Adventure Time

by Heather Q. Agoncillo

Who's your favourite Adventure Time character?

Art in the Open

Hi everyone!


From June to October, every Saturday (7am - 1pm), Kevin and I will be selling artwork at Art in the Open. It takes place at Garden Square in Brampton, so be sure to visit us! 

Every week we have been creating new artwork to sell at the show. We really enjoy and appreciate those who came over to visit our booth. Initially we wanted to host workshops, but unfortunately the BAC didn't approve. However, not to worry. I will be doing live painting demos real soon.

Cheers.

Noah Bradley's Art Camp

Got fantastic news! It has been one of my goals this year to enroll to Noah Bradley's Art Camp 1 & 2, and finally I did. This man (along with Chris Oatley) has changed my life and made me view the life of a freelance artist in a different light. During my darkest days, their inspirational words have pushed me to do things I wouldn't have done before. If you want to improve your art, I highly recommend you join this Art Camp with me!

For the service he offers, the money I spent for this experience is definitely worth it. It's just a week of my pay for 6 months of intense art improvement. You can check out the details of this camp here: Noah's Art Camp

On another hand, this is Chris Oatley! He also offers online education called "The Magic Box" which I really want to join so badly right after I finish with Noah's. You could subscribe to his newsletter. It's something I always look forward to in my email because he discusses a variety of interesting topics that are incredibly helpful. You can check out his stuff here: Chris Oatley

I'm so grateful for what these men do to help artists out such as myself. Here are a few interesting interviews/talks to listen to while you work on your own art. Enjoy!

 

"Hacking Art Education & Building a Body of Work" 

 

"The Death of Freelance Illustration and Why We Quit Our Dream Jobs"

"The Realities of Being a Professional Artist"

Anime North 2014

Kevin and I selling at Anime North 2014

Hi everyone!

How did your AN weekend go? Did you go to panels, bought WAY too much stuff and partied hard at the rave? If so, that's practically what I did too!

After going to AN for 6 years, I actually got to do something completely different this year. For the first time in my life, I gained the opportunity to sell my artwork at the convention. I would like to thank everyone who came by the Cafe Delish 2014 table and supported my artwork. It has inspired me to keep working harder and make much more for the upcoming convention called Atomic Lollipop.

Based on advices from experienced art vendors, I was told not to keep my expectations too high. There's nothing wrong to dream big, just try to be more practical and realistic. Since I was only selling for a day, I played it safe by just making enough merchandise for that one day. My ultimate goal was to at least earn enough money to cover my hotel and print expenses. Surprisingly, by the end of it, I earned enough money to even cover my starting costs! That was something I definitely did not expect at all.

It was quite hard for my friends to take a picture of my table due to the back light, but here's my set up! I admit it's not that great like the ones at Comic Market. However, after visiting the artist alley, I learned better ways to use my grid squares and present my work that I will use for next time.

By the way, I wouldn't have been successful if it wasn't for my brother's help. His name is Kevin Agoncillo and goes by the art name called "Digital Ripple". You can check out his amazing work here: Digital Ripple Art

So thanks again for the support. I'm currently working on art for Art in the Open and Atomic Lollipop. I will keep you all posted on what's happening for those two events.

Cheers!

 

Cafe Delish 2014

Anime North is tomorrow!

Are you guys excited? I know I am!

If you're passing by Doubletree on Saturday(May 24th), be sure to visit the Cafe Delish merchandise table just outside the cafe from 11am - 7pm. We are selling a super kawaii limited edition illustration featuring all 13 of this year's maids. Quantities are limited so get it while you can! Perhaps you can get it signed by the maid of your choice.

Check out our facebook page here: Cafe Delish

by Nyamo

Anime North Prep

This year, I will be selling my artwork for the very first time at Anime North on May 24th 2014, along with merchandise made by the maids of Cafe Delish. The proceeds will be donated to charity!

Do note that the table is NOT at the Comic Market in the TCC. It's actually at the hotel, opposite to this location, called the Double Tree. I will be selling outside the Terrace Room next to where Cafe Delish is taking place. Thus, I'll be dressed as a maid using my maid persona "Nyamo".

Nyamo

Meet me at the Double Tree!

Be sure to pass by and say hello. This merchandise table will only sell on Saturday from 11am - 7pm. It would be super awesome if you could support us. We will be selling 50 limited edition "Cafe Delish 2014" maid prints. Get your print as soon as possible so that you can get yours signed by the maid of your choice!

See you at Anime North!

Airsoft

What kind of things do you like to do during your spare time?

As for me, I love to play Airsoft. It's a sport that I got into recently and boy it's awesome! Currently, I'm trying out to be a part of Covert Ops, a Canadian airsoft team. In order to be a full pledged member, I have to show my dedication to the group and become a better airsoft player. Unfortunately most of the practice games happen during the weekend which interferes with my work. But somehow, I'll manage!


John H., the leader of the group, divided the group into little groups. The team I'm a part of is called "Team Bad Intentions" so I designed a patch that would reflect the group.

Angel of Wrath

Here's another MTG custom token card called "The Angel of Wrath" who wields the weapons of Karona the False God. It's what he wanted so there you go! You can see Karona's shadow on the right by the clouds. I don't play MTG that much but apparently that shadow tends to appear in a couple of cards, which I thought was pretty interesting!
 

Illustrator's Survival Kit

Usually I'm not the type of person who buys audio books or ebooks online, but this time I made an exception. I took advantage of Illustration Age's promo code to buy this interesting deal. I took the plunge and bought this kit because I felt it contained a lot of useful information.

What it includes:

• 15 Steps to Freelance Illustration.
• 15 Steps to Freelance Illustration AUDIOBOOK.
• 5 Qualities of a Successful Illustrator.
• EFII Podcast: Year One - Special Edition Episode.
• EFII: Year One - Audiobook.
• EFII: Year One - eBook.
• Inside Illustration Competitions - eBook

Honestly, this was the best $33 I have ever spent. I always love to listen to podcasts and art advice videos while I work. Plus look at how much information you can get for your money. If you’re not completely satisfied that the Illustrator’s Survival Kit is helping you to jumpstart your Illustration business, just let them know and they’ll refund your money in full. No questions asked.
 
You can find detailed descriptions of all this here: Illustrator's Survival Kit

De Code Adventures

For those who don't know, I currently work at De Code Adventures. It's an awesome place that offers real life room escape games and have a huge board game cafe at the back.

WHAT'S REAL LIFE ROOM ESCAPE?
Basically you and your friends will be trapped in a room for 45 minutes where you'll be facing all sorts of challenges and puzzles. The puzzles are pretty sequential so once you solve one, it'll lead to the next and so on until you finally find a key or code to escape. Your team would have to work together, use observational skills and try to make connections with things you find in the room and what's in the room in order to escape.

Currently, we have four themed rooms finished so far, but we aim to have six in total. The current themes are:

De Scientific Code

De Code the Ancient Mystery

Board Game Adventure

The fourth room is called "De Code the Child's Play" which is actually opening this weekend! So I have still to design the fourth photo frame. Illustrating these frames were really fun to do! Since I know what the rooms are like, it was very easy to design them.

If you never tried out these type of games before, I highly recommend you go to De Code Adventures! We're the biggest #roomescape game facility in the GTA. Take advantage of the limited time offer where you can get up to 40% OFF. You can book your team online here: De Code Adventures