We are mere days away from the best four days in gaming! Gen Con 2026 will begin this coming Thursday in Indianapolis, IN,
As mentioned last week, I will have the
Lastly, as mentioned last week, I will be part of the FREE Rolling for Wisdom panel this coming Friday at Gen Con! I hope to see you there!
That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here after Gen Con! Until then...
A week from today at Gen Con, I will be part of the panel, Rolling for Wisdom: Navigating AI's Impact on Tabletop Gaming! In addition to myself, the panelists will include Elizabeth Hargrave, Steve Hobbs, Justin Gary, and Brian Lewis. The short description: Industry leaders from design, publishing, and law gather for a civil, nuanced conversation about AI's impact on tabletop gaming — and how the community can shape what comes next.
And the long description: What role should AI play in the games we design, publish, and love? Some see an existential threat to the artists and designers who make this industry what it is. Others see a tool that could expand creative possibility. Most fall in between, hungry for a conversation deeper than social media shouting. This panel isn't here to settle the debate. We're here to do something harder: have an honest, respectful conversation about a genuinely difficult issue, in front of a community that cares deeply about the outcome. Our goal is to set a tone. If we can show that people with different perspectives can sit at the same table, listen, and find common ground, we can lay the foundation for an industry initiative to develop humane best practices for how AI intersects with tabletop game creation. Panelists: Elizabeth Hargrave, Steve Hobbs, Justin Gary, Christopher Burdett, & Brian Lewis.
That's all for another exciting week on the blog! See you back here on Monday! Until then...
Four of my Magic
That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...
Next week will see the start of Gen Con 2026! The best four days in gaming will once more roll for initiative in Indianapolis, IN, this coming July 30 - August 2. I will be returning to the Art Show after missing last year due to a last-minute emergency (everyone is totally okay!).
I will have all my monsters and, of course, some surprises that I will be sharing with you throughout the week. We will be in a slightly different location than I have been previously. Typically, you will find us in the lower left quadrant near the out rows, but this year, you will find us way up in the upper right quadrant, one row in at table 86. In some ways, it should be easier for you to find us! I hope to see you in Indianapolis next week!
That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here on Wednesday! Until then...
I am thrilled to announce that I will be returning to Gen Con in 2026! I will see you Indianapolis for the best four days in gaming July 30 - August 2, 2026. Gen Con is one of my main events of the year and has been for over a decade. It is a lot of work, and now that I know I am in the show, planning begins NOW.
Due to events beyond our control, we are no longer able to attend Gen Con this year. My deepest apologies to those planning on seeing me there. I would not be canceling unless it was absolutely necessary. My next appearance this year will be at IX in October, and I hope to see you there! In addition, I will be taking a brief pause on the blog and a bit of social media until the dust settles.
I will see you back here as soon as possible. Thank you for understanding! Until then...
Gen Con 2025 is this week! Starting Thursday in Indianapolis, IN, are the best four days in gaming, and you will find me in the Gen Con Art Show all four days with my monsters and more! I have been sharing all the new things and surprises I will have with me at Gen Con this year, but with this final post before the convention, I have one more surprise. That last surprise, of course, would be MtG artist proofs!
I have made the time to create some new Magic the Gathering artist proofs with original art on their backs. These are always popular, and I wanted to have some fun with them this time and not recreate the art on the cards' fronts, but instead draw and paint some things I wanted to. You will find characters from summer films, mutated turtles, pocket monsters, and dragons. Something for everyone! These scans do not do the cards justice, but have a look at what you will find at Gen Con 2025.
And as mentioned before, here are all the other new surprises I will have with me at Gen Con 2025, in addition to the whole of the Grand Bazaar and all the monsters held within.
If you are attending, I hope to see you at table 50 in the Gen Con Art Show!
That is all for another exciting Monday on the blog. I will see you back here after Gen Con! Until then...
With Gen Con next week, not only am I bringing my Mystery Print Bundles and NEW Ethra Crest stickers, debuting new art from The Grand Bazaar of Ethra VanDalia, but I will also have with me some new monster originals! I will have at Gen Con three illustrations that are based on some of my favorite monsters. These pencil, ink, marker, and acrylic images are on 9x12 illustration board and come in two varieties: Beholder and Mind Flayer. After the attention a piece I did last year for a charity auction received, I decided it would be fun to make more pieces in the style. These were super fun to make and a nice break from my usual work. If these are well received, I might just have to make some more!
That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here on Monday for the last of my Gen Con surprises! Until then...
Gen Con 2025 begins next week! While the convention runs from July 31 - August 3rd, it starts earlier for those exhibiting. I have a travel day and a set-up day next week before the first person arrives at my table in the Art Show. I have a lot planned for the show in addition to all of the usual monsters and fiends that accompany me to shows. I will have many new secrets to share with you later this week through next Monday, but for now, I wanted to share where you can find me and one known surprise for the show.
Already announced, I will have my Mystery Print Bundles with me at Gen Con for the first time! They were a hit at Pensacon and Infinity Con, and I am thrilled to bring them to Gen Con. In each bundle, you will find three prints from my gaming work that are no longer available elsewhere. There is a high probability of finding a print with an original sketch in the bundles. There are also some bundles with a bonus fourth print and one bundle with a certificate to win an original drawing (You must return the certificate to me in person at a show to get the original drawing.)!
Speaking of drawings, here is a look at just a few of the many sketches that can be found on the borders of some of the prints. I did the math wrong, and now over half of the bundles have prints with sketches!
That's all for another exciting Monday on the blog. See you back here on Wednesday! Until then...
Things came together faster than I had expected, and what was to be a Gen Con surprise is now also an Infinity Con surprise. I am
That is all for an unexpected Thursday on the blog. See you back here tomorrow! Until then...
With my convention season jumping into high gear in July, I thought I would put a little sneak peek of things to come here on the blog today. That's it. No other details or info - for now. Stay tuned,
That's all for another exciting week on the blog. See you back here on Monday! Until then...
That is all for another Thursday on the blog. See you back here tomorrow! Until then...
For many reasons, Gen Con is my biggest show of the year. It has the most attendees, vendors, artists, and activities, and it is in the largest convention center and city of any show I do in a year. It also costs the most to attend and to be a part of. Gen Con has been good to me over the years. There have been rocky spots and some bumpy years, but we keep coming back to Gen Con. It is also the show I feel like I worked the hardest while at the show as well as preparing for it. I am still processing this year's show. I feel like I am spending more time thinking about how shows perform, what worked, what didn't work, and what I can do differently moving forward in ways I never did before COVID-19. While I think this is primarily due to my complete focus on the Grand Bazaar, which is my creation and not that of my clients, I also think I am looking at conventions differently - which is all a good thing.
And here we are at Gen Con 2024. This year was my best Gen Con to date. Saleswise, it was the best I have had as it surpassed my record last year. Emotionally, it was my best as well, but this has a lot to do with winning the Doug Kovacs award at the Gen Con Art Show awards. This award has a history and a story to it, and I am not really prepared to go into it here. Let me just say it means a great deal to me (like, REALLY A LOT), and I share this award with many other great artists. It is just really, really special when the universe taps you on the shoulder and gives you a nod. Many thanks to all the judges, Barbara Fisher and, of course, Wayne Reynolds.
A HUGE thanks to all who came by the booth this year. It was great to share the Grand Bazaar with you. I am not sure that the couple will ever see this, but you walked away saying that I was giving you the 'hard sale.' That is not something I do or like. I was letting you know that the item you were interested in has been selling out at events that I have done this year and, at the time, was tracking that way at Gen Con. I just wanted you to know the reality of the situation. I am sorry if I offended you, but I was just trying to be honest and to help you find what you were looking for. Moving on... It was SO wonderful to see so many friends and familiar faces this year! Many that I haven't seen since before COVID. I wish that we had more time together, but hopefully, this means we will cross paths again soon.
But as I said before, I am still processing the convention. I have some early takeaways, but I am sure more will become clear as I move further from the event and continue to ponder and ruminate on things. For now, enjoy these photos from Gen Con 2024 and some additional thoughts!
That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...
