Here's the Who's Who at Magic Con Chicago's Art of Magic
Header image: Alyx Branwyn and Chris Rahn sign cards for fans at Magic Con Chicago 2024 (Photo by Nick Wolf)
Magic Con Chicago is only a month away, and among the slate of tournaments, events, creators and panels, one of the biggest draws is the Art of Magic.
Art of Magic, or the event's roster of artists who have contributed to Magic in some way, is a mainstay at every Magic Con. But this year's Art of Magic in Chicago is among the most populated, rivalling the events held yearly in Vegas for the sheer number of artists in attendance. For perspective, last year's Magic Con Chicago featured roughly 35 artists. This year, at the time of this writing, there'll be 54.
So who will you be seeing in Chicago? Let's take a look:
- Aaron Miller
- Alayna Danner
- Alessandra Pisano
- Alix Branwyn
- Andrea Radeck
- Andrew "SchmandrewART" Thompson
- Ben Hill
- Brigitte Roka
- Bruce Brenneise
- Bryon Wackwitz
- Chris Rahn
- Clifton Stommel
- Crystal Sully
- Dan Frazier
- Doug Shuler
- Eric Deschamps
- Evyn Fong
- Jason Engle
- Jeff Laubenstein
- Jeff Miracola
- Jesper Ejsing
- Joe Slucher
- Justine Jones
- Kai Carpenter
- Kieran Yanner
- Lucas Graciano
- Mark Poole
- Mark Tedin
- Marko Manev
- Milivoj Ceran
- Olena "Lena" Richards
- Phil Stone
- Ralph Horsley
- Randy Gallegos
- Lucas Graciano
- Ricardo Bessa
- Richard Kane Ferguson
- rk post
- Ryan Pancoast
- Sarah Finnigan
- Kaja Foglio
- Phil Foglio
- Serena Malyon
- Ken Meyer, Jr
- Steve Ellis
- Steve Prescott
- Steven Belledin
- Svetlin Velinov
- Thomas M. Baxa
- Tyler Jacobson
- Tyler Walpole
- Victor Adame Minguez
- Vincent Proce
- Wizard of Barge
Each name above will redirect you to that artist's Scryfall page, and a special thanks to Vorthos Mike for helping ensure the list's veracity. And if you're keeping count, these artists represent roughly 5,900 Magic cards/tokens, ranging from Svetlin Velinov's 412 to Clifton Stommel's singular entry, just revealed mere days ago:
As per the event organizer's website, "in the 'Art of Magic' area you can meet some of the talented artists who have created beloved card art during Magic's lifespan." Keep in mind, from the time of this writing to the actual event on Feb. 21-23, this list is subject to change. There may be additions, and there may be artists dropping out for a variety of reasons.
Magic Con Chicago's convention space inside the McCormick Place Lakeside Center is segmented based on theme. There will be the open play areas, the tournament play areas, the vending areas, a stage for presentations and panels, and the Art of Magic. Inside the Art of Magic area, each artist will have a booth or table, likely adorned with a variety of prints, original pieces, custom tokens, binders of artist proofs, and most notably, a line.
At an event like a Magic Con, attendees can expect to wait in line for their turn to get some artist facetime. These lines will vary in length, and newer artists or artists with relatively few cards under their name will have quick lines. For artists who have illustrated hundreds of cards, however, like Jesper Ejsing or Chris Rahn, lines will be capped, so for attendees hoping to get cards signed by these artists, they'll have to arrive early and expect to spend a significant amount of time on their feet.
Will we be seeing you at Magic Con Chicago? Will you be investing your limited time trying to hit up every artist in attendance?