/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

Hey, I'm trying to purchase something from Vograce on Alibaba, but having never used it, I find the purchasing page really daunting. What do, guys?

>>8418251
From my personal experience, I just messaged the page which eventually lead to emailing them. It's an easy process from there and Coco is such a sweetie. She'll go through asking what kind of charms you want, what kind of accessories, and what size you want (I went with 6 cm). You will be given a quote and asked to send the images. You send the images, she sends them back with the outline around the charm asking if they're okay, you wait for it to be made, and you go through paypal to pay for both the charms and shipping.

tl;dr: Just message them, they'll go step by step with the process.

>>8418355
Thank you so much, anon!

How does pony art do at a non-pony con? Is the fad over? Would those be shuned?

>What are you guys working on atm?
I'm working on Touken Ranbu ema-shaped charms but I'm looking for a place that makes sturdier wood charms than Ink-It Labs. I'm at a loss and might make them into acrylic charms instead.

>>8418417
At NYCC last year I was looking at this one guys table and yeah, he had some pony posters, but they were very beautiful and tasteful. He had a bunch of other stuff too from other fandoms. Then this huge fat guy buys all the posters of the ponies, each selling for 75$ a pop. The pony fade may be a little over, but if there are still pure hearted bronies, you'll always have an audience to sell to.

If anyone gives you shit for doing pony art outside a non-pony thing you just wave your stack of 20s at them and says their hate is making you ever so warm and you wish they would turn up the A/C.

>>8412757
Well, at least it's not a massacre..? I'll post a chibi sample when I finish one!

I'm not the one who drew the HQ piece, but I'll ask my friend about their process for colouring next time I see them. Yeah, the flowers are definitely a bitch, but if I have to, I'll scrape them and start over.

I tried out your suggestions for composition and colours, and I do think that the piece looks a lot better now! Really, I can't thank you enough for your time and advice. I'm really pumped to use them to not just have people THINK I'm improving, but to actually improve.

Currently, I'm working on a HQ piece with Nekoma. Concretely planned is more HQ, Free!, and Utena. I was thinking of drawing some chibi for Touken Ranbu, Assclass, Shokugeki, Noragami, Samflam, (basically series I personally like but not 100% sure it would sell)?

>>8418640

It's starting to improve! I think the use of the purples on the flowers helps and I can see your shading is much more varied on the jacket. It's still not really feeling finished. I think part of it is the heavy black lines on Kaneki and then the lack of black lines elsewhere. Which can work sometimes, but it's just making him stand out too much where he should really blend into the piece. A simple solution might be to make your lines a dark brown or even a dark purple, to help soften them a bit.

I also think it might help if you took your lines layer, did a slight blur and then set it to soft light. It'll give everything a nice soft focus. Consider playing with depth of focus and blurring the edges of the drawing (think a radial tilt shift). Alternately, maybe a slight vignette would help create some depth.

I like your frame but it feels a bit low res, so just check whatever brushes or texture you're using. Otherwise, just keep shading. No need to make it super painterly, but it's not quite there yet. Don't forget to put in highlights, too.

Sports anime is a good route to take. People seem to buy it no matter what. I've never seen Samflam at an AA, but there might be a few who would pick it up. And definitely do talk to your HQ friend. That print would be a good baseline quality goal to strive for.

>>8418237
how do you actually attach buttons to cork boards? Do you just stick the pointy end through the back? How does it lay flat like that? I know the answer must be really simple but I can't wrap my head around it and when I tried, my pointy ends poke through the back side. Should I get thicker cork boards?

>>8418417
I'm the kind of artist who doesn't retire old art often, so I have a bunch of pony stuff still. I've been selling them at anime cons since 2011 or so and I've definitely seen a decline in sales.

I agree with the other anon; there are loyal pony fans out there. I just wouldn't expect it to be popular.

When a service/manufacturer has a color limit for its printing, what exactly does that mean?

For example the service I'm interested in has a 6 color max for printing. Does 1 color mean one exact tone or does having a color mean you can use varying shades of it and still have it count as 1 color?

>>8419363
Usually, one color means one color.
You should ask the company directly to be sure, not us.

>>8419363
What print process are you doing? Are you doing screen printing?

I got my order from Vograce in, and the charms that are good are great! The printing quality is very good, too.

The only problem is that a decent number of the charms I got have flaws (dust bunnies, bubble in the enamel) I was thinking about selling them for a discount (50% off maybe). But I'm wondering if I should bother putting them up at all?

Coco is great and when the product is good it's great, but there's just.. so many errors in this batch.

I can upload photos if anyone wants an example of what I mean by the flaws, too.

>>8419574
please do!

>>8419574
I'd definitely email them and ask if they can replace the dust particle charms. I have had issues with dust as well.

>>8419578
My shitty camera is dead and I have work later so I can definitely upload them tomorrow.

>>8419639
Yeah, there's a couple that are completely un-sellable (o-ring went through the whole thing besides one layer of the enamel..) But for most of them it's small things like dust or drops in the ink.

I think once I photo them I'll contact Coco as well. I wasn't sure if it was because I got such a large order all at once or not but we'll see what she says!


Kind of on same topic:
I heard that Zap's new equipment bumped up their quality a bunch and I'm planning to use them soon for a small order. Has anyone else tried it yet? What are your opinions if you have?

>>8419670
btw, how much did you order & how much did it cost you?

>>8419670
I wanna try out Zap's new printer but they seem to be making the same mistakes as their old one. This came from my friend's order just recently and she ordered $300 dollars worth of charms. Dave got really aggressive with her on AANI which turned me off to ordering with them also.

>>8419701
Holy shit really? That's so unprofessional.. Especially if something like the alignment is still off so much.

I'll probably just stick with Inkit then. I just got in my gumdrop charms and I'm seriously in love with their quality and customer service!

>>8419679
With shipping for 460 pieces was $563.98
My friend had some in the same order as me as well.
We got the expensive shipping in hopes that it would arrive before ANext but they ended up arriving the monday after the convention. Next time I just won't stress deadlines over a specific con and will probably get the cheaper shipping (which was a difference of ~60$)

>>8419746
how many designs did you get to do? i'm sorry i'm asking so many questions!

>>8419789
I don't mind, I got 46 different designs!

It'll probably be the only time I do so many designs at once. I feel like smaller batches will be better, for me at least. It's easier to check and prepare them all when you're worrying about less designs at one time.

>>8419824
wow, that's a lot! i imagine it had to be very stressful.

thank you so much for answering my questions, sie. <3

>>8419847
No problem. I actually work quickly so I did most of them within a couple of weeks, and my friend had some in there as well.

>>8419413
>>8419506

Thank you guys for the reply! Its definitely not a screen printing service. I'm looking into washi tape manufacturers. I sent them a message and they replied quickly saying they could do more colors. Thank you guys for the help though!

Speaking of the washi tape though, does anyone have any suggestions for manufacturers? I remember some people have gotten it done before.

>inb4 your design gets stolen by the Chinese

>>8419964
Look for previous threads, we've talked a lot about that. So far nobody got luck since the minimum quantity is too much for a sole person. I've been stalking artist that sells this and they always mention to be in a group order tho.

>>8420008

Alright thanks! I'll take a look through the archives. I only know one other artist locally but maybe shed be interested in doing a group order. Thank you for the brief summary

I really want new charms but I'm also sorta nervous about ordering from Zap. The last charms I got were great but with all the new templates and junk I feel like I am bound to fuck something up.

I would give ChillyPig a try but all of their charms look washed out. Are all of their charms really like that?

I know about Inkit but I don't really like working with Illustrator.

>>8420947
You can do raster fine with Inkit

>>8420947
almost everyone who uses inkit uses raster, where does this misconception that they only do vector come from?

>Artist Alley Horror Story in just one image

So I'm trying to get samples from vograce for charms and huayuan for washi tape. I was able to contact them but with vograce, they have not replied back since the initial inquiry and huayuan has pretty much become silent when I comfirmed wanted a sample. I've sent shipping money for the washi tape but no response.
With the washi tape I don't know if Ive been scammed, especially since I was referred to it from one of these AA threads.
I'm especially troubled with vograce since I keep seeing it recommended but they have not responded to my inquiries for about a week and a half.
Should I give up and find a different supplier? Maybe try taobao vograce instead....? I am very lost right now, especially since I have the $25 for the washi tape already sent...

>>8421409
i sent them an inquiry recently and they haven't responded, so i'm in the same boat, anon.

>>8421409
Remember that there was a recent holiday...Or at least that says the taobao agent I use...

>>8421323
sweet jesus flip and resize are you a caveman

gotta question on the beginning of AA.

I'm an experienced artist at a con for the past 2-3 years at a few cons. My friend wants to know what it's like to do AA since it was one of his dreams.

His questions are. What do you start off with before AA other than the art (I recommended him to get is square card reader, I sent him a doc about starting AA but it's a little intimidating).

and my question is whether or not do lithographs sell at AA? I've never seen them in the Alley and he wants to sell lithos

http://eecks.tumblr.com/post/121013079533/wink-wonk-pros-and-cons-of-tictail-storenvy
After seeing storenvy slowly drop out of favor over the past few months or so, this post has basically convinced me to use tictail instead when I open my online shop. Anyone else have any thoughts? I guess my main concern at the moment would be that - as far as I know - it's just not as well known yet, so some might not trust it.

>>8421490
tell him to start compiling all his art work and figuring out what stuff is good to sell. get into the habit of working at a high resolution and making lists of projects to work on such as prints and if he wants to, button designs. ive never seen lithos in aa and i wouldnt get into them unless i had sold well at at least one con before, just to make sure my art was up to snuff

>>8421323
What con was this and why didn't they get reported??

>>8421781
I've been considering the switch to tictail as well but I really hate how they don't show how many have been sold and there's no preorder label (I'm coding stupid like the OP of the comparison post).

>>8421966
>>8421781
How does Etsy compare? I'm tempted to open a tictail shop but I like how easy it is for potential customers to find you on Etsy.

I haven't heard of tictail before. Has anyone here used it? What's your experience so far?

What's the most you've ever made at artist alley?

>>8421974
Etsy's marketplace USED to be good.
I say used to because now they let those Chinese manufacturers sell things in their marketplace as long as they claim what they're selling is vintage or craft supplies even if it's $2 mass produced watches.
Etsy is deviantart-level bad when it comes to stolen art and items being reported too.
The Chinese ruin everything they touch.

>>8422157
900$ at FA in 2014. I had all the right goods. Some sad Sailor Moon, some depressing Attack on Titan, a little bit of yaoi/yuri PG cute things from Zelda. And for whatever reason I sold out of all my cute animal prints on the first day. I must have been at a lucky table or something.

>>8421490
That's what he has. It's a small first time con so he can get his feet in the water without the tidal wave. I'm selling plushies, badges, a few tradtionals and digital prints.

I have to teach him how to draw on tablet since he has no digital art experience, he goes all traditional, which doesn't sell well imo. Unless the traditional art is REALLY GOOD and all out.

>pic relate, his traditional art.

I'm still trying to find a good website for a button maker and buttons so I can start selling those

>>8421974
>>8422430
Yeah, pretty much this. Also, the customization is kind of a dealbreaker for me personally, I want my shop to look nice and be organized exactly as I want it.

>>8422157
with costs taken out, 9k

>>8422561
9K!??? How??? 900 I can believe, but how much shit did you print?

>>8422565
I'm pretty sure really popular artists make a fuckton of money. I wouldn't doubt it yuumei or cartoongirl7/myrollingstar could make that much from a 4-day con.

>>8422465
There's nothing in this pic that is even close to being AA worthy so I don't think anyone can really help unless you show us things he intends to try to sell. I had to share a table with a chick who had art pretty similar to this and she literally sold nothing. The shading is mediocre and definitely unskilled. The colored pieces are weak and unprofessional looking. Giving him a tablet and photoshop isn't going to automatically make his art better. Tell him to practice more before attempting AA, cause if he tries right now he's going to be severely disappointed.

>>8422565
Artists who do this pretty regularly or professionally on a large scale can break 9k easy. Ramy/shinydesu, for example, usually hovers at around 10k, so I've heard.

My friends and I refer to them as "tiers" in a way. Less than 1k= scrub, 1-5k= casual, 5k-10k= baller status, 10k+ =pro status

>>8422561
tell us your secrets anon

>>8422579
here's my bookmark set I'm selling if it gives you an idea. They sold so fast at my last con that i had to keep up with the demands in a weekend

>>8422565
>>8422584
honestly don't even know my self, last year i was doing 4k or less but this year has been really weird. and i know plenty of my peers sell more than me too

>>8422622
(i seriously hope this isnt the person who's giving advice' work)

>>8422465
he needs to practice digital art for a couple years. not everyone who draws is magically qualified to start selling it.
As for a button maker please listen to me. dont buy badge-a-minit. buy an american button machines button maker, it'll run you about $380 but if your art is good, you have a variety of designs, picked good subject matter and have a good sales personality you can make that back in a single small convention.

>>8422622
That looks terrible

>>8422622
Is this uh...Is this a joke

>>8422622
>>8422465
are these posts a joke

pls be joke

>>8422692
>>8422683
>>8422677
>>8422661
If this artist was the only one selling RWBY stuff and there was a high demand and if they were selling their bookmarks for pretty cheap (like 1-2 bucks), I could see them doing really well. Good art is only part of doing well in aa and I've seen enough mediocre artists to know that good art sometimes means jack shit when it comes to turning a profit

>>8422713

same anon I am selling them for $1-$2. I wouldn't go for more than that unless I would get it holographed and shit

>>8422622
Thanks for the massive image so we can see how absolutely crap your coloring it. Holy shit.

>>8422661
No, that's not me. I'm assuming this is the friend who is asking about the friend's art or whatever. TBH you both need more practice. but like >>8422713 said, if there's demand and you're the only one selling the demand you're going to sell you shit. I will buy almost anything (almost) if it's ALBW or Good Omens related. Mediocre art or no. Sales doesn't always necessarily correlate with talent.

Hey guys, I was wondering, if I'm going to a con with about 1-3k attendance how much change would you recommend bringing? I was thinking around $150 in $1s, $5s, and $10s? (I'm selling prints and buttons)

>>8422649
>>8422565
>>8422561

Ppplease post a sample of your work. If you guys are making 1K or more, I need to get on your level.

>>8422791
I always tend to bring about that much, Unless you're selling things under $1 I wouldn't bother with quarters. I'd recommend bringing more $1s and $5s than anything. You'll get bigger bills for change.

>>8422577
Yuumei is such an annoying shit, I'm jelly

>>8422802
Seconding

>>8422820
Agreed, I can't really put it into words but everything about her seems so.. holier-then-thou, attitude wise.

How do you guys network/build your names? (if that makes sense)

I've been trying to post my art on tumblr with proper tags and such but I rarely get notes. I don't think my art is THAT bad but I guess I need to jump on some bandwagons to get attention.

I haven't done AA yet but I'd like to next spring...

>>8422802
>>8422829
Th-thirding

>>8422875
Follow other artists. Follow blogs that post similar things. Draw art for the games you play, the shows you're watching, etc. Post daily doodles and overall be active.

>>8422875


Post example of your work. I shall crit you nicely. And honestly, posting on JUST your blog ain't going to do shit. You know there are over 9 million tumblr blogs right? And the statistic is there's a post ever .002 seconds? You think your little fan art is going to get noticed? I went from 10- 20 notes a piece to 300-400. And here's my secret. You find the GROUP that's like the FuckYeah____! When they reblog your post, that's when hundreds of others see it.
Try that. I guarantee you you'll get most posts after that.

>>8422808
Thanks for the advice anon! I'll stick with that then

>>8422802
>>8422829
>>8422875
Fourthing! I'm just genuinely curious.

>>8422879
This is good advice. Consistency is key to gaining a following. Post work every day if you can.

>>8422882

I'm not that anon, but will you (or any of you) crit my stuff? I'm learning to paint so by no means will I take offense if you say it sucks. Here's Garrus in some J-Fashion cause...I like Mass Effect and fashion.

>>8422896
First of all it looks unfinished because the painting is still rough, and second of all I can tell immediately the angle and anatomy of his head is off. I hate the fuzzy background, but where you've placed light and shadow look good. I would say the coloring and shading on the clothing looks much better than the character's skin. Also the composition looks slightly cramped on the left, but it's not a huge deal.

>>8422896

Agreed with everything >>8422910 said pretty much. But I will say I like the concept of mixing up some Mass Effect with something fun. Turians in clothing? Cool bruh. If it was more polished and had a nicer background (also don't like fuzzed bgs) I would get a print.

>>8422802
I'd rather not, but i can tell you i'm not like top tier art skill or anything, i feel like if you saw my table you would not have guessed it. knowing some of my friends that are same skill level as me or lower sell more really reinforces that too.

>>8422896
This is just a personal thing, but I don't care for just busts of characters. BUT THEN AGAIN, there was a guy (who knows if he was just selling for the artist) but at Wondercon there was a table with 100+ different faces from different fandoms. That's it. Just a face shot, facing forward. It didn't have any style to it, it was like the artist just redrew the character from the show and that was it. AND YET almost every person I passed, they had one. Some had sets of 4, like Mable, Dipper, Stan and Sus from Gravity Falls. They sold for 30 bucks a pop, and there were no bundle deals. So that just boogles my mind. I was thinking to myself, shit, I'm trying to hard. These things were selling like hot cakes. I dunno.

>>8422896
Is this a joke because that's not Garrus?

>>8422976
This
His markings are completely different

>>8422879
I guess my major issue is that I'm not as active as I should be, I've been trying to get back into it. Daily doodles are a good idea to get the ball rolling, thank you!


>>8422882
Here you go anon. Question though, when you say find the fyeah___ blogs, should I go submit my art to them? Or message them? I'm not entirely sure what you mean, sorry. I always felt like it was one of those they-find-you kind of things.

Working on the Rapunzel one right now. First time doing any sort of digital painting, plan on adding color once I'm done.

>>8422976
>>8422985

Well it's not Garrus, but I didn't want to go into OC blah blah. It's really just a Turian.

>>8422964
>>8422935
>>8422930
Thanks for the advice. I'll work on those tips.

>>8422964
The simplicity and variety was the appealing factor it sounds like, simple prints can be eye catching (negative space and shit) have less visual clutter and look nice hung in a variety of home decor styles ( like some posters would only looking fitting in a weeb bedroom)

from a marketing perspective I see nothing wrong with this

>>8423040
I love your art style, especially the Rapunzel and Madoka. If you drew the bottom left and middle pieces frequently, I think they would be very popular. Something like a daily doodle, or drawing your outfit today, or thank you for x followers.

I do want to say that something seems weird about your skullgirls pieces, and Rapunzel's hand is weirdly shaped.

>>8423120

No, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it at all. That guy struck a gold mine and he does very little work (IMHO) to get it.

>>8423040

Nice start for sure. Selling little postcards of your little chibi girls would be cool I think. If you kept everything a flat color, like your Madoka, that'll look great. Trying to paint like the Rapunzel and making it look super awesome takes years of practice. But you got skill. KG!

>>8422896
Same with you. That looks really cool and I like it! Though like others have said, that ain't no Garrus. Any more works?

>>8423134

Just doodles. Nothing as finished or painted cause I'm just learning. I had a dream of making a Vogue one day with all Mass Effect aliens.

>>8423171

So this is kind of embarrassing but I started drawing digitally around January and I just realized that some of my "print worthy" pieces are really quite small. . .like 2x3inches small but are about 300-350ppi. Am I pretty much fucked trying to enlarge them and doomed for mega pixelation? I've since learned a little about file sizes and drawing something on an appropriate size at least 8.5x11.

>>8423197

Yyyyyeaahhhh, you can't go from 2x3 inch to a standard print size which is either 8.5x11 or 11x17 inches. You should just print tiny prints!

>>8423197
You could use them on the back of business cards.

>>8423040
>>8423175

These are all pretty cute. Just saying.

>>8423206
>>8423229

A friend also mentioned to me key chains since the files are so tiny. I never thought of using it on my business cards. Thanks!

I was so confused because the drawing looks so huge on my computer screen and in print preview its like "lol no this is how big it is" and my lower resolution drawings look small on screen but are standard printing size.

>>8423242

happens to the best of us. Make sure you're also in RGB mode and not CKY or else if you print them your colors will all be different.

>>8423258
Not that anon, but

Is that just for keychains that you should use RGB? Cause my graphic design friend has told me print all things CKY cause that true color or some bullshit.

>>8423258
>>8423276

I guess it just matters depending of what type of printer you are using. Like, if you are using conventional laser printers, RGB is just OK. I think CMYK is just worth if you do offset.

>>8422157
Close to $4K. I'm fairly new to the AA scene too, so I'm not surprised that people who have had more exposure to AA/have grown a bigger fanbase can easily make $10K+ with a 4 day con. I'm averaging about $2K right now.

>>8423978
What are you drawing? Are you doing anime or comic cons? Like shit thats just awesome.

I haven't done an AA yet and am hoping to break even for my first try.

AA seems so intimidating. Can I get some first time experience stories?

I'd like to do AA in the future maybe next year or two as I gain a following since i've motivated myself to become more active.

>>8423995
I'm doing AA for the first time this year, and just breaking even is my goal too.

>>8423995
>>8424056
First timers unite haha, my first AA is mid July so I'll report back into the AA thread with advice after it's done if you want?

>>8424149
Mine is in August. Yeah! I would love to hear your experiences!

>>8424152
Sure thing! I'll try and post it around a month from now.

>>8424038
Ota was my first con. Absolutely bombed for a number of reasons. ~1k in the hole.

Learned a lot, just started up again and making around 2k per con at this point.

Does anyone sell art of OCs in addition to fanart? This will be my second time having an AA table and I have art of my OCs that I'm considering selling, but I'm not sure if people will buy them. They're yaoi boys, for reference.

>>8424167
Could you elaborate on the 'number of reasons'? If they are general newbie mistakes, that is?

>>8424204
No display, mostly original, hand drawn sign in hard to read place due to no display, poor selection, mediocre style.

It was.. really a lot. Even if you suck it's a good experience, just don't travel far from home for your first con. A lot of people did what I did (with Ota, even) and don't regret it at all. But it's definitely a hard dose of reality.

No matter how prepared you think you are, definitely double and triple check yourself! Ask friends who have done it before. No amount of reading from the internet can help you as much as raw experience or FRIENDS who have done it before.

>>8424200
over half of my art is original and i do well. it really depends on your skill level and style though.

>>8422157
at my first con i made 3k, and to me it felt pretty slow. i would like to make 5k at my next con which is AX

>>8423122
>>8423134
>>8423237
Thank you all so much!! I'll mess around with the simple art style some more. The bottom three were all drawn on an iPad because I had computer problems at the time.

And yeah, Rapunzel's hand has been bugging me, I plan on fixing it, thank you!

This is a stupid noob question, but if I want to make 11x17 prints do i need to draw it at 11x17 at 300 dpi? if not, what's the smallest canvas size I can draw at without ending up with horribly pixelated prints?

>>8424571
Why not draw it at 11x17? Tbh, I draw on a bigger canvas than the sizes I plan to sell. I just find it easier to resize smaller than bigger.

>>8424571

Yes you need to draw at least 11x17 with 300 DPI

>>8424621
my computer can't really handle it when I draw that big since it's from 2008 and has a fuckton of files i can't delete on it. i honestly might just stick with smaller stuff like 4x6 and 8x10 prints, bookmarks, etc. but it'd be nice to have some info on larger prints.

>>8424640

If youre restricted to smaller sizes I'd recommend the 4x6, 5x7, and 8x10 like you said. I'd also say maybe look into post cards or regular cards? Ive seen some really cute holiday themed typed cards in AA before

>>8424638
>>8424621
asjfio i just realized I never thanked you guys for your help omg I feel really rude.
Thank you for your help!!!

>>8424644
Oooh post cards sound interesting! I'll look into it since catprint seems to do postcards as well. Thanks for the suggestions!

>>8422157
4k-5kish. Not phenomenal but I'm not complaining. Numbers could probably be higher if I had a larger variety/inventory than 10ish prints, but I don't really draw enough to make the push.

>>8423040
>Question though, when you say find the fyeah___ blogs, should I go submit my art to them? Or message them?
Seconding this question.

>>8423995
I'm honestly just drawing whatever I feel like drawing. I do both anime and comic cons. I do equally well at both. But I watch a lot of different things and follow different interests. I watch at least 3 new anime every season, I watch a bunch of movies, play various videogames, etc. Breaking even with just a little bit of profit is honestly still my main goal, so I'm grateful whenever it goes above and beyond that.

I owe a big part in the few marketing skills I have. Make some good genuine connections. Be nice to everyone, even if you don't want to be.

Coco was on vacation for a few days but she's back to answering emails. Hopefully Sie gets their stuff replaced. She also emailed me these so their planning on adding them to their services soon.

>>8422157
I'm at the 3K-4K range but this is the first year I'm carrying more items than prints and zipper bags and it's increased greatly each show. Making a push for to do requested items. Finally hooked to Haikyuu so I'll be drawing some sports anime stuff. The end of the month I have my first dealer room spot so I get to see what if that changes anything for me.

>>8424805
>The end of the month I have my first dealer room spot
Ambitious! Best of luck. What con?

>>8424443
Holy shit, you drew madoka on an ipad? I'm impressed

>>8424805
>>8422561
I'm curious to all of you making a few grand each con, is this your primary method of income or do you do it on the side?

Someone please post a sample of your work if your claiming you make over 1K. Thanks.

>>8425059
(9k anon) for now it's primary but i only want to do it on the side, i don't even hit double digits of cons attended per year actually and hope i never have to.

>>8425059
I'm a full time student so technically it is my "main" source of income, but it's just a side thing for some nice money for cons I'd otherwise go to anyway.

>>8425100
I don't really see why anyone would lie about making over 1K. It's not that big of a feat to break. Are you having problems with AA? (genuine question if you need advice, not trying to be snarky)

>>8424766
how tf do you make 4k with only around 10 prints?! goddamn. do you go to big cons?

>>8425223
I don't think it'd be too hard to go over 1k at a con either. I roomed with a couple that was selling absolutely shit-tier art and they still managed to make around $300 with their table.

>>8425223
Not that anon, but I'm curious as well. I'm doing my first AA next month and I'm actually really shocked to hear that anyone is making that much! When I was much younger and looked into doing AA, I had read that the majority of people are lucky to break even and it's just something to do to for fun.

>>8425618
The one in question was a massive comicon with a huge anime fan base, but almost no anime artists/vendors, so I had practically no competition over the entire weekend. My average numbers are a lot closer to 2kish, and most of them are small to medium cons (1k to 4k attendees). I only recently started branching out to larger cons. I definitely do feel the sting of having a small variety/inventory though.

How do you feel about the more strict rules to Artist Alley Network International? Is this group actually helping anyone or is it just an ass kiss fest?

>>8425873
I've actually learned a lot about different resources and it's nice to see what kind of things other people are working on. I've been more motivated to work on things since joining.

That being said, the rules aren't really "strict". Wednesday is for works in progress, Sundays are for promotion and it's been that way for quite a while. It's really not that hard to remember either. The fact that people get several strikes before being booted shows how not strict they are. If people are too lazy the read the rules and think they should be allowed to break them then it's their own fault that their shit gets deleted.

>>8425873
It's good. I don't like being spammed with shitty art most of the time anyways. It's not difficult to adhere to 2 days of sharing, people just being fucking salty.

Holy shit, who gets this salty over having to follow like, one rule?

>>8425919
Nancy and Kristen can get pretty annoying though

>>8425928
Even so, it's one rule that's not hard to follow. There's no need for someone to get assblasted because they think it's unreasonable to only post specific things on a specific day.

>>8425873
It's pretty good. It helps clean up the group a lot and it's not like WIP and SPS threads don't already linger around for a few days anyway.

Arts-cow threads are a bit annoying but they're helpful to get merch so I don't mind them.

>>8425928
I'm just helping bumping the thread, brah.

>>8425942
I wonder if the group should have a dedicated "post your Arts-cau codes" thread. Is that even possible?

>>8425942
And yet you're allowed to post the same shit every wed/sun without anyone complaining. Shut up.

The AANI mods sure are cherry picking what's "completed".

>>8425919

>>8425962
Hey there, I'm actually looking for input on the embellishments so I don't consider it completed yet. I can take it down if it's really bothersome though.

>>8425962
What not completed about those? I mean, I guess they could be put into packaging or something, but...

>>8425975
Yeah, but the keychains themselves are still finished.

>>8425982
Alright, I'll take it down and ask elsewhere. Sorry about it.

>>8425956
Yo, I'm following the same rules as everyone else. If charms, stickers, etc aren't allowed to be posted on wednesday anymore, so be it. I won't do it, and I'm not immune to the rules. I didn't even post on this wednesday, and I toned down posting stuff in general, so I don't even know what you're salty about.

>>8426019
Because you're annoying.

>>8425975

I like them alot! Maybe carry one around for a day to make sure that they don't poke you?

Also, next time try to make the swords closer to their body. I can already see them breaking.

>>8425962
I like Guts sword better because it is chunkier, but I also think the thinner one fits Griffith. I really like the red strap for both, maybe it just need a red accent on the trinkets too? Like a red bell or just a bead? I really like when trinkets match the color of the charm. I have this example of some beads coordination.

>>8426036
Yea, this. Stuff sticking far out will either stab the shit out of me digging in my purse, or break off.

>>8426027
Rude. You realize she's shared a lot of sources in this board with 0 obligations to?

>>8425975
It's not bothersome dude, it's not like WIP posts can't contain a finished element. It's like saying "oh, sure you didn't do the background yet, but the coloring is done so you can't post it." It doesn't seem to me like you're trying to get around the rules or anything so it's fine, especially if there was no link to buy them or anything (I don't know if there was though).

Does anyone have an opinion on perler bead items (or maybe even cross stitch?) which are based on original pixel art? I mean, it would probably be fanart, but not copies of official sprites. The beads look like they could be kinda fun to work with, and I like doing pixel art too. I have no idea if I'll actually do it, but if I did then I'd make it clear that it was my own work.

Pic related, http://opa222.tumblr.com/ does some awesome stuff.

>>8426092
Diff anon and I agree Digit is really helpful and friendly and I don't want her to post less.

But Digit...your art is very good and polished, but it's the same face every time. I'm too chickenshit to say so on AANI but it is getting annoying to look at.

>>8426211
Don't worry about it. I really love to hear concrit. Input on what I need to fix is pretty important to me. If I'm same facing I need to fix that, immediately.

Thanks anon! Please don't hesitate at giving me art advice in the future.

>>8426211 #
Don't worry about it. I really love to hear concrit. Input on what I need to fix is pretty important to me. If I'm same facing I need to fix that, immediately.

Thanks anon! Please don't hesitate at giving me art advice in the future.

>>8426201
You might have a chance if they are original but perlers are incredibly over saturating AAs cause they're easy crafts

>>8426201
>NiGHTS perler

Oh, fuck yes. Personally I like those square icon formats. Makes them easier for me to place into a frame, and more likely to buy more to place together.

>>8426201
I don't make perlers but if I were you, I'd go with detailed perlers like the sprites from Street Fighter Third Strike or with perlers from lesser known games. The Space Channel 5 one caught my eye in that picture. Final Fantasy is popular but not a lot of people do FF perlers.

Series that like every perler artist ever does:
- human characters using Megaman as a base like pic related
- Mario
- Legend of Zelda
- Pokemon
- Pac Man
- Megaman
- Tetris blocks
- nyan cat
- mustaches
- Gameboy colors

I'm not saying that you shouldn't do any of these, but just keep in mind that these are super common and people could get them from anyone.

If anyone is interested, I can make a list of series that I think are over represented and a list of under represented series on google docs.

>>8426254
>>8426415
Thanks for your input. I like the square format too. Those are supposed to be coasters, but I don't want to take that idea.

>>8426687
That's a good point, thanks. I'm not super into a lot of popular series (...not meaning to sound like a hipster) so I would say most things I make are for comparatively lesser-known ones. I'm working on some Space Channel 5 stickers, coincidentally.

>>8426036
>>8426092
Yeah, I didn't consider that until they arrived in hand. But I definitely won't make the same mistake in the future! Thank you.

>>8426049
I agree! Griffith's kind of gets lost since it's so thin, but I think I'll get rid of the bells and use colored charms for them so there's not so much metal. I think that the blades are enough plain silver for them as it is, I appreciate the input!

>>8426143
In the end I got some good feedback, so if I need to ask for something similar in the future I'll lay it out differently and un-assembled in a way that looks less finished. I feel like SPS would be the wrong day to ask for input, so if I can't frame it properly for WIPW, I'll just stick to other outlets, thank you!

Sorry for the late reply, I was at work, but I appreciate all the input.

>>8426807
You could repost with the charms, and then with options for the accessory baubles to apply to them for the extra color? Take a look through some bead sites and pick out some good options and then ask aani's opinion on which look best? Some might even offer better bauble options.

>>8426838
That's actually a really good idea! Thank you, Feb.
Thanks to the input here I actually have a direction I'm feeling so I think I'll hold off posting again for these charms. I don't want to be too spammy, and it's a little late right now too.

Hey guys, sorry if this is a dumb question, but for prints (A4 or 8x11 ish sized) how do you package them when you sell them at cons? Do you just hand them the print or do you put it in a sheet protector or something?

>>8426848
I put all my prints in sleeves. If I run out, I apologize. But usually customers don't mind if you don't have any, though quite a few will ask just in case. Since most 11x17 sellers provide sleeves, customers usually just plop smaller prints inside that one

Any seagulls gonna be at Indy pop con this weekend?

I was kind of tenuous about coming, but a bunch of factors aligned magically for me so I'm out in the Midwest. Ness and Shulk amiibos are also con exclusives so I think it's a sign I was meant to be here

>>8426874
Thanks anon, I'll go with that then.

I didn't know you could print opacity in acrylic charms...
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.5-c.w4002-7118215937.109.aq93au&id=520076560286

Anybody tried?

wait is one of you Amber Lu on AANI?

just seeing alibaba charm services mentioned there is making my skin crawl since I'm having visions of artist alley being over-saturated with the same type of charms again, like how printsess/zap/inkit spread throughout the alley and now every other table has something made from them

but then again I'm one of those greedy assholes who doesn't like sharing lesser known resources I learn about

>>8424200
OCs can definitely sell, I've had people tell me they liked my art but weren't into any of the fandoms, and ask me to point out my originals so they could buy something. If your style is polished enough you can probably make a killing with yaoi OCs with fourteen year old weeaboos, if nothing else.

>>8425655
I think one thing that's really boosted profits in the last few years is the easy availability of places to get things like bags, acrylic charms, clothing, etc. printed. Even when I started around four or five years ago it was basically just prints and buttons, everything else if you wanted to sell it you had to make it yourself-- shrinky dink or laminated charms, etc.

>>8427079
you can always do this, check out people who use ink it labs, if you don't use the "white" layer the ink is translucent.

I have a question. Do you guys think selling skirts, shirts, pillow cases ect would be a hit in a AA? Of course the fabrics would be video game/ anime, and I wouldnt do that O/S bull. I am currently taking fashion design and my sewing has improved tremendously. Im not really in this for the profit but more the experience atm. Let me know how you feel about this! I am open to suggestions.

>>8427897
i think it's a pretty great idea, especially if you could make your own original designs for the fabric.

>>8427897
I would be willing to pay more for an anime shirt that isn't a t shirt

hey, is there a way for me to get some business cards for under 20 bucks before anime expo? I was thinking I would order online somewhere and do local pickup but everywhere with cheap prices seems to be 30 miles away or more (so with gas its basically the same price). also how many should I print, this is my first con.

>>8428322

If you go with a super cheap option like VistaPrint or GotPrint, but you're going to need to pay rush. Either you need a really really low number of cards OR you're going to have to suck it up and pay more than $20. Your only other option is to print them yourself.

I had 250 cards for a con of 10k and ran out by Saturday afternoon. I'd say a minimum of 500 for a con the size of AX.

>>8428322
Good luck even ordering online in time now (I was looking for prints 2 days ago, most rush orders would arrive quickest by day 0 at this point, if your lucky.)

If I were you, and working under a budget, just print out some mini cards on 8.5 x11 and cut them out with a table blade. You wouldnt have a ton, but it'll be better then having none.

>>8428322
>>8428322
PrimoPrint is the only place I know of with multiple printing facilities all over the US and able to ship to you in time. I'm only linking this ref link because it gives you 10% off your purchase if you choose to go that route. Check the shipping calc to see the estimated delivery date and use matte 14/16pt card stock for the lowest single-sided price. Good luck anon!

System flagged the link as spam, so it's in the image.

Almost off-topic

But I really can't stand AANI oh my god. I joined about a week ago because a friend suggested it to me and I cannot handle this circlejerk enough to get through to the valuable information.

>>8428380
>>8428435
>>8428633

thanks guys, I ended up getting 500 from overnight prints and they're supposed to come on the 1st. If they don't I'll probably go the mini card route but hopefully it doesn't come to that.

anyone planning on capitalizing on MUH NOSTALGIA from the final fantasy 7 remake announcement?

How do you guys market yourselves? I'm having trouble getting my name out there despite doing a lot of fan art, taking requests, and posting every other day.

>>8428848
deviant art, pixiv, tumblr. spam the shit out of tags. Even with generic shit like #red #cherries whatever your drawing is about.

Drawing fan art for YOUR favorite artists is also a good idea. Especially if they have OCs. Chances are they will be nice and reblog you, getting you a few more followers.

Drawing in the draw threads here has also helped me gain followers and customers. People fucking love drawings of themselves, and if you're any good they'll either commission you or buy from your store/whatever.

>>8428656
then leave

>>8428304
Haha yeah they are everywhere in the dealers hall. I would probably make some crop/tank tops.

>>8428869
Can you even spam tags on tumblr? I keep hearing only the first few tags will show your post.

>>8429659
Only the first 5 will count for tag searches, like if you tag it #lolita or whatever then go in that specific tag you'll find it. But then there's the more general search function, which searches the entire content of posts including all tags. I don't know if most tumblr users even use that type of search though it might still be the only option on mobile.

Hi /cgl/, I have few questions. I hope you guys can help me out.
First of all I'd like to apologize if my English is a bit off; it's not my native language.

So, I'm really inexperienced with the whole artist alley thing. I only visit two conventions in my country every year and since I prefer to stay away from fandoms I missed out a lot of trends, populair stuff, etc.
I never had a table at a con and on the net people never really showed much interest in commissioning me. It's made me kind of unsure about my artwork since I'm not some kind of super populair DeviantArt/Tumblr artist. Therefor I think not many people know my artwork.

Anyway, I'm currently working on a CardCaptor Sakura fanbook which I hope to have finished by the end of the year. It takes a lot of time since I'm working on it alone (artwork, booklet design/inDesign'ing etc). My idea for the fanbook is an artwork only book. However, I got told that the buying audience prefers to buy original, or fan-made comics.
Is this really necessary? I wouldn't mind adding a small comic in it, but since my idea was to make an illustration fanbook I don't know if I'll have enough time/space to make it/add it.

Second is; I'm not very well known so I'm not sure if people will buy stuff from a totally unknown artist. Will I eventually be able to sell my stuff? I know that some doujinshi circles end up selling absolutely nothing because they just sit behind their table, not talking to their 'customers'. Will socializing make a (big) difference in selling stuff?

And last of all; Are there still people who are interested in buying fan-made stuff from an older series? CardCaptor Sakura had a re-announcement in 2013, but the series itself is from '98~'00. Will congoers buy something from a 'dated' series?

T-Thanks to anyone who has read my tl;dr, I hope you can give me some feedback!

Pic also related; some of the stuff I'm working on right now.

>>8429712
Your faces need some work (proportions are just kind of "off", top right looks though)as does your shading for hair(mainly an issue with the dodge tool, it doesn't look good the way you're using it)
The top left is the one with the most issues.
>sakura's neck is too thin and tappers down into a triangle which makes no sense
>her head is attached awkwardly, you need to move the line where her jaw is down
>shape of the mouth is throwing things off and giving her a 'derp' expression
again, the clothes and pose(apart form the head and neck) are nicely done
Your shading on the clothing is nice though.
Bottom left is nice and dynamic particularly sakura's pose.

You have to try and do as much self-promotion you can.
The main problem with selling an "artbook" of one series is you're limiting your audience to people who want to buy cardcaptor sakura things, and people who like your art.
People will buy it, but I wouldn't hold your breath on making your booth money back by only selling an artbook.

AANI is becoming...I don't even know... I haven't posted in awhile and I understand them being strict about posting on certain days, but now it seems like discussion post are being treated like jokes. Yes you can use the search function, but some questions have not been answered and yet instead of helping they seem to be trying to be a bunch of jerks just because they can.

I'm mainly referring to the post about the where to buy cheap white fur. It's not my post but instead of sharing tips or shutting the hell up if you have nothing to contribute I just see "did you mean to put this in google?". Like really what is this group even for now if you can't ask questions. Meanwhile the same questions pop up and everyone gives their comments even if it had been discussed last month too...

>>8431048
While I'm mostly in the group to watch drama unfold, let's be real. The question was phrased in a way that seemed like it was meant for google and not politely asking a group of real people where to find cheap white fur. They didn't even specify if they wanted long or short pile or whatever. It was such a vague question.

>>8431048
It was along the lines of going into /po/ and asking what kind of paper and glue they use..

>>8431071
>>8431088
Understood, but we all know how new people can be. They don't know correct terminology or how to put into words what they are trying to say and instead of helping them a long it just seemed really mean.

"What's the cheapest place for white fur?"
"Well I use blahblahblah and can get x amount for whatever price". I'm not much of a crafters so I didn't post, but it just really rubbed me the wrong way how people in the group are like "yeah ask for help. That's what the group is for" but then heckle people.

Meanwhile we get the monthly "What's on your business card/I don't know what to put on my business card" post and no one directs them to google or past post.

>>8431189
Facebook is just such an awful system for newcomers to the group. And more than half don't read the sticky. A lot of the issues in the group would be resolved if mobile even had a search feature within groups.

Aside from that, fur? Even I don't know where other than joanns people buy fur, its a very specific thing that i'd guess not many in the group work with. I had nothing to contribute.

Instead of the comments made (by admins I think?), it should have sat unanswered unless someone even had a good supply source. But i'm not an admin, so its just another opinion.

This is my first time trying to sell a more craft type item and I'm not sure about pricing. So if anyone could give me some input, I'd really appreciate it.

So far I've thought
$10 for the generic shapes (star, heart).
$12 for the shell
$12-15 for the gem stone since it requires two separate resin pieces to make (frame plus gem)

>>8431606
This is really cute, anon. will you be selling them online? I'd say the price you have is pretty good, but I've seen a table with similar merch sell theirs for a couple dollars higher.

>>8431613

Thank you anon! I will be setting up an online store after I'm done with tabling this summer. It will be at http://jellyultra.storenvy.com/ but if you want to keep more up to date I will be announcing it on my tumblr when it happens (jelly-ultra.tumblr)

I might be selling them a for a few more dollars online though, to try and stabilize shipping costs. But the price shouldn't be noticeably higher

>>8429712
artbooks cost between $5-10 to produce.
people will pay between $20-35 for an artbook
people buy less artbooks than they do prints
people hesitate on buying artbooks because it is a "big purchase"
books weigh a fuck ton

you can make a print for under 50 cents
you can sell a print for $10-15 each print
people buy prints like nothing
prints don't weigh a lot

i really think that artbooks are not the way to go in the artist alley. prints will make you more profit.

>>8431606
Oh I do love this, I think you could get away with selling the framed gemstone for $15. Can't wait to see them in your store!

>>8431660
I agree with this post. I see a lot of artists doing their own anthology of work but no one really knows them, so they end up lugging their artbooks to so many cons, or they put them up for a much cheaper price online in order to get rid of them. Unless you're a well-known artist with great art, don't. It's a waste of your time and money.

>>8429712
I would only buy an artbook of all one fandom if there were multiple artists contributing.
I would only buy an artbook by one artist if their art is good and they're doing multiple fandoms.

Yours is none of those things. You have appealing coloring though on everything but the hair - like the other anon said, lose the dodge.

>>8429712
Your coloring and bodies are nice! However trying to match CCS's dated shoujo style isn't doing you any good -- you don't quite have the stylized face proportions down so it makes them look a bit downsy instead of moe. How do you usually draw faces?

CCS is still pretty well known and there are plenty of nostalgia buyers. But like the other anon said, don't bet the success of your table all on that one book. If you're thinking about adding a comic in, how about a page or two of 4panel comics in a simple style? Nothing too complex but it'll be a cute bonus in an artbook. Good luck, anon.

>>8429742
>>8429712
I say keep the dodge. The average weeb LOVES shiny shit.

>>8432020
It's the droopy eyes, modern anime doesn't do that much anymore.

>>8432111
Honestly right has more character. Left looks like something they put on Western advertisements or how-to-draw-manga books.

>>8432111
I would buy a print of the one on the right more.

>>8432111
>>8432124
>>8432174
I'm halfway house:

I like the left because the eyebrows are correct, but the right picture is sharper, more energised.

The eyebrows on the right really bug me, actually. It makes Sakura look like "rescue me kawaii nekooniichan!" sexy-moe, and she's more upbeat than that - she should look like she's happy and having a good time.

>>8429712
>mfw I know exactly who you are

Not in a bad way btw, don't worry about it.

Either way I'm going to say what I've always wanted to say about your art.

1. Thin lineart doesn't always work well. You're good at it, but maybe try playing a bit more with lineweight.
2. Pleaaase stop doing the eyes that way. It looks droopy and brings the whole drawing down. Trust me, your art will look 10 times better if you stopped doing that. Your males look better because of this.
3. From what I know about our country's scene, you'll probably do fine.

I'd love to see more fanart booklets in the scene, there's way too much focus on 'you must make an original doujin' in our country. Please do not fall into the idea that you have to make a 200 page original doujin that you'll sell for the next 5 years because its all you have.

Also try adding in a guest artist or two, not only will it add pages to the book, it'll also help with marketing because said artists will most likely advertise the book on their pages.

Lastly, as far as I'm aware CCS is still pretty popular, it also has that glorious nostalgia vibe that you want to hit.

>>8432111
To add to the eyes thing, maybe something like this? I hope I'm not being rude, I just want to show how to potentially make the eyes look less droopy.I tried to keep the same style otherwise.

>>8432201
I'm just not into the droopy eye look. The right eyes look perky and awake.

>>8432111
>>8432251
Personally, I think these are too far in the other direction from OP's style. I agree that the mouth could be a bit bigger and the eyes/eyebrows could be a little less droopy, but it doesn't need to become too modern. Also, the hair looks fine in my opinion.

>>8432020
Tbh the style doesn't look much like CCS at all, more like Clannad.

>>8432517
yeah actually

>>8432523
that's kanon. i know they're both key, but still. clannad is a different type of moe autism.

>>8432525
Actually. The one on the left is Kamichama Karin. Not a Key anime.

>>8432525
What this anon said >>8432533 basically it's Koge Donbo-ish

>>8432573
nah, definitely more clannad

>>8432600
Looking more at the eyeshape, yeah you're right. It's really more Key inspired it seems.

Is $7 a good price for an A4 print? It's my first time this year and I'm trying to work out prices.

I'm also selling necklaces similar to the ones in the image, I was thinking $5 for those.

What do you guys think? I think I;m only going to have about 5 different prints going into it. Any advice will be awesome.

>>8433168
I usually sell letter sized prints for $10, so I think you could charge higher if you're a pretty good artist.

>>8433180
this is one of the things i was doing for an A4 print. not colored yet, but do would people pay more than $7 for it?

>>8433193
I can't really say until I see it finished I think. What are you doing for the background?
As it is now, I think your pricing is pretty good, I personally wouldn't spend more than $7 on it.

>>8433193
I don't really like the style anon, but that's just based on the line art. Maybe your coloring will make it look more appealing. Price is fine.

>>8433201
>>8433209

Alright, thank you guys! I'll see how it goes as I finish it.

I know it's asking a lot, but can anyone who sells stuff at cons post some examples of the A4 prints they sell.

I need an idea of the quality I'm going to have to build to do well.

>>8433225
Or maybe just examples of what other people have bought at cons, would be good too.

Does anyone have tips on making business cards? I'm a horrible designer.

>>8433472
Ask AANI

>>8433168
I'm in the same predicament as this anon, first time and not sure about prices. I was planning on selling my A4's for $10 or do you guys think I should go lower?

>>8433621
is this your first time trying to draw women?

>>8433625
Nah, but I'm coming out of a really long break from art so if my anatomy's terrible I apologize.

>>8433621
They seem super broad shouldered and not very feminine, I would rework the bodies before you print this. Also try coloring your lines with something other than black, it helps.
I would work on shading overall a little more too.

>>8433621
I've seen worse sell at $10. Definately rework the anatomy though. It's supremely wonky at a lot of places.

>>8433700
>>8433750
Thanks for the advice guys, I'll try and fix anatomy issues next time since unfortunately these have already been send out.

>>8433621
I really hate saying this but I concur with >>8433625 and >>8433700 ... I thought they were cross-dressing men! I was confused and thought you were doing cross-dressing Free! or Cute High Earth Defense Club Love or something.

Bottom middle with the heart, right-middle with the purple hair, and left-bottom with the strawberry blonde are the ones that I feel need changing the most. And like >>8433700 said, the main culprit are those large shoulders.

>>8433472
If single sided, keep it simple and memorable with your logo/icon and 1 or 2 of most important links along with an email if necessary. If you have no logo, just use your best piece cropped into the card.

If double sided, keep one side clean with just art or your logo, then the other side dedicated to links.

QUESTION:

I've never been to a convention or an Artist Alley, but I can make really cute jewelry and Asian crafts. Would those sell well at an AA, even if they weren't directly anime/video game related...?

>>8433621
man shoulders aside, if you're printing this at A4 you gotta put a little more polish into your work. Even at this resolution it looks like colours slapped into a sketch. At full size, it's gonna look really unfinished.

I've been making these dome necklaces. I have other designs too. Like characters and stuff.

Would these sell? I want to try selling them for around $5 each.

>>8433977
I think they would, actually ~$7-$10 wouldn't be a bad price. Trick is to display them prominently against a black board or something at your booth and have people wear them around to con to advertise and drive foot traffic.

>>8433993
Ohh, cool! maybe I'll move the price up to $8

I'll start looking up some display tutorials for them, thank you!

>>8433977
Love the dragonball idea, sailor moon's broach is nice too.

>>8433856
no
>>8433621
I like the way Maki is drawn. But I agree with others. Make their shoulders less broad. Since it's anime, you could even get away with making their shoulders super duper narrow.
>>8431606
oooh I love these~ If you take kawaii blogger sponsorships for these like Cute Can Kill, make sure you focus on your store, not who you're sponsoring. CCK keeps the people who are doing sponsorships happy, but like 98% of the things in their store are sold out.

>>8429712
I have to agree with the other anons about the droopy eyes. I tried to do a improvement on it. The Clannad eyes work pretty well with it.

I envy your shading though. It's great!

Hi, CardCaptor Sakura OP here!
I haven’t checked this thread for a few days so first of all I’d like to thank everyone for the feedback!
The reason why I came to /cgl/ is because, even if the critique is harsh, you’re honest. Friends/forums usually tell me that everything looks good and only give me critique on small things. Because of that I feel as if I cannot improve drastically the way I want.

>>8429742
Thank you for your critique anon! I’ve been told a few times that the way I draw faces doesn’t look so good— However I have never been told why.
I’ll gladly take your critique but I’d also love to know what I could change about the way I draw the faces to make them seem more appealing. Is it mainly in the eyes, like the other anons said?
>>8432020
First of all, thank you for the compliment anon!
And again, I don’t really know what I am exactly doing wrong when drawing the faces. I’d love to improve on them and make them more appealing.
>>8432219
Oh wow! Haha, I’m actually pretty curious to who you are now anon!
Are you Prochaine perhaps? Because of her post in a Doujinshi topic at the forum I decided to post here on /cgl/ to get good critique. If not, then I’m sorry if I don’t know who you are since I don’t know too many doujinshi circles, especially not their members personally...
Anyway, thank you very much for your critique, it’s very appreciated!
>Either way I'm going to say what I've always wanted to say about your art.
Aaah, I’m always open to critique! Since you know who I am, please please pleaassee don’t be afraid to ever ciritique me like this personally!
>>8432251
You’re not being rude at all anon! It’s very appreciated that you’re taking the time to help.
I, indeed, now see how I can make the eyes less droopy. Thank you!
>>8434381
Thank you! I’ll keep this in mind ^^
And also thank you for the sweet compliment!

>>8434381
Those eyes would look great. Just the right level of droop.

Jfc...

>>8434741
The anon from >>8432219 here, I'm not Prochaine, I'm actually not in any circle. I just always found the focus here on original doujin odd, especially since most circles seem to make one or two and then proceed to sell them each con for years.
And I'm on the forum somewhat, which is why I know about the circles. I'd say try inviting people as guest artists from there, because like other anons said, it can be very difficult to get sales on an artbook if you aren't all that known.

Maybe try making it into a zine? Basically a smaller artbook ussually, and I think it would be nice to bring that trend over to our country. I'd love to see more artists trying to sell prints and smaller booklets like that over here. Or basically anything that isn't a bookmark or a button.

>>8434899
Oh geez. She probably doesn't believe her mom anymore because she's overreacting to the mediocre job she did on that. Kids pick up on that shit.

i've been working on this on and off for like two weeks. i'm super bored of it and tired of looking at it so idk what to think about it at this point. can anyone give me some input or opinions

>>8435035
its cute but not compelling at all. the content is just trash

>>8435038
lol I appreciate your honesty. is there anything i could do to make it more interesting? like maybe change the bear to something more weird

>>8435035
It's cute and compelling to many people who are into this sort of creepy cute artwork. Did you cut of her hair in the actual art too?

>>8435040
Not that anon, but I think it's cute too! The bear is kind of flat in comparison to the girl and I think it's not a bad idea, but they feel a bit apart. Check for superflat art, I think you could get tons of ideas from that.

>>8435050
I assume anon was still in the process of finishing it. Like the top has all the details done, the bottom not so much.

>>8435041
thank you and haha no, i am just lazy and have been taking screencaps of the art zoomed out in SAI. i also had an idea of maybe instead she's ripping herself open and weird little ghostie wormies are coming out

>>8435050
i had no idea superflat art was a thing, thank you a lot! i love this style

>>8434899
My boyfriend does this to me... says everything I do is amazing even if it's not.
Makes me fucking sad and I don't do things anymore.

>>8435035
You got that lowbrow, hi-fructose magazine kinda style. I like it. I'd buy something from you if I saw you selling your stuff anywhere, be it online or at a con.

>>8435062
Honestly I'd give her some nice green broccoli to hold.

>>8435062
I'd put that shit on my walls.

>>8435101
broccoli is pretty hilarious but i dont know if it goes

>>8435026
And it's not like she's that young either, being 11. She must know what is and isn't amazing by that age.
if the kids with these kind of parents don't know what is or isn't good believe the asspats, I imagine they turn into those special snowflakes that can't sell shit at AA.

>>8435146
>>8435062
>>8435035
eh

>>8434381
Another anon here. I really like the shading on the eyes with the one you drew over.

Can you give me any tips on making it look that smooth and nice? I would love a step by step or any tips you can give me. Also what program?

I love it

>>8435186
are you the same anon as
>>8435038

>>8435202
no. that style is already being done to death by audrey kawasaki. if you could perhaps inject some more interesting perspectives or content besides same-face-girl-looking-forward, it would be improved greatly.
the problem is, it's hard to translate anything besides same-face-girl-looking-forward into that style because it's all symbol drawing and the people who do it don't actually know how to put real thought onto a canvas. it's like they're just copier machines.
just my opinion tho.

>>8435217
>audrey kawasaki
>tfw she makes tons of money by drawing the same face each time, maybe some boobs and muh japanese imagery

>>8435220
>>8435217
i think the key to being a commercial success as an artist is to have a very identifiable style. i don't think it necessarily has to be complex. i think to have a style you're going to have a lot of repeating elements. i don't think that is inherently a bad thing.

look at milkbbi for example (just the first thing i could think of), he isn't what you'd typically consider "great" at art but he has a consistent and identifiable fun style that has made him a success

>>8435202
im that anon. change the pose entirely. its boring, its flat. add an interesting perspective.
>>8435220
except her style is distinguishable among contemporary artists and many have tried to copy her style. her art validates itself. you can learn a lot from her. i still find her work very boring, though.

>>8435217
I share the same opinion anon. It all sounds harsh but it's true.

>>8435220
true, she found a niche and filled it. but you're not going to make bank like her because you draw like her.

>>8435250
>>8435217

lol oh wow! well thank you everyone for your honest opinions, I don't disagree. kawasaki wasn't a particular inspiration but I understand how it looks similiar with the plain girl face-on kind of thing. I actually haven't been drawing seriously in a few years and this was an experimental work for me to get back in the groove. i've spent a lot of time on this so I feel I should still go ahead and finish it, but I'm definitely going to take a lot of consideration into your critiques with the next drawing i decide to flesh out.

>>8435026
Art teacher here, that's pretty average for an 11 year old, it's not bad, but it's not prodigy level or anything. Probably a bit neater than average. Nothing the mom should be going crazy over though or try to pander to strangers on the internet. I'd be more impressed if it was larger tbh. These are the kind of parents who crap themselves if their student don't get an A on their project and send me angry emails.
pic sorta related, its some ceramic pinchpot monsters my 6th graders did.

>>8435331
The green one in the back row is the best and that kid should be proud.

I've had my spot at AA at different cons like 4 times and I've found people don't buy much of my stuff. I suppose it's because I offer only A4 prints and people prefer smaller stuff?
what kind of stuff should I offer? bookmarks? pocket sized illustrations?

>>8435419
Can I see an example of what you sold?

>>8435331
How weird is it that I actually want to buy that green pinch pot monster? Like, I know I can't, but that is fucking adorable.

>>8435352
>>8435461
That girl was very talented and veeery good at being neat (something middle schoolers have no patience for). She had a good handle on her hand-eye coordination. Of course, she got an A+.

A con I'm selling at will be for 3 days. How many prints of each thing should I print? How much would you guys print for that many days.

In your opinions how many of these necklaces should I have finished?

I'm clueless. Thanks again guys.

WHY DO PEOPLE DO THIS

>>8435331
The pink one is cute too

>>8435904
Do what? Except give them all the same man face

>>8435904
Why does everyone look like a fuckin man or a whale?

>>8435904
>maybe they made crossdressing versions
>see actual breasts
>oh

>>8435904
I'm sure people will buy them anyway

That Kotori looks like she can beat the shit out of me

>>8435904
woah
I'm sorry but those are ugly af

>>8435904
It looks like they draw mostly dudes and just...don't know how to draw girls. Or like they're trying REALLY hard to draw more Western-style stuff and are just trying too hard to make all the characters look visually distinct in that style. Something like that. I'm not sure exactly how to word it...

Just by the faces I would have thought that Kotori, Eli, Umi and Maki were men...Especially Kotori.

>>8435958
Yeah, what they're doing is shoving western (amerifat) body types onto very tiny Japanese idol school girls.

I commend them for trying to make each girl visually distinct but they succeeded in the worst way.

>>8435984
Nozomi, I'm so sorry

>>8435984
Why does Nico look like a Mexican midget?

>>8435984
they all look like men
what grill has a face like that
fuck their bodies too, no hips

>>8435984
Oh god all the tumblr

>Exagerrated skin tones to the point of racebending
>Overkill freckles on Rin
>Dove beauty campaign body variations
>Obese Nozomi
BITCH THEY WORK OUT NONSTOP
>Somehow still makes them sameface

And only about half look remotely female.

>>8435984
Nozomi looks like an elephant why is this a thing, holy shit. Why do they all have saggy tits? The more I look at this the worse it gets.

>>8435984
This one (and I hate to use this phrase) looks very "tumblr." "Unconventionally attractive (but still pretty)" seems to be the new cool. Did they decide Nozomi is fat because she has big breasts? And why is Nico so dark when she's just as pale as the rest of them and they just slapped freckles on to Rin. The art really isn't even "bad" they just...are trying way too hard to be the cool artist that doesn't draw "pretty anime characters."

>>8435904
Nozomi is the only one that's aright here. Eli would fit in great during Pride month. Maki looks like a Jojo reject.

>>8436067
Honestly, I wish we all could go back to embracing our anime side. You're drawing anime fanart for an anime convention, no need to impress your art teacher with an R.Crumb impression here.

>>8435904
I tried to save them but most are beyond help

>>8436124
They look better. I think the giant man-jaws were the biggest problem.I really think that artist just doesn't know how to draw feminine faces.

>>8436111
Like I said a lot of it is the tumblr "Ugly but still pretty'" trend that leads artists to draw characters knock kneed and hunched over with huge noses combined with a big splash of "This popular artist draws Western-style stuff! I will, too!!"

>>8436124
Significantly better.

>>8435984
These reject freaks are what a real "school idol" group would look like.

>>8435904
I really don't understand why Tumblr needs to draw anime in a western style. And why are they adding those bothersome noses to every character? I see a lot of artists doing this and it isn't making the characters more special or appealing imo.
>>8436111
This.

>>8436103
OMG I WAS THINKING THE SAME THING. MAKI LOOKS LIKE A FUCKED UP KAKYOIN.

>>8436124
Honoka looks actually pretty cute. The rest are still terrible tho.

>>8435984
Shit like this makes me wish that tumblr would go back to their 2013-early 2014 art style that was like
>chubby face with red nose
>glasses
>hoodie and jeans
>brightly colored hair that's shaved on one side or a mohawk
>tons of body mods and maybe a hipster tattoo
>usually brown skin cuz muh white privilege
>short and fat

>>8436374
>go back to their 2013-early 2014 art style
No that was also awful. But also it's still very much around plaguing everything - just look at all the shitty modern/punk/etc AUs

>>8434899
>look what my genetics did!!

>>8435035
>>8435062
Ghosts > Teddy bear

Where do you usually get your prints printed? I have been looking at places online, but I thought a more personal recommendation would be nice.

i wanted to say thank you guys for your critique, it all helped me immensely. i'm at the point where i have no idea what i'm doing anymore but i'm trying to wrap it up so i can start on something new lol

>>8437926
I've been using Catprint. They do pretty good work and they've been pretty good so far about working with me to make changes.

>>8437926

I use a local printer. It's cheap and decent quality, but I don't have quite the range of paper you can get from Cat Print. But my prints are 50 cents each, tabloid card stock, so it's a really good deal and I'll stick with my local guy for now.

Do people get discouraged when they see prints from ABovine? Since they say fujifilm on the back...

>>8439779
Why would you get prints from them in the first place?