The 4th comic convention on my circuit in Telford, West Midlands has come to an end. I enjoyed it- met some great people and received some awesome comments about my work. Means a lot. Dealing with insomnia during a busy weekend event doesn't help matters, but I'm glad everything went smoothly.

Right now I'm in the middle of checking and amending proofs for my latest book, 'The Artist's Guide to Drawing Manga'.  It's looking nice, and hopefully will be available for sale in the coming month or two once it goes to print.

Back from attending the London Anime and Gaming Con. Managed to finally get my Deathnote fan art inked, coloured and printed for the event which got a lot of interest. I'll add it to my portfolio gallery in due course and make prints available for sale through my store soon.

I'm booked up for several UK comic conventions this year. I'll be selling my artwork prints and books.  Feel free to stop by at my table and say hi if attending any of these:

• London anime and gaming Con : 6th / 7th February
• MCM Midlands Comic Con : 13th February
• London Super Comic Con : 20th / 21st February
• London Film and Comic Con : 27th / 28th February
• MCM Liverpool Comic Con : 12th / 13th March
• Medway Comic and Screen Fest : 19th March
• MCM London Comic Con : 27th / 28th / 29th May
• London Film and Comic Con : 29th /30th / 31st July

I'll be updating this list later in the year as and when I'm able to make bookings for other events, so watch this space.

Exhibiting at Comic Con

It was invited to attend my first comic convention-like event as an artist. Japanorama - A Japan and anime themed event held at the National Space Centre in Leicester from 4th-5th of May 2013. It was described as:

I was described as:

Ben Krefta from Organic Metal, is a hugely popular artist and designer, who runs online tutorials

A quick summary of what happened

I was one of several guest artists given a stall in the 'Artists Alley', along with talented artists: Chie Kutsuwada, Laura Watton-Davies, Jodie Azhar, Emma Vieceli and Dock. The aim- to talk to visitors of the show, sell our own selection of art related goods and potentially take commissions.

Unlike the others artist in attendance, I'd never attended this kind of live event. I had no idea what to expect. I made do with selling several postcard size art prints, which I'd sign for customers. I'd talk to fans and discuss potential commissions. To be honest, I was unprepared and I probably wouldn’t have considered going had I not been invited. In the end. I'm glad I did- it was a great experience.

Chatting to fellow manga inspired artists and fans alike was a worthwhile experience. It's something I usually only do from behind a computer screen. At one point, we got up on the main stage to give a talk about working as manga inspired artists in the UK. Again, presenting art related info is something I'd previously only done via my website or art books. The public speaking side of things felt a little daunting, yet all worked out in the end.

I'd be happy to attend a few more similar events in the future to get a greater feel for the whole con-going experience and see how they compare :)