Tag Archives: Daniel Wong

Bootcampers and Holmes Inc. creators at FAN EXPO CANADA 2012

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Deadpool by Gibson Quarter

Four days of FanExpo Canada 2012 is a lot to deal with–after, we want to put our feet up and take a few days off, but we immediately have to get back to deadlines and getting tables for the classroom. Which is why it’s taken this long to talk about all the Bootcampers and Holmes Inc. creators we saw at the con. Manystopped by the table to say hi to Ty, and catch up, and Ty and I were pleased to see how many were there as artists exhibiting at the show. Always great to see someone getting a chance to do the thing that makes them happy (–and to make money off of it as well!)

We didn’t get a chance to go ’round and see everyone–Ty was either glued to the table area signing books, doing sketches, and looking at portfolios. I was showing off some of my own work, promoting the school, selling Ty’s sketchbooks etc., or acting as a “runner” trying to find the shortest line to stand in to get a can of cold Coke. Next year–we’re definitely packing a cooler with ice packs! (Only did it one day this year and forgot to take it home for refills!)

Garrus Vakarian by Selena Goulding

Selena Goulding who was there sharing a table with Meghan Carter to sell prints of their art (we heard that Selena couldn’t keep prints of Garrus in her booth, they were selling so fast!).

I’m kicking myself that I didn’t stop by Meaghan’s table to get a copy of this–one of my faves!

Daniel Wong and Gerard de la Costa were both there with Spent Pencils. We were sitting beside Bootcamper Gibson Quarter who was selling prints, copies of his latest comic Undertow #2, and showing off pages from his upcoming Heroes of the North story (Daniel Wong’s 12-pager for HoTN, The Canadian:  The Man I Think I Am, written by Ty,  had gone live the first day of the con!).

Poison Ivy print by Daniel Wong

Harley Quinn print by Gerard de la Costa

 

Adam Gorham was sharing a table with his Teuton writer/creator Fred Kennedy. They were both thrilled to be sitting beside Tony Moore (The Walking Dead) who they reported was the nicest, most helpful creator, giving them lots of advice on the industry.

Grant Howarth had a table in Artists Alley for the first time, and shared a portion of it with fellow Holmes Inc. alum Adira Rotstein. Rachael Wells had a table at March’s Toronto Comicon, but this was her first time at “the big one”.

Christopher Yao was at the show, spending some of his time at the booth for The Comic Book Lounge & Gallery/TCW promoting his upcoming classes. Although that kept him busy, he still found time to head over to the AutoDesk Sketchbook Pro booth and drew on their Cintiq monitor. Christopher ended up doing several sketches in the booth; an entranced audience asked for prints from the Epson printers AutoDesk had in their booth, and got him to sign their copies.

Ty was watching Christopher draw this; if you look closely, you can still see a bit of the “Hi Ty!” Christopher wrote at the bottom to get Ty’s attention.

But all in all, we hope it was a great convention for everyone! Lots of fans, friends and family to talk to, a chance to mix with the comic book community.

Keiren

Check out the ALUMNI list for other Bootcampers and what they’ve been working on…(it’s constantly being update; if you’re a Bootcamper, and you’ve got some work we haven’t listed yet, send us an email at comicbookbootcamp AT gmail DOT com.)

From a former student…

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Click HERE for WORKSHOPS info.

Everyone expects as Ty’s wife-like person that I will automatically say wondrous and glowing things about him so my opinion can’t possibly be valid! But Ty and I are notoriously honest and plain-spoken, and tend to speak our minds (yes, a few fights, why do you ask?). When I took a Writing for Comics class last year, I was hopeful that it would be good–I’d heard so much positive feedback from various people, but I wanted to see for myself. By the end of the first class I was in awe; not only how thoroughly Ty explained everything, how well he got everyone to participate, how much he was able to coax even the shyest person to contribute, but also how he created an atmosphere so energetic and inspiring, that you could see visibly that people were leaving practically bouncing, eager to go off and write. (One student told Ty that he almost hated him because after a writing class he went home so filled with inspiration and an urge to write that it was hard to wind down to go to sleep.)

Class ran over (there’s always so much to pack in, and people are encouraged to ask all the questions they need) and yet students still hung out, eager to talk and share ideas with Ty. When Ty and I left some ten minutes after sending the last stragglers out the door, we discovered a cluster of students still standing out in front of the building, talking about what they learned and sharing their writing plans.

The next week, as we arrived early at the doors, I was surprised to see several students already there. It turned out that, although they had been complete strangers at the start of the first class, by the end of it, they felt such a sense of camaraderie that they had agreed to meet early, review what they had written during the week and critique each other’s work.

None of that is uncommon for Ty’s classes. As he’s said elsewhere, students from his current Holmes Inc workshop have so bonded, that four of them have rented a studio space together (which is where Bootcamp will be based), and many others have asked to be a part of it. I said jokingly that everyone is hoping for a clubhouse to be a part of it, and several agreed with me that this was exactly the feeling they wanted…said they, “We want a way to keep that Wednesday night class feeling going on all the other days.” And a couple said that Wednesday nights were their favourite night of the week and were loathe to see the class meetings end.

I asked around to see if Ty’s former students might give him an endorsement for his upcoming classes…and I think from some of the comments, you can tell that I am not exaggerating about students’ reactions.

Daniel Wong is a member of Spent Pencils, a studio of Toronto-based comic artists. A  former-professional engineer turned artist, “[his] work ranges from comic book pencils and inks to freelance illustration, from fan art to pin-ups, and from web programming to web design.” He’s  currently finishing up the colours over his pencils/inks on a twelve page Heroes of the North story (written by Ty).

Daniel wrote,

`”The best classes I’ve taken on any subject were the intense weeks I spent learning about comic book creation from Ty Templeton. Hands down, he’s the best teacher I’ve ever had.”

“I had self published a comic prior to taking Ty’s Comic Book Bootcamp, but decided to take his course based on a friend’s recommendation.  Class after class, I was totally blown away by how much knowledge Ty imparted.  Not only did he cover every aspect of comic creation, he did it with such a great teaching style that it was easy to learn and put them into practice.  I now use what I’ve learned every time I put pencil to paper.”

Harley sketch

“I was an illustrator that had some self-publishing experience in comic books.  I limited myself to only the drawing side of things, because of my inability to write.  Having taken Ty’s courses, I now feel that writing my own stories isn’t beyond reach.  Not only that, it has drastically improved my ability to convey a story through the art alone.  In a word, Ty’s classes are simply “empowering”.”

So…that’s it for today. I’ll be posting more in the coming weeks.

Keiren

Click HERE for WORKSHOPS info.