Geek.Kon is only 17 days away here in Madison, and the organizers can already call it a success. As of today they have more than 600 registered geeks, a solid turn out for an event on year one. Of course, who knows how many people will just show up on the day of this free two day event (October 6 and 7). Dane101 has been slowly highlighting various aspects of Geek.Kon (click "Geek-Kon 2007" above to read our other articles) leading up to the Geek oasis. Today we bring you local anime artist Laura Anderton. She not only designed the Geek.Kon logo, but she also put together Artist Alley. We asked Anderton some questions concerning the Alley, the Kon, and her own work as an artist (her personal website is www.laura-anderton.com).

What is "Artist Alley" and what can one find when they walk down the alley?

”Artist Alley” is a place where any artist can reserve a table and sell their work. Think “Art Fair on the Square,” but everything is related to something geeky (sci-fi, fantasy, comics, anime…). The items for sale can vary from paintings to sculpture to homemade costumes. Some artists will even draw an “on-the-spot commission,” which means you just tell them what you would like drawn (say, an elf slaying a dragon) and they will draw it, right there in front of your eyes! And since Geek.Kon is a melting-pot of all things geek, you can expect a lot of variety in the type of artwork you’ll see at the Geek.Kon Artist Alley!

Who are some of the artists involved with artist alley??

At least 15 people have signed up for Artist Alley, including the local comic studio “Studio Anti Thesis,” and David Fischer, creator of the Badger Herald comic “C'est La Mort”. For some artists, this will be there first time at an Artist Alley. Others are experienced Alley-goers. A list of all the artists can be found on the Geek.Kon website.

Here is a list of all the artists signed up:

Studio Antithesis

Rainarc Rhapsody

Adam Bemis

Kimberly Norona

Neal Siddell

Meaghan Sass

Sydney Stafl

Corinne Brown-Esqueda

David Fischer

Same Park

Elaine Ryan

Brittany Hofer

Elizabeth Hannas

Laura Anderton

Erin Burke

How did you become involved with Geek-kon?

About two months after the planning for Geek.Kon had started; I visited the UW anime club’s forums and saw a posting about it. As an illustrator and designer, and a jobless recent graduate, I felt I had the time and skills to give Geek.Kon a little professional edge. Needless to say, I unabashedly barged my way in, and took on the jobs of logo, mascot, and web design, plus the design and printing of the program book (not to mention finding a way to get 500 program books printed without any money!). It’s been a whole lot of fun and a great learning experience, and I encourage everyone who’s interested to volunteer. The Geek.Kon staff is a wonderful bunch of people and we’re all passionate about making this con the best it can be!

In addition to setting up Artist Alley, will you be involved on any panels?

I will be hosting a “How to Draw Anime” panel, where anyone can come and learn to draw an anime character – no matter what their skill level. I’ve taught these classes before at the Madison Public Libraries and at Anime Central in Chicago, and they always seem to be popular!

You designed the mascots, have you named them yet?

I took the liberty of naming the robot “Geek.Bot”, which I believe is the name of a robot in Mar’s University’s Robot House (Futurama). But really I don’t think there’s any other name that would have fit! There is a contest currently running to name the girl (currently called “Sci-Fi Girl”), which anyone can enter on the website. The winner will be announced at the convention’s opening ceremonies and will receive a prize package including a T-Shirt, Key Ring, Button, and a (genuine geek-made) Geek.Bot plushy.

I was looking at your portfolio and you have a fairly extensive background in "anime art." How would you explain anime art to the average person who has never paid much attention to it?

One of the first things I tell people new to anime is that “Not all Anime looks like Pokemon”. Anime is a “visual language”, and there is a huge variety of Anime out there – therefore there is a huge variety of style. Similar to American TV and movies, a horror film will be dark and gritty, while a comedy will be bright and fast. But it doesn’t stop there – unlike Live Action film and TV where casting directors must search for the “perfect” actor, in Anime the director can just draw a character up exactly the way he or she wants to. The “evil villain” can have that perfect, thin, shifty eye – and the plucky hero can have her cute, gravity-defying hair. Not only that, but everything can be controlled – light, weather, setting – to fit the director’s vision. In anime, each season can have its own color pallet. And then of course there is the possibility of the fantastic – dragons and monsters, abstract realities as bizarre as the human imagination can create. “Anime Art” is impossible to classify, as the range of Anime spans every genre, and each stylistic choice is part of the narrative. I myself am a fan of Historical Drama made for women – and the typical style? Long, lean characters, and highly detailed artwork.