Annapolis Comic Con 2022

Artist DedlySweet faces two artists for our Ready, Set, Draw contest.

Annapolis Comic Con feels like home. Despite the weather – it snowed in March?! – the convention area remained full throughout the day. Our workshop participants were particularly engaged this year. “My What If…? Hero and Villain Mash Up workshop went well,” says JPJackson Art. “We had great engagement from the parents and a small group of attendees. I always enjoy the challenges that Eric and the attendees throw at me. I had a lot of fun drawing the Batman/ Riddler [mash up].”

Other events were a hit as well. During our Creature Feature: Designing Iconic Characters workshop, a mom cosplaying as Tina Belcher from Bob’s Burgers performed Tina’s signature dance. Everyone laughed at her imitation. We used her cosplay to discuss character design and how to make a character memorable. During the workshop, Professor Elvin Hernandez placed various bird statues in front of attendees and asked them to design characters based on the sculptures. One person drew a terrified bird running away from a worm with the caption, “Early Bird Gets the Worm!” The drawing really amused our President, Eric Suggs, Jr. 

Some worms just aren’t worth it.

AWA remained busy beyond the scheduled panels and workshops as well. At our booth, AWA hosted the Ready, Set, Draw contest throughout the day. There, artist Dennis Johnson of DedlySweet worked to draw more cartoon and anime body parts than his competitors. The competition was fierce, and all walked away feeling incredibly accomplished with the work they produced in a short amount of time. Additionally, our friend Kurenai Kiba led a cosplay parade throughout the convention center. “One of my favorite moments, was looking up and seeing [Kurenai] lead the Procession of Cosplayers throughout the convention space,” says JPJackson. The various cosplayers exhibited their costumes to loud applause.

One moment that really stuck out for our president, Eric Suggs, Jr., occurred after he asked, “How often do you draw or create something new.” One person responded that they drew weekly and another said that they did not draw as often as they like. Eric recommended devoting 1 hour a week to draw, breaking down that time in 15-, 20-, or 30-minute drawing sessions to develop drawing consistency.  “I stressed to the attendees that they’re not looking for perfection, just the completion of the weekly time challenge. I think I may have helped them think about their time management differently,” Eric said. This made me think about what AWA can do to help those who need encouragement to draw.”

Annapolis Comic Con remains the best place to discover new ideas and improve existing ones. We can’t wait to come back next again and show off the tweaks and changes to the panels and workshops that fuel our mission to teach people how to create their own original characters and create their own comic books. If you attended the convention, what was your favorite part of the event? And what do you want to see from Art Way Alliance next year? We want your feedback!