Return From Adepticon 2022!

Adepticoooon! Just had to get that out of the way. I look forward to this event every year. It fills me with inspiration in so many ways and it finally happened after being cancelled for two years. For a lot of us this hobby is a solitary activity, that ceases to be the case at Adepticon. So many good people and we have all gathered there for the same reason, to nerd out.

 I drove down on Wednesday afternoon, finally, two years of cancellations and Adepticon was happening again. Everything was still being put together that day but to see it coming together gave me a gradually excitement that built through the weekend. Already, a lot of people had shown up. The next day was off with an early start, I had a 4 hour class on scenic basing with an 8:30 start in the morning. I haven't taught for 2 years and have only ran this specific class once before. I was nervous that I didn't have enough supplies, the timing might be off, etc. I got in early and set up my materials, tested the equipment, and paced around the room as people filed in. Standard procedure.

It went well though. I had just enough time for what I wanted to cover and the students had enough to build something sizeable. It's always interesting to see what 16 different people create when they are given the same ingredients. Bravo to you all, the imagination in this craft is always what impresses me. Below is the base I built up. We started with something simple and then the students watched this come together before I set them loose.

Then I was free for the day, the convention was open and in full swing. I meandered around to take it all in. The Golden Demon cases were filling up, there was a massive vendor hall, and everywhere I went, people. Had to get used to that again haha.

This next picture is blurry but the second was worse. It was really cool seeing the new scale being introduced to 40k in person. 

A big thanks to Monument Hobbies for dinner that night, there are a lot of events I didn't take pictures of, like everyone eating. But for the purposes of documentation, food was enjoyed! 

Day three, Friday. No classes this day, I could really let loose. I did that the night previous but still found the motivation to let loose for a second time. I didn't take many pictures with people, I spent a lot of time being in other people's photographs, but here I am with the man himself. Love you, buddy.

We also had a meet up for all the Patrons who were there. Not everyone could attend because of class schedules but thank you all for coming and saying hi. Some people weren't in the right position but thanks to computer editing, no one is the wiser. Unchained!

I can't wait to see you all again :) Seriously, I didn't take many pictures with people and you guys helped me block the staircase, that's pretty special. 

The night went on and we all got a little blurry together. But here I found it, a tub full of beer. Adepticon, don't ever change.

I greatly enjoyed all the impassioned conversations we had around the Golden Demon cases. Seeing this artwork in person and in the sate of mind I had achieved, I had an experience and felt deeply moved by all of the work on display. We see it online so often but it has a very different feeling in person. It was a very rare sight and deeply inspiring.

Saturday came up fast. I had a longer day ahead as I had some classes to teach that would take me from 4-11 pm. I was up for it though, hydrated, caffeinated and happy to be there :) I had to make sure to walk through the tournament areas, seeing so many armies on display with everything fully painted is another rare experience I didn't want to miss. The sheer volume of it all then being able to see so much work up close is something I look forward to every year.

Sunday rolled around and the Golden Demon winners would be revealed. As I was standing in line I had the thought that every Adepticon for years now has ended the same way for me, with the results of a painting competiton. It's a bit nerve wracking, I tell myself trophies don't matter and live by that all year, until about 60 minutes before the ceremony, haha. Then I head home with this final event hanging in my mind. 

The crowd was massive, they had to open up a second room to make enough space. You can see the hotel staff rolling away the wall panels in the picture above. Finally, after being absent for 9 years, the Golden Demon was happening in America again. This was the competition that I first started in and became inspired by. I was at the last one in Memphis and scraped by with a single bronze. I had no expectations going into this, especially when only 3 awards are given per category. Everyone has their own preferences for style and judging can be subjective as a result. I'm happy to have placed in the categories I did. 

And what post Adepticon blog would be complete without showing the loot I picked up? I didn't go that hard this year, I already have so many models. My main goal was finding some cool basing materials and plinths. A special thank you to Pani for giving me the coffee when we met up :)

Present day, I'm back home and my gears are turning for upcoming projects. Adepticon has always served to fill my creative sails in the past and I've been missing that for so many reasons. Conventions always inspire but this one is my personal favorite. I'm lucky to live close enough that I can attend every year and I'm lucky to have the unique perspective I get from the place I have at this convention.

Alright! Get your desks in order and let's remain unchained! I hope to see you there next year :)