/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

Ordered some charms with zaps new uv orange since the deal was so good and they actually turned out pretty cute. I'd order again if they'd print double sided. Makes me wish I'd tried the novelty acrylic colors over at acorn press before they disappeared.

>>9660610
When will Acorn Press come back from the war, I had some great design ideas I wanted to try with foreground printing

>>9659676
I'm going back and forth between working on a memey Neo Yokio print and a print of the new No Game No Life movie.

>>9659676
Buttons, so many buttons.Trying to make enough designs to justify purchasing my own button press this time around, since I've always really wanted one.

Chibi heads of all the main cast for some Tales Of games, the extended cast for Academia, current arc cast for One Piece (characters like Pudding and the brothers who won't get a lot of official merch). After I finish these sets I'll take a step back and try to figure out what FOTM I want to dip my toes into.

>>9660652

As far as i know, i found one of the owners of Acorn Press. There are two owners and one of them is Fera Lynn and their Twitter has been inactive since May and the last tweet they made was the public statement on the Acorn Press page on tumblr talking about them falling behind on schedule. https://twitter.com/feralynn/status/867406023929233409 Contacting them on Twitter will probably be a waste they haven't posted anything. They also have a Facebook but the last post was in 2015. Fera did advertise Acorn Press on AANI back in 2016 when they were active.What i found to be awfully strange and off was that the Acorn Press blog was reblogging customer's pictures of their charms AFTER the behind schedule post was publicly posted. Last post they have is a reblog from August so i assume they're somewhat active. Since then, they haven't touched the Tumblr blog.

It's a shame, I was planning on using their services earlier this year. Sent out an email asking questions before they had issues and still no answers, thank god i didn't place an order with them before they stopped taking orders.

>>9661153
fera used to post in these threads. fera, if you're out there... we miss you!

Their latest tumblr posts were queued from before they stopped taking orders, which is why you see reblogs in august. It's not strange at all.

I'm so sad about them shutting down, I loved the price, quality, and service. But it seemed to be another case where a supplier becomes too overwhelmed with orders and no longer becomes a viable resource.

>>9661245
I hope they come back and find a way to cap the orders they take in to only the number they can reliably ship out on time. I loved AP and was really excited to see all the new material options.

Regretting switching from jump to split rings on my charms. They're super slow to attach and prone to scratching the art. Probably just gonna have vograce attach the findings in the future.

>>9661340
I've gotten pretty efficient at attaching split rings (I keep trying to teach friends who assist me but to no avail) however I've never scratched the art with them..? The acrylic hoop yes I've scratched/expect to scratch but how are you managing to scrape the art off too...

Anyways I prefer them since they're generally more reliable than split rings.

does anyone have any experience/advice about cards or giftwrap-type things? It's more a christmassy craft fair scenario than a con. I've never made cards though. pic unrelated.

How do you feel about fans that want to stay in contact with you because they really like you and your work?
If they are also artists and sell their work or something like that, I'm more than happy to add them as a friend because its great to have connections.. but regular uninteresting people? eh..
Kinda feel bad for saying no, but I don't feel like i'd gain anything from it.

>>9662006

I only further conversations with people who make stuff too. It feels safer because you know they probably aren't going to ask for shit from you. A lot of shitty online people just want to befriends artists to try to get free art or just because they want to brag that they're your buddy. I barely have the energy for the friends I have, I'm not putting effort in unless I like their work a lot or something. I think that's fair, your not obligated to be friends with everyone. There's lots of other people they can try to befriend.

So I made this pin design and nobody seemed interested in it. I have a pretty good following of people who buy my stuff too. Thoughts?

>>9662006
You're not obligated to be friends with every congoer, anon. That being said, I've made friends with a couple of repeat customers/cosplayers since we see each other at cons so much. They usually go out of their way to bring me snacks/food while I'm at the table or offer to help me set up. It's obviously a case by case basis! Plus having con attendees as your friends means you can ask them for opinions on what you think would sell and bounce new merch ideas off of them. It's really helpful to get an idea of what the target market finds attractive vs other artists.

>>9662044
Is this fanart or original art? If it's original, it doesn't particularly speak to me.

>>9662044
Personally, I don't like it, but it's so completely out of my tastes line that I could be just biased. If it fits in with your art direction, than it's possible that your customers will like it anyway, but if it's not, I'd be wary.

>>9662044
It looks weird, mainly because of the color changes. Black Hat has a very specific aesthetic and the pin misses the mark.

>>9662044

You're trying to hard. Just copy the shape of his hat and face (like other anon said, he has a very specific aesthetic to him) and give him his color pallet. I bet that'll help. I'm going to guess you wanted to add your own style to it, maybe have it stand out from the crowd but, meh, it's a different time. Your 'on model' prints/pins will sell WAY better than "my style" ones. Unless you have a big series of like, black Sailor Moon, and have the other 20 senshie be black too. Kinda like a gimmick.

I do like the V (for Villainous right?) that splits half the face, that's kinda neat. But keep in mine if you're going for an enamel pin, you have to have a line splitting the face in half and also give the V it's own gold outline. Colors can't mix on pins. It all has to be one block of color instead it's own shape. Ya dig?

I'm getting some cork coasters made like example photo. What would be a fair price for them? They will have my own artwork on it (2 different designs) and the size is about 4''.

I was thinking 2 for $5 since I want people to buy both designs I have available? Or is $5 for just 1 coaster a better idea? I can't recall seeing anybody at the cons I've been to sell them, so I'm unsure how much to price them for.

I checked like, amiami and they sell official ones, a set of 2 for like 500 yen.

>>9662127

Whats your cost per unit? $5 is cheap for most people, so selling each for $5 is probably fine, but $5 for two will be a steal for most people, so if your cost per unit isn't high then go for it, you'll probably sell more in general that way. Keep in mind that western costs are different from Japanese costs too, most items cost a lot more to make here even using chinese manufacturing, so you might not be able to match the japanese pricing. If they're costing you over a dollar per coaster to make then it's silly to charge only $5 for two, you're only making $3, if you don't factor in other costs.

>>9661713
I experimented with a hole instead of a loop on one of my designs, which led to the scratching of the art instead of just the loop and a lot of regret. I once bought a charm from an artist who didn't remove the protective peel from any of the charms except the display ones, I'm kind of tempted to do that myself.

any recommendations for where to get dakis done??

>>9662127
I got people to shell $10 for coaster commissions, so I think you can float $5 per coaster without issue. Maybe a 2 for $8 or something as a special.

>>9662252
Alibaba/artsmoo. Please just do some cursory googling before you ask questions like these,

>>9662127
I'd personally go with $5 each and do 2 for $8, anon. Don't undervalue your work.

>>9662299
Is artsmoo good?
Also why can you not say the official name of the site on 4chan? it wont let me post it

>>9662301
Long long ago, artsmoo self-advertized on 4chan. Their spamming got them sent to the shadow realm and that's where they remain, even to this very day. The end.

Considering joining a group order for Vograce but is it really cheaper to order with others if you're all getting different designs/styles?

>>9662380
...yes? you don't get charged for additional designs, and larger total order quantity means lower individual charm price. (i.e: if you're only ordering like 100 charms, it might be $2.50 per charm, but if you order 1000, it'll only be $1.25 per charm etc)

>>9662380
>>9662383
I'm assuming this anon means different styles of acrylic and not their actual artwork. If you're ordering the same bulk style of acrylic (ie double board, double sided printing) then yes, it's absolutely cheaper to order in a group order, especially if you don't need to pay for shipping to your own home. Now if there are like five million different styles they're working with, it might be better to cut your losses and stick with your own order. Large orders mean bigger discounts, but they almost always mean delays too.

>>9662252
>>9662299

I've added this question and answer to the AA FAQ

>>9662403
Yeah I did mean different styles of acrylic, sorry, I wasn't sure exactly how to phrase it. Thank you!

So is this the worst person that ever existed or what. prepare to rage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBNGY2ZgMro

>>9662713
omg fuck this guy. The comments section is 75% logical people telling him he stole and he should know better, and 25% defending him or telling him to get a lawyer.

I hate everything. I just raged with some other designers at work here over this.

>>9662044
unintentionally generic, at first i thought this was supposed to be the kaito kid or the night baron from case closed

>>9662752
wrong pic, sorry

>>9662753
>>9662752
same, doesn't help I started rewatching Detective Conan again

>>9662756
>started rewatching Detective Conan again
Not that anon, but I've started rereading it again recently too. Funny coincidence.

>>9662713
LOL he got too much heat so he disabled comments and likes/dislikes and then released an hour long rant about being bullied

>>9662006
Honestly posts like this make me laugh because every thread someone else is asking how to make friends and then everythread there's someone like you who only values friendships for their ability to bring them material wealth via connections.

>>9662006
I have non-artist congoer friends that buy my stuff, though I consider them friend more than fan. They're really helpful for grabbing me a bite to eat and I find their merch suggestions more in line with what regular congoers want. Like if there are some drawings I find questionable as an artist, but they really dig, I try to find what is it that they enjoy to incorporate into my own pieces.

>>9662006
I'll just start by saying I have no following haha, but I would be really honored desu. You're gaining someone to talk about your interests with, who will probably give you the motivation to keep drawing.

But I'm also on the other side as well, wanting to make friends with artists because I really admire them and am in the same fandoms. Unfortunately, your post is one of the reasons why I'm afraid to speak up/connect with them, because my art is much lower tier (I'm not terrible, just not up there with the best) and there's not much reason for them to be friends with me other than the fact that I /occasionally/ do AA and am in the same mega-huge fandom as they are.

>>9663312
basically lol

>>9663335
Just say hi anyway, and treat them like they're a real person. For every person that's like that anon, there are plenty of other nice and friendly people who aren't only looking for personal gain. I definitely think everyone is interesting in their own way and has interesting stories to tell, and it's such a mistake to write someone off just because they're not a "connection."

>>9662006
I have a pretty big following and constantly get followers adding me on facebook and stuff. You don't have to accept anon, you could even just not respond to the friend request (usually that's what I do).

I almost always add business partners though. This could be other artists, friends who staff for conventions, friends are well known in the same fandom as you, anything like that. I feel like it benefits me and helps me get to know that person even if it is liking and sharing each other's stuff (hell, even if it's dumb shit like memes.) I'm not saying to purposely be friends with people to get things in return, but becoming good mutual friends can help you find work and good connections later on. It definitely did for me.

Has anyone here ordered enamel pins directly from a factory in China? Looking for something with cheaper prices but I don't want to risk bad quality.

>>9663513
> I want cheap prices, good quality and I want sources

Lmao you people.

>>9662006
I give them a business card and tell them to add me on the things since I don't mind chatting with people online, and my personal Facebook is practically another shop page, but I won't give out my number or meet then places. Occasionally I make a real friend this way, but I do not have to energy to be friends with everyone who wants to be friends @_@

>>9663312
I want more friends too, but these are people who don't really have much in value. I want friends who I can work with, not friends that worship me.
>>9663335
I've had so many people message my about being my friend before that the specialness of it has kinda wore off. I tried being friends with some and nothing ever came about from it.
if its someone that actually lives near me, I'll give it more of a chance, other wise.... eh.

>>9663527
Thats what I've been doing.

>>9663542
It's pretty fair to feel this way imo. I've also had a lot of people ask to be friends with me (even one who was like "I've decided to be friends with you") and it feels very insincere 99% of the time

>>9663542
>do not have much in value
Maybe it’s just me, but things like this make me sad a little lol. I would hate for someone to think of me as having no value

>>9662713
Wow, so he's upset at someone upholding their copy rights. The way that he thinks he is completely blameless and the copyright holder is a villain is mindboggling.

>>9663624
Nayrt, but don't take this so personally. We're not discussing value as a human being, but value being added to our lives through our relationships with others. I think the AYRT made it clear that they want actual friends, not fans trying to be personal friends when they really have nothing in common. Don't you value people who care about you personally more than you value people who just think you're talented in some area? If you've made actual human connections with artists you've initially approached for friendship just because you've admired their work then I'm glad for you; your experience is an outlier.

>>9663624

An artist friend of mine started a friendship with a girl online, they talked for long hours through DM about a fandom they had in common. Then the artist friend decided to open a more personal account, and moved her close friends from the follow list on her main to this personal account. This person then messaged her upset that she was no longer being followed by her big name account. She wanted bragging rights to say "look I'm followed by X" and didn't care that my friend would still be following her on a more personal account. My friend was completely bewildered by it because she had thought they were real friends the whole time.

This person might be a completely fine person IRL, but they got into the relationship with my friend as a fan idolizing her, and she never saw it as a real relationship between two people. This is why some people don't have value to us. You don't know who is a person trying to make a genuine connection or who is someone who just wants something from you, the same as real life. You're not obligated to be friends with everyone.

>>9662317
wasnt it because there were free mousepads and people were constantly making threads on every board spamming to trade codes and shit

>>9663624
not saying the person has no value, its just they add no value to the friendship. Some people just like what I make and can't really add to anything. I don't really need someone who just compliments my work every day and thats the entire friendship.

>>9663784
Por que no los dos

>>9663879
Idk if you are >>9662006 but they made it seem like the only value someone can have is connections, anyone without connections is a "regular uninteresting person" that you can't gain anything from. I've seen this attitude in other threads too.

Some people do just say "lets be friends" and they're the equivalent of a person who just says "whats up" and expects you to make the conversation, this is a problem with all people. But if a follower wants to be my friend and they match me with good convo and thoughts, they're putting the work into the friendship i don't mind reciprocating if I find their company fun and i have time. I'd much rather have a friend i could speak to than an artist i reply "lol" to every few days for their connections.

>>9664006
I am and what I am saying is I want to be friends with someone equal to me, not someone just follows me around. I want to be friends with people in the same fields as me, not someone who is just a fan of the field because I'm not even that interested in what I make specifically, I find making it more interesting, so I want to talk to someone about how to make stuff, not about the finished product.

What are good ways to display lanyards on your table?

>>9664006

Anon what do you do when someone puts the work in to befriend you but you just don't find them interesting or fun to chat with? Did they earn the right to your time just by trying hard? Or if they are not interesting or fun to talk with, do you decide to stop talking to them? This is what other anons mean by value. If they don't add something to your life, either emotional value as a friend, or professional value, then it's not your responsibility to continue talking with them just because they are putting in effort.

You make it seem rather simplistic but keep in mind that many artists have to deal with people trying to befriend them just because they like their work. Many artists have to be more critical of their interactions because of people like this. No need to be rude to people who are trying to be friendly, but no one owes anyone their effort.

>>9664141
I did say if they match me and if i find their company fun and have time so i'm not sure where all these questions are coming from, did you read my post or just skim it?

>>9664065
I guess my life doesn't only revolve around what i produce, if that's genuinely the only thing you enjoy talking about then that's fair.

Technically doesn’t this thread belong on >>>/biz/ ?

I see barely any cosplay in this thread and mostly people fight about money/suppliers/business stuff

>>9664201
/cgl/ is a board for con discussions as well, per the board's pinned post.

>>9664201
It's here because people sell at cons. Too bad moot never made /con/ a thing, which would have been the most appropriate home.

I thought it would be a fun kitschy idea to make pins of my outfits and then wear them when I'm wearing the outfit.

>>9664201
>mostly people fight about money/suppliers/business stuff
>I've never been in an AA thread before.

What the fuck do you think an Artist Alley is?

>>9664201
Is this your first time on /cgl/? Kill yourself.

>>9664224
I have not done pins of OOTD art, but I've done prints. People, especially Friend Who Got Dragged to a Con, really seem to enjoy that generic pretty stuff. I can see pins doing really well too especially since they're fashionable right now and aren't as useless (for lack of a better word) as prints are. You should post some photos of you and your merch side by side if you go through with this.

>>9664255

Like just for blogging purposes? Shame I can't get just one pin done to have it phyically to show and not just a dumb drawing. But nooo. You have to order 50 from China for 200 bucks first.

>>9664271
What the fuck are you even complaining about? That you have to pay to get things mass-produced?

>>9664273

Well, yeah. I don't want a thing mass-produced, and yet that's my only option. What I just literally wanted one?

>>9664276
It's a stupid thing to complain about because there's literally nothing you can do to change it unless you're willing to pay $200 for exactly one piece. Don't act like it's ridiculous that you have to order in large quantities when the mold fees alone would make producing 1 cost-prohibitive. It's like you don't even understand how enamel pins are made.

>>9664280

Chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill bruh. And i'm not complaining. I said it's a "shame". I'm just whining about it. Eesh.

>>9664276
You're not just paying the cost of manufacturing, you're paying for labor, too. You have to pay for the company to receive your file, set it up to print, print it, package, and ship. Even in the small office I work at that prints similar merchandise in very small quantities, the item is still handled by three different people before it hits the door. That's just for acrylics - never mind that for enamel pins they have to form a literal mold for casting metal.

For the company to break even on labor costs they are going to have to charge what would be an absurd amount for a single tiny item. At that point, you might as well buy 50, because it doesn't take much longer to print 50 than it does to print 1 after all the prep work is done.

>>9664282
Don't shit up the thread with your blogging then? If you're not actually asking for advice or crit no one cares about your OOTD. If you really want one-off pins, go with acrylic and get them made through Vograce instead.

To get the thread back on track - are you gulls ready for the holiday rush that's coming up soon? I just ordered a huge restock of my inventory to get ready. Do you guys run any sales/discounts for the holidays? I did one for Black Friday last year and pulled in really decent numbers. Kind of glad for the online rush since there aren't a ton of conventions in Nov/Dec.

>>9664286

No, I KNOW. I've made pins before. I'm just SAYING it would be neat IF I had the option of making an order of one thing just to have one thing to show off it it's psychical form.

>>9664289

Other anon, but I had this crazy idea once to order acrylic charms through Vograce without the holes in them, and then hot glue my own enamel pin backings to them. Though on the other hand, not having that one-color metal look for a shaded plastic pin would looking really fucking cheap if someone actually pinned it something. Like it was a free crappy item in a goodie bag from like a dust can making company.

>>9664292
Vograce does acrylic pins, anon! Unless you specifically wanted the post backing instead of the pin backing!

>>9664153

I read it, but it's like you're not reading what everyone else is writing, because you're arguing that people who say they're not interested in being friends with any rando are being assholes. Being friends with only artists is a way for artists to make sure they're on equal footing and there's no power imbalance that will make things weird later on. It's not because we think people who follow us are trash and below us. Not all of us, anyway.

>>9664290

God what a snot.

>>9664298
You must have a better customer base than mine then anon, or cons in your area are better.

>>9664276
Zapp does one-off acrylic, so you can do your retarded blogger idea.

>>9664303

alltheseflavorsandyouchosesalty.jpg

>>9664224
>>9664276

>I have a fun idea. Too bad I had this vision of this thing I wanted to happen but can't do the thing cause I know it's not how that thing is done.

>>9664273
>>9664280
>>9664286
>>9664289
>>9664303
>>9664306

>fuck you with something hard and sand papery until you bleed to death please.

God I love this board.

>>9664319
This isn't the "fun idea for bloggers" thread, of course you're going to annoy people if you ask off-topic things.

>>9664319
>>9664321
Not to mention that anons responding gave them an alternate course of action (one-off acrylic badge made from Vograce or Zap) if they really wanted to pursue it. Gotta love entitled whiny babies.

>>9664321
I mean I guess that's true. I'm not OOTDanon, but seems like their OP was to see if their idea would be something worthy to sell in AAs? Rather than just share a random image of a pink outfit they drew. Maybe to see if we would harp/crit on the style or idea?

But like >>9664255 said, seems like the non-weebs would be into something like that. In fact, it would kinda neat to make outfits of FOTM cosplay outfits too. I bet people in costume would love to do a splurge buy of a pin of their outfit.

>>9664330
Anon, you're nice to give people the benefit of the doubt but OP said themselves (>>9664271 and >>9664276 and>>9664290) that they just wanted ONE piece for themselves. So it's not even a topic relevant to this thread because they're not asking if it would be a viable market.

I do agree that it could be something that could work with non-fandom crowds but that design would definitely have to be reworked for it to be passable. (The lines are wonky as hell in what OP posted.) I've actually seen people do seifuku and other j-fash outfit keychains/pins so there's precedence for merch like that working in the AA.

>>9664330
>and then wear them when I'm in the outfit
I dunno anon, it really read like "this is a cute idea for me, wouldn't it be cute? you guys make stuff, tell me that me making this and doing this is cute!" to me.

>>9664357
>The lines are wonky as hell

I've been noticing that more and more in pins. Does it make them look more "indy" or something? I kind like it. Sometimes that super clean up lining seems too impersonal.

>>9664380
I don't mind it if it's a stylistic choice but I think it's poorly executed in OP's example... it just looks amateur-ish to me.

>>9663773
Man that's awful!

Yeah, truth is a lot of fans don't even see us as human a lot of the time ;_;

I know plenty of people who try to suck up to me but are jerks to actual friends of mine -_-

>>9664090
Still trying to look for an answer if anyone could help.

I usually just lay them flat on the table but I feel like they're easily looked over that way.

>>9664380
It seems like a choice that's more common in soft enamel pins than hard enamel. Never been a fan because I generally despise that lowbrow "naive" look, but it remains popular with a good amount of audience.

>>9664684
Pin them to a corkboard and have enlarged strips that show the design in more detail next to them? That way you can actually have it sit vertically so people can see it from across the hall.

>>9664569

Same, I have a couple people who always try to get cozy but in the past they treated some of my most good and trustworthy friends like trash and somehow didn't think I'd find out about it? I'm still polite in person but I'm always on the verge of chewing them out if they start pushing too hard. Seeing how someone treats someone who they don't idolize (or want to fuck, it's a good tactic for that too) is always a good tip-off for what kind of person they really are.

This is kind of a shot in the dark but does anyone know an artist selling bird acrylic keychains? I saw the booth at San Japan but when I came back the next day, the seller was gone. It's bird keychains and they have beads attached to them which the birds are posed in playing with. Does anyone have any idea who the artist is? Google gives me no results.

>>9664298
I never said anyone was being an asshole. I understand that artists tend to make artist friends, most of my friends since doing cons have been artists, but it's because i am in contact with them the most, not because i value them more for their connections like some people here seem to do. Again, not saying you do, but just look at that original post in the context of all the other past AA threads. One minute they talk about how normies are not good value, the next minute they turn around ask why they can't make any artists friends. Idk maybe it's cause some of you guys obviously treat other artists as resources and artists can see through it from the way you speak about non artists. Again, not you specifically, just a funny pattern in these threads.

>>9665101
Did you not check the AA list and map of artists?

>>9665101
Those sound cool. Please let me know if you find them again.

>>9665370
I didn't think of doing so on the day of and it's not on their website but will definitely keep an eye out in the future.

>>9665381
I'll post in an AA thread if I ever find the artist/shop!

>>9664319
Same
I love savage no bullshit artists, there's a severe shortage of them

>>9665655
4chan is only savage because it's anon. The cgl AA discord is incredibly nice and polite - no one wants to burn bridges on what are clearly both possible friendships and business connections.

>>9665655

How much you wanna bet two of those salty anons can't even draw themselves.

>>9665665
>AA discord

They have one??? But you can be anon on that too. Just keep changing your user name.

>>9665879
From OP:
>We have a discord channel!
>Email graveweaverelf@gmail.com with a link to an art site with images of your merch or a picture of your booth for verification to make sure you do cons. (non jury)
I'm assuming they'd kick out anyone they didn't recognize.

>>9665875
Awww OP, did we hurt your feefees because we said your lines were shitty and you were complaining about something that can’t be helped?

>>9665888

I'm not the pin OP, but you are cracking me up with your nuts-o levels of salt and cattiness. I love it. But I still stand by my theory that you can't draw and just shit on others who aren't master crafters yet.

>Judges art
>Doesn't even own a tablet

>>9665891
There are anons here who regularly make like $10k at cons but you keep telling yourself that everyone must be bad at drawing if they don't put up with bullshit.

>>9665925

I'm gonna guess you ain't one of them.

For those of you do pillows, do you usually join group orders or do you get large batches? I had my eye set on this one supplier for THE longest time bc of their relatively low MOQ, emailed them and turns out they don't even do custom printing lmao. Such misleading listings urgh. Just want to test some pillows out for myself ):

>>9665101
Maybe PreciousBbyz? They have bird stuff and charms, and were at San Japan I think.

>>9666081
Small cushions or dakimakura?

>>9666272
The small cushions! Not about to venture into dakimakuras yet, though maybe in the future haha. Anyway, they're really soft and fuzzy but I actually don't know what the fabric is called either...but it's similar to minky (I think).

Hey anons, any portfolio website building tutorials/ advice or guides?

>>9666471
Spend the <$20/month and get a Squarespace site. It's so easy to use. I have zero experience with making websites and I was able to set up a great, professional looking portfolio on there. It's set up a lot like Wix if you've ever used that. Having your own site is a lot more professional than using a deviantArt or a tumblr.

Hey gulls

I bought a sticker and mini print from an artist at AWA, and I noticed that they both have spot-holographic printing. The mini print is only holographic on the (very elaborate) printed areas, and the sticker is only holographic on the actual sticker. Neither are holographic on the white background.

How is this even possible?? It can't be transfer paper, because the amount of detail is ridiculous. Printers can't print holographic like ink, right? I'm so curious, they look amazing.

>>9666546
Machine transfer from their manufacturer I'm sure.

>>9666549
So there's no home sized machine for such a thing?

>>9666553
Maybe if you have a cameo cutter you'd be able to cut the transfer paper and apply it manually but I think it'd be too painstakingly time consuming to be worth it.

Maybe if you wanted to do a just a couple of them..

>>9666480
>Having your own site is a lot more professional than using a deviantArt or a tumblr.

As long as you actually set it up properly. There have been several times where I wished the artist would just link me their DA page because their website is so cluttered and hard to read.

Animenyc just (sort of) dropped their AA map and table numbers. Based on the artists going this con keeps looking more and more promising.

>>9666471
I recently started using portfoliobox. Pretty simple to set up and has a clean design. It's free for the most part but if you want your own domain it's $6 a month.

Just a friendly reminder - This chick makes THESE quality type of charms and not only does she sell out and have to restock her shit, she has good reviews at her etsy shop.

All those people out there who are just like, waaawww I don't know if I'm good enough, in the words of Shia, JUST DO IT.

>>9666471

If you've never had a portfolio review, I recommend finding a reviewer on Fiverr. Then you can know if its even worth making a site if your is even good enough.

>>9666773
Or they could just post here. We're brutal as fuck.

>>9666774

I betcha they're too cowardly.

>>9666765
True, but they are catering to the lowest common denominator... not everyone wants to make yaoi crackship charms from FOTM series.

>>9666765
What fandom is this from?

>>9666791
Voltron.

>>9666765
this is actually quite inspirational
is there some sort of tumblrwide harem AU that i am hitherto unaware?

>>9666720
you might be better off getting the domain separate from the hosting, then you can change it easily

>>9666471
i'd like to know this, but for the contents of the portfolio itself.

>>9667295
>i'd like to know this, but for the contents of the portfolio itself.
The content of your portfolio should reflect the content of the work you're trying to do. This is not an art school portfolio. Unless you're trying to get hired to do gesture drawings, no one wants to see that stuff. Past commercial work/commissions are always must-haves in your portfolio, too. Try to be varied if you're the type of artist who can do different things, but if you're not, DO NOT TRY TO APPEAR LIKE YOU ARE. You will be hating yourself, wondering why you advertised yourself as X type of artist when it's something you can do but not well/quickly/happily.

>>9667423
In this vein of thought - your portfolio should reflect the kind of work you WANT. As an example from my graphic design portfolio - I am very good at corporate brochures. I hate doing corporate brochures. I only have one of them in my portfolio, just to prove that I can, and then a plethora of examples for things I actually enjoy making like theater programs or vegan food packaging. I found out the hard way that if you show examples of things you hate doing, people are going to hire you for them. Then you'll have no one to blame but yourself.

Same concept applies to illustration portfolios. If you want to do comic work, fill it with the kind of comic work you want to do. If you want to do elaborate illustration pieces, fill it with that. Don't advertise what you think is "marketable" just because you think it's the only way you can get a job. Being miserable in a creative field is ten times worse than being miserable in an day job, because it exhausts all the creative energy you would have used on personal projects or other things you enjoy.

>>9667449
I've heard this from every single professional that ever did a guest talk that clients will always zero in on the thing you hate the most in your portfolio as work they want to hire you for. I wouldn't even bother with keeping that corporate brochure in there, anon.

>>9667449
Exactly! You worded your post so well. My portfolio pretty much only has my wedding related work- it's what I enjoy doing the most. Obviously I love AAs as well because anime is life, but I have no interest in doing commissions of characters for someone's comic or videogame (and if you've ever had to deal with these people, I am sure you'll understand). I don't know what it is about clients. It's like they have a sixth sense for what you hate doing the most, so make sure there's nothing in your portfolio that you hate doing (or if there is, make it something that comes to you easily too).

>>9664201
>ctrl+f ‘shitcoin’
>ctrl+f ‘hodl’
>ctrl+f ‘lambo’
>0 results

No, this thread does not belong in /biz/.

>>9668606
Best post on /cgl/ in a while.
Thank you, anon.

when the fuuuuck is katuscon gonna announce who got in, it's been so long

>>9668903
Right?? At this point I've already gone through all five stages of grief so that if I don't get in I can just skip straight to acceptance.

>>9668903
I'm actually starting to worry if I'll be able to get a decent deal on a flight or hotel room at this point...

Same with magfest.

>>9668978
I'm waiting for those two also. There's only like three or four months until the cons even happen, and they haven't even told us when to expect emails. The hotel rates are going to suck by the time we know if we got in.

>>9668903
From AANI. I'm hoping I can finally get in this year.

Is anyone else glad AX and other cons aren’t allowing problematic art anymore? I think it’s fine if people want to sell it in their online stores where people have to search it out, but in public in an AA where anyone can see walking by are two very different things.

Not only that I’ve noticed a drop in my sales when I’m next to a problematic artist.

>>9669093
>problematic art
You mean nsfw art?

>>9669093
I think you're on the wrong site.

>>9669102

They probably mean that artist who made the incest nsfw comic and ended up either booted or quitting the AA.

Personally I don't give a fuck what people wanna sell, as long as they put up a warning sign on it and card people who buy it. It's just fucking stupid that cons worship a genre from a country that produces almost entirely rape porn of underaged girls with teeny little censor bars over their clits, but they want to ban the same stuff in their artist alleys. The shit I've seen in hentai is a million times worse than anything I've ever seen produced by a western artist on tumblr.
Also I never had any issue being seated by "problematic" artists. Personally I suffer more if I'm seated next to some tiddy artist, just because my demographic is pretty much the opposite of that.

>>9669123
>hurr cause 4chan is so edgy instead of just another anonymous forum

>>9669093
this is 99% bait but ill agree that being next to someone with less than family friendly art can affect sales. been next to some basically-hentai artists with a wall of tiddy prints and seen people hurry past or give the whole row a wide berth.

>>9669167
I have a friend who STILL hasn't forgiven me for "abandoning him" by diving head first into a tiddy booth covered in daki's (they also sold niche BL content I had pre-scouted online and needed in my life). It's been four years.

While I don't personally give a shit about stigma or anything like that, it's definitely enough to dissuade people from getting close. I think about how even people interested in the content might never walk up due to peer pressure. I really want artists to be able to sell NSFW content. I wonder if making a row specifically for tiddy, doujin, and other NSFW content would help or hurt their sales.

>>9669494
Probably boost. The con I frequent has a section of their dealers' room just for 18+ stuff, and then that's sectioned off into weapons and porn.

>>9669494
Some bigger cons have specific 18+ sections, but what I see a lot of artists do is just have a notebook with their adult stuff in it for people to look through. Its not directly on display, but they still have it to sell.

While we're on the topic, can I be completely honest? When I was underage I bought 18+ artwork at conventions. This includes Anime Expo, ALA, and a couple other SoCal cons. Yes I was carded, but only like half of the time. I would just be like "Oh, I don't have my ID on me" and I would move onto a different booth. Many of my friends as well when I was underage bought 18+ material at cons too. I don't think people realize how often this happens. Especially with yaoi. SO MANY tables that sell yaoi do not card.

I think it's a great idea for cons to separate 18+ material from the rest of the vendor hall. Furry cons have been doing this for 10+ years now, it's about time the anime cons start doing it too.

>>9669906
>I don't think people realize how often this happens.
I don't think most people care that it happens.

>>9666208
Thanks anon, I actually do have pins from them but it's not that artist. Will keep searching though!

>>9669906

I think most of us have gotten into something we shouldn't have when we were underaged. I was reading hard porn fanfic and buying 18+ doujinshi online with paypal when I was 14. Now that we're adults we can't initiate that behavior and have to act like it doesn't exist. I completely understand kids are going to get ahold of my 18+ art, because I did when I was a kid, but I have to make every effort to look like I don't want that to happen because I don't want to go to jail. To a lot of people (and sometimes the law) admitting you know that kids will get into it and admitting that you don't CARE is basically the same as handing it right to the kid yourself.

>>9669973
AX obviously does if they're changing the rules. I'm sure most cons would not be happy to hear their vendors aren't carding kids.

>>9670028
AX is very different than most cons. I also don't know what their rules are.

>>9670015
>I have to make every effort to look like I don't want that to happen because I don't want to go to jail.

Is that illegal or something?

>>9670015
I keep forgetting 18+ shit is illegal to sell to kids because I, too got into it (specifically yaoi lol, as expected) at age 12.

>>9670049
Distributing porn to minors is a CRIME, yes. How do you not know that?

>>9670050
>>9670051
Well thats incredibly stupid. Guess I've been breaking laws. Oh well.

>>9670087
Did you somehow not realize that there was a reason all those websites have legal disclaimers and "YOU MUST BE OVER 18 AND/OR THE AGE OF CONSENT IN YOUR COUNTRY" plastered on them? I mean, I know we all clicked past them without reading or caring, but they do exist.

>>9670128
>Did you somehow not realize that there was a reason all those websites have legal disclaimers
Yea, to deal with upset parents. Games and movies have ratings on them, but its not illegal to sell or show a 11 year old a T rated game.

>>9670135
In the US, it is illegal for a minor to buy an M game- the parent has to do it for them.

The store is distribution. It's known that minor things at home are sort of whatever- if you're 19 and you show your 16 year old sibling a M game, its no big deal.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Card if they're obviously too young, and if anyone asks you card.

>>9670141
>In the US, it is illegal for a minor to buy an M game- the parent has to do it for them.
This is not true. if it is, can you show me the law?

>>9670142
I may have spoken too soon.

Brown vs Entertainment Merchants Association

It was ruled unconstitutional that laws could be in place to prohibit minors from obtaining games that depicted violence.

However sexual obscenity in games was still found to be illegal to sell to minors.

Nonetheless many many retailers will refuse to sell the game on principle, so they don't get pissed off parents.

I guess I somewhat remember hearing that it was in law at some time, but wasn't aware that it was repealed. It's more common practice than anything.

I think the same applies for minors though. I personally would not sell 18+ material to younger individuals in a semi public place as a con. I don't want to risk the legal repercussion. As a kid, I did indeed gain access to such material and I can't judge or blame kids from doing it, but there is a reason it's illegal, because where would one put the line at a reasonable age? In the US, 18 was deemed easiest.

>>9670153
>there is a reason it's illegal
the reason being?

>>9670087
Is this just good bait or are you actually stupid?

>>9670156
The laws are to protect minors. Being exposed to porn before they're mature enough to handle it fucks kids up (and whether or not you agree with it, that's actually the reason the laws exist, because the content is "harmful to minors"). But also, pedophiles groom children with pornographic content.

>>9670167
Must be a simple answer then. Go ahead.

>>9670168
>Being exposed to porn before they're mature enough to handle it fucks kids up

Right, and violent video games causes kids to be violent. What year is this?

>>9670170
>>9670167

We have the answer, folks, actually stupid.

>>9670170
The problem is the slippery slope. How young is too young? 15? 13? 10? 7?

If the law isn’t well enforced it’s your own moral choice and I don’t care what you do with your life. But do consider the risk of exposing younger children you may not be aware of.

Y'all shouldn't be showing porn to minors, end of story. No one cares how you feel about the subject, it's the law. Sad to see people like this actually sell at cons. No wonder AX is changing their policy.

>>9670170
god now i know why there are all these tumblr posts about asking adults to stop engaging with minors via nsfw art. people like you are weird as hell.

I’d bet money that the same artists that think selling 18+ material to kids is okay are the same people that ship age-gap. I would not be surprised at all.

>>9670225
>>9670285
Stop dropping your bait randomly in the thread.

>>9662101
>Your 'on model' prints/pins will sell WAY better than "my style" ones.
as someone with a not-very on model style, is this true for everything?

>>9670439
It depends, honestly. My heavily kawaii~desu style chibi stuff for charms and buttons and small items sells better than on model. For prints I find people prefer closer to on model or very, very, very stylized. Tumblr-style doesn't sell as well in my experience unless the characters are plus sized or PoC in the illustration.

But all of those general ideas can vary depending on fandom, too.

>>9670212
there is no age too young. What do you mean slippery slope?
>>9670249
>>9670171
You can't explain why its bad, so who is the stupid one here?

>>9670501

Look pal, I'm not that anon, and I'm not generally a moral fag, but adults should not be giving kids porn. There's a big difference between an adult handing a minor porn, and a minor seeking out porn themselves. If the kid has their own agency to go and find stuff they shouldn't be looking at, they're defining their own sexual identity. But if an adult, which they have been trained in most cases to treat as an authority figure, hands them something sexual, that adult is interfering in the development of their identity. It robs them of agency. It's basically the same principle that creates serial killers. You can legit fuck a person up for life with this when they get older and realize they weren't ready to look at the things you gave them. But if they get older and realize they weren't ready to look at things they found on their own, at least they can lean on the fact that they CHOSE to do that.

So no, don't share your shit with kids, don't sell your shit to kids, tell kids at all times that they shouldn't be looking at it. They'll look anyway, but it's not your problem then.

>>9670683
>If the kid has their own agency to go and find stuff they shouldn't be looking at, they're defining their own sexual identity.

Then it should be fine if they come up to my booth and want to purchase it, according to you. I’m not sure why you’re arguing with us then?

>>9670168
>protect minors
I look at it the opposite way - these laws exist to protect adults. I do not want to deal with being called a pedo because I didn't give enough of a shit to look at someone's ID when they bought my 18+ sketchbook, and I don't want to deal with some snot-nosed child crying about it being their right to access my 18+ sketchbook. I get to just tell them it's illegal and move on with my day.

I honestly hate that there aren't more 18+ only cons. Dealing with teenagers that aren't family members or my students is above my pay grade.

>>9670501
Honestly I don’t think I can change your mind, bait or not, but for the sake of everyone reading.

How do we define too young for porn? If a 5 year old meanders up to a daki booth and asks for “boob comics” and hands you a rumpled twenty, would you sell it to them? Pre puberty sexual development in children is extremely limited, to the point where permitting them to engage in explicit lewd material (and I’m not talking pg13 shit, actual pron) MAY interfere with their psychosexual development.

Look at Freud and all the contemporary theory based on other studies.

So yes, there is an age too young for active consumption of pornography. The government struggles to define such an age, so they put a cap at 18. Of course minors can and will find porn, and arguably that’s even healthy in their teen years, barring expectations of sex that can’t actually happen irl.

But I support the law that limits sale to minors. I wouldn’t even mind lowering it, but nobody knows precisely the perfect age because every very one is different.

>>9670715
Perfect response. I can't believe people in this thread are arguing against this.

>>9670705
This is by far the most reasonable statement out of this entire shitshow. And the stigma that comes with a con being labeled 18+ is ludicrous when it's not an industry or trade show, it definitely should be more of a thing.

>>9670715
You have an extremely well written and thought out post but
> Look at Freud
Freud was contracted to find out why women were having break downs. It turned out those women had PTSD from sexual trauma. For a short period, he was a pioneer in talk therapy and found that letting women speak through their trauma would limit their symptoms and promote healthy healing.

Unfortunately, the women were not paying for the treatment. The men who had sexually abused them were. So instead he made up the diagnosis for "hysteria" and pretended that all the stories about sexual abuse he had been told were not real, and instead were made up fantasies about how they WANTED to have sex with the authority figures in their lives. This allowed him to stay in the good graces of the people paying him, successfully separated him from the beginnings of a highly unpopular women's rights movement, and set back research of PTSD for decades where other therapists couldn't figure out why soldiers coming back from war were experiencing the same "hysteria" symptoms as silly women.

Everything fraudulent Frued ever published was later overturned, but for some reason people still mention him as if he is relevant or not a completely morally debunk quack.

And sage for fucking off topic.

>>9670741
I am completely in favor of more 18+ spaces in general. It saddens me that parental control software isn't more of a thing these days because I feel like my daily life would be easier if I didn't have to wade through a bunch of idiot fifteen year olds on every social media site I'm expected to use as a part of my professional career.

>>9670683
>>9670715

This is almost exactly the argument of "violent video games and movies cause kids to be violent." "They see all that violence and it becomes part of their identity!"

>>9670868
Have fun grooming children and going to jail for being a sex offender, anon.

Honestly, is it just so hard for you to check ID and keep your NSFW stuff in a binder instead of display it? If you don't agree with the morals behind it, at the very least have some sense of self preservation like >>9670705 said.

>>9670338
How is this baiting? Why are you defending porn being sold to minors in the first place? I don't get it, are you a minor or something?

>>9670897
It has nothing to do with AA at this point and you're not even replying to anyone so fuck off with your blogging. I agree that anyone who knowingly sells porn to minors is a huge idiot, but this isn't the place to preach about it.

>>9670868
You are almost correct.

In my post I may have implied that exposure to sexual material makes children more sexual, but that is only true for children that started out with no sexual engagement whatsoever (ie prepubescent children). For children older than that, by and large teenagers, reading pornography in my opinion is simply an expression of their development rather than an influence that forces them to become sexual. It’s a classic chicken and egg scenario that has been debunked. Does porn make kids horny, or do sexual brain and hormonal development lend an interest to sexual matters? The answer is B, contrary to a more classically puritanical view.

Why does this matter? Because it comes back to the relation between this argument and “does vidya make violent”.

Video games by and large do not affect violent tendencies in both your average population and even in teen male populations. Individuals that are typically ALREADY disposed to violence will also engage in such video games, but it won’t make them significantly more violent.

The difference? Social science shows that video games do not significantly increase violence among those either predisposed to it or not. Pornography does in fact influence the sexual development in prepubescent children ahead of their normal human pattern, which can be detrimental in a number of ways such as increased prevalence of forming “unhealthy” i e abusive relationships in the future as well as struggling to create stable social bonds- and that includes family bonds.

I’ll get back to you on Freud, I singled him out for two specific reasons. He is a nut, but an important nut.

>>9670900
I think it has everything to do with AA. Advocacy for 18+ spaces, minors lurking for teh yaoiz, these are real things AA workers deal with. Sex sells.

I personally draw sexual content on commission, but I have never tabled in an exclusives 18 area simply because i dont make enough of it.

What happened to digital//art//wear and are there other places to get custom tights/thighighs printed? I ordered a pair of tights from arts///cow but desu they're really more like a thin poly legging w/ feet than tights.

>>9670900

There's people in this thread heavily implying they will happily sell porn to minors, and seem somewhat aggressively about why they think it's okay to do so, so I think it does have a bit to do with AA.

I sell 18+ so I was definitely irritated by the bans but I thought people selling 18+ were being responsible about it the same way I was. I'm on the con's side if there are really people like this.

>>9670957
Their site still seems to work for me. Looking at instagram, I guess they're changing their name to artwearlabs soon? Would explain why their sns accounts have mostly vanished.
I'm over here praying they start shipping internationally already.

>>9671012
really? I keep getting a 403 error from them and page not found when i try to view their IG

My tablemate once drew an entirely safe-for-work commission of a character from an 18+ yaoi for a minor. I think they were about 14 based on their friends comments.

How do y'all feel about something like that where it's clear that you're enabling? Participating? In a minor's engagement with pornographic material, but your own work is technically clean. It made me uneasy and I declined the commission, but I understand why my table mate was willing to do it.

>>9671054
>enabling
Enabling what, exactly? You're drawing something SFW. For all you know the minor saw a SFW adaptation of the 18+ content (like the anime of DMMD for instance) or is only familiar with it through friends, or they roleplay on their tumblr with the characters as faceclaims, or something. If they're not asking you for adult material you sound overly controlling turning them down honestly.

>>9671030
They changed their ig handle to artwearlabs, you can see their old posts are still tagged with digitalartwear.

>>9671054
I think it's completely up to the artist. You wouldn't be doing anything illegal, but I understand your discomfort with it. I think I'd somewhat reluctantly accept it.

>>9671096
>Enabling what, exactly?
porn viewing! This is a Christian board that preaches abstinence only. Children would literally explode if they saw porn.

ok, I'm done.

>>9670962
If anything pedo anon has single handedly shown these new rules to be more reasonable than i had initially thought. i was annoyed, but i guess if some artists legitimately refuse to ID and encourage kids, even small children, to buy porn this is the only way

>>9666691
I assume everyone is just waiting for a decent anime con again that's run by a reputable group (remember waku waku? That flopped...)

>>9671135
Big anime cons in NYC have a history of disappearing it seems (RIP NYAF and BAAF), I'm hoping AnimeNYC sticks around for a while.

Anyone into otome games (specifically for the vita and stuff)? Do you think there's a market for them? I'd love to draw my boys but I'm not sure they're worth making prints for.

>>9671244
Which games specifically? Hakuouki has a pretty decent following. Code:Realize has an anime this season so I can see fanart doing okay within the next year or so.

>>9671244
Amnesia has a long term fandom I could see worth marketing towards, too.

Really, the Otome Armada is dedicated and willing to spend money. I haven't made merch for otoge myself, but I can see it being worth a shot.

>>9671520
Amnesia also had a decently marketed anime- don't forget that. It's the exception, not the rule. I absolutely think anon should make otome game fanart just because there is essentially no one doing it, but make sure your game has a fandom of some sort attached to it.

>>9671245
>>9671520
>>9671681
Yeah, I was actually thinking of more recent ones like Collar x Malice and others from Aksys, but I'm aware that they're MUCH less established than Amnesia and Hakuouki, which I never had a chance to get into. So it's a niche thing, which I don't mind, but I'm not sure if I want to invest if it's, you know...-too- niche.

I think a friend may have gotten a Magfest confirmation. I have yet to get one. Did anyone here hear back from them yet?

>>9672445
I got waitlisted yesterday

>>9672445
Got confo yesterday

>>9672445
Haven't heard anything yet, damn.

Anyone sell Overwatch? any tips who/what sells best?

>>9672788
McHanzo. Mercy. D.va. Junkrat seems to be one I'm asked about a lot. Basically anyone typically "waifu'd" and common mains.

>>9672788
mercy sells overwhelmingly the best for me, as does symmetra, followed by hanzo, mccree, d.va, mei, reaper, ana, roadhog, junkrat. I also carry soldier, rein, lucio and widow but they don't do great. I have TONS of people ask me for pharah stuff but have yet to stock anything more than a badge for her (a lot of my ow stuff is a year old and im kinda lazy about adding to it)

>>9672788
oh and don't be afraid of drawing stuff for skins, my best selling ow prints are of skins, and it will stand out a bit more against the hundreds of prints/fanmerch of the characters in their default outfits.

>>9672788
I sell overwatch charms, most of the time when people see I have the alternate skins on the back they freak out and end up getting one.

Try to help your merch stand out like other anon said, maybe do a winter or halloween skin themed set or shipping related stuff. I've seen way too many generic dva, mercy, and tracer pinup prints, I think that may be oversaturated at this point.

>>9672788
>>9672956
Double on Mercy, she's the new hotness

>>9670478
thanks anon. my art style is more cartoony, similar to pic, and i'm not sure if that's something people would like.

i once drew an existing character in a vintage toony style and people reblogged my concept art of it more than the finished one. (though maybe the final was just not as good)

>>9673372
Nayrt but anon, I have a similar art style that’s more cartoony than outright anime. I still do very well at cons and move my merch regularly online. You just have to cultivate a following! People love vintage aesthetics.

Small rant:
So I was thinking about making some charms for this one series and have everything all sketched out already, but I just stumbled upon someone else's designs that are...well....almost exactly the same. I mean it makes sense since the characters are doing the hobbies that they're known for, but unlike other charms ours are practically in the same pose. I guess I have to change something up and be a little more original so I at least have a chance to stand out and not be so cliche, but I'm a little sad because I really liked the poses and was really excited to line stuff ):
Here's hoping my next design isn't already taken...

>>9673431

Be more fucking creative next time. Coming up with the same shit someone else did means you followed a very obvious line of thought. Think outside the box.

>>9665101
They posted in AANI today and I remember them being at SJ. Their etsy is Alekivz!

>>9673372
There's a market for anything anon, just gotta figure out how to find who is interested in your work

>>9673431
I'm not sure what series it is but is it something you can include outfits in? For example, for something like overwatch try switching up the skins. Or Love Live! put them in outfits they dont regularly wear (like what they perform in? )

does akb48 stuff ever sell at cons?

>>9673939
or any idol stuff that isn't lovelive/ idolmaster anyway

Hey guys i have a little question: so i had my first con this weekend and it went alright, but i didn't break even. I have the next con in a few months so my question is what am i supposed to do with the money i earned? Would it be a good idea to spend some of it on new merch? (I only have like 7 prints for example) or should i safe everything up? This con didn't allow any fanart but the next con will allow them so i'm not really sure what i'm supposed to do..

>>9674066
You've already sunk money into your next couple of cons right?

Its hard to gauge just how well you'd do at the next couple of cons if your first con didn't allow any fanart. Did you have a bunch of fanart that you couldn't sell? Definitely turn those into prints, especially if they're for popular series.

For your current 7 prints that are non fanart, figure out what sold the best, and maybe print a bit more of them for your next set of cons if you don't have a lot of stock left.

Also, what price points are you targeting? If all you're selling are prints and your art isn't top notch, investing in some buttons might be good. See if you can find a friend to borrow their button maker.

>>9673944
Might not be what you're looking for but K-pop idol stuff seems to sell! I've seen Black Pink and BTS do well. Not sure about the actual Jap side beyond arguably Kyary.

>>9674147
>You've already sunk money into your next couple of cons right?
Yeah, my current merch/stock should last for three or four cons
>Did you have a bunch of fanart that you couldn't sell?
I was thinking of doing 6 fanart pieces, but for south park and life is strange. I'm not that much into anime so i have no idea if these two would sell well..
>Also, what price points are you targeting?
The cheap ones. I had some buttons, but my prints moved better. Though I should mention that I sold my small prints way better than the only print in 11x17" that i have available. That didn't sell at all unfortunately. My postcards are around 2$ and my 8x6" prints are 3$. My 11x17" print is 8$. I also had some charms, stickers and two standees (which I should have put more effort into since the standees also didn't sell)

>>9674218
Those prices are probably gonna set people off real soon, but original art is a hard sell so I'd sooner point fingers at that.
South Park will probably be stupid easy to sell if you manage to hit everything people want. Life is Strange I'm not sure -- it's a little old so you might be better off doing other merch for it instead of prints.

>>9674229
Do you mean the the prints are too expensive? Those seem to be the standard prices around here (I'm from in europe), so I didn't really saw a problem with them..
>Life is Strange I'm not sure -- it's a little old so you might be better off doing other merch for it instead of prints.
Oh, i thought because of the prequel that there would be an interest in prints. Hm, then I'll see what else i can do.

>>9674264
they mean youre selling your prints for too little.Which can piss off other artists and also may be why you didnt do well
postcard size should be $3-5
8x6 $7-10
11x17 $15-20

>>9674319
For being so new and since it's apparently close to the standard for anon's region, I wouldn't pick on it too much. Having higher prices would have probably helped them break even, but diversifying their fandoms should be a higher priority.
>>9674264
Shit, I forgot about the prequel thing. I think one or two would work out fine.

>>9674319
>>9674343

The highest I've ever saw a 11x17" print around here was $14 from a very popular artist with ~100k followers. The majority sell them for $6 - $9. Postcards usually start at $1. It's pretty shitty compared to the USA. I actually had a few people passing by saying that "it's too expensive" and felt a little bad lol.

But I really appreciate your responses. Thank you. I will see if I can price them higher over some time.

>>9674381
I don't think it's at all weird to not break even on your first con if you're from Europe. And with only originals, at that. MCM I'm assuming, right?

Most artists in my country have started asking €10 for A3/11x17, and none of us seem to be selling any less than when we asked €6-8. Your A5/8x6 could also go to €4.
Are you selling the same design in multiple sizes?

Anyway, I'd definitely print some fanart for your next cons. That's what brings in the money for most of us.

There's an AANI for Europe as well btw, might be worth joining if you want to talk to more Europeans about this. It's called (drumroll please...) Artist Alley Network Europe.

>>9674453
it's a different con but it's almost spelled the same lol. we only had 0,5 m tables and weren't supposed to build anything over 50cm on our tables. the con sure was.. special.

>>9674622
** hit enter to early, sry

>Are you selling the same design in multiple sizes?
no i'm not. i read on here that you're not supposed to do that so i didn't lol. But I can definitely price my a5 prints for 4€. As for the a3 print, i think it currently lacks composition and the likes. so i really have to work on that before i can charge 10€

> It's called (drumroll please...) Artist Alley Network Europe
kek, i didn't knew that. will join.

but really, thank you for your response. i appreciate all of you guys help so far. will definitely work on fanart for the next con

>>9674622
>0,5 m tables
wtf

>>9673463
ANON I LOVE YOU

>>9665381
b r u h

Does anyone sell at furry cons? Any advice for someone preparing for their first furry con?

>>9675012
expect a slightly older attendance. Thats about it.

>>9675012
Commissions sell way better there because people want stuff of their OCs more than generic furry prints. That's what I've heard at least.

>>9675012
If you don't have the standard furry style or a style that happens to be highly attractive to furries it'll be hard going. That being said, the attendees are extremely lovely and I had a good time despite barely breaking even.

Any inspiration pics for OTP charms? Any thoughts on whether they're a decent thing to invest in or are charms of individual characters better?

>>9675167
I have found that you isolate a lot of buyers because everyone ships different OTPs. Mix and match individual charms sell a lot better for me.

>>9675237
not op but I find having pairing charms also makes you stand out more from the sea of individual charms

>>9674319
I'm really sick of this mob mentality in AA where everyone loses their minds if someone prices their stuff differently than others.
This isn't the soviet union, and if pricing their 11x17's under 15$ makes them more sales then you're just going to have to deal with it.
And considering the overall quality of gull's art, its a wonder you make sales at what you demand.

>>9675390
I agree with you, but
>quality of art
The ones that are actually good aren’t going to post themselves

>>9675427
It's true, most of the stuff is on social media and multiple galleries. Posting it here would just make us not anonymous. If you want a starter list of who I think are but some of the big print contenders in artist alley: Kawacy, Jimbobox, wlop, brownrabbitsart, sakimichan, barachan, yanimator, r-trigger, lucidsky.

Not only choice of subject, but the artists skill are what I believe give these artists an edge. There is also a strong possibility that those artists are doing income based solely on their art. Anyone of them should be easy to google and see what they got cooking.

>>9675427
The quality threshold of what's posted in cgl's AA discord is a lot higher than in the threads, that's for sure.

>>9675427
Yeah, there is a quite the stigma of people using 4chan. Now, there are times that it certainly lives up to it's reputation, but admitting that you use 4chan in any way makes people tend to think either think you're an edgelord, or a rude asshole that loves to fuel the flames of drama, even if they know that there is more to 4chan than /b/ and /pol/. People that are good enough to be recognized, or people that have a fear of it, will not post for that reason. They don't want the negative reputation, even if all they do is post pretty neutral/positive stuff. So basically there is a small sample size. It's usually people that are not as skilled that need help with something and for them, the end justifies the means.

>>9675482
Speaking of the discord, is someone still handling the invites for that? I sent my request about a month ago (ok maybe less) and haven't gotten a response ):

>>9675710
For me, it's less about the stigma and more about how anonymity makes me act. I post my art in the discord because I know no one's gonna demand that I drop my profit margins or say something like "I can't believe this shit sells!" (at least not to me directly anyway when their handles are attached to the comments).

The scant number of times I've shared my profit margins (because other anons asked people to share), there have always been entitled people demanding that I post my art and link to my social media. It happens every single time someone shares that they made over 5k. I wouldn't tell IRL randos my profit margins with my name attached, why would I do it on 4chan? I just don't want that level of public scrutiny.

>>9675427
You can check the discord's social media google doc. There's actually quite a few higher skilled artists that lurk these threads.

>>9675748
Hello! I seem to have turned off my email notifs on accident- I now have replied to all unread messages. if none of them were you then please resend your email! Thanks!

>>9675045
I already have a bit of a furry following so I don't think it'll be an issue. ty anon!

If a con compensated you with a guaranteed table that was free for the next year, would you give a panel about the AA?

>>9676463
yes

>>9676463
Oh, definitely. That's what, four hours of labor? Three hours prepping a slideshow and some talking points (which you won't have to research much because you already know your subject) and an hour delivering the panel. Even in exchange for a cheap table that's not a bade hourly rate. And not having to deal with FCFS or Jury, with a guarantee? That's priceless.

>>9676463
Fuck yeah. If you're not going to take the con up on that deal, I will. That sounds amazing. You get a free table and you get to educate a potential new wave of AA artists.

WonderCon acceptances just went out! Check your email!

What's hot to sell in the AA right now? I know pins were hot shit for a few months (not sure about now)

>>9678916
Why do people keep asking this in like every thread?

>>9678946
Why do you reply to this shit. Just ignore

>>9678916
original sonic character art is all the rage right now.

I'm looking to find an artist to commission a custom pin.
A kind art anon redirected me here from the lolita general thread. The story is that one of my really good friends has a birthday on the 12th, and recently she lost her cat that meant a lot to her. So I thought it would be nice to get a pin made in the cat's likeness with a small banner that has its name on it.

My friend is a gothic lolita who wears a lot of AP. I was looking for something like pic related (sorry about the tattoo, I just didn't know any other keywords for what I was looking for). I really like the heart backdrop, perhaps with a lacy, gothic frill trim? Maybe a small black rose or two. The cat wouldn't have to look as realistically drawn, I think she might prefer something with a more cartoony AP style. I can provide some pics of the cat for reference.

Because of the short time frame, I'm willing to budget $30+ and maybe a bit extra for shipping. I'm very flexible and money isn't an issue unless it gets unreasonable for a pin.

Throwaway email is in the field. Thanks for reading.

>>9679264
Dropped my email, sorry.

>>9679264
Anon what kind of a pin are you talking about? Like... pinback buttons? Acrylic pins? Enamel pins? Size?

>>9679267
Oh sorry, I mentioned it in my other post and forgot to mention it here. I was wanting an acrylic pin like pic related, but other anons told me given the time span it would be tight to make that happen. A shame, because I always liked the look of the acrylic pins and dome resin.
I'm not a crafter so I'm not sure what type is plausible given the short notice.

Size? Hm, maybe 4x4cm? The dimension can change if needed. I want it to be a little bigger than a typical small pin but not massive.

>>9679274
Most of the anons here would be sending the artwork to a company to get it printed on acrylic (most likely Vograce) so if you have a tight deadline, it just won't be possible!

>>9679274
Does anyone know what these types of pins are called? Anyone know a good seller can I find a good seller on alibaba?

>>9679323
Is there a way to take the art print and fix it onto a backing of some kind? Or is this a shrinky dink situation?

>>9679360
Acrylic pins, Vograce. Lurk more.

>>9679378
Probably not in a durable way unless you find an artist who also does resin work on top of 2D stuff. It'll probably bump up the price though considering the extra costs. Most artists charge at least $20 for a full color commission even if it's something simple like chibis or animals and that's not counting the cost of the physical production (printed on acrylic or set in resin). I've seen artists take one-off custom acrylic keychain commissions for around $40 so your projected budget was sort of underpriced to begin with.

>>9679378
NAYRT but shrinky dink might actually be your best bet...if you can someone to complete your commission before then, you can pick up some inkjet shrinky dink paper and flat-back pins from the craft store (Michaels, if you live in the US) and do that. You'd just end up with a lot of extra pieces. Also, make sure the artist draws the pin large enough (>3x final size)

>>9679386
Seconding this as the way to go if you're on a time constraint, anon. But it probably won't be as durable as an acrylic pin and make sure you seal it with something - otherwise the ink will run if you get it wet.

If you're not too set on the heart shape, I'd recommend getting a frame brooch like this off of Etsy and putting the cat commission in it. Sort of like mossbadger's frame pins but with your friend's cat! It'd be an easier alternative to messing around with shrinky dink.

>>9679378
I know TheSardine on etsy does handmade pins with backings like that but I think their commissions are closed atm.

>>9679390
>>9679386
Personally I’d just tell her something special is coming and order it for the longer wait

>>9679386
>>9679390
I'd actually suggest opaque printer shrinky dink with doming resin on top - modge podge makes some air dry stuff. My friend is making a few charms like that for Christmas presents and they're turning out really well. It does take a little practice to get the resin without any bubbles, though, and I think she still had to seal the ink before she could dome them.

An international buyer gave me the wrong address and not it’s being returned to me. The buyer hasn’t contacted me yet, but what should I say when she does? This is the first time this has happened so I’m not sure what to do.

>>9679785
Ask them to pay to ship again or offer a return for just the item cost maybe? Paying $13 for their fuckup kind of sucks imo. How big was the order?

>>9679785
Contact the buyer and tell them that it appears they gave you the wrong address and you can either reship it if they pay for shipping again, or you can refund them.

It happens a lot. Twice I've tried to contact the buyer but they never contacted me back so I ended up having both their order and money.

My ass is numb from Anime Boston's apps.

>>9680949
I wonder when will they open apps.This is a terrible system lol.

>>9680967
Postponed til 6pm. Thanks for wasting 3 hours of my life.

>>9681033
Wow, this is so bad. Couldn't they have noticed that they couldn't handle to large traffic 3 hours earlier so people didn't have to waste their time for nothing.

Why is skimlines so vitriolic? If I were in AB's shoes I would simply ban her from pro row for being unable to handle rejection without immediately attributing it to racism.

>>9681059

Hey this is the same con that put Paige in the pro row this year so nothing really matters in terms of fucking terrible online presence

>>9681059
thanks, I was looking for her twitter but forgot about it. I'm reporting her to conventions she is attending for racism.

>>9681059
>>9681069
>>9681169

>paige
>skimlines

>"pro"

AB is up. It's literally just your email address and your name and dob.

>>9681193
that's all it is every year

>>9681197
It's my first year applying to AB. I thought it'd be a little more in-depth. I got my app done 5 minutes after it's opened. here's hoping.

i got my anime boston table req submitted, but i'm curious about that last check box?
it asked if i'm already registered for anime boston 2018, to which i replied "no"
were we... supposed to pre register?

Fuck AB.

This sign up shit is still the worst system ever. Fucking change it already for fucks sake.

>>9681206
No, it's for people who already bought a badge for the con because they would have attended regardless of being in the artist alley.

Does anyone know how long it takes for AB to get back to on if you got in or not? How many artists were there last year?

>>9681059
can someone find screenshots from where she said white men should be banned from conventions? I can't find it.

>>9681250
Last year I think it was 2-3 weeks after applications went up.

>>9681250
This is from an attendee and this is just an estimate, but I think there was about 30 artists this year.

>>9681250
The amount of artists in the hall use to be around 150, but it jumped up to 170 last year

>>9681307
wow shit my estimate was so off. Was it really that many...? I know the marketplace is huge but I can't remember the artists hall being that big

>>9681250
Here's last year's map, you can see how many tables there are.

http://www.animeboston.com/artists/artists_alley_listing/2017

When does Vograce go on holidays? Christmas and Chinese New Year is all that comes to mind for me but does anyone have a rough estimate of the dates when they're unavailable?

>>9681393
Mid-Autumn Festival in early October as well.

>>9681059

What the fuck? Literally anyone can just go make a comic. Studying in Japan does not automatically make you better than other artists. This bitch's ego is monstrous.

>>9675454
I don't think Wlop or Kawacy are actual print artists, they are being represented by another company. Don't they only get paid a very small percentage of sales?

Are Fanime apps open? I see a lot of people sperging in social media about apps ending this Monday but that was LAST YEARS application? Fanime hasn't posted anything yet to my knowledge

>>9681770
Wondering this too, get your shit together fanime...

>>9681842
i read this as famine for a minute there.

>>9681770
If you plug in the url for last year's app but plug 2018 instead of 2017, the page doesn't exist, so I don't think apps are even up yet.

>>9681858
don't we all

>>9681255

She's literally married/in a LTR with a white man. What a loon.

Trying to set up an online shop for prints and other merch and I'm so confused. Both Storenvy and Tictail seem to suck balls (but maybe Tictail moreso nowadays). Yet those are still the only two I ever see artists use. Is there any decent option anymore?

>>9682697
What's wrong with Storenvy or Tictail?
You could always use Shopify, its what I use.

>>9682729
Not that anon but,

Tictail is now not only charging monthly, but has dropped in quality and custom features even if you ARE paying them. I straight up deactivated my whole shop as a result of that shit.

Some people don't like Storenvy because it charges the customer for each purchase- I kind of prefer it that way? then the customer knows where their money is going. Though, I'm not sure all customers are aware that Etsy charges people to list items at all...

I've got an Etsy, but I'd love to hear what you like about Shopify.

>>9682697
I use bigcartel. It's not as popular in AA circles, but I see it a lot in apparel circles, and so far it's been my absolute favorite out of all of them. But it's also because I like paying a monthly plan, which always ends up being a lot less than the amount i'd lose out on commission fees from etsy or that my customers would have to pay on storenvy.

>>9682876
Do you pay the 9.99 for 25 products listing or do you pay even more for more listing?

It seems like I could get by with just 25 products because that's a lot already and I don't want my store to be crammed anyway. Also paying the 10 dollars would help motivate me to get my ass to constantly be moving product.

>>9682729
>>9682768
Would also like to hear about Shopify. How robust is their free option and what kind of (tax, etc.) fees do they have?

My main worry about using something other than tictail or storenvy (or etsy) is that a rando will say "I don't recognize this store name/it's not what I'm used to, so I won't go to it", cutting into potential profit.

>>9682924
I use etsy and it brings in really good traffic for me that I otherwise would not get. I have little to no online presence but I make enough to support myself every month without having to do cons as long as I'm frugal enough, I just do cons for "fun money" and to build up my savings. My goal now is to make more shit that appeals to normies and increased my sales by $500 or so monthly so I could do less cons and have more time to focus on personal projects.

Before this I was using storenvy and maybe making a sale a month if I was lucky, mostly off the marketplace. Honestly if you can't drive your own traffic to your online shops but you can hit a niche that normies like (I sell a loooot of enamel pins, tshirts and lanyards) you could do really well on etsy.

>>9682968
I don't think etsy is the best option for me because I haven't branched out to real merchandise yet, I'm only just starting out with a few prints (and buttons) to appeal to weebs. I think I can drive my own traffic somewhat because I've already got a patreon set up and it's done reasonably well in the time I've had it so far. Weebs would be my first market to start since it's the easiest and then normies after that.

>>9682983
There are plenty of people on etsy who only sell prints. Also, Etsy is the first place weebs go to find weeb merch.

>>9682924
shopify doesn't have a free option. It's $30/month but its robust as fuck.

>>9682983
I sell prints on etsy too although they don't move as fast as my other stuff I still sell 5-6 a month

>>9682968
How do people who make a regular income off Etsy do it? Do you do mostly fanart, or originals? I agree with you on the traffic being good, but out of the 12 listings that I made, two got deactivated already. I know your store gets deleted after four strikes, so I've been too scared to upload any other fanart. Did I just have bad luck or bad choices in fandoms? Do you actively keep track of what you can and can't sell?

>>9683248
NAYRT but I mainly do generic pretty/cute stuff on my Etsy. I'm not trying to get on any anime/videogame/cartoon companies' bad sides here, and honestly the original stuff sells better anyway. It appeals to more people, not just weebs who are broke most of the time anyway.

I will never understand how twitter works and gets you viewers.

Do I just post into the ether?

Sacrifice a lamb?

>>9683298
Do you have a blog or something? Advertise it there first. The easiest way to get followers on twitter is to directly post fanart to a popular tag (and post it regularly). Just make sure it's the correct tag that people use. If you have an anime or otherwise cute style, getting in on twitter's Japanese and Korean artist circles is a potential huge boon.

I've made friends with a few Japanese artists with decent followings by enjoying the same series as them and drawing fanart for it. Then they retweet my stuff and I get a ton of new followers from all the retweets. I don't even speak/read/write Japanese all that well, I mostly use google translate with a little extra knowledge. They appreciate you a lot when you try to talk to them in Japanese, most are incredibly friendly and love the novelty of talking to someone from overseas.

>>9683287
Huh, really? I figured the traffic that Etsy gets you mostly affects fanart sales. It's good to know that also goes for the generic cutesy stuff.

>>9683298
best to use it with friends first so you get the hang of it, something like 75% of tweets are replies, not new tweets to your TL if you're using it right.

>>9683248
I don't tag my listings for the properties that have frequent IP sweeps. I don't know if I've been just lucky because I've only been hit once with a takedown.

I have more fanart than I do originals but my originals sell just as well. You're hitting both the normie crowd and the weeb crowd. It's especially nice during the holidays because you get normie family members trying to find gifts for their nerdy children and I usually make a nice chunk of change off of that.

I can generally bring in about $800~$1k per week on Etsy on regular months. More than double that during the holiday rush.

>>9683781
Per week? Holy shit. Give us your secrets, anon.

Anyone else gonna be vending at magfest next year? Curious how a 24/7 marketplace works out.

>>9683781
Damn anon you make me wanna switch up my whole routine. It's tiring trying to hang on to flavor of the month anime to make sells. Im wondering how good you draw to be making that much per week. Unless normies don't care if something looks like shit

>>9683870
I'll be at Magfest this year and did it last year. A lot of people seemed to shut down their booths around midnight since sales were so steady till around then, but remember to take care of your own needs too and don't physically push yourself too much. At a certain point there weren't many customers around late at night because a lot of them were off at parties or concerts. I put a cover over my table at night and nobody ever bothered it. I'd usually show up to open at around 9 am each day, but my table helper and I would also give each other breaks to not strain ourselves too much.

>>9683794
Yes, per week. When I first started my store, I dropped my store link in several online fan groups with special discount codes tailored toward their fandoms. I was able to build a solid customer base with frequent returning customers. Having friends on social media willing to retweet/reblog your store posts also helps quite a bit. I'm really lucky to have friends who boosted my art when I first started Twitter. I ended up getting a ton of followers and customers from the RTs. Thanks to their support, I've been able to quit my job and do this full time instead. I will say this though - I only really move prints during the holiday rush when people want to frame something as a gift. Tangible 3D merch is where the bulk of my online sales come from since they're impulse buys. If you do want to focus your store on a type of merch I'd recommend things like keychains/pins/lanyards/etc instead of posters.

>>9683870
Unfortunately, I won't be sharing my art here as it would essentially be outing myself. And I'm not comfortable with actual profit margins being publicly tied to my art. Sorry, anon. My art's not super amazing (I'd probably consider myself in the higher end of average) but I do think I tend to market myself well which a lot of artists don't really pay a lot of attention to! I'm active in my main fandoms and I regularly engage other fans. I try to respond to as many "fan comments" I get on Twitter and IG. Active engagement of your followers is important. Make them WANT to support you.

>>9683877
Thank you for the advice, anon. Look forward to seeing you.

>>9683886
Very understandable. Wouldn't be comfortable w/ sharing my profit margins either. Thanks for the tips though. Looking to rework my shop in jan, so i'll keep what you said in mind

>>9682924
Shopify is a professional grade e-commerce platform. It pretty much does everything. The base version is a bit limited in some aspects (cant' do bundling, weird ways of doing discounts) but you can purchase addons to address all of those issues (although that quickly adds up).

Base rate is $30 per month but supposedly there's a hidden $10 per month plan if you try to leave after subscribing for a while, but I'm not sure if they still do that as its mostly just older posts that mention it.

>>9683781
Thanks for the insights, anon. Good on you for selling so well. I think I'll stick to originals only on Etsy. Considering you can't open a new Etsy after your old one gets deleted, I'm not gonna risk being kicked off the platform permanently. I'll probably open a Storenvy on the side for fanart stuff.
The one takedown you had, was it on an untagged listing?

I know that no one wants to post their art next to how much money they make, and with good reasons, but sometimes I wish people did. It would be nice to know more about whether the people pulling consistent and large numbers are really high above me skill level wise, or better diversified in their merch/fandom offerings (or invested in a profitable niche).

>>9684819
It completely depends on what kind of merch you sell. Print artists can make 10k but your skill level would need to be near the top end or you have a gimmick that's unique and widely appealing.

A lot of the artist I've talked to making 10k make a majority of their sales through physical merch like charms pillows pencil cases pouches. When it comes to these kind of merch design and color are way more important than the level of art. Chibi art also works way better for these kind of merch. Many people have ran out of walls space but still have plenty of room to grab physical merch.

So basically if you're only a print artist it's gonna be tough. But if you're a merch artist you don't need to be as great to get a lot of sales.

>>9684943
Thank you, that's actually really helpful.

>>9684819
Anon, if you want other people to share, you should really go first. Would you be open to publicly sharing how much you make with examples of your art? If you are really that curious you can post your art and those of us who pull in consistently high numbers can let you know how your art/stock compares.

>>9684819

It's a ridiculous ask though because the moment someone revealed their work they would have fifty knock offs in five minutes flat from assholes trying to get in on their money. Most people wouldn't bother analyzing why something sells and try to capture that in their own work, they'd just straight up copy it.

>>9685044
Remember that one time an anon brought up the idea of printing on top of acrylic frame case keychains and like multiple anons replied and said they were stealing the idea? Good times.

>>9685049

Yup. I like these threads, they are my guilty yummy salt block treat and often really useful, but it's still 4chan and so there's still some real shitheads lurking around.

>>9684943
This is helpful thank you. As someone who's focuses on prints to make a sell maybe its time to look into smaller merch.

>>9684819
I would, but I sell crafts, not art. You can look through Etsy and get a general idea though. How many items a shop sells is public.
>>9685044
wut. How do you sell your stuff if you don't show it to anyone?

>>9685122
NAYRT but you're missing the point. The problem isn't showing your artwork to other people - it's showing your artwork to other people with your profit numbers attached. There have been cases where people will notice that something is popular/selling well for another artist and wholesale rip off that idea. I've ended friendships over stuff like this (She wanted me to send her templates for my prints so she could just rip-off the text/graphic design part and just add in her own drawing and got mad when I refused).

You can always see people constantly asking "what's popular right now?" "what sells?" in these threads without doing any research of their own. It's in a similar line of thinking. Those people just want to figure out what works for other people so they can do the same thing. Artists don't share what works well for them/their popular products because there's an established history of assholes asking to be spoonfed and waiting to steal ideas.

>>9685080
Think of prints as overhead advertising for your booth. They're there to draw people to your table since they're placed up top and people can see it from far away. There's definitely been a customer preference shift to non-paper goods this year.

I know this isn't our blog, but I need to rant SOMEWHERE without having a name attached to my bitchiness.

I'm so tired of show runners constantly begging for vendors. In the state I'm in, it's usually $75 for 4-5 one day shows... Non weeb shit, but craft shows, town festivals, hippie events, etc. Or, it's $300-$400 for a 3 day event... Like dog shows or big farmers markets.

I'm so tired of getting multiple emails from the same people who run different shows... And then the few times I give in and try one out of curiosity (like a mall "Disney Day"), the show runner gets excessive about asking me if I know anyone else who would vend.

Like bitch, maybe you shouldn't be changing $75 for a four hour event. I get the venues are pricey to rent, but stop draining us artists and crafters for the money to help provide content for YOUR event, and take it out of the attendee tickets.

So many of these have been free to attend, or $30 at most. Then, no more than 200 people show up, that's even nicely pushing it. Maybe more people would be willing to both vend and attend if you offered lower vending prices to attract more, and thus create more interest in giving a reason for people to come.

I see it all the time on local Facebook groups I'm part of too--the constant begging and spam of the same event.

>>9685144
I've come to think of prints that way too! desu I've never really focused a lot on prints because I'm not that great at composition, but I've recently decided to pour a lot more effort into them because they really make a difference in terms of how your booth looks overall. I do feel like I should stop doing so many seasonal anime prints though, because I'm reaaaaal tired of having to basically reproduce another 70% of my print inventory every con because I previously went for some niche anime that died out too quick.

>>9683886
I'm just curious, are most of your followers/customers non-artists? A lot of my friend circles are artists, so I've always felt that we're way more careful about who we RT/promote because our endorsement of someone else is also reflective of our personal taste. I don't know if non-artists have that sort of hangup, cuz most of the time it seems like they don't.

>>9685292
Most of my customers are non-artists/con-goers who found me either at a con or through the internet/fandom circles. But when I first started Twitter, the people who really promo'd me were my artist friends. Since they had a large network of fans, their RTs helped bring my work to a new audience. Most of the people I interact with the most on Twitter are fellow artists. My artist friends all RT each others' work. I want to see my friends succeed so I'm happy to share their store/merch posts.

There are people who even organize "comment pods" for social media interaction too. 5-6 artists will get together and RT/bump/comment on each other's newest posts to increase visibility. It's a thing that a lot of indie pin and patch makers do.

Sorry if this is a question that's asked a ton, but are original zines worth creating to sell? I've been wanting to a small zine to sell a cons, but I feel these type of things don't sell well if it's not fanart.

I'm not a print buyer, but I usually pick up zines since I feel i'm getting a lot for $10-$15 bucks.

>>9685144
Damn. Never though of prints as advertisement to bring ppl in to buy the smaller stuff. Need to step up my merch game. Currently looking into non-paper goods. Thanks again anon

>>9685310
Thanks so much for answering! That makes a lot of sense, and that's super cool that you've got a supportive network. I definitely run with circles of a different mentality, and need to find and support people who are more willing to help each other succeed. That's my goal for 2018.

I hope I meet you at a con someday, even if neither of us are aware of it! Really do appreciate all of your openness and sharing.

>>9685332
Zines are a labor of love, anon. Don't expect a ton of money from them. But they're really useful if you're trying to get into western/comic cons since you can list them as a "book". A lot of western cons prefer original art and artists with published (even if it's self published) work.

>>9685363
You're welcome! I hope you can find friends who will be just as supportive of your successes. I do quite a few cons all around the U.S. some I'm sure we're bound to run into each other at some point!

>>9685332
I tend to make a lot of income off original zines, but they are a huge labor of love that you'll be sinking a ton of time into. Like the other anon said, they help to have when you apply to comic cons and zine fests. I'm always happy to buy more original zines, comics, and artist sketchbooks when I see people selling them at cons. It's really cool to me to see and support passion projects other artists are working on. If you want to make a zine on a subject that you care about and would have fun with then go for it!

New thread: >>9686066