I didn't make the team. :/

Bad news, buckaroos. Looks like I won't be counted among New York Comic Con's Artist Alley this year. Finally after 6 months of waiting, delays and anticipation June 1st rolled around and I was told... NOTHING. Cuz no one from NYCC sent me anything. Meanwhile I'm reading tweets and status updates from friends and peers on their acceptance and rejection from Artist Alley. So finally after a day of watching my inbox in agony (and got help you if I got an email from you- I cursed out way too many random emails about sales and reminders) I finally emailed the NYCC folks to ask where my notification email was right before I went to bed. And the next morning after I got up and got to my desk at my day job, I finally had seen that it came through as a reply to my inquiry.... and it was the ever-so-awesome 'we regret to inform you...' So yeah. I had to EMAIL them to find out I was rejected. How shitty. So yeah, the rejection letter made mention of other options, including something about a small press area. I emailed to find out more about this, and recieved a price list. So yeah, the 'small press option' is a 6' by 8' square of unfurnished concrete on the con floor. No tables. No chairs. For NINE HUNDRED DOLLARS. Ugh, so yeah. That's not happening. Maybe if NYCC had gotten their shit together a little sooner and had told me I wouldn't have an Artist Alley table I could've maybe gotten some of my friends together, maybe even organized a big group table. But on top of everything else I've got going on between now and then I can't do something like that in such a small amount of time. So yeah. Oye. Apparently Reed Expo subscribes to the same silly school of thought many people uninvolved in comics seem to have- THAT WE MAKE ALOT OF MONEY. Unfortunately that's not the case, especially for people who could consider themselves 'small press'. Either way, I'm ok with this. Sure I was initially a bit miffed but I'll make it work. I kinda wish I knew exactly what kind of criteria it was that that didn't let me make the cut, whether it was that I still hve yet to be published-published or that my name happened to be on the wrong spot of the dartboard. I still think it's kind of suspicious that there seems to be alot of New York artists shut out of Artist Alley tho, could it be that they're favoring out of state people because they have deals with the hotels in the area? Hrm.
Anyways, I *will* be at New York Comic Con this October, but I'll be hoofing it. In a cigarette girl costume. With a tray of merch. Originally if everything had gone smoothly I would be at the table and my best friend Fenny would be wearing a cigarette girl costume and walking around the con for me handing out promo stuff. But now it looks like we both will. I'm still figuring out exactly what we'll be carrying and how we'll be selling larger items like my Miss Mary Jane toys. Which oh yeah- I finally got!!! (Yay!!) I still also have tables secured at Baltimore Comic Con, SPXpo and King Con Brooklyn.
But yeah- like I said, GOOD NEWS! Miss Mary Jane shipped last week and everyone got theirs!
Including me and my 10- one to keep and 9 to hock at conventions. I already sold 2, so if you see me with one at my table you sould snatch it up! I actually wish I had gotten more of them to sell for myself. I have a feeling these are gonna go rather quickly once my convention rounds start up in August.




Doesn't she look AWESOME? The skin turned out a little more neon than I had expected but overall I think she looks pretty great. I'm trying to rally to get her restocked, and if at all possible do another colorway. This also has worked up my appetite for MORE PAIGEY TOYS. If you get a chance PLEASE VOTE for my rollergirl Laika Phenomenon (you see what I did there?)


Click here to get taken to her voting page!




Laika Phenomenon is up for voting at PatchTogether.com!
Please click the pic to register and vote for her!


Also!! Be sure to check out my interview with Girls Drawin' Girls for their weekly Artist Spotlight!!


"It also helps me get in touch with my inner minx. "

She's something.... Laika Phenomenon.

Hey everybody!! Laika Phenomenon is up for voting at PatchTogether.com!


Click the pic to get taken to her voting page!



As far as I know there's no other derby toys/action figures/figurines on the market, especially one not as authentic- I tried putting as much detail as I can into the figure, from her mouthguard to her padding to the bloody band-aids and bruises. For those of you just joining us, this is actually my second figure with PatchTogether, my first- Miss Mary Jane, is due to be shipped at the end of the month. She's currently out of stock, but on her page you can vote to have her restocked. You can also see the quality of work the sculptors do and and how good of a job they've done with interpreting a 2D illustration into a 3D figurine. I still need votes to get it made, and then once it gets enough votes it'll be available for a discounted pre-order sight unseen while they sculpt it. Once it hits 20 or so pre-orders then they start sculpting and offer it at full price and will work with me on getting it to look perfect. I know with Miss Mary Jane it took about 6 revisions so they are very serious about doing the artwork justice. Then it will be on sale for about a month or two and then the sales will be closed and it will go into full production and ship out to customers. I'm hoping with the final product Laika will be about 8.5" tall with some sort of base.
I'll be sure to let you know when it goes up for sale as an actual toy. It hasn't been up a full 24 hours yet and is already at a third of the votes it needs. Every vote helps though! If Laika does especially well I might have to make up some teammates for her. ;D

Miss MJ is DONE, son!

Huzzah! After 3 months of getting people to vote, order, and agonizing over revisions and getting the word out, the Miss Mary Jane toy is finished and ready to go!

You can order her here!!








So excited!! Beyond awesome that they were able to make the hoodie clear! I can't suggest PatchTogether.com enough- if you've got a toy concept, and about 150 friends who'll vote for it to put it into production, and some willing buyers, definitely go for it and submit a design concept. This whole endeavor that started out as a late night bout of 'I'll just do this for shits and giggles and see what happens' has transmogrified into something so much bigger and awesomer than I could have imagined. Seeing my artwork interpreted as a 3D sculpture and ultimately having my own toy out on the market is so surreal and awesome at the same time, and this is definitely not the last collaboration for a toy I plan on doing with them. The journey of making Miss Mary Jane into a toy has been a tremendous learning experience. The sculptor I worked with- Miller, has done an amazing job and had nothing less than the utmost patience with my 8 million revisions going back and forth. Kudos and high fives all around!

As a little sneaky-peaky preview, I wanted to share some doodles from my sketchbook of my next character I wanna submit to Patch Together to be made into a toy. She's a rollergirl and her name is Laika Phenomenon. Her design will be much more upfront and simplified, since she will be drawn with the intention of being made into a toy from the get-go. I also like how thick I'm making her. I want big boobs and big hips, and definitely a little gut. I think she'll probably also do better in sales as I plan on making her smaller, thus a better price point, and there's more of a universal appeal for a roller girl figure (moreso I'd say, than for a girl made of pot). In fact, I'm pretty sure there are no roller derby girl toys as of yet. I'm hoping to submit her as a design for the beginning of the upcoming year.



Also! This weekend I will be at King Con in Brooklyn! If you're in the NYC area by all mean come by, I've got a table and will be hocking my wares!


King Con in Brooklyn: Nov 7-8