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2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL


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>> No.10319099
File: 3.40 MB, 1280x1280, file.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10319099

Now that these candy bag charms are making rounds, how do you guys feel about them? I think they are super cute but very limiting in how creative you can get with them.

>> No.10319102

>>10319099
They're super cute but I still haven't seen a good one.

>> No.10319132

>>10319099
I'm not a big fan of how some of the double-sided candy charms have one character facing the side with the seam. The seam ends up covering half of the art. I guess it's more realistic but when there's a different character on each side one gets shafted and it doesn't look appealing imo

>> No.10319193

>>10319099
I think they’re cute, but like you said, limiting.

>> No.10319194

Thoughts on OC trading cards?

>> No.10319205

>>10319194
Its basically ATC that was a thing like a decade ago... so just seems like a revival of something thats already been done.

Otherwise I think its fun and cute. Its a great way to make friends and network among other artists.

>> No.10319348

>>10319099
I think they're cool, but I've yet to see someone be super uniquie with them. I wish the manus would share how to seal them, and buy unfinished ones so I could alter the innards a little more.

>> No.10319350

>>10319194
I like them. I've traded a few with customers actually. If I get commissioned to draw your OC and your OC rules, totally asking for a trade at pick up. I've even started bringing blank cards and pens.

>> No.10319353

>>10319350
>>10319194
Can I ask what qualifies as an OC trading card? Is it just a small print in the same size as most TC's?

>> No.10319526
File: 168 KB, 799x690, strathmore-atc-assorted-pack.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10319526

>>10319353
Like this but with your OC. No one is gonna get pissed at you if you don't have the proper size or whatever though.

>> No.10319567

>>10319526
Oh that's actually super cool, I'd totally be into that.

>> No.10319983

>>10319099
I think they're much cuter than any shaker charm I've seen, but as everyone else are saying, more limited.
Though how do you even go around to search for these on Alibaba? Various combinations of acrylic/charm/candy/bag/pvc gives me nothing.

>> No.10320394

off topic but can we please switch the thread pic back to the normal Artist Alley picture for the next one...i have the hardest time finding this thread when on mobile

>> No.10320396

>>10320394
Please... do the cgl table one... that's my favourite one.

>> No.10320658

Not exactly on topic but can anyone recommend an online store that sells cute holographic stickers? Or unusual material stickers. Not looking for fanart ones but original art preferably.

>> No.10320659

>>10320394
Yeah someone keeps coming to these threads and complaining about the OP pic but it's so much easier to find when it's consistent and simple.

>> No.10320716

>>10320394
Yeah definitely.

>>10320658
You're just looking for sticker recs? and not a manufacturer?

>> No.10320771

A friend said someone on Twitter by the name Juno, is the manu for the candy charms as well as the shaker charms and manju. Tho she also did say that since her first order, the quality has dropped and she’s has many shaker charms crack open

>> No.10320785

>>10320771
Even Vograce are offering shaker charms now, so it's just a question of time until they get the candy charms too. Hopefully the quality will be more consistent when there are many manufacturers that can handle the demand.

>> No.10320801

>>10320785
Wish they'd just tell us what they printed on and how, I'd be interested in actually MAKING them myself so I can truly customise the inclusions

>> No.10320809

>>10320801
Well the material just looks like soft transparent PVC.

>> No.10320822
File: 189 KB, 736x505, AA-thread-general.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10320822

>>10320394
>>10320396
this one?

>> No.10320823

>>10320809
That's what I thought, but printing on it seems like it'd be an involved process since it requires layering of white before colour.

>> No.10320910

>>10320822
Yes.

>> No.10320976
File: 329 KB, 1080x869, 123456789.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10320976

>>10320785
Don't mean to respond to you specifically, but generally speaking are there any examples or reviews on the vograce shakers? I'm getting some done anyways, but I figured I might as well ask about the quality.
>>10320801
Candy charm packets we're pretty popular for a time in the resin/clay community if you want to look at handmade inspo without printing.

>> No.10320984

>>10320976
>>10319099
These things are cute, but how durable are they really? I’m afraid they’ll scratch or pop or something.

>> No.10320986

>>10320984
They're printed on the plastic so they will definitely scratch, but I don't know anything about how durable they are.

>> No.10321152

>>10320984
The tetrahydral one looks sewn rather than heat-sealed, air can get through the seam so it shouldn't pop under pressure, you'd need to really squash them to cause significant damage. Scratching will depend on the quality of the plastic though.

>> No.10321255

Any tips for printing OC trading cards? I can't decide on home printing vs paying a manu.

>> No.10321306

>>10320801
Found this tutorial online and they seem simple enough to make at home. not to sure about how to print onto the plastic itself but it looks pretty inexpensive to put together. I want to make tea bag charms out of this stuff now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ch91mIxk1jc

>> No.10321380

>>10320716
Yes, store recs actually.
I'm looking to decorate my watercolor palettes but I'm having a hard time finding a store that sells stickers which aren't skulls with flowers etc.

>> No.10321386

>>10321380
pepperonccini (on storenvy) has cute holo and prismatic original stickers

>> No.10321439

>>10321255
I just get mine printed with Moo on the cotton paper. It's networking and making an impression at the end of the day, and I'm not about to be the bitch with shitty OC cards.

>> No.10321478

>>10321255
>>10321439
I thought the point of them was to draw them traditionally. Any examples of printed ones? It didn't appeal to me because I prefer to draw digitally but if it's an option to just print them...

>> No.10321513

>>10321478
The entire "official" hashtag has a digital template and people are all making them digitally from what I see.
https://www.twitter.com/search?q=%23octradingcards&src=typed_query

>> No.10321594

>>10321478
I draw mine traditionally but I just sell at cons for shits and giggles. I can't imagine it being realistic to prepare merch for cons throughout the year AND individually draw a bunch of OC cards that you MIGHT trade.

>> No.10321602

YOU CANNOT OWN INFORMATION

>> No.10321626

>>10321513

Oh nvm this is a recent trend, I didn't realize. I've seen the artist trading cards like >>10319526 around for years and years and was thinking it was that.

>> No.10321630

>>10321478
Considering I suck with inks, I'd definitely prefer digital... but I can't deny I like the idea of traditional cards

>> No.10321636

>>10321602
....wut

>> No.10321638

>>10321636
something something copyright infringment

>> No.10321774

>>10321638
probably more something something manu sources

>> No.10321799
File: 300 KB, 1080x1072, warmandtoasty.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10321799

How do you feel about clay works?
I have fun making them and would like to explore that type of merch for more varity, but I'm concerned they might look "cheap". Obviously first step is cute designs and clean execution, but I'm talking about material-wise as it has a homemade look to it that may seem more childish than professional.
Personally I use padico resin clay, but does anyone have any preferences or does it all look the same?

>> No.10321806

>>10321799
They're cool, as long as they're not the generic pink donut earrings you see at every con, artisan market, etc. If the design is cute and unique I don't feel like there's anything childish about the medium.

>> No.10321818

>>10321799

i used to sell sweets deco clay items but now sell resin and sweets deco (mainly since sweets deco is falling out of fashion) and let me tell you it is a fuckton of work if you're not autistic about it. honestly, if you have to ask about clay specifics, you already aren't experienced enough it certainly doesn't all look the same lmao (also padico resin clay, i'm assuming modena, is way too expensive and heavy for the most part) the stuff only looks cheap if you suck at making it. i remember 2 years ago i was at a huge local con and a lady was selling similar items but they looked terrible and were made of cheap polymer clay, likely because she assumed she had no competition (she seemed like the type who assumed no one else in the world thought to make that stuff) she kept coming to my table inspecting my stuff and asking me how i made it and she seemed visibly annoyed most of the time, turns out my table was doing way better than hers. all in all though, craft tables, especially handcrafted items, take way more time and effort than standard tables, especially when artists can draw one drawing and then print it out to sell dozens of times. of course art is a skill, but the ability to print the art is invaluable, whether it's into stickers or prints or pins. for crafting you have to make every item by hand and then make it into something someone wants to buy (people don't just want the item, they want accessories, charms, keychains etc.) on top of all that there's huge overhead, for the clay, molds, paints, tools, and for findings, chain, whatever else.(so much went into the item in your pic alone which isn't that great looking) you'll have to learn jewelry making as well. plus, once you sell out, you're done for the weekend and if you sell everything too quickly that's it. i love making stuff and have been for 5 years or so. it's a lot of work and extra work. for me it was and is still a ton of fun, but it's not just easy money regardless of talent.

>> No.10321821

>>10321774
oh is some newbie barging in and demanding resources and calling artists selfish again lmao

>> No.10321847 [DELETED] 

>>10321818
Thanks for the in-depth, it's much appreciated! I make little clay sweets and resin trinkets/jewelry as a side hobby for myself. It's not something I'm taking lightly for easy money I know when it was first introduced everyone jumped on it with shitty cured glitter pieces and now it's all over instagram, but seeing if I could invest more into developing my skills for it.
I personally am not a big fan of prints as I never buy any myself, so I was just looking at different avenues so I'm not selling just keychains and stickers.

>> No.10321848

>>10321818
Thanks for the in-depth, it's much appreciated! I make little clay sweets and resin trinkets/jewelry as a side hobby for myself. It's not something I'm taking lightly for easy money (I know when it was first introduced everyone jumped on it with shitty cured glitter pieces and now it's all over instagram), but seeing if I could invest more into developing my skills for it.
I personally am not a big fan of prints as I never buy any myself, so I was just looking at different avenues so I'm not selling just keychains and stickers.

>> No.10321882

>>10321848
you're welcome! i hope you're not discouraged, i just wanted to let you know how much work actually goes into it. i see so many girls who just think they can just make $50 with some glitter and silicone caulking pushed through a piping bag and get mad at criticism. if you want to develop your skills go for it! i used to follow a great sweets deco youtuber but she took all her videos down. i think i know a few others too.

>> No.10322095

(yes, I will be contacting a tax professional, but I'm hoping to get a quicker answer, at least so i can structure my questions better or something like that)
I haven't sold at artist alley in several years, but recently did one and now with the different system I'm confused about filing taxes in California. Do we need the cdfta to send us a letter before we can pay taxes? It won't let me create an account without having some sort of letter.

>> No.10322098

>>10321799
I absolutely friggen adore clay works, as long as they're unique and well made.
Not to be cruel but it's obvious when someone has little experience and low quality materials, and it's tiring to see the same seven designs over and over again.

>> No.10322161

>>10322095
I already had an account and permit and still didn't get a letter; I just logged in and filed on my own so I wouldn't forget it later, but they definitely used to send a letter to remind you and give you a quick access code, so the new guys are really dropping the ball. You need to request a security code via snail mail to open an account with them even if you already have permits and had an account before, that's what the letter is for, so you should do that asap so that it will hopefully get to you before the end of the month. Once it's actually set up the filing process goes pretty smoothly.

>> No.10322223

>>10321386
Thank you! Those stickers are very cute.

>> No.10322491

>>10321882
It'd be wonderful If you could link other great artists as good examples.

>> No.10322704

>>10322161
Okay thanks! I had an account back in the day and either forgot it or it doesn't work anymore, so when I was prevented from creating one again without an actual snail mail letter I thought, "this can't be it..." but apparently it is. I'm not sure why they complicated the process like that but I did send my request in a few days ago so now I guess I just have to wait. Thanks for confirming.

>> No.10322802

Does anyone know if there are any restrictions on making merch of korean webnovels? I’ve seen people post their doujins and charms on korean twitter, but I’m not sure if it’s okay to go about it in the American AA way.

>> No.10322839

>>10322802
I can see why people would be hesitant to do so, considering it's not big publishers/IPs. Would be very interested in a general concensus.

>> No.10322861

>>10322802
Did you mean webtoons or novels specifically? Also either way, I'd say absolutely not unless the creator has 100% explicitly given the okay publicly. I follow a ton of Korean webtoon artists and ALL of them are very strict about their IP rights. They actively warn their followers against pirating their work and will take legal action against people making fan merch for sale. "Secondhand creation" (2차 창작) or fanworks are considered alright if it's not for sale. Anything for profit is seen as a violation of "Firsthand creation" (1차 창작) or the original IP.

Remember, they're just independent creators like you and me. If the creator has contracts with a distribution company (like Webtoon or Lezhin for example), you might actually be looking at legal trouble if they find out. The doujins/charms you see on Korean Twitter might be for trade among the fandom only or gifts for the creator. I don't know how much Korean you speak but unless you've actually seen the creators give a public statement, I'd steer clear because you're going to piss people off royally.

>> No.10322926
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10322926

>>10322861
Novels specifically! I don’t know Korean so I don’t have firsthand information when it comes to the author’s words. I’m pretty sure the merch is for sale though, as there are price tags attached. Pic related being one of the many inventory albums I see posted.

>> No.10322945

>>10322926
If you wanna drop the name of the webnovel, I could do a cursory search for you. The specific webnovel that’s in your example has an official no-fanwork for sale policy. Apparently the author and their management company used to allow fanworks/commissions and supported fan gatherings until an incident in June 2019 where things got out of control and the company had to upload an official statement saying that unauthorized use & sale of their characters likeness would be treated as IP theft.

It might just be easier to steer clear of making fanmerch for this specific category of fandoms, honestly.

>> No.10323108

Does anyone have some set up inso for t-shirt/tote displays?

>> No.10323127

What do you guys do with old, unwanted charms? Do you...just throw them away? Recycle them? I have some really old charms where the epoxy has yellowed pretty badly, and some other really defective charms I can't/don't want to sell or give away and I want to get rid of them. But I feel guilty about just throwing them away. A bit paradoxical to feel bad for the environment when my sales are centered around selling hunks of plastic, but I want to be more eco-conscious. Is there another way to get rid of them more responsibly, I wonder?

>> No.10323203

>>10323127
any old or slightly defected items I keep at my table for anyone who say they just have $2 or whatever and looking for something free or extremely cheap.

>> No.10323215

>>10322945
I was mostly thinking of 내가 키운 S급들 and 전지적 독자 시점! If you could let me know specifically about those two, I would really appreciate it. If anything, I guess I’ll just do for-trade fanmerch, though I doubt I’ll meet anyone who’ll trade with me on this side of the ocean;;

>> No.10323355

Anyone have any links to tutorials or tips on packaging acrylic standees for shipping to minimize damage? Tried searching around a bit already but haven't found anything.

>> No.10323377

>>10323355
I've just been packing them with a sturdy piece of cardboard sized to the bubble mailer. Just make sure you pay for a rigid parcel if you're shipping usps. Generally keeps the carrier from trying to shove it into a too small mailbox.

>> No.10323581

>>10323127
Do any of the cons you go to have swap meets? I take mine there and get cool stuff in exchange. You could also trade with other artists.

>> No.10323952

would anyone be willing to share examples of how their charms with translucent printing have turned out, and did you have the layer at 100% or lower opacity?

>> No.10323961

>>10323952
I don't have any pics, but I'd recommend doing hyper saturated colors if you're trying translucent printing. If you do muted/lighter colors, the print barely shows up. If you're using juno/vograce, you may be able to ask for a sample print to test the colors.

>> No.10323970

I've got a product that really pops when light is catching in different ways. I'm thinking of getting one of those battery powered rotating displays to be able to show that off constantly. Is this a dumb idea? Do any of you have experience with them?

>> No.10324001

>>10323970
I say go for it! I've considered them as well for display but I dont have anything that extremely calls for it yet

If you want the light to catch it Id also try out a small display light for it + the spinner

>> No.10324014

>>10324001
I'm wondering how I'll do the lights. I have a basic idea for display so far: I'll have a big lightweight cylinder on it (styrofoam or something?) paint it black, add some hooks, and basically have an outer shell of product. Dunno where I should set the lights though. Ideally I'd want the source to come from where the customer is standing, but that's not feasible.

>> No.10324068

>>10324014
If you put the light on the table just in front of the display and angle it up it should reflect to about the eye level of customers

>> No.10324355

>>10323952
its probably good to ask for samples, I did some transparency charms with zap a while ago and used colors that were too dark so they wound up too opaque.

>> No.10324377
File: 556 KB, 1536x2048, F8EA702A-DBC6-4C16-A6DC-D5E9F11A2505.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10324377

>>10323952
I use vograce, and my translucent layer on the file is set at a lower opacity. The end product was okay, in my opinion? I’m saying this with the caveat that I actually don’t know how the manufacturing is done, so my way might not be the most optimal.

>> No.10325108
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10325108

>>10323952
Just to piggyback on >>10323952 and >>10323952 : The best colors for translucent printing are in the middle range of values, too light/muted and the colors disappear, while having it too dark means it looks almost black when laid on another background other than white.

Vograce does the "transparent layer is a separate layer with lower opacity", but most other places would want you to have a layer filled in black where you want the white to be.

>> No.10325186

What are anons opinions about where to host your online shop?
I know of
> Etsy
> Storenvy
> WooCommerce
> Shopify
In the past I know people said it's best to list on Etsy if you're smaller and need the exposure, but I also have artist friends who left Etsy for Shopify and prefer it much more.

>> No.10326081

>>10325186
I'd also like to know, just what peoples experiences are.

I can never be sure, Katnipp seems like a large store owner to me, but she runs on etsy, so their traffic/exposure might be a factor in that?

>> No.10326088

>>10325186
>>10326081
I was on Etsy for a while before things started to change in the past few years. One too many times there were issues (remember when they accidentally too like 300 out of attached payment accounts of people at random?) and the fees kept rising. What was really disheartening was the huge influx of taobao and AliExpress resellers that clog up the search terms and that Etsy refuses to do anything about. I've moved to Shopify and I'm way happier. If you have an Etsy or Storenvy, you can actually import all of your listings and have your new shop set up pretty quickly if you want to make the switch. You can also buy and manage domain names with Shopify. You don't even know until checkout that the shop is Shopify based as the URLs are entirely your custom site names. It's honestly gone a long way on making a good impression of professionalism.

I like the real time analytics and ease of creating collection pages based on tags or price ranges or combinations of various things. I like being able to set up custom conditioned coupons and discounts to apply automatically and other simple quality of life features.

What I like best about it as someone who tables internationally is that the card reader works in both countries I visit whereas Etsy readers were only available to Americans and Square readers only work in the country where it was set up.

>> No.10326227

>>10326088
How does tax collection and shipping (printing labels, and estimating shipping based on size/weight/location) work on shopify? Is it the similar, better, or worse than etsy? Thats what i'm worried about most with switching.

>> No.10326247

>>10325108
>>10324377
>>10323961
>>10324355

Thanks for the tips guys, I guess I will get samples made to be sure!!

>> No.10326253

>>10326227
Tax is pretty easy with Shopify. You can link your registered tax accounts with it too. It doesn't file or remit your taxes for you, but you have it all neatly located in one place and you're able to do things like tax overrides or exemptions too. Shipping labels are easier than Etsy too. It's all auto calculated by what you enter and you can save weights and HS customs codes to any of your items, as well as custom package dimensions if you're sending all of your stuff in a similar box/packet. You purchase the discounted labels through shopify just by clicking on your order and added to your monthly billing total. You just drop off your prepaid package at a local post office, get your receipt and head home! Saves a lot of time.

>> No.10326262

>>10326253
Thank you.
Etsy keeps doing things that really hurt me, but keep pulling back on most of it (demoted my listings for not offering free shipping cut my views dramatically for a few weeks, but they changed it back to normal eventually). So everything is *currently* fine on etsy for me, but I'm really considering shopify for more control.

There is more consistency on shopify, right? Or do they constantly change stuff around without warning?

>> No.10326271

>>10326262
The caveat about Shopify is that it's not some browsable curation of shops like Etsy, you would have to direct traffic to your shop yourself or via advertising. But yeah, at the point where I got frustrated with Etsy with the free shipping thing, and always having taobao resellers promoted before me, I was basically on my own anyway. I've only been with Shopify for a short time, but from what I've seen they're consistent and not inundating their services with "improvements". Instead, they have a lot of third-party apps you can integrate into your shop that do anything from improving your site, giving you fun tools for events, collaborative inventories with other stores, manage shipping with other couriers, etc.

>> No.10326289

>>10326271
Thanks for all the info!

>> No.10326864

Hi, I have a newbie tax question. I'll be applying to sell at an AA for the first time ever this spring. The con is in PA, I live in NJ. Is a NJ Tax ID okay for selling in out-of-state cons, or do I need to apply for a PA one?

>> No.10327096

>>10326271
If I link my seperate website on Etsy will it get nuked? I've seen several shops do this but heard its a bad idea.

>> No.10327118

>>10327096
>If I link my seperate website on Etsy will it get nuked?
Link it in your shop? no. Link it in listings and telling people to buy the item on your other shop? yes

>> No.10327139
File: 682 KB, 1439x1022, Screenshot_20200123-205454_Kickstarter.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10327139

I've been looking ALL over and I can't find where to make partial foil prints on art like the pic. I just keep getting DIYs or simple designs. Anyone have a place they can do this? (photo from a recent separate Kickstarter)

>> No.10327188

Where are people getting plushes made? I've seen a couple that look manufactured so it's probably not by hand considering consistency?

>> No.10327211

>>10327139
it's just catprint senpai

>> No.10327224
File: 1.71 MB, 2048x2048, EO058EWX0AEGa7T.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10327224

how are the charms like in this pic made? is it a specific acrylic, or is it just printing that's been cut straight to the edge? I feel like it has a sort of 3D quality/glossy look that normal colored acrylic doesn't have

>> No.10327226

Has anyone dealt with someone clearly ripping off your ideas? Has it ever been worth making an issue out of it? The artist isn't in the same market at me convention wise, but they sell online as well. I have a considerably bigger following than them and my stuff is subjectively better drawn/designed, so i'm not sure it's worth raising any kind of fuss about it.

Not really interested in debates on what counts as ripping off - suffice to say that they're unique concepts, not just someone doing the same skulls and flowers or boba tea charms or whatever.

>> No.10327244

>>10327226
There's really not a lot to do for something like that that's not going to make you look bad as well. That's just kind of the nature of putting stuff out there anymore,
Serial rip off artists do get noticed, just know that you'll be able to continue making new ideas and moving forward, they'll be stuck a couple steps behind, making copies of stuff that's already out there.

>> No.10327251

>>10327224
it has to do with how the charm is layered and cut. thicker layers of acrylic will have a better lensing effect (which looks 3D). you'll just have to shop around and find out how thick places make their charms. the random hairs on this pic are really bothering me i'll be honest.

>> No.10327262

>>10327224
Not sure if it's printed paper sandwiched between acrylic or full bleed printing on acrylic, but there's definitely an epoxy topcoat on the middle two from the rounded edges.
Not sure if it's because my charm was old/constantly exposed to sunlight and they use better epoxy now, but with opaque backgrounds like this yellowing over time is more noticeable than in clear charms.

>> No.10327354

>>10327226
>ripping off your ideas
If its just an idea, and not a design or literally copy/pasting parts, then thats just life and nothing you can really do about it unless you want to get a patent.

>> No.10327594

I've been wanting to do heart-shaped badges for a while but I live in a very humid place. Last time I made badges they rusted in my storage box. Would it be wise to spray the back with enamel? Or it's not worth it?

>> No.10327619

>>10327354
this is a visual medium, so it's more like aping the design in their style with minor changes.

>> No.10327650

>>10327226
It’s hard for us to say without actually seeing your comparison or examples of what they’re copying. Also do you mean as “same market” like do you not table in the same area?
Do they even follow your social media? In general a lot of ideas in AA are not unique so it’s completely possible that they already thought of the same idea as you before seeing your designs.
Overall, unless you’re sure and would be comfortable posting examples here to strangers (aka outside a safe bubble of your followers) not worth raising a fuss especially if they aren’t majorly affecting you and people haven’t brought it up to you. For one it could be you going after someone completely innocent and either way it could cause them to flame out at you publically and cause a whole headache.

>> No.10327660

>>10327650
they've blocked me on social media, but i know they used to follow me because we messaged briefly a couple years back (just polite conversation). It's beyond coincidence at this point, I will launch a new design and 3 months later, like clockwork, they will release their take on the concept.

We don't table in the same area, no, it's just online. Am thinking its basically not worth the energy based off replies tho

>> No.10327663

>>10327226
there's a guy in my local scene who explicitly tells me hes going to make merch based off my mine whenever i post a remotely unique idea. not even in a hostile way, like in a i loved your idea so much im going to do it! way. havent worked out a way to tell him to fuck off yet without making it super awkward since our scene is small and we attend basically all the same cons.

>> No.10327711

>>10327660
If this has literally happened multiple times with multiple designs then yeah, it sure doesn't sound like a coincidence. You would think serial offenders get noticed, but I agree with everyone else here that if you're the one raising a fuss it might cause drama and damage your reputation too.

>> No.10327961

>>10327660
Yikes sorry that's happening to you. Try not to let it get to you cause they seem like just bad vibes if they blocked you. Hopefully they'll make their own stuff soon instead of just copying you damn.

>> No.10328160

>>10327663
I'd also like to know how to handle this. Something like "It means a lot to me that you like my work/idea so much, but I worked hard to come up with this concept myself" maybe? But sometimes even that is still too subtle and they won't understand what you're implying.

>> No.10328377

Just saw an event that charges $30 just to submit an application to get a booth. Its then a jury selection. I'm actually kinda surprised I've never heard of any of the larger anime conventions doing this.
Thoughts? I could see a $5 or $10 fee being reasonable, but $30 seems excessive.

>> No.10328420

>>10328377
Geek Girl Con charges a $10 application fee as well! I honestly wish more juries would institute this...

>> No.10328497

Has anyone received their stickermule holostickers yet?

What's the quality like?
Is it worth getting?

>> No.10328621

does anyone else currently have issue with whoever at stickermule is doing proofs? I swear to god they don't use their brains anymore, I give them an outline that they have been able to cut to before and they slap another one on it with a b u n c h of random bumps all over. and God help you if you have multiple issues because they will only do one thing per round of feedback so I'm constantly reminding them to fix things over and over. why do I bother if their communication is so shit, I might as well just go Chinese.

>> No.10328833

>>10328420
>>10328377
paying for sending applications sounds like a very american thing. i hope non american cons don't pick up on this idea.

>> No.10328990

I know someone who heads up AA for a tiny local con, maybe 1000 people attend? 300 apps for the AA this last year, they had to go through near 150 people to fill 20 spots because there were so many people who either never responded to their acceptance or didn't pay for their table by the deadline. Idk how much of a problem this is for other/larger cons but I bet an app fee would cut down on that massively.

>> No.10329001

how did yall come up with your artist name? I want to rebrand cause i'm tired of my old name since it's a holdover from my early fandom days and i want something that's not fandom-related, but i can't think of anything.

>> No.10329020

>>10329001
I took the name of a creature from an old mmorpg I use to play (that has shut down). It was a cute, fun, and meaningless name, which was perfect.

>> No.10329169

>>10328833
It makes sense for America though - I'm assuming that you're European?

I feel like bigger American conventions tend to be much more competitive. Instituting an application fee would 1) ensure that only those serious about tabling would apply and 2) pay the jury for their time when they have thousands of apps to go through.

Either way, only a handful of American cons do this currently anyway. I hope high demand conventions start doing it soon too to better manage the demand.

>> No.10329309

>>10329001
Mine is the title of a song, in retrospect not the best choice because the song comes up first when you look up my name. It's not very well known so I'm still most of the first page results but I'd advise you don't do that.

>> No.10329352

Seems like there's going to be manu delays after cny due to the virus in Wuhan. The government is encouraging workers to extend the break so there's less travel. Just a heads up.

>> No.10329402

>>10329169
i'd gladly pay if it was judged instead of lottery. i'm sick of cons not judging at all.

>> No.10329677

Was wondering if others are also getting hit by viz recently. I've gone from having zero takedowns on my account to 5 in the past two weeks from JJBA stuff. Anyone have suggested alternative search terms so my remaining items aren't hit?

>> No.10329689

>>10329677
Multiple artists I follow have gotten almost their entire stores taken out by Viz lately, so it looks like a widespread thing.

>> No.10329702

Anybody tried Riso printing before? I thought it would be cute for a comic and I heard it was cheaper than regular offset but I wanted to hear some opinions.

>> No.10329715
File: 60 KB, 800x450, lisa (1).jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10329715

How essential are buttons? Do you make a lot of sales with them? I'm hopefully doing my first artist alley this year. I plan to offer prints, commissions, and a couple enamel pins. Since buttons usually go for $2-$4, a quality button makers seems pretty steep at $300+.

>> No.10329755

>>10329715
Check to see if anywhere local to you has one you can rent or borrow. My local library has one to use, you just pay for the button materials themselves (or supply your own).

>> No.10329777

>>10329715
>a couple of enamel pins
>$300 is steep
Nice joke anon

Investing in a machine and enamel pins for your first artist alley? seems like a very bad idea.
I suggest you ask someone from your area who has a button maker to make them for you and see if your designs even sell for your first con.

>> No.10330230

>>10329755
That's a good idea, thank you!

>>10329777
I'm only doing one enamel pin, maybe two. But almost certainly just one. But yeah I've been watching some videos of people doing their artist alleys and all of them offer buttons, so I wasn't sure if I was missing out.

>> No.10330241

>>10329715
I would just get them made by a manufacturer. Investing in a $300+ machine for something you're new to doing seems a little ridiculous. Get them made by a third party, see how they do at the con, and then maybe invest in a button maker if they do well.

>> No.10330258

>>10329715
my personal recommendation, DONT get a button machine.
My buttons still sell well but I do a lot of enamel pins and those are much more popular for me.
I guess i'd say as your business and income grows, you might regret getting the machine. While its worth it, I hardly use it anymore. I also dislike being restricted to one size and shape on the machine. Going with a manufacturer you can experiment with size and shape.

>> No.10330278

>>10330258
My experience with pins vs buttons is the same. I never had my own machine because I used my friend's after she moved to pins only because they just outshine buttons in every way. I too am about to move to pins only. A button is like $5, a small enamel pin is $8-$10. People are willing to spend a few more dollars and get something that looks much nicer.

>> No.10330279

>>10329715

The only buttons of mine that sell worth anything are the specialty ones anyway (shapes with holo and glitter effects), which you dont get with a common machine anyway. Dont bother.

>> No.10330614

>>10330278
I think 5-10 years ago getting a button machine was way more important/reasonable. But now with manufacturing through Alibaba becoming way more accessible. Other merch just outshines buttons in every way

>> No.10331003

Vograce has extended their vacation to 10th february due to coronavirus. I doubt things are gonna get better in that time though, I wonder if they will stay closed longer or eventually all the factories try to go back to normal operations and just risk it?

>> No.10331256

>>10331003
I think they'll go back to normal operations, but not to "just risk it" but rather because the employees need to earn money? To y'know, support themselves and their families?

>> No.10331398

Am I the only one that hates glitter in resin pieces? They just look so cheap and tacky 90% of the time even if the piece itself is good.

>> No.10331403

>>10331398
that statement is too broad to mean anything.

>> No.10331451

>>10331398
I'm not a fan of chunky glitter but I love ultrafine glitter. Different strokes for different folk.

>> No.10331531

>>10331003
Hard to say, but things will go back to normal at the same time. You won’t find many single businesses who will “risk it” because people being unwilling to even go out in the streets means demand for anything but necessities is low.

>> No.10331535

>>10331398
That's a valid opinion, but I don't particularly care what other artists think. I care about what customers think, and those fuckers love the glitter. I don't hate it, but I don't think it looks particularly nice myself. It gives me warm fuzzy nostalgia feelings for some reason but I wouldn't ever wear my own resin pieces outside of conventions.

>> No.10331586
File: 308 KB, 360x361, 408e3a70972d997f95e0f55431779427.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10331586

>>10331398
it depends, i think if there's care in the placement rather than just trying to glitterfuck it it can be effective, but I find pieces like pic related (no vendetta, just the first uggo example i found in a resin tag) to be so tacky and boring.

mind you, I feel like probably out of every 10 resin crafters I see at cons only 1 has anything remotely interesting/good. Too many literally don't even try to make their own molds or adapt their pieces beyond how they get popped out, let only have any aesthetic sense.

>> No.10331596

>>10331535
same.

>>10331586
this shit is so bland. i always strive to make cute stuff that's different than what others do. or even when it's the same, i try to think outside the box.

>> No.10331739

>>10331398
Literally just depends how they're used. >>10331586 for example, fucken boring and kinda muddies the colour.

>> No.10331741

>>10331586
>>10331398
Who are some resin artists you think do it well? I agree that a lot of resin artists are very samey.

>> No.10332065

>>10331531
Seems most of Vograce's customer base is overseas, though, so they probably can't really afford to stay inactive for much longer than they already have.

>> No.10332471
File: 838 KB, 570x827, file.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10332471

>>10331741
JellyUltra

>> No.10332495

>>10331741
Are you talking specifically for AAs or do resin artists with online stores count?
Because I follow a ton of wildly popular resin artists online

>> No.10332574

>>10332065
It's not like they can decide when the country resumes business as normal, even if the company and factory gets back to work they can't control shipping services. It's not a single business decision that determines when they're back to normal

>> No.10332590

>>10332471
This just looks like every Japanese resin artist.

>> No.10332819

Aaand viz deactivated one of my best selling listings for copyright.
So should I relist the item without any trademark names/tags or would it be especially bad to relist an item that’s already been taken down? And to build on that, when an ip holder files a dmca, for example on Etsy, is the copyright infringement due to the phrases used in the listing title/tags/description (ie. anime title/character name), or is it the characters likeness itself that is copyrighted?

>> No.10332860

>>10332819
while some people relist.. you really run the risk of your entire store being PERMANENTLY shut down immediately if they catch you again purposefully dodging an exact take down. And it is both, they find you easier with the tags and titles, but they have the copyright for both.

>> No.10332866

>>10331398
I hate them too honestly. I have seen some really cute ones, but most just have the same bland basic shit.
A lot of them also look like they'd fall apart after like 3 uses.

>> No.10332981 [DELETED] 

>>10332590
I mean, the original question wasn't whether their work was good or not. Simply, which resin artists "do well"

If you've ever seen her online releases, her resin pieces consistently sell out within minutes.

>> No.10333033

>>10332819
I wouldn't relist right away, but I think if they're a big selling item, it's worth the risk to relist without the trademark names/tags.

>> No.10333091

>>10332819
the process is pretty simple
>company contacts website
>website runs a script that finds the listing info
>website sends it to company
>company sends takedown requests where needed
basically they will find it.

>> No.10333096

>>10332471
I love Jellyultra stuff, I've seen her stuff at local events

>> No.10333102

>>10332471
>>10333096
this is pretty generic tho.

>> No.10333115
File: 391 KB, 601x747, 270d1ba8be324254945f4ab051298bc7.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10333115

>>10331741
i like dreamingwitch, although her stuff is derivative it's at least better than most of the stuff out there.

I'm picky about resin stuff, I don't like stickers or molds made from traced official art or shit like that, which it feels like 99% of western resin artists do

>> No.10333171

>>10333115
i really like certain ones that are more iconic (like some of the sailor moon ones) but other than that i agree.

>> No.10333191
File: 145 KB, 1080x1080, 79333210_807377383110027_8214749981045220599_n.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10333191

>>10331741
@key0325 on instagram makes some really pretty stuff

>> No.10333714

WHERE THE FUCK IS ANIME BOSTON

>> No.10333724

>>10333714
uhhhh probably in boston dude

>> No.10333725

>>10333724
But that begs the question, where is Boston

>> No.10333764

>>10333725
In Maescguthetset

>> No.10333786

>>10333714
that fat bitch can't be bothered to actually do anything. we were supposed to get emails 2 weeks after the applications closed.

>> No.10333806

How much were Crunchyroll expo tables last year? And was it worth?

>> No.10333832

>>10333714
>>10333725
>>10333764
Top tier retardation

>> No.10333842

>>10333806
CRX tables are abnormally expensive for the size of the con that they are and the crowd they draw. Last year the AA got fucked with poor lighting and not many people actually bought anything (think they spent it all on exhibitors) so I would say no.

>> No.10333894

how do I psychologically engineer the perfect impulse buy charm

>> No.10333946
File: 21 KB, 1156x148, awa.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10333946

Every con should send a confirmation email after applying.

>> No.10333950

Any updates in the Vograce delay due to the virus or was that a hoax? I would need some charms for mid-March (ordering next week), but at this point i don't know if I should order local, due to the delays.

>> No.10333968

>>10333894
a hot take on a meme

Honestly though you probably only have a less than a month window to sell it before the meme dies

>> No.10334013

>>10333832
The OP was just asking where the table emails are.

>> No.10334100

what do you guys think the is best thing to give way to advertise? i'm going to shill myself if i don't get a table while carrying around an itabag with my merch. i was thinking pins or mini business cards or something.

>> No.10334110

>>10334100
stickers

>> No.10334192

How much do the connecting charms in Vograce cost? and how do you prepare files for them? You know, the charms that have a little charm underneath as well (acrylic)

>> No.10334268

>>10334192
Here's how I set up mine:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=17Cg2cyPnavImkRbs3w5yjIwqcRTr92Cr

It cost me about $3.66 per assembled linked charm when I got at least 15. It costs more per if you buy less.

>> No.10334373

>>10334268
Thank you very much!! Incredibly helpful.

>> No.10334457

>>10333950
You can just email them. I email them for LNY dates every year, they're very helpful about that. If they don't respond timely, just assume they're still closed.

>> No.10334569

Do you guys care that these charm companies might steal your designs and mass produce them?

>> No.10334582

>>10334569
Nope. The person buying bootlegs was never my customer to begin with. I get my charms made for a price I’m happy with for the profit I want. If someone steals the design, so be it.

>> No.10334609

>>10334582
It's not really a bootleg when its the same files you sent them and the same product as well seeing as they manufactured the product for you. I guess they are from China anyways so they wouldn't be selling anywhere near you.

>> No.10334614

>>10334609
You say that, but at a store in my city, they sell tonnes of charms they find on Wish/AliExpress, and there have even been artists from my city who found their own art there.

>> No.10334631

>>10334614
There was a situation like that in my city! The store ended up shutting down because they pissed off the wrong artist and lost so much money dealing with whatever she did to them. She's a friend of a friend but the way I heard the story was she asked them kindly to remove the stuff, they didn't, and she went 0 to 100. Negative reviews out the ass with long text and photos so it wasn't like Yelp or Google were filtering them out as spam and canceling them in local weeb Facebook groups and Discords happened but I think she also took legal action because I can't imagine bad reviews would hurt you THAT much.

>> No.10334667

>>10334631
I pray that happens here. The store sells so much bootleg stuff. I don't really care about knock off Pokemon or Nintendo plushes because it's not like those companies are hurting (although I think it's pathetic they're selling them for the price of authentic plushes to people who don't know better), but seeing the walls full of keychains stolen from AA artists or internet creators is awful. Some of the stuff they're selling is stolen original artwork from small artists, too, not just fanart. It's disgusting.

>> No.10334695

>>10334667
a lot of those stores are likely not stealing the artwork, anon.

>> No.10334699

>>10334695
It's still illegal to sell bootlegs in the US, even if you're not making the bootlegs. You see those Chinatown raids happen with fake bags every once in a while. Obviously those stores aren't the ones making the bags, but they're selling them, and that's the crime.

>> No.10334703

>>10334699
of course people care about fake bags, but those stores likely know they're fake. a chinese anime store isn't going to know it's bootleg or not, plus if it's fanart of something tough shit, it doesn't belong to the artist to begin with.

>> No.10334719

>>10334703
> plus if it's fanart of something tough shit, it doesn't belong to the artist to begin with.

Are you literally this autistic? Just because they character doesn’t belong to you doesn’t mean you own all rights to the artwork you produce. You still own that illustration, just like how celebrities get sued for using a photographers’ image without the photogs permission, yeah the photographer doesn’t own another human (the celebrity) but they still own the image because they were the one who created it.

Best case scenario you say you drew the fanart but never sold it if you’re that worried about getting “caught”.
God I swear it’s all asspies that post here.

>> No.10334720

>>10334719
*doesn't mean you don’t own all rights

>> No.10334721

>>10334703
Oh no I totally get that. I meant if anyone actually attempts to do something against the store, then the store is likely fucked. That could be the licensing company of the show the bootleg fan merch is from, not just the artist, getting involved.

>> No.10334734

>>10334719
uh anon unfortunately that's not how that works, if you creat fanart of a copyrighted character, the copyright for the character is the one that matters, not yours because fanart is technically illegal. you don't have any rights to the depiction of the character.

your celeb comparison is bullshit anyway because you can't copyright a celebrity, but characters in fanart are most certainly copyrighted. you don't have legal rights to something that's not legal. just like how i can't shoplift and then call the police if my stolen item gets stolen again.

>> No.10334737

>>10334695
The stores themselves aren't stealing it, but they're buying stolen artwork. They're going on Wish/AliExpress and buying the keychains that feature stolen artwork.

I also specified that some of it is not fanart. They're selling bootlegs of original art made by small artists, even local artists.

>> No.10334738

>>10334719
From the US Copyright Law

§ 103 . Subject matter of copyright: Compilations and derivative works

(a) The subject matter of copyright as specified by section 102 includes compilations and derivative works, but protection for a work employing preexisting material in which copyright subsists does not extend to any part of the work in which such material has been used unlawfully.

(b) The copyright in a compilation or derivative work extends only to the material contributed by the author of such work, as distinguished from the preexisting material employed in the work, and does not imply any exclusive right in the preexisting material. The copyright in such work is independent of, and does not affect or enlarge the scope, duration, ownership, or subsistence of, any copyright protection in the preexisting material.
This is essentially saying what >>10334734 said, you can claim copyright for something you create illegally. And you can't claim copyright on something that is exclusively comprised of non OC. If you make art of pikachu and someone steals it, you can't claim copyright on that, but if you make art of pikachu with your dog, you can claim copyright on it because your dog is there but only for the dog, not pikachu.

So no, you're the autist.

>> No.10334740

>>10334737
no i get that, my point is that the stores likely don't know. we have one of those stores in my city that was banned from the con because they didn't realize, the guy who owns it just wanted to make money off weebs. some stores are probably sleezier but many are just ignorant and buying what's popular.

>> No.10334835

>>10334740
I mean, possibly, but it's their job to know where their merch is coming from. They have to know that buying in bulk from random Wish stores isn't how a proper business is run. At least I'd hope.

>> No.10334851

>>10334835
you'd be surprised. i was considering getting a store at a mall (to do a kind of local artist consignment shop type thing) and even the mall manager said to just do that essentially to pad it out.

>> No.10334861

How do you all (gently) let a friend or hopeful youngster know that their art isn't up for scratch for cons and they shouldn't be investing hundreds of dollars into merch and display for their first con?

I feel somewhat responsible because they were spurred on by me talking about how I did well at conventions from the start (by my standards at the time - i was making triple my investment minimum). Their art isn't bad, per say, just pretty juvenile and they don't have really ANY sense of design.
They're constantly complaining about being unable to get anyone to commission them as well, and to me thats a huge warning sign that a person's art isn't ready to sell at cons.

>> No.10334893
File: 522 KB, 815x912, d9t4la0-59266ca9-ca0b-4fec-ac5e-8a72784f30ac.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10334893

>>10334738
NTAYRT but that's not what that means. If you copy an official pikachu artwork line for line then you can't claim copyright, but if you draw pikachu in a unique pose and or style then nintendo can't show up and say "this is ours to sell now." You can't legally profit from it depending on the circumstances (many companies tend to look the other way which is why fan merch is a gray area) but they don't automatically own the copyright for the artwork you created just because it contains references to their intellectual property. Same goes for any IP. Hell, even if you copy it line for line they still can't legally own and use your jpeg. You still own the work you create, profit is a separate matter.

>> No.10334897

>>10334893
incorrect. the "pre-existing material" in this case refers to the character, not the fucking pose.

>> No.10334910

>>10334861
just let them crash and burn by themselves, they're just going to be upset with you if you try to tell them, and then still go and do it, and crash and burn regardless.

>> No.10334912

>>10334910
Seconding this, you'll just get a new flavor of 'no one will buy from me waahh' instead of potential 'u set me up to fail wahh'

>> No.10334945

>>10334897
NAYRT, but hat is wrong about they said? You don't own the Nintendo character you drew, but they can't grab your artwork and claim ownership of it either. They can just prevent you from selling your artwork made of their character, they can't claim ownership of the art you made.

>> No.10334971

>>10334861
Mirroring what the others said about just letting them crash and burn on their own so they might learn, you don't want to be the one they can accuse for failure. The best you can do is probably to suggest to invest less in their first tabling to get a feeling for it.

>> No.10335035

>>10334910
doesn't work when they are supported by their parents. I've watched this one *terrible* artist continue to try to sell her art for ~5 years now. She still thinks art is a viable career for her.

>> No.10335057

>>10334734
you can absolutely copyright a celebrity, ariana grande sued forever 21 for passing a model off as her

>> No.10335063

>>10335057
That's not even copyright, it's just having rights to your own image. If forever 21 passed off a model as your mom, she could sue them too.

>> No.10335073

>>10334893
That's a good way to put it because I think of it like YouTube videos
It may be your video, but if you use copy written music you have to hand over the ad revenue to the owner of that music, despite the video being yours

>> No.10335275

>>10334945
nintendo can't do that no, but that's not what i was saying. what nintendo can do is sue a store that is illegally selling unofficial art.

>> No.10335458

>>10334268
Wait vograce can assemble your linking charms for you?? I’ve been doing it myself omg

>> No.10335477

>>10335275
Yes but the post you called "incorrect" didn't say anything incorrect. Nintendo can sue you for using their copyrighted characters, but what that post said was clarifying that Nintendo still doesn't own your private fanart even if they can deny you from profiting from it.

>> No.10335529
File: 92 KB, 712x960, 2.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10335529

For print artists, how many prints do you usually sell per hour?

>> No.10335760

>>10335529
200-300

>> No.10335797

Random question. If someone is selling exclusively wholesale jewelry, and not actually making anything themselves, should they be in the artist alleys or in the exhibitor area?
A girl in my community resales stuff she buys off of aliexpress and taobao, she doesn’t actually make anything herself. but claims she belongs in the artist alley.

But I’m also aware that the artist alley booth is quite cheaper than an exhibitors booth.
I’m just wondering if it’s reasonable to report her to the con so an actual artist can get the booth instead?

>> No.10335799

>>10335797
Nope, if she didn't create most of her products she should be in vendors'/exhibitors'. Report her ass.

>> No.10335807

>>10335477
NTA but the incorrect part is the assertion that you can sue someone for selling your fanart piece and the idea that you have rights to fanart that isn't a 1:1 copy, which you don't. I feel like DA and the con scene have really cause a lot of misinformation about what copyright entails. The most you can do is send a C&D letter (because anyone can send a C&D letter about anything). Fanart and fanfiction most of the time are illegal even if you aren't profit off of them, companies just choose not to come after fan creators.

>https://www.plagiarismtoday.com/2010/05/13/the-messy-world-of-fan-art-and-copyright/

That link explains a lot of what I am saying. Basically you don't have rights to your drawings simply because the rights of the companies are in likeness and name, which isn't dependent on any other factor. So while companies shouldn't be able to take and use your works (though some do) you don't actually own them when you include copyright characters, no matter how different the content may be.

>> No.10335809

>>10335799
Agree with this but also wondering if that won't start discourse about how a lot of AA people are getting things made in china. The obvious differentiation being that it doesn't sound like she's designing the jewelry she's reselling but I wonder if the avg con staff really understands the difference.

>> No.10335861

>>10335529
Stop.

>> No.10336044

>>10335529
you will never get an answer to this that will be reflective of or even useful to how well YOU will sell to any given market, given your skill, style, content, effective display or not etc

>> No.10336055

>>10336044
Yeah dude only wants to know what number so he can go to artists going 'come on, you've already sold 300 just gimmie one for free, it doesn't cost you anything."

>> No.10336304

>>10335809
>if the avg con staff really understands the difference
The average con staff are weebs and fans too, they understand the difference between fanart and plain reselling.

>> No.10336374

>>10335797
Artists alley is for artists. If she isn't designing the jewelry she should be in the exhibitors hall. I design and assemble my own jewelry and I would be offended to find out I was vending next to someone reselling wholesale goods.

>> No.10336410

>>10336374
>>10336304
You guys say this but every big con I go to has a couple weird tables that are obviously not supposed to be there, with staff looking the other way because they just don't want to deal with it. Perlers tracing sprites, decal printers tracing logos, etc. Even with jewelry she could lie and say she bought the pieces and assembled it and they'd probably allow her to stay. It's frustrating that AA staff tend to not actually understand anything the artists at the tables are actually making.

>> No.10336490
File: 195 KB, 768x1024, 3AE0B623-88A9-47B3-8568-5F8BA022CB7E.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10336490

Looks like this person doubled down on making bootleg mlp shirts this weekend. Stated they “Sold 50lbs of shirts this weekend”

>> No.10336544

>>10336490
Considering the usual audience for MLP shit that's probably fewer shirts than you would expect

>> No.10336578

>>10336490
just calculating what i can see poking behind their table in that pile and whats displayed, that's still around $500 for a 0 effort product.
>>10336544
Shirts weight about 130 grams to 150 grams but haha funny joke

>> No.10336668

>>10336410
Ok? Nothing you said contradicts my comment. Anon was asking if it was worth reporting the person and I provided reasoning for why I believe it is. At that point it's up to staff like you said.

>> No.10336745

Is there any other places to get wooden pins/charms made besides zap? Keywords on alibaba just give me generic plain wood unless I’m an idiot.

>> No.10336823

>>10336668
Sorry, I'm being nihilistic. Basically I meant that you're right but it doesn't matter because AA staff is generally terrible and they probably won't give a shit. It feels very shitty for someone to make an effort to do something right only for the offender to receive no consequences, and worse, for the person to be looked at as a troublemaker, which is generally what happens. So if you report someone be prepared for that.

>> No.10336969

>>10336410
If you don't report to staff and the AA director at con, they might not be aware of the issue. They might be more experienced in a different area of art. Also, you can have a friend not in AA complain about it on the con's Facebook group and tag the con's Twitter if you're worried about getting kicked out and if the staff don't seem to address the issue in a timely manner. A lot of leadership staff are running on fumes during con unfortunately, but most of the times, trying their best and will try to get to your complaint if they deem it serious enough or if enough people complain.

>> No.10337050

>>10336490
Disappointing.

>> No.10337142

>>10336745
acorn is allegedly adding more wood types

>> No.10337147

>>10336969
It's like you weren't even around for the multiple stories of artists being kicked out or almost kicked out of cons for trying to call somebody out. The artist who reported her own charms being bootlegged and then was threatened with being kicked out if she didn't delete her tweets about it because the booth claimed she was harassing them comes to mind. The artist whose table was half torn down when she was away because some dumbass AA head thought she wasn't supposed to be there but just didn't check the list comes to mind. Some AA staff are fine and really will do their best but there are definitely some bad eggs in that group too, and pretending like it's not risky to rock the boat is just naive.

>> No.10337152

>>10336745
idk if by plain you mean blanks or just lacking the choices of wood type that zap has, but Zhuyixuan Artistic Carving Co might be worth an ask if you meant the former.

>> No.10337595
File: 250 KB, 1024x1024, EQJEs-oWoAQBitX.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10337595

>>10336490
This artist draws the tackiest shit I've EVER seen.

>> No.10337626

waitin on clout chasers next SPS with their rip qinni "memorial" art

>> No.10337641
File: 255 KB, 500x277, 335929999.gif [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10337641

>>10337626
Me too. It hasn't even been a day and twitter is already a shitshow.

>> No.10337678

>>10337626
Right after this recent twitter drama with javi-draws thread about jumping on current events with fanart to get followers ... some people are so tactless. I honestly think the galaxies for qinni tag is super tacky , it would be way more appropriate to highlight and share HER art

>> No.10337690

>>10337626
>>10337641
>>10337678
I saw a couple from people close to her and tried to be okay with it because it was probably partially their way of processing her death, but still got pretty grossed out looking at the stats on the posts, already in the tens of thousands. Memorial art would come across much more sincere without hashtags on it and a bar under it tracking retweets and likes.

People drawing art who didn't even know her can fuck right off though.

>> No.10337736

>>10337595
>implying they draw any of that themselves

>> No.10337785

I got accepted into Anime Frontier. What do you guys think it will be like? I'm a bit hesitant because it's going to be it's first year (I didn't realize that when I applied) but it seems like they're expecting a good turnout in terms of attendance.

>> No.10337799

>>10337785
If it's cheap and local, no harm is checking it out.

>> No.10337820

>>10337785
Drop your table info when you get it! I'm just going as an attendee. I'm not much of an artist but I love seeing all of the behind the scenes stuff in the AA general. I'm pretty excited. I'm actually going to both AF and A-Kon and I know a few other people who are doing that as well, so I don't think the cons being so close together are an issue if that's your concern. It's a first year but it's also run by the Anime NYC people, so it's not REALLY a first year the way I see it.

>> No.10337920

>>10337678
javi-draws drama? I missed that. Recipets?

>> No.10337958

>>10337799
It's not local, is the thing, I'd have to fly out. I flew out to San Japan last year and did well enough, so I'd be willing to go if it's expected to be a decent sized con, but I can't find anything about expected attendance.
>>10337820
Yeah, I saw that it's run by the Anime NYC people, so I guess that's why they're confident it's gonna go well despite it technically being the first year. And sorry anon but I don't want to put myself on blast.

>> No.10338083

>>10337626
Aside from clout chasers, it is really heartbreaking reading her struggles with her health. Even so much as holding a pencil was difficult for her but she still put out stuff. I hope she rests easy now.

>> No.10338171

>>10337958
How was san japan last year? A decent amount of people?

>> No.10338223

>>10337626
It’s so depressing that people’s takeaway from her health struggles and death is that they should use her death to boost their popularity. So tacky.

>> No.10338279

>>10338223
>>10338083
Let people express grief about a death anyway they want for fucks sake you guys are so jealous of any exposure that someone else might get just because they draw something in her memory?? Really guys??? Holy fuck

>> No.10338284

>>10338279
>i never talked 2 her or saw her work until 2day but i'm so sad so look at this pic and plz follow my IG and youtube accts. uwu

this is what they're talking about, retard

>> No.10338292

>>10338279
I'm definitely not jealous about any sort of exposure anyone is getting. Im not even paying any mind to the numbers their posts get because that doesn't matter at all. I'm saying to not mind anyone doing it to chase exposure (which is hard to prove anyway) and just take a moment to have some respect for an artist that fought for years with her condition and still did what she loved despite it. Who fucking cares if people are doing it only for retweets and likes. Fuck those people and honestly fuck anyone trying to start drama about exposure because someone is making memorial pieces and will want to share it on a Facebook group on one Sunday out of 100s. God social media was a damn mistake.

>> No.10338299

>>10338292
i care because it's fucking gross and i don't want my community to be associated with that.

>> No.10338303

>>10338292
>i dont care
>posts entire paragraph
shut it, cloutie

>> No.10338310
File: 55 KB, 356x696, 1581457550891[1].jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10338310

>>10338279

>> No.10338311

>>10338303
>reading comprehension
I care that someone died but the first thing anyone on here wants to talk about is made up drama

>> No.10338314

>>10338311
see >>10338310 and kys out of the thread.

>> No.10338325

>>10337626
>waitin on clout chasers next SPS with their rip qinni "memorial" art
>>10338314
First post about Qinni's death in this thread. YOU kys

>> No.10338333

>>10338325
it can't be your first post if you posted >>10338311 and >>10338292, now can it retard?

>> No.10338376
File: 189 KB, 768x1024, EQJEs-eWAAEFZk4.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10338376

>>10337736
The thing is that she DOES draw (although the style is pretty generic). For someone who was literally begging to get a job in the industry, you'd think she'd be proudly selling more merch with her art. But no, she decided to be lazy.

>> No.10338394

>>10338376
So she draws her own pins in the exact style of the show and then also steals pictures for the hoodies? Weird.

>> No.10338408

>>10338394
>>10338376
i don't think she drew the mlp pins. they're shit enameled pins, they're gonna look bad.

>> No.10338437

>>10338171
It was a nice con, decent profits for me even though I'm somewhat new and still building an inventory. I'd be willing to go back. Attendance broke 20k.

>> No.10338445

>>10338311
I doubt you even knew qinni personally and wouldn't give a shit if she didnt have as many followers as she did. Quit worrying about someones death like your own personal crusade and worry about how much of a fucking clown you look like trying to defend a randos death on an anonymous image board.

>> No.10338523

>>10338333
>still cant read
No ma'am you are the retard.

>> No.10338534

>>10338523
What are you even trying to say? There was no "made up drama" just mad cunts like you who don't believe what's in front of their eyes.

>> No.10338538

>>10338445
>you have to know someone to care that they died.
Why does it bother you so much that people care about an artist that died and want to show some respect instead of talking about some assclowns that MIGHT post pictures in her honor on AANI. Good forbid anyone have sympathy for an artist in the art community. You sound bitter that no one would care if you crooked right now.

>> No.10338540

>>10338538
"respect"
>>10338310
>>10338310
>>10338310
>>10338310
>>10338310

>> No.10338553

>>10338534
>omg just waiting for them clout chasers this Sunday with their pics on AANI am I right fellow gulls?
How is that not made up you schizo? Can you see the future of SPS. What is the significance of bringing that up in the first place?

>> No.10338569

>>10338540
One person being a shitty art thief means everyone posting memorial pics is a shitty person only looking for views? Not to mention the person that tweeted it didn't tag their blog for attention and wants this shitty person to be stopped. Again what does that have to do with clout chasers?

>> No.10338586

>>10338569
>everyone
no one said that expect for you, but go off. keep #notallx-ing.

>> No.10338590

>>10338553
>Getting mad cause you cant post your shitty "tribute" art without people knowing its the equivilent of Kobe posting
Her bodies not even cold yet but aight

>> No.10338722

I don't have a horse in this race but I do think Melon Notebooks treating Qinni's art like its public domain since she passed is a different issue than people making disingenuous memorial tributes.

>> No.10338756

>>10338722
Agreed they are definitely separate issues.

>> No.10338848

>>10338590
I didn't even make a tribute piece lmao. You really are paranoid.

>> No.10338850

>>10338586
You are trying to mix two different issues. I told you to stop being pissy about memorial pieces and you bring up this art thief out of nowhere to try to defend your argument. I'll ask again what does that have to do with clout chasers?

>> No.10339042

>>10338850
Damn bro quinni aint gonna fuck you

>> No.10339046

>>10338850
>>10338848
>>10338756
>>10338722
Holy samefag. Also, someone tell me how tf a company selling her art and deciding to post convo caps conveniently on the day it's announced she died not fucking clout chasing?

>> No.10339060
File: 1016 KB, 1440x2560, 20-02-12-17-32-41-401_deco.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10339060

>>10339046
>>10339042
>>10339046
Because the only reason you even know about these people is because other users put them on blast for stealing on Twitter. They aren't even on Twitter putting up hashtags. May I also remind you this subject was about memorial pieces artists drew and you decided to bring this side issue up to move goalposts. Now quit shitting up the thread with your schizophrenic breakdown and take your meds.

>> No.10339063

>>10339046
>>10338850
The art thief is a more extreme version of the same thing that the randos in the galaxies tag are doing: seeing that something is trending and trying to jump on it for views. Most of the people doing the artworks don't genuinely care. The bootlegger probably cares much less. But they're still in the same category of jumping onto a hashtag for self benefit. Earlier anon is right that if you want to honor her sharing her work is a much better way.

>> No.10339078

>>10339060
>projecting
it aint that deep

>> No.10339149

Finally took the plunge and am having stickers made of a drawing I like! It isn't much but it's still exciting to make fanmerch when it's something I've been working up to do for a while.

>> No.10339262

>>10339063
Respectfully disagree, they both may come from a baseline selfishness. But one is the theft of her work and image and the other is basically 'I don't feel this person is sufficiently sad/affected enough to post a memorial image and use a hashtag'

>> No.10339269

>>10339262
no one cares.

>> No.10339287
File: 192 KB, 1664x2048, EP6jx38VAAALrAn.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10339287

>>10338408
She posts her art to Twitter, and it is indeed her's. Again, it's just a generic style that's very similar to the show's. The hoodies are not her art.

>>10338394
That's how I feel too. The way she operates her business is just very... bizarre. She's been doing a ton of pin "sponsoring" lately, which is her churning out designs, posting them, and seeing which schmuck is going to drop $300 for a handful of pins for them to sell themself. She could just do it herself easily instead of watering her brand down like that. The designs are very boring too; almost all of them are simple 3/4 headshots of the characters.

Her entire business strategy just seems to be "what's the lowest amount of effort I can put into my products and still be able to sell them?"

>> No.10339291

>>10339149
happy for you anon! getting merch made is always exciting. I still get all giddy when i'm opening a package of fresh merch.

>> No.10339779

>>10339042
Not who you're replying to but have some fucking respect. She just passed away don't fucking say shit like that asshole. Sorry I can't be all nice and polite like usual but try not to be a goddamn piece of shit when insulting other people and don't use her name like that.

>> No.10339975

>>10339149
Congrats! Enjoy the stress of tracking the package and the joy of opening it

>>10339287
nayrt but are bronies pockets really so deep?
Might be time to make a side account and sell horse porn

>> No.10340014
File: 157 KB, 686x631, 1581781340121.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10340014

For those of you who print your own art, what brand of paper do you usually use? Preferably if it comes in 11x17.

>> No.10340040

>>10339975
>are bronies pockets really so deep?
I noticed that bronies and furries(especially furries) tend to have more money to throw around. Specifically on custom pieces like commissions, suits, plushies, and YCHs.

>> No.10340050

>>10340040
Idol fanboys also seem to be pretty generous. I dunno if they have an official name, I've not engaged with them.

>> No.10340411

>>10340040
How do furries get so much money when all they do is yiff all day?

>> No.10340437

>>10340040
Lot of furries are dudes who live at home or rent for cheap, and have decent to high paying jobs (lots of computer science guys). They have a lot of leftover cash after paying bills so they blow it on their interests.

>> No.10340619

Any suggestions for finding out if the products I order are made in china or the usa? Ive been having a moral dilemna about some manus I work with and Ive been feeling guilty about having my products made in places where I can't be certain that the labor isnt done by children or people unable to unionize. Has anyone else felt like this lately?

>> No.10340623

>>10340619
ask the person you are ordering from......

>> No.10340647

>>10340619
Unless they're advertising that your products are being made ethically and you can tell you're paying for that service, assume it's China/elsewhere that's just as cheap.

>> No.10340672

>>10340040
>>10340437
To add to this, a lot of furries also room together to save and have more money to spend on conventions. I was surprised at how common it was.

>> No.10340824

>>10340672
This is common for everyone. Room stuffing has been a thing always.

>> No.10340851

>>10340824
I don't mean rooming for conventions to split hotel costs, I mean communal living together as roommates. You'll have the higher-earning head of households with other furs who do cheap commission work, work min. wage, and/or collect disability; and you'll have some that are more balanced. The former seems more common than the latter.

>> No.10340869

>>10340851
Having roommates isn't furry culture. That's just a millennial thing.

>> No.10340870

>>10340851
anon, thats not even remotely a furry thing.

>> No.10340885

>>10340851
That's...how people live in 2020. Living is expensive. What are you from Kansas or something?

>> No.10341845

How was Katsucon for those that tabled?

>> No.10342078

>>10340885
Cheaper than that, still backwater, but not as remote. Back on topic, this is what I mean: en.wikifur.com/wiki/Category:Furry_houses .

I didn't want to derail, but it's good to know your market if you ever go the furry route. I don't think the anime or capeshit community have prominent communes unless you count Final Fantasy house.

>> No.10342090

>>10342078
Nerds frequently live with other nerds because of common interests. Again, this is not strictly a Furry Thing.

>> No.10342103

>>10341845
Good enough. I had high hopes for it so it didn't quite meet my expectations but I still broke 3x roi so I'll try to improve for next year

>> No.10342138

Does san japans AA sign up show up on the artist alley page itself or do they tweet out a link?

>> No.10342155
File: 152 KB, 960x960, ps.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10342155

>>10342090
Clearly I'm retarded and I've lost my point. Pic related. I doubt other nerd houses go to the extent to have signage for their communes, but just because I haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

I've always been the type to prefer living in cheaper places vs shacking up with other nerds in more expensive areas, but I'm clearly as weird as I am ignorant about the full extent of nerd living habits.

>> No.10342237

For those of you who have done shaker charms, how did you label your layers? My manu seems to be really confused (I want my shakers to be double sided on the back piece of acrylic, as well as having printing on the top layer) .

>> No.10342369

>>10342155
Maybe they don't have logos or call their house a "commune" but it's all the same. I have a group of friends (two sets of couples) who live in a house together they named after their nerdiness. I have another set of friends who have nerdy flags hanging outside on their patio for the whole neighborhood to see (so similar to the signage in your pic).

Furries might seem different from "normal" fandoms like anime or capeshit, but at the end of the day, all nerds operate similarly. I think it's a loss to other them, particularly if you're doing business in nerd spaces.

>> No.10342370

>>10342237
It might help to make a mock-up image. You could label it as clearly as possible, but at the end of the day there's still going to be a language barrier. Visuals can help with that so that they know what you're talking about better.

>> No.10342379
File: 857 KB, 1536x2048, 2AD8281A-6B28-466D-AEE6-FBC4C65013FF.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10342379

>>10338376
Why would you cover your display rack with random clashing decorative tape and stickers from other artists.

>> No.10342387

>>10342379
It draws the eye I guess. you just know they're gonna field so many 'oh, this one isn't for sale then?'

>> No.10342452

>>10342379
>all your neopets are dead

Neopets can't even die. This is stupid. Anyone who has enough nostalgia for the game to buy merch would know this.

>> No.10342456

>>10342379
I had a hard time figuring out what was supposed to be for sale among all that crap until I realised the stand was empty.

>> No.10342601

>>10342379
That’s just really tacky. At least it matches the rest of their table theme of mismatched bootleg looking junk?

>> No.10342647

>>10342456
I didn't even realize it was empty until I read your reply

>> No.10342691

>>10342369
Not othering them so much as isolating why they have more disposable income than other groups. If anything, these details seemed to make them out to be more supportive of fandoms and fanmerch in the longer term compared to some groups.
Then again, they've had to rely on fandom/indie creations vs major media, so it only makes sense.

>> No.10342693

>>10342379
Being contrarian to the point of pain, but I guess this ugly thing could work if all the artists behind the stickers were collaborating.

I guess.

>> No.10342721

>>10342379
This does pose the good question of how cluttered is too cluttered? Obviously you want to showcase as much merch as you can but when is it so much you lose a sale?

>> No.10342726

>>10342721
There's something that should be said for clarity. People couldn't even tell that the stand was empty. If you can't even see what's supposed to be for sale then it's useless as a showcase of your merch.

>> No.10342847

>>10341845
It was my biggest con yet and also the one I did the best in. I wish I brought more stock because I ended up selling out of a lot of things, but that's better than having too much I guess.

>> No.10343941

Are there any wood charm suppliers besides vograce? Checked the archive and it doesn't seem like any other options are available.

>> No.10343961

>>10343941
You must've not looked very hard considering vograce doesn't even do wood. Try googling it.

>> No.10343976

>>10343961
You're right, I was thinking of Zap. I hadn't checked this thread in a while so I missed the reqs earlier, I think they'll work.

>> No.10344406

>>10343976
ChillyPig and InkitLabs offers wood charms.

>> No.10344804

>>10344406
>>10343941
Also AcornPress but I haven't used them since they melted down two years ago so I don't know whether they're a viable option anymore.

>> No.10345407

I just need to say how glad I am that tumblr died, because we've progressed far enough past it's demise that fan artists are starting to establish their own styles again

Jurying AA sucked when 80% of the apps all looked Exactly The Same

>> No.10345408

>>10341845
Not my best, and not my worst show. Right tucked in the middle.

>> No.10345413

>>10344804
>>10343941

Used AcornPress before the meltdown and absolutely loved them to death. To this day I haven't had any paint chips or cracks on a charm that's on a heavily abused keyring.

About 1-2 months ago I contacted them if they're open for orders and never got a reply back, so they're probably not the best option anymore if you value communication.

>> No.10345489

>>10345407
Honestly this, I live in a small country with small conventions and the ~20-40 artists that sold at AA's were almost all the same FoTM fanart of ~soft bois and lesbians uvu~ drawn in that quirky western cartoon style with red noses and freckels on everyone. Thankfully that's slowly dying out here too. I've also seen an increase in original art and characters (that aren't all the same "trending on tumblr this month" aesthetic), which I'm personally really excited about.

>> No.10346021
File: 37 KB, 500x473, 1993ff35ae0f447adb335e1f18a439ed.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10346021

I saw these in the OP links and I'm not sure what keywords I should use to find them on Amazon. I sell mousepads and these look perfect to display them. Help would be appreciated.

>> No.10346045

>>10346021
Are they not just "Tiered cardboard displays"

>> No.10346260

>>10346045
When I used that, I just got cupcake displays and the like. I need it to have ty at backing to it so the mousepads can lean and I don’t have to worry about propping them up more.

>> No.10346276

>>10346260
Cleardisplays sells similar tier bookstands in birch and acrylic options. That's probably closer to what you're looking for.

>> No.10346296

>>10346021
Not exactly what you posted, but maybe helpful:

https://www.gershelbros.com/acrylicdump.html

>> No.10346382
File: 297 KB, 668x776, tiered.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10346382

>>10346260
That's so bizarre, my search only gets me this type.
Maybe add some keywords like "book stand"

>> No.10346439

>>10345407
>>10345489
I'm pretty sure the "tumblr style" was a trend that was on the downturn anyway. You'll just start seeing an uprise in Hazbin Hotel knockoffs next. There's always going to be trends in art styles like this.

>> No.10346514

>>10346382
Oh! Thank you. I think it might have just been Amazon that was being weird. Sorry for needing the spoon-feeding.

>> No.10346531

>>10346514
NP, Sometimes things just don't work the way they're supposed to.

>> No.10346959

I got into my very first con and it's in May, and my boyfriend and roommate are pressuring me that I'm gonna make thousands of dollars but I don't think that's too realistic for my first con, I'll hopefully make a profit but probably not more than a couple or few hundred. How can I ease their expectations lol?

>> No.10346975

>>10346959
Why does it matter what they think or say? If they haven't sold at a con then they'd have no idea what will sell. If their behavior is stressing you out because you're worried about them being disappointed in you then you should tell them that, and if they're good people then they'll knock it off. If they're trying to be kind and keep your spirits up or really do believe in your work, then you can explain that even if you make less then it's still an important learning experience, and they should respect that and knock off that behavior.

You could copy everything a successful artist does and still not be successful, it's something you just have to go do and fail at sometimes, and you learn and get better, or you don't and you stagnate or quit. Don't stress about this, just have fun, and tell your friends to relax.

>> No.10347152

>>10346975
You're right, anon, I'll make them stop. Thank you!

>> No.10347493

>>10346959
>>10346975
>>10347152
My 1st con I made 2k, but that was because of what I was selling. Don't have lofty expectations, but also don't be surprised if you make a lot!

>> No.10347495

hey guys! i'm making promo stickers to hand out at a con planning on having back printing with a custom QR code and just a character sticker on the front. how big should i make these?

>> No.10347600

>>10347495
I would say 3" but also where're you getting back printing done on your stickers?

>> No.10347789

Do you do AA for fun or for a living? When you design merch, is it for yourself or do you think of it mostly as a business investment? For the latter it's bound to be some of both, but I'm wondering to what extent.

>> No.10347863

>>10347789
At the moment, I see AA as a more lucrative summer job. I make merch that I would want to buy, but also consider what's most likely to sell because I don't like wasting time on something that isn't gonna move when I could have worked on something else.

>> No.10348060

>>10347789
I used to do it for fun, but then when I started to get serious about doing it full time it started to get really hard to get into cons, as I guess everyone else got the idea at the same time. I focus more on online sales now. I mostly design merch for myself, because I don't have a good sense of what other people want and when I try to design for them those designs don't do well. At least if I make something I personally really like, even if it doesn't do well, I can still enjoy looking at it, unlike when I try to go outside my comfort zone and make something with broad appeal that I don't care for.

>> No.10348106
File: 65 KB, 500x500, zap-creatives-25mm-acrylic-pin-badges-4504126652458_2400x.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10348106

For those of you guys who do both charms and pins, which seem to do better generally speaking?

(To be more specific I'm mostly talking about acrylic since I don't feel comfortable enough to dive into enamel just yet)

>> No.10348156

>>10347789
I make AA merch as a part-time job that's fun, but I am gradually moving towards full time. Designs are 50/50 for me. I try to design things in sets. I make something with my favorite character while the accompanying characters make sales since I tend to like less popular ones.

>>10348060
>I focus more on online sales now.
I wonder how many of us are in this situation now? After ending up on waiting lists for the past couple of years despite getting my applications in as early as possible, I've shifted focus to building up my online presence and sales.
It's gone very well for me, but I still feel like I'm missing out.

>> No.10348224

>>10347789
It's my side gig. I'm not comfortable making something that's somewhat inconsistent a full-time job, and I'm on a career path right now that I'm comfortable with, and can see myself still doing two or three decades from now. Said career path is also far more lucrative.

>> No.10348250

>>10347789
I'm doing it for a living because I got laid off from my shitty factory job last year. Want to make it full time so I'm going back to school for marketing

>> No.10348356

>>10348106
fanart - charms
original - pins

>> No.10348530

For Anime Boston if you opt for a 3 foot space are you given your own little table, or are you placed at a 6 foot table with someone else? Could anyone post some 3 foot display pics?

>> No.10348542

>>10348530
>Anime Boston
Speaking of. Should I just give up on receiving an email from them?

>> No.10348562

>>10348542
I got mine a few days ago. I don’t know if I’m part of the initial acceptance, or if I got off the waitlist

>> No.10348567

>>10347789
I do AA for a living and have for about 3 years now.
I used to design merch just as a business investment but then I got burnt out, which is something I've seen happen to a lot of artists either in the beginning of their AA career or eventually lol
I try to focus more on what I like now, especially considering I already have a large catalogue of solid selling merch, but I try to make sure I know its something that will still move because designing merch for yourself is fun and all but absolutely sucks to see it not sell.

I'm still trying to get in at least 12 cons a year, but it has been harder recently with everything getting more competitive, I'm considering trying to shift more towards OG merch and seeing if I can move into exhibitors for some conventions.

>> No.10348570

>>10348542
Realistically I think all acceptances should be out in another week or 2, which is ridiculous, I'm still hoping for an email too and flights are so expensive now

>>10348562
Congrats!
You're definitely part of the initial acceptance, I know she's still not done going through them all.

>> No.10348750

https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/26/21155193/etsy-advertising-program-angers-sellers-cut-of-sales
Thats it, i'm quiting Etsy. I'm moving to another platform that doesn't constantly force random changes. This is the final straw. I nearly quit over the free shipping thing, but this does it. I'll have a new shop somewhere else by summer.
Anyone try square's online store? seems to be sliightly cheaper than shopify.

>> No.10348762

>>10348750
So they're taking 20% total, but yet they claim only 1/10 of the sales someone will make will come from their advertising. Shouldn't they be taking 10% in total then? Or are they just going to pretend they aren't completely stealing from their users?

>> No.10348770

Here is the official page for it
https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/introducing-etsys-risk-free-advertising/729663416588
> For most sellers, one in 10 sales—about 10%—will come from Offsite Ads. So, let’s say you make $1,000 a year on Etsy and 10% of your sales come from Offsite Ads, that would mean your advertising fees for the year would be just $15 based on a 15% advertising fee.

I don't understand the logic that 1 in 10 sales = 10% of revenue. Thats not how that works at all if you have multiple items at different prices.

>> No.10348783

>>10348750
Do you mean Squareup or Squarespace? Squareup offers a completely free store (I’m currently using it) It’s a bit gimmicky because it’s a a collab between Weebly and Squareup (so you’re basically switching back and forth on their interface depending on what you’re editing) but they’ve been trying to make it more user friendly and pushing out updates every month. I was also using Bigcartel but their free plan only allows 5 listings so I switched over.

>> No.10348789

>>10348783
squareup
was looking at their paid plans and the $72/month plan seems to offer the same as shopify's $79/month plan. Mostly the discounted shipping and transaction rates that make me consider the more expensive paid plans they both offer.

>> No.10348798

>>10348789
I've only been using Squareup but these are some of the problems I ran into:

-I had to make a custom listing for a customer, and when I was trying to report my taxes, the full amount with the shipping wouldn't show up correctly. You have to play around with the reports they offer. I emailed Square about this and they told me to reach out to Weebly so they could explain why the shipping was itemized differently.
-There's some things that you have to manage in Square's side versus Weebly's side- one example of this was my address and store name. I had to do change it on Square's side, even though this option was also on Weebly's end, and could be selected but not edited (didn't save my changes).
-There's options to customize the emails your customers will receive, like order confirmation and shipping, but you can't actually customize it...but there's an edit button. I asked Weebly about it and they said you can't actually edit it.
-I had to Google a lot to figure out how to setup my store, it's not very intuitive.
-There's no vacation option available, you need to actually deactivate all your listings. If a customer has your website, they can still access it and purchase something.

If anything, they're really responsive about refunds so there's that. I think you should play around with their free version before you commit, and since Shopify also offers a free 30-day trial you can take advantage of it.

>> No.10348940

>>10348798
Thank you

>> No.10350311

Was there some website/mailing list somewhere that tracked upcoming cons' artist alleys and announced them? For the life of me I can't remember what it's called, and searches aren't finding me anything.

>> No.10350338

>place order with Acorn press a month ago
> No invoice
>email them twice asking whats up
>nothing
>try to reach them on Twitter
>No response
Just when I thought AP got its shit together

>> No.10350354

What does everyone think about "no photo" policies?

I can see why some people are uncomfortable with photos of themselves, or don't want people to take high-res photos of their prints, but I know some vendors who don't even allow casual photos of their items or booth.

>> No.10350361

>>10350354
I have a no photos sign but if someone asks there's nearly no circumstance where I won't say yes to photos of my booth.

Weirdly I've had to put some 'no photos' stickers on a couple prints like, idk why but anything I have that tends to attract more men, also attracts idiots trying to take photos for reprint. My Jojo prints always get people with DSLR's trying to lean over my table to get a photo without asking. Had a guy last year on redbubble that didn't even shop out the 'no photos' sticker. I can understand why someone would just put a blanket 'no photos ever'

>> No.10350370

>>10350354
>What does everyone think about "no photo" policies?
stupid.
They 100% lose out on way more sells by not allowing people to take photos to share with friends than they are of people trying to steal prints or whatever.
Every con I go to I have people take photos of my craft items to send to friends or family to help them make a decision on what to buy. And on the flip side, I've not bought from artists who didn't let me take a photo at their booth since I wanted to show my friend before buying.

>> No.10350371

>>10350370
>I've not bought from artists who didn't let me take a photo at their booth since I wanted to show my friend before buying.
I've also done this. It's a major turn off as a buyer.

>> No.10350376

>>10350354
I was checking my phone at a con once and saw someone tagged me on insta. Turned out it was somebody in the comments of a post where someone, at THAT con, had taken a high res close up picture of my art and uploaded it. They didn't even include credit. I had a stack of business cards with my insta tag right on the table, free to take. So that's why I use a no photos sign now.
But if someone asks to take a pic for a friend I'll always let them.

My experience has been that people who are taking pics of art to upload/sell prefer to stealth it and run away when confronted, rather than make up a lie about it. At least so far I haven't seen one of those "for friend" pics of my merch pop up anywhere.

>> No.10350390

What are some must-haves for my con table? I'm prepping for my very first con and am kinda freaking out

>> No.10350395

>>10350390
Float, business cards, product, something to put your product on, something to carry your stuff in to the con, a way to take cards (square/paypal/etc) There's really not anything that's a must have that isn't obvious by just, looking at anyone's table set up.
Also artist alley international is better for beginner questions a lot of the time.

>> No.10350396

>>10350390
Business cards. I don't know what kind of artist you are or what your strong suits are, so I can't recommend specific kinds of merch to stock, but everyone needs business cards. Get more than you think you'll need.

Get a cash box too. It never hurts to be safe when it comes to money. Even if you plan on primarily taking card/Paypal/etc, cash should always be an option for your customers, just in case.

>> No.10350397

>>10350390
Display wise it'll come down to whatever it is you sell and how best to represent your items. General things though
Change
For the love of god bring change. 5s and 1s. I bring 100 dollars worth but 50 worth should be ok for your first con. Which bring me to the next thing
A money pouch/apron/fanny pack
I don't care if people point and laugh keep your money on you! Cash boxes are too risky to keep even near you in my opinion. Thieves are crafty about getting stuff from under you. Better to keep your change literally on you.
Water bottles
Stay hydrated. Dehydration does shit to you.
Card reader
Not an absolute must but highly recommended. You can get the kind that plugs into your phone jack for fairly cheap from Square. I believe some banks have ones too.
Business cards/signage with links to your art sites or online store.
Some way for people to find you after the convention and follow your work. You'll get asked A LOT for your online handle.

>> No.10350514

>>10350390
food and snacks, specifically something that isn't crunchy so if someone comes up to you while eating, your mouth won't be full of food.

>> No.10350600

>>10350396
do i still need business cards if I'm a tiny baby beg artist going to a tiny baby con, is it really that advantageous? I feel like it'd look pretentious but that's just my beginner opinion

>> No.10350612

>>10350600
Even tiny baby artists at tiny baby cons tends to have business card. Just make them simple with some of your art you particularly like and fits a small card, and with your handles on it.
They're not pretentious unless you design pretentious, expensive cards.

>> No.10350667
File: 86 KB, 369x201, wwah.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10350667

>>10350612
o-oh okay got it

>> No.10350717

>>10350600
I'm having a hard time finding an example, but a lot of artists I know have taken to designing a small sign with all their social media links on it for people to photograph instead of keeping cards out, and keeping cards behind the table for people who request them only. If you're feeling weird ordering them that might be a good option for you. The issue is that dumb teens will blow through the alley and pick up every card just because they're free, with no intention to look those artists up later, so you'll go through a ton of them and it barely results in any actual sales or new followers. I see them pretty often, walking by with just a huge stack and adding new ones to the pile without even looking at the art on the tables.

Honestly I don't really understand how someone could be confident enough to buy a table and prepare to sell their art in person to people but not think anyone will want their social media links?

>> No.10350774
File: 19 KB, 480x267, ECwZjj7XsAIHia3.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
10350774

>>10350600
Believe in your art, anon! You are not pretentious for wanting people to follow you. That's how you grow your audience and business.

>> No.10350775

>>10350717
>Honestly I don't really understand how someone could be confident enough to buy a table and prepare to sell their art in person to people but not think anyone will want their social media links?

idk, my first con I was just expecting to break even and saw it as a way to effectively get into the con for free. I didn't expect people do actually really like my stuff. I didn't even have any social media at that point anyways.

>> No.10350785

>>10350775
>>10350717
For my first con, I almost didn't have a way for folks to contact me. I still firmly believed that art was only my hobby and selling was going to be more social than for business. I ended up investing a lot more in my merch than I thought, so I changed my tune pretty quick as I knew I wouldn't be breaking even at all. I was still infrequently posting to it, but the only art account I had was the dA account I made as a teen in 2006 which has some offensive stuff hidden deep within my near 1,000 deviations. Business-wise, probably not a good idea to direct anyone there.

Then I decided at the last minute to take the social media account I only used for doing hashtags to get free stuff at cons and turned that into my new art account. I posted some art to it really fast and then made mini business card shaped flyers the night before the con. Amazingly, people were fine with them. Or they were secretly judging. Oh well. At least it was something.

I should do something about those old, offensive dA posts/deviations though. I'll figure it out.

>> No.10350802

>>10350354
I let people take photos of my merchandise and just assume they do it to remind themselves to come back or are sending to a friend. I haven't had a situation where there are shady people taking close-ups with DSLRs, so there hasn't been an issue with art theft so far (that I know of). An artist I used to table with in the past would say "No photos please!" and it would always drive people to leave right away. They always look really embarrassed too, and I never saw these people come back. So for a better customer experience I just let people take photos freely.

>> No.10350864

>>10350370
>Every con I go to I have people take photos of my craft items
>craft items
I think in this case, it's understandable that you have people taking photos since they're 3d objects.
My main sales are from charms and pins, so I also felt photos are fine because my experience has always been positive. However I once tablesat for a print artist friend taking a bathroom break, and someone from 5 feet away had his DSLR out pointing at the display. I waved at him to let him know I knew what he was doing, and he had to audacity to silently come closer and stick the camera less than a foot away from the print. If I had to deal with that multiple times throughout a con I understand why other artists start jumping to the wrong conclusions when they see a phone or camera aimed their way.

>> No.10351008

>>10350802
In 5 years of doing this I can count on one hand the number of people who've taken a photo without asking who've come back. Exceptions always exist, but in my exp they tend to not be customers in the first place.
I miss when Sak used to remind people to ask for photos over the loudspeaker in AA.

>> No.10351163

Man, I really can't stand artists in AANI discord that don't do any research by themselves and just ask for resources or con information. And then people just give it to them and keep giving it to them. How is this person going to learn to do anything themselves? Answer: They won't because people keep spoonfeeding them and they aren't ever going to stop. Sometimes AANI is too nice.

Annoys me every time this person posts in there and I wish I could just ignore it. Just gonna take deep fucking breaths and keep my mouth shut and wait until they learn or someone else finally tells them to do their own research.

>> No.10351182

>>10351163
I mean it happens here too and people still coddle them. Anons in this thread have yelled at me for not wanting to help beginners asking for spoonfeeding in past threads. Don't pretend this threads so much better.

>> No.10351192

>>10351182
True, but at least I can pretend that the people on here are different each time.

>> No.10351194

>>10351182
Hey, at least it's been a while since I've seen someone asked where to get enamel pins done.

>> No.10351238

Who got into A-Kon?

>> No.10351261

>>10351238
I did! Was honestly surprised.

>> No.10351283

New thread? Does anyone have the usual pink AA general picture? It’s easier to spot in the catalog.

>> No.10351409

>>10351238
Also got in but I'm concerned about it happening 2 weeks after Anime Frontier

>> No.10351418

New thread
>>10351417