Otaku Surf

Otakon 2009 – Coverage and HD Movie “Artists of Otakon”

Posted on 23. Jul, 2009 by admin in Anime Conventions

Cosplayer in the Artist's Alley at Otakon 2009.

I had the opportunity to fly out to Baltimore on assignment and picked a schedule that would land me smack dab in the middle of Otakon 2009. The last time I went, in 2007, I had a blast doing it for Otaku Surf and an NBC affiliate in Virginia, so I decided to make my way through Pratt Street to hit the Baltimore Convention Center for Otakon 2009.

When I arrived I totally forgot about the enormous amount of people at the event, which just goes to show how popular it is. Aside from inside the convention center, participants were also in the inner area of downtown, it was like the whole city was celebrating anime and manga.

I took a few pictures of some cosplayers and High Definition video of the event but this time around, I decided to focus on the Artists Alley at Otakon.

Cosplayer in the Artist's Alley with a giant sword.

Group of cosplayers, I saw a lot dressed up similar to their outfits at Anime Mid-Atlantic. I've got to check that anime out.

Cosplayer near the entrance of the convention center. According to Otakon staff, over 26,000 people showed up for the event.

The HD first video is “Artists of Otakon” which is a brief look at four artists. I interviewed a veteran Japanese cartoonist from New York, Misako Rocks, and artists that I found at the Artists Alley: Schin Hern Loong, Mitchell Miles and Michelle Poust.

I consider the video a workprint at this point since the audio is still in raw form since my microphone broke on my flight to Baltimore. 

Otakon 2009: “Artists of Otakon” from Otaku Surf on Vimeo

All the artists that I encountered had their own distinct style and I want to thank them for their valuable time.

When I spoke with each artist, you could tell how passionate they were of their art and their dedication to bring out an original perspective in their work. Some I spoke with say the Japanese influence is what actually sparked their interest in becoming an artist. 

"Opening Light" by Schin Hern Loong

Schin Hern Loong

“I started drawing because of Anime and Manga, I remember it was Dragonball and Sailor Moon. I really like how simplistic and how interesting the storyline and characters can be,” says Schin Hern Loong whose work can be found here. “As I progressed through my life I also became influenced by Western artists. There’s been so many influences that have an impact on my work that include Western and Eastern artists.”

An art piece by Misako Rocks!

Misako Rocks

The artists I spoke to each cater to similar audiences, but they do so in their own way and style. Misako Rocks!, a Japanese cartoonist from New York who held a Manga workshop at Otakon, says that she wants the stories she creates to grow with her audience in the extent that her audience are teens now and as they grow into adulthood she wants to adapt her stories even more to a mature theme  than what she currently produces. Misako’s work can be found here. 

Eureka by Mitchell Miles

Mitchell Miles

Although a few artists I spoke with say they have an influence from Japan anime and manga, they are influenced by other sources, something many say is an important quality in order for one to succeed and more importantly to grow. But admit, that the Japanese influence is a very powerful way to illustrate one’s thoughts.

“I’m influenced by American storytelling, but also by Anime storytelling and the expression of their faces,” says Mitchell Miles of Fall-Out. “The way they show emotion you can see and feel what they’re feeling by just simply looking at them.”

"DN: A Conflict of Interest" by Michelle Poust

Michelle Poust

Most of the artists I spoke with say their background for art started at early age and became stronger, and that their  drive for the arts not only comes from themselves but as well as other people in the art community.

“My inspiration to draw is this is what I want to, this is my life. Ever since I was a little girl I had many different dreams, but this is the one thing that I thought was my strongest suit, which is art, ” says Michelle Poust at Hac-studios. “There’s just so many stories in my head that I want to tell. The stories and the artists that I’m surrounded by that I get a lot of influence from are my inspiration.”

Ultimately the artists at Otakon have a unique vision of their world and express themselves in their art hoping for their audience to understand their perspectives and take their own meaning from the artist’s work.

“The best thing I like about my work is that I feel that it’s a dream world that I can’t have in real life but I can have in my art,”says Loong.”So I would like a world full of beautiful things, beautiful colors, beautiful nature that’s not attainable in real life. I draw things that are wonderful and beautiful to me and hope other people can partake in this dream I have. ”

Cosplayer at Artist's Alley. There were a lot of great designed costumes at Otakon, makes me wish I had a decent grasp of costume design.

Another great costume, in the background you can see a glimpse of the architecture of the convention center which is a fabulous venue for Otakon.

Special thanks to the Otakon staff who were more than happy to help me out given what they had to oversee during that weekend. It was great fun and I hope to see everyone there next year!

Tags: anime convention, HD Movie, otakon 2009