A classic event (over 30 editions should qualify in my opinion) in a new location. The organisers said Indoor Sportcentrum Eindhoven was going to have plenty of space and for me it met the set expectations. Tosca and I shared a table with Hans Hansha Harlemans. Hans specialises in drawing on coasters and if you buy something from him, a big part of the money will go to the Duchenne Parent Project. A worthy cause.
Before the opening I visited Irene Berbee who had a spot at the Syndikaat stand. Around this time I got to meet and shake hands with Maikel Verkoelen and Roderick Leeuwenhart. Also shook hands with Thessa Blijleven who was at Oost Nederlandse Stripboekenbeurs. Speaking of Deventer, during the course of the event I got to say hi to Harry Timmerman a few times. Also got to see some of the nice volunteers. One of which had their stand across ours. Have a look in their shop and see if you can find something nice.
You can never predict how an event will go , A know phenomena is the busy wave. Fortunately we had such a busy wave and we could make the most of it. During this time my cousin Ramon came to visit. In the end he left the event with some nice purchases. After this wave Johan de Neef stopped by to talk a bit. This event it was all about their Diabolique for Windmill Comics, but they have a lot more things planned. Also met some of the nice volunteers. Two of them had a table across ours. Have a look in their shop.
Tosca got to experience one of the mainstays of the event: she participated in the comic quiz hosted by Willy Vanderstrip. I was able to follow the proceedings of the quiz from our table. She did well, got second place, giving her the Silver Comic Goodie Bag (I just made up that name). Highlight of the event must be the dance battle between Tosca and Thea Stilton. In case you missed it, here it is in all it's glory: Dance Battle Thea Stilton vs Tosca Hamel Brabants Stripspektakel 2019. And that's a wrap for Saterday.
Sunday was a day of surprises. The first came from Hans Hansha, who drew my portrait on a coaster. The Artist Area was missing a few artists that were there on Saturday, but we had some reinforcement with the Dutch Lucky Luke. In the morning we got visits from Irene Berbee, Roderick Leeuwenhart and Willem van den Oever. I didn't have to explain Metal Pedal to Willem. He understood it all by himself. Which was pleasant to see. Willem has a nice art style, a good match for the children books he illustrates. Tosca had an interview with the Stripvlogger, so keep an eye out for his video about the event. Shortly after that we drew some art for a few young ladies. And there was a short visit from Ramon and Rik from Windmill comics.
The second surprise was Renée Rienties who visited our table. She and her mother came to the event as visitors. A strange sight to see her on the other side of the table, but a pleasant one. She also understood the Metal Pedal comic instantly. Perhaps my audience is... other artists?
Time passed by quickly. Going back I could ride along with Tosca and Hanne Dewachteralso tagged along until the trainstation. Happy travelling and a nice way to close a nice weekend. I haven't had time to take a good look at Hanne's work, but it looked cool. I'll have to visit her website again for sure..
