creation station feedback?

[RemSaverem]

i'd love to know what  everyone thought of our room! every chair was fulled (and then some) almost all weekend...and we're still going!

watch for us also at sakuracon and anime evolution, and hopefully more cons in the future!

[Cherry]

Personally i really enjoyed it.  Because even if there was something else going on your oculd still sit in there and draw.  I came by maybe 3 times? To use the copics, and i really thought that it was awesome that you could "rent" out the markers to use.  I personally had never even touched a copic marker in my life, but i finally got to try to use them~
And while you were sitting there and drawing you could listen to people's fan fics and look at the art posted already.  It was definately one of my favorite places to go at the con!

[RemSaverem]

YAY! Glad you enjoyed it!

[Cherry]

I have one question though, i guess i will ask it here, if its in the wrong place, im sorry.  I submitted something to the chibi contest, and i was hoping to get it back, but i couldnt come to the con today, is there any chance that the miracle of getting my drawing back might occur?

[Zennus]

I liked the Creation Station alot!  it was nice to kick back and doodle something without everyone going, "OOH! draw me Ed and Al!" and it was my first time useing Copics <3 I have fallen in love with them...but they are kinda expensive to buy in a set, but I had lots of fun!

[sassy_lassy]

The availability of tools and papers were really nice. In no way was I ever thinking 'well gosh I wished I had brought my own pencils' or anything. There were usually plenty of seats and lots of room so it wasn't too hot in there.

For the time I spent in the station, I really enjoyed it.

[BlackjackGabbiani]

The only thing I *didn't* like was that there was no air conditioning and it got awfully hot in there. For as popular a room as it was, with all the body heat...yeah.

Everything else ruled, though.

[Michael_Hopcroft]

I just wish the chairs were not in such disarray -- then I wouldn't have fallen down at a particularly bad time.

That is why i wasn't there today -- I had to go home and rest and salve my excruciatingly pained back.

Sorry.

[~Moon-Daisuki]

I made it Saturday, and the room seemed nice. You seemed to have a good crowd. I was in during one Madlib and part of Dolly-Making. I did not notice that it was hot, but there were a lot of people. Very cool! I just wish I could have made Bedtime Stories...So how was it?  

Hey does anyone know the guy from Kumoricon 05 that did the hilarious Chobits/Thanksgiving story? Did he attend in 06? Did he have another hilarious story?

[RemSaverem]

re: heat....lucky us, that we had so many people all weekend that we raised the temperature! for those not in heavy cosplay costumes, it was kinda ok...but absolutely, i'm rooting for having a hotel next year that has true control over thermostat in each room!  we did have the hotel's huge industrial fan, and 2 small floor fans (which stopped working during con).

re: chairs. we had to order 3 extra tables, with chairs for each side, and still had folks standing or sitting on the floor for some events...this was easily our most popular year ever at kc, and we are proud of that! there is no way for us to constantly police the way in which each participant temporarily leaves one of the hotel chairs. we certainly don't want anyone's experience of KC to lead to discomfort and inconvenience, however.

re: vast number of art and writing supplies: yay! i'm glad we met your needs. we loooooove seeing people engaging visual and textual alchemy...turning paper into gold...

THANK COPIC! or rather, thank marianne walker of imagination international, the eugene, oregon-based company which is sole U.S. distributor of Japan's Copic markers...their generosity with us is unsurpassed....and i will be forwarding to her the link to this thread so she can see that we are meeting that needed niche... an opportunity for folks to experiment with THE superlative manga markers, ink pens, and even airbrushing...

*waves at sassy-lassy* yeah i was excited to see your name on a piece of art....thanks for your help with ren'ai last year!

all the art that remained on the wall at the end of the awards announcements was boxed up and is in my car...i can't promise any individual piece made it to the box, but i can offer that if you PM me a description of the exact piece, i will look for it. and if i find it and you want it back, send me a SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope....preferably 8 1/2 X 11 size) and i will mail it back to you.

(contestants were repeatedly advised that to pick up art they needed to be in the CS between 1pm and 2pm today.)

alternatively, if you live around eugene, you could pick it up from me, or if you are going to the general meeting october 28 at noon at chemeketa community college, i can bring it to you there.

thanks for participating!

[sassy_lassy]

*waves at sassy-lassy* yeah i was excited to see your name on a piece of art....thanks for your help with ren'ai last year!

*waves back* Yeah, I actually was in the room when the Ren'Ai panel for this year started up. I probably would have been more into it and everything but lately my computer has been having too many problems to take any games on it.

In fact, at the time I was drawing that contest piece. I was cosplaying L (baggy blue jeans, baggy white shirt, baggy eyes, and messy black hair)

But, yeah, you work so hard it's awesome. My mom wants to give you kudos because my little sister was easily entertained in the station.

[MistressLegato]

We sooo needed a bigger room!  Like, you clouldn't walk up to the art on the walls to see it because it was all behind tables and chairs.  The room was incredibly hot and I have nooo idea why they decided to hide it downstairs XD

wtf?  

I messed up my knee something awful so hobbling up and down the stairs sucked, but for the creation station I did it anyway.  Always one of my fave parts of a con!  Great job as always!

Pretty much the only part of the con I wasn't disappointed with this year.

[Jalicat]

Thank you for the fun. To those who volunteered I'd love to give kudos. A big thank you to RemSaverem for her organization and the patience she displayed, though I could tell things were not easy to run such as the late gift certificate delivery. The room was too small, we could have even had separate rooms, one for creation & pen renting, other for disccusion & presentation. It was hot, I considered drawing out in the lounge. This function should get some more love next year judging by the turnout we had even though we were hidden downstairs!

My first time using Copics and I am addicted. I don't quite have the money for anymore of them but I'll enjoy the pens I received. I was very entertained throughout the con as I colored one of the premade artworks of which I later met the original artist.  ^^

RemSaverem, I apologize I lost your email on the paper I wrote it down on (as well as some other people's deviantart addresses)  ;_;  so I haven't sent you the scan yet of my colored art. How big would you like the scan? (300 dpi 200% .tif? .bmp? .jpeg?)

[RemSaverem]

First of all regarding the Chii fanfic...yes that's Terry Pleger, I saw him briefly but he didn't submit to this year's contest. Terry, I'll be on you to submit for next year!!!

Next:          Legato: I agree that getting to where the art contest was posted was a little awkward and I'm sorry for that. That was one of many reasons that I opted, this year, for a multi-judge panel rather than an audience poll for selecting winners in the contests. The easels were a generous donation from Sakuracon that I had not expected, but without which I would have been DOOMED! Because the hotel would not let us post the contest on the walls....and as you could clearly see, we had no tables to spare!!! So I would have had nowhere to display the contest to the public......unless I had squatted the room next door, which eventually turned into being used as a room called MOO and in which other events took place....we did move the Live Action Freeze Tag there, so players could hear each other over artists.....Congratulations on your wins again, your doujinshi was compelling....I urge you to show me your next installments!  Sorry about your knee, and thanks for the HUGE compliments!

Re: needing more space in the future: Initially, we had been allocated both Glisan and Flanders. Then 2 months ago or so Flanders was removed from the CS and given to the Art Show. Then the art show didn't happen, and my supervisor told me I could expand in there for overflow if needed...I chose to only do that on that one occasion, however, because a new name and schedule had been posted for that room, and others were occasionally squatting it.

I personally had to leave the room to cool down various times myself.....bummer.

Jalicat, were you then the guy that one best coloring of a coloring page?
my email is rem_saverem_was_right@yahoo.com and I don't know enough about computers to answer your question.
Sorry.

EDIT:
WE DO HAVE 2 ROOMS FOR SAKURACON!! At least as of now. My supervisor had wanted to call one "the artists' den" and the other "fanfic theatre".  However, my KC staff agrees with me that segregating by type of creation one engages would run entirely contrary to the crossover of artists, actors and authors we've been trying to attain and succeeding in attaining at one our-room cons. So, we'll probably have something like a "quiet room" and a "loud room" instead...maybe?

[Robin Layne]

I really enjoyed the con, and the Creation Station in particular. I didn't know too much what to expect. I had been to a sci fi convention before, but not an anime one. I am not really a big anime fan but my daughter is, so I went for her sake. I am chiefly a fiction writer, but I also dabble in art. I enjoyed coloring with the Copic markers and throught they are just great. I didn't realize at first that each one had both thick and thin ends; I would like that to be explained at the outset next time. I wondered why I couldn't find any red? I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I could read my original fiction Sunday night, but I was so busy making sure the rest of my group got to the cosplay premeet that morning I forgot to bring my story. Fortunately it was on the Internet, and although the hotel's business room would not accept my debit card a clerk graciously accessed and printed it for me. Kudos to her as well as to all the staff of Kumoricon for a great job!
I had fun reading my story to the roomful of people. Then the next day I had the surprise, when I walked into the room of a friend telling me I'd won "best original fic." I didn't even know there was a contest for it! I am sorry I didn't catch the name of the lady handing out prizes, but I thank her for the Copic Multiliner I picked out.
I'm also happy for the additional supplies of pencils, erasers, sharpeners, and colored pencils. I had the chance to draw some of my characters and to color one in colored pencil.
For those interested in accessing online the stories read, their sites were written on the projector. However the details of how to find my story on that site were not added and for some reason I neglected to make sure they added them; maybe it's just because I was tired and also feeling a sense of relief and satisfaction that I'd finished my reading. For those interested, the story, "Blood Ties," is in AuthorsbyDesign.com, and you click on Museletter at the top, then May Museletter. My story is on Page 6 of that Museletter.
"Blood Ties" is based on a novel-in-progress. You can read more about it, and about me, at http://Robin.denofinsanity.com. That domain is called Robin's Nest.
Thank you, everybody! Especially to my daughter for getting me involved and being the wonderful person she is!

[MistressLegato]

HOORAY!  Now I'm excited for Sakuracon XD

I'm writing my doujinshi again so I hope to have the next installment ready for Sak-con!  Thanks again a super-ton of times!!!

[RemSaverem]

Marcy--I can't wait for your next installment!

Robyn--Glad you had such a great time. Thanks for reading! Yes, I created an original fic category for Bedtime Stories because I don't accept originals in the overarching fanfic contest. (Last Sakuracon, I got several hundred pages unsolicited.) Kerry was supposed to explain a bit about how to use Copics at 11 am in the C.S., but Opening Ceremonies ran late, so we had to accommodate, and Copic held 2 of their own workshops outside our room, elsewhere in the con. Sorry about that...We should have a table copy of the book we get to give away as a prize, that teaches folks all about how to use these cream-of-the-crop supplies!

Yes I'm addicted to their ink pens, as well.

As for color selection: Imagination International, the Eugene-based, sole distributor in the US for Copics, very generously loans us whatever markers they see fit that they have left over from classes they teach at larger cons. We did have many red markers available in lesser-quality brands. Sorry about that.

Thanks for all the love, everyone!

Great news! I just got an email from the new Live Programming Director for Sakuracon, Mike Stark, who said he really liked what he saw in our room at KC! YAY US! Love Remychan

ps i distributed prizes..sorry it was hectic

[Jalicat]

RemSaverem,
Yup that was me and I posted the winning colored artwork on DeviantArt for others to look at. I still need to try out Prismacolors mixed with Copic, I wonder how well that would work. Though I need to buy me a blending pen as well. Anyway,

I have a huge scan that I will shrink down to 50% and email to you.

this pic is 30% of the original.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/39541145/

[bastett08]

I enjoyed it, too.  If I didn't have a booth to go back to I would probably just stick there all weekend.  There was alot to do and everyone had a fun time.  There were many things one could enter and I thought it was well organized.

I think it would be a little easier for next year if we actually put some tacs or even some paper-clips to the stiky-notes cause they didn't stay on.  It would also be nice to print up some submittion papers for people submitting.  That would have helped us judge.  I had a problem finding certain submittions because of this issue.

But it did go over well.  If I can next year I would still like to donate some of my work for the coloring contest and help out if you need me more.

[RemSaverem]

Thanks for the art and the praise. Kerry, I would love to see your work, and hope you at least continue to help brainstorm and inspire new contests

As you know, the Coloring Page and Chibi contests were very popular! I plan to continue both at all our cons

Meantime....good idea. I could ask my email list (unless you want to?) to design and send me a prototype of a submission slip.....however, tacks might be harder to manage than sticky notes, and they presuppose the ability to stick art....somewhere. We would have been s.o.l. if Sakuracon hadn't saved the day by providing easels.....since the hotel wouldn't let us post anything on the walls, we would have had to just lay submissions out on tabletops...and as you know, all seats were taken nearly all weekend! (and all table spaces).

[bastett08]

Thanks for the art and the praise. Kerry, I would love to see your work, and hope you at least continue to help brainstorm and inspire new contests

As you know, the Coloring Page and Chibi contests were very popular! I plan to continue both at all our cons

Meantime....good idea. I could ask my email list (unless you want to?) to design and send me a prototype of a submission slip.....however, tacks might be harder to manage than sticky notes, and they presuppose the ability to stick art....somewhere. We would have been s.o.l. if Sakuracon hadn't saved the day by providing easels.....since the hotel wouldn't let us post anything on the walls, we would have had to just lay submissions out on tabletops...and as you know, all seats were taken nearly all weekend! (and all table spaces).

I could work on something for the con next year and I would love to send in something for the coloring contests as far as a sign goes.  It was awesome to see my good friend with her flyer for the creation station and I kinda wanted to see if I could do something like that next year.  Twould be fun!  She's quite an accomplished artist and a lovely girl.  I met her at my first job, Borders/Walden Books.  She's a die-hard Yaoi fan.  Hehehe.

Yes, the Easles were a nice touch but something about them was a little hard to keep the images togehter.  We can figure something out that's not too spendy and easy to get ahold of.

[RemSaverem]

Hey Kerry et. al....We of the Creation Station will probably also be administering the Art Show next year...So if there were problems w/the easels, please be specific, and if any of you are into putting energy into running the Art Show, post here and/or PM me!