Baltimore Book Festival

The Cosplay Parade was a highlight of the weekend! 

"We get to draw Gyarados?! "

Pokemon was a constant theme for us at the Baltimore Book Festival. One of our shining workshops was Saturday's "Pokemon Draw," where participants drew select characters from the original 151 iteration of the popular game. From the first three starters (Bulbasaur, Charmander, & Squirtle) to the other, maybe slightly lesser known (Vulpix, Mew, Primeape, etc), students had a great time breaking characters into recognizable shapes and transforming them into amazing drawings. 

On Friday, Holy Angels Catholic School students joined Darren Soto for a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, & Math). The children were excited to create their own character using these elements. This was just the beginning of the workshops and panels that continued throughout the weekend. "I thought the kids were having a good time and they were suprised at how basic shapes became the Pokemon that they know," Darren says. 

In addition to an amazing Cosplay Parade hosted by the Comic Pavilion sponsor, Geppi's Museum, Enrica Jang of Red Stylo Media and Tim Craggette of I Love Nerdlife spoke to active listeners about how to publish one's work. Dennis Johnson taught children how to draw chibi versions of their favorite characters. Kofi Jamal Simmons spoke on how to craft original heroes and Jordan Clarke gave advise on how to craft a comic book. 

Overall, this busy weekend was full of educational instruction, great friends, and of course comic books! We even celebrated National Comic Book Day! Thank you to Geppi's Entertainment Museum for hosting the Comic Book Pavilion and to Baltimore Book Festival for having us!