My First ISCA Convention

I'd been wanting to get to this convention for years! Since way back when the Exaggerated Features Magazine looked like a one-page news sheet. Since the time when it seemed like Kaman's Art Shoppes employees made up 80% of the membership, and way before Japan had ever heard of the NCN.

Well, it finally came back to San Antonio, and the timing and dates (mid-November) fit right in to my erratic schedule. In August, when I knew the dates would work, it was "Yes! I am THERE!"

For those reading who are not familiar with ISCA, that is the International Society of Caricature Artists, formerly the National Caricaturist Network (or NCN for short.) It's essentially a huge and growing group of artists with a strange and wonderful way of looking at people (and the world) and of translating that vision into funny pictures.

The convention was an amazing experience. Picture about 180 artists all sitting or wandering around a huge hotel ballroom, drawing each other for 98 hours non-stop. Tables and easels, paper and pencils, markers and paint and modeling clay scattered about, occasionally interrupted for a seminar or a drawing competition.

OK, some artists actually slept at night in their rooms. I was saved the expense of the hotel by living only 55 minutes away so I slept at home, but next time I'll happily trade that economy to spend the extra two hours a day (and more!) in the ballroom, drawing!

Well, I love to draw and I hate to write, so if you want to know more, visit the ISCA site and join (if you haven't already) so you can get your post-convention issue of Exaggerated Features Magazine, and the complete recap of this year's convention!

For now, here's some of my experience of the week, in pictures:

My first caricature on Monday: Alison

The start of the first caricature of me: a digital by Angie Jordan

Jan Op De Beeck drawing me in my new copy of his book "Sketching is Fun" (his young daughter on his lap)

Nate Kapnicky drawing me in his book "Beasted"

The Likeness Competition: Ten minutes to draw each of three faces.

By Tuesday all were hard at work.

Yasushi and Chunco facing off!

By Thursday morning the ballroom looked well-lived-in.

That's all for today!  I've got some shots of the walls on Friday morning, some of my favorite caricatures, my collection of "Rita" caricatures, and more - coming up in the next posts!

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