Missed TCAF

I missed the Toronto Comics Art Festival this weekend! I chose not to attend, because I currently don't have spare resources to travel downtown. These be rough times, they are. I hope I have the time and resources to attend Anime North this year. If not, I will wait for Anime North 2015.

In other news, I am working on a Pikmin blanket. I recently put together a new duvet cover to replace my tattered one. While cleaning the leftovers of the finished duvet cover, I found an ancient quilting kit. My sister was playing Pikmin at the time so I decided to make a Pikmin quilt. It should be finished by Saturday.

_{Yellow Pikmin on the blanket!}

Saturday at TCAF 2012

_{TCAF display at the main entrance of the Toronto Reference Library.
I know. I'm great at taking pictures.}

This year's Toronto Comics Art Festival was great. (I use "was" because I won't be going to the second day, which is today.) When I entered the building yesterday, I realized I may never get used to the overwhelming feeling of tables, people, and art. The whole event gave me a déjà vu feeling, but it still felt comforting and somewhat new.

_{TCAF Artwork hanging near the entrance.}

I arrived at the library around 10:15 AM and took time to check out a few booths. I recognized some of the people and tables from last year. The building was pretty busy at the time already, and there was a line-up to get into the showroom on the second floor. As expected, areas around the table areas became more crowded in a few hours.

_{Saturday around 11 AM on the main floor of TCAF 2012}

_{First floor, 1 PM}

I didn't go to any of the sub-events like signings and workshops. My goal was to buy books. I made a list and I was determined to find everything listed on it! It didn't happen though... not everything on my list was there, but I was happy with what I had at the end of the day nonetheless. *-*

There were more comics that I wanted to get--they looked interesting inside and out--but they will have to wait until I have the resources to get them. Argh! There are too many good stories to get into! Sometimes I find it hard to resist buying them all.

_{Some of the stuff I brought home.}

For me, the most exciting part of the event was getting a copy of Order of Tales by Evan Dahm and getting him to draw himself again.

I'll be needing a 2013 version.

Saturday at TCAF 2011

I think I understand what a comic festival is. It's an overwhelmingly large art market with not only artwork, but also a lot of comics, meeting with comic artists, and panels. The biggest difference I noticed between TCAF and an anime convention is that less than 5% of the attendants were cosplaying.

When I entered the Toronto Reference Library to check out the Toronto Comics Art Festival, I was overwhelmed by the number of tables, people, and space. There were so many interesting tables set up, I didn't know where to start looking at stuff. There were two floors of tables too! (It didn't take up the whole library floor, but the atrium and a large open hall.) I've been to the Toronto Reference Library before, but construction and the mass amount of people in it make it look so much smaller and crowded. It was almost as crowded as the dealer's room at anime conventions later in the afternoon.

_{Saturday noon @ Floor 1 of TCAF 2011}
There were mostly North American and Internet-linked comics found at TCAF. Many of the artists I met traveled to Toronto just for TCAF. There were people from the U.S. and even the United Kingdom!

What surprised me was that I actually bought a lot more goods at the festival than I ever have at an anime convention. There was a great variety of comics and art styles in from different cultures. I encountered a few French comic books that I've always thought I'd never see in real life unless I traveled or ordered them off the Internet.

_{What I brought home. It's not much, but I am very happy with them.}
Conclusion: must go to the next TCAF and ohmygosh I shook hands with Usamaru Furuya! I think his wife and child were there too because a gorgeous Asian lady with a baby hanging by her chest was recording him signing books for his fans with a video camcorder. :')

The Toronto Comics Art Festival 2011

Okay, so TCAF. My friend Lorena invited me to the event, but I have never been to it before. I mean--I've heard of it a few times, but I never remembered to go. I am getting most of my information from their website and so far, the event sounds exciting.

I've tagged this event as a convention, but apparently the Toronto Comics Art Festival is not a convention. According to the website, it is a festival and is unconventional. I will have to experience the event to understand the whole meaning behind that.

TCAF will be held at:

the Toronto Reference Library
789 Yonge St., Toronto, Canada

May 7th to 8th, 2011

Admission is free.

There will be guests from a variety of comic book genres and styles, including Natsume Ono (the artist behind the manga Ristorante Paradiso) and Darwyn Cooke (darwyncooke.blogspot.com). Sweet, right?

I'm really looking forward to this event.

Website: http://torontocomics.com


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