Comic-Con Recap

I'm happy to report that my first year exhibiting at San Diego's Comic-Con went very well. The latest book, The Daily Zoo Goes to Paris!, seemed to be received well and I did not lose any limbs to careless lightsaber usage or run into any problems by not being fluent in Klingon.

Thank you very much to those of you who stopped by and said hello! Hope to see you again next year!

Mom helped with booth duty while I did a quick sketch for Claudio from Australia.

Comic-Con and the Latest Daily Zoo Book!

Greetings Daily Zoo friends,

Just a quick note here to say that my latest Daily Zoo book, The Daily Zoo Goes to Paris, has reached American soil and is now available! It features the 58 pieces (all previously unpublished) that were in the Daily Zoo exhibition in The City of Lights in January 2012. There are some additional surprises too. If you couldn't make it to Paris to see the exhibition, this is the next best thing!

It will probably take a few weeks for it to be available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or your favorite local bookseller but why wait? You can order your copy direct from The Daily ZooMart now! (www.chrisayers.bigcartel.com) I'm happy to sign all books and add an animal sketch of your choice.

Sample pages can be seen below.

In other news I'll have a table at San Diego's Comic-Con for the first time this year (July 11-15). If you're going, please stop on by and say hello. I'm at table E-8. Or look for the big tiger. I'll have copies of The Daily Zoo Goes to Paris! on hand. Hope to see you there!

Mayo Clinic Events - Rochester, MN

Greetings from Minnesota! It's good to be back home for a bit. I am in town for some events at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. I will be the giving the keynote address at tomorrow's Cancer Survivor Day celebration (free for all cancer survivors and up to 2 guests). Please see the flyer below for more details.

Monday I will be giving an in-house presentation to the Mayo media & illustration staff followed by a Creative Renewal workshop for patients and staff in the afternoon.

Currently there is an exhibit of 30 Daily Zoo prints in the Mayo Clinic's Hage Atrium which runs through June 6, 2012. This Monday evening, June 4th from 5:30 - 7:30 PM, is a reception in the exhibit area with light refreshments. I'll be giving a short presentation at 6 PM. If you're in the area and looking for an alternative to watching reality television, please stop on by!

Hershey, PA - "The Sweetest Place on Earth"

Last week I made a quick trip to Hershey, Pennsylvania, to give the keynote address at the local chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's annual blood cancer conference. Hershey, the town built up around Milton S. Hershey's chocolate empire, calls itself "The Sweetest Place on Earth." Though my trip was a short one, I have to agree that it is, indeed, pretty sweet. The people that I met were all very kind, helpful, and friendly. (It threw me for a loop, however, when I was asked, "Milk or dark?" at the hotel check-in and then handed a big Hershey bar along with my room key!) My heartfelt thanks to Danielle Bubnis and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society for the invitation to share my story and art!

Orange County Young Authors' Faire...Today!

In case you're in the mood for pancakes this morning...or find yourself in Orange County looking for something to do, consider dropping by the 11th Annual Young Authors' Faire put on by the Orange County Department of Education (complete with a pancake breakfast!). The Faire celebrates young authors in grades K-8, showcases their work, and provides opportunities to meet professional authors and illustrators. I'll have a table there and be doing a drawing workshop geared towards kids from 10:30-11:15 AM.

This event is free and open to the public so stop on by. Pancakes...mmmmmmm...

What: Orange County Young Authors' Faire
When: Saturday, May 19th 8am - 12pm
Where: Orange County Dept. of Education
              200 Kalmus Drive
              Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Cost: Admission & parking is free. Pancake breakfast is $3.00
http://ocde.us/yaf/Pages/default.aspx

Festival of Books This Weekend!

Greetings all! If you're looking for a fun activity this weekend, consider checking out the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. The USC campus is beautiful and there are a lot of great things to see, especially if - like me - you love books. I'll be exhibiting at Booth 772 with books, prints, shirts, and cards for the offering.

What: The Los Angeles Times 17th Annual Festival of Books
When: April 21-22, 2012
SAT: 10am - 6pm
SUN: 10am - 5pm
Where: University of Southern California (USC)
Admission: FREE! (But I believe parking on campus is $10)

London Calling!

If you happen to be in London tomorrow night and are looking for something fun to do, why not check out ARTSPRINT, an auction fundraiser featuring signed prints from a whole slew of artists (including a couple from me). My new acquaintances Asa & Kim are running the 2012 London Marathon and are raising funds for the Nicaragua Solidarity Campaign. To that end they have organized this event which also features live music and an "enchanted" photo booth!

Here's more info directly from the dynamic duo:
"Kim & Åsa would like to extend a warm invitation to you and your friends to join them at the Miller pub near London Bridge on Friday 16th March for a fun night of live music, competitive bidding in an auction of art prints and drawings, dressing up for photos in the Mighty Booth and a lively DJ set from Fu & Spig to keep you on your dancing toes into the wee hours of the morning. Only £5 entry, doors open at 6.30pm. 96 Snowsfields Road, London Bridge, SE1 3SS


Whet your bidding appetites by looking through the amazing donations on our online image gallery:
http://artsprint2012.blogspot.com/"

What could be better than a pre-St. Patty's pint while shakin' that tushie and looking at some art?