Fan Expo has definitely had it's ups and downs over the last few years. I feel that this year, the convention has finally gone back to it's roots. It was much better run, more things to see, better layouts in the convention centre and all the events and contests ran like clockwork.
We had such a great time over the weekend, we are still feeling tired and trying to catch up! We went down to the convention on Saturday at 11am, just one hour after opening, and all dressed up raring to go. The line up to get your wrist bands was super long but moved relatively quickly. Once we got in we made a bee-line to visit CG Master's, 9_Flame creations, Miguel Molina and 501 legion to visit our friends. We went and met Levar Burton, such an incredible person. It made our day getting to meet him, and I had brought a photo of him from Weird City for him to sign, which absolutely made his day. At 4pm we took part in the cosplay couple's contest, convincing a couple of our friends to join in as well. It was lots of fun walking across the red carpet and getting in character as the crowd cheered. Right after I took part in my very first pre-judging. I felt pretty good about how it went. I was surprised though that there weren't more questions for me, or that they didn't really want to take a closer look at he costume. I had to tell them they were allowed to get out of their seats to take a look at my seams. We did a bunch of shopping, bringing home a few figures, statues, dioramas, a cutting board, monster box, artwork and drink coasters. We left the con on Saturday at closing, taking back a ton of purchases! On Sunday we came later in the day right before the cosplay craftsmanship contest. My husband did a bit more shopping while I gathered my nerves and got in line for the big show! The amount of talent that was in this contest was nuts! Most of the contestants were in the novice or journeyman category, but I know when I was a novice my costumes weren't nearly as impressive. The craftsmanship contest ran super smoothly. Everyone lined up on time, we made our way to the stage and everything started at 4:30pm sharp. We only had 3 contestants in the master's category, but I felt that there was some excellent competition this year! Even though I didn't come home with a prize or a mention, I certainly learned a lot! It was a fabulous experience! We were so tired from all the fun and excitement that we didn't make it to the final day of con, but we certainly don't feel like we missed out! We are both really looking forward to Expo next year!
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I am so excited for this year's Fan Expo!
I know I say that every year, but this year I truly am really excited! It's not so much about the celeb guests, or the programming, but I'm truly excited mostly on the cosplay aspect. This will be my second year entering the cosplay contest, first year in the couple's cosplay contest, and I have a good friend who has a booth in artist's alley that I can't wait to help promote! So even though it's my second time entering the cosplay contest at Fan Expo, this is the first year that it is being run by the same rules as the Calgary and Edmonton expo's, which means I have my work cut out for me. This year, it's not a cosplay contest...it's a craftsmanship contest. I've had to create a build book, explaining every detail of how I made my costume along with progress photos and reference. I had to write blurb about myself as a cosplayer that will be read as I walk across the stage. I have to show up at a specific time to a specific booth so that the judges can check out my costume well in advance of the contest. This way they can look at all the seam work, fabric choices, paint work etc. up close. I'm so excited to be able to show off all the hard work I put into this costume, and honestly, when I decided to make this costume I totally had pre-judging in mind! This is also the first contest I've been in where the prize is monetary, which I'm going to be honest, would be amazing to win :D The couple's cosplay contest is going to be just for fun. It's my husband's first time in a cosplay, so I'm excited that he is taking part and we will get to walk the red carpet together. This contest is mostly for fun, as the fans will decide who has the best costume. No pressure, just walk, pose and wait for the cheers. My only worry is that I will have to run off from the contest right at the end so I can make it to my pre-judging time for the craftsmanship contest! Lucky for me, both things are happening in the same area. My talented friend 9flame creations is hosting a table in the artist's alley! She will be selling her monster boxes as well as artwork and jewelry, please go give this talented lady some love! I'm also looking forward to visiting my friends at CG Masters, who I am thrilled to say is a Show Partner this year!! WAY TO GO!! Lastly, I'm looking forward to meeting Levar Burton. There isn't a time I remember in my growing up years that we didn't watch Levar on TV. Whether we were watching Star Trek or Reading Rainbow, he was a big part of my childhood! So as an adult I have to say how thrilled I am to have gotten to work on Weird City which he has a starring role! This is a going to be a good Fan Expo! I can just feel it :D Fan Expo Vancouver is located at the Vancouver Convention Centre from Feb 15 - 17. Halloween is my absolute favourite holiday!
As a kid I would start prepping months in advance, what I wanted to wear, how I would decorate, how many pumpkins I could carve (which was never many with my tiny arms and hands). And after Halloween had passed, I would put my costume back on and pretend trick or treat to all the rooms in my house. I wished Halloween could be every day of the year, this is why I got into Cosplay! Now I could dress up as my favourite characters all year round! But it just doesn't feel the same. For the past few years I have found myself missing making a costume for the purpose of wearing it just for Halloween so I have promised myself that next year, I am going to take the time and make a costume just for that! What do you enjoy about Halloween! This will be short and sweet as I don’t have a lot to say.
For a first time convention, I commend the organizer’s for pulling together all that they did in the time they had, and I’m very glad part of the proceeds go to the Amanda Todd Foundation. I wasn’t exactly expecting a big convention with lots of vendors, but I definitely found there was not enough to keep me entertained for very long. We made it through all the vendors and artist alley in just 30 minutes. There weren’t any panels that I just couldn’t wait to see. My biggest gripe was with the organization and communication. I decided to enter the cosplay contest, but I didn’t get a response from the organizers until 1 week before the convention, and I was still trying to get information from them the day before the convention. Just to make the day more frustrating, upon arriving at the covention I asked where to pickup my contestant badge and I had 3 people stare at me blankly and not know anything about what I was asking. Sadly we decided to leave the convention, and felt it wasn’t worth staying or coming back for the contest. I sincerely hope that they as a convention can grow and become better, but after our experience, I don’t have any plans to attend the next year. Geektopia is only a few days away! Time to get excited!!
Geektopia is Vancouver's newest geeky convention. With stuff from comic books, anime, manga, video games and more! The convention has all different types of events/panels such as voice acting with Tracy Moore (the original voice of Sailor Moon), Building cosplay armour with Katy DeCobray, Breaking into Youtube, Fandom Feud and of course the Cosplay Contest! They are also having all kinds of local artisans set up for the artist's alley and they have a retro gaming lounge. It will be very different from the larger conventions I have visited, but I look forward to attending the event! This week some of our BC Mermaid Pod had a special mid week meetup to spend time with a very special guest, The Mermaid Seamstress! She came up to visit us from the US and we were so thrilled to be able to meet her and spend time with her!
I think all of us were a little star struck at having some many youtuber mers in one pool :) We also had the fabulous opportunity to re-unite all of our Vancouver Mermaid tails! So many incredible designs by Courtney Mermaid. We spent a good deal of time splashing around in the pool, teaching each other new tricks, trying fancy moves for the camera and just having an overall fabulous time!! You can check out her youtube here: The Mermaid Seamstress and be sure to check out our amazing tail maker here: shopvancouvermermaid This has to be my favourite Expo hands down for Western Canada. It's so big it can be a little overwhelming, but it is well organized and laid out so things are easy to find which is fabulous!
For anyone who hasn't been to Calgary Expo, it's 4 days of nerdy awesomeness! It's located in the heart of Calgary at the Stampede grounds. This year it took over both the BMO Centre and The Big Four building. Thursday is their half day of opening, Friday is the Parade of Wonders or POW! which kicks off the whole event, then Saturday is their famous cosplay contest and Sunday wraps it all up! So we started off our adventures with a completely full schedule filled with panels and autograph sessions and SO much shopping, which of course the schedule changed a bit as the days went on. Thursday: We got to Expo about an hour after they first opened. They had a new ticketing system this year where you got a badge with a microchip inside rather than a wrist band. They would scan the badge every time you entered or exited a building. This helped them keep track of how many people were visiting the expo. We started off our adventures by going through the artist alley to meet Bailey Jae who is a very talented artist and youtuber. After successfully acquiring merch from her for a friend, we ventured over to the BMO Centre and wandered around the retail hall. With close to 400 retailers we had a LOT to cover, and definitely needed to practice restraint. Friday: We got to the Parade of Wonders half an hour early, and it started half an hour late :p It was so cool though! 4000 cosplayers walking down Steven Avenue accompanying cars with celebrities, marching bands and city authorities. Got lots of photos and video from here. We later headed back to the con for more shopping and panels. In the afternoon we went and saw a panel on Cosplay Photography featuring a Calgary company called Hazzardous Material. Very cool insight into making a company for cosplay photo shoots. Saturday: The weather wasn't the best Saturday morning as the forecast was calling for snow. So the morning was cold and windy. I wore my Journey cosplay to the expo, which surprisingly was warmer than I thought it would be, but definitely not enough to merit being outside for long. We checked out some retail vendors and artists, met up with friends and then left in the early afternoon. After a quick nap we headed back to the expo to watch the Master's of Cosplay Western Qualifier. I tell you, these cosplayer's brought their A-Game. These costumes were a cut above the rest, with so much attention to detail and care put into their craftsmanship. Sunday: We got there right as the doors opened expecting to meet Peter Cullen and Frank Welker from Transformers, only to be disappointed that they were not signing autographs at all on Sunday, only photo ops and a panel. We moved on and went to meet Tom Welling (Smallville), Mark Sheppard (Supernatural) and Tyler Hoechlin (Supergirl). My highlight for this week was meeting Rose McIvor from iZombie. She was so incredibly nice! I had brought a cross stitch pattern from my friend that she wanted signed, and it completely blew Rose's mind (mine too). She was also super stoked that both my friend and I had worked on iZombie. It made for a great start to both of our days! Afterwards we wandered around the artist's alley checking out the different wares, and finished our day back at the retail hall leaving with an awesome leather jacket by Luca Designs. All in all, Expo was a ton of fun! We spent way too much money, saw lots of great things, talented cosplayers and can't wait to go to another Calgary Expo! 2020 anyone?? :D It's April 24th and we are on our way to Calgary! Expo starts tomorrow and I'm so beyond excited! Looking forward to sharing the experience with all of you!
I can't even begin to describe how freaking excited I am for Calgary Expo this year!!! It's been eight years since I went to my last Calgary Expo and all I remember was how amazing it was compared to the other conventions I have been to. I'm used to going to Fan Expo Vancouver which is held in the Vancouver Convention Centre. It usually takes up a couple ballroom's which is pretty average for a convention. But Calgary...Calgary takes over multiple buildings on the Calgary Stampede grounds! It's four days long, and is officially opened by the Parade of Wonders or POW! The parade goes down the main street in down town Calgary and has all the different celebrities, and almost every cosplayer attending! It's quite the spectacle (or so I've been told). This will be my first time seeing the parade, and first time attending all 4 days. In case you are wondering, no, I will not be participating in the parade because this time I would like to experience it as a whole event. This year they have a lot more cosplay events and panels which is super exiting to me! Lots of panels to go to, international cosplayer's are attending, and there are two different cosplay contests. There is a walk on contest for anyone to enter, and then there is the Masters of Cosplay International. This is the big leagues now! Cosplayers from all over Canada, North America and beyond will participate in this contest. The winners will then partake in the Masters of Cosplay at Fan Expo Canada to claim the title for best cosplayer! There is also a big cash prize, which is just a nice little add on. I haven't decided yet if I want to partake in the walk on contest, but will update on that closer. This is also the first time I am going to be cosplaying as multiple characters at one con! So much to pack! I'm sure this will lead to a blog later about travelling with cosplays :D I'll be posting closer to expo which characters I am taking and which days I plan to wear them :) There are going to be lots of great panels on how to get into cosplay, how to up your cosplay game, make up techniques, cosplay photography know how and cosplay around the world. The expo has also set up a Cosplay red carpet which is a great place to strut your stuff, or take pictures of your favourite characters. Also, did I mention the celeb cosplayers? It will be great to see Stoosh Cosplay and Evilyn13 again in Calgary, they were at the Vancouver Expo as well and Stoosh was a judge in the cosplay contest. I'm also super excited to see Leon Chiro who is flying in all the way from Rome! I am also super excited for some of the guests they have. Peter Cullen and Frank Welker from the original Transformers animated series are going to be there, which is super rare to have them both at the same convention. My husband is a HUGE transformers fan, so we will definitely be going to get autographs and see their panel. Two of my personal favourite voice actors will be there, Maurice LeMarche and Rob Paulsen, better known as Pinky and The Brain! I've met them both before at Fan Expo Vancouver, but this gives me one more chance to go and say Hi! So many exciting things to come in the next week! I'll be sure to post to my twitter/instagram regularly so stay tuned for that! Only 8 more sleeps until EXPO!! Alright everyone! So Fan Expo has come and gone and I wanted to share my experience with all of you!
We only spent one out of the three days there this time around, since the last Fan Expo was only a couple months ago. We decided to attend Saturday since it is the busiest of the three days with the most going on schedule wise. I was pleasantly surprised at how many vendors actually came since there was such little notice for them, and some vendors who hadn't been to the year previous came to this one which was great! We wandered around looking at all the vendor's and artist's alley for a while. Next was lining up to get some celebrity autographs. My friend and I stayed in line to meet George Takei for 30-45 minutes, but well worth the wait. He was extremely nice and fun to talk to! Next we went and waited to meet Patricia Sommersett who is the voice of Princess Zelda from Breath of the Wild. Very kind lady. I was super excited that she had memorized the Hylian alphabet and signed my book in it! After wandering around a bit more and grabbing some lunch. I decided it was time to get into costume and go check in for the costume contest. It's funny how the entire con atmosphere changes once you are in a costume. When I walk around as myself I'm just invisible, another con-goer, but once the costume goes on everyone wants to talk to you, take your photo. I had a line up at one point for getting pictures! The most exciting part for me though was when I walked past the professionaly cosplayers, and one group immediately stopped me and asked for my photo. It's so amazing when someone who is more experienced than you, more talented wants YOUR photo, and compliments YOUR work. I was also stopped by one of the Fan Expo officials and asked to do a pose and jig so they could post it on instagram which was amazing! So after wandering around as Skull Kid for a bit, we made our way to the main stage to get ready for the costume contest. There were so many awesome costumes, such talented people. Once we were back stage the nerves really set in. This was the first time I have ever been in a costume contest. I was super concerned about my lack of visibility and the fact I needed to climb stairs BUT it all worked out in the end. I ended up being the last contestant to go on stage. I was mostly surprised at how many of these people were in the novice and journeyman categories. In master's it was just me and one other person. Once it was my turn on stage, the nerves really took over. It's funny how you practice your answers to the questions and when you actually get asked...all the wrong stuff comes out. I had so much more I wanted to say about my costume, and my mouth just stopped working. OH well. I was absolutely thrilled to have my name called as the winner of the master class in this years contest. Such an honour! So overall we had a fabulous time at Fan Expo and are definitely looking forward to the Fan Expo Vancouver 2020 experience. |
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