During the last weekend of September, thousands of people attended the FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention, many of them purchasing art from BYU graduates who sold their art in the Artist Alley.
According to FanX Salt Lake's website, "Artists worldwide come to show and sell their best at FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention’s Artist Alley!" It's one of FanX’s many attractions including celebrity panels and vendors.
Andrea Ballestero, a graduate from BYU’s illustration program, started tabling at the popular convention during her junior year. This year, her table included bracelets, charms, art prints, stickers and more original work.
“I super love getting to interact with people that are into the same things as me,” Ballestero said. She said she enjoys getting to talk about the media she loves and seeing her creations have a positive impact on others in the community.
When asked how her education at BYU has helped her become the artist she is today, Ballestero said her figure drawing class was big for her.
“It really helped to flesh out my art and add a lot more finesse to it,” Ballestero said. “When you get a handle on anatomy, it really changes the way your art looks.”
Aside from improving her art, Ballestero said she had a spiritual experience while in her figure drawing class — something she never expected to have in a classroom.
Ballestero recounted sitting in class one day, sketching out a model. “I just had this feeling of, like, God really designed the human body and there is art to it.”
Being a concept artist, Ballestero said she is familiar with going through many different iterations before landing on a final idea.
“It made me think, 'Oh, I wonder if God went through the same process of designing the human body and how it all functions together,'” she said.
For those wanting to table at conventions, Ballestero recommends not trying to fit into a mold just because it’s popular.
“Honestly, just focus on what you love to make,” she said, “because you’re probably going to run into somebody who loves it just for that reason.”
At Ballestero’s first or second year into tabling at conventions, she did a "Walking Dead" and "Sailor Moon" crossover art piece, with battle-ready Sailor Moon characters in grungy outfits ready to fight in a zombie war.
“Somebody who had seen that ended up cosplaying in the outfit that I designed for the character,” Ballestero said. She said it was one of her favorite experiences at a convention.
Luckily, FanX Salt Lake is a great place to encounter people who are part of fandoms that Ballestero loves, such as "Holostars." "Digimon" and "Final Fantasy" are favorites of Preston Alexander, another graduate student who had an artist table at the convention.
Preston Alexander, a BYU-Idaho illustration program graduate has been tabling for eight years and loves being part of the community.
“I just like creating something that not just myself enjoys, but also seeing others enjoy it as well,” Alexander said.
Alexander works as both a graphic designer and a freelance illustrator, but he also loves comic conventions. He said his education at BYU-Idaho helped him get to where he is today professionally and to really understand the business of being an artist.
“You learn to learn at school,” Alexander said.
Artists interested in being part of Artist Alley at next year's convention can visit FanX's artist and vendor website closer to the event.