Tekkoshocon 2013!

It's almost Tekko time and once again this year my husband and I will be selling along side Dani Cat Designs in Artists Alley. The Ed Head will not be joining us as we've been taken over by frogs from space... no really...

"Attention Pekoponian worshipers of the Head that is Ed! We have taken capture of your beloved mascot and as such we are taking over the nmallenart.com art table this year at Tekkoshocon to raise proceeds for our impending invasion! Surrender you Gundam... I mean the planet! Buy our stuff! Support the Keronian takeover!"

Birthday Brrrraains!

Recently I was asked to do a very special commission which I'm excited to finally share with everyone!



Like me, Asher is a huge Plants vs Zombies fan! His favorite zombie from the game, produced by PopCap, is the elusive and mysterious Yeti Zombie. I was asked to draw the Yeti Zombie for buttons in time for his birthday and right away I knew I had to make brain ice cream!

I enjoyed everything about this request, but when I received the photo this morning I was on top of the world. There's nothing like drawing for kids!

Tekkoshocon 2009

Tekkoshocon 2009 was a hit!  The Artists Alley experience this year was much improved over the previous year.  We joined a new fandom, met up with old friends and made new friends.  

No question, we will return in 2010.

Tekkoshocon 2009!

Dani Cat Designs and N. M. Allen Art are headed back to Tekkoshocon this weekend.  Here are some of new items for Artists Alley.

$5 magnetic dress up doll sets come with base character, two outfits and an accessory. Outfits are interchangeable.  Other outfits and accessories can be purchased separately from $0.50 - $1.00.  Fandoms represented are FMA, Death Note, Naruto, Bleach and Hetalia.

  

The Pro's of Fan Work

Recently a colleague of mine spoke of her friend, a "brilliant writer," who used her talent to write fan fiction based on her favorite TV series. "What a shame." my colleague said.

For the most part, artists and writers see fan work as flattering tributes to the original. Inspired by the original work, they often share their inspired creations with friends and online fandoms. Some critics may look at this and say, "What a shame. They should be doing their own work!" Others see it as a flattering tribute. I see it as a potential promotional tool for the young artist or writer.

This week I wrote an article for WritersNewsWeekly.com about the Pro's of Fan Work (primarily fan fiction) and how the growing artist or writer can benefit. You can read the full article by clicking here.

Here are a few examples of successful fans who's fan work gained them the attention of some big industry names:

N. Matsumoto (aka spacecoyote)'s Simpsons and Futurama fan art that she shared on deviantart.com earned her a job with Bongo Comics, a company created and owned by Simpsons creator Matt Groening. She will be working on a short Simpsons manga and has been contacted by 20th Century Fox to potentially work on the relaunch of Futurama. You can read the full article about Space Coyote's success by clicking here.

Harry Potter fan, Francisca Solar, wasn't happy with Rowling's fifth book in the popular series so she wrote her own sequel "Harry Potter and the Decline of the High Elves." Published on fanfiction.net, her story received positive reviews from all over the world and was viewed more than 80,000 times. Harry Potter publisher, Random House, took notice. The company liked her work so much they offered her a contract to write her own original trilogy. You can read more about Francisca and her series by clicking here.

Writing fan fiction or drawing fan art can be a simple labor of love, fun hobby and a way for a fan to give back to their fandom or express their inspired fantasies. In many cases, fan work serves a more professional service, acting as a form of practice for the growing artist or writer. Fan work can prove to be a fun exercise in emulating existing styles in drawing or writing. This can lead artists and writers to branch off and create their own original pieces. Fan work also makes great online portfolio bait. Think about how many people Google search their favorite books, shows and characters. Lure viewers to your portfolio website with fan work of a popular subject, and you have a better chance of getting your original work noticed.

Tekkoshocon 2008

as a convention was a bust... However my friends made the con special! This year we participated in Artist's Alley for the first time. Artistically it was a great experience. I met a lot of great artists and shared my work with a lot of Otaku! Here are some pictures of the crew and our table.



My end of the table (The Al head belongs to our friend Bill and was for display only)


Dani made some awesome clocks and her buttons were so clever!


Ari's crocheted items were a big hit!


Me, my Envy wig and my girls! I met these two maybe three years ago. They stole my heart with their Greed and Envy cosplay and I look for them every year! <3>


I hope the Tekko staff gets their stuff together next year. The Greentree Radisson is no place for a con that big. It was cramped and miserable. Lines were terrible and there were a lot of rude con-ops. There were a lot of nice, helpful volunteers... but the incident in Artist's Alley was so unbelievable that a lot of people are talking about not going back next year. I hope that Tekko takes all of the negative feedback that it has received to heart and makes some necessary changes.