some Spanx bike short things on over top to help with chub rub, and it smooths out the seams of the corset if you're wearing it under clothes. I'm actually not as crazy as some of the people who's blogs I've read about corsets. I'm still amazed my burlesque friends can dance around in them. I can barely make it up steps without getting gaspy. And going to the bathroom in one is a skill that takes a year or two to master.

With the holidays queued up, Phil and I started work on our second annual holiday card that we send to friends, family and clients! We started this tradition last year after receiving cards from other cartoonist that were drawing their own cards as well. It's a good little end-of-the-year reminder that we exist to people, even if we only see some folks a few times a year at shows and the like. This years was way more of a seamless collaboration than last year's, with my drawing the pencils for the 20's cartoon Phil and I, and Phil drawing in everything else, including the sled, Loki and the colors. This year we sent out almost 100 cards! 

Phil and I at a Christmas party

Why are bathrooms always so nicely lit? A question for the ages!

 And then we packed our bags for Christmas family time in both Baltimore for my family and Perryville, Missouri for Phil's family!

Hanging with my nephew Fionn, showing off our Pumphrey good looks!

Sampling the Smoking Swine menu at The Smokehouse in Baltimore- burnt end brisket, elote corn, duck fat green beans, hush puppies, catfish in the back.

After a long day of traveling, Phil and I made it to Perryville in one piece.

Awesome X-Mas present from my in-laws- RAINBOW KNIVES OMG!

Balsman kids-and-spouses dinner!

Ladies of House Balsman

My niece actually took an interest in my process of making Shrink plastic magnets. I'm not a kid person, but this was pretty fun.

New Years! Back home, drinking tea and watching Deadwood. Aaaaahhhhh.... ^___^

Things I Love Thursday: Dressing Up and Artist Alley tables

Coming soon: Fenny and I as the 60's Cobra Typing Pool of Evil

 My partner-in-crime Fenny (of Little Asian Sweatshop) and I have started a habit of dressing up in matching outfits at conventions we work, because we are total dorks and LOVE wearing thematically appropriate outfits. We both LOVE dressing up. It's one of the things that brought us together in the early years of our friendship, as we met through the cosplay culture of anime and comic conventions in the late 90's. We both lived in Maryland at the time and went to many conventions in the mid Atlantic, but only attended as cosplayers/fans as opposed to working. It was fun and crazy and we'd wear 3 different costumes a day and pose for pictures and party party party. And as a total goody-two-shoes all through my adolescent years, it was like going from Dawn Weiner to Party Monster over the span of a weekend. My John Hughes moment of the girl dressed for prom having the slow descent down the staircase to show how hot no one knew she was was for me coming down the hotel escalator at Katsucon '00 dressed in a vinyl catsuit as my childhood hero The Baroness from G.I.Joe. Random nerds threw themselves before me and pledged allegiance. Dudes ran up to their hotel rooms to find their Cobra tshirt they KNOW they packed. Friends that knew me didn't recognize me. I had so many people stop me for pictures it was like I was on the red carpet. It was bonkers.

My first cosplay- Pikachu at Otakon 1998.

Subsequent costumes followed.

 During this time I was attending and then graduated from the Kubert School where I was studying to pursue my lifelong dream of being a comic book artist, so attending conventions suddenly shifted from being a fun place to hang out in a crazy outfit while blitzed out of your mind to a veritable job fair-meets-minefield full of potential coworkers, mentors and bosses. And there were the opinions my heroes- people whose creations I had been following since childhood to worry about. So thinking I could have my cake and eat it too, I would wear a costume and try to schlep my portfolio around to different creators for advice and editors for jobs. It didn't work out very well.

Dragon*Con 03 Fenny and I were 5th Element Stewardesses

 Portfolio reviews on a convention floor are tough enough on their own, but add a vinyl catsuit and a water bottle full of not-so-secret vodka to the mix and you will become a very sweaty, anxious, distracting mess. It still hadn't occurred to me at the time to just say screw it and get my own table to sell my wares and share my work. Get people to come to me instead. Cuz yeah, walking around for portfolio reviews as a young artist is a soul-crushing experience. You're waiting in lines, during a busy show where a lot of people are around you having fun, only to have your best and brightest works be torn down within minutes by a tired, irritable corporate servant looking for someone worthy (ie: safe or a sure bet) of spending the company's money. Which was never me. So I would keep drawing my weird punk rock characters and pinup girls and work my cliche Generation X slacker jobs- barista at an internet cafe, courier, tv/stereo salesperson, Tower Records store artist (the BEST) and Hot Topic manager. And go to conventions where I'd sink a crazy amount of money into costumes that I'd wear for a few hours then never see again. It was ludicrous. I wish I could go back in time and shake myself until the connection of costumes, conventions and retail would light up in my dulled 20's brain sooner.

D*C 03, Fenny and I as poppy and mushroom fairies

 I mean eventually it did happen, but I had to really get my life sorted before I had the courage to just put myself out there on an Artist Alley table. I had gone into a full depression in my life outside of conventions and was in an absolute rut personally and professionally. I suffered abuse, had my heart broken and made some really bad choices. Fortunately through a very tumultuous 2004-2007 I was able to get rid of my toxic friends (except Fenny of course, who's awesome), start dating my now-husband Phil Balsman and move to New York City to get an actual art/design related day job. These changes all had profound impacts on me. You can read all about that struggle HERE.

HOODIE OF SADNESS

As I was preparing to get my life together I started to take a step back from cosplay and started focusing more on the pinup aesthetic in both my art and my lifestyle. I also started getting attention for my art outside of the comic and convention culture via roller derby bout posters. I finally was starting to get recognition and realized I didn't necessarily need the approval of the editor reviewing portfolios. To be honest the lofty teenage pipedream of drawing X-Men as a monthly book kinda died years ago. I have friends from college who draw on monthly books. Once you see how a job like that can just grind you into the ground it looks a lot less appealing for a slacker like me. I'd much rather do a comic at my own pace. So instead my newfound artistic outlet of roller derby took me out of obscurity in the comic world and put me in the spotlight of the aging punk/tattoo/DIY/ counterculture, which is full of people all are trying to scrape by and figure out how to just get paid enough to survive doing the silly crap we love to do. This boost of confidence from an audience that was very receptive to my work was what I needed my first time selling at Baltimore Comic Con 2007, after I had moved to NYC the spring before. I was so afraid of failure I didn't tell anyone I was coming down for the show. I was terrified my toxic friends would show up and sabotage my hard work. All I had was prints and no other merch. It was very bare bones. I wore JEANS at the table and sat most of the time (which is UNHEARD of nowadays with me...). I don't remember how much I made or any real solid details but I do recall it being an overwhelmingly positive experience. Enough that I've been going to conventions in a professional capacity ever since. As I went to more and more shows I started using my sales and merchandising training from all my past retail jobs and started applying that to selling stuff I actually could stand behind with full confidence: my own artwork. Every convention is an exercise in trial-and-error, but they most especially were those first 2-3 years. Awkward merch on precarious displays. Too many things of stuff no one wants to buy. Overly complicated signage. You learn something every show you go to. Even the bad ones. Especially the bad ones. 

My first table- Baltimore Comic Con 07. I had no idea what I was doing.

 Around this time in my mid-late 20's I was coming into my own physically with quite a bit of a LADY shape. Surprising enough, for most it's a shock that I didn't always look the outrageously curvaceous way I do now. I was a very late bloomer. In 2004 I was going to hip-hop concerts and had no tattoos and was wearing knitted beanies in the summertime like a doofus. At one point I had a super corporate job where I forced myself to dress like a Sunday school teacher. I've gone through a lot of phases. I wasn't cosplaying at all by 2005, but me being me I needed an outlet to wear what I want. Too many hoodies will depress a person. I missed feeling and looking like a lady. I also had started getting to know about some other people in Baltimore (outside of the veritable noose that was my circle of friends at the time) via roller derby, and through friends-of-friends encountered Stacey Barich, founder of Atomic Cheesecake Studios. Fortunately through Stacey's photography studio I was introduced to pinup and midcentury fashion, and started incorporating nicer, more structured clothing into my wardrobe that was made to accentuate my body. I looked like a cartoon! I looked like MY cartoons!! But other than conventions, where can I even wear stuff like this and not get made fun of or harassed? Still living in suburban Maryland I didn't want to pull up at the fratty college bar and do a shooter in a tiny hat and corset. Or wear vintage fur and gloves to go over and pick up weed. Not having outlets for awesome outfits was driving me crazy. It wasn't until I moved to NYC that I felt comfortable dressing how I wanted to, because EVERYTHING in NYC is so crazy all the time that it's really not that big of a deal. I started going to events like burlesque shows and art openings where eccentric dress is actually rewarded with compliments and not with drunk rednecks screaming at you from across parking lots. NYC is truly a place where eccentrics like me can run free in their native habitat.

2008-2013's ensembles and costumes. A slippery slope indeed.

Once I started running my own tables and got a pleasant reception about my work, my confidence boosted. This might be a surprise to those of you who have met me in person, but I'm kinda socially awkward. Daresay a bit of a wallflower. At actual social events, I tend to stick to the sidelines. Without the visual aid of my artwork and merch, it's kinda hard to tell the average person what it is I do all day. I've watched people's eyes glaze over as I explain how I letter manga for my dayjob. That doesn't happen nearly as much at conventions I'm vending at. The Artist Alley table I stand behind and the silly outfits I wear are my sword and my shield. I've said before in a previous entry on here and I've said it a zillion times over since, I'm like one of those deep sea fish with the dangly light- I bring people to my table with my big, bright ensembles and sparkling personality then chomp down on them with the concept that I drew (and now SELL) all the artwork in front of me on the table. Some people are actually shocked. "You drew all this stuff?", they say. And it's like yeah, dude I frickin' hustle. As fun as this all is, it's still WORK. I'm my own booth babe. (I actually found a tshirt that says that.) Wearing outfits and getting dressed for conventions makes people happy to see me and that's a nice feeling. It's hard to be in a bad mood while wearing a fantastical outfit and surrounded by positivity and excitement. And especially with the more costumey-spin I've been doing with my convention outfits- it's a way to show my love for a character or property in my own way and on my own terms. Especially superheroes. Like I love both Wonder Woman and Power Girl. I see a lot of myself in them. But as much as I love them, I really don't want to run around with my ass hanging out. Hence why I made them both retro ensembles that evoke the character without having to wear a lycra jumpsuit. That's where being an artist comes in handy. Most of the characters I draw wear what I would wear. My art imitates my life and my life imitates my art. Those costumes (seen in the above collage) are literally items just hanging out in my closet. My Power Girl dress is my *wedding dress*! And then it just makes it awesomer to encounter people who really feel what I'm doing. If I'm gonna go through all the trouble of stepping away from my art and leaving the comfort of my house and getting myself hyped up to talk to people for hours upon hours with no break then goddammit I'm gonna at least look cute and make money. Haha.
 
 So the original reason I wanted to post this! Fenny and I are dressing up as an evil 60's Cobra typing pool! It's like Mad Men-meets-G.I.Joe! It's basically all stuff from my closet!! Yay! So I'm dressing up of course as The Baroness (revisiting one of my 'classic cosplays') and Fenny is being the HR manager!

It's basically just me with a Cobra patch.

Fenny's gonna look ADORABLE.

Other outfits Fenny and I are doing:

The Monster's Mate (aka Phyllis Dyller) and Francesca from Mad Monster Party for Monster Mania in October

Victorian swimmer ladies at Visionary Tattoo Arts Festival in July!

Home from the holidays and looking forward to 2014!

Phil and I at the Balsmans house in Missouri.

 It's officially 2014 and I am back home after my yearly double-up of family time, traveling from New York City to Baltimore (to see my family), then from Baltimore to St Louis (to see my in-laws), then St Louis back to New York. Even though it's usually no more than a week that we spend away, by the time we get home it feels like I've been gone a month.

Our little vintage ceramic Christmas tree. We're all about low maintenance holiday decor.

 January-March is usually my slow time for events, so I'm looking forward to really digging deep into some more involved projects I have lined up for 2014. I will have to fire up the engines on my merch making early this year however for my appearances at conventions starting this April. 2014 is looking to be my busiest year yet, and I am pumped.

One of my most cherished vintage Christmas ornaments, given to me by my Mommom.

Me, Mommom and Mom.

Newest acquisitions from Mommom's vintage Christmas collection. I was OBSESSED with that tiny porcelain Santa as a kid.

I'm impressed we're this well put-together before noon.

I just do what the wall tells me to.

Michelle and Joshua's commission

This is a commission I did of a couple as a Christmas present, requested by the guy for the gal. Big fans of mine, she got choked up opening the framed version this morning and sent me a lovely note. Warm fuzziness all around. It gives me great satisfaction when my art makes people happy.