First of its kind, DrawINK Con, was held last May 17 to 19, 2023 at the DLS-CSB Design and Arts Campus 12th Floor Cafeteria. Much like most conventions held in the Philippines, this event included artist tables, guest speakers, and even a cosplay competition with faculty, alumni, and invited judges. This event was hosted by DrawINK, the premier comic organization of the College, and was executed by its student leaders. The event not only included invited artists to the booth at the artist alley such as David Gerelao of @davkgerart on Instagram, but even popular cosplayers such as Cholo Tolentino and Liabear to judge for their cosplay competition.
As this was the very first convention held by the organization, it served as a major milestone with a total of 1,393 attendees. DrawINK Con will surely be a reoccurring event for the years to come and for the next generation of students to enjoy.
Down the Artist Alley
As this event was student-led, most of the booths at the artist alley feature many of Benilde’s talented artists. With 21 artist booths in total, 18 of which were from Benilde’s very own student artists. Featured in the artists alley include invited guests KAGE Studios, PENLab x James Atillo, and Velasquez Character Comics.
Some light on the Artist Spotlight
The first day of the event featured the Artist Spotlight, a talk with 3 invited speakers at the Benilde Taft Campus. Guests such as Ian Velasquez, James Atillo and Milo Galang came to share their experiences within the artist community in the Philippines as well as give their perspective on the future of the community to the budding artists of De La Salle College of Saint Benilde. This talk not only provided inspiration for these student artists but an outlook to the kind of industry they will be entering soon.
Battle of the Characters
One of the most awaited days of the convention was the cosplay competition held on second day from 6pm to 8pm featuring guest judges Cholo Tolentino, and Liabear; Benildean students Seoliverse, and Skwid; and Benildean Faculty Miss Ionica Abraham Lim. The competition was open to all Benildean students and featured performers such as Toph Beifong from Avatar the Last AirBender, Vash the Stampede from Trigun and Thoma from Genshin Impact. Not only did the audience get to see performances from all the competition participants, but a Q&A Session was held to introduce the judges and get to know their expectations for the competition. The guest judges shared their experiences as members of the Cosplaying Community in the Philippines as well as shared their own personal tips and advice for interested students who want to get into the scene of cosplay as well.
DINK Night
To conclude the event, the organization hosted DINK Night as a finale for the convention and a celebration for all DrawINK members for a successful experience. This last activity was held on the last day from 6pm to 8pm for all DrawINK members to enjoy. It was a joyous moment of recollection and recognition as the organization celebrated the ultimate success of a soon-to-be annual project. Members were given awards and games were played to wrap up the night and end DrawINK Con with a bang.
DrawINK Con proved to be a tremendous moment for the organization and was an opportunity worth experiencing for all members and attendees for the 3-day event. This convention was a true testament that Benildeans do ordinary things extraordinarily well.
Written by: Sasha Gabrielle Davidon
