ART SWEEPSTAKES AND ARTIST ALLEY

Take two easy steps to have a chance at winning original martial arts-themed art in the Samurai-Con Art Sweepstakes:

Step 1. Enter the sweepstakes and receive a virtual ticket by:

Method 1: Purchasing this year’s official Samurai-Con t-shirt or poster from the Samurai-Con Store; OR

Method 2: Answering three or more questions correctly during Samurai-Con’s Martial Arts Trivia Challenge; OR

Method 3: Submitting an essay about martial arts to info@samurai-con.com (see Samurai-Con’s policies for more info).

Step 2. If you entered the Sweepstakes by purchasing a shirt or poster (Method 1 above), you will automatically be given a virtual ticket that you can place on the art piece you’d like to bid on after your purchase. If you entered the sweepstakes by answering three questions correctly in the trivia, or by submitting a martial arts-themed essay, check out the photos of the original artwork below and decide which piece(s) you’d like to put your ticket(s) on, and email Samurai-Con at info@samurai-con your selection.

Sweepstakes winners will be randomly selected and announced every hour starting at the end of the first session and ending at the end of the last session before the movie party begins.

The awesome art for the sweepstakes featured below was created by the amazing artists in the Artist Alley to help raise funds for the Invincible Woman Project to teach self defense to women in a national effort to fight violence against women. The more t-shirts or posters you purchase from the Samurai-Con Store during Samurai-Con, the more sweepstakes tickets you will receive, and the greater your odds of winning the original artwork of your choice. Best of luck!

#1: Samurai 2021 by Aibek Begalin

About the Artist
Aibek Begalin was born in Kazakhstan and graduated from V. Surikov Moscow State Academy Art Institute with a Master of Fine Arts. He has had exhibitions in numerous cities all over the world including Moscow, Cairo, Brussels, Worpswede (Germany), and Zhangzhou (China). In 2001 he had made a portrait for Pope John Paul II. In 2014 he had made a portrait of Prince Rainier III for Prince of Monaco Albert II. His paintings were exhibited at the European Parliament in Brussels in 2015. Aibek Begalin received the Order of Honor of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He is a member of the Kazakhstan Academy of Arts and was awarded a diploma of the Russian Academy of Arts. Through the use of fantastic realism and neomodernism, Aibek expresses a romantic perception of the world. Aibek Begalin’s paintings are presented in the museums (A. Kasteev Art Museum in Almaty, Karaganda Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow Museum "Ark of the New Testament", Moscow Museum of Contemporary Art), as well as in private collections in Vatican City, Japan, USA, Germany, France, Kazakhstan, Israel, England, Italy, Russia, Cuba, and Monaco. Aibek’s work can be seen here (NOTE: hyperlink this link at the word “here” - https://www.saatchiart.com/account/artworks/993012?fbclid=IwAR2fOMQdcNpJvxZpMHkpOZspgZO_ds_LeaeOcKECY4ePlS7eh1GZeU8S_z4), and at his virtual exhibitor’s booth at Samurai-Con.

#2: Bruce Lee and his JKD Students by Adam Chow

About the Artist
Adam Chow studied Graphic design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University from 1976 to 1979. A Hong Kong based artist, Adam draws his artistic inspiration from Hong Kong’s most famous and beloved son, the immortal Bruce Lee. For Bruce Lee’s 75th anniversary, Adam published a Limited Edition ‘Adam Chow’ Bruce lee 75th Anniversary 36-page Booklet, filled with some of his most memorable Bruce Lee artwork. Check out more of Adam’s beautiful Bruce Lee artwork at https://www.instagram.com/adamchow128/?hl=en and at his Samurai-Con virtual booth.

#3: A Warrior’s Moon by Brian Hoang

About the Artist
Brian Hoang was born in Vietnam at the end of the 70's but moved to Canada at an early age. As a child, his dad would draw his action figures for him, which inspired him to take up drawing himself, and becoming the kid drawing at the back of the classroom. Adam graduated from the Interpretive Illustration program at Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, where he met his future wife, who is also an amazing artist and whose work can be seen here. After years of working a day job while only doing art on the side, Brian was encouraged by his wife to become a full time artist which he did in 2014. He is inspired by the pop culture media he consumes such as video games and comic books. In recent years, he’s become more and more influenced by Asian art and culture, particularly from Japan and his native country of Vietnam. Check out Brian’s amazing art at https://www.brianhoangart.com/brianhoangart and at his virtual booth at Samurai-Con.

#4: Rasta Samurai by Jamie Marcelle

About the Artist
Jamie Thaddeus Marcelle is an artist proficient in traditional animation, character illustration, motion graphics and comic design. He graduated from Columbia College Chicago, with a B.A in film/video. He’s spent his whole life in Chicago and has been fascinated with drawing and storytelling since he first viewed cartoons as a child. Animation is the medium that integrates those two talents for Jamie, and he has been tediously, and independently working on his films since he’s been introduced to the unique process in college. See more of Jamie’s outstanding
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creations at http://www.jamiemarcelle.com/, https://www.instagram.com/jamiejudicous/, and at his virtual booth at Samurai-Con.

#5: Bruce Lee: Flying Dragon by James Pascoe

About the Artist
James Pascoe has worked as a freelance illustrator for over 30 years, most of it in the comics field, and recently, as a tarot deck illustrator. He has done inking, pencilling, painting and/or digital coloring for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse and Valiant, among others. James is also the Samurai-Con Official T-Shirt Artist and Official Samurai-Con Poster Artist for this inaugural Samurai-Con event. Dive deep into James’ remarkable art at https://www.jamespascoe.net/, the Samurai-Con store, and at his virtual booth in the Artists Alley at Samurai-Con.

#6: Bruce Lee and Quotes by Tony Rubino

About the Artist
Tony Rubino’s work as a fine artist seeks to comment on pop culture, celebrity, nostalgia and the current melees’ of information received through technology. His art is featured in museums in the USA, Italy and Greece and has been shown in galleries in Manhattan, Milan, Paris, LA, Washington DC, Nashville, Arizona and Chicago. His 12 books can be found wherever books are sold and his internationally syndicated comic strip “Daddy’s Home” is featured in over 250 newspapers throughout the United States and Canada, and is seen by over 26 million people every day. More of his astounding artwork can be seen at RUBINOCREATIVE.com and at his virtual booth at Samurai-Con.

For Artists: To learn more about creating an original piece of artwork for the next Samurai-Con’s Art Sweepstakes, which will help fund the Invincible Woman Project, and the perks you will receive for doing so, please email info@samurai-con.com.

Artist Alley

During Samurai-Con, be sure to take a break from the talks and the training and check out Artist Alley in the Exhibitors Hall, where a slew of artists have artwork for sale. You can even commission the artists to draw a martial arts-related piece of art for you. Check out the list of artists who will be at Samurai-Con below:

More artists coming soon!