Getting ready for Illuxcon 3

Illuxcon 3 is this week and I have been gearing up for it for a while now. Over the weekend I packed up all my gear for the showcase event that will be taking place Friday night and Saturday morning. Since I am flying to Illuxcon the challenge was to get everything I would need into a single suitcase. Thankfully I was able to pack and arrange everything I wanted and needed to bring into one suitcase, save for one item. Unfortunately the piece that would not fit, a 26" x 26" canvas print, will not be accompanying me to Illuxcon. I contemplated taking the print as carry on baggage, but in the end decided it was a headache and hassle I did not want to deal with. The print will just have to wait patently for Gen Con next year to come out and play. I have for you today some photos of the items I will be bringing and how I packed them all away into one suitcase.

First and foremost the most important items that I am trying to get to Illuxcon in one piece are my stretched canvas prints. Four of my canvas prints fit very well into the suitcase while still allowing everything else I needed to bring.

Three of the prints are 20" x 15" and the last is 9" x 20"

I paired them off and placed them face to face with a sheet of plastic between them. I then wrapped them in a plastic bag and finally they got several layers of bubble wrap. The corners and ends got additional bubble wrap. You can never be too sure and the extra layers allowed for a snugger fit into the suitcase.

Well padded and water resistant. Hopefully when I get to Illuxcon and they will be in one piece.

I dedicated one half of the suitcase to the canvas prints. There was a small gap towards the hinge that my table top easel fit perfectly. It was a little disturbing how well everything fit into the suitcase. Almost as if the suitcase was designed and built for this purpose alone!

All set! The first and biggest hurdle has been crossed.

Now that the canvas prints are taken care of it is just a matter of fitting everything else in and making sure I don't forget anything...

Banners! Make sure people know who you are... twice even! I have two since the printers made an error the first time they printed it and when they corrected it they gave me the first one too. Shop locally!

Sharpies, tape, adhesive strips, labels (preprinted and blank), clips and small stands. You can never have enough tape or clips, you never know what you may need them for. They might just save the day! I some how went to Videocon without a single Sharpie, I will not let that happen again. Labels are very important and blanks allow for quick corrections and additions. The little stand is to display my sketchbook. Speaking of sketchbook...

I will have 26 copies of my sketchbook with my at Illuxcon. You can have the option to get an original drawing on the inside of your copy! Make sure you come by and get one for your very own. I packed these in a very similar way to the canvas prints - wrapped in plastic and then in bubble wrap to allow for as much additional protection as possible.

Promote thyself! I made sure to pack plenty of my business cards, postcard and buttons. Be sure to come by and say hi and get yourself a button! Some folks have asked me about my sketch cards, so I will have a few with me that didn't get snatched up at Geek Night.

PRINTS! I will have 7 different prints available at Illuxcon. Supplies are limited so be sure to get your favorites right away before they are gone. They are all sealed in individual bags and then wrapped again as a whole into two other bags. I want to make sure any moisture really has to work to get to them.

Prints not your thing? Want something more REAL? I will be bringing two binders of my original drawings with me. If you ever wanted to see my drawings in person or even own one, this will be your chance! The binders are packed in several layers of plastic as well.

Now everything just has to fit into the suitcase! On the left side are the canvas prints and easel...

While on the right are the sketchbooks, prints, original drawings, banners and just about everything else all arranged in such a way that it would make a Tetris master proud.

One last thing to check... and yes, it will close and there are no horrible sounds and no leaking fluids. All I need to worry about now is not to forget my portfolio, computer, camera... oh yeah... and my cloths.

Starting most likely on Thursday I will be posting from Illuxcon. I will try to get as many pictures as I can and document the goings on throughout the four days that will be Illuxcon 3. See you in Altoona! Until then...

For more samples of my work or to contact me regarding my availability head over to my website: www.christopherburdett.com