We are soooooo excited to announce the return ILLO MART: a celebration of all things illustration and the amazing illustrators of our creative community. As fans of the many illustration fairs around the world, it has been our dream to do one of our own some day, and last year, we were able to finally make this dream a reality. So happy to be bringing it back this year!
Happening September 26-27 at South Hall in downtown San José, ILLO MART will bring together 250+ of our favorite illustrators all in one place as well as a lineup of exciting creative workshops, free figure drawing sessions throughout each day, DIY activities, a zine lounge and more!
Located indoors at downtown San José's South Hall at 435 South Market Street, San José, CA 95110. Open from 11 am to 6 pm. Free admission for attendees. Service animals only.
Event Details
Dates & Times:
- Saturday, September 26 & 27, 2026: 11 am to 6 pm (both days)
Location:
- South Hall, 435 S. Market Street, San José, CA 95110 (view on Google Maps)
Details:
- This event is free to attend.
- No outside food & beverage will be allowed into the event.
- Per the venue's rules, strictly only service animals are allowed inside the venue. The venue's security team will ask any non-service animals to be removed from the venue if they encounter any.
Accessibility:
- Accessibility parking is available within the on-site parking lot surrounding South Hall as well as in the San José Convention Center Parking Garage located next to South Hall.
- Attendees with accessibility needs should proceed directly to the front entrance of the event, even if there is a line.
Parking:
Paid parking lots and garages are available in the neighborhood. Street parking is free on Sundays.
Vendor Application
- We are sold out of all vendor space for this event.
Door Giveaway
First 1,000 attendees each day will receive the door giveaway: an event-exclusive 4"x6" notepad featuring illustrations by this year's event poster artist @poxei.
Vendor Lineup & Event Map
View the Vendor Lineup (with Instagram links) as a Google Sheet
Free Figure Drawing Sessions
Seats will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
Price: FREE
We will have free figure drawing sessions all day each day of ILLO Mart 2026 featuring clothed models doing poses (with some poses featuring costumes) for 2-min intervals, 5-min intervals, 10-min intervals and 20-min intervals throughout the day. We encourage people to bring their own drawing materials and paper however we will have charcoal pencils for people to borrow and drawing paper for people to use if they don't have their own (while supplies last).
Find the figure drawing station in the back of the event venue.
Digital Portrait Painting Workshop by Jacquelin De Leon
Reserve your spot in advance (limited walk-in spots available)
Price: $10 per person
Schedule:
- Saturday, Sept. 26: 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
- Sunday, Sept. 27: 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
"Bring your charged iPad with your Apple Pencil and ProCreate or a similar drawing program already installed. I will be teaching using ProCreate but the techniques are pretty universal. There might also be limited access to outlets so make sure your tools are fully charged before arriving.
I will be sending out an email with some downloadables that you can save before arriving, I will also have a QR code handout at the workshop but the internet might be spotty, so if you can please download them ahead of time." -Jacquelin De Leon
Find Jacquelin De Leon's workshop station in the back of the event venue.
Follow Jacquelin De Leon on Instagram
Watercolor Painting Workshop by Jacquelin De Leon
Reserve your spot in advance (limited walk-in spots available)
Price: $20 per person
Schedule
- Saturday, Sept. 26: 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM
- Sunday, Sept. 27: 2:30 PM to 3:30 PM
"I will be providing paints, water, brushes, and paper, but if you have supplies you would like to use please feel free to bring them! This is kind of a laid back painting session where I will do a demo and then paint along with you guys, feel free to ask any questions or ask for any specific demonstrations as well!" -Jacquelin De Leon
Find Jacquelin De Leon's workshop station in the back of the event venue.
Follow Jacquelin De Leon on Instagram
DIY Wooden Mushroom Painting Workshop by Malisa Suchanya
Price: TBD
Schedule:
- 12 pm to 12:30 pm
- 12:40 pm to 1:10 pm
- BREAK
- 2 pm to 2:30 pm
- 2:40 pm to 3:10 pm
- BREAK
- 4 pm to 4:30 pm
- 4:40 pm to 5:10 pm
STEP 1: Pick a pre-colored wood mushroom.
STEP 2: Add patterns and designs using the acrylic pens.
STEP 3: Add a keychain or a string to your mushroom.
Follow Malisa Suchanya on Instagram
Stamp Carving Workshop by Elda The of Thousand Skies (SUNDAY ONLY)
Reserve your spot in advance for Sunday, Sept. 27 - 12 pm to 2 pm (limited walk-in spots)
Reserve your spot in advance for Sunday, Sept. 27 - 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm (limited walk-in spots)
Price: $20 per person
Schedule:
- This workshop is ONLY happening on Sunday, Sept. 27. It is a 2-hour workshop.
- The first session is from 12 pm to 2 pm.
- The second session is from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm.
Learn how to carve your own stamp. The rubber stamp size you will be able to carve is a 4" x 6" rubber block. We provide all materials for the workshop. You may bring your own design, or use one of the provided templates.
The workshop will cover how to trace the design, transfer it, and carve it. By the end of the class, you will have a finished stamp to take home.
Optional supplies to bring: personal sketchbook
Age restriction: 12 years and up. Anyone under 18 will need a parent or guardian to sign a waiver form before the workshop starts.
Follow Thousand Skies and Elda The on Instagram
Zine Lounge
Take a break and enjoy reading some amazing zines we have here! Please do NOT take the zines with you. Select zines are available to purchase from at the info booth near the front entrance.
Find the zine lounge in the back of the event venue.
Food & Drink
A&M Patisserie:
Christine's:
- Chocolate chip
- Chocolate walnut
- Pumpkin doodle
- Lemon earl grey
- Oatmeal brittle
- Black sesame oreo
- Dog cookies
Other treats to be available at the event!
Stamp Rallies
🌸☀️ Seasons OC Stamp Rally 🍁❄️ A seasonal themed stamp rally that’ll be held at @illo_mart this coming weekend 9/26-27!
⇢ PRIZE
- 4 x Season themed Riso Prints
- 1 x Sticker sheet
⇢ ARTISTS
-
🌸 @iirokagi (A401)
-
☀️ @defshale (A401)
-
🍁 @elizyarts (E406)
-
❄️ @taiyakicakes (G407)
⇢ HOW TO PARTICIPATE
- Pick up a stamp card from any participating artist’s table
- Make a purchase of $8+ from each participating artist (please note artists may be sharing tables) to receive their stamp
-
Once you have collected all 4 stamps, return to E406 (elizyarts) to collect your prize set!
Prizes will be handed out first come first serve!
𝒂 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒚𝒐𝒖 🌸🍉🍁❄️ (link)
An OC stamp rally themed around seasonal nostalgia~ Exclusively at @sjmade ILLO Mart this weekend!
Prize packs include 4 riso prints + 4 matching OC info cards, each capturing the essence of their respective season!
HOW TO PLAY 💫
1. Pick up a stamp card from any participating artist
2. Spend $8 at each table to earn a stamp
3. Collect all 4 stamps
4. Go to @mususubi at C405 to claim your prize!
*Please note that prizes are limited and first come first serve
ARTISTS 📍
🌸 @shionaster | E304
🍉 @mususubi | C405
🍁 @zhajiang_ | E304
❄️ @renyuen_ | H205