Artist Patrick Ballesteros has long been one of our favorite artists, and a mainstay for several years now at both San Diego Comic-Con and WonderCon in Artists Alley. He’s best known for turning your favorite pop culture characters into kid-ified versions of themselves, offering a fresh take filled with plenty of childhood wonder in series like his popular 25 Cent Wonders or his “Can You Hear Me Now” series (where you can mix and match characters speaking long-distance to each other the old fashioned way: through a tin can!).
In addition, he’s bringing 100 mini-originals to the convention, as well as his regular prints and “Can You Hear Me Now?” tin can series.
Here’s a look at this year’s exclusives and debuts, which you can find at Artists’ Alley DD-08:
[UPDATE July 14]
If you’ve been following along with Patrick on Twitter, you’ve probably seen his mini-originals — because there’s been a lot of them. 100, to be exact.
These are exactly what they sound like, mini original pieces, which Patrick will be selling for just $45 each, and featuring some of your favorite characters from a wide variety of properties including Marvel, DC, Scott Pilgrim, Disney, Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Wynonna Earp, The Good Place, and more.
Commissions can be expensive and convention budgets are usually already tight for most, so this is the perfect way to own a wholly original, one-of-a-kind piece of art from Patrick, without breaking the bank. Each day of the show (including Preview Night), Patrick will be releasing 20 new minis each day. For Thursday-Sunday, there will be TWO drop times per day, to give more people the opportunity to purchase one. The first drop will take place at 10AM, with the second set for 3PM — and it’s a limit of 1 mini per person per purchase per day, so you won’t be able to participate in both drawings in a single day. Choose wisely! Wednesday’s drop will be when doors open.
If you are only purchasing a mini, you can come to the table and look or ask for Patrick, saying you are there just for a mini. If you are purchasing other items, then you will have to wait in line for that separate purchase.
Find the schedule below, but make sure you pay attention to which are the morning drops, and which are the late-afternoon drops.
You can also get a jumpstart on the convention on Tuesday, July 16, by stopping by James Coffee Co. in Little Italy (2355 India St) from 3PM-6:45PM. Patrick will be hosting a small pop-up art show, where his artwork will be displayed in their new mini arcade room (coin-op games!) and he’ll also have canvas prints available for sale. Additionally, you’ll be able to find his new Game of Thrones “The Last Goodbye” print here only — it won’t be sold at San Diego Comic-Con. It’s limited to just 50 pieces for the pop-up, and will retail for $25.
[UPDATE July 11]
Did you really think that was all Ballesteros had? Of course, he’s still got another surprise for you — with these new enamel pins, “Infinity Love” and “Love 3000”. Who’s crying already? Both Avengers: Endgame inspired pins are a way to “show some love for the con and the community”, and you can pick them up in limited quantities for $12 each before they’re “snapped” away. “Infinity Love” will be available on Thursday, July 18 and “Love 3000” will be available on Friday, July 19.
Ballesteros has a few more pins for the con, including the Bob Ross “I Love Trees”, and a Star Wars Rose Tico “Empowered” pin. Both options will be available on Wednesday, July 17.
Now, if you’ve been waiting for the 25 Cent Wonders daily exclusives release schedule… here it is! Each print will be limited to just 100 pieces, for $15 each, and there’s a limit of one per purchase. Get to his booth early!
[UPDATE July 9]
Patrick Ballesteros is bringing a lot of amazing prints to Comic-Con this year — but this just might be our favorite. This tribute to the late and great Stan Lee, called “STANd by Me“, features Stan Lee surrounded by many of the Marvel characters that he helped create.
“I started this print a while back but felt something was missing so I took a break from it,” Ballesteros told us. “However, after wrapping up on a recent commission I knew how to come back and finish it off. Two days later and several cups of coffee downed, I was able to complete my tribute to one of the best bedtime storytellers of my childhood. ‘STANd by Me’ is dedicated to a true believer.”
While not not an exclusive, the 9″x12″ print will only be available in limited quantities — and will retail for $20.
[UPDATE July 7]
In addition to his 25 Cent Wonders and larger prints, Patrick Ballesteros is also bringing exclusives for his “Can You Hear Me Now” series, which lets pop culture characters re-connect the old fashioned way — with a tin can. Every print connects at the same spot so you can mix and match to create your own character connections.
This year, he’s bringing three “Can You Hear Me Now” exclusive sets — starting Friday, July 19 with Big Hero Six. On Saturday, July 20 it’s all about The Lion King, and on Sunday, July 21 you’ll find a friend in this Toy Story set. Each set is limited to 100 pieces, and $15 will get you both 4″x4″ prints in the set.
[UPDATE July 5]
Patrick Ballesteros is drawing inspiration from his cultural roots for his next Comic-Con exclusive —the Captain Mabuhay Enamel Pin. The character, created by Ballesteros, is here while Captain Marvel is away, ready to welcome you into a world of geeky fun and Pilipino hospitality.
“Mabuhay” means welcome, cheers, or long live — so this is Ballesteros’ way of welcoming those who are new to Comic-Con — or to saying it’s great to see you again to con veterans. You can pick it up daily for $12.
He’ll also have other hard and soft enamel pins celebrating Pinoy culture and the geek community.
[UPDATE July 2]
Patrick Ballesteros has two new prints “swinging” into San Diego Comic-Con, in the form of two new 25 Cent Wonders. The new pieces — called “Hero-Phobia” and “Spidey Sparks” — celebrate the heroes (and the villains) of the smash hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. However, unlike his earlier 25 Cent Wonders, these 6″x8″ prints won’t be limited to just one day. Instead, you can pick them up all week long in Artists Alley’ DD-08 for $10 each.
[UPDATE June 30]
Up next, Patrick Ballesteros has another diorama-type print, this time celebrating the Best Detective in the World. This tribute to 80 years of the Caped Crusader features all of your favorite characters in a new, limited edition print called “Party Crashers“.
While not an exclusive, it is limited, so there’s a limit of one per customer per customer – and you can pick it up at Artists’ Alley DD-08 for $25.
[UPDATE June 21]
Ballesteros’ latest piece is all about a tale as old as time.
The new San Diego Comic-Con exclusive 25 Cent Wonders is “Beast Mode“, and features Belle and the Beast, riding atop a large Cogsworth, as they fight against Gaston. There are lots of fun details, like the Mrs. Potts coin machine, and the enchanted rose. If you look closely, you might even catch a few other characters on the base.
The 6″x8″ piece is printed on fine art Pearl Linen, and is limited to 100 pieces. It will be released on an unspecified day of the convention, with the schedule to be announced soon.
[UPDATE June 19]
It’s an especially Wonder-ful Wednesday today, as we have a brand new SDCC exclusive print from Ballesteros, this time mashing up Wreck-It Ralph 2 and Wonder Woman.
In the new 25 Cent Wonders print, called “Loading Problems“, when the internet is busted it takes a couple of real heroes to get it back up and running. The 6″x8” print is limited to 100 pieces and printed on fine art linen paper, and will come signed and numbered by the artist. It will be available on an unspecified date during the con at Artists Alley DD-08 — stay tuned for the full schedule.
[UPDATE June 16]
If you think Ballesteros has been killing it lately — prepare to be amazed at just how far he’s gone to top himself. He’s celebrating 50 years of pop culture, with an amazing new 12″x12″ print. It features a myriad of characters (color coordinated!) from Marvel, DC, Disney, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Power Rangers, Ghostbusters, He-Man, and a whole lot more — all spelling out “50” in honor of the big anniversary.
While not an official print from Comic-Con International, this piece by Ballesteros is limited to 250 pieces and will be available at Artists Alley DD-08 all days of the convention, while supplies last. It will retail for somewhere between $25-$30.
[UPDATE June 14]
The new San Diego Comic-Con exclusive 25 Cent Wonders features Keanu Reeves from John Wick 3, Always Be My Maybe, Cyberpunk 2077, and Toy Story 4. “He Knows Kung Fu” will be available on an unspecified date during the con at Artists Alley DD-08 — stay tuned for the full schedule.
[UPDATE June 12]
You may know the A-Team, but Ballesteros is bringing you “The A+ Team” — Earth’s Mightiest Women. The 9″x12″ print on fine art pearl linen features all of your favorite Marvel warrior women, and will be heading to SDCC first next month. The exact price isn’t determined yet, but will be somewhere between $20 – $25, and you can grab it at Artists Alley DD-08.
[UPDATE June 9]
After creating a series of amazing Game of Thrones prints making their debut at San Diego Comic-Con, Ballesteros has set his sights on creating a diorama-like piece for the summer’s biggest blockbuster, Avengers: Endgame. Ballesteros’ tribute to the first wave of heroes is an 11″x14″ print called “End of the Road“, which is printed on fine art pearl linen paper and comes signed by the artist. It will retail for somewhere in the $25-$30 range, and you can “snap” it up at Artists Alley DD-08.
There are so many fun details in this piece, whether it’s the tribute to Stan Lee, Steve Rogers being sneaky, or Thor’s mother trying to give him what is surely a healthy packed lunch.
[UPDATE June 5]
Today, we’re showing you his latest SDCC exclusive 25 Cent Wonder, which features the Mulan gang in a 6″x8″ print on pearl linen paper. The SDCC exclusive, called “Lil Firecrackers“, shows that you can create a big bang when working together as a team.
Truly an exclusive worth fighting for.
It’s limited to just 100 pieces for San Diego Comic-Con, and will be released on an unspecified day during the con. Ballesteros will have at least one different print exclusive per day — so be sure to stop by Artist Alley DD-08 to snap up this print for just $15. It’s a limit of 1 per person per purchase.
[UPDATE May 26]
Even though we may not have new Game of Thrones episodes to look forward to (or to rage about), you can still keep your love flame going for the series with his first San Diego Comic-Con exclusive of 2019, “Dany & Dragons“. The new 25 Center Wonder exclusive features Daenerys with a myriad of dragons, including Toothless from How to Train Your Dragon, Figment of Disney fame, Ghidora from Godzilla, Falkor from The Neverending Story, and more. Can you name them all?
The 6″x8″ print on pearl linen fine art paper is limited to just 100 pieces for San Diego Comic-Con, and will be released on an unspecified day during the con. Ballesteros will have at least one different print exclusive per day — so be sure to stop by Artist Alley DD-08 to snap up this print.
[UPDATE May 19]
Almost every week of this final season of Game of Thrones, Ballesteros has whipped up an epic print — some of which are heading to San Diego Comic-Con. We started with “Winter Fare-well”, a tribute to eight seasons of the series, and dedicated to the awesome-ness that was the episode “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”. Then there was “Winter-Fallen“, based on the episode “The Long Night”.
Now, he’s created a new print in the series, titled “This Girl Is On Fire!“, and based on last Sunday’s penultimate episode “The Bells”.
The first two prints in the series, “Winter Fare-well” and “Winter Fallen”, will be available as a one-day sale on his site starting Friday, May 24 at 9AM PT, ahead of their San Diego Comic-Con 2019 debut. The latest print may also be available online during that sale or some other time, but you can definitely grab it at Comic-Con. Ballesteros is still in the testing phase with the print, but you can expect either a 9×12 or a 11×14 print somewhere in the $25 each price range, and signed.
[UPDATE May 5]
Last week, Ballesteros whipped up an epic Game of Thrones print — “Winter Fare-well”, a tribute to eight seasons of the series, and dedicated to the awesome-ness that was the episode “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”.
But then came last Sunday’s showdown episode, “The Long Night”, and Ballesteros knew he had to top himself with a companion piece, titled “Winter-Fallen“.
Both prints will be making their big debut at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, though there will be a one day sale on Ballesteros’ website, with the date announced sometime in May for both Game of Thrones prints. Ballesteros is still in the testing phase with the print, but you can expect either a 9×12 or a 11×14 print somewhere in the $25 each price range.
[UPDATE April 28]
Even though it’s not May, Ballesteros already has your first print to get hyped for at San Diego Comic-Con: “Winter Fare-well“, a tribute to eight seasons of Game of Thrones.
“This print was not planned at all,” Ballesteros told us, “however, like everyone else that has been watching Game of Thrones since season 1, these are all character that I hold dear to my heart. It’s hard to see any of them go so this piece is my own love letter (artwork) to the remaining characters and a thank you to everyone who made 8 season possible.”
The print will be making its big debut at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, though there will be a one day resale for the print, with the date announced sometime in May. Ballesteros is still in the testing phase with the print, but you can expect either a 9×12 or a 11×14 print somewhere in the $25 price range.
