It’s time to feature the cosplay portion of last Saturday’s Teen Anime Fest which was hosted by the Quad City Public Libraries and the Figge Art Museum.  First up we have cosplay designer and workshop instructor, Jenna.  She was kind enough to offer up her experience and fascinating expertise when it comes to all things cosplay.  Jenna provided her audience with great instructions on mask making, sewing skills, costume design, and practical tips for cosplaying in general.  A huge thank you goes out to Jenna for her enthusiastic presentation, as well as bringing in some of her spectacular creations to pass around.  Jenna attends high school in Bettendorf and got started making masks thanks to a knowledgeable and inspiring art teacher.

After the cosplay workshop, supplies such as furry material, foam sheets, felt, socks, gloves, buttons and glue guns were provided for teens to go wild with.  A few made furry gloves with claws and this next picture shows a teen participant who was able to finish his creation in time to parade it through the cosplay fashion show.  Nice work.

After the cosplay fashion show it was time to choose the winners.  Yet, it wasn’t as easy as you might think.  With over 30 teens participating in the cosplay event we ended up seeing more than a few stellar ensembles.  In order to determine the winner of the Teens’ Choice Award we decided that it would be best to let the audience clap for their favorites and whoever received the loudest applause would win.  Well, we narrowed it down to two finalists and had to have a clap-off to try and determine the real winner.  Turns out that even the tie breaker was too close to call.  So, instead of giving out a Teens’ Choice Award and a Librarians’ Choice Award, we spontaneously went with two Teens’ Choice Awards.  Too fun!  Enjoy these pics of the winners who each received $25 gift cards to Hobby Lobby.  Thanks to everyone for participating.

In the top picture, one award winner is the teen on the left with the freshly dyed green hair.  Mello Peterson did a spot on cosplay of Saria from Legend of Zelda.  In the bottom picture, the other award winner is the girl crouching in front.  She left before we could get her name Congratulations to the winners!!

Posted under Libraries Together

The Teen Anime Fest at the Figge was such a great time!  Thanks to those of you who were able to make it to the event on Saturday.  Over 100 people showed up and nearly all of them were teens.  The partnership between the Quad City Public Libraries and the Figge Art Museum was a perfect match for the many teen anime and manga lovers in the area.  They sure seemed to enjoy themselves.  We had 67 art submissions on display for the Manga Art Show.  Way to go teens!!  You all did a really fantastic job!

We decided to break the art contest up into two age brackets, 12-14 yr. olds & 15-18 yr. olds.  Local professional artist, Heidi Hernandez, judged the contest and selected one grand prize winner in each age group.  They were then awarded $25 gift cards to Hobby Lobby.  Five honorable mentions were also chosen in each age group and recipients of those received a tasty Pocky prize.  Also, all of the artists were awarded an official certificate of artistic excellence for participating in the contest.  Following are pictures of the winning artwork:

Age Division: 12-14

Best In Show:  Portrait of A Boy - Clayton Summers

Honorable Mention: Goddess - Emily Stogdill

Honorable Mention: Yin & Yang - Casey Albee

Honorable Mention: Flawed Design - Deme Echelbarger

Honorable Mention: Kawii Kitty Twins - Bailey Hager

Honorable Mention: Dream Wielder - Jacob Joslyn

Age Division 15-18

Best In Show: Guardian - Christopher Mbakwe

Honorable Mention: Yuki - Mimzy Storm

Honorable Mention: The Gang’s All Here - Ruth Sanders

Honorable Mention: Mamimi - Jacob Burns

Honorable Mention: Dangerous Beauty - Sari Moore

Honorable Mention: Believe - Basilia Koster

Stay tuned to tomorrow’s post when we revisit the cosplay portions of the Anime Fest.  Again, great job everyone!  Don’t forget to pick up your artwork at the library that you submitted it to.  Special thanks to local artist, Heidi Hernandez, and, of course, the Figge Art Museum for hosting the event…thank you!

Posted under Libraries Together

Hilarious!  Compelling.  Five stars!!  Classic.  Two thumbs up.  A must see!  All of these statements are true in regards to Seth Gordon’s brilliant documentary The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters.  It is by far the best flick I’ve seen all year.  Seriously!  Okay, okay, I haven’t seen all that many films lately, but this one has certainly left a positive lasting impression.  Don’t be deterred by the fact that it’s a documentary.  You can’t make up characters as intriguing as those found in this illustrious slice of the hardcore classic videogaming world.  Wait, a hardcore classic videogaming world exists??  And they have officials??  You betcha.

While the drama is centered around Steve Wiebe, a likeable family man/science teacher with a touching story, who is trying to dethrone the barely tolerable bad haircut sportin’ 1982 Donkey Kong world record holder Billy Mitchell, the film begins to raise bigger life questions and becomes a classic battle between good and evil.  This PG-13 flick is definitely entertainment at its finest.

Even if you have no interest whatsoever in videogames, you’ll enjoy this movie.  I guarantee The King of Kong will make you laugh, even tug at the old heartstrings a bit, and hopefully open your eyes and get you thinking about the meaning of how you live your life.  Or not.  Maybe you’ll just pick up a few tips on how to get around the peskiest barrels without losing a life and arrive at the awaiting princess with a record score.  Good luck with that.

Posted under Libraries Together, review

The Quad City area public libraries and the Figge Art Museum have teamed up to offer the area’s first anime convention for teens.  The jam-packed event will take place at the Figge on Saturday, October 18th, from 12-4:30.  If you’re a fan of anime and manga, you won’t want to miss out on this unique program.  The lineup of events includes an art show and reception, tea tasting, cosplay and face painting stations, comic book/graphic novel swap, screening of Spirited Away, graphic novel workshop with a local professional artist, cosplay fashion show, and a fun awards ceremony to announce the art contest/cosplay fashion show winners.  There will also be Anime vendors on site, too.  Surely, there’ll be something for everyone at this event!  Admission for the day is just $5 and there is no registration required.

Stay tuned to the blog for more info as the event approaches.  Or feel free to contact the teen representatives at your local public library for more details.  You can always call DPL’s general line @ 563-326-7893, too.

Prior to the anime event, various public libraries will be holding a manga art contest.  Entries will be on display at the Figge the day of the Anime Fest.  Winners will be selected by a professional artist and announced at the awards ceremony.  Check out tomorrow’s post for the specifics on the art contest and submitting entries.

Posted under Libraries Together, announcement

Quad-Cities Libraries and the Figge Art Museum are organizing the first annual Teen Anime Fest and Manga Art Show.  This unique event will take place at the Figge on October 18th, from 12-4:30.

In preparation for the Manga Art Show, QC Public Libraries will be holding art contests.  Check with your local library to see if they’re participating.  Young artists, ages 12-18, are invited to submit their original artwork drawn in manga or comic book style. All different mediums -paint, pencil, graphic design, etc.- can be used.  Interested teen artists should submit their original artwork and completed entry forms to their local library.  Submissions will be accepted September 2nd –October 3rd, 2008. Entries can also be emailed to scarlin@scottcountylibrary.org

Only two entries per person will be accepted. Depending on the number of submissions, we may choose to display only one of each person’s works.  Entries will be on display in the Figge’s studios, from 12-4:30, the day of the Teen Anime Fest.  Artwork will be judged by a professional artist and prizes will be awarded to the winners.  Please turn in one entry form per each piece submitted.  There is no registration fee for the art contest.  Click on the following link for a printable version of the form:

Manga Art Contest Entry Form

Please note: There is no need to frame your artwork.  Since it will only be on display for the afternoon, we will be pinning them up in a temporary fashion.  If you have concerns, it might be best to fix your art to a larger piece of paper that we can put the pins through.

As previously mentioned, the Teen Anime Fest and Manga Art Show will take place on Saturday, October 18th, from 12-4:30 at the Figge Art Museum located in downtown Davenport.  The event is for teens only!  There will be a $5 admission fee at the door.  No registration is required.  A wide variety of activities are planned for the day, and participants will be able to move freely among them.  The line-up of events for the day is as follows:

2008 Teen Anime Fest Schedule of Events

12-2 (in Studio 3) Manga Art Show and Reception-w/snacks and refreshments

12-2 (in Studio 2) Cosplay Creating Station, DIY Face Painting, Anime Vendors

12-1 (in Studio 1) Comic/Graphic Novel Swap Station

1-1:40 (in Studio 1) Graphic Novel Workshop-w/local professional artist

1:45-2:00 (in auditorium) Cosplay Fashion Show

2:00-4:15 (in auditorium) screening of Spirited Away

4:15-4:30 (in auditorium) Art Contest and Cosplay Fashion Show Awards Ceremony

Mark your calendars now, as you won’t want to miss out on this event!  If you do plan to attend, be sure to bring items for the swap, a sketchbook for the graphic novel workshop, and don’t forget to dress in your cosplay gear.  For more information call Davenport Public Library at 563-326-7893, or contact cvogt@davenportlibrary.com scarlin@scottcountylibrary.org or jgillette@bettendorf.org

Posted under Libraries Together, announcement

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl is such a fun, quick read that I’d recommend it to just about anyone in 8th grade or higher.  It’s especially good for teen boys that don’t like to read much, or girls who are interested in a teenage male’s point of view.  Fans of graphic novels and comics will dig it, too, as it’s full of references to popular graphic novels, comic books, and their famed creators.  Having said that, it also seems that readers who are new to the world of graphic novels and comics, or even slightly curious about them, would enjoy this story and find the world of Fanboy and Goth Girl highly entertaining.  Lyga, a comic lover himself, is a great writer and fills the book with short, entertaining chapters sure to hold the reader’s attention.

The main character is a cunningly smart 15 yr. old who attends a typical high school where he is often overlooked and just can’t seem to fit in anywhere.  He despises the jocks, yet his best friend, Cal, is one.  This particular dynamic thread proves itself to be one of the most interesting relationships in the story.  Then there’s Goth Girl.  Ah, Goth Girl.  She’s fearless, predictably unpredictable, and in many ways just what Fanboy needed in his life.  The two of them together-often hilarious, sometimes dark, essentially realistic-are quite the pair and it’s a treat to witness their adventures.

Aside from the high school bubble, Fanboy lives with his Mom (who’s preggers) and his step-dad (more commonly referred to as the step-fascist) and has been secretly pouring his heart and soul into the creation of his own graphic novel he calls Schemata. He’s a diehard fan of classic comics and graphic novels and has hatched a semi-secret plan to present his work to his favorite creator at the upcoming Comic Book Convention.  He figures it’s his best shot at publication, fame, and fortune.  Check it out for yourself to see what actually happens!

Posted under Libraries Together, review

I thought it would be nice to order a few titles for the YA collection that might inspire artwork for the upcoming manga contest.  In browsing the selection on Amazon.com, I came across a few good titles that, to my surprise, are already part of DPL’s collection.  Take a look at these selections, complete with product descriptions from Amazon.  As always, feel free to place a hold on the item by clicking on the link which takes you straight to the catalog record.  Happy drawing!

Making Comics by Scott McCloud–Designed as a craftsperson’s overview of the drawing and storytelling decisions and possibilities available to comics artists, covering everything from facial expressions and page layout to the choice of tools and story construction, Making Comics, like its predecessors, is also an eye-opening trip behind the scenes of art-making, fascinating for anyone reading comics as well as those making them.

Manga Mania Fantasy Worlds by Christopher Hart–Manga fantasy is the swords-and-sorcery Japanese animation style featured in the most popular video role-playing games on the market. Best-selling author Christopher Hart’s latest tutorial reveals the secrets and techniques that go into building these worlds of wonder. An increasingly fashionable style among both digital and traditional animators, manga enjoys unrivaled popularity among the game players themselves, allowing them entry into fabled worlds of startling beauty, terror, and adventure. Manga Mania Fantasy Worlds throws down the gauntlet for people interested in creating these scenes for themselves. Artists will learn how to illustrate detailed backdrops and landscapes, rugged weaponry, and, of course, fearsome creatures-aliens, faeries, ogres, and much more. In the straightforward style that is his trademark, Christopher Hart teaches the basics and the intricacies of creating manga fantasy illustrations that practically jump off the page.

50 Fantasy Vehicles to Draw & Paint: Create Awe-Inspiring Crafts for Comics, Computer Games, and Graphic Novels by Keith Thompson–The great popularity of fantasy and science fiction themes in films, books, graphic novels, and computer games has created a continuing demand for artists who can conceptualize and draw convincing space ships of tomorrow, as well as other fantasy vehicles such as cars, tanks, and sea-going vessels of the future. In this book, artist and designer Keith Thompson presents a practical course for art students. He starts with advice on finding research and reference materials, and then advises on using them as inspiration before sketching out original ideas for finished illustrations. The book’s extensive main section presents a “mechanical workshop” of fantasy designs for students to copy and adapt to their own story needs and specifications. It gives attention to the techniques of drawing, shading, and coloring. The author analyzes each of the book’s fantasy vehicles in terms of how and why artists came to their final design, how well the vehicles fit into the story being told, and how they would move, sound, and perform. Clear instruction is supplemented with more than 400 vivid, step-by-step color illustrations of sample projects.

The Fantasy Illustrator’s Technique Book by Gary A. Lippincott–Here is a heavily illustrated, highly detailed instruction manual for art students seeking professional entry in the fantasy art field. The author guides students from conception of an art idea to publication of the finished work, emphasizing methods for creating magical, mythical, and monstrous characters who inhabit worlds of fantasy and wonder.  More than 350 color illustrations.

Posted under Libraries Together, announcement