/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

Bump because I just got an acceptance email today for a small con in March.
This'll be my second one and my first was really just tagging along to a friends table with some stickers and bookmarks so I'm super excited.

Currently on market research mode
> is really just watching anime and playing vidya all day

Bumping for interest.

Is Printsess good? Is there a better alternative?

>>6389911
For acrylic charms? They're basically your only bet if you live in America. I think Zap Creatives does good work too, but they're in England so the shipping ups prices a lot. You could also alternatively use shrinky dinks to make charms, but of course the quality might not be as consistent as printsess/zap creatives

Doing a bunch of pokemon charms for my table, just laminating them should be fine for now, right?

>>6389911
http://neekko.tumblr.com/post/32249313252/my-final-word-on-the-whole-acrylic-charm-thing

As some people know, I usually do the Homestuck Horns for Hussie for artist alley but I was actually really curious: If I were to do normal horns like, succubus, ram, or just gothic looking horns, would that be a possible market? I like working with model magic and I do like being able to blend and do texture but that usually takes a while. But, I don't want to spend a lot on materials and then have no one really interested.

Aside from that, would there be a market for little Deer Antlers that are clips or on a sort of, fancy Mori-style headband or would that be just limiting myself to one thing? Sorry, I just want to know what my options are when I don't have the Troll stuff to fall back on!

>>6390028
Been contemplating doing antlers myself. I think they'd be a good market.

>>6389997
Super handy, thanks!

Would it be practical to make resin charms like these rubbery keychains?
The designs would be sculpted, then made into a mold, and pour in colored resins one by one.
Obviously as a keychain, they might take too much wear and tear, so I was thinking small charms or pendants.

>>6390048
You totally should too! If there's a market then why not. Please post pictures if you do, too. I love seeing other's crafts.

How well does lolita stuff sell at cons? Like higher-quality accessories, not just sweets jewelry and plastic rings.

>>6390146
This interests me as a large amount of my items are lolita-esque

>>6390128
I think people would go for these! Of course it depends on what it would be. I'm imagining a flat charm of a pokeball, for example, that'd be cute.

I'm actually quite interested in this because I recently got into making resin stuff as well, mostly just simple cute stuff like embedding stickers and glitter and stuff into a pendant. I was thinking of making anime-themed pendants, just not sure what would be more popular: anime characters, or some kind of symbol/emblem from the series? Or just mix it up and do both? I'm just worried it might be kind goofy to wear a character as a pendant...

>>6390173
>>6390128

I see those things get on the front page all the time on deviantart, not to mention sold like hotcakes on their respective etsies. The weebs eat that shit up like pocky. I say go for it.

Interested actually in that as well. Not only can I make things that might sell, I am also highly interested in the versatility of resin and how you can make genuinely cool patterns with mixed media. Yeah, so excite. Can't wait til I get home and get some shit from Michael's to mix together.

>>6389768
is it con-nichiwa out of curiosity

>>6389990
if you only want them to last for like 4 months

>>6390188
It's mostly since this is my first AA, and I want to see what sells before ordering acrylics.

Should that still be fine?

>>6390188
I dunno, I've had some laminated charms last me for quite a while. If you use a solid thickness laminate (5mm to 7mm, though 7mm gets pretty bulky/unattractive) it can last you a while.

But I mean, who really buys cons stuff to last, right? Especially laminated charms. They appeal to the impulse-buy market.

>>6390187
Ha ha no, actually it's Naka-kon in KC

What are tips and tricks for setting up ones table?

>>6390370
Is there anything specific you're looking for? Just make a display that goes up so people can see if from far away, use display stuff that accommodates what it is you're selling, make prices/commission info nice and visible for people who are too afraid to ask.

>>6391028
Things to use, I guess. What kind of things to use to hold up displays and such. Sorry if it seems like a stupid question.

OP just in case: >>S6301299

OP just in case: http://rbt.asia/cgl/thread/S6301299

>>6391175
wire cube shelving found at any superstore?

Anyone know where you get pink nylon cord chains? Like, the chains used in the lolita accessories?

>>6391244
Aaah, I forgot, aren't all threads automatically archived now or something? That thread is the best and really helpful. Thanks so much!!

What sort of stuff do you guys predict selling next year?
How do you guys deal with copyrights and stuff?

>>6391369
I have a friend who works for GEAnimation and he said that they usually go after bootleg goods in the vendors/dealer's hall. They leave the people in the artist alley alone for most of the time unless they're mass producing.

For the most part, I haven't had any trouble with copyright.

>quality vs quantity question:
i'm usually printing my acrylic charms with Zap and i'm happy with the quality, but the price keeps me from making as much as i'd like - variety and quantity wise. i order larger charms and they cost me about £2 - £2.50 each.
i recently got an offer to print charms for a much lower price - around £0.80 for same size, unlimited designs - but the quality goes down a bit. acrylic is thiner and print is nowhere as vibrant as Zap ones. colours are more desaturated and it seems to lack that top coat which makes Zap charms glossy and smooth. apparenty the print would start coming off if you rub it hard enough.
while i like the look of Zap charms much better, the very low price and option to make as little as one of each design is extremely tempting. also my friends use the cheaper option and their charms have been flying of the table like nothing.
>what would you do, seagulls?

I made a kandikini (pic not mine but related) and wore it once over a tank top. Would it be totally gross to put it out at my table for like ten bucks?

>>6393551
Ew no. Why is that a thing?

>>6393551

I'd at least wash/disinfect it first.

So, where do you guys suggest I get shirts printed off? Any good sites for reasonable prices?

Bumping for interest

>>6390146
At my local cons, there are a huge selection of those type of items so I'm guessing they're pretty popular.

>>6390028
People already sell animal tails and ears, why not horns too? If they were really made I'd considered buying them too! You could model somes horns that can be also used as cosplay like Vincent from the game Catherine. Although I think Homestuck fandom has a really strict rule about selling fan-made merchandise from their series.

>>6391618
I think it all honestly depends on how you feel about your charms and customers, I guess. If you love your own charms and want a customer to keep it for a long time to cherish, I'd go with the quality. If you're all about the money and could be assed about your customer getting their work, go with the quantity.

>>6394762
worth* not work

any uk artist alleyers in here? where do you buy your prints from
I'm looking at cat print although thats from the us i've heard its decent, but im stumped on what paper i should choose!
also what other things sell well? like do sticker sheets or keyring or badges sell best

also do you guys get banners printed for your artist booth or just make one?
sorry for all the questions i'm just really nervous and want to know everything before i decide if i want to do a con...
oh one more thing when it comes to prints detailed or simple bgs?

Bump for interest, I'd also like to know about banners for artist tables. I'll be having my first table soon

>>6393897
Anyone?

>>6390187
Arizona anon?

>>6390370
Pic related is a very common way.

>>6394866
Catprint is awesome. For my smaller ones, (8.5"x11") I use Heavy Card Stock-plain, which is really sturdy and looks/feels great.
See my next reply for banners.

>>6395888
I got my banner from vistaprints. I got a nice, decent sized (3'x1.6') for $14.00. They have bigger sizes, but the idea of a huge banner just doesn't appeal to me. Of course, I haven't looked into other options, considering I already have one, but that's just an option.

>>6393897
I used to work at a company called ooshirts.com. They're pretty solid and have really low prices if you buy in bulk. Pretty wide range of customization options, though of cours ethe price goes up the more complex your design is.

What is the paper prints are usually printed on?

Little, quick plush ideas for tables?

has anyone used the square credit card swiper thing? I'm considering on getting that for artist alley and switching to an android phone anyways...

>>6397646
>http://rbt.asia/cgl/thread/S6301299

>>6397832
I want one soooo bad.

>>6397832
I have. They're awesome.

I've never had a table at an Artist's Alley before, but a LOT of my friends have and they keep telling me I should join them one day.

I'm no Artist by any stretch of the imagination. I can't draw to save my life.
But I CAN make rather good props. I was big into Theater when I was still at school, so I have a lot of experience working with wood and clay and plaster and stuff.

I was thinking of making lots of small props and replicas from shows and games.
Poke Balls, Digivices and Tags/Crests, Soul Gems, necklaces, keychains, etc etc


Do you guys think that there would be a market for that kind of thing? If I make stuff out of resin I'd have to price it accordingly, do you think that kind of merch would be too expensive for Weeaboos?

>>6399409
Depending on how accurate and/or good it looked. I'd pay quite a bit for a really good looking soul gem.

>>6397898
>http://rbt.asia/cgl/thread/S6301299
OMG SO CUTE

bumping this

i've always wondered this, because i know Dealers has to deal with it a lot
but do AA people have to deal with being watchful for petty theft? like, do you ever want to set a "no touching" rule? i can imagine how easy it would be to just pocket some of the key chains and such. even more so than dealers.

>>6401952
Of course, you have to be watchful, but i'm fine with people picking up things, feeling them, etc., especially if I have a lot of little things, but I watch their hands closely. Artist Alley tables have a lot less to look over, compared to a dealer, and usually there isn't more then a couple people looking at stuff, so it's easy enough to notice if someone pockets something.
Actually, the only time I ever remember having something stolen are two of my prints that I kept stored in a cabinet under my table.

I think this might have been posted before, but this has some good tips: http://www.artistalleysurvivalguide.com/

If it actually doesn't apply, please give better ones... ^_^;

>>6402649
Oh! The site is finally up! Yay.

Oh Boy~ I got an artist table with my boyfriend and while I've been in the artist alley before with another friend, this is my first time having my own studio.

I've been out of the circuit for a while though, what're the big names now? Is Madoka still popular enough to sell?

>>6401952
I've definitely heard stories about theft. I imagine you have to be much more watchful if you sell small props and jewelry and stuff. If you do have a "no touching" rule, be sure to make a very prominent sign. People usually aren't too savvy with that, though, because they like to hold and touch things that they intend to buy. I would probably have a sample product out for touching and holding only, and when people decide to buy, you can have clean, untouched ones behind the table for them to purchase.

>>6390028
I would stay away from the Homestuck horns if I were in your position. There's a fairly strict rule that Andrew and Rachel established regarding non-official merch. 2D commissions are fine though.
It's not like there would be huge legal consequences, but some of the fans may jump down your throat about it. It sucks, but Hussie already had some pretty serious confrontations with Gaia selling homestuck items for cash.
They just have to be really careful since everything is basically self-published. Antler clips do sound adorable though, I would certainly buy those if I was in the area.

>>6402782
Augh, another reason I'm getting peeved with Hussie and Rachel right now.

I'm actually their official merchant for the Homestuck horns. I give about 50% of the profit from each set I sell to Hussie and my one request was that he mentioned me and the condition I'm in to help stop the spam/hate mail and death threats anywhere. Be it his Tumblr, the MSPaint site or his twitter but so far after 4 emails, I've heard no reply back. I understand they're busy but I'm still getting rather aggressive emails from his fans claiming I'm ripping him off by selling things illegally. . All the money I make helps for my medical insurance and my ailing parents who have had to undergo surgery about 5 times this year along with my own MRI and Spinal therapy.

Hussie/Rachel said that within the next year at some point, they'll be bringing out some mass produced horns so until then I'm able to do them. I figured since I've had experience with horn making, I'd try to make some others for sales at Artist Alley. Or maybe something like Mori-girl Deer Antlers. I'm not sure haha.

>>6402799
Have you tried contacting him on Twitter?

Btw, I would love deer antlers~

>>6402741

Madoka is still popular, just go with 2D art though since all the cool trinkets from the show already have official merch (soul gems, grief seeds)

Homestuck is THE thing right now, like Naruto and Kingdom Hearts before it. Be careful with it though. They already have an official seller for the horns, and even though selling other trinkets isn't illegal, the author's girlfriend is a bitch and will sicc her tumblr followers on anyone she catches. If you want to make, like, striped purple scarves, make very certain you don't mention Homestuck, Trolls, or Eridan at all. Think like the cheap halloween companies and call it, like, "Sea Prince Scarf" or something.

>>6402859
I have, as has a friend of mine but alas, he didn't seem to respond. It's just become a rather annoying mess that I try and do my best to ignore right now and just continue with what I can.

Awesome! I'll put that on my list of things to try out! On top of that I was thinking of little tiny ram horns that are just kind of a little cute curl on clips.

>>6402869
Augh, those would also be super fucking cute!

Dang, well, I really hope they get back to you soon. Until then, have you thought of taking a screenshot of their e-mail saying it was okay for you to sell the horns and posting it until things get cleared up? Or would that be a not-okay thing to do?

>>6402882
I'll be sure to post some pictures when I get some WIP shots done!

The main problem is most of the fandom just doesn't listen even if it's listed everywhere. I had it announced everywhere on my deviantart and still had rather angry comments about scamming Hussie. I can try and hyperlink the email to my tumblr maybe but even still, people just do.not.read. I think that's the most annoying thing about it. But thanks for talking it out with me! I'll try to think of something. I just really wish that my emails didn't get ignore. It just seems like bad business communication.

Sorry for the BAAAWWWing. On top of this thread at least! Has anyone wanted to cleverly decorate their booths? A couple table mates and I wanted to make it look like a pseudo ramen shop when we do our Gintama cosplays or do AA's frown upon that sort of thing?

>>6402900
No problem! It's understandable to be stressed especially when you're dealing with a very large, over-zealous fanbase. And it's true, they don't read and they probably won't believe it until they hear it from Hussie himself. I read on the homepage that he was in Florida or something, but even then, how hard is it to reply to an email?

I really hope everything works out for you <3

>>6402869
you mean like this?

>>6402953
Yeah, I pretty much even had all the codes ready so he'd just have to copy and paste where my situations and explanations were. I was a little bitter because my car had been destroyed by a semi truck that crashed in to it and totaled it and that same day was when Rachel told me they were going to drop me as their horn maker. Well, I hadn't heard from her in three weeks after that and finally she replied saying I could do it until their officials come out. She said if there was anything they could do to tell them. I asked to be mentioned about my situation with my car, spine, and parents who were undergoing surgeries but no reply. The day after the email was sent, Hussie started his kickstarter and had 700k in three days. It's stupid to feel bitter over that but it's just ugh, is it so hard to take two seconds to type something up? Bah, again I'm really sorry for venting.

>>6402965
Yup! Something like that! I usually have headbands with ram horns on them and I try to make some ram horn combs that you can push through your hair. But something like that I'd love to do on top of the deer antlers and other things. At the moment I'm doing Tesseracts from Avengers in hopes I get a booth at ALA but I hope I can wip up a few Succubus horns from Ragnarok Online, Lambo Horns and ram horn clips! Those are super cute, btw!

>>6402991
please, if you can, make some larger ram/succubus horns! seems like no one makes them (i assume because theyd be too heavy?) so if you made some medium sized ones thatd be awesome.

>>6402991
You don't have to apologize. It's obvious that you're going through a lot right now and everyone needs to vent :) I wish you the best and hope things work out!

>>6403041
Something kind of like these? I made these as a request but the buyer never contacted me afterwords so I just ended up giving them to a friend. These were actually pretty light weight but you could feel the pressure of the headband the most.

>>6403048
dropped picture dangit. They were white at first then I colored them brown with a dark brown shading

>>6403054
>>6403041
If those are too big, I also do these kind that are the light weight too and kind of curl around the head. They're based off of the succubus horns from Ragnarok Online.

>>6403049
Ah thank you so much! ;_; It always makes me happy when people are so kind.

>>6402991
I've seen your story around here before but I didn't know they still hadn't talked to you after they said they were going to, that's pretty lame.

I know you guys had a semi-deal but it seems since the kick starter began right after they talked to you, it seems they just want to keep all the money for themselves; yes you'd get a cut but they don't seem too concerned about the horn idea. If they were, it could have been offered in the kick starter. Not trying to sound mean but it irks me that they're breaking deals by ignoring you yet they made a ton with that project. It just sounds like they'll keep leading you on so I'd continue to make your own horns and other things; plus they sound way cuter than Homestuck stuff.

>>6403061
Oooooo, RO cosplay stuff!

...If you could figure out a way to do Incubus horns, I might be interested. (Yes I know anyone could wear either horns, but it's the principle of the matter D:)

>>6403054
Those are really cute. What are your general pricing for the horns?

I've been talking with my bosses about your situation and trying to brainstorm some ideas to help you out, and maybe get you some extra work. I've been pitching you out to my friends and other places too to help out, I've got at least one who wants to commission horns and I sent her over to your information.

>>6403068
Sadly yeah. I'm still kind of waiting and hoping Rachel will get back to me but I think my optimism has kind of settled to reality thaaaaat she's not getting back to me. I think she reads Hussie's emails too. I'm still a little bitter especially because in the end they got 2.5 Million $ and like barely a smidge of that and I could save my family house, my parents and get my spine repaired but augh that's selfish thinking on my part. But good for Hussie at least.

I'll still do the Homestuck stuff till they tell me to stop [Even then I think Rachel hinted I could do the DIY kits as long as they still get their cut] because it's money and it's all I have coming in for my medicine and therapy visits and saving for a car since the insurance on the guy that hit my car got off without compensation to me and nothing on his record. Blah blah. eosidgjo again sorry for venting haha.

I really do hope to do some of the cuter horns! Or just hair clips or something. I still do art commissions, too and I love doing on the spot doodles for people at conventions.

>>6403075
Yes! I love RO so much. I have to find roses again but I had Mystic Rose hair clips for sale. I have a few Incubus horns that I need to paint but they look kind of like my Lambo horns. I'm tinkering with how to make a Majestic Goat but I might make those horns out of plush with the headband and little ears.

Pic is of Lambo Horns.

>>6403083
Oh wow that's super sweet of you! I don't know how I could ever convey my thanks ;_;

Those Ram horns I gave them for free to a friend but the price was about 50$ which included shipping mostly. I try to make sure they're secure in boxes and it's just the drying and carving that take the most time. The Succubus horns >>6403061 I usually sell for about 25$ and the Lambo >>6403085 go for 20$ which is the same of the Incubus and Aries horns I did for someone from Fairy Tale.

>>6403093
Well we can't always help what happens in life, and you just got hit with a truckload of fuck. I figure if I can at least get a few people to cough up a couple bucks and do a commission or two, that's a bit more money to help you out. It's not like you asked to have your spine fucked up and to have Hussie's fan brigade making you feel like a piece of shit when you're just trying to earn some money to pay for medication and fixing your spine.

If you do get the artist alley table for ALA, set aside a pair of succubus horns for me(and if you don't get the table, I'll set it as a commission). I've got a Merchant cosplay on the back burner waiting to be made. I'll keep pimping your work out to people to try to bring in more commission work.

>>6403054
Can you say material you use for the horns? I've wanted to make something similar for myself but I figured sculpey would get way too heavy and expensive.

>>6403085
Seriously,your quality seems AMAZING, and the price is awesome. If you made little clip in horns of various types I really think you'd have a good market. I'd for sure be interested! Most of the cute horns I see are either too expensive for the quality, or just....to expensive period. I'm a noob and not a homestrucker, so if you could link to your store or Tumblr, I'd love to follow and see what you come out with!

>>6403104
This is true. And seriously every little bit of a commission or donation just really helps so much with saving up for everything I have to. I'm still trying to find a job around here that won't consider me a liability with a precondition like what I have but keepin' my hopes up! And so far people have told me that the only people who have a chance of getting through to Hussie is someone who's like insanely known or involved in the fandom since he seems to ignore everyone else. Oh Hussie. You and your ego.

Oh of course! I'd be more than happy to hold on or craft a pair for you! They're the first pair I've crafted and usually the most fun haha.

>>6403106
I use Crayola Model Magic, Fine Grit sandpaper, and super glue usually! With thick acrylic paints like Folk Art brand and a dry brush blending!

>>6403108
Aahh thank you very much. I really am excited to try the little baby horn clip ideas. I might look around for more ideas. I know for sure I love and want to do the antler and little tiny ram horn ideas. Oh! My deviantart is http://lambentworld.deviantart.com/ or my tumblr you can peek in on is http://lambency.tumblr.com/ . I usually always update there on when I'd open up commissions again! And again thanks you guys, you're all like, seriously sweet and have made my evening.

>>6403130
Thanks so much! They don't sell that product in my country, but it sounds really good (air drying and light, winner!) so I'll check ebay I guess. Good luck with getting a job :) I've been trying for a while myself.

>>6402857
My suggestion for Homestuck things, because when someone sees you selling merch for it without permission they WILL boycott your table straight up, is to draw some art for it, take pictures of examples of items you have made, and talk about COMMISSIONS. Commissions are totally fine to do, as long as you don't outright advertise them as Homestuck commissions.

>>6403061
>>6403048
>>6403093
yes these are great! do you have an etsy?

How would one go about getting buttons/pins started? What kind of paper should I use? What should I use to cut the paper, because I imagine cutting out all those little circles can be tiring. Which button presses/makers are best?

>>6403780
Circle cutter. It will save your sanity when making buttons.

>>6403502
I'm afraid not. I usually just do commissions as they come in and don't really bulk any of them unless I'm going to an artist alley. It's hard to tell what will sell and what won't and I'd hate to just have some left sitting around especially with my cats that take it upon themselves to try and eat the tips. For now that only characters I can think of making some for would be Lambo[Reborn], Hanyuu[Higurashi], Succubus/Incubus[Ragnarok Online] and that's about it aside from Homestuck.

I do do fantroll horns as well though or some designs for people who have special requests. As long as I have an image I can try and go off of that.

Pic related. She showed me a pair she liked from a game and wanted them done black with the carving as it is.

So yeah, if you want to message me on my sites here: >>6403130 then I can work out details and pricing if you [or anyone] is ever looking for anything.

>>6405749
as >>6403780 said. Usually you can get a nice button masher and cutter on ebay but they run for about 300$ for a 1 inch one, I believe? But they really do pay themselves back when you take them to conventions because everyone loves buttons. As for paper, I sometimes use a nice glossy surface or just laser ink?[Sorry I don't know the names really well, I've just started working with buttons myself]. But yeah, for sure when you do get one, get a cutter because it will save you so much time.

This isn't necessarily relevant to artist alley tables, but has some cute design ideas

>>6405666
when you see it...

Are the cakes from portal selling? Like the one in >>6405666

>>6403780
I got my button maker (1" Tecre) for $250 from buttonmakers.net.

The cutter I got was just over $140 here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/310178722614?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I use a laser printer and higher quality A4 paper. I tried photo paper, but I had more problems when I went to actually press them. I guess the paper was just too thick. The Mylar that goes over your designs when you press the buttons makes it shiny, so you don't need photo paper for that either.

Look to invest around $400-$500 to make buttons. But if you get good at it, you can make that back easily.

>>6407124
>>>6403048
> dropped picture dangit. They were white at first then I colored them brown with a
uhg i am so sorry about your situation :( if i had the money i would just send it to you anyways.
do you have a DA? those horns are stunning and i'd love to order from you in the future.

Thank you for the button advice! What do you guys think about selling blankets or pillows at cons? Besides the fact that they'd take up a lot of space, would people want to buy blankets and pillows with certain symbols that would appeal to people?

Also general pricing for scarves and plushies?

>>6407315
Oh no no it's okay. There are those out there who have it much worse than I do so I can't complain too much. But thank you. <3

And thank you about my horns! I've been hoping to get better and better at them while exploring different ways of making them. All the custom ones I have are here: http://lambentworld.deviantart.com/gallery/29343474
Feel free to send me a note whenever you'd like!

>>6407151
what the 666 get?

Is Hetalia still a big enough thing?

>>6409287
The past couple of years not so much but the anime has gotten a revamp and Hima seems to be back from his hiatus for a little bit so there might be a small boom of Hetalia lovers coming back. If you do something unique, fans will eat it up though.

At one Artist Alley, this girl made adorable pillows that were in the color of the Nation's flags with embroidered initials.

>>6393551
Along this line, will beaded things like my pic sell?

>>6391618
make the nicest designs in the more expensive quality, simpler ones you make en masse.

>>6409905
That's Celesse. She's really nice.
She's not in the artist alley at my local con anymore though. She's selling in the dealer's room now.
I paid her for a $16 plush in quarters once. I felt reeeally bad.

>>6411478
I remember years ago when I paid a fireworks stand about $20 in loose change(thankfully all nice and wrapped) No coin star around then.

Considering how often exhibitors and artists have to give change. You shouldn't feel that bad.

You have no idea how happy the stores in the LA fashion district get when you give them a nice stack of change in exchange for some of their bills.

>>6411478
Well, I'd always rather someone pay me in quarters then just leave without anything. It's also nice to have change on hand, cause I usually only carry ones and fives. It's not really bothersome.

>>6409900
gosh, thats horrible

>>6412546

Not like I'll ever get into an alley, but one of my biggest fears would be bringing like $300 in ones and fives and still running out of change.

>>6411478
I saw her at AWA's Dealers Room, all of her stuff is so cute! I didn't get to buy anything then, but hopefully next time I see her!

urrk I want to ask if my art is good enough for doing an artist alley next year but is that just going to make me seem like i'm yelling attention whore?

also do people think madoka will still be popular by early next year? well enough to sell?

>>6414003

*by posting it on here
meant to say that

>>6407124
Holy crap. If I ever need horns for a cosplay, I'm going to commission you if you're available because everything I've seen so far is amazing. You could seriously make a lot of money if you opened a shop page or something to advertise yourself.

>>6407482
You could always just sell pillow cases? Saves on space if you didn't include the pillows.I like the idea of it though.

I'm not sure where to ask this, but as this is where the artists of cgl hang out, better here than elsewhere!

I'd really like some lolita posters - that is, pictures/drawings of girls in lolita. Are there any sellers that do that sort of thing?

>>6414003
Definitely not. Posting is anon and its definitely a related thread. People do that in AA threads all the time

>>6414327
I've actually thought about it, and wondered if it would be a good seller. In my region the lolita demographic at cons is really small

>>6394866
I can't help much on the print thing unfortunately because I print everything out myself. It's kind of a pain but with good quality paper, even using knock-off ink instead of the expensive branded stuff comes out really nice. If you have a half-decent printer it might actually be more cost-effective.

When it comes to backgrounds, a lot of the stuff I see selling well is very character-focused, so there isn't much of a background to speak of. If you're capable of doing really nice scenic backgrounds though, that would probably be appealing. Best to focus on one or the other though I think.

I asked this before, but...

Anyone know where you get pink nylon cord chains? Like, the chains used in the lolita accessories?

Like, I found one place that sells it online, but I was wondering if there were more? Cause I'm having a tough time finding them if so.

>>6414663
ah okay thank you! I was just nervous haha
This is just a sketch but I'm quite comfy in my lineart+colours so i was just wondering is my sorta general skill good enough? also i hope this isn't too big

>>6416385
most those sort of things are normally found on ebay or etsy in bulk

>>6414113
Oh wow thank you so much. I'd love to do whatever I can for you! Feel free to ever shoot me a note or something whenever you might need them.

I had a question, too! I love doing watercolor paintings and lately I've been hearing about this Sakura Koi Watercolor kit that some artists have at their AA tables. Does anyone have experience with this brand and is the 24 color pallet worth the 35$ I'm seeing it being sold for?

I really like the idea of this little bundle of Watercolors and painting at my booth.

>>6417209
I've seen an artist I really like on tumblr uses it and it seems like it makes really nice pieces
No personal experience though as I can't find it in the uk

>>6417209
WOW only 35 dollars? You do realize how expensive real water colours are right?

Anyways, I have the Winsor and Newton set. Richer pigments.

>>6417233
Haha if it's myrollingstar then high five. She does a lot of gorgeous watercolor work. I haven't done any with fanart pieces, just buildings and still-life for my traditional media class.

>>6417262
Oh no, I know watercolors can be crazy expensive which is why when I saw it was only 35$ it seemed like one of those 'too good to be true' things. I've been hoping to find some new ones since I've finally used up all my tubes of watercolor pigments from about 10 years ago.

>>6417277
Have you ever thought of buying Koh-I-Noor disc sets? They're about $20AU for a 24 set. If you're not wanting to break the bank they're quite good.

>>6417163
Do you have an example of your lineart? Your sketch is well... rather sketchy so it's hard to judge whether the finished product would be marketable or not.

>>6417337
uhhm yeah sure I just finished the line art for this piece actually! which is why i opened cgl
I'm gonna regret saying I'm comfy with my linearts aren't I
>>6417277
Yeah it is! Her art's so cute
You're such a varied artist that's so cool!

>>6417375
I think depending on how you color this, it has potential. If you go for a more painterly style it might work well because your lines are on the sketchier side. I don't really know what your finished product would look like because I don't really have a lot to go on!

I think the foreshortening on her arms looks a little awkward and the lineart is a bit too messy for a super polished looking piece. But I've seen people with less skill who do well at an Artist Alley, so why not go for it?

In my experience, selling at an AA once will help you realize what you need to fix in your artwork on your own.

>>6417383
Yep my colouring is painterly

Okay! Thank you if I have the money for the table I think Ill go for it

>>6417294
I have not but I'll look in to those! Have you had experience with them? I like having little bundles like that so I can just easily pack them up and go. The problem I had with my Watercolor class ones were they had to be in a rather awkward size box with a plastic pallet that couldn't fit in any of my bags. So, packing up and just going from class to class was annoying.

>>6417375
Isn't it? She uses such soft tones and it's so pretty. I pretty much learned that Copic/Markers are pretty much like watercolors. It's just a lot of layering and patience and blending to get things to look proper. I've done pretty okay with markers so far so I figured I'd give watercolors a go! aisodfj and thank you, too.

>>6417294
That picture right there is like an instant nostalgia bomb for me...I used to get those so often for school/presents as a kid :D

>>6417375
I think the lineart is a big shaky but other than that you have a good foundation. Inking on paper and scanning, or doing pen tool/vector lineart in a program are also good ways to do clean lines if doing them by hand on the computer takes too long.

>>6417417
Oh I still do clean lines sometimes, I admit this isn't my cleanest lineart in this style but I've suddenly become more inspired and back into art since getting into this style
thank you for the advice however
>>6417415
I'm jealous of her colours they are very lovely
Oh markers are fun! I haven't used them in a long time but I bet you'll enjoy them! also you're welcome ahha

welp I might as well post a wip of the colours because the feedbacks actually been friendly so far, I think the nicest people on cgl must be in this thread

>>6417446
I'm jealous of everyone's colors, I suck so bad at it... Also, this is turning out quite well!

>>6417446
Markers I seem better at than digital media. Your coloring is simple yet really pretty! It seems to blend so you have a style all your own going there! So I'm pretty jelly when people can do really good coloring digitally.

Hey, /cgl/, I'm looking for doll joints to make some plushies with movable arms and legs. Where can I pick some up? The Joanns within driving distance from me didn't have any.

>>6417446
Is this supposed to be a joke picture? Because even if it's not this is the worst thing I've seen in a while. I don't know why everyone is being so nice to you, it's horrid. No one would ever buy this.

>>6417446
bad lines bad color choices...

anon this sounds harsh but you need to improve much more before considering selling at an artist alley.

>>6418277
Plus it's not even anime. It looks like a failed webcomic artist's take on anime gone wrong.

Seriously those lines, do you have parkinsons? The draft picture looks like nightmare fuel with all those lines and the rest looks like you were too hyped on caffeine to draw straight. Also, don't use crayola markers.

>>6418266
>>6418277

I have seen the stupidest shit sell at AA. My friend brought some prints home once. Imagine this. Picture of Envy, a base that was poorly traced over in MS paint. I seriously questioned what she found so nice about it but hey if she liked it enough to buy it who am I to say anything? If that stuff sold anon's picture will too.

Just polish it up, give it a try and if you sell poorly then keep practicing till you get better and try again.

>>6417446

I'm late to the conversation, but this picture strikes me as a postcard-size print more than anything.

JUST MY TWO CENTS.

>>6417446
think I've seen your stuff around before. I'd say there's room in the artist alley for you but not for another year or so yet. But if you keep working hard then you'll make it!

>>6410388
totally

>>6418295
Just because others sold shit doesn't mean you should sell shit as well.

Showcasing that stuff onto the public is embarrassing, have some self awareness.

>>6418527

I'm just saying, if it's a question whether or not it'll sell. If I went by whether my art embarrassed me before selling it, I would never sell anything in my life.

I've considered selling things in AA, but since I don't do more traditional style art - prints, keychains, etc I've been very hesitant. I do a lot of anime patches though, and other series that are popular. Do you seagulls think they'd sell at a convention? I haven't seen many artists in AAs with patches, which makes me wonder.

>>6417446
more line weight variation (like thinner lines for the detailed areas like face), change color of line art to black and then change color after you've finished coloring it, and more interesting background might do the trick... also, awkward cutoff for the legs

Since other anon asked, may I also ask for opinions for whether or whether not I have enough skill for artist alley? This is what i'm currently working on.

>>6418721
You have plenty more skill than what I've seen from most artist alley stalls, thats for sure.

>>6418721
Oh wow that line art is gorgeous. I envy your skill on that. I usually just lineart on paper and scan it in then color it that way.

You for sure have enough skill for AA.

>>6418726
Hrrm, I don't really pay attention much to artist alley stalls if they don't catch my eye with something off the bat. Do said tables make enough money to break even? Because, I mean, even if you're better then someone else, it could still be really bad. Just wondering.

>>6418753
Awh thank you. I really can't draw on paper, and especially not lineart, so vice versa, I envy your skill.

>>6418790
Aw, you're a sweet heart! I'm nowhere near your level of body composition. Your eye style is really pretty, too.

I do love markers/traditional media more but I do love the whole "undo" and erasing stuff that comes with doing things digitally. Pic related. A request from a friend.

That being said, for AA's, people usually do prefer prints that are from digital drawings rather than traditional, yes? I know sometimes traditional doesn't scan very well.

>>6418809
Well, I think that the fact that a lot of traditional mediums that can't "undo" or "erase" make it seem that much more amazing that it can be done. Also, I think it's more so that digital art is everywhere because it can easily be mass produced, and resembles the clean look of anime more. I've always had a preference for traditional art though; perhaps because I can't do it?

I really like that piece though. It just seems so soft, and quite clean cut for something that was drawn traditionally.

>>6418790
Yeah, I know what you mean. It takes a lot to sell your art, but just make sure you don't do what "most others" did.

I've seen people drop their standards and prices to make ends meet. A girl I knew that was creative and put hours into a drawing that was both proportionate and had style kept dropping the price for a traditional A3 piece from $60US to $5US just to sell to make profit.

>>6418829
Haha we really seem the same but opposite on mediums. Do you happen to have a deviantArt or a tumblr?

And thank you so much! I did it for a friend who was feeling a little down so I had hoped it made her a little happy.

>>6419150
Awh, I wish I had a friend like that. haha.
And I don't... I used to have one back in my weeaboo days, of course, but when I finally snapped out of it, I was so embarrassed that I deleted everything and never looked back. /sweat

Where do you guys source your plastic chain for jewelry from?
I've checked out ebay and etsy but so far not a whole lot is coming up (and what does is overpriced when I factor in shipping to Aust). Am I using the wrong search terms or just not looking in the right place?

(pic related)

I know there is nearly always a market for buttons/badges at conventions, but what about something like my picture (not my work, but similar to the sort of stuff I would do)?
I have recently taken an interest to cross-stitching, and I really enjoy making video game sprites.
I was thinking about maybe making some to sell at a convention, but would it be worth it (not just badges, but also smaller pieces that are even framed possibly)? There is a lot of work that goes into cross-stitching, and I'm guessing for a convention I would probably have to make sprites myself (would there be legal issues if I just used the sprites that are used in the game?). It also takes up a lot of time, and I'm unsure whether I'd be able to make enough if there was a demand for them - along with how much to charge for them.

tl;dr - I make things like pic related for a hobby, but would selling them at an AA be worth it (demand for this sort of stuff, they're hard to make, using actual sprites from games, pricing etc.)?

>>6419853
This is actually REALLY cute. With Wreck It Ralph coming out you could do the pixel characters and they would probably sell well really. You could do old video game pixels too, like NES stuff ad make a nice little profit.

I'm not sure if it would be considered bad if you just took it from the source but you'd be doing the work still, of stitching it.

TLDR: Go for it if you want. I'd probably buy something like the image because it's cute and nostalgia.

>>6419270
Aw, I do, too. Well, if you ever do want to get one ,or even G+, I'll totally friend you. I can't wait to see more of your work!

>>6419853
I agree with >>6419859 things like this would probably sell really well at a convention! On a similar note, patches at AA tables? Would they be worth doing? I don't really offer/do anything else, and they seem to do alright online for sales. (pic related, one of the patches I created for the MLP series)

>>6419863
I think patches do pretty well like decals! If you have money to drop, you could find say, a pink backpack and decorate it with the patch and some things that represent Pinkie Pie [or whatever Pony, person] and sell them as little handbags. I know I'd buy some!

But yeah, if you can get patches done, some people really do like them. I have some and I just pin them to my jacket or my backpack.

>>6419859
>>6419863
Thank you! I've been looking up some sprites that I might try and make something out of, it is hard to find things that are appropriate.
For pricing I'm thinking about $5 for a badge, and for larger pieces they would be priced individually depending on how complex they are.
With the individual pieces, I was thinking of putting them on some sort of solid backing (wood maybe?), I think framing them would get too expensive, I may only frame the very detailed and large ones and sell them at a higher price.

>>6419918
Don't forget to factor in your time as well. One of my peeves is when people snub artists in the AA because of the 'high' prices when the prices are pretty reasonable since these things take TIME. That doesn't mean go ridiculous but maybe just add on a few bucks to your initial prices.

Other than that, it sounds like you have a good grasp of pricing! I hope you share when you make stuff cause they're really cute!

>>6419925
Yes, for the more detailed pieces (more colours, larger etc.) I will definitely factor in time and labor in pricing. For smaller pieces, I will probably just add a few more dollars on top of a rough estimate of total materials (maybe something that cost about $10 I would sell for $15?)
Hopefully I will be able to start testing things soon, just looking for some basic sprites and such at the moment. When I make a few things I will try and post in an AA thread if there is one.

uh madoka artist here
I guess I'll leave off the artist alley then
and I'll try and take something constructive out of what you guys said
>>6418721
oh wow that's really gorgeous the variation in lines is really lovely I'm jelly as fuck

I have an AA table, but it's more based on my ability to sew... I was wondering if my art would do any good as well?

Haven't done much recently, but have an old WIP.

>>6420072
your lines are kind sketchy and messy and your anatomy's a bit off for it in my opinion

>>6420072
You need composition, understanding of color theory etc.

a simple sketch isn't enough the gauge your skills

>>6420172
If it's a WIP we can assume the finished linework will probably be clean?

Legit comment about anatomy, but it's not too bad. There's plenty of people who manage to distract from that with details or kawaii desu shiny colouring or something. If you're already buying a table, why not give it a whirl and see how the prints sell?

Just curious but...Could a less anime style still sale well? (Nothing realistic but more of a mix style)

>>6420235
I believe so! There's a lot of diversity there already and if you have your own little unique style [which if I remember from you dA is so beautiful I want to cry] . There are artists who do Video-Game Concept Design like styles that sell their work at Artist Alley and some have their own characters that sell pretty well, too.

SInce more people are asking.. would something like this sell? These are just part of two recent drawings I made, one with and one without lineart. I'm wondering because I'd like to get a table at a con early next year.

>>6420295
I'd buy a print of that.

>>6414669
Yes, I can see why that would put people off making it. I'd probably end up buying it online - I haven't seen any in any AA I've been in. I could make, like, cutsey homewear shit (like teacup accessories/candles) but I don't know if it would sell. It's not weeby enough, but then, it's a dime a dozen at craft shows.

>>6420330
SDSAKHSJ so cute!
I have a shitload of cute cups that never serve me any purpose and I would love to make something like this!
Anyone has a tutorial on it?

>>6420330
not something I would buy, but I do think it's cute!

>>6420360
http://www.allaboutyou.com/craft/knit-free/make-beautiful-teacup-candles-49028

>>6420267
Woot!!! I might actually invest in trying to sell some stuff then. Also you are too kind ,Anon D:

>>6419889
omg that sounds like it would be adorable, thanks!! :) I generally put iron-on backing on all of my patches (double layered) so people can put them where they want.

>>6419815
try delish beads if you want free shipping? it might be expensive but at least you'll have it...

For the people here asking for ratings on their art for AA's, keep in mind that regardless of how well you can "draw," a lot of mileage comes from how you color. That doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be able to color well, but having dynamic color choices or pleasing shading can get you a lot further than just simple drafts and stuff, which sounds kind of obvious. It's not even because you're "good" at it- you have to make an impression and from afar.

Like we all bitch and moan about Shinydesu and his dodge-and-burn shading, but you can see that shiny shit from a mile away, which brings people in like mosquitos to a lamp. If you're not so sure about your drawing skills, try to think about coloring dynamically to grab people's attention.

I went Youmacon a couple weeks back and was really disappointed at the AA there. Maybe I'm just growing out of the scene or something, but nearly everything was shit. Everything gave off a really half-assed vibe. Since when are perler bead designs something you try and sell? Do you guys really buy those?

>>6421212
I use bubble mailers because I found a bunch of 11x17 ones at Daiso. If you do use these, make sure you have some sort of cardboard backing in them to keep them rigid and preserve the prints.

Do any of you run online shops? I'm thinking about starting one soon.

Sellers: Do you use poster tubes or bubble mailers to mail out your prints?

Buyers: Do you prefer poster tubes or bubble mailers when you order something?

>>6421215
Do you know if there's like a cost difference to mail mailers vs. tubes?

Since you guys were talking about color, here's the same pic in full color. Mehrr.

>>6421237
Depends on where you get them. Individual tubes, especially for larger prints like 11x17 or larger, might be more expensive if you buy them individually at regular retail stores, but they can get pretty cheap if you buy them in bulk, but those tend to be a lot. if you can split a bulk order with a friend, that'd be ideal.

The ones I got were $1.50 since they were from Daiso, thought other places might be a little more expensive.

>>6421248
Oooh, I meant the actual postage cost, but thank you anyway! You're always super helpful in these threads.

>>6421248
The bubble mailers, I mean.

>>6421236
Generally pretty solid. If that series is popular in your area, I imagine you'd do pretty okay at a local level, though you'd probably blend in at larger conventions. I see this style of art/coloring a lot at larger conventions.

>>6421256
Oh! usually it's by weight, so I'm gonna estimate around $2~$5ish? My bubble mailers are usually a little under $3

>>6421260
Well, the biggest anime convention in my state is only around 3k/4k, and I don't really want to touch comicons, so I really don't plan on going too big.

Are we still posting pictures and judging if we're good enough to sell? My friend is trying to get me to sell with her at an AA, but I don't really trust my own skills that much.

>>6421282
Go for it, anon.

>>6421236
Do you have a deviantart or something? the coloring looks so pretty and neat i need to see more

madoka anon again
I tried to take on board what you guys said to draw something new, and cleaned up and thinned down my lines, seeing as you're the best at blunt comments here we go

also get off page whatever you were on aa thread

>>6423047
i just realised it looks a bit like she's floating, I'll fix that

>>6421236
is this the final piece?

use selective coloring and alter some of the colors with overlay/screen/etc layers. will look fantastic

>>6421493
No I don't, sorry.

>>6423081
Do you have any advise? I was just going to keep that as it is, but i'm not really used to doing much to it. Any help would be much appreciated.

>>6423135
*advice. My bad.

Crossing fingers to get an Anime Boston table.

>>6423831

This. Also when the fuck is AnimeNEXT putting up any information about anything? That convention is going straight down the shitter.

What would you say is a good big con for someone who's only ever done small state ones? (5k&under attendance)

What conventions actually have decent artists alleys?

I guess what I'm asking myself is which ones have the artists shitting themselves to get into?
I know it doesn't directly correlate with size, because I never see much about AX's AA and AX is the biggest con in North America, so...

>>6423831
>>6423842
When does AB get back on tables? It's my first time trying for the AA there...

>>6423894
The thing is that AX has a fuckhuge artist alley which means there's a huge variety in skill level. So while there are a shitton of good artists at AX there are also really really shitty ones.

I think ALA has a pretty great artist alley for a con its size. It's small but has a high ratio of decent artists.

>>6423917
In relation, which artist alleys have the worst artists?
Uhh
n-not that i'm going to take advantage of that or anything.

>>6423921

I'm wondering too, since this is my first time applying to AB

I've failed to get into a series of conventions over the past year and a half, and have decided that I'm going to go to a local furry convention in March. The only reason being that their alley is first come first served at the door, and tables are forfeit if you leave for more than a bathroom break.

Does... anyone have any experience with that community? I like wacky cartoon animal people, sure. But... man I don't know. Would it be worth it just to go to put myself out there?

I don't plan on doing anything above R rated nudity. I don't even know if I'd charge a whole hell of a lot for stuff. My forte is quick pencil work and inking with a few traditional media, do I could do a lot of character sketch commissions over the weekend. I'd even throw out freebies and offer trades.

TL;DR should I brave the myriad of social outcasts and walking carpets for an AA experience?

>>6424690
YES. Furries are a goldmine. They'll pay you up the ass for commissions of their original art. You'll be swimming in dough if you can do decent anthro art - especially if you're willing to do R rated stuff.

I remember there was a seagull here before who was talking about their friend who made like 2k in one day doing nothing but furry commissions at a furcon.

>>6423893
I think Fanime is generally great and somewhat easier to get into (in that it doesn't sell out in like .0065 seconds after opening, though you still have to be prompt to get a table). Most large cons are well-run and organized, and aside from just the sheer amount of people, aren't that much different from smaller ones in terms of vibe.

>>6423894
Personal favorites: SakuraCon, Fanime, Otakon and ALA.

For whatever reason, AX just always sucks for me, and not just because of sales (although I do generally do worse there than the other cons, comparatively). I like the aforementioned cons because in addition to good sales, they're kind of good hang-out cons or have really supportive, friendly congoers who are fun to talk to regardless of whether they buy your stuff or not. I just don't get that vibe from AX.

>>6424713
I made an account at a nondescript site and watched the front page for a little bit. Lo and behold, shitty adult art got all sorts of attention while really good clean stuff went ignored until the artist's regular watchers saw it.

Funny thing was that I saw one piece each from the two categories that were commissions. The adult one had a bland pose, poor anatomical structure, and flat coloring. The clean one was quite the opposite. They were both asking the same amount for these comissions. YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHO HAD MORE PEOPLE LINING UP FOR HIS ART.

I don't really know what I was expecting.

>>6424743
Y'know, Tim, I've meant to ask you this for a while, since I always see you being very helpful in these threads. Do you have a dA or something of the sorts?

>>6424765
Yeah, but I haven't updated in a while haha. I usually post stuff that I'll eventually/have already done as prints. TUmblr is for smaller sketches and shitposts stuff like that.

t1mco for DA/tumblr

>>6424743
Did you get a sakuracon table?

>>6424841
Yep! It was pretty crazy this year, though. A lot of my friends forgot, but people who got tables will probably be sharing so it's all good. I hope they kinda change the hours or something from last year, which was significantly slower than the year before.

>>6424851
Are you sharing with anyone?

>>6425718
Yeah. Even though SakuraCon tables are bigger compared to most, sharing with three people last year was kind of cramped, and I know my table partner has a lot of inventory, so I'm probably just gonna keep it to two people. If you're looking for a table, best of luck! There's a table-sharing thread on the SCon forums, and sometimes browsing tumblr tags/DA might yield some results too.

nudge

>>6424690

Would you happen to be talking about the one in Atlanta? I think it falls on the 14-17 of March 2013.

>>6423842
Considering the LoI didn't go up until February last year and the convention is in June it might be a good idea to learn to be patient. It'll likely go up around the same time for 2013.

>>6423921
>>6424002
Last year sign ups were in late October and we didn't hear anything until January. I'm not expecting to hear anything for a few months.

Bump with pics

madoka anon again seeing as i got really honest thoughts before
it actually made me try hard to make my line art better
did it work or am i still looking like i'm use crayons

I've actually had some interest in possibly having an AA both in the future, but I'm not sure if what I'd want to sell would turn any sort of profit.

Also, I've been wondering, how do people with booths attend con activities (panels, meetups, photoshoots, shopping, etc.)?
Do they just not go and sit at their booth all day? Is it necessarily to have a second person helping you run the booth?

>>6429806
I'm not very good at lineart myself but I would suggest try using longer strokes and if it makes sense be more assertive when doing it. Whenever you hesitate or pause it really translates on the line work

>>6429806
This piece is a lot stronger in terms of composition and detail than the Madoka one, and younger AA customers eat detailed stuff up, thinking more detail = better art

>>6430006
Wow that's a spectacular difference!

>>6430006
ah i see! Thank you~! i do have to say it's kinda difficult to do with the brush i use, but I'm going to piss about with stabilising in sai and see if i can get a bit of a balance going on!

manfuck backgrounds

>>6389732
I find that I make a killing selling stuff from my accessory shop. I tried a few times to get a table for just my art/illustrations and no one ever bats an eye at it. I guess it upsets me because I've been going to school for art for over eight years but my sewing hobby is what brings in the money. I refuse to draw fan art unless I myself truly love a character

>>6429806
might I make a few tweaks?
sorry if it's hard to follow

>>6430192
Why do you feel the need to draw nipples? Wrong at that.

>>6430145
You're talented, but this style isn't appealing to me.

>>6430200
it just makes it easier for me to see where the chest is since things get lost in the mess of lines

they're more like tracking dots as opposed to nipples, I know they're too high

>>6430192
Oh thank you on the arm! It looked odd and i couldn't work it out
as for the legs they're actually crossed
and oh gosh you draw such gorgeous faces!
sorry for typos idk what the fuck firefox is doing to typing right now

>>6430007
oh i never noticed your reply ahh
oh thank you! I did try a lot harder!

>>6430192
jesus christ. go away. you're terrible.

>>6430213
oh gosh, the legs there make so much more sense than what I thought they looked like

>>6430213
You really can't tell the proper leg position at all with the skirt and it looks very strange. You might want to try lifting the skirt a bit in the front to show more leg. Most skirts wouldn't come down that far over the knees in that position anyway, so I think it would look more natural overall

I used to do on-the-spot commissions, prints, and bookmarks back at cons YEEEEEARS ago. First one was in 2003 or so. I'm getting back into it but needing to plan out something that's a new gimmick. Pins have been done to death now. I do plan to get one of my novels self-published and try to sell them at the table. I've seen it before... anyone here done it with success,... failure? I'm writing on historical Japan so it's something the crowd should have an interest in. If people even read anymore.

>>6430240
>go away. youre terrible
>doesnt do any better than the person they insult

>>6430145
Congoers aren't going to gravitate to that sort of caricature style... it's almost the polar opposite of what anime does.

>>6430282
young kids would only care if it talked about anime culture harajuku etc and if it had illustrations
people generally dont want to have to pick something up to read it and not buy because they'll feel rude so they just font read it imagine though if someone took the time to read it you might get one or two sales?
even comics dont sell very well though from what i've heard...
>>6430269
Ah yeah that's true
I'll consider shortening the skirt but I'm so poor at editing line art with out being even more sloppy, i considered adding to the folds to emphasise it though!

>>6430240
You aren't one to talk, honestly.

>>6430213
If I may make a suggestion..I would change the leg position otherwise she has her arm floating in the air (The one her head is resting on) Pic related though it was rushed.

>>6430303
oh i see! yeah i was worried about that
her arm is actually meant to be resting on the arm of the bench but it doesn't look too clear due to the awful positioning

oh i thought of an actual aa question, do you guys normally mind if people ask to take photos of your displays?

>>6429902
one of the things that sucks about artist alley is that you don't really get to experience the convention at all, unless it's a con that goes into the night, and even if it does go into the night you'll most likely be drained as hell from sitting at a table and drawing/smiling all day long.

this is why it's great to have a table buddy or at least someone you know fairly well beside you, usually you trade lunch hours and take a bit of time to look at your surroundings. but yeah, if you go to a con with a table, don't expect to do many events.

but don't get me wrong, AA is very fun once you get the hang of it! i usually buy a table with two passes and my boyfriend works the table/plays pokemon when i want to jump out and run around.

>>6430309
i really only mind when someone runs up close and snaps a picture of my art. the display as a whole is okay with me but when someone runs up close with a camera phone to take a picture of a print they have no intention of buying... i'm usually like wtf? there's higher quality non-covered in shiny plastic picture of what you just took online. if you just asked me about my website you'd know that ahaha. unfortunately it's usually the art thing that happens so i've just ended up declining all photos at my booth.

>>6430303
LOL WOW

you fucked up the foreshorting on the underneath leg so hard.

Also l2forms

>>6430303
and this is what yours would look like if she were standing up.

>>6430465
You completley changed the pose though. Its a 3/4 view. If you're going to make edits, atleast don't change the entire picture. Its not bad but...its not even..
Just passing through though.

Hey /cgl/, I'm a dude so perspective-wise this question may be better to have an answer from males than females - do any of you find that if you cosplay while behind a artist alley table that you'd make more sales?

2ndly, do find that girls sell things better than guys? I mean lets say that there are 2 tables with about the same level of merchandise except one has guys selling and the other has girls. Barring that the merchandise isn't bad, in your experience would you say the girl's side does better? For me as a male Artist Alley artist, I get that feeling sometimes and I'd like to put it to rest if there's a definitive opinion about it.

>>6430465
Well quite honestly working off of something that already has messed up anatomy isn't that easy. Also you drawing it from the front is far more easier than at 3/4.

Also I would suggest you work on your anatomy as well. If your girl stood up her ass would be massive, calves too short and her head is very misshapen.

>>6430482
like i said before, i leave my boyfriend at my table sometimes, and he's usually not in cosplay while i am. and there's really no difference in sales i find. most times people can't even tell you are cosplaying anyway because they can't see your body behind the stand.

what i do find though (with my own experience), is that a style which lends itself to both genders does better than one or the other, because it reaches more fans. adults can be turned off by the shiny desu as much as the kids can be turned off by the graphic realistic art.

it isn't so much about your skill level as it is your style. and some people do really well with the adult style, but at anime conventions the people who spend the most money are generally the 15-18 year old crowd. the ones who cannot buy things online by themselves and go to conventions specifically to buy things.

and usually (my experience again) artist alley customers are female. so if you cater to the larger buying audience, you're going to sell more. it just so happens that males usually don't buy art, for whatever reason.

>>6430498
fat ass is best ass but lol, that's no excuse you're definitely right about that.

Her calves(from knee to ankle) are fine, they're the same length as her thighs and torso. I realize I changed the perspective, but it was in order to convey the way you drew her was from her neck, direction of her spine to torso her legs should have been facing the front.

Her skull is misshapen, I knew that but the head wasn't the point.

i'll whip up a 3/4th then
>>6430478
+1

>>6430538

Hmm a very reasonable position. What would you say is an adult style? Also do you have a site where I can see your work.

>>6430542
Her thigh shouldn't be the same size of her calves though.

Why would her legs facing front? Her torso and hips are going at 3/4 and so are her legs. I'm not trying to draw her with her torso twisting around.

>>6430592
an adult style would be one that leans more to look like a conceptual/realistic art style? i'm really not sure how to explain it, but when i was going through the artist alley as a kid i generally associated that style with high prices. "it looks too nice for me to buy" was what went through my head. now i'm not sure if kids have more money nowadays but i know when i was a kid i'd rather get 5 prints of okay art of my favourite characters than 1 print of mind-blowing art of something i'd never heard of.

this is my current convention stock here: http://zeekayart.deviantart.com/gallery/40705297
i'm by no means the best artist in the alley but i've been around enough to know what people like. not saying about series in general, but with composition and bright colours and such. people like it when a character takes up the whole page, when they're tiny and off to the side they don't feel like they're getting their money's worth.

also, if you really want to increase sales, network yourself as much as possible! i can't tell you how many people have looked for my table specifically because i was talking with them on tumblr weeks or months before the convention. it helps that i genuinely like talking to people about things i'm interested in, though, lol. you wouldn't just want to talk to them and be like "come 2 my table and buy things". that's another thing i feel like guy artists don't do as much. i guess it's harder to show your passion online as a guy, though.

if its possible, could i see your art as well? i could tell you who your target market would be based on your style.

>>6430756

Sure, you can see stuff in my tumblr linked in my email under the art tag. It's mostly sketches.

>>6430793
yeah you have a lovely style! great foundations too. i can see why you'd feel that you'd sell less though, your art would tend to attract more males than females, and less teenagers than adults. maybe older teens and adults.

it's not a bad thing at all, heck i'd rather be able to draw like you ahah, but the people buying in the artist alley are usually teenage girls, and it's really hard to think like a teenage girl when you never were one.

>>6430867

Thanks, Yeah I guess I can try some cutesy stuff. I've seen a dude get by really well just selling backgrounds too so maybe I can try that route as well.

>>6430793
artists like you deserve the real attention unlike the complete utter shit zee produces.

you have a great understanding of form and dynamics. I would love to buy your sketchbook to support your work.

>>6430884
i wouldn't go too far into cutesy, but yeah you get the idea. you honestly have great art and i'm surprised that you aren't selling as much as you think you could.

>>6430919
yeah hahaha he does need attention, that's real talent there! good on you for buying his work.

>>6430919

You can contact me at the email in the email field if you're interested in the book.

>>6431001

Thanks, and it's not that it doesn't sell well. I just notice based on chats with other artists that everyone else does a lot better than me.

Totally derailing of topic but wanted to show off some new items I've been making for AA. A friend really got into these anti-dust plugs for headphone jacks for phones and was pestering me to try making stuff for it.

After doing a couple things I realized how easy and how much I enjoyed actually sculpting in that scale. Here are all of the styles I've made so far along with the sculpts for some new ones I'm hoping to have finished in time for Magfest.

>>6431133
Also, because I normally post receipts of really good deals or things in pieces. Here's my livingroom before I started doing inventory. I'm done counting everything but now I have to pull items to photograph to sell on etsy.

Totally went overboard for NYCC and am sitting on an insane amount of product unless things are crazy on etsy or until Katsucon.

>>6431143

>Dat set-up
>Dat dim lighting
>All dose finished things
>Dat fabric pile

>>6431167
The livingroom becomes a bit of a staging area for packing up things before con usually and as a result is a disaster for like 2 weeks around a con. The boxes in the back are actually sitting on a 2nd couch and the pile of fabric at one point was up near the ceiling due to a mini hoarding moment. While sorting out plushes for inventory I have managed to walk into, dig through, climb on, crawl under and swim across the pile. There are worst things in life I guess.

They kinda look more like <-this right now since they're mostly bagged up and ready for sealing/vacuuming as soon as I take photos. Thats from before Nekocon and had 5 more bags full of stuff.

>>6431176

Also please ignore peeling wallpaper, its over the inlet for the heating system and no matter what I do to fix it, it ends up like that. Need to just strip the entire wall off and paint it.

>>6431176
Coming from another plushie artist that makes as many quantities as possible, that is a beautiful sight.

>>6430793
oh gosh your art is so dynamic i adore it!

I'm getting kinda confused by all the different redraws of my art ahh but thank you everyone for spending time to help me! I'm very thankful I'll definitely take them into account for my future art! ( i hope it's not rude I'm not redrawing it to fit everything in? I much prefer to use it for future reference)

>>6431176
you have no idea how much i just want to dive into those piles

>>6431143
Would people who make these hetalia things ever consider doing yukkuris / puchim@su plushies?
I know they're more detailed but I know at least puchim@su shit is in high demand at least with us im@s fags.

>>6431143

Can one assume you use a surger for those facial details?

I'm considering getting an exhibitor's booth for Kigurumis; both premade and commissionable. Do you think that that would work out well? I've never worked much with trying to sell high cost items, and i'm just not sure many people would have the money on them.

>>6431688
I'm not sure if it is a local thing but at my local conventions kigurumis have sold like stupidly well. We had a professional kigurumi retailer who pretty much brought half of their stock and they had about seven left on sunday.

And as someone said, most who buy stuff at cons do so because they can't buy it online. Chances are they will see someone in a kigurumi, think "I want one too!" and buy one even if it would be cheaper online, simply because it is a hassle to do so.

I would say yes.

I would love to do an AA, but I know I need to improve first, since I would be doing posters and commissions. I need to work in colour more, and may be grasp digital art.
Would you buy my art? And if you did, how much would you pay for a semi-realistic portrait/chibi portrait/pokemon version of yourself?
Would you pay more for a certain media, like watercolour or promarker?
Pic related, semi realistic

>>6431698
nope

>>6431688
Since usually kigurumis are pretty pricey and there are chances of people only carrying little cash, I'd look into investing a Square so customers can pay by credit card (and debit/interac card?), which makes it a lot easier for people to buy.

>>6431397
Wasn't aware those were popular, I'd consider it. My major issue is that I do have a list of other things I'm working on thats a bit long.

>>6431662
All satin stitched applique, I have a serger and have tried using it for making plushes but just to put them together. Wasn't thrilled with the results though.

>>6430474
>>6430465
You're just as bad.... plz stop

>>6431785

Consider me impressed. Everything I've seen you post always looks so clean.

9.98/10 would buy

Does anyone know a site where you can get large, multicolored graphics printed on tshirts going all the way to the hem? Kind of like pic related, but with colors. I've been looking and really only found places that place graphics on the boob area with limited colors.

those booth photos are awesome. Someday...

I want to do a few Evangelion 3.0 prints for January, but it probably still won't have been released in America subbed until way after. Should I still go for it?

Has anyone here ever gotten a table at Anime Conji before? I'd like to do it as my first AA in April and I just want to have an idea of what they are asking for per table

>>6433267
Oh hey, I'm also going for Anime Conji! I've asked /cgl/ the same question before a year or so ago. Basically what I've heard back was that it's smaller than ALA and it's only really profitable if you're in the area. I recently moved to San Diego/La Jolla for school so I thought I'd give it a try.

From what I remember it was super affordable last year. Something stupidly cheap like $15 or $20 plus the cost of a badge. I've been on their artists mailing list for a while so I could try to go back through the emails and find out the table price for sure, if you'd like a definite answer!

They did just have a fiasco with their Artist Alley head and the head ended up quitting because the con organizers were being pretty shitty, but we'll see how it goes.

>>6433386
oh wow, i know the first two years were super cheap but i wast sure about last year because they seemed to really expand the con. I live in SD so i figured it would be a good con to see what sells best before attempting AX or something. Thanks though, just the general estimate is all i really need. do you know how i could get on their mailing list as well?

>>6433401
No problem~

Before you just had to email artistalley@animeconji.org but since their AA head quit, I don't know if they have a new person taking care of their AA/exhibits/dealers. I know the AA head sent out an email saying to direct all inquiry to info@animeconji.org until further notice because the exhibit emails were linked with hers?

A word of caution though, I think they're really overloaded with work right now because they didn't respond to an email I sent to info@animeconji about the artist alley. I think the best way to try to reach them would be through their Facebook. They told me there that they're trying to get AA registration info up ASAP!

Hope to see you at the con, seagull~ Do you know what you're going to be selling?

>>6433416
Oh definitely! I'm going to bring a big variety of stuff just to see what sells the best. I make earrings, plushes and other jewelry but i'm also going to see if my art can make it so a few prints and pins as well. Maybe we can do a trade

>>6433438
Ahhh I love trades! I'll be the table with a sea of pink valentines (or more appropriately: dick jokes) so it'll probably be easy to find me. I don't do a lot of craftsy stuff so I have a lot of respect for the artists who sell plushies and things like that. It must take forever to build up your stock!

>>6433446
i'll make sure to look for you
And yeah, its the earrings that take the most time so im working on building up a stock now. luckily i have a good friend to help me out with the pins and stuff like that so it wont be too bad

>>6433463
Ahhh, I think I've seen your work posted before! Dat Clara~ Do you have a tumblr or anything like that?

>>6433468
oh thank you! I have a tumblr but its mainly for silly homestuck art, i posted these a few months ago though when i was setting up an etsy. both are paradoxjelli (i'd link it but last time i linked to etsy i got a ban)

>>6433473
Oh that's lame. Maybe you could put it in the email field or something like that.

>>6433474
whelp, here goes nothing
though tumblrs not banned so paradoxjelli.tumblr.com

I'm so sad this thread is on autosage

surely its not on autosage already

I'm trying to make a carrying case/protective sleeve for my tablet. I've got a Bamboo splash.

Could any seagulls recommend me a decent durable material to make it from? If it turns out well I might try selling them one day.

New thread here. >>6434236