I am exceedingly excited to return to Emerald City Comic Con (Seattle’s largest comic convention) for the sixth time! This show is notoriously difficult to get into, so I’m thrilled to have a spot in the Artist Alley at Table F-29. You can visit Wendi Chen Art at the Seattle Convention Center on March 6-9, 2025 — hope to see you there!

Post-show write-up: ECCC 2025 was my best convention of all time, taking into account data across the last ten years (!) of shows. I am amazed and so very grateful! As a 4-day convention (Thursday through Sunday), ECCC is something of a behemoth among shows, testing one’s stamina and willpower. I never could have done as well as I did without constant help from my husband Matt, who kept me fed/hydrated all weekend and encouraged me to take proper lunch breaks. I sold so many prints that I had to go home and prep in the evenings after a long day of standing for 9 hours straight, which I suppose is a good problem to have. Thanks to everyone who stopped by my table and made this such a successful show!

I’m so pleased to return to my eighth GeekGirlCon, one of my favorite PNW shows! I will be selling my artwork with my husband, Matt, as my helper. Hope to see you there!

Post-show write-up: GeekGirlCon 2024 was a very slow show for me and my neighbors. I remember that pre-pandemic, this was a bustling event with excellent sales. But this year was particularly bad, partly because customers were tightening their purse strings due to the recent election results. I still turned a small profit because I’m local, but my weekend numbers were 50% lower than last year (!) and 80% lower than my very best GeekGirlCon in 2018. It’s regrettable and not the fault of the GGC staff (who are always very organized and helpful), but it seems this show isn’t what it used to be.

That said, it’s always inspiring to see so many artists in their element, new and old. I would still return to GeekGirlCon 2025 (for the ninth time) since I’m just a short walk away from the Seattle Convention Center, but I can no longer count this show for the profits. Moving forward, I intend to focus on larger shows like ECCC and Pike Place Market (which is fantastic during the summer and holidays).

I’m incredibly excited to have gotten into Sakura-Con for the 2024 con season! It’s my first time back to this event since the pre-pandemic show in 2019, and this time, I’ll have a ton of new artwork as well as a charming helper. Matt and I will be here all weekend peddling my wares. We hope to see you there!

Post-show write-up: This was an objectively fantastic show, and things went very smoothly with Matt as my helper all weekend! I was right next to one of my friends from Pike Place Market, Cathy of Catshy Crafts (what are the odds?), and directly across from the food court. My location really couldn’t have been any better this year! This translated into significant sales all weekend, especially on Saturday, but it seems that sales still haven’t returned to their pre-pandemic high back when I had a record-setting con at Sakura-Con 2018. Maybe someday we’ll get back up there!

As an official Craftsperson at Pike Place Market, I set up my own “daystall” each week among a group of dedicated artisans. You can find me in the Crafts Market, usually in the roofed area across the street from Original Starbucks.

Year-end write-up: I sold over 110 days in 2024, which marked the very first full year that I was “all in” at Pike Place Market without the backing of a 9-5 game studio job. In the spring, I received a generous small business grant from the Pike Place Market Foundation and used the funds to develop several new products for my shop, including 3D paper shadowboxes and sticker sheets. In the summer, I dialed in my booth display, worked hard on my salesmanship, and was thrilled with the payoff. During the winter season, my overall sales numbers were lower than in 2023, so I made up the difference by taking on more freelance cover work. After all this time, I’m having a blast being a solopreneur at such a world-famous Market, so I re-upped my license to sell for another year in 2025!

I’m so pleased to return to my seventh GeekGirlCon, and my first time back since the pre-pandemic 2019 convention! After a busy and stellar year at Pike Place Market, I’ve decided that since I’m always 50-60% prepped for a show at any given moment, I should do more conventions during the off-season.

Post-show write-up: GeekGirlCon 2023 turned out to be a chill and relaxing (read: slow) affair; the show floor had expanded significantly to include twice as many vendors as before. I got to know several of my talented neighbors, all of whom opined that sales were slower than in previous years. I was fortunate enough to be situated next to the food court and resting area, so while sales weren’t exactly booming, the event was still well worth my time. Local shows at the Seattle Convention Center are exceedingly easy for me to attend since I live downtown, so I hope to do more shows at the SCC next year!

Matt was my helpful assistant all day Saturday, and he kept me entertained and well-fed throughout the day. All in all, I had a great time and I’ll be back again next year if they’ll have me!

When I first discovered Hyphen in Belltown, I was struck by how beautifully curated the space was, a celebration of Asian culture and food. The owners Youn and Takeshi have created a charming shop complete with a taste-testing station for their plethora of Asian condiments, books, stationary, and art-covered walls (which is where I come in!). I’m thrilled to have my artwork featured for the entire month of July, and I’ll also be selling my work in person on July 14 from 6-9PM for a special pop-up event!

As an official Craftsperson at Pike Place Market, I set up my own “daystall” each week among a group of dedicated artisans. You can find me in the Crafts Market, usually in the roofed area across the street from Le Panier.

Year-end write-up: Following my lay-off from my game studio job at the beginning of the year, I sold more days at Pike Place Market in 2023 than in all of my previous years. After a slow start in the spring, I enjoyed record-setting sales in the summer months and again during the holidays (throughout December). Sales were higher than expected, and I felt extremely fortunate to set up shop each day at such a world-famous tourist attraction, where my work reached thousands(!) of happy customers per year. In 2024, I plan to sell even more days and focus on having a larger product selection of original paper-cut pieces, stickers, and postcards, in addition to the poster prints that make up the majority of my sales.

As an official Craftsperson at Pike Place Market, I set up my own “daystall” each week among a group of dedicated artisans. You can find me in the Crafts Market, usually in the roofed area across the street from Le Panier.

For 2022 my Market hours have been cut short because I got a full-time game studio job! I will try my best to be at the Market each Sunday from 10-4!

End-of-year write-up: I ended up selling a mere 10 days in 2022, having spent the better part of the year working full-time for PerBlue, a mobile game studio. For whatever reason, I truly believed that I would have the time/energy to set up and break down a craft fair booth each weekend, but once work started up that proved to be untenable almost immediately. Ah well, live and learn!

It feels so good to have conventions back again after such a long pandemic! I will be in the Artist Alley section, come look for Wendi Chen Art! Hope to see you there!

Post-show write-up: I had a wonderful four days at ECCC, connecting with con regulars I’ve befriended over the years and meeting new friends as well. Initially, I was very worried because Thursday attendance/sales were extremely slow, but things picked up on Friday and I ended up having an excellent show sales-wise. Attendance was definitely lower than previous years due to the pandemic, but sales were excellent and nearly at pre-pandemic levels, so I really can’t complain. My talented friend James Doppelhammer was my assistant for all four days and I really appreciated the help! With his help, things went very smoothly and I was well-rested and well-fed for the entire show. This was probably the smoothest con I’ve ever had, and I’m so thrilled to return to the convention scene!

As an official Craftsperson at Pike Place Market, I set up my own “storefront” each week among a group of dedicated artisans. You can find me in the Crafts Market, usually in the roofed area across the street from Le Panier.

End-of-year write-up: I am amazed! I just had the most lucrative quarter since I started working full-time as an artist. To think that I almost didn’t re-up my license this year (my earnings at Pike Place pre-pandemic were discouraging). However, everything changed after the pandemic, and customers started shopping like crazy once the market reopened. Not only that, but the craft tables grew from 4 feet spaces to 8 feet, which makes a world of difference when you sell 2D artwork. I never imagined pulling five-figure months as an independent artist! This job is challenging, physical, weather-dependent, and seasonal, but I can make it work if I set up 100+ times a year (just about every weekend). It might not happen this year or the next, but I believe I can get there eventually!

For my last show of 2019, I’m very happy to be returning to Geek Girl Con for the 6th year in a row! This show is consistently great without ever being overwhelming (unlike the 4-day Thunderdome that ECCC has become), and it provides such a wholesome, safe environment for its attendees. I’ll have a bunch of prints that I’m retiring this year, so if you see something you like, be sure to grab it before it’s gone. Hope to see you there!

When my friend Johnson Do invited me to table at ACE Comic Con Seattle, I was initially a bit hesitant because I had never heard of it before. That said, the show boasted an impressive roster of celebrity guests that rivalled that of SDCC - Marvel superstars Chris Evans, Josh Brolin, Zoe Saldana, and Jeremy Renner were all schedule to come. More than a little bit starstruck, I decided to spring for a full 8-foot table in the Artist Alley.

… After which, I promptly made an impulse purchase for a Photo-Op with Chris Evans and Josh Brolin. :> Since I had a profitable Spring convention season, I figured I deserved to treat myself to a couple’a Hollywood hunks:

My last show of 2018 was IllustrAFest, a local art market started by Bunny. This turned out to be a very well-planned and chill show that gave me the chance to reconnect with many familiar faces. Solid way to end the year!

This one-day event dedicated to Steven Universe was SO. MUCH. FUN!! I went in with zero expectations, and was met with decent sales and a giant bouncy gym. A giant indoor bouncy gym during an art show, you say? But why, you ask? Why NOT, I say!

So yeah, I spent an estimated 30 minutes hopping around inside the bouncy gym. At one point I dragged in my friend Rhodora to join me in the bouncy gym. I am a professional artist, please take me seriously.

I’m so happy to return to Geek Girl Con for the 5th year in a row! It’s crazy to think that I’ve been selling at conventions since 2014. So much has changed since then, but what remains is that Geek Girl Con is one of my favorite shows for how relaxed and inclusive it always feels. My dear friend Yuuki Jia assisted me at my booth this year, which happened to be located in the best spot on the entire show floor! I felt so lucky and I hope to keep doing this show for years to come!

I had such a blast attending Anime Expo for the first time and visiting friends in LA/Burbank! Special thanks to the amazing Betsy Bauer for the tour of Dreamworks Animation - the studio campus seriously looks like a five-star resort! This trip was SO much fun, I hope to be back next year!

This year I was invited to join Raw Artists, a network of independent artists from across the globe. They were holding an event in Seattle called “Magnify,” a curated exhibit highlighting visual artists and live dancers/musicians. Sign-up and pre-show organization was smooth, so I was keen to give this show a shot despite its steep entry price. 

Post show write-up: When I arrived, I discovered that the venue was a tiny bar/club blaring incredibly loud stage music throughout the program. The live musicians and dancers were clearly the main draw, and many of the artists (who had overpaid for their tables) tried to complain that the noise level was not conducive to chatting up customers or making sales. It became clear that the visual artists were placed there as an afterthought, for set dressing. I personally found this to be unacceptable for an event that charged hundreds of dollars per table, on par with exhibitor’s booths at ECCC… which has a massive targeted audience and is hugely profitable. I definitely won’t be coming back.

Lost-Boy was my ride and helper, and he valiantly helped me make the best of a dud show. Fortunately all my other shows this year have been solid, so I recovered quickly!

I’m proud to be tabling at the very last Mahouto Market, a fantastic show curated/planned by a talented team of local female artists! Thank you all for making this show amazing for so many artists!

I'm very excited to be returning to the Artist Alley at Sakura-Con 2018 with my good friend Yuuki Jia as my helper! It's been a couple years since I've done this convention, but it remains one of my favorites!

Post show write-up: Holy moly. This was my most profitable show of all time - nearly hit $7K in sales! I don’t know what it was about this year (location, maybe?), but I was super busy all weekend, and I almost sold out of everything! Last month’s ECCC was phenomenal as well, so that makes two back-to-back shows with record-setting profits. Just wow!

I’m so immensely grateful to my friend Yuuki for offering her table to me. I pretty much never get into this show on my own, so I had resigned myself to not doing it this year. So when Yuuki got a table and wasn’t able to go, she gave her spot to me, and brought me a bunch of drinks/snacks during the show! TwT She’s the best!!