C2E2 Artist Alley Spotlight: Christopher Uminga & Matthew Fletcher

A couple of years back, DC and Marvel pulled their booths from the Wizard World Chicago show. Some people grumbled and had a lousy time, but I think the best thing to have come from that situation was the fact that I had never seen so many people take a walk through artist alley before. It was during that show that I came across Christopher Uminga and the wonderfully entertaining prints he was selling. They were stylistic versions of characters that we all would recognize and there was just something about them that clicked with me. I bought a print, looked up his website afterwards, and have been a fan ever since. At that point, with Uminga firmly on my radar as someone to look for on the convention circuit, I quickly became an equal fan of his regular table-mate Matthew Fletcher. With as much energy in his work as Christopher's, it was easy to see why these two were friends, and when these two get themselves a table I make it a point to find out where they're at. It's one of the first places I head to at a show and I love watching other people discover their work.

Marvel Comics' Deadpool

Christopher Uminga has always been very laid back when I've seen him at the shows. Constantly drawing commissions, he always takes a moment to talk to everyone that comes up and (in my opinion) is a really good indication of how a show is going. If he's busy, and his sketch list is full, that means the people of Artist Alley are getting attention and (better yet) people are spending their money over there. Aside from the fun of seeing his new prints and what he's drawing at any given moment at his table, he's a nice guy that's probably just as geeked to have met one of his favorite artists at a show in the same way that you did. With a fantastic ability to pull out the visual core of a character, twist it, and then present it in his own way; Uminga's ability to mix something fun with a little bit of a darker edge end up creating something you don't know whether to hug or to run from...

Christopher Uminga can be found at his website HERE and is also on Twitter under the name of @Uminga720. Even more of his drawings are posted at his deviantART page.

DC Comics' Batman

Matthew Fletcher's work is always a great time at a convention. I love to see different takes on characters that we all know and love, and his style provides a lot of smiles in this regard. Energetic and with the graffiti sensibilities that not everyone can actually pull off, Matthew's versions of old favorites take on new life under his talent. He's just as quick to give you an honest greeting for stopping by as he is in thanking you for checking out the table.

Matthew's website can be found HERE and is also on Twitter under the name of @fletcher720

Marvel Comics' Spider-Man

Needless to say, I was already a fan before Matthew sent this artwork to me, but then I saw this Spidey piece and was blown away.

Christopher Uminga and Matthew Fletcher will be at C2E2 this weekend at table C-5 in Artist Alley. They'll both be selling prints and doing sketches.

I just want to add that these guys travel all around the country on their own dime (like many others) and this is why it's important for me to not only do what I can do for them here with the blog, but how big of a deal it is to spend a couple of bucks on the people in Artist Alley. It really does make a difference and can have a huge positive impact on a show overall.