/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>>7416150
Dumping time

>>7416170

>>7416171

>>7416174

>>7416175

>>7416177

>>7416178

>>7416181

>>7416182
And finally, how to scare off customers.

Holy shit, to the anon that was looking for prism bookmarks, I HAVE FOUND THE SOURCE! It's indeed a group order with a min quantity of 200 per design. Here's their info page http://jimiagency.deviantart.com/

Oh, the other thread is in autosage? Onto this thread!

>>7416182
That's kinda insightful and helpful, and reminds me how AA space set ups varies from con to con so gotta be prepared. Only one time I've been at an AA where there's very little space behind the table, it was terrible as people tried to go in and out, or around the side of the table where they tend to knock things over. Going under the table was the best way, after we clear some space underneath...

>>7416215
While on the other hand, while having plenty of space is nice, it can nerve wrecking and annoying when attendees run between tables to cut through the other side instead of going around. Also, I think if it's too spacious, it may make an AA seem small in a way, spread out too thin.

question. Are there people in Artist Alleys that pitch a shit fit if you take a picture of their booth or just generally use a camera pointed in their direction?

I find it super annoying when the vendor talks to me about an item I'm looking at. It scares me away and makes me feel anxious. If I need answers, don't worry I'll ask.

Whenever I'm vending, I always wait for the customer to make first contact, but I make sure to not seem busy behind the table

>>7416233
I feel the same when i'm browsing, so I don't say a word unless asked a question or they seem to be making eye contact in an attempt to ask a question. Otherwise i'm drawing or cranking out buttons at the table.

>>7416227
I personally do not care (hell, this thread has pictures galore of tables anyways). The pics are uploaded to the net and shared and it helps promote business. Most good tables will have signage to help you figure out where the art is from.

If you mean people taking close-up pictures of a poster instead of buying it, yea that's fucking annoying and they need to cut that shit out.

>>7416227
No one should pitch a "shit fit" but there are definitely artists who are a bit protective of their work. If anything, you might get a stern or snippy "no photos please" but anything beyond that and they might be overstepping boundaries.

>>7416275

And their identities if they are known for more adult works

>>7416227
yeah, I generally don't care unless they're clearly taking a photo of a specific poster but then I'll just ask for no photos

>>7416233
Yeah, I'm pretty quiet myself and won't say much other than "hello" or mention something about someone's costume. Unless they ask some questions of course

>>7416227
I'd feel better if people ask before taking pictures of my items and/or table, I rarely ever said no to a picture. I ask artists when I'd like a picture of their table, most times they are fine with it or else it's a no, no biggie I move on. On the other hand, I don't care much if they are trying to take general pictures of AA, or some cosplayer that happens to be posing nearby tables, though it'd be better that they take cosplay pictures elsewhere because often enough the aisles get into a jam.

>>7416233
I agree in a way, my greeting varies from customer to customer, as simple as "hello" to "hi there, how are you enjoying the con?", whatever, depends on the person and their initial reaction. If they are especially quiet, I know to back off unless they want something, at least make myself readily available to help whoever. Working in retail helped me read people so I'm not pushy, I don't want to be that sort of person because I've been in customer shoes and being pressured into a sale is not cool. Sure I want to make sales, but I don't want to drive away sales either.

As a customer, I don't mind if the vendor engages with me if I'm really checking out their table. I get annoyed when they holler at me to come check their stuff, that they are having some sale, all their prints are now $1, etc. Just too much, even embarrassing.

Anyone hate it when people want to do trades? I do crafts, not prints, so when someone wants to trade a postcard for a necklace or something I have a hard time gauging the trade value and it's probably not something I want in the first place. Worse if it's perler beads.

>>7416357
I was once asked 3-4 times by the same person whether I wanted to trade with them over a span of 6 hours. Each time it was a simple "I'm sorry, I can't." Their style was just not something I was interested in, nor were many of the con attendees.

I did accept a handmade book trade once for a custom plush (I wanted a whelp plush bad). It was pretty fking sweet.

MyFebronia do you have more plans for future lanyards? I'd love you style for a Blue Exorcist one, but the series isn't as huge as the others. It might have a resurgence from airing on Adult Swim but meh.

>>7416375
Oh god that series, Rin is my husbando. I would love to if the anime gets a second season in the future.

I do have future plans for lanyards, but they are top secret.

>>7416357
I feel you, and I've never advertise that I'm up for trades. It happened to me a few times and I said no each time since I wasn't interested in their items or style... One time it got really awkward because this person was begging for one of my $10 plushies, begged to trade some of the items she bought from some other artist, wanted some discount, even begged her friend to help.

>>7416233
I hate that too. Or when the vendor just sits there and stares holes into me while I'm looking at their stuff. Talk about a great way to scare off customers!

I'm making plans atm for my first ever AA and I happened to mention it to my Mom and now she wants to be in on it as well.
She doesn't really 'get' conventions or understand the types of things that you see in an AA so I'm going to have a hard time telling her politely that her stuff probably wouldn't sell.
She's also trying to get super involved with my product designs and although I appreciate the help and her enthusiasm her ideas are rather tacky despite me explaining and showing her numerous times the look I'm going for with my products.

>>7416210
We appreciate the effort, but the anon looking for it already knew about the group order. He was asking for different sources, because he didn't want to buy in such large quantities.

When I started doing AA, my best friend jumped on board, but we're total opposites when it comes to our personalities. I'm the calm, let-people-peacefully-browse type while she's the pushy, "you should buy that" type. It creates such a disparity at our table especially since she likes encouraging customers who are looking at my stuff too. Her weaboo levels go through the roof at cons, so I'm perpetually experiencing secondhand embarrassment. Sometimes I think about how it would be nice to have my own table but I can't bring myself to tell her that. Such is life in Artist Alley.

>>7416596
Large quantities? Yea there isnt likely to be a source for these under 200 qty min. Setup costs for this would make it not worth them printing.

>>7416670
Make her wear a flu mask and load her up on some melatonin pills. Only half kidding.

>>7416576
Tell your mom to stick to learning about selling on Etsy. She needs to have an explanation that the buying crowd in an AA is a lot different than a granny craft-fair. She will only be hurting your future opportunities. Don't be afraid to tell her this anon.

>>7417096
Do you have anymore pictures to share of artist displays, please?

>>7417137
Just artist? I can dump print artists.

>>7417151
*artists?

>>7417151
*artists.

>>7417159

>>7417162

>>7417168

>>7417173
Not much of a print display, but man I would really love to have a little overhead like this. (Though I'm pretty sure its against most AA rules to have it sticking out in front?)

>>7417177
Pic dropped, whoops.

>>7417178

>>7417181

>>7417162
Are those prints of the same image, just colored differently and/or reversed?

>>7417188
Looks like it.

Do 5x7 prints do well? How much do they typically go for -- $3-$5? I'm planning on getting some made by CatPrint on heavy, matte cardstock if that makes any price difference. I'd like to do bigger prints, but I don't feel like any of my pieces would really look that much better blown up.

>>7417195
5x7 is definitely a common size. I've said this previously, but from my experience, smaller prints sell better as the con goes along, and people have less money to spend. $3-$5 sounds about right.

>>7417195
5x7 is definitely a common size. I've said this previously, but from my experience, smaller prints sell better as the con goes along, and people have less money to spend. $3-$5 sounds right.

>>7417203

>>7417212

50% off Canon Photo Paper if anyone uses them: shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/save-50pct-on-select-photo-paper?WT.mc_id=C126149

>>7417219

>>7417225

>>7417227
Thanks for this dump. I really enjoy looking at these sorts of pictures for some reason.

>>7417228

These seem to be 1" pins

>>7417235
Think that's all I have for now.

I'm probably really late to the party, but looks like catprint is now offering diecut stickers. I'll probably try it out some time in the next couple of months.

Best place to get cheap custom keychains?
How about printed t-shirts?

>>7416150
Do people make enough money to live on selling weeb oc/fanart/trinkets at conventions, or is it just a social thing?

I hear of artists that make a (meager?) living doing commissions and selling prints at western nerd conventions, but I'm a weeb.

>>7418171
It's possible, but then drawing and promoting your art becomes kind of a full time job. You have to get enough fans and be good enough with your art to attract both fans who will always want your stuff and attract new fans who see your stuff first at cons. You also probably need an etsy store or other website to sell stuff at a steady rate between cons. You also might have to sacrifice a bit of "artistic integrity" to draw/print/make stuff from fandoms you don't actually like that much, but are popular nonetheless.

>>7418205
>>7418171
Forgot to mention for most people it's for fun. You might make enough money to cover the cost of the con, you might make a few hundred, you might make a few thousand. I know a girl who sort of makes a living through cons and has to hit every con she can possibly get into.

>>7417215
Camillla was at this convention what convention was this

>>7418171
when your only source of income is selling at cons, it gets kinda messy. I know at least a couple cons won't let you sell in artist alleys if you're considered a "professional"

And I've been told some states you have to apply for a selling license I think? Tell me if I'm wrong here guys.

>>7418923
there are a lot of conventions that require you to have a business license. They're not hard to obtain but it can be kind of intimidating when you're new to AA. At least it was for me.

Anyone here have experiences with laser printers? I was thinking of getting one but would it be cheaper to go to a printing place than to invest in a laser printer and toner?

>>7420043
What kind of works will you be printing with it? If you need things to be durable like stickers and such, then yea, I can see the need for one. But if you're just printing prints, get an inkjet.

What's a common order size for poster sized prints, and how much is it usually?

Hooo wee, starting the con season with a bang. Currently a bunch of dramu on the A-kon AA forums because one of the AA heads made a pissy comment about the jury system and what kinda stuff she likes/doesn't like in AA's. It's unprofessional, but people are losing their shit over it like she just murdered a child or something, christ.

>>7420373
11x17, 12x18, and 13x19 are popular for poster sizes. They'll run you anywhere from 70 cents to $5 depending on where you get them done. A local print shop should range around 70 cents~ $1.30 on nice paper with high-quality laser printing. $3~$5 would be the photo paper, inkjet quality for like archival prints, art photos, etc.

>>7420390
thanks for helpin a brotha out, anon

>>7416227
Taking table photos of the artist in the booth is cute and I'd happily agree, but taking close up photos of items or prints is a huge no-no. It's basically stealing in your face. "I am not going to spend $15 on this print, but I am going to take a photo and upload to my facebook". I had a friend do this and I called him out on the bullshit. I had someone try to take a close up shot of my badges because one was funny. A quick glare was all that was needed and she put the camera down.

>>7420633
goddamn not that it would help but I wish there was some kind of manners bulletin for AA guests

I heard artist alley acceptance letters for ota went out (first wave) did anyone get in?

Lanyards come Friday so i'll have a good pic of their quality to share with the board. In the meantime, poster printing panic mode.

>>7424145
Huh, I've never actually seen your print work before. A bit loud for my taste, but nice.
By the way, out of curiosity, how much of each lanyard design did you get? I'm debating how much of an investment to put in. Some of these minimum purchase limits are a bit absurd.

>>7418205
>>7418208
>>7418923
>>7420029
Thanks for the info.

Curious about comics. Does anybody do fan-comics, like doujinshi? Are there specific rules about stuff like that?

>>7424152
Yea i'm trying out new stuff, changing it up style-wise... orz

I think I ended up with 40-50 each of 4 different designs. The reason normal companies won't do small orders is because not only set up time and cost for each design, but with each batch there will be mistakes that must be thrown out before they can get them printed right. 100 is typically the lowest quantity of one design you will find and that's pushing it.

>>7424201
If 100 is the lowest quantity, then how did you get 50 each of 4 different designs? Is there any way that you can take one order and split them up into many designs/does that mean that you split it up in that manner? Sorry for all of the questions.

>>7424222
No, most do not allow you to split the order into different designs sadly, though there may be a few 50 MOQ's on aliexpress around. Just have to make sure the shipping doesn't gouge you. If you have the time though, ask a dozen suppliers if they will consider breaking up the MOQ into a few designs.

I am only getting low quantity runs because I have family who use this company for promotional materials too (completely unrelated to animu things). They don't even list lanyards for sale on aliexpress/baba because it's a mainland-only service for them.

>>7418923
In Texas you need a sales tax ID, I'm guessing other states with sales tax have similar requirements

Is it frowned apon to bring a NSFW binder to show only 18+ attendees? Like to keep it under the table unless asked for and after you see ID?

>>7417257
Haha I love that kid. His Pokemon adventures are fucking hilarious.

>>7425359
I thought this was the norm? At least here it's allowed. You MUST be vigilant about the ID being legit. When they browse the binder, it needs to be out of view of passerby's. If you have space behind your table, this would be the best area for them to browse honestly.

>>7425479
https://www.etsy.com/listing/103842270

Found the book. It's tempting for the price.

I'm thinking of selling a two sides 2-way dakimakura. How much should I charge?
Printing everything out + shipping should cost around 35$, by the way.

I wanted to print it in 2way because this is the excellent material for dakimakura, but I do admit printing it peach skin is rather tempting for its low price (10$ cheaper).

>>7425916
I've been wondering the same thing concerning sale prices, except the quality of my pillowcases are probably a lot lower ($12 for 2 sided pillows from fartcow free shipping. It's still soft and really comfortable and the printing price is good, so I'd rather put a smaller investment in to see how they sell first.).

>>7426041
you mean artcow? I forgot to say that I'm drawing a standard 150x50cm daki, so it's 30$. I missed the february promotion...

I've also been looking on ebay, aliexpress and even taobao. Usually they are all around 35$ for peachskin, taobao is much cheaper except I have not factored in shipping so far.

>>7426041
you mean artcow? I forgot to say that I'm drawing a standard 150x50cm daki, so it's 30$. I missed the february promotion...

I've also been looking on ebay, aliexpress and even taobao. Usually they are all around 35$ for peachskin, taobao is much cheaper except I have not factored in shipping so far.

>>7426059
Use 35OFFSITE and your costs per should be less than $28 each. I couldn't find any other promos going on for them, and yea, sucks to have missed the Feb facebook promo.

>>7426059
I just have a collection built up over time from the promotions to a point where I have enough of a collection to take them out on sale. I really haven't seen it anywhere cheaper than those 12 dollars. And even if you miss that promotion, they still have a lot of offers such as percentages off and free shipping.
When it comes to sites like that, they'd have almost no business if it wasn't for offers. But when they do have offers, sometimes it makes them almost nothing (see the $1 mousepad chain exploits that were going around)

>>7425916
I see people on etsy selling double sided dakimakuras for around $80-$100. But I can't see many people willing to shell out that much at a con for a pillowcase (unless it's super amazing and the customers LOVE that character).

You *might* be able to get away with $60-70. I know that's not as much profit, but it would be better than not selling any. You could always start at the $100 mark and see if they sell. If not, drop the price until you see some sales.

>>7426076
>see the $1 mousepad chain exploits that were going around
I'm hooked. What was that about?
I was initially considering to charge 60-70$. I'm an ok artist, but I have no online presence at all.

I think I'll keep watching artcow to see if they have any other similar promotions. Have you guys used any other daki printing service by the way? How reliable is it? Have you heard of any art theft issue?

>>7426083
That's a good suggestion. I'm doing someone from SnK, so I think this alone would attract enough people.

I'm curious about playing cards with custom fronts and backs (each card has a different print essentially)

Do you think they'd sell for $20? To get them made it would be $10 each before shipping, and making 52 custom cards would be a lot of work.

>>7426112
Why don't you just make individual prints for JQK, joker and Aces and only draw one set for the rest of the numbered cards?

>>7425359
>>7425548
oh, wow. i assumed nsfw stuff was just plain banned, across the board.

anybody sell nsfw stuff? figure you could price higher than sfw stuff, or is that just me being naive

>>7426123
for AC (can't find another place that does it for any cheaper) You either design the back, or the whole set, and for what I'm paying, I might as well make it worthwhile and do all of them.

That's what I thought at least

>>7426090
Fartcow had a deal where you could give a code to someone else, and they'd get to purchase a custom mousepad for only 99c. If someone used this code, you would get 1$ of credit.
What ended up happening is that boards would set up public spreadsheets where people would put their codes down in a list. (It was highly monitored, so cheating was at a minimal). The first person would bite the bullet and use the persons code below them to buy a mousepad for $1. Now the person below them has a dollar, and uses the code of the person below them to purchase a mousepad and give them a dollar. The chain would be broken and needed to be restarted occasionally, but it still worked out pretty well, and AC had to make hundreds and hundreds of mousepads just for a couple of dollars. I personally made a crapton of accounts at this time to sell some at Artist Alleys.

>>7426150
>and for what I'm paying, I might as well make it worthwhile and do all of them.
But isn't that where the fallacy lies? If you do all of them, you paid that fee... AND an extra 40+ pieces of unique artwork. Not doing each card individually has a higher return, considering you didn't spend hours upon hours upon hours upon hours doing all of them.

>>7426154
Holy shit /cgl/ this is amazing.
I'm starting this year. How many prints is a good thing to have?
Do seagulls only rely on AC for their booths stuffs?

>>7426178
Just to let you know, i'm not sure the deal is valid anymore. This was over a year ago, and I'm sure at some point they had to stop it because it was so easily exploited.

> How many prints is a good thing to have?
Consider the size of the con. If its your first, you really don't want to be overzealous or have too much inventory left over. 7-10 of each prints is what I usually hear people suggesting. If it sells out quickly, then you know what to get more of next time. But its better to sell out and know you made a profit then to have too much left over and be left in the red.

>Do seagulls only rely on AC for their booths stuffs?
Ahaha no. AC is great when they have deals up, but otherwise, its not worth it. I along with many others support catprint when it comes to prints; they have decent prices, are high quality, and have really really quick and responsive customer service. Mass produced things are best sent off to china, on sites like alibaba. Vistaprint is similar to AC in the way that they often have really good deals, and should be taken advantage of whenever possible.

>>7426164
true, thanks anon.

>>7426112
I designed some mini playing cards last year -- a total of 8 different back designs for different characters, all randomized (no specific design designated for a suit except for my Jokers). Even so, people brought up the question, "Won't it be easy to cheat with these?" I figured sure, someone COULD memorize every card, but I thought the point was that they were themed + playable. Sorry, kind of digressing -- I was surprisingly able to sell my small card decks for $15 each (spent about $4 on them), which were all gone by Sunday morning of the con. I only had 10 decks though since I didn't think they'd do well.

tl;dr Go for it! I think you could get away with $20, as long as your design is appealing. People are always happy to buy something different.

/r/ing any aliexpress or alibaba stores with low MOQs. Especially if they sell fabric!
I'm trying to find somewhere where I can buy several yards of fabric and know I can come back and buy more if I need it, without worrying about it being sold out or no longer being manufactured. Figured wholesale would be my best option, but some MOQs are way way way higher than what I'd be looking for.

why
gofundme / 7iptdg

>>7428052
Ehh.. aside from cringing over the profile, at least the $10+ donations are going towards an actual physical object. This seems like more of a sale than someone begging for money for nothing in return. (And to be honest, i'm half considering helping the kid out if it actually produces an object for the money given, these are embarrassingly cheap commission rates).

Anybody know where I can buy one of those foldable shelfs/racks to put small plushies in?

>>7428259
Wire cubes, anon? You can get them from Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Target, etc.

What kind of designs would you guys like to see on mugs?

>>7428319
I can't say what I'd like design wise, but make sure your mugs are good quality and that it doesn't just wash off after a while. I had that happen with a couple of it's disappointing.

>>7428353
Aw man, were they mugs you made or bought? If made, do you mind telling me where you got them made?

How well do you think something like pic related would go over, only with clay flowers or other clay items floated in resin?

Does anyone know good websites to get plastic laser cut? Like, for jewelry. I only know of Zap Creatives.

>>7431035
Ponoko.

>>7417236
they are 1" 1/4 pins, that's my old display setup. wow i had no idea what i was doing, so unorganized... so few buttons too.

here's a newer version of my board but this setup is getting scrapped too because there are way too many buttons. people spend 5 minutes at the board trying to find a button they want, and i take a while to find them behind the table too.

Keep an eye on your stuff and customers at all times. The chaos of the con makes it easy to 'lose stuff'. Whilst I'd LIKE to believe that 99% of folks are decent, moral people, between me and some other friends who've had stalls, we've lost of a lot of stock to thieving people. And no, we didn't lose it. We kept an inventory before and then directly after and there would be many unaccounted items. :(

>>7431168
>Bacon button's placement, lol

That must be a huge board, wow. I was off on the scale thinking they were 1". Maybe split into 2 boards? Looks good either way.

>>7431168
>Selling buttons of other people's art

That shit aint right.

>>7431314
>Selling buttons of other people's art
I can't see what you're referring to? They all look fanmade within a reasonably similar art style.

>>7431314
>Artist Alley

You do realize what thread you're in anon? The only copypaste I see is Chris Torres' NyanCat. And she's far from the first do have a pin of it.

>>7431362
Not the same individual hat pointed it out before, but there's an entire le funnay maymay section.

>And she's far from the first do have a pin of it.
Doesn't really make it okay.

>>7431373
i drew them all, here's my hipster kitty.

>Artist Alley is leveling up for Fanime 2014!
>*Artist Alley will be in the Grand Ballroom located on the second floor of the main concourse of the San Jose Convention Center.
>*All Temporary Seller’s Permits will need to have the SJCC’s address - 150 W San Carlos St, San Jose, CA 95113.
>*All applicants will need to be over 18 years of age at the start of the convention, and have their own Seller’s Permit or something proving they work for the company listed.
>*There will be no table sales during the convention itself.
>*There will be a new table agreement posted once it gets all the required approvals.
>*While many things are changing from last year to this year, fear not the cost of a table. Tables will remain the same price as they were last year.
>*Along with the above changes, we are modifying the application process to one that we believe will be fairer to all prospective applicants. We are moving away from a “First Come, First Serve” process and moving to a panel review system. We plan to have an application page on the Fanime website which shall remain open for a period of one (1) week. This is to ensure that everyone who is interested in obtaining a table will have a chance to apply. Applications will require between three (3) to five (5) sample submissions, with a link to a portfolio of items you plan on offering during FanimeCon being highly recommended.

(cont)

Just wondering if you guys have specific places to recommend for big prints (or just prints in general), such as 11"x17"?

>>7431422
>Our review panel will be comprised of impartial staff members and they will review your applications based on quality and subject matter. While the primary purpose of this review will be to ensure that the FanimeCon Artist Alley rules and guidelines are followed, it will also enable us to give all applicants a fair chance at obtaining a table.
>Responses shall be reserved until all submissions have been reviewed and all applicants shall receive a response on the status of their application. If an applicant withdraws their application, or does not complete the registration process by the deadline (to be announced at a later time), then their table will be forfeit and offered, via lottery system, to an otherwise approved applicant who was not accepted during the original determination. Once all the space in Artist Alley has been filled, a notice will be posted on the website.

Opinions?
I hope we don't get a ColossalCon repeat.

>>7431427
Catprint goes up to 12x18", with 11x17" being a standard. I can't really suggest anything larger than that because I don't have any experience with any.

>>7431373
Not sure if you've noticed, but target even sells shirts with le maymays on them because the art is not linked to any one artist, noone claimed them. Yet they are sold in massive quantities.

Generally, that's how the AA runs. If someone complains (hamsteaks), then its art is not made. Everything else is fair game.

>>7431422
>>7431429
Is this somewhere posted on their sites? Although it makes me happy because this means a better chance for people who have much more to offer, this is putting a lot of trust in the panel of "judges" to determine who should and shouldn't be included in the AA. Part of me feels like the first come, first serve method was fairer (but still with a lot of flaws) mostly because it was blind.

Overall, not sure how I feel about this right now.

>>7431064
Thanks!

>>7431443
It was posted by a staff member in the Fanimecon Artist Alley group on FB. Should be a formal announcement soon.

>>7431422
As someone with a very professional product I'm fine with this. I think overall this is more fair because people don't have to crash the server to even have a hope at getting a spot. Some people have jobs or classes when the reg opens. It's certainly more fair than the lottery system.

Though now I want ot know what happened at Colassalcon.

>>7426130
I'm just as in the dark as you anon, though very curious. I mean, if vendors can sell hentai at some cons, why not nsfw AA? How about other tables? Would people think im 'selling myself out as an artist' if i make profit on porny like prints?
any and all input from other anons would be appreciated on this subject. I'm highly debating it.

>>7431817
minor dump as well to get the thread up a bit

>>7431819

>>7431823

>>7428316
Thanks! I just ordered one online from Walmart

Just out of curiousity, how much do you guy make on average from selling in the AA in a day? After you've factored in the price of table rental, costs to make the prints, etc.

>>7431433
Big corporation is doing it, must be okay!

Gottdamn thievin'-enablin' piece of garbage.

Is there a market for minimalist prints/ "hiding power level" merch?

>>7432807
There's a market for everything. As long as it doesn't already exist and isn't shit-tier quality, it will sell.

>>7432807
I've found people actually like minimalist stuff a lot more. That kind of "power-level-hiding" style gets super popular on like buzzfeed and other major content aggregate sites too.

But yeah, make sure the quality is good. Use high-quality paper stock/materials

>>7432807
I'm a huge fan of subtle ways to express my fandom. Depending on what it is, I would be quite excited to see your merch.

>>7432807
I LOVE ---functional--- items with that minimalist approach. I buy that shit right up in AA's.

>>7431429
Hahahahahaha oh my god whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
>smaller AA
>more applicants/competition
>more time-consuming process
In what world does this make sense

Fanime
Why

I'm trying really hard to imagine what the discussion like this was like and all I can think about is what the ATLA movie writer's room must have been like.

In any case, they have like 2 fucking weeks to get this shit finalized. Also, my condolences, out-of-state artists, this is like a huge kick to the balls/vagina/genitals for you guys

>>7432308
I don't know from experience, but I've heard from multiple people that for your first year or two, over the course of the con you wont break even, everything considered. So it might be best to focus on networking and letting people know your name/website for the next time you go

>>7432807
I know multiple people that love anime/manga or even videogames but don't want to walk around flaunting a total geekfest of merch. Subtle, a design that looks cool, but is still recognizable by the fandom, is great.

Is there a good way to prevent your works from being stolen or just have alot of people?

I was thinking of selling things but then I see other people stealing plush/clothes/etc from booth.

>>7432990
Have a sample piece out for people to see/touch/look at. Maybe even mark it as a sample so people are less inclined to steal it? And when people show interest or want to buy something, give them a fresh/clean version that hasn't been touched/fondled/breathed on.

You can also secure the item to your display somehow. If you have wire cubes, use zipties or something or if it's on the table, even some tape is usually enough to deter theft. And having someone to watch your table with you definitely helps.

>>7433001
Thank you, it's sad to see people actually put effort in their work and spend time and money and some else thinks it free game and steals it.

>>7432950
>>7432982

I'm thinking of doing mainly doing a shitload of vector-tier-cleanliness chibis, but also some assorted subtle graphics stuff too. Probably some anime-related kanji typography as well.

I've had no experience before, so I think my biggest fear is having a ton of stuff left over because it was from a series that wasn't popular enough.

Does anyone have any AA shoplifting stories? I heard of it happening before.

To those of you who only say hello and go back to work do you still keep a light eye on your customers if they are touching a lot of items? I had one incident where a customer picked up and item but looked at several items before trying to walk off it. It took a few stern "Excuse me!!" before she turned around with an "omg I forgot I was holding this" card.

>>7433183
My friend actually genuinely did that once. Took something from a table but got distracted and left with it. The artist never said anything. Later on, my friend realized what she did and felt so bad. She went back to the table the next day, apologized profusely, and paid for the item. The artist never even realized it was gone.

As for myself, I think my setup is so cramped (shared table) that it's easy to notice if someone takes something. I should really reconsider my layout for more air to breathe though...

>>7433198
>>7433183
I've changed my table to not include any removable items anymore. Prints are fastened to the grids, no more books laying out, and lanyards will be fastened with zip ties to the grid as well.

Generally I don't watch faces as it makes people nervous, but I will watch hands from time to time.

>>7433198
I've sort of done this too, at least turned around and been about to step away and she was like "uh..." and I was like OHSHI--

But it was after we'd been talking for a while (I sort of zoned out of the fact that I was mid-transaction) and I probably looked pretty mmortified so I don't think i was too shady haha

>>7433249
that's a good idea

>>7433183
It's happened a few times with my shitty paper phone charms. My tablemates were supposed to be keeping an eye on my stuff while I went to go do something, but things always go missing when I leave.
They had time to take the thumb tack off the board, take the charm, and then replace the tack.

For those that sell prints online, how do you prefer to ship your bigger prints?

>>7433332
These plastic sheets over rolled prints, And I ship mine in 4x4x12 boxes so it's just under the USPS length limit (11x17 poster rolled to be 11 inches longways)

>>7433183
>>7433198
>>7433261

Not a shoplifting story, but something along the same lines; still slightly different. I didn't realize I had left a pile of my prints at my table overnight, and this was one of the cheap cons that have the AA right out in the open, with no security or locked doors. The next morning when I had realized it, two were missing and I was pretty sad. (They were the large ones, so about $25 gone). Two hours later I had two girls approach me telling me that they were sorry they couldn't wait, but they really wanted the print, and gave me the money then.
Idk, i've never been stolen from before, and that was the closest i've ever been, so I really appreciated how honest they were about it when they could have gotten away scott free.

Are there any good tutorial for making keychains preferably metal ones, buttons or perhaps plushes?

>>7433455
Sounds like they were sincere but I'm having a hard time grasping their logic there. Like obviously leaving money on the table for you would have been unsafe (unless they hid it under the prints etc), but if they were able to come back later and check for you, why not just buy it then? Were they worried other people would buy it before they could get there? Or where they worried people would steal them...? The mind boggles.

>>7433466
Buttons are made with a button maker, you can get them for not-that-much. Metal keychains sound like something you'd have to special-order (actually keychains in general are something I don't usually encounter people producing themselves unless they're just laminated art.)

There are a shitton of different plushie tutorials out there depending on what you want to make, anon, go google for them.

>>7433478
what button machine are you talking about, cause the cheapest I've seen for a decent one is over 200 bucks

>>7433519
That's not that much really. Tecre brand machines are the only ones you'll want to buy. Foreign brand ones break easily. And again, $175-$400 is the price range for these machines barebones (sans supplies/punchers) If you're really good at your craft, you will be able to recoup the cost of the machine with the supplies you order with it.

>>7433329
I'm surprised to see AA tables set up with these walls of wire cubes, and on the side facing out to the aisle are boards with tacks and charms hanging from it. Hardly protected, and I don't see how the artists behind the table can see charms at the front. I could tell some were taken because there were empty spaces with just tacks, so when I asked if there were more not being displayed, they seemed rather disappointed some were stolen. FYI this was at Sakuracon some time ago.

Anyway, to >>7433183
I always keep inventory check of what I have, and what I sold, and attentive of my table and customers, especially their hands. Only one occasion someone stole one of my popular small plushies but I didn't catch it on time, just all a blur. The inventory and cash was off count, and my display was missing one out of six I keep out before replenishing. Since then I keep the display minimal, even if it looks a bit empty I rather not lose any more merchandise.

>>7433637
Would it be cheaper to have them printed/made online in the short run/if you're not sure they'll sell?

>>7433020
as much as it pains me to say it, because i hate math; you might want to do some math if that's the case
Figure out what you have/want to sell. Create prices for each, and then factor in costs of the con/art production in TOTAL (hotel, badge, gas, even food and merch you bought) like i said in >>7432978, honestly don't expect a miracle money wise. To keep from writing a wall of text, i suggest looking up AA panels that have been recorded, or ones going to cons in your area. They do exist, and they are pretty helpful.

>>7433691
absolutely, theres no worse feeling than buying a machine for $200 then have it sit there because things didn't pan out
though i suppose iy depends on where you buy them?

>>7433723

Thanks, my main goal is to break even anyways, or at least to not feel shit about selling nothing.

>>7433732
I highly doubt you wouldn't sell at all. Although, i've been to cons where there were decent artists, but then ONE table had someone completely out of the others' league when it came to their art. It's a normal thing in that field though, competition is real and something you gotta consider. But even in that case, there were people that ran out of prints. It depends on 3 things.
1. The size of the con
2. Your prices+ability+personality behind the counter
and 3. The other attendees
I'm sure you'll be fine, and you should make it a fun experience getting your name out there if nothing else. But i still recommend looking up videos/blog entries about it to get other first hand accounts.

>>7433363
Thank you! You're always such a big help (everyone in these threads actually). If anyone gets into Fanime AA, please let me know so I can stop by your tables!

>>7432308
>>7432978

For my first 4-day con last year, I think I got pretty lucky. Walked away with about $400 profit, which was much more than I anticipated. I didn't do much pre-planning such as looking up popular fandoms or building an online presence (WHICH YOU SHOULD START ON NOW if you haven't). However, I did have a variety of products such as charms, plush toys, prints, etc. from different series so my stuff still drew in a good crowd. I'm hoping I'll do even better this year, now that I've tested the waters and I've been frequently uploading stuff online to various sites.

>>7433820
Well shet, thanks! Sadly i'm limited to Florida cons this year.

The particular plastic tubing I bought was from ebay, 4 inches wide (but cylindrical would fit into a 4x4x12 box easily). It was cheap as hell for a 50ft roll of it.

>>7433841
> building an online presence
What would you say is a good way of going about this? I always do relatively well for myself because I have a good community reputation built up over the years of selling, but my online presence is pretty pathetic... I just don't feel comfortable advertising myself, not even to ask my friends to like my page or anything like that. It makes me feel self-conscious, as where I'm just naturally social in real life.
I never thought that it really mattered that much to me. but your urgency is really making me reconsider my outlook.

>>7432308
I'm curious what the average is as well. I just came back from my first AA table experience. I split the table with some friends, so the cost was much lower. After deducting taxes, the cost of the convention (which I would have gone to anyway), and an approximate cost of supplies, I probably walked away with 500-600 in profit. 3 day convention. I think I learned a lot about what does and doesn't sell and can build on that in the future. A lot of people did take our business cards though (probably 200 of them went out) so there's that!

>>7433954
Humm... I'm not fully 100% into my own marketing (lazy). But for starters..

>DeviantArt
Post your works, if prints, always watermark. In descriptions, provide links to where work can be bought and links to other social media you use.

>Tumblr
Post a message a day or a few a week. Works-in-progress or finished pieces. Make sure to study the tagging system on tumblr first and to then properly tag your works. Giveaways are a quick way to get new followers if you specify +like, +follow, and +reblog rules in the contest.

>Facebook
I don't use FB much for my own purposes, but again, giveaways here with stipulation that the post must be shared is a quick way to get your work seen.

Anyone else have more methods?

FYI, fanime posted their AA guidelines on the forum.

http://forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,19119.0.html

My girlfriend and I are planning on getting a table at a local convention and I would like some input on what we would like to sell.

I'm wanting to do the usual stuff like buttons, prints, and stickers as well as some of my props that I make. I've got ten different button designs and ten different sticker designs. What would be a good amount to order for a two-day 1000ish con?

My props cost between $100-$300. What would be a good amount to bring? I don't see them flying off table because the market around here for that kind of thing is kind of eh, but I think at least having them there to show off would be neat.

Some of the things we would like to sell but have no idea if they would do well at all are custom kawaii uguu animu makeup palettes and possibly a set of Poke'Man trading cards drawn by my girlfriend. The cards would feature some of the Poke'Mans drawn in her style and printed by a professional company.

These are things we are going to make and sell online, but we aren't sure if they would do well at a con.

>>7434100
Sounds like a lot of different things to fit onto a table. I wouldn't order more than 500 buttons&stickers total with that attendance.

Display your best quality props, and if you don't want people taking them off the table, buy a clear sheet of PVA plastic to lay over them on the table, else find a way to display them behind the table out of reach. Make sure to have business cards at the very least so they can find you when they get the money to buy a prop.

I don't envy the work ahead of you trying to fit all that into a display.

>>7424145

So I've noticed it starting with Wreck it Ralph (selling fanart of it I mean), and I'm expecting it to explode with Frozen so I just had to ask this.

Has Disney stopped being crazy fucking over protective of their intellectual property, or are you guys just ballsy as fuck/ignorant?

I mean, maybe times have changed, but personally I would never sell straight up disney shit in aa due to fear of the Mouse coming down like the fist of an angry god.

For a different question, between zap! creatives, and ink it labs, which is better for printed acrylic charms?

Or any experiences regarding either company would be appreciated.

>>7432970
Even with the first come first serve it took them forever to get back to everyone just to give the official yay or nay. And what you you rather have? Smaller room in the con center that people can find without fresh cancer dust every morning, or a smaller, cleaner area that people can find.

Last year was my first time selling, but some friends that are Fanime vets said that they only got about half of their regular sales last year. For the record I'm still appalled at how late this is all happening. They can't even use the construction excuse this time. I know the masq chair left the year before last, leading it a disaster of a masq, but did all the other old staff leave too?

So, I've never managed an artist's alley booth before and I've got a lot of questions, here are a couple of them, if anyone out there feels like helpin' a kid out:

I'm guessing that vendors would need to have a cash box (for giving back change and storing money that's coming in), about how much should a vendor keep in the box at all times, and in what denominations?

How do commissions work? I've seen a lot of people offer commissions in person, of chibis or even full pieces, but how does this work? Do you get their email address (to send their work to them if you don't see them or if it's digital?) and cash up front? What if you don't finish a commission in time? What if you don't have references of the character the client wants drawn?

What fandoms sell the best, swag-wise these days?

Do cosplaying vendors drive away business?

>>7434147
Same newb anon here!

Another question:
When it comes to personal prints to sell, should they be relatively anime related or can they be otherwise? Like, would it be acceptable for me to sell body-positive prints? (ie., chubby girls, fat girls, skinny girls, acceptance pieces of art, entirely unrelated to animu?)

>>7434124
>I live literally on Disney property.

I've yet to have an issue with any company. I suppose we're too small for them to care.

>>7434147
LOTS OF $1s. Expect to bring about $100-200 in it.
-Take cash for commission, if you're not busy -- tell them it will be done at end of day and they can have the hard copy.
-If you're busy, switch to scanning the finished pieces and emailing it to them (let them know it can take 1-3 days after the con to complete).
-Make a display with styles and prices all clearly written out.
-Just keep in contact with them if you have to take longer than normal.
-Smartphone the references before agreeing on the commission.
-Dressing in pastels/warm bright colors will give you a more approachable look compared to wearing darks.
-Cosplay is cool, just don't make it so you can't see properly through your wig when you keep watch over your table.

>>7434150
I have no idea. That seems like an interesting idea but no clue on how it would go over outside of tumblr culture. Guys certainly wouldn't care, so you'd be aiming at the small % of women that care about the body image thing.

I should really shut up and get back to work.. haha. Hopefully you get some other viewpoints from the thread too.

>>7434147
>>7434150
Hi there! Let me see if I can help you out a bit.

>I'm guessing that vendors would need to have a cash box, about how much should a vendor keep in the box at all times, and in what denominations?
Well, firstly, having a cash box is kind of a debatable subject, since some people can argue that its easily stolen, and draws a lot of attention. That's up to you. Denominations depends on what you're selling. Generally, you want to bring fives and ones, since people usually start out a con with twenties. If your products mostly come in even numbers (5s, 10s, 20s), then you should focus more on fives. If your items come in a lot of numbers in between, you might want to splurge more on ones. If you have something in the coins ($1.50, 25c), you're definitely going to need that roll of quarters. I personally bring $100s worth of change. But don't overly concern yourself with this. You have plenty of other artists around you (and perhaps a few businesses), and there are plenty of opportunities to exchange your bills for ones you might need.

>How do commissions work?
It really depends on the person, but generally the implication is that you'll complete it at the con. However, for safety's sake, you do want to be taking down names, emails, and potentially addresses if it is traditional, so if you don't finish on time, you have a way of getting it to them. You should either ask for cash up front, or at the very least, half. (cont)

>>7434147
>I'm guessing that vendors would need to have a cash box (for giving back change and storing money that's coming in), about how much should a vendor keep in the box at all times, and in what denominations?
Personally I've grown used to using a fanny pack rather than a cashbox; keep money close to me or on my friends if I leave the table, and not lose it. But everyone has their way of holding money, find what works for you.

Depending on the attendance and the prices of my items (some prices ends with 50 cents or something, if yours don't I wouldn't include quarters), I do something like:
>$500 for 3-day
>$10 x 10 = $100
>$5 x 31 = $155
>3 rolls of $2* = 75 toonies* = $150
>3 rolls of $1* = 75 loonies* = $75
>2 rolls of $0.25 = 80 = $20
*- Canadian money, haha.

Anyway, I go very overboard with my change, but it saves me trouble of making a trip to the bank if I get low, which I haven't thankfully. On the first day/hours, people are likely to have $20/$50 bills and you definitely want more of the lower denominations.

>>7434147
>>7434150
>>7434184
Its generally preferred to have smartphones around to look up references at a con (and for credit card scanner purposes), but if that's not an option for you, you can either ask them for a reference if they have one, allow for time over the night to look for a reference, and if none of those work, you could simply just decline. Give them your email, ask them to contact you after the con if they're still interested.

>What fandoms sell the best, swag-wise these days?
Kill La Kill me now.
Attack on Titan.
Madoka is still pretty big.
Sword Art Online will probably be back up there with season two.
League of Legends is HUGE right now.
This is a tiny list, and there are a whole bunch that still garner a lot of attention. Just observe the community around you. Have a facebook? Look at what people are cosplaying, fangirling/boying over.

>Do cosplaying vendors drive away business?
They attract attention sometimes, but I don't think I've ever known of a case where they drove business away.

>When it comes to personal prints to sell, should they be relatively anime related or can they be otherwise?
You can do whatever. How well they'll sell... that's a harder thing to predict, since there's not a lot to go off of, but at the very least, it'll be unique and stand out. It can't hurt to try.

Artist Alley is lots of fun if you do it right, and I do wish you the best! If you have any more questions, everyone in here is eager to help.

>>7434180
>Dressing in pastels/warm bright colors will give you a more approachable look compared to wearing darks.
Huh, I have never thought of that. Is that just a personal observation thing, or?

>>7434147
>Sorry I don't do commissions so I don't know the best way to answer this without talking out of my butt about it.

>What fandoms sell the best, swag-wise these days?
I think this year:
>Kill la Kill
>Sailor Moon
>Shingeki no Kyojin
>Steven Universe
>Frozen
>Adventure Time
>League of Legends
>Animal Crossing (okay I'm actually just guessing this one, I hope it's still good...)

>Do cosplaying vendors drive away business?
Not really, tends to strike interest from customers but whatever you wear, just dress comfortably so you can work the table with ease (not like having some giant kimono sleeve sweeping your tabletop each time you put out something), and wear your cosplay/lolita/whatever well. If you look frumpy and messy, it will hinder your sales.

>>7434147
>What fandoms sell the best, swag-wise these days?
I'm horrible when it comes to keeping up with what's super popular at the moment, but on the flip side of selling what everyone else is going to sell, you get to monopolize certain fandoms. From experience, there's less competition and less inclination for customers to go, "Aw, I already bought a lot of pins/charms/prints from _____ already... I don't think I need more..."

>>7434226
Forgot to add on:
It's not to say that making stuff from popular series is bad. Just try to have a good mix of what the crowd likes and what you like.

>>7434209
Madoka Magica belongs on that list.

>>7434230
Honestly I'm pretty out of it when it comes to anime these days, thankfully the other person listed Madoka.

Going off of >>7434226 >>7434228 sort of reminds me that I'd like to do Saga fan stuff. I don't think it's super popular, but I think there's still a good sum of people who would recognize it.

>>7434226
>>7434209
>>7434198
>>7434188
>>7434184
>>7434180
You are all SO helpful! Thank you so much! ;U;
If I ever get a booth up and running, I'll be under the name Lysandre Babbit, so maybe keep an eye out for me? I'm not certain what cons I'll be attending, but...
man you guys rock.
Thanks so much.

>>7433669
Yeah it's really not protected at all. I was really dumb and just assumed that con people wouldn't steal from small time people. I've since stopped hanging them on the outside of my display and have them a bit closer to me on a propped up board. Though my main reason for that was I realized how easily a tack could fall and someone could step on them in shitty, thin cosplay shoes. I didn't want to deal with the fallout from something like that. I never lost enough merch to stealing for me to /really/ care.
I havn't figured out a different, cute way of displaying my charms that is safer and would prevent stealing. My next con is coming up in a month too.
That couldn't have been me, I've only sold at a few small local cons. Nothing quite so large as Sakuracon.

>>7434147
>Cashbox
Having a cashbox is fantastic for being more organized as well as you can keep your inventory log and shit in it and not worry about losing it. I'm much more paranoid about losing it. Using just a pouch always felt more tacky to me though and it was harder for me to keep track of change/personal money/profit at the end of the day. I just chain the box to the table now.
>Commissions
Consider just how fast you can work! Don't take on something that'll take more than a couple of hours unless they can pay a lot or you can give it to them later. I let people choose commissions like this: Chibi/Western Comic style/Anime style>Full sheet/Half sheet/Bookmark>Down to Waist/Fullbody>Sketch/Ink/Color.
Money wise I normally ask for half upfront and the rest when it is finished. I've had customers pay fully and then never come back for their commission. Always makes me feel terrible, also makes me nervous that they might say I just took their money and they got nothing from me. I give people the option of leaving me their phone number if they want a text when I've finished. There are a lot of dangers to that, but so far I have not had a problem and I've done that for about 3 years now. Always try to at least get an Email though, just to be safe.
In the event I wasn't able to finish a commission by the end of the con I've always either offered them a full refund or the option of mailing it to them. I just eat the shipping cost.
>Fandoms
I try to stay away from big fandoms unless it's a charm! I stick to nostalgia or just semi-popular fandoms, I get customers return to me every year because they know I'll hook them up with small fandom merch. All depends how you want to be known I guess!
You didn't ask anything about this but I cannot recommend bringing a cooler enough. It is really hard to find time to even go to the bathroom when you are tabling. Invest in clear protector sheets too, customers have started to get offended when you don't have them.

>>7417241
Have to say that this is a great setup. The big banner in the middle tells you what her art is like from a distance/glance, so you lure people in already. Plus, her name is on it clearly, so I just looked her up and she's got a new follower now!

But no, really, that is something I miss with a lot of setups. Something big that pops out, that draws people in. Most of the stands just turn into a boring mess with all the small prints hanging side by side.

>>7434100
Do you have a place in mind where you're going to get the makeup palettes done? I've been thinking of branching into a few makeup items myself, but I haven't found much in the way of customization.

Which do you prefer for a mobile card reader, Square or Paypal Here? Do you need to state that you're using it on sales permit forms?

What is everyones opinion on selling fan art? How would you feel if conventions started banning fan art?

I sell mostly original stuff but some fan art. Some artists I've spoken to at conventions are completely against it and look down on it, whereas others I've seen pretty much only sell fan art.

Was interested to know other peoples thoughts as a convention where I live seems have started banning fan art.

>>7434672
The only con I know that's banned fanart is Ohayocon. It's good for pepople who sell things like plushies and accessories that are none-fanbase specific, but it definitely has way less traffic than other AA's I've been to.

What kind of plushies would you guys like to see more of? I really want to hear suggestions.

>>7434345
I keep my small pins behind a thin layer of clear plastic (people used to think they had to pick the pins off my display, errytime).

>>7432308
Taking into account for con expenses (hotel/table/ticket/supplies/food)
My lowest (my first year selling) was me breaking even with $5 in my pocket.
My highest a couple years ago was $2000 profit.

Has anyone else noticed the last 2 years people have been a little more stingy on buying things? Any con I've been to in Toronto I hear more and more people saying "this is nice/awesome, but I can't afford it"

>>7432807
Some of my most popular Nintendo DS skins are ones that don't have a character on them. Things like a pokédex and a tardis are my most popular types.

>>7433637
I'm really lucky and there is a place here in Toronto I can stop by anytime to pick up button supplies. I spent all of my tax return on a button maker and made back all of it at one con.

>>7433691
The best thing about having a button maker is you can make 1 or 2 of things that you're not sure will sell. And if you run out, you can make more on the spot or later that night. I always hated getting buttons made online because I wouldn't know what would sell out and what I'd have 20 of by the end of the weekend.
Now I just make at least 5 of something and have the paper parts ready so I can make more at the con on the spot. Less waste.

Does anyone ever sell official merch in addition to artist alley vending?

>>7435390

Pretty sure most cons ban that sort of thing in Artist Alley. My con doesn't allow resale. Of course, there are always people, e.g. that chick who says her highest selling item is pocketwatches, who resell stuff anyways and get away with it. I still wouldn't advise it in case you get caught.

>>7435392
So it's a separate section than vendors?

>>7435406

They usually go to trade hall, yeah.

They arrived this morning! Went through and inspected them. Managed to find 6-7 misprinted ones out of the batch of 150 (even after they 'checked' for misprints). And other than a few of them being slightly cut to one side or the other, they are a really nice soft silky texture. They included an extra removable keychain attachment too. We'll see if it's worth all the shipping delay stress this weekend.

>>7435437
Super cute!

>>7435437
Which ones got misprinted and how badly?

I'd buy that Sailor Moon one in a heartbeat.

>>7435455
Of 150 lanyards, I have 7 misprints.
>Pic related
I'll just use them for display-only purposes. Obviously not going to sell bad ones. In the meantime, a handful are in the shoplink on the above photo.

>>7435511
You could call them the oops ones and sell them at a nice discount, depending on what you're charging for them $1-$3 bucks less for them. When I'm at the end of my wallet I'd rather buy a misprinted one than walk away with none for being out of cash
or put them on your Etsy for cheaper

>>7435560
Yea this is true, the mistakes are limited to one small section on one side it seems.

Is there a difference between a button and a badge or is it the same thing with a different name?

>>7435694
Same thing. Badge seems to be more common though because button implies the ones for clothing.

>>7435694
For some people it's the same thing. Buttons are also called "pins". Other people refer to badges as something similar to your convention badge but with a mini print on the inside. Maybe with a silly joke/comment.

>>7434812
I've always wanted to see more..hm.. how do you describe it.. You know how the official pokemon plushes try very hard to be on-model with all the pokemon's features and everything? And how some plush makers try to copy that? I'd like to see more "stylized" plushes of characters/mascots. Maybe like a really floppity Eevee with classic button eyes for example. Something that looks loved and ragdolly.

Also beanbags/beanie plushes of baby/in-training digimon. Pokemon are all over the place but I hardly see Digimon. It's understandable, since Digimon generally have more detailed designs, but I feel like those derpy ones like Koromon or Tsunamon would be pretty easy to make.

>>7434672
Ehhh I'm a fanartist so I'd be pretty bummed if cons started banning it outright. I understand the reason for wanting more original art, but just because you get rid of fanart, doesn't mean the quantity or even quality of original art is going to go up all of a sudden. Maybe have a different section for it?

>>7434812
Ooh, also, more marine animals! I'm huge sucker for plushies of marine animals. More things like fish, squid, cuttlefish, maybe even whales, sharks (!!), walruses/seals and the like.

Quirky and uncommon animals would be fun too. A potoo plushie, a potoo plushie, my kingdom for a potoo plushie

>>7435437
>>7435511
That's awesome to see it mostly worked out!

>>7434812
Tough question, even as a plushie artist myself I have a hard time brainstorming to keep things fresh and yet try to balance originality and fan stuff.

Here are some of general ideas of plushies to make:
- forest animals
- sea creatures
- mythical creatures
- Animal Crossing
- dinosaurs
- League of Legends
- Pokemon
- Digimon
- Sailor Moon
- Shingeki no Kyojin (I'd be all over buying very well made and designed titans)

>>7435797
>potoo
Oh my gosh yes.

>>7434812
I want an Amaura D: I don't usually want plushies but that pokemon is fucking adorable D:

>>7435918
Me too anon, me too

>>7434481
She's going through a seller on Alibaba for the palette boxes and she's actually going to press her own eye shadows and whatnot. I can't remember off the top of my head any specific seller she mentioned, but I can ask her when she gets home.

This is random, but could anyone post the gif of all of Ramy's same-face drawings? I just remembered it and it made me laugh back then.

>>7436812
Huh. I used to really think he was a pretty good artist. With three years more of art study and practice under my belt now, I can actually see how bad it is/what everyone was talking about.
It's pretty damn impressive to your average weeaboo.

>>7436819

Agreed man. I used to think he was the shit.

Ah well, he got into some big shot university, last I recall.

>>7436812
not related, but i find it funny everyone loves this.

>>7436819
Hahaha thank you, anon.

>>7436834
i'm not seeing it.
most of these faces look pretty distinct, the nose and face shape is shifting all over the place in your .gif. the only thing that's similar is the wide space between the eyes and flat brows.
you just sound butthurt that you can't make money off've drawing delicate and kawaii sad azn girls all day, too.

>>7436834
In this case I can accept the somewhat sameface, because it's her trademark. The reason her stuff sells is because of that. I wouldn't change it a bit if I was in her position since people drop a fuckton of money for her work.

Does anyone know of a good place to get small(ish) amounts of pins and stickers made that doesn't cost an arm and a leg? Like, 100 buttons total with five different designs. Or should I just invest in a button press?

>>7438739
100 buttons https://www.etsy.com/listing/168491707/

Stickers, you'll have to check on etsy yourself for the shape/sizes you want.

>>7438753
Well shit. Now I feel stupid. I didn't even think to check Etsy. I appreciate it!

>>7438766
No prob, it's not a typical place to check for that kinda stuff but that's what the thread is here for. If you get stickers, make sure to check that they're laser printed, not inkjet (smears when wet or damp).

Would it be appropriate to ask for pricing assistance in this thread for items I'll be selling at an up coming convention?

I'm new to the cgl board, so I thought I'd ask first~

>>7438753
Holy shit, thanks so much.

>>7439118
By all means, anon!

Update on Fanime AA:
forums.fanime.com/index.php/topic,19136.0.html

>We are considering making the submission period 48 hours instead of a week. We are considering doing first come first serve instead of a jury system. Please stay tuned.

??? Are they not completely sure if they want to go through with the jury system or not? Is there a chance for them to back out of it and just continue with FCFS? Is the rumor true that there is a new person in charge of handling Artist Alley hence all this confusion? Find out in the next episode of Fanime's Mistakes!

>>7417212
Does she always wear that?

>>7439181
Awesome, it'll take me a moment to get pics sorted in a way that's easy to look at them. One sec...

>>7417219
Those dual black and white lines around some of their prints bother me so much. I wish they had spent the time trimming off the edges or something.

Alright, here are a handful of them... I'm looking for pricing suggestions, but here are some things to consider when suggesting:

Each set takes anywhere from 5hours to a few days to complete. They are made with polymerclay, and they are all hollow, making them light weight and easy to wear. To give you an idea, the foam head in the pic is wearing them with a wig and the weight wasn't enough to pull her over.

They are also wig friendly, I've made them with screw mounts and headbands, so the headband can be put on with the screws poking through the mesh of a wig and the horns can be attached on top without a band, strings, or anything else showing. This does only very minimal damage to the wig, you'll have one little hole in the mesh that is slightly larger than the other little holes. The model however, a good friend of mine, is -not- wearing a wig. That woman's hair reaches mid calf.

I think that's everything... Oh, and they're durable, I've dropped them from a pretty decent height, worn a pair to a party, and intentionally been rough with the same pair, and they show no damage at all.

So what do you think guys? What would be fair pricing for them?

>>7439202
huh? Pretty sure they're just covering their face with photoshop

>>7439257
Those look really nice, but I'm not sure if the amount of time you spend on them will be worth what I think they're worth. If I didn't know anything about all the factors you told us, I would think those could sell for $20-$60, depending on how elaborate the design was. But that's putting your pay per hour at ~$10, excluding material costs. Pricing aside, I think if you made more woodland-creaturesque designs with random little flowers at the base or something, I could see them being popular at cons. Maybe do other head gear other than horns? Maybe wings? If you stick with horns, try cutesy designs as well?

>>7439257
Daaaaang those are nice horns, I like the styles.

I see these $55+ honestly, for the time you committed, materials and uniqueness. I'm not a fan of the top left one with the white beads but that's just me. The green one has potential to make other colors that people would be interested in because of its simple shape.

Have you thought of making smaller horns? That would even out your price range for your table.

>>7439257
Hnngh. These are lovely! Reminds me a bit of this coord. Would be very tempted.

I'm thinking about making custom printed microfiber cloths. The kind of cloths you find in glasses cases or with cell phone accessories. Would anyone be interested in purchasing these? I'm a little hesitant because I think they would be neat, especially since everyone owns a cell phone/tablet/gaming device these days but people would be reluctant to buy them unless they have glasses and usually glasses owners already own one and that's enough for them. Or they would never use them because maybe they think they could possibly ruin the design. Pic related is an example but not my own.

>>7439729
I think those are really cute. Though a little inconvient to keep taking out. Maybe scale and simplify a picture and wrap it around some foam to make those phone charm screen wipers? Theyre a lot easier to attach and helpful cause its right there

>>7439638
>>7439641
>>7439673


Thanks guys~

I've been working on other sizes, but um... I'm sort of... going... bigger. I'll probably try to make some smaller sets too. I'm glad to have some feedback on them, I was looking on Etsy and everything I found that was even remotely similar was $100+, which seems like a lot? (except for the ones that are just bought as plastic horns from party city, then painted, uhg.) I dunno, I could see them being worth that for the time and effort that goes in, and no two pairs are alike, but I can't really see people being willing to pay that much.

What do you guys think the mark up should be for customs? Roughly of course.

>>7439864
Mark up for custom work is something you're going to have to figure out over time. You could charge a flat rate, but then there's going to be that one set of elaborate custom horns that goes over budget because you charged the same as more simple customs.

I'd look into molding and casting a couple of your more common designs.

>>7439729
I would LOVE this! As someone who loses my microfiber cloths all the time, I'd really like one that would keep me from wanting to lose it, haha.

I'd get a sample made of one to see if it's truly soft and won't scratch glasses.

And if they are great quality and you buy some, have an example of one for customers to check out. I know I'd want to check it before buying.

>>7439864
>>7440688

Since we're talking about Artist Alley sales, I think smaller sets would fare pretty well at conventions, since if people wear your product (which you want them to because free advertising), they won't be a crowd hazard. Not saying you should or have to, but think kitschy. Simple and reasonably sized, but novelty enough to draw good attention.

Although having unique pieces is very good for your business, I think you should really look into what the other anon suggested, which is to make molds of common designs. It'll save you headache, time and money in the long run. Your go-to stock basically.

>>Going to MoCCA with group of friends from school
>>Only one other person has comics to put into anthology book.
>>2nd person has only school work
>>3rd person only has fanart
Why? Why did you get a table at a COMIC and CARTOON con when you do neither such art?

>>7441623
>3rd person only has fanart
I wat?
You do realize that's what a majority of Cartoon and Comic convention Artist Alley's consist of, right? Actual comics and doujins are a rare breed.

Dumping a few pics

>>7442121

>>7442123

>>7442134

>>7442135
I like the black and white Pokemon house, but I wonder how one could take that home... Same concern for the larger pieces like Sailor Moon and Megaman.

>>7442144
what is going on with that water mark?

>>7442048
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MoCCA_Festival

In order to get your table approved you MUST have a comic for sale. I'm the only reason our group got the table. This is something that was brought up in the emails and we had to assure them we would have something.

>>7442162
No idea, honestly I didn't notice till you pointed that out... Weird.

>>7442169
Sorry then, I had never heard of MoCCA. I was just basing it off it being a comic and cartoon convention. I've never heard of a rule like that anywhere else.

For people who travel from con to con -- do you usually have a group of friends that go with you? Do you ever go solo? What's it like to travel alone and stay at a hotel alone? I really want to attend more cons as an artist, but just doing it by myself sounds so intimidating

>>7443107
So far I've gone with my friends and my boyfriend, who all have been really wonderful at sorting their plans to be with me while I sell (one friend also sells). I can't imagine doing it solo, I rather not at least... I managed to travel fine by myself and meet my friends at the con, but having a second hand really helps.

I think to help with your situation, you can get to know other artists, maintain good relations and later down the road you can have some travel buddies who want the same thing: attending cons to sell while not doing it alone.

>>7435437
Ahh, they came out so nice! I think I remember you linking to the source before but where did you order the custom lanyards again? I don't even really like Free but that lanyard is mighty tempting

>>7442517
Naw, we've been to normal comic/anime cons so I think the problem is they don't realize how different it is. Like going to a pony con and not having any pony art.

My experience as AA seller hasn't been very good so far.

Right now I only sell A4 prints because I make em at home and don't want to invest money on stuff I am not going to end up selling. And I don't sell much because my style is not manga.
People at local cons only look for manga style, and so I am stuck selling A4 prints for 4$ each. Last time I didn't even make 30$...

I'll start selling originals made there, A5 sized, with ink and watercolors. Do you think these would help me boost my sales?

>>7443708
IDK
maybe your art sucks

>>7443708
When you say you print them at home are you printing on normal paper or cardstock? Because p eople appreciate that sturdiness when they're buying a print

>>7443708
Your post gives off idea that you're an amateur, and who's art just isn't quality enough to sell. Sorry if this is not the case, it might not be.
Firstly, I highly doubt that the pure reason you can't sell art is due to your style being different from the rest of the con. From my experience, unique stands out, and grabs the attention of an audience that generally doesn't splurge in the artist alley. I've managed to get away with realistic, abstract, surrealism, etc. and come out fine.
Secondly, you're selling A4 prints at $4. FOUR DOLLARS. If you had any experience in art, you would realize how ridiculous you're undercutting yourself, which leads me to believe one of the following. One, you have no idea how much art is worth, and this in turn causes people to see your art as cheap. Two, you actually don't think you're good enough, and undercut yourself in order to sell art, thinking that pricing yourself low makes you sell more (news flash, it really doesn't, and hurts the rest of the alley a lot.)
If you really think you can't sell because your style goes against the style of the con... don't do that con? Do more general cons like comic conventions? Or I'd think you should just practice more and improve a bit before you sell again.
Also, what >>7443860 said.

>>7443906
I actually sell quite well by doing commissions, I've done a lot of them for prices much higher than the ones I have at cons. I've even sold hard cover books, but my buyers have always been from abroad.
Usually people at cons are very cheap and they ALREADY give me the "I spend all my money on the ticket and I don't have money or else I'd buy this" thing very often. If I raise my prices, then nobody would buy at all.

I print on cheap paper but all my prints go in a plastic sleeve. I try to keep it cheap but acceptable you know.
Usually, around here (this is not the US) people don't buy art. They just don't see a reason to buy it.

I remember a guy next to me, he was selling generic, awful (they were super awful) anime style portraits of con-goers for 6 dollars and he sold a TON of them, but this is because they were animu style.

However a girl that has more american style sold a ton (made about 200 dollars) of bookmarks with her pin-up style art. I don't know, maybe I should change the format.

>>7443942
>I print on cheap paper but all my prints go in a plastic sleeve
Trust us and try out better paper. It honestly makes the difference. The plastic sleeve ain't shit compared to that.

>>7443942
Yo, show us some of your work? Or link us a devart/tumblr/whatever page?

>>7444019
hmm I would rather not do that, sorry

>>7444014

alright but I still got a lot of prints of the cheap paper laying around...

>>7443942
Well no wonder then. Yeah card stock is a lot better and it can still be printed at home, just that if your printer isn't up to par, bad quality printing on cardstock is MUCH more noticeable. People like the quality printing and paper so that they can actually ENJOY your artwork, other wise it's just kinda a waste of time for both of you.

Maybe do commission as well? If your okay with that I mean. You can try the ink/water color a5's, maybe if you're willing do some fanwork in that style too. I personally really appreciate well done traditional media but I don't know about everyone else.

>>7444051

Yeah, just recently I got one of those bad babies and they are awesome for quick eye-catching drawings. How much should I charge for one of those A5 with ink and watercolor?
And how much should I charge for my prints?

>>7444035
Your loss then, it really makes us think that perhaps your art really just isn't on par.

>>7444035
The anons here (well at least me) are just trying to be helpful and our advice would be much better if we could see the art

>>7444035
>>7444385
As the ancient proverb says, "pics or it didn't happen".

People who cry "muh style" are usually those whose "style" is "shit"

>>7444408

This. Anon is probably shit and just trying to get asspats. Regardless of anything though, don't sell your shit that cheap, its horrible for artists overall and its shit for you so don't do it.

>>7443107
I got a posse of AA artists. We try to request seats next to each other so at the con we always have someone to cover. They're great cool savvy and talented people and I wouldn't even go to conventions anymore if it weren't for them.

>>7443708
The reason why you're attracting cheap people is because you're selling your art for cheap. At most AA's, there are two major types of customers: Casuals and "congoers." Casuals are the window shoppers who are most likely just looking for fun, neat, CHEAP things they can get on the fly. They don't really understand how selling art works and base all of their buying and judgement on price only. They'll look for cheap things that look nice ENOUGH, so of course they're going to flock to an artist that is selling things for cheap. An artist selling an A4 for $4 is going to be much more attractive to them than an artist selling an A4 for $7-10

These are not the kind of customers you want.

The other type, "congoers" (or I guess you can call them art appreciators or something) already know what to expect when they shop in an AA. They know the standard price for an 11x17 is $15, they will be happy to pay $8-12 for a hand-made cellphone charm, and they probably buy commissions up the butt. Hell, maybe they're even on a first name basis with a handful of artists in the alley. Even if they're not, they look for quality over quantity because they KNOW that art isn't priced based on how big it is.

These are the people you go for. These people also tend to be more common at artist's alleys, but since you're not really catering to them (by using 11x17s or prominently displayed "Prints- $15 ea" stickers all over your neatly-organized overhead display on PVC piping) you're not getting a chunk of their money since you're just not on their radar.

tl;dr- If your art is as solid as you say it is, stop selling it cheap enough to attract cheap people. Invest in your product, get a bigger profit margin.

Ahahaha, there was this guy at AUSA and Katsu with a really big AA table and prints of really shitty, ugly art that was in a "realistic" style (the things I remember the most was a GITS fanart and a picture of a broken doll girl.) "Wah my art doesn't sell because it's not animu"-anon is making me picture that person's work (although they seem to have sold just fine since they could get big tables at both cons...christ, if that could sell, I really wonder what anon is drawing.)

>>7444035
>hmm I would rather not do that, sorry
What the hell kind of artist doesn't want more exposure and commentary? Also this would help people trying to give you advice. All you accomplish by not sharing your art in this thread, even a single image, is convince us it's not good and you are afraid to show it to people

>>7444385
>>7444405
>>7444671

Our shy anon would be correct in assuming that we may tear apart their art, but it's for their benefit. That's the part they seem to not get- this is a thread to get better at AA tabling.

would signed artwork be something that would sell in an AA?
Ive got a friend who voices a popular cartoon character and i do artwork for her to sell when she goes to do signings at cons
she wouldnt be at the con im preparing for but if i brought some of the postcards i did for her signed would anyone buy them?

>>7444603
>They know the standard price for an 11x17 is $15

But goddamn if those "...but you can get three for $30!" deals aren't always so goddamn tempting.
...I may or may not have sprung for that at the last con I went to. Sigh.

>>7444603
>They know the standard price for an 11x17 is $15
But damn if those "...but you can get three for $30!" deals aren't always so tempting.
...I may or may not have sprung for that at the last con I went to. Sigh.

>>7445186
>But damn if those "...but you can get three for $30!" deals aren't always so tempting.
Aren't? Can you explain why?

>>7444035
You don't want to show us your art, but you want to know why it isn't selling/how to improve sales. We really can't tell you unless we see. I agree about investing more in your products. Selling your art on printer paper is your first problem. Get your prints printed either from a local print shop or online. They will look much nicer! Most of your potential customers are probably thinking they can print that themselves or they can see you don't feel very confident in your artwork.

Offer buttons,bookmarks, etc. If people in your area don't buy prints then why not turn your art into usable items?

And if some things don't sell, put them online/store them until your next event! Good Luck!

>>7445194
"Damn if it isn't" actually means that it is.

>>7445261
Ah, I just read it wrong. Sorry.

>>7445186
Right, but that's exactly the reason why we do those sort of deals. We still get more money per purchase and you get what you perceive to be a better deal per print. And it is, generally. The more you buy, the lower an artist usually goes per print, but the difference is they're still getting $30+ per transaction rather than $15.

Also there's a difference between a customer wanting to buy more prints because the cost per print is cheaper and a customer wanting to buy more prints because they really want those extra prints. Everyone likes to save a little money here and there, but there's still a threshold price you're willing to pay because you know what artists need to sell to make it worth their time.

>>7443942
I would never buy a print on cheap printer paper, ever, even if I thought the work was a masterpiece.

>>7417195
I love me some 5x7 prints, because they're a lot cheaper. It's even better if they're on primo cardstock instead of some shitty-ass 20lb Kinko's copypaper (have seen noobs that do that.) Have bought, would buy!

only tangentially related: how do you guys display all the prints you buy? I only own 8 or so that I've bought from others and my house has not much more room to display them traditionally (on the wall in a frame).

>>7445908
I have only bought three that I really like. I just mounted them on foamcore with spray adhesive and used a metal ruler and Xacto to trim it to size. Tacked to the wall with sticky squares

>>7445895
I've sold a couple postcard-sized prints of one of my prints and I was wondering if people were buying them to display or what. Kinda neat to know that people like smaller ones.

>>7446523
I have some postcard-sized prints that I've bought at cons before, and they always go up on my dry-erase board (I have a large one) with magnets.

Thread's in autosage.
New thread >>7447580