Today, for the first time ever I went to my local comic festival VanCAF
with a friend and was pleasantly surprised how well organized and enjoyable the
event was. Especially considering it was FREE it was very well done. I think
there were a good 80 something artists there and although western comic art is
not my forte I realized there is a huge diverse pool of amazing comic talent
out there. I remember one of the most poignant moments was the comic artist, Barry Deutsch, who promoted
his story about , "Another Troll-Fighting 11-Year-Old Orthodox Jewish Girl." His story looked fun, yet intelligent, akin to some of the comic
books I had during one of my English courses at university. I can see him being
a major force in the comic industry and wish him the best.
However, even in a mass of foreign comic artists... I recognized a
duo and was pleasantly surprised to see "Becky
Dreistadt and Frank
Gibson" or better known as the creators of "
Tiny Kitten Teeth."
I'd been a fan of their artwork for awhile so I was very happy to see them.
Appreciation of the cute, adorable, painted delights that are Becky's animals
is an understatement. I. love. cute. painted. vintage-y. animals. XD I don't
even know how to describe her artwork, it's ol'school, yet modern, and not
least of all...extremely cute. did I say "cute" enough times? At
least half the charm must be the gouache paint... she's just so damn good at
colour choices and really making her paintings pop.
So lo and behold, I commissioned a marker sketch from her of my
pet dog, Dante. Even as a black and white marker sketch I can still see her
magic in the artwork. So. Fucking. Awesome. He even has a crown. How did she
know that we all call him "THE PRINCLING?" Maybe she overheard me... XD Thank
you SO much Becky!
I also picked up her newest art book, but I'll save the review for
that, for another day. :)
VanCAF exceeded my expectations. I don't know if it was the
gorgeous sunny day, the classy Yaletown Roundhouse venue, or the talented,
friendly amazing people who are comic artists (most likely all XD) but the
event was something to remember.
Another day remains! Go check it out if you're in the hood!
