I say “successful,” but to be honest, I had been so focused on preparing for autographs and altered art that I completely overlooked the possibility of requests for shikishi (art boards) and sketchbooks. As a result, I was unprepared and things got a bit chaotic. I had to borrow a pencil from Aogachou-sensei at the next booth, a fan waiting in line kindly provided an eraser, and I even had to ask a client to get me a mechanical pencil.

To everyone who supported me and those I inconvenienced: please accept my sincere apologies and my deepest gratitude.

I’ve named the eraser I received “Kagaku-kun” (after the Science Museum—Kagaku Gijutsukan—where the event was held), gave him a little face, and will treasure using him.

To the customers whose artwork I couldn’t finish on time, I am truly sorry. I failed to accurately estimate the time required for the altered art relative to the number of attendees. I have taken all the unfinished cards home with me,
and as soon as I finish them, I will have them forwarded to Tokyo MTG.

However, since I had scheduled my tasks for the coming days on the assumption that everything would be handed over during the event, there may be some delays. I appreciate your kind understanding.

Finally, thank you so much for the gifts and all your warm words! I hope to see you all again at the next event.

Discovery of the day:
I realized something during an order I received toward the end of the event. I had always thought “altered art” meant adding elements to a card so they blend in seamlessly. But perhaps it can be more “free” than that?

I don’t mean to sound conceited, but I feel that once a piece of art is delivered, any further adding would require a fundamental overhaul. Specifically regarding those three pieces, I felt there was nothing more I could possibly do. I was honestly puzzled about what kind of addition would please the fan. In the end, I could only think of extending the art hidden behind the text boxes and using white or red lines to make the characters pop.

That said, I suspect that people might be looking for a sense of exclusivity—the feeling of “I am the only one who owns this specific version of the character.” This is something I need to reflect on and practice further. It might not happen immediately, but I’ll give it some thought.

However, if the drawing cost becomes too high, it won’t be sustainable for events, so I might end up going back to “extending the hidden parts.” If that happens, I apologize in advance.

Goals for Next Time:
　Expand my art supplies—including pencils, erasers, and other items—to be prepared for unexpected requests
　Adjust my content and re-evaluate my art supplies to draw expansion art more quickly
　Prepare a tablecloth, or rather, think about how to decorate the booth
　・It would be fun if visitors could see the footage from my handheld camera
　・It would be good to have other items on hand to help pass the time while waiting
　Talk to more international artists※
　Prepare business cards in both Japanese and English
　Create original IP that doesn’t infringe on copyright holders’ rights, but that fans of fantasy like MtG would enjoy (I have ideas I want to pursue, but since I’m the only one struggling with putting them on the back burner right now, they don’t make it to the top of the priority list.)

*I’d like to talk not only with the artists but also with visitors from overseas. However,
even if someone looks like a visitor from overseas, they might actually be Japanese, and they might feel left out every time someone speaks to them in English without giving them a chance to respond. Or maybe they’re not having any trouble with Japanese, but being spoken to only in English might not make them feel very comfortable. Or, if they’re making an effort to communicate in Japanese, and I respond in English, it might come across as if I’m saying, “I don’t understand what you’re saying, so let’s start over in English,” which could actually be rude.
All these thoughts go through my head, and I end up holding back…
But if you’re having trouble communicating, English is fine.
Simple English would be appreciated.
I wish I could understand other languages too!

[Apr.11th] P.S. I’ve got it—here’s what I’ll do.
At the very least, I’ll put “English OK” on my booth.
And I’ll leave it up to the people to decide.