I didn't get any autographs this year. Yay, no super long line-ups for me!
Just like in previous years, Fan Expo was split between the North and South building.
Just to warn you (as I always do): this blog will be quite long. I'll be covering each day of Fan Expo Canada -- what I did, what panels I attended, and any thoughts. That's four days' worth of blogging. I've lumped all my pics of cosplayers into one section. If you want to see just that, search for "Photos of Cosplayers". For the section of what I've bought, search for "My Convention Purchases". :)
The Little Details
Dates of Fan Expo Canada: August 31st - September 3rd, 2017Location: Metro Convention Centre (Toronto, Ontario)
Ticket Price Total: $178.50 (Premium admission; Deluxe 4-day admission was $125)
Thursday
Time Attended: 4:15 PM - 6:45 PM
Being a Premium attendee, I could have gotten into Fan Expo at 2 PM (like last year), but this time I was running late. I had some errands that I had to do on Thursday, so it was around 4:15 PM when I reached Fan Expo. Just enough time for me to start lining up for my one panel for the day.Time Attended: 4:15 PM - 6:45 PM
Sketch Duel: Ty Templeton vs. Jay Fosgitt vs. Sara Richard vs. Adam Gorham -- 5:45 PM
From left to right: Adam Gorham, Ty Templeton, Jay Fosgitt,
Sara Richard, Brent Chittenden
This was super fun! As I've expressed in past Fan Expo blogs, Ty Templeton is always a delight -- so funny, insightful, and with oodles of stories to tell. It was my first time seeing Jay, Sara, and Adam (I'm not too into comics, so I don't know them), but they are great. Jay and Adam are just adorable, and Sara is really cute. My friend Brent Chittenden was moderating the panel, and just like last year, he did a swell job. Just to plug Brent a little, he is also a co-host for podcast True North Nerds.
There were three rounds of drawings and their topics were interesting:
-Zelda (can draw Link or Zelda -- bonus points if My Little Pony is also drawn -- My Little Pony was suggested because with the exception of Adam, all the artists have dabbled in My Little Pony)
-Darkwing Duck
-Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as the Avengers
While the artists were drawing, audience members got to ask questions, which led to amusing, funny, and interesting banter. I recorded the whole thing in chunks, so below is a clip (just audio, no video):
The first 15 minutes. The audio is pretty soft so you might want to turn the volume up.
One interesting question that was asked was "Have you ever drawn upside down?" Ty's response was that drawing upside down really helps capture likeness of the character. It kinda makes me wonder why.
At the end of the panel, as with all Sketch Duels, the drawings were given to audience members via a random draw. I really wish I could have won at least one of them. Below are some of the drawings. If I get the artist wrong, I'm sorry!
Link drawn by... Sara Richard? If I'm wrong, please correct me! I found this hilarious.
Sausage Link drawn by Jay Fosgitt. So funny and cute!
Darkwing Duck drawn by Adam Gorham. This looked amazing!
Darkwing Duck drawn by Sara Richard. It's a great duck! xD
TMNT as the Hulk drawn by... Ty Templeton? If I'm wrong, please correct me!
There was a speech bubble above which said "Turtle Smash!"
TMNT as Captain America drawn by... Jay Fosgitt? If I'm wrong, please correct me!
The tiny turtle is so cute!
Misc. Photos for Thursday
Friday
Time Attended: 11:30 AM - 7:00 PM
So today I dressed up a little. I've mentioned many, many, many blogs ago that I have a couple Lolita outfits, but I don't recall ever taking pics of them for this blog. With the weather being pretty cool today, I figured I could wear one and not overheat. Time Attended: 11:30 AM - 7:00 PM
Me (with a grey box over my face) in one of my Lolita outfits.
I wish I could wear stuff like this more often without judging eyes and whatnot.
When I reached the convention centre, I went to the South Building and looked for the room to my next panel.
3D Design & Modelmaking -- 1:00 PM
There was a technical goof-up with this panel. The panelist had planned on doing a Powerpoint presentation, but the staff only dropped off a projector and screen around 12:50 PM, but did not set it up! So the panelist did his presentation without it. The presentation lasted about 30 minutes, and the rest of the panel time was used for audience questions, and there were a lot of them!
Having absolutely no knowledge about 3D printers, the main things I took away were a list of free software, and these two points to keep in mind when deciding on which software to use:
1. Will it export to a file type compatible for 3D printing?
2. Do I enjoy using the program?
Below are a list of some free software (at least, as of this writing). Some software will require using multiple software to get to a 3D printing file type.
-NetFabb "Basic" (To get NetFabb "Basic", download the 30 day trial for NetFabb. When the trial expires, NetFabb "Basic" will remain)
-DAZ Studio (while the program is free, note that add-ons or plugins cost money)
Angry Video Game Nerd Film Festival -- 3:00 PM
The panel started about 10 minutes late, which was fine. Supposedly the panelist (who was not James Rolfe) was making his way from the North building, and that trek does take a while. The room was booked until 7 PM, so a bit of tardiness should be okay.When the panelist arrived, we were shown "200", James' 200th film. It was a short documentary of himself and his film-making journey. It was interesting to see James coming up with various ideas to overcome his equipment's limitations.
After that, the panelist showed us a huge banner that said "Thank you, James!". We could go up to the front and sign the banner anytime during the panel. The panelist also told us raffle tickets were being sold, with all proceeds going to Sick Kids Foundation.
Then we were shown "Mr. Bucket" and "Dream Phone", episodes from the Board James series.
Then they played episodes from the Angry Video Game Nerd series. They played the Glitch episode, Castlevania: Simon's Quest, and R.O.B.
After R.O.B., it was around 4:45 PM. The panelist said we still had time to watch one more episode. We ended up watching The Silver Surfer. After that, they did the raffle draw.
Then, at around 5:30 PM, they played Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie. Some of the story ideas were interesting, but overall, from what I saw, I'd say the movie was kinda meh. I say "from what I saw", because, well...
Partway through the 3rd act, the movie got turned off. The panelist said that security was kicking us out because it was 7 PM. Omg... well, that was quite the disappointment. That room was booked just for the Angry Video Game Nerd showings from 3 PM to 7 PM, and the movie ended up not getting shown in its entirety. What a miscalculation... or was it intentional to get us to buy the movie to find out how it ends? If it was the latter, I think it was a poor move.
One nice news that came from this panel was that James Rolfe's child was born today. Congratulations to him and his wife!
Misc. Photos for Friday
I didn't participate since I still need to watch Star Wars... >_>''
Saturday
Time Attended: 11:15 AM - 7:00 PM
Today, I decided to wear normal, warm clothes. I was freezing in my Lolita outfit yesterday. I also wore the fake glasses I wore to Fan Expo a couple years ago. I gotta make more use of it!Time Attended: 11:15 AM - 7:00 PM
When I got to the convention centre, just like yesterday, I went straight to the South building and waited for my next panel.
At around 12:10 (20 minutes before the panel started), staff came by and told us the panel was cancelled due to scheduling conflicts. This was a first.
All of a sudden, I thought 'What am I going to do now?' I had plans to meet with a friend to do some shopping at artist alley at the end of this now-cancelled panel, so I couldn't stray too far from the room. I also left my program at home, figuring I wasn't going to need it today. After a bit more thought, I trekked into the dealer's room, figuring I can do some shopping now at artist alley, and then head back closer to the meet-up time.
I started at one end and snaked my way through. One thing I kinda wanted to get was Jay Fosgitt's autograph. I really enjoyed his drawings at the Sketch Duel on Thursday and I loved his humour and personality (at least from what I saw). So I kept a lookout for his name at every booth along the walls.
When I spotted Jay's name, I looked at the table and he was there. Nobody else was at his table. Then I got a little nervous. Should I go and say hi? But then if I say hi, what do I say after that? Ahh, I'm going to make a fool out of myself! Haha... I'm such a goof when it comes to these things. u__u
I continued snaking around artist alley for a few minutes. Then I gritted my teeth and walked towards Jay's table. Ahhh, just thinking about it makes me want to hide... hahaha.
To the best of my recollection, this is how the conversation went. Jay was really friendly throughout. I was really shy, speaking softly most times.
Jay: Hi.
Me: Hi.
Jay: How are you?
Me: I'm good. How are you?
Jay: I'm good.
Me: Umm... you are Jay, right? (my nervous-ness made me think that maybe he wasn't Jay and was somebody sitting there while Jay was off somewhere else -- kinda like how the artist isn't always present in artist alley booths)
Jay: Yes, I am.
Me: Ummm, I just wanna say that I really loved you at the Sketch Duel on Thursday!
Jay: Why thank you!
Me: The sausage Link drawing was so funny!
*some laughter*
*a bit of silence* I was thinking about what to say next. I really wanted to ask for his autograph, but I felt I should ask for a drawing, and hope the autograph will come automatically from that. My eyes glanced at his prices for commissions, but it was a little difficult processing it, I was still really nervous. To me it felt like I was standing there for a long time, but I'm sure it was probably something like 10 seconds. Jay stayed quiet, observing my nervousness, maybe. Then...
Me: Ummm, I'd like a commission...
Jay: Okay. :)
Me: Ummm, it's my first time asking for a commission...
Jay: Really?
Then Jay proceeded to explain the different sizes and prices, all while staying cheerful and friendly. I really appreciate his patience.
After a bit more thinking, I pointed to the size I wanted and asked him to draw me. Then we had some small chats while he drew. Close to the end, I became really quiet, thinking I was distracting him.
When he was done, I asked if I could take a photo. We exchanged a little bit more conversation and then I said "Keep drawing!". Darn it, I'm such a dork >____<!
If he comes back next year, I'll most likely ask for a commission of myself again. It would be interesting to see if the drawing style evolves :)
Jay Fosgitt.
To those who don't know how I look,
this is how I look! (minus the fake glasses I was wearing)
But to those who don't know how I look, thank you so much for reading!!! :)
To those who do know how I look, thank you so much for reading, too!!! :)
This pic will show up again in my "Convention Purchases" section.
After that, I went to meet up with my friend. Before we headed off to the dealer's room, we saw this:
Somebody playing the X-Men theme on violin (?) while Rogue is dancing.
The playing was so cool!
Then we went to the dealer's room and I spent all my money in the artist alley.
3D Printing Techniques -- 5:00 PM
This panel was supposed to be 3D Printers & Resources, but the panelist accidentally did that presentation during the 3 PM panel... so to not repeat himself, he decided to present 3D Printing Techniques at 5 PM. 3D Printing Techniques was, of course, more advanced than my level... but I still was able to take away some things from this panel. Just like the other 3D panel I attended yesterday, the presentation was 30 minutes long and the rest were questions from the audience.
Here are some notes, though not everything will be clear:
-Make sure the setting is set to "relative translation"
-Try to get rid of supports by either including supports in your design or angling it so that supports won't be made
-If the angle is less than 42 degrees from the base, supports won't print
-Turn off supports or supports will automatically fill
-If you have to have supports, try having the support print on a part where the design is flat, if possible
-Can nest smaller parts in larger parts to save on time and material use
-An alternative to printing an object is to print a mold for the object
-If temperature and speed requirements are similar, it is possible to print different materials at the same time
-A good resource for 3D "blueprints": Thingiverse (it is recommended to download your desired "blueprint" and then edit / adjust it in a design software).
Misc. Photos for Saturday
Sunday
Time Attended: 11:00 AM - 3:30 PM
So... before I even reached the convention today, I made a fool of myself. .__.''Time Attended: 11:00 AM - 3:30 PM
I woke up at 7:45 AM and did my usual morning stuffs. Then I turned on my computer and checked Facebook. I saw a post from Brent saying that today he was moderating a panel and going to get an interview with Jay Fosgitt for his podcast. I thought, Oooo, yay! I get to learn more about Jay!
I replied to Brent's Facebook post, saying "Awesome. I fangirled a bit to Jay yesterday, 'cuz I loved him at the Sketch Duel on Thursday. Sausage Link still gets me, hahaha."
About 10 minutes later, I noticed the Facebook notification icon was lit (I was still getting ready to leave so wasn't paying too much attention). I clicked on the icon and it said "Jay Fosgitt likes your comment".
.........
.............
................. OMG! O__O!!!
My jaw dropped and I made a lot of agonizing, embarrassed sounds (imagine however you like). He read my comment about fangirling to him, wahhhh!!! Thank goodness I was at home. I responded to my reply, saying the effect of "omg" and "hides somewhere". Hahaha, what a way to start the last day of the convention... I was actually fine for the most part, but darn, this will be such an embarrassing memory whenever I think back to it. xD
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When I reached the convention centre, I decided to skip one of my panels and check out the dealers portion of the dealer's room. I still hadn't explored that area yet, and I kinda wish I did explore it earlier. I missed out on several experiences because I only saw them this late in the convention.
Writing for Comics Roundtable -- 2:30 PM
There were supposed to be more guests, but nobody else showed up except for Jim Zub. Brent was moderating the panel. Even though it was only Jim, this panel was really awesome. Jim is very good at capturing audience attention and invoking emotions. He shared his journey for comic book writing and spoke broadly about certain things to keep in mind.
I believe the whole panel was recorded by a friend so if it goes up I'll link to it. For now, though, here's a short clip I recorded (no video, audio only).
One of Jim's stories. It is about 4 minutes long.
No Fan Expo panel has ever gotten me close to tears. It took a lot in me not to cry. I was sitting in the front row, too, so I didn't want to cry, hahaha. I was also still wearing my fake glasses, so was pretty self-conscious on how I would handle wiping away tears.
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Even though the convention ended at 5 PM, I decided to head home. Having spent almost all my money on Saturday, there wasn't much left for me to do.
Misc. Photos for Sunday
If I watched Doctor Who, I would have tried participating.
By the time I got there, all the timeslots were taken, so I couldn't try it.
(the piece is below Squirtle's base)
Overall Thoughts
Aside from the missing guests, panel cancellation, presentation mix-up, technical goof-up, and AVGN miscalculation, Fan Expo Canada 2017 was quite enjoyable (wow, how did all that happen? lol). Aside from the AVGN panel, I enjoyed all the other panels I attended. Cosplay seemed a lot more varied this year. At least, it didn't seem like any one series was the top thing to cosplay from. I really do wanna try cosplaying again, lol.
Next year I will have to prioritize exploring the dealer's room... and maybe look into staying at a hotel. Hahaha, I think my late attendances this year (except for Thursday -- I had a legitimate excuse for that one!) are a sign that I don't have the energy I used to... or that I'm getting tired of commuting to Fan Expo each day... or that I spend too much time deciding what to wear, hahaha.
Photos of Cosplayers
As mentioned earlier, here are some photos of cosplayers:
From left to right, I believe it's A2, 2B, and 9S?
I was only able to recognize them from the FFBE NieR banner, haha.
Pikachu's arms going up are so cute!
Cosplay I wanted to take a pic of, but missed my chance
-Hitman from Hitman (again)
-Bender from Futurama
My Convention Purchases
I had a smaller budget this time around -- because I sucked at saving up for it this year. I had about $400 and spent almost all of it.So I'm saying this again, but when buying fan stuff, I often have this frame of mind:
1. Does the art style align with my tastes?
2. Does this work express the kind of fandom that expresses me? (like, if I saw a poster of Zuko and Katara holding hands and gently smiling, I might get it, because it expresses how I feel about their relationship -- a sense of deep understanding for each other)
3. Is this a piece of work that will evoke something in me every time I see it?
The downside to having a small budget this year is that it left very little room to buy from new artists since I definitely wanted to support my current artists.
I have to say: I am quite impressed with the product quality and variety from artist alley. Not only do many booths offer buttons and bookmarks along with their prints, many also offer charms or keychains or notepads or mini artbooks or other things. It's really nice and huge props to them for getting it all ready.
For what I've bought that I haven't yet watched / experienced the series for, I'll note it like this: (*)
Here is what I bought (if anybody could help me fill in the blanks, it'd be greatly appreciated!):
two Joker mini standees + vocaloid-themed postcard set, avocado plushie.
I also want the full set for myself, haha.
So, to calculate the "damage" to my wallet:
Jay Fosgitt commission: $20
3 original postcards from Eecks: $10
Spook Look Book + Cat book + Cat postcard from Koyamori: $35
2 Joker mini-standees + vocaloid postcard set from Starbottle: $50
Avocado plushie: $15
Posters (???, something familiar, ???): $30
Posters (Final Fantasy VII, Samurai Champloo): $20
Posters from Shilin Huang: $30
Posters from Chasing Artwork (Game controllers [3], TMNT) + Rust and Water: $70
Buttons from onedayfour (Futaba, Morgana, Isabelle) + 2 mini zines + sticker set: $30
Charms from Roo (Persona 5 mice) + Mystic Messenger notepad: $68
Total "Damage" This Year: $378.00
Total "Damage" Last Year: $631.00
Thanks for reading (if you made it this far)! If you have any questions about anything I experienced at Fan Expo Canada, or just comments and questions on anything, feel free to comment!
Now I can sit back, relax, and enjoy my vacation (I usually take a vacation after Fan Expo to recover). My poor, achy shoulders, lol.
Thank you again and have a great rest of the week! :)
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