The con is on this weekend, starting in an hour… But, I’ve been ill most of the week and I’m still not feeling up to being out and about in the world so I won’t be there until tomorrow.
See you Saturday or Sunday.
Ty Templeton\’s ART LAND!
Tag Archives: Wizard World Toronto Comic Con
Wizard World Toronto, a little convention art, and the GREATEST CON SKETCH OF ALL TIME!
Uncle Ty's Convention Sketches. Ready in just FIVE MINUTES
I just got back from Wizard World Toronto, and boy, are my arms not tired.
Not because I live in Toronto (and the flight back wouldn’t affect my shoulders, get it?) but because I spent the weekend, not sketching particularly much. No more than thirty sketches over a three day weekend, and at a big convention, I usually do fifty on the Saturday alone! At first I
One of my less embarrassing con sketches of Kara Zor-el.
thought it was me…did I have a piece of meatloaf hanging off my face? Did I wear my misanthropy on my sleeve too obviously, or was it the whiff of urine on my street clothes?
No, it was happening to almost everyone at Toronto Wizard Con, (other than Dale Keown and Richard Pace, who seemed to have a crowd around for a while on Saturday, and Adi Granov, who had a minor crowd on Friday). The attendance was thin, and mostly wrestling fans there to see the Iron Sheik and his pals. It’s always a bad sign when you start doing sketches for the other con guests or dealers because neither they, nor you, have anything else to do for the next ten minutes.
Too bad… The Wizard folks were nice to us. LOVELY volunteers, good people…they set up my bootcamp lesson/con panel and promoted it (surprisingly well attended, thank you), and were handing out the water and smiles. It was Wizard’s first big convention in Toronto, and I was rooting for them. Let’s hope there’s a few tweaks
Fans love Batgirl. And a lot of fans like her bum. I do what I'm requested...
and fixes before next year rolls around, and the thing rivals San Diego in the future.
The low point came on Saturday when some douche-twerp couldn’t resist the demon on the shoulder telling him to pull a fire alarm. It emptied out the convention center in the middle of Saturday afternoon—taking nearly an hour to sort out whether we were burning up in a fire, or doing the world’s biggest HOKEY POKEY. Not everyone came back when it was over. Hats off the perished souls of Wizard Con Toronto, 2010—you will be remembered.
Highlights include: being seated next to Gail Simone and Her Mysterious Husband, with Dave Ross to my left, and Kent (Planet of the Apes) Burles to my right. With things a tad slow, I got to hang with the legendary Gail Simone and Her Mysterious Husband, and got to see Dave Ross’s new pencils for an amazing Star Wars comic he’s working on, and laugh with the always
A very non-Adventures style Joker. Dig that crazy haircut.
charmingly French Canadian, Yanick Paquette, and drool over piles of just gorgeous AGENTS of ATLAS original art by my buddy Leonard Kirk. Len is one of those illustrators I’m openly jealous of, partly because he does THE best convention sketches on the planet
The rule with me at a con is, you get the sketch for free, but it’s done in five minutes. That way, everyone who wants one gets one, and I give back a little for the fans. You guys deserve it. But we artists rarely get to see our con sketches after we let you have ‘em. About one out of ten, I pull one off that I wish I could hold onto…it captured just the right gleam in Joker’s eye, or the right gesture as Robin jumps off a building. I sometimes ask if the fan could scan it for me and send me a copy when they get home, but after twenty years of doing this, I have less
Must...eat....brains...unless....there's....donuts....
than a dozen scans of con sketches to show you, and hardly the best of the best.
Zombie Homer is the only one from this year, as I used to think my BONGO contract forbids sketching the Simpsons, but Ken Wheaton (fellow toiler in Springfield) informs me, I can doodle inside published Simpsons books, just not regular sketch books and on blank pieces of paper… Ken had a PILE of copies of TREEHOUSE OF HORROR: DEAD MAN’S CHEST for people to buy, so I did more Simpsons doodles this weekend than anything else.
As promised, here’s my favorite con sketch of all time, and the recipient was lovely enough to send me one.
A once-in-a-lifetime-art team.
It was in Paris, and I was seated in between Bernie Wrightson, Neal Adams, and Scott Hampton. A group of BATMAN artists were touring through Belgium, France and Switzerland and enjoying all the lovely sauces we got with every meal, when some Euro-fan asked if Mr. Wrightson minded inking
Another Paris sketch from '92, featuring Tintin and the original appearance of ELSEWORLDS T-SHIRT BATMAN, seen last month!
the Batman portrait/sketch I had just done for him. Watching my meager sketch be inked by Bernie was mind blowing enough, but then watching Scott Hampton add those moody water colours, I came this close from stealing the image back for myself…I have the scan though, and I share it here with you guys…the word’s only Templeton/Wrightson/Hampton collaboration.
Neal Adams did not participate in the sketch, but I have something better from Neal…something I’ll show you guys in a future post. I have to keep the suspense going SOMEHOW.
Ty the Guy
Oh, and PS: This week, I’m promoting this new Simpsons collection, NOW ON SALE. I’ve got a fun pin-up inside, and the rest of the book is okay too, I suppose, if you like hysterical comic books.
In hardcover. Kirby says: "Don't Ask! Just Buy It!"
Posted in Comics that Matter, Con Sketches
Tagged Adi Granov, Agents of Atlas, Batman, Bernie Wrightson, Bongo Comics, Con Sketches, Dale Keown, Dave Ross, Gail Simone, Ken Wheaton, Kent Burles, Leonard Kirk, Neal Adams, Richard Pace, Scott Hampton, The Simpsons, Tintin, Treehouse of Horror, Wizard World Toronto Comic Con, Yanick Paquette
Sunday morning…
Ty is at the Wizard World Toronto Comic Con as I type this…about to teach a one hour Comic Book Bootcamp. Then, it’s back to the real world of a freelancer: deadlines, editors, Coca Cola and McDonalds.
Keiren
Saturday–Toronto Comic Con
Ty will be heading down to Wizard World Toronto Comic Con for 1pm-ish. (He’s busy putting together his entry for Saturday Funnies.) He will be signing at the Wizard booth at 4pm for an hour; the rest of the time he will be at his table (#241).
Keiren
Today!
Ty is at Wizard World Toronto Comic Con today, tomorrow and Sunday. Signing today at 1-2pm at the Wizard booth. The rest of the time at his table (have to look up the number 241) or wandering around looking for Quarter Bins of Comics. If you want to be kind, make sure he has a Coke when you see him!
Keiren
Ty Templeton, live and in person…
…and sometimes on the radio.
As reported on the eponymous blog for Where Monsters Dwell, Ty will be on CHSR 97.9 FM, this Wednesday at 9:30 am. Access the station, hear the interview live from a click-through on the WMD blog.
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In person, Ty’s students will, of course, be seeing him on Monday and Wednesday evenings…
for the rest of you, Ty will be the Toronto Comic Con this weekend, starting Friday at noon. Details on the Wizard World site.
Keiren
Upcoming Appearances
As mentioned before, Ty will be a Special Guest at the upcoming Toronto Comic Con…and he’s just confirmed that he will be signing and sketching at the Wizard booth on the Friday and Saturday (as will Cameron Stewart, Phil Jimenez, Adi Granov and others). Check out the schedule…
The rest of the time, Ty will be at his table; when we find out the number, I’ll get that posted. (Well, some of the time he’ll be running around trying to find retailers with Dollar Bins.)
Keiren
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Ah, ’tis true. I’m a sucker for the dollar bins. Last convention, I got a TON of comics by Greg Land, from Ultimate FF to CrossGen stuff…all for a BUCK! There was some Adam Kubert, Stuart Immonen, and other great comics in there, too. Who wouldn’t go running around.
Ty the Guy
Upcoming appearances
Ty the Guy
Ty Templeton's ART LAND!! 