SAFFORD — Safford City-Graham County Library is helping area youths find their inner sequential artist.
The library brought in Brandt Woods, creator of the comics “In Their Nature” and “Crow and Pistachio,” to lead younger library patrons on the basics of comic art.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a while for schools, but with COVID and everything it just wasn’t possible,” Woods said. “So this was the first chance I’ve had to do it, but I’d love to this at more schools and get kids doing this.”
Children learned about shapes, perspective, color and conveying emotion through their drawing.
Adam Medina, 12, used Woods’ instruction to help refine work on his own original creation, Birdman.
“He fell into a nuclear factory and he got special powers,” Medina said. “So when someone tries to hurt the forest or something, he tries to go and save them.”
Carlos Nieto III, a former animator and background layout artist for “The Simpsons” and “King of the Hill,” and owner and creator of Anime Your Way, will be at the library Monday, June 28, at 11 a.m., to help guide youths ages 12-17 on anime and manga style.
For more information go to Library | Safford, AZ – Official Website (cityofsafford.us).
Safford’s Main Street, in the heart of the city’s Downtown area, will be the home of Arizona Fan Fest, April 22-24, 2022, and Woods will be participating in the convention with panels on digital art, as well as having collections of his comics available for sale.
Arizona Fan Fest is a pop culture event, featuring cosplay, comic books, gaming, collectibles, hand-made crafts and jewelry, art and more.
Admission to Arizona Fan Fest 2022 will be free and the convention will take place in conjunction with the 2022 Safford Spring Festival — a wine tasting, art and history event — also taking place on Safford’s Main Street that same weekend.
The costume contests will take place Saturday, April 23, 2002, and participants in the age and group categories can sign-up that day at the convention. Cosplayers participating in the premier category — which features a $1,000 prize for first place — must pre-register at AZ Fan Fest Cosplay | GilaValleyCentral.Net. There is no cost to register for any of the costume contest categories.
Cosplayers, artists and writers, gamers, comic book publishers and retailers, sellers of collectibles and food vendors who wish to reserve space at Arizona Fan Fest 2022 can do so at AZ Fan Fest Vendor Reservations | GilaValleyCentral.Net. Spaces are $75 for each 10×10 space and there is no limit on the number of spaces a vendor may reserve.
Arizona Fan Fest’s media partners are Double R Communications and GilaValleyCentral.net. E-mail lee@doublermedia.net or Stephanie@doublermedia.net for sponsorship opportunities.
