Sunday, October 18, 2015

My Gen Con 2015

I finally got around to making my Gen Con post.  I had another good year at Gen Con.  This is what I did this year:


Steampunk Leather Top Hat (WKS1570403)

Host: Tanya Clark (Under the Mushroom)

Description: Make your own leather top hat. You will have a wearable hat when you complete this project. Sizes are available on a first come/first served basis. We will be learning to cut, punch and sew leather.


Tools and materials we used.  Thankfully they had all pieces cut out and the holes marked.  We had to punch the holes out ourselves but that's part of the experience you need when you work with leather.  Tools were borrow only but they gave us a lot of great information on how to get our own.





My finished hat!  It's in a little bad shape since I shoved it into a suitcase.  I was able to finish it in class.  They had four different dyes for us to choose from.  I asked if I could use two, they were cool with it as long as I didn't try something crazy like mixing them.  This project was easy and had great instructors.  They were great at answering questions and gave excellent tips.  It was a very pleasant class, enough though the air conditioning was broken and it was ridiculously hot.  It would gladly take another class from this group.



Henna Hands Temporary Tattoo Class (SPA1573396)

Host: Cosplayrunway
Description: Both freehand and stencil technique will be taught. Expect to leave class with hand tattoos in place. 



Unfortunately I wasn't real happy with this class.  It was basically here's some stuff have at it.  The henna  was a mixture that the host made, we didn't get the recipe.  It wasn't easy to use.  No tips or techniques were shared. We were given some sheets with design ideas and some blank paper to practice.  Most of us had to use plastic sandwich bags with a hole poked in a corner like a cheap icing bag.  Not that it is bad but it didn't work well.  Some people who complained were given squeeze bottles to use which seemed much better, but there were only two.  Stencils were not offered until it was obvious people were struggling.  The top picture is my hand with the henna paste on it, done freehand.  The second is after I removed it,  I think I made it to at least six hours before it started peeling off.  



Special Event: An Evening with Patrick Rothfuss (SEM1578871)

Host: Patrick Rothfuss

Description: Bestselling author Patrick Rothfuss tells stories, reads from his books, and has an awesome time with his fans. Prepare for passionate cussing, laughter, and an outside chance of the Rothfuss singing. 

Patrick Rothfuss is one of my favorite authors.  He is also a great public speaker, hilarious!  I am glad I was able to make it to this event.  This was my second time hearing him speak and it is always a blast.  He tells great stories and answers all questions truthfully.  Learn more about him at his blog




Chainmaille Dragon Sculpture (WKS1572661)

Host: Vanessa Walilko (AluminumChainmail.com)

Description: Use jump rings and scales to create a chainmail dragon sculpture. 


Tools and materials used for this class.  Pliers were borrow only.  We were given plenty of jump rings to complete our dragons and had plenty of extra left.  She also gave us printed detailed instructions with pictures to take home. 


This is the dragon I finished in class.  It's a little short but I have plenty of rings if I want to make it longer.  I took a class with Vanessa two years ago and in both she was  a great teacher.  This class is a little more difficult than basic chainmail.  Some a lady next to me was complaining because the instructor wasn't at her side the whole time.  I think you need at least an understanding of 4 in 1 chainmail to be able to do this class successfully.  I had a great time and Vanessa helped people as much as she could in a class that big.  She's very talented and helpful.



Crafty Thinking: Creating a Business From Your Hobby (SEM1573996)

Host: Toni Smith

Description:  Have questions on starting or growing your own business? Join Craft Hacker members & small business owners for a Q & A session about owning your own business. 

This was a seminar I went to about helping you get your crafting business going.  Everyone on the panel was very informative.  I was hoping they would give more of a lecture but I forgot the description said Q & A.  They answered all questions giving a lot of great advice and encouragement.
They run a membership website to help crafters with their business, whether it's design or legal advice, crafthackers.com



Concert Against Humanity

This was an event done outside of the convention at the Murat Theater.

Description:  An epic comedy show and concert hosted by Cards Against Humanity.  Your ticket includes a swag bag worth over $100 with new products and show exclusives from Magic: The Gathering, the Pathfinder ACG, Loot Crate, Worldbuilders, Greater Than Games, Cards Against Humanity, and more.

Guests:   Kumail Nanjiani,  Paul and Storm,  Cameron Esposito,  The Doubleclicks.,  Molly Lewis,  Patrick Rothfuss, and John Scalzi.

This was a great event.  Everyone was hilarious!  The people from Cards Against Humanity had the audience help them reply to customer emails.  Incredible songs by Paul and Storm, Molly Lewis, and The Doubleclicks.  Kumail Nanjiani and Cameron Esposito gave awesome comdey routines.    Patrick Rothfuss and John Scalzi did funny skits.   I loved this show and hope they will do it again next year!  The grab bag was pretty cool too.



Leather Hardbound Book (SPA1573117) 

Host: Mandy Falco (Indy Upcycle)

Description:  Traditional hardback books take 2 days to make. We will create one in 2 hours. Starting with a pre-made book block, you will create a leather cover and bind your book. To understand how to make a traditional hardbound book, we will start by deconstructing one. We'll discuss the parts, methods for making them, and where to source materials. We will then give books a more beautiful cover and reconstruct our books.




 I don't know what I did with my pictures for this class but here is the finished book.  I take one of Mandy's classes every year.  She's a great teacher and gives you a lot of information.  She always has something new too.  We did exactly what the class description said.  We took the cover off a small hardcover journal and covered it in leather.  This was an easy and fun class.





That's everything I did at Gen Con this year besides browse the dealer hall and demo a couple of board games :)





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