Dreamcon 2016

Dreamcon 2016 was the 9th annual incarnation of this special event: an exclusive art show for artists at Dreamworks Animation Studio. Each year's event has a theme. For 2016, the decor and amenities celebrated 1920s Paris...

The Olive Walk pathway on the Dreamworks campus is where all the artists are set up at tables to display their personal art. Wandering the show is glimpse into deep reservoirs of creative talent. How do they manage to do personal work on top of busy professional lives??

Success at this level takes balance.... focus... and inspiration.

Dreamcon director Angela Lepito and her team put so much work and love into all the details of this event. The artists appreciate it. There's themed food and music. And thanks to Angela, an annual invitation for Stuart. His book booth set-up brings some drawing inspiration with his hand-picked selection of titles for this show.

Here are some of the books Stuart selected to bring for this event.

The show last just one afternoon. This year's show had spectacular weather.

The attention to detail is evident. Gift bags for participating artists have the logo for each year's show and theme-inspired goodies.

The Dreamworks fountain was decorated with Monet-inspired lilies...

Live music...

French pastries...

And of course... all sorts of art and artists...

Familiar faces in the crowd included Chris Ayers http://www.chrisayersdesign.com/

Stuart was able to get out and visit with many exhibitors. Thanks to the hard work of SNB crew manning the book booth: Angela, Ivan, and guest crew member (and recent law school grad) Mary.

I was also wandering... and enjoyed finding art to share here on the blog.. and in cards that I send to my pen pals.

Loved the shapes and impact of these images by Monica Ahanonu   http://www.mahanonu.com/

Letter press cards!!! by Melinda Farrar. http://www.melindafarrar.com/

Was happy to find these since I was not able to attend the annual Printer's Fair at the Intl. Printing Museum. http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2015/10/la-printers-fair-2015.html

 

Resistance is futile when it comes to Sherlock fan art.. this print by Ciera Rose Chamberlin  http://cierac.blogspot.com/

Artist Mike Hernandez at his easel, painting of the Dreamworks fountain.

Activity booths included fortune telling... photo ops... caricatures.. and flower arranging..

Greeting cards.. art by Connie Jaio Wong... http://connie-wong.blogspot.com/
featured this image of famous cliff and beach area near SNB/Torrance location.

Stuart stopped by many more tables than me... but we happened to be here at the same time.. enjoying the art of Kelsey Eng. http://www.kelseyeng.com/

And I always enjoy seeing the dragon art of Nicolas Weis http://www.nicolasweis.com/

Best of all.. at this event, he usually has a sketchbook or two on display. Seeing the artists' sketchbooks is a phenomenal privilege. 

Dreamcon from last year is where I discovered one of my favorite plush art finds -- the fabulous Huggable Koi of Bonnie Robinson Stewart. https://www.facebook.com/huggablekoi/

Bonnie's quilted plush are epic examples of color and craftsmanship. Her new "black cat" plush were a hit too.

Art and adventure awaited plush art pals Koi #10 and Koi # 22..

First stop, the paper moon photo op...

With the Monet-like lilies in the fountain...

No one can resist a visit to the Dreamworks animation campus koi pond...

Koi #22 (below) is a Star Wars saga inspired piece, created for a film-themed gallery show. He was exhibited there with a Godzilla quilted plush and a koi inspired by the film Grand Budapest Hotel.

Koi #10 has toured for the blog before...In France.. at CTNX.. and at Long Beach Comic Con

http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/search?q=huggable+koi+

Dreamcon lasts just one afternoon... wrapping up around golden hour.

Thanks to Angela and the artists for making this show a real highlight of the SNB calendar.

Previous Dreamcon posts on the blog:

2015  http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2015/10/dreamcon-2015.html

2011 http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2011/10/snb-at-dream-con-oct-2011.html

Anna-Maria Jung interview: Success as a t-shirt artist

Artist Anna-Maria Jung http://www.annamariajung.com/
arrived on my radar via this science-themed image: "League of Extraordinary Scientists"

 Here are some more images by her...

Her designs are a huge hit on t-shirts. In this 10.5.16 interview by Michael Essek, Anna-Maria shares her insights on making this market work for indie artists: https://www.michaelessek.com/success-t-shirt-artist-interview-anna-maria-jung/

Previous post about Anna-Maria Jung : http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2015/06/get-inspired-anna-maria-jung-and-t.html

Indie Artist Lili Chin 2016 lawsuit against Kohl's, plus links to 2013 UK case -- This post UPDATED 2.16.2020

Lili's lawsuit against Kohl's was settled out of court. Her lawsuit still a fantastic case study. Her case just one of many that are getting the attention of large chain retailers... and making them realize art theft is serious business.

Updates on Lili's battles against art theft can be found on Lili's blog: 
http://blog.doggiedrawings.net/

For years now, Lili has been a frequent target of art theft. The most notorious case happened in 2013.... when the thief showed off stolen images as original work on TV in the UK.

You can read more about that case in these links from Lili's blog:
https://blog.doggiedrawings.net/post/114146583636?fbclid=IwAR05oGzbSL_prwYaApNDiVgyFFEQd2s310zTcpx6v707Z8dxJL75zMHenaQ

https://blog.doggiedrawings.net/post/64308986843

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Artist Lili Chin has filed a lawsuit against retail chain Kohl's.

In the photo below,  the shirt on the left shows Lili's art is on the t-shirt she sells. The blue shirt on the right is the disputed shirt sold at Kohl's.

Journalist Issac Kaplan has written about art theft before, and he features details of the Lili Chin case in this editorial on Artsy.com  https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-artist-sues-kohl-s-for-allegedly-stealing-drawings

To read the Press Release on the lawsuit, which includes a link to the filing, click here:
http://media.wix.com/ugd/6a19e7_d9c95d23d58c4f08b696849f7ebb66e7.pdf

UPDATE 10.7.16

Another article on Lili's case..
"Illustrator Lili Chin Files $1 Million Dollar Copyright Infringement Suit Against Kohl's
10.5.16 editorial by Brian Boucher on artnet.com
https://news.artnet.com/art-world/lili-chin-copyright-infringement-suit-kohls-687740

The headline on this story is a good reminder that headlines are not written by the author of the article. Headlines are designed to catch the attention of readers. They usually grab the most sensational elements of the story. While the story itself only says that the lawsuit could amount to damages in the $1 Million dollar range, the headline gives the impression that Lili is suing for $1 million, and that's not the case. Read the link for the complaint for details.

UPDATE 10.4.16

Jezebel.com (10.4.16)

"Lili Chin is Suing Kohl's" article by Madeleine Davies
http://jezebel.com/indie-artist-lili-chin-is-suing-kohls-for-allegedly-rip-1787395861

UPDATE 10.11.6

Dogster.com 10.11.16
"Here's How You Can Support Doggie Drawings Artist Lili Chin..." by Chris Hall
http://www.dogster.com/the-scoop/heres-how-you-can-support-doggie-drawings-artist-lili-chin-who-is-suing-kohls-department-store

UPDATE 10.18.16

Grossman LLP Art Law Blog....  
http://grossmanllp.com/art-law-blog/2016/10/kohls-becomes-the-latest-retailer-to-face-accusations-of-copyright-infringement/

This is a great article.. choice summary at the end highlights Lili Chin's copyright savvy, and how indie artists are fighting back... 
"For one thing, as we’ve observed before, independent artists are increasingly taking their claims not only to the courts, but to the press and social media. This case is no exception; here, the story of Chin’s battle has been covered by multiple media outlets, spawning, among other things, a Change.org petition and an article on popular dog-lover website Dogster about how its readers can support Chin. Effective public-relations campaigns can impact how corporate defendants respond to such claims, since the “cost” to an infringing defendant may suddenly include not just legal fees and a plaintiff’s potential damages, but also the cost of negative publicity for a defendant’s brand, not to mention direct pressure from consumers.
For another thing, Chin is a good example of a more copyright-savvy artist-plaintiff. Importantly, Chin had registered the copyright to “Doggie Language” in 2013, and the poster has for years borne a conspicuous copyright notice. The fact that she had taken these affirmative steps before the Kohl’s dispute arose may mean that she has more options for potential relief. For example, should she prevail on her claim regarding the removal of copyright information under § 1202, she could be entitled to additional statutory damages. And the fact that she had registered the copyright prior to Kohl’s alleged infringement may mean she is eligible for statutory damages (which can be an attractive option for plaintiffs where actual damages may be difficult to prove) and attorneys’ fees under 17 U.S.C. § 412. Her claims have a long way to go, but Chin’s diligent copyright practices as an artist may increase the likelihood of a more satisfactory outcome for her."

UPDATE 11.4.16

Post on CartoonBrew.Com
"Mucha Lucha" co-creator Lili Chin Files Copyright Infringment Suit Against Kohl's" by Brian Gabriel
http://www.cartoonbrew.com/law/mucha-lucha-co-creator-lili-chin-files-copyright-infringement-suit-kohls-144494.html

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For more case studies of art theft ... its impact on indie artists and how fans and artists can fight back... see these previous posts on the blog:

Lili Chin's free downloadable info-graphics on Copyright Basics (above is 1 of 2 info-graphics you'll find in the post)
http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2016/06/copyright-101-infographic-by-lili-chin.html

Combat Art Theft and Taking Action http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2016/09/combat-art-theft-case-studies-and.html

Copyright Guidelines -- chart by Ginger Davis Allman
https://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2015/12/copyright-guidelines-chart-by-ginger.html

Art Theft Editorial on Artsy -- Fighting Fashion Industry Plagiarism.
http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2016/09/art-theft-editorial-on-artsynet-about.html

Copyright Info for Artists
http://stuartngbooks.blogspot.com/2014/07/copyright-info-for-artists_15.html

Fanbase Press Interview on Art Theft and how Indie Artists can protect themselves
http://www.fanbasepress.com/index.php/press/featured-series/item/7042-geekscare-an-interview-with-amy-wagner-about-art-theft-and-how-indie-creators-can-protect-themselves