My Artist Alley Adventure at Nickel City Comic Con 2025
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of vending at Nickel City Comic Con 2025 in Buffalo, NY! It was my third time ever running a booth at a con, and by far the biggest one I’ve done—my first two were smaller trading card events in the area, so this was a major step up.
Foot traffic in my corner of Artist Alley was a little light compared to other parts of the venue, but honestly? I still had an amazing time. I met a ton of incredible people, from fellow artists and vendors to attendees who just genuinely love art. Some artists were local, others traveled quite a bit to be there, and it was great getting to chat with them about our work, our processes, and the joys (and struggles) of self-promotion. We definitely bonded over the ongoing hustle of the social media grind—something that’s both exhausting and super important if you want to keep your art in front of people. While we’re on the subject, make sure to check out my different social media platforms. I try to post to all of them daily:
Also, if you’re interested in purchasing anything you see in the photo, my Etsy store is located here. The skateboards are available as well, you can send me an email to illy@illymakes.com to inquire about them.
One really cool thing that happened while I stepped away from my booth—my partner was covering the table for me, and a kid came by specifically looking for me! He had seen my art on social media and was super excited to grab some of my drippy Pokémon skull stickers. I’m bummed I missed him in person, but hopefully, I’ll catch him at the next con. Another guest even asked if I was local after seeing my illymakes business card because he recognized the name from online!
Actually, this wasn’t the first time someone recognized my work. At a previous event, a few people told me they had seen me on TikTok and were excited to meet me. That kind of support seriously means so much!
One of the absolute highlights of the weekend was meeting Ari Lehman, the original Jason Voorhees from Friday the 13th. I brought two of my drippy Jason skull prints for him to sign—and I gave him copies to keep. He was SO kind and enthusiastic, and he told me he was going to hang them in his studio because he loves bright colors. That totally made my day!
I also had the chance to meet Steve Ahola, who was working on some Stitch remarques—and of course, I had to grab one! Lilo & Stitch has always been one of my all-time favorite movies, and Stitch is a character I’ve loved for years. Getting to chat with Steve about art and how we grow with it over time was such a gift. He was genuinely kind and thoughtful—a true treasure to talk with.
All in all, I had a great time at Nickel City Comic Con. I'm already looking forward to doing more events soon! Keep an eye on my Instagram and TikTok to see where I’ll be next—I can’t wait to share more art with you in person.
