Artist Alley Thread #8

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8236031]

>resources
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1l-9tZn_PaqsZWkb5SB_aqwh7uvURyoLgdsQiuz_Ty08/edit#gid=0

>Taobao/Alibaba services
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14zGSegr0b-429wZq5_xdMbE9hpLcXg8fqqe0OxnU2Yo/edit#gid=0

The old one is dead and gone so here's a new one! How is everyone fairing as the con season descends on us all? Had any cons yet? How were they?

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8236033]

I'll post some tables to warm the thread up~

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8236035]

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8236042]

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8236044]

[Anonymous No.8236079]

I love seeing everyone's displays! Gets me existed for when I do my first AA and can post a photo myself :) keep up the good work

[Anonymous No.8236097]

Any advice on how to set up a table displaying a lot of different types of art. I'm splitting a table with a couple friends. I do mostly plushie work such as poros, kuribohs, jellyfish dolls, etc. One friend does prints and for the most part the quality is good the only thing is that she mostly draws LotR and MtG fanart, not really much else. Other friend makes dice bags with me and D20 shaped bath bombs but then she also makes all this decora stuff such as rings, sunglasses, necklaces, etc. I'm worried that it's going to look like a cluster fuck and people are going to stay away because of how messy and disorganized it may end up looking.

Any advice is appreciated thank you very much.

[Anonymous No.8236447]

How much stock do you guys make for a single button design? It's my first time making buttons and I'm borrowing someone's machine at the moment. I can't bring it to the con, so I won't be able to make buttons on the spot.

[Anonymous No.8236475]

I was looking over the Taobao/Alibaba doc and I know in previous things people would link to items you could buy there for display purposes (things you'd put your actual stock on to show it better), but the doc only had things like printing services. Can anybody recommend some organizational/display items for booths from there?

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.8236576]

>>8236097
I'd do something like pic related, where the sides are for you plush and your friends dice bags. And then the top part of the display can be for prints.

>>8236447
>How much stock do you guys make for a single button design?
Since I have my button maker and can make more at the end of each day, I make 5 of each to start off (and usually have to make more).
But since you're just borrowing the machine I would do 5 of less popular and 10 of what you think will sell better.

[Anonymous No.8236632]

I always see so many bad tables with shitty art.. ;)

[Anonymous No.8236650]

Another WIP Wednesday, another wave of STeven Universe art to unload unto the pile.

[Anonymous No.8236685]

>>8236650
Some of its really good, and then others its like dear god no.

[Anonymous No.8236697]

>>8236632
I enjoy seeing those posted here because then it gives me a confidence boost that I could make a profit.

[Anonymous No.8236728]

I'm working on this Star Fox print but I'm not sure if I should do poster size or not. What's the standard poster size? Is it 16x20 or 18x24?
Also, it's obv a WIP but any suggestions on what I can improve would be great.

[Anonymous No.8236736]

>>8236728
I'm going to be printing some "poster size" for my first AA in summer and am choosing 16x20. It's manageable and easy to find frames for imo.

[Anonymous No.8236738]

>>8236632
When you see them you should post them.
I feel this helps people out on what not to do for their first time.

Also a pet peeve is people who overcrowd their table. Yeah I get you gotta show as much as possible but a lot of times its too much,and looks cluttered. Kinda like to see the artist at the table and not all the work covering them.

(nothing against these guys. It was just the closet thing to my example of a cluttered table.)

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.8236742]

>>8236650
that Jem/Crystal Gems crossover is one of my fav pieces to come out of the AANI in a while tbh

[Anonymous No.8236902]

As someone who doesn't enjoy doing fanart, how will I fare at a con with all original characters? Also, which tend to sell more in that sense, prints with girls or prints with boys?

[Anonymous No.8236912]

>>8236902
not very well.

You're best doing a bunch of things that cater to fandoms and then creating some really beautiful pieces that you can sell on the side.

[Anonymous No.8236917]

How much pandering are you guys willing to do for a sale?
I dont like Steven Universe, but that seems to be something that makes a lot of sales.

[Anonymous No.8236922]

>>8236917
If you aren't into it why bother.
I wouldn't buy stuff from someone who isn't into the show.

[Anonymous No.8236932]

>>8236742
Yeah that was pretty cute! Dynamic, creative, and good art. How are people going to shift through the rest of the ocean though...everything is so generic.

[Anonymous No.8236936]

>>8236922
Why, because the quality wouldn't be as good as those who like and care about the show or that you feel cheated somehow?

[Anonymous No.8236943]

>>8236936
I think I would feel a little cheated and that your heart wouldn't be into it.

[Anonymous No.8236953]

>>8236932
A lot of the wip wednesdays and that thing they have on sunday I have to weed out the bland and first timer stuff. I thought by joining I would get more inspiration from it.

Maybe cause its summer, I dunno.

[Anonymous No.8236977]

>>8236650
>>8236685
>>8236742
>>8236953
Eeey what exactly are you guys talking about? Is there some sort of artist alley network/group where people post progress shots or something? Link?

[Anonymous No.8236980]

>>8236977
/groups/143875999117732/?fref=nf

[Anonymous No.8236984]

>>8236576
>Pokemon plushies - $100
>Pony plushies - $120
Seriously? They are cute but look kinda like normal store bought toy quality. I could buy like 40 pkmn for that price.

On that note, how do you guys price things? Mainly prints and on the spot commissions but anything is welcome.
Also, recently I've been commissions with my tablet and traditional, but I usually email/mail/hand over the commish the next day or so but a few people have complained that they want it THAT day or for me to do it with them staring at me but...How do I handle this? Have I been getting bad clients or are people normally really uncomfortable with sharing their email or whatever?

[Anonymous No.8236988]

Are like printing leggings/tights the new trend for artist?


Its seems kinda like a waste, and I love leggings but I'm a basic leggings kinda gal.

[Anonymous No.8237004]

>>8236980
Aaah thank you.

[Anonymous No.8237007]

>>8236984
Eh I'm torn on the MLP plushies.
From a far they look great but for that price I would have to see them up close.

Side note though I got a really great Rarity one for 25 bucks last year at a con. Not sure if it was a bootleg but it had japanese log tag on it.
>>8237004
No prob.

[Anonymous No.8237044]

>wow, i like how the colors in this print turned out! time to get it ready for printing
>convert to CYMK
>it looks like shit no matter how much i try to adjust it

[Anonymous No.8237049]

>>8236576
I like that idea a lot, thank you. I was thinking of just doing one half for the prints and one half for the plushies but having the prints along the top will make it look more balanced. I think I'll have the decora stuff in the middle so people can pick it up and look at it while I keep an eye on them.

[Anonymous No.8237050]

I wanna know how to price things.
I have no clue where to start.
I do time how long it takes me to do things.
I also take into account how much stuff cost when I send out print, buttons and charms.
Is there a formula that I could use to base on what I should charge for things?

I would of course love to make a profit for my first AA, but I'm gonna be realistic and like to break even.

[Anonymous No.8237052]

>>8237044
...you don't work in CMYK to begin with?

[Anonymous No.8237061]

>>8237052
SAI doesn't have a CYMK mode unfortunately...i would switch to working in photoshop but it slows down my computer bigtime, especially with high res files.

[Anonymous No.8237206]

>>8236988
It sure looks that way.
But I hate leggings myself, I'd much prefer tights.

The dragonball pair and other designs by that person were super boring though. I think the Koopalings were my favorite of all the legwear I've seen in the group.

[Anonymous No.8237686]

>>8237206
I do like the koopaling ones, but I wouldnt pay 30.

[Yamzies No.8237698]

I DIDNT KNOW THIS WAS A THING

gonna start dealing pretty soon with my bro any quick tip

[Anonymous No.8237782]

>>8236988
I'm seeing washi tapes taking hold this year moreso than leggings; not too sure how I feel about it. I like tape as much as the next person, but there's only so much utility I can get out of cute tape and the commercial tape market is already well filled imo. Maybe it'll hit saturation and peter out, maybe not.

[Anonymous No.8237784]

i was really disappointed that there was nobody selling folding star paper at sakuracon. id legit buy them by the handful if i could.

[Anonymous No.8237791]

>>8237782
>washi tape
where I can get that printed?

[Anonymous No.8237796]

>>8236031
Anime Matsuri 2015 AA tables

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.8237798]

>>8237791
quick Google search comes up with a lot of alibaba places. I'd love to get some but I'd really like to see a review from a supplier first

[Anonymous No.8237800]

>>8237796
apparently the cookie cat stuff didn't sell well, although lots of recognition!

[Anonymous No.8237799]

Has anybody had Jimi's notepads printed before? I'm debating on getting some done but I'm not too sure how worth it they might actually be.

Trying to think of new merch to have at my table besides buttons that's somewhat unique. Prints, keychains, and stickers are always popular but man I don't feel like I've got enough...

[Anonymous No.8237804]

>>8237800
I liked the signs for this table

[Anonymous No.8237806]

Does anyone have a recommendation for getting acrylic charms made? I know they're a popular AA item, and there are probably hundreds of options but I figure you all would know the most reliable ones. Sorry if this should be common knowledge, I'm a noob.

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.8237822]

>>8237806
there's a couple people seem to like:
Vograce on alibaba (Digit can vouch for them)
Zap Creatives
Inkit Labs
Chillypig Studios (an artist that provides the service)

[Anonymous No.8237833]

>>8237822
Can vouch for Vograce as well. I got like 150 charms from them and not a one came out incorrectly, and Coco's really easy to communicate with. If Zap and Inkit are out of your range I'd highly recommend.

[Anonymous No.8237838]

>>8237798
I'm contacting a supplier rn, gonna get maybe a handful of copies of a few designs. If it's not too outrageous price-wise I'll probably take the plunge.

Let y'all know what happens with that, and if I go with them I'll def post pictures and such.

[Anonymous No.8237850]

Question: why does everyone, everyone, EVERYONE do 'one of each main looking neutral/doing characteristic pose' small items for popular shows? Everyone will have buttons with one of the meguca/Frees/gems/etc on them looking neutral or very basic -- you'll essentially be competing with everyone in AA to sell those. I wonder why people don't do, like, two characters to a button in a cute friendship or shipping pose they came up with themselves? Or some twist on the characters ("here are the free boys each dressed in ouji outfit" or like..something that's a GOOD idea. sry)

It just seems like you'd still have the security of a popular franchise but a 10x less generic item that people would actually want from you because nobody else had. Am I making sense..? Or is there something to this I'm missing

[Anonymous No.8237877]

>>8237850
From what I understand buttons are hard to really design, but shit like that is why I've mostly avoided them until now.

Having niche fandoms that you sell sometimes helps in this case, since you're more often than not the only one or one in a small handful of people catering to it, even if the posing is shitty and generic. People will want your stuff on principal (if it's good enough) because it's THE THING rather than because it's 'the most unique art'.

[Anonymous No.8237929]

>>8237850
Small items are just that. They're small. Clarity and simplicity are a priority, because if you get TOO creative with posing or putting more characters etc, it's more difficult to tell what's going on. That said, I don't like buying buttons with generic art drawn in the same style as the show/game/whatever, I'd rather buy buttons with the characters drawn in a more unique art style.

[Anonymous No.8238011]

Not an artist, but would like to offer up an idea: this weekend at a con I bought a pair of earrings that came with a little alcohol prep swipe/pad/thing. To those of you that sell earrings: do that shit. If you can get them I think those are a nice touch, especially since sometimes I want to try them on right away or later on in the hotel room but am not able to disinfect them most of the time.

[Anonymous No.8238044]

>>8237800
That's my table! Actually we sold out of Cookie Cat rings and charms, I think it was the size of the large pins that put people off. This was the first time we'd made the m though and we only made three, so yeah. Shrug! People kept thinking they were actual cookies. The health department guy actually dropped by on friday (I assume he was checking all the actual food vendors out) and was worried because he thought some of our stuff was edible. XD

[Anonymous No.8238092]

>>8237833
>>8237822
Thanks so much guys! I'm still a long way away from having an order ready, but I feel way more confident now. I love the people in this thread! yay!

[Tim No.8238117]

>>8237799
Yeah, I got my order in a couple months ago. THey're pretty fun and cute! Not a huge profit margin, but the print quality is nice. I'd recommend packaging them individually-- I saw another artist doing that and it looks so much nicer than just having them out on your table. Maybe sell them for like $4~$5 a pop? I had two Love Live designs and that gave people more incentive to buy both.

[Anonymous No.8238293]

>>8238011
That's a brilliant idea, thanks for sharing.

It's also why I would never sell earrings though, the thought of having to explain the metal sourcing and such to concerned buyers gives me a headache.

[Anonymous No.8239031]

My first con is in 2 sleeps and I had an AA related nightmare last night. It was terrifying.

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.8239038]

>>8239031
welcome to the club. My first con isn't for another month and a half and I've already had 3.

What was your nightmare about if you don't mind me asking?

[Anonymous No.8239063]

>>8239038

>I arrive for setup and my table has been moved
>the new table is only one person wide and I can't fit my whole display on there
>I start arguing with people about contract breaches
>people keep taking over my table space and stealing coke from my shopping trolley
>I find out that the con is being run by a fitness guru (pic related)
>I try to confront her but she escapes on a roller coaster

I woke up terrified, but my family thought it was hilarious.

[Anonymous No.8239073]

>>8239063
I got a good chuckle out of it.

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.8239078]

>>8239063
that's way more badass than the ones I usually have.

Mine involve forgetting my ticket or all my merch at home, which would usually result in me getting banned at the con for some reason.

I did have one where I went to the con a week too early and there was a marching band convention which I was unaware of so I just thought there was a marching band anime that got really popular, haha.

[Anonymous No.8239261]

>>8239063
>>I arrive for setup and my table has been moved
>>the new table is only one person wide and I can't fit my whole display on there
>>I start arguing with people about contract breaches

Anxiety of arriving at con and all the things that could go wrong - table jacked, not having a table before and insecure of the size to accommodate your merch, fear of goin psycho with alley staff that only hear "wah wah waah~"

>>people keep taking over my table space and stealing coke from my shopping trolley

Anxiety again with other people encroaching your territory/private space. Love that coke! You just went shopping recently.

>>I find out that the con is being run by a fitness guru (pic related)
>>I try to confront her but she escapes on a roller coaster

Somehow you manage to fall asleep during one those tv-shows and your subconscious picks up her personality type and feels threatened by her outward personality that you must show her up.

[Anonymous No.8239605]

Do people prefer prints or posters?
I also see everyone selling buttons yet in this thread most of you don't like buttons.

[Anonymous No.8239656]

>>8239605
maybe its artists that dont like buttons. i rather hate them i have nothing to put them on and i feel they make me come across easily as a high schooler. but that right there is part of the demographic anyway: those who chose to accessorize their fandoms delicately.

[Anonymous No.8239896]

>>8239605
I was strictly prints because I like collecting them from different artist, and filled those itoya portfolios as my personal favs over time.

Just started to get into buttons. Only the small buttons that some artist do, and ring them around my lanyard. Turns my badge/lanyard as a token memory of whichever con it was, my version of those corny "he went to jared - Pandora bracelets" but my lanyard filled with mini buttons of characters and such.

[Anonymous No.8240314]

>>8236984
> look kinda like normal store bought toy quality
Yes. They are well made enough that they look like they could have been made in a factory dedicated to making plush toys. But they were made by one single artist, by hand, individually.

Frankly you'd be lucky to get a good pony plush for this price, and you couldn't "just buy one in a store" because the official plush are all derpy as heck. Custom plush run much higher than that, especially from talented artists. And the patterns used are all original, different from anything official (referring to pokemon as well), which makes them a desirable item for collectors.

Plushing takes a LOT of time and skill to learn (just consider the majority of sellers you see: :3 face basic-as-fuck fleece "mochi", anyone?) and those are absolutely fair prices for good examples, so please don't act snarky about the worth of a craft you don't seem to know much about. Would you expect a hand crafted artisan piece of furniture to be as cheap as something mass-produced from ikea?

(Apologies if I seem overly defensive. I find most art, not just plushes, is horribly undervalued by buyers and I can't help but find it rude. Also I recommend checking out serenity-sama's dA gallery if you like plushies, they are very talented.)

[Anonymous No.8240426]

>>8240314
Anon, I understand it takes a while to sew. You're right, I don't do any plush like merch (I stick to or things when selling) but I do do pattern making and such so I understand it takes time and some talent. But. That price is kinda out there for that small size. Something bigger, I'd have nothing to say but those...

Not saying she has no talent - obviously she does - and if she can sell those for that price all the power to her. It just seems over priced for what it is. Akin to artist alley people that charge up the ass for chibi character prints or tiny alpacas.

Sorry if what I said before came off rude - I'm not trying to belittle or undermine her work or talent, just saying.

[Anonymous No.8240428]

>>8240426
Sorry for any typos. Typing on mobile can be touch and go sometimes

[Anonymous No.8240695]

>>8240426

I see it like this. Whenever you sell something you have to take into account your materials, skill, and very importantly, the time it took to make it.

For a plushie, the artist can't just multiply it the way a print artist can. If I only made 1 print of a piece I'd have to charge $$$ to justify the time it takes to make it. The reason artists can charge $15 for a tabloid print is because they have multiple editions and those add up to justify the time it took to make the piece.

$150 still seems like a lot for any item, I'll agree, but in light of the sheer time it took and the fact that there is only 1, that does make it worth it. It's as much the time it takes to make it as the low number of editions, which increase the value.

[Anonymous No.8240708]

>>8240426
I'm going to show your post to the next person who tells me to raise my goddamn prices on my needlefelted items and everything else I sell on my fucking table.

As much as I'd like to get properly paid for my time and effort the very fact that you're someone who's done AAs and you're judging shit on size before quality/skill really underlines how the rest of the masses are about pricing on certain types of items.

[Anonymous No.8240718]

>>8240695
Listen, I make handmade clay items, and while you can't sell yourself short, you also can't railroad people. Obviously my stuff is good, I make it myself, every piece is handcrafted but I'm not going to charge a fuckton for a keychain, and not just cause i want people to buy them, but because it's a fact that my time is worth more than the item, it's just not.

[Anonymous No.8240789]

>>8240695
>>8240708
Not saying any one with talent that makes small things should sell their stuff for $5, just take into account the size in addition to what price YOU would buy something at. Something like those plushies that are handmade but not that original - I'd probably pay up to $50-60? Maybe $70 at the max. But $120 and up PER plush? Most likely not.

I get that stuff takes time but I'm not trying to singlehandedly pay your rent with my one item purchase. And while there will be people out there at the con or on the internet that will, a lot won't.

Which is why for non-commissioned art (even limited edition prints), I can't/won't charge more than $20-40 average. Because even though I know how much effort I put into it and time it took to tailor my craft, the average person doesn't know or care.
I'd rather sell out my stock for a little bit less than be stuck for months on end with something that can't even cover my hotel room and gas.

[Anonymous No.8240801]

whoa niggah you can get a PVC figure for $100+
seriously, that three digit range is way too much for a plush.

[Beanie-kun !!haFBv+kEAYe No.8240806]

>>8237698
Is the Asian guy for sale

[Anonymous No.8240821]

>>8240801
This this this
All of this for real

[Anonymous No.8240912]

>>8240801
I'm sure that artist must have done more than one con. If people are paying that price for their plushies in their experience, then they ARE worth that, regardless of whether you yourself would pay it. Evidently it's just not something you're that into, and that's fine! But clearly there's enough who are that the artist can charge these prices.

(Also, forgive my ignorance, but why is it worth paying over $100 for a PVC figurine, presumably produced with a mold in a factory in quantities of 100s, but not a plush made individually by a single person? :( I'd agree with you if people were sculpting and casting such things at home and selling them! THOSE would be worth a lot more than a plush.)

[Anonymous No.8240936]

>mfw plushie/amigurumi/needlefelt artist
>calculate time and materials per project to the penny, add extra for expenses, efforts, whatever, then round the prices (ie. $8.31 rounded to $10)
>judge the projects for details and time
>debate about prices, is it worth it, etc.
>table comes off rather mishmash of soft items with varying prices

Last year was my first time doing that sort of mix when years prior I've done strictly plushies and some clay charms (super slow sale, unfortunately for me), and results were promising for plushies and amigurumi, and so-so for needlefelt. Let me just say it's complicated for 3D soft stuff and I think artists who care about the pricing have their own challenges and debates to face. Like, if this plushie can be made a bit bigger or if the yarn was thicker for a bigger amigurumi, it may suit the price better?

I do find plushies and amigurumi to be a bit flexible in pricing when you adjust the size of the sewing pattern, or the size of the yarn. Needlefelt, for me on the other hand, works better for simple designed items, especially small. Anything more complicated, I'd be wary of selling it since the price would be higher for the time and effort, and not many would be quick to drop dough on it. However, I have thought about doing photo prints of complicated needlefelt stuff, could eventually make up the cost of the original if it's that popular...

And then you see the printed plushie cushions that took less effort in sewing and stuffing, but the artist has to make up for the fabric printing and designing the cushion. I myself want to try this one day once I figure out what's worth getting printed.

Sorry about the ramble. I'm all for pricing what is fair for me, but doesn't mean I ignore what customers look for as well. I can't imagine selling anything over $100 yet but I have started selling things that are higher than what I've usually sell, and it's still pretty positive for me especially with the help of Square.

[Anonymous No.8240952]

>>8240912
in most cases a figure will have a professional sculpt and better production values befitting the cost. most plushes will be made by an amateur and technique, craftsmanship, and overall quality may suffer because at the end of the day they are not doing this for a living but as a hobby and cannot dedicate the time or money towards it. a one-off does not automatically create value. likewise being mass produced does not automatically make something less valuable.

there is also the perceived value of items and the existing marketplace. most figures will be more impressive versus a plush and people will be more willing to throw down $100 for a figure than a plush. in a way it has the same issues as fanart; someone sees a figure/art of their favorite character and they want it and are willing to pay for it. even the voice of a character (and the voice actor/actress) becomes valuable. plushes are generally not benefitted by a pre-existing fanbase. those of characters usually look cheap or cheesy or otherwise limited in price or appeal. you will find many more people willing to pay a three digit price for a figure than you would a plush

now, those my little pony plushes.. yeah, we all know how crazy those folks are and what lengths they'd go to. the pokemon ones i am not so sure of.

i'd be curious to know just how many sales she makes. what does her table look like at the end of a convention? how much has been purchased of the high ticket goods?

[Anonymous No.8240956]

probably most importantly is to note the prices of her other items. much cheaper in comparison and she likely knows that is as much as those particular demographics will support.

[Anonymous No.8240979]

>>8240956
I'm gonna side with this person.

I agree that $120 is too much for a plush like that. They're better quality than store-bought, but you can only add so much detail to a plush. Those are probably worth $60 max.
However, the MLP fandom is fucking nuts. They'll pay $1000 for a pony that size with a hole in its butt. It wouldn't surprise me that they'd pay $120 for a simple plush.
Pokemon fandom does this as well, to a lesser extent, hence why its price is only $100.

[Anonymous No.8241150]

What would be a reasonable price to charge for those custom printed pencil cases/cosmetics bags from artsbovine?

Pic not mine but related.

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8241188]

>>8241150
I charge 15 each for the medium size and depending on the design they're SUPER popular!

[Anonymous No.8241233]

>>8240952
Not to mention figures are usually handpainted, and all those little details take time and effort.

[Anonymous No.8241247]

>>8240952
You've hit the nail on the head, it's all about perceived value. To answer >>8240789 I have paid up to $35-40 for amigurumi items the size of a baseball, and $550 for a one of a kind plush from my favorite artist that's around 9" tall. I'm really the wrong person to target for your argument if we're getting specific.

I still price my shit at $10 a small item because I know a majority of the market is not me though, so I'm not disagreeing with you in terms of how the average person is. My post should read more like exasperated agreement that most people will not pay exorbitant prices and that I'm generally tired of hearing that I should raise my prices because I know what the average buyer's mindset is.

I would absolutely rather clear out stock than take anything home and thus I also price accordingly even if it sucks shit.

[Anonymous No.8241306]

>>8240426
fyi her shit is really good and i see her sell fine at many cons. i've even bought a $20 change pouch from her because her embroidery patterns and quality are worth it??

i'm a print artist mainly but i've dabbled in making plush for myself, and her prices are not unreasonable a tall. seems like you're used to shit tier plushies who can't command minimum wage for their work tbh

[Anonymous No.8241385]

>>8241306
I only buy good quality merch but there is still a set price I'd pay for a plush that size and it is nowhere near $100+. Simple as that. Of course, I'm not that into ponies or pokemon that I'd drop my gas money on them.

But like I said, if she can sell for that price, all the power to her.

[Anonymous No.8241402]

>>8241306
it's really not as good as you think, just so you know. i mean, not trying to be a bitch, but all of it looks like embroidery machine work, which takes almost no effort to program in and do. and the manes on those ponies look like wonky cheap felt from the small picture.

[Anonymous No.8241505]

>>8241402
>all of it looks like embroidery machine work, which takes almost no effort to program in and do
I'd rather they use an embroidery machine than embroider by hand for a lot of the plushie details. Besides it's the most efficient for time and effort, and don't you have to design the pattern in some program anyway, then fit the pattern to the fabric, thread up the machine, etc.? To me still takes plenty of effort, and the artist has to steadily make back the money they invested in those machines and threads too. I understand after making the first pattern like for the pony eyes, it's a cookie cutter for the rest, but it's not something to just wave off and say "takes almost no effort".

[Anonymous No.8241664]

is it weird to sell mini prints of something but nothing bigger of that piece?

[Anonymous No.8241719]

>>8241664
nah, people do that all the time. Some booths will only carry postcard size prints.

[Anonymous No.8241725]

>>8241664

I carry a wider range of prints in my postcard size than I do in my tabloid size. I see the postcard prints as a way for me to have items that may not be as popular in a large print or to just offer a wider selection.

[Anonymous No.8241747]

artbovine is having a sale on eyeglass cloths and that is something I've always wanted to produce

I've asked this previously in AA threads but how many of you would be interested in purchasing a microfiber cloth? How much would you pay for one if you were interested?

[Anonymous No.8241751]

>>8241719
>>8241725
sweet! cause i have a charm that i had drawn super gigantic and ive had just as many requests for a print of it as charms. probably should tidy it up and add a pattern background though. thanks guys!

[Anonymous No.8241767]

>>8241747
What is artbovine?

[Anonymous No.8241775]

>>8241767
artsbovine is just my filler name for that one site that a lot of seagulls use for printing. The actual name is considered spam for some reason. Switch out bovine for one of it's synonyms. One that produces milk.

[Anonymous No.8241966]

>>8241747

fellow artist here who started making microfiber wipes because i wanted to experiment with patterns and not feel obliged to make pouches out of them. i havent bought a huge stock or sold them at a con yet but non-aa friends really love them in person (i used mine). not sure how to price them so unfortunately cant help with how popular they are at cons yet, but i def say im planning on ordering more this round

[Anonymous No.8242244]

>>8241775
That makes sense, for some reason when I typed it into google the actual site would show up. Thanks anon.

[Anonymous No.8242459]

>>8237838
Please do anon! I can't believe people were already selling them...

[Anonymous No.8242637]

>>8242459
I want to design washi tapes soooo bad, they're so cute to use.

[Anonymous No.8242822]

Speaking of artsc*w, how long do orders usually take to process? I ordered 2 printed clothing items a week ago, do you think it'll be much longer before the mail them?

[Anonymous No.8242848]

>>8241150
I have the small size and sold them for $10 a piece at Sakura Con and I only had one left by the end of it. They do pretty well!

[Anonymous No.8242859]

>>8242459
>>8242637
Sadly at this point I've talked to about 10 suppliers and they've all given me some bullshit about 'oh if you want CUSTOM custom designs you actually have to order 3500/500/8000 rolls!' and I'm not about this

Waiting on replies from some other companies but unless people are willing to give up their sources it's looking kinda glum.

I just wanna print some cute tape man, damn...

[Anonymous No.8243006]

>>8242859
I was checking tumblr and one girl says she printed them here:
http://innopack.com/
Maybe they are doing a group order?

[Anonymous No.8243147]

>>8242822
About 1-2 weeks from placing an order to shipping. And then anywhere from a week to just over 2 to arrive from shipping.

[Anonymous No.8244262]

atomic lollipop's artist alley is requiring an art donation worth $20 in addition to paying the full fee for the table this year. looks like they also require you to ship it to them yourself. has anyone ever heard of anything like this?

[Anonymous No.8244279]

>>8244262
That seems pretty weird. Is the pricing for the tables themselves cheaper than average to make up for it?

[Anonymous No.8244285]

>>8244279
no. it's for 2 days at a con with about 2000-3000 attendees from 10am-6pm and the prices are this:

Amateur Artist Table Half (3' Table) $80
Amateur Artist Table Full (6' Table) $115
Professional Artist Table (8' Table) $175

[Anonymous No.8244332]

>>8242859
No one has ordered washi tape alone jsyk

[Anonymous No.8244350]

>>8243006
Would anyone be interested in a cgl washi tape group order?

[Anonymous No.8244356]

>>8244350
I'm definitely interested.

[Anonymous No.8244360]

>>8244350
I'd definitely like to go in on that.

[Anonymous No.8244363]

>>8244350
btw on that site it says there's a 4 color limit, you should ask if that just means CYMK (full color printing) or if it's really 4 exact colors only.

[Anonymous No.8244386]

>>8244356
>>8244360
>>8244363
I'm at work right now but I'll shoot them a message when i get home! I'll ask about colors, design limits, etc..

[Anonymous No.8244393]

>>8244350
I'm game

[Anonymous No.8244410]

http://m.alibaba.com/product/60069025026/wholesale-custom-printed-washy-tape-for/specifications.html

There's always alibaba too

[Anonymous No.8244463]

>>8244350
I would totally be!

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8244913]

I sent them the mail, so I'll keep everyone updated!

[Tim No.8244939]

I was out all day. Does anyone know what happened in AANI? Mods made a post about some offending post/thread being deleted.

[Anonymous No.8245275]

>>8244939
Some leatherworker named Damien Lucius Black (I remembered because that name is way 2edy4me) was apparently ripping off other people's patterns or some shit, one girl started minimodding, and then it disappeared and I missed the rest of the drama.

[Tim No.8245297]

>>8245275
Gotcha, thanks for the heads up

They're starting to pick lottery people for fanime now. I think by the payment deadline date, a ton more slots should open up if anyone else is waiting!

[Anonymous No.8245716]

>>8240806
>I laughed way too hard at that

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8245760]

I haven't heard back from Inno yet but I mailed this company as well
http://www.washitape.com.cn/en/displaynews.html?newsID=100204463
and am asking about design minimums/etc..

[Anonymous No.8246208]

>>8241747
Where/What is the coupon for this? I can't find it on their FB or Twitter D:

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.8246252]

>>8246208
here you go :)

[Anonymous No.8246258]

>>8246252
nayrt but thank you so much, been a while since I've made any artbovine orders

[Anonymous No.8246337]

>>8246252
Thank you muchly ahh!

[Anonymous No.8246587]

>>8241505
seems like you know your shit when it comes to this, anyways do you have any recommendations on a starter embroidery machine.

The few I made (by hand) look bad because the eyes are a bit crooked and not that well done.

[Anonymous No.8247327]

>>8241402
i'd rather have something "almost no effort" and actually look good than something take someone hours and look like trash. I mean if we're arguing for "perceived value" here..

[Anonymous No.8247370]

Washi Tape anon. I found a company that agreed to do a reasonable number of tape rolls in custom designs for me! I recommend contacting them as well.

Conditions: MOQ is 50 rolls, min 5 rolls per design. I've got enough designs that I can get away with just 5 min, but fair warning for those who might not. Haven't printed anything just yet and no word on pricing, but for those who feel daring I figured I'd post it.

http://chinatapes.en.alibaba.com/product/60141939197-220146887/Custom_printed_DIY_decoration_japanese_washi_paper_tape.html

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.8247402]

>>8247370
thanks a bunch anon

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.8247645]

So I just tried out my Silhouette Cameo on my Nintendo DS cases, and I'm kicking myself for not getting it sooner. My wrists are thanking me already for all the cutting by hand I won't have to do anymore.

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8247705]

>>8247370
oh my gosh bless you kind anon. Please keep us updated as you progress!

[Anonymous No.8248334]

Is badge-a-mint still one of the better places to buy a button machine? My research is like 3 years old but I can finally afford what high school me could not. Kinda hoping they have some better competition that is cheaper than a roughly $300 hit for one of their mid tier products.
Any other brands worth checking out? Has badge-a-mint gone down in quality??

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.8248439]

>>8248334
The Tecre brand is a million times better imo. The lifetime warranty is nice too.

Not sure what place would be cheapest for you to buy it, but here are some listings:

http://www.tecre.com
http://www.americanbuttonmachines.com
http://buttonmakers.net/
Bulk Button Supplies: http://myworld.ebay.com/buttonsafari
http://buttons.co.uk/
http://www.umakebuttons.com/
http://www.usabuttons.com/products/button-machines-for-button-making/
http://www.buttonsonline.com/machines.html
http://buttonbiz.com/
http://www.buybuttonparts.com/
http://peoplepowerpress.org/

I get mine from peoplepowerpress since they're in Toronto and I don't have to pay shipping (the button maker is pretty heavy)

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8248474]

>>8248334
I personally have an American Buttons Machine and really like it! I think Tecre and ABM are the two most popular right now? I've heard only good things about both.

[Anonymous No.8248551]

How much of a demand does cgl think there would be for sewn apparel like shirts? Not t-shirts but regular shirts with collars in different japanese-esque prints.

[Anonymous No.8249123]

quick question, what's the general table height limit for cons such as fanime and anime expo?

>mfw my table exceeds 9 feet from the floor up

[Anonymous No.8249176]

>>8248551
If they're around $15 I'd buy them. I'd consider up to $20 if I really liked it. I actually like shirts better than prints, I feel like I get more use out of them.

[Anonymous No.8249255]

>>8249123
generally 4 or 5 ft off the table that i've seen. Fanime in specific has a 5ft limit from the table.

[Anonymous No.8249309]

>>8249176
Okay, thanks! It might end up being more like around $20-30 per shirt but that's depending on the cost of material. Also the last convention I went to printed t-shirts were selling around 20 dollars each so it's probably not a good idea to go lower than that for my area.

[Anonymous No.8249378]

shit you guys idk how those coupon queens do it without getting anxiety, I just made an artsbovine order using one of their sweet email coupons and the total went from $924.68 to $219.78 and well... I FEEL LIKE I JUST COMMITTED FRAUD, ARE THEY GONNA TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME AM I TRULY GUILTY OF TAKING ADVANTAGE OF A POOR INNOCENT COUPON'S NAIVETY??

[Anonymous No.8249388]

>>8249378
oh I saw the other coupon in the thread but here is the coupon I used, I sound like a shill lol I just wanna share my sweet deal I swear. Note it only has like 10 days left on it.

[Anonymous No.8249427]

>>8249388
How many bags were you able to get at that price?

[Anonymous No.8249443]

>>8249427
I got 66, but it says there's no limit so you could get like a BILLION probably

[Anonymous No.8249543]

for 3D artists - how do you judge your stock. as in the stock that you have to make individually yourself - not printing charms and such.

[Anonymous No.8249686]

Any other seagulls manage to get into Nan Desu Kan?

Anybody else salty that they're gonna penalize us for selling to people without badges even though we're in an open area?

[Anonymous No.8249858]

>>8249378
I feel terrible when using their coupons too! I only ordred 2 things, but it went from about $40 down to $4 because I had a couple of cash dollars from doing reviews too.

[Digit No.8250240]

Back from Megacon and just ordered some sample clear charms from Taobao. Also found one on Alibaba and inquiring samples from them also. Will review as always.

[Anonymous No.8250275]

>>8250240
Thank you for doing that Digit! Hope they turn out well for you.

[Pixel !liV7ZvK9aE No.8250555]

>>8249378
You don't feel bad because their normal prices are overinflated so that when it goes on sale, you think youre getting a great deal and they still make a decent profit. Vistaprint does the same thing.
The only one I feel bad about is the free mouse pad chains that definitely put them in the red. Other than that, you're not really robbing them of hundreds of dollars. That's their business model.

[Anonymous No.8250565]

>>8250555
this, basically.
it may cost about 10 dollars for them to manufacture one tote bag, for example, because of the setup. but once they have it set up, each additional bag probably only costs them a few cents to produce. so the fact that they charge 10 dollars per bag no matter how many bags you order, plus exorbitant shipping on something that would only potentially weigh a few lbs, is ridiculous.
never buy anything in bulk from that site unless you're getting a minimum of 50 percent off with free shipping.

[Anonymous No.8250571]

I'm getting a little impatient with Matsuricon...was supposed to hear back from them within five business days last Monday. This is my first AA application. Is it normal for cons to be kinda lax on their word...?

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8251280]

>>8250240
So exciting! Thank you, Digit!

I know Digit already talked about Vograce's charms but I ordered the same design in Acrylic doublesided and Epoxy doublesided and figured I'd put together a small thing to share.

I'm still not really sure which I prefer, because they each have their strong points! Though, as shown in the photos, if you do text you want to adjust the files accordingly(which I didn't for the samples)

The acrylic has that cool depth that I like, and the printing is a little more clear. It will bend if you try to do so (I didn't push it to the point of snapping, but the charms I've done before don't bend. I'm sure it's because of the way they're put together)

The Epoxy seems very rugged and durable, not bending when you try to. The colours seem more saturated and distinct, but also a little bit yellowed compared to the acrylic (not really noticeable on its own..) and the printing feels slightly blurred. It's also fun to handle!

I have not tried dunking either of them in water, but I'm probably gonna soak them both tonight and see how they fare.

Hope this helps anyone!

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8251283]

>>8251280
oh my god I can't into direction apparently.. Please reverse what I said, the epoxy is on the viewer's right side. Acrylic on the viewer's left. orz forgive me.

[Anonymous No.8251508]

>>8251280

Thanks! I got quotes on the acrylic but if it isn't going to survive water I may get some quotes on the epoxy. Didn't make AA for the big con I'm going to this year so I'm just going to order a small batch to have for my smaller con and as panel giveaways.

Has anyone ordered Vograce charms with a 2-character design, or does everyone just order a single character as the charm?

[Anonymous No.8251620]

Does anybody here happen to sell mugs, and what price they've found sells best? I found a supplier that sells stuff similar to Jimi for slightly cheaper and I wanted to know if it would be worth it to even try.

[Anonymous No.8251767]

>>8251620
I read once on twitter that JIMI's mugs colors faded when they were washed by a dishwasher.
So you probably just order one and test it.

[Anonymous No.8251797]

Are artsbovine's shipping fees really as nutso high as they appear to be?

[Anonymous No.8251877]

Would a Corpse Party print do well if it wasn't overly graphic?

[Anonymous No.8252496]

>>8247370
Thank you anon! So anything about the pricing, right? I wonder how many of these people usually prints...So far I've seen people selling this from 8 to 10 dollars. (Regular washi tape cost 1-2 and the die cut ones from 3-5)

[Anonymous No.8252614]

>>8251877
Might be too graphic cause holy shit does that game/anime get graphic. Maybe if it's just them in a circle doing the ritual? but anything else would be graphic. Maybe keep it in an 18+ Folder?

That being said, if I saw Corpse Party fan-anything I would probably scoop it up because I love that series.

[Anonymous No.8252757]

>>8252614
Lol yeah, I really like the game and anime/manga but never see anything for it in AA.

[Anonymous No.8252774]

>>8237044
Are you getting them offset printed? You should be able to find a reasonably priced print shop that'll do high-end inkjet prints (usually works best with adobe rgb or srgb)

[Anonymous No.8253071]

>>8250555
>>8250565
>just got accepted into first AA so never used artsbovine before
>have coupon plus newmember credit
>get 5 cushions and 2 tank tops, wow it should only be $6 plus $10 shipping for all this!!!
>see dat shipping

shit. Still it was only $40 but idk might not do much but prints now to start off with lol.

[Anonymous No.8253150]

>>8253071
Your image is cute but it also creeps me out...

[Sie !67mUpLaAoQ No.8253699]

Hey guys, I did the water test and left both pieces submerged in water for 30 minutes yesterday. The epoxy piece is exactly the same as it was. The acrylic one showed signs of leakage ('wetness' inside the piece) which quickly cleared up and it appears as it once did as well.

However. There is another difference, and that is that the water soaking seems to have loosened the glue on the acrylic one holding the parts together. I'm able to pry it open slightly with my fingernails now.

It should still be fine for daily use on a keychain or backpack where something may spill on it, or get rained on. But I think if it went through the washing machine on accident it wouldn't do so well.

Overall it's still a very good product, but the epoxy one is definitely the more hardy and durable of the two!

[Anonymous No.8253724]

For those of you that sell tights, are artsbovine tights really worth it profit wise?

[Anonymous No.8254007]

To add to the influx of questions, how well do sensual/ecchi pictures sell? I was thinking of making some and putting them in an 18+ folder for my booth, but do people tend to shy away from buying them?

[Anonymous No.8254012]

>>8254007
I enjoy that stuff if it fits my tastes, which most don't. I feel like a lot of people that draw 18+ stuff are actually sexually inexperienced, judging from their work.

[Anonymous No.8254062]

>>8254012
Is it the poses?
Could you go into more detail about that, cause I thought about having some 18+ art.

[Anonymous No.8254098]

>>8254062
Poses are part of it, but I'd say it tends to be the overall framing of the scene. There are so many ways to have sex, so it's not anything as simple as (for example) they aren't looking at each other, plus I understand the need to take artistic license with some things to look better, so I'd say it's usually a combination of smaller things. I grabbed a random non-graphic yaoi pic to use as an example. The one on bottom is both grabbing onto their partner, but at the same time spreading their legs as wide as possible. It would make sense to spread their legs to allow for easier penetration, but they also aren't bracing their feet against anything, which they would need to do for both stability and to aid them with spreading since their partner isn't pushing their legs apart. The person on top isn't angled well for penetration, plus there's no sign that they've done anything to their clothes to get their penis out. He could have just unzipped, but fucking through a zipper tends to lead to chafing. The top is sprawled across the bottom, but it would make more sense if he would either be using the hand he's not aiming with to brace himself or for him to be raising his hips more. When you compare the body lines of the top it looks like he's stiff as a board, but when you look at where he's grabbing his dick and at the hip area of the bottom he obviously must be raising his hips.

And it may seem like I'm overthinking things, but I just chose a picture that I got an unrealistic impression of at a quick glance and just thought about why I thought it seemed off for the purpose of explanation.

[Anonymous No.8254133]

>>8254098
tldr use reference?

[Anonymous No.8254145]

>>8254133
Use good references, not any old shitty porn.

[Anonymous No.8254148]

>>8254133
Especially if you're a virgin :^)

[Anonymous No.8254491]

Where do you guys get your stuff printed? I bought some prints at a con this past weekend and the quality on them just looks so much better than how mine come out. I get them printed at a local print shop but for some reason the art just doesn't look clean and crisp like some other people's prints do, even though I do all my art at DPI and high resolution and stuff. Is it the printing place, or am I not optimizing my art for printing correctly?

[Anonymous No.8254498]

>>8254491
Also forgot to mention: I know there are resources in the OP, I just want to know where you guys, personally, get your stuff printed and your results with said printing place.

[Anonymous No.8254998]

>>8253071
OH my gosh. I LOVE this kinda creepy but adorable giraffesnakes pattern thing. Is it yours?! Do you have a tumblr/dA/somesuch??

[Anonymous No.8255324]

Is this a thing anywhere else? I know a lot of cons have the 50/50 rule but this is just getting weird. I cant sell 11 x 17 fanart because I have mostly 11 x 14 originals? The prices have to be the same?

"Only up to 50% of the display content can be fanart, this applies to all mediums.
This rule will be enforced by a table check on Saturday after everyone has been set up.
To make it easier on staff to identify what is original and what is fanart, please have a clear label system.
You may only display fanart items that you have equivalent original items of in terms of size, material, and price."

This just seems unusually strict.

[Anonymous No.8255348]

so anime expo emailed out a link that didn't work to a pdf on their website.
after some digging i managed to find it, and i'm a little baffled about their "no wheels" rule

i cannot physically carry my display and merch to the convention without putting it inside a rolling suitcase. i can understand no luggage trollies i guess, but no wheels at all? wtf

[Anonymous No.8255364]

>>8255324
>know a lot of cons have the 50/50 rule but this is just getting weird. I cant sell 11 x 17 fanart because I have mostly 11 x 14 originals? The prices have to be the same?
>"Only up to 50% of the display content can be fanart, this applies to all mediums.
>This rule will be enforced by a table check on Saturday after everyone has been set up.
>To make it easier on staff to identify what is original and what is fanart, please have a clear label system.
>You may only display fanart items that you have equivalent original items of in terms of size, material, and price."

Are those Otakon rules?
Part of me wants to say they shouldn't jump on you because of the minor size difference in prints, but then again, it IS Otakon.

I've seen way worst offenders at Otakon get in less trouble. There was a someone on facebook that had a booth close to 90% fanart then pitched a fit about Ota staff making them take some of their display down.

[Anonymous No.8255374]

>>8255364
Nah it's for this tiny con in my town, the table was like 30 bucks or something so im willing to put up with more bullshit I guess, but it really bothered me that they were essentially reserving the right to set your pricing or else.

This con will probably turn out to be a total ballpit, though.

[Anonymous No.8255398]

>>8255374
>ballpit
Ha, I love that we're using this as a term for shitty cons now.

[MyFebronia !/dEvARTwA6 No.8255525]

>>8255374
When you display the 11x17's, overlap them on top of each other so that only 11x14 worth of space for each is showing perhaps? If they're going to be that anal about it, fight back with creativity.

[Anonymous No.8255536]

>>8255348
Yeah that rule's confusing. AX allows rolling suitcases, but no doilies. It's a union policy.

[Anonymous No.8255820]

>>8253150
>>8254998
lol thanks anons. It is my image and I sent it off to have (4) standard cushion cases made because I don't know what else to make it into. I thought about cosmetic bags since everyone seems to be talking about them now, but I figure by the time I really get a shop rolling no one will want to buy a 50th bag.

A single giraffesnake thing can be a sticker if nothing else but like I said I'm just now starting so something will come to me.

>>8249176
>>8249309
I feel like $20 is really cheap for a non-mass produced shirt, considered congoers have been paying $20 for Hot Topic animu shirts for years. I was thinking more like $30-$40 for mine...I only have two ordered so I think I can price them that high and not worry too much about it, especially considering regularly on artsc0w they're $25 with shipping and factoring in the time it takes to make the design I feel $40 is justifiable. Am I wrong...?
The tanks I have ordered are all-over print rather than just a design in the middle or whatever, if that matters.

[Anonymous No.8256026]

I'm planning for my first ever artist alley and my first time making stuff for other people. Is there a forum any of you use to post your work and get feedback? Rather not spam here with my work

[Anonymous No.8256035]

Anyone applying for AWA? Was wondering if I'm supposed to get a confirmation email as soon as my app is submitted or if it's a manual process.

[Digit No.8256288]

>>8256035
AWA's submissions were in March. We're suppose to get acceptance letters some time this week.

[Anonymous No.8257116]

does this even look remotely like miku?
trying to decide if i should even bother finishing it and making it into a print

[Anonymous No.8257119]

>>8257116
It's what I thought of first. I don't even read/watch vocaloid.

[Anonymous No.8257124]

>>8257116
To be honest, not really, no. Her facial features read more as black/mexicain than asian, and I think that's what throwing me off.

[Anonymous No.8257130]

>>8257124
>>8257116
To clarify, she doesn't LOOK like Miku, but I/congoers would identify her as Miku because of her hair and earphones.

[Anonymous No.8257135]

>>8256026
You can join the AA facebook group.
facebook/groups/143875999117732/

[Anonymous No.8257137]

>>8257130
hmm, i imagine that would probably put some people off regardless.
i'll try reworking her face a bit, thanks for your input!

[Anonymous No.8257142]

>>8257116
your colors are giving me an orgasm but small point, her head is a bit big compared to her shoulders. Kinda bobble-headed.

[shoodoop No.8257547]

-Pic unrelated to my own work, but nice example-

I'm new into the AA scene and am still testing the waters.

I am almost completely just into crafting, but I could possible do small prints, buttons, bookmaks, ect., but I'm not fond of my own drawings because I wouldn't say I really have a set "style"

Anyways, I'm leaning more towards an accessories shop with hand crafted such and suchs, but am having difficulty narrowing my selection down to a realistic level.

>TFW too many ideas, not enough time/money atm.

>I started off with wanting to start a completely original art shop with fanciful and realistic horns with varying colors, decorations, methods to attach to your head, ect.
>I mean you see a million and one shops with fucking cat ears right?
>Wanted to throw up something more unique.
>Realized its probably too unique
>Have to market to weebs for the most part
>Had been so excited about the project I had designed 3 costumes with horns to showcase my talents and draw attention
> :(
>Go back to the drawing board
>Maybe have a few OC (awesome) horns and then some other stuff to cater to con goers
>Add making really good quality home stuck troll horns to my list
>Not fond of the fan base, (had an accident with some grey painted horror) but I like people to look good.
>look good in my stuff anyways

Anyways, that led me to thinking of a bunch of other stuff I could possible make accessory wise and I wanted you guys' input.

What are some accessory type things you like to get or wish there was more of at conventions? Lolita, cosplay, video game, ect.

If I get some sales on etsy, I'd like to get my first set-up at Nekocon which is medium sized and pretty decent.

[shoodoop No.8257568]

>>8257547
A lot of my ideas could be used for casual cosplay.
Also, a few ideas I was thinking of so far:

>Most headgear would have options for attachment via headband(decorated or plain) or posts that you stick through your wig into a stabilizer underneath
>OC/customizable horns (think like they have the build-your-own bell collar shits except better)
>Troll horns
>Pokemon ear sets (just ears and possibly some flair, no hats)
>Animal crossing Tom Nook set (apron, ears, tanuki tail. Hella cute)
>Pikmin head buds, flowers, leaf
>Totoro ears and leaf
>Necomimi inserts (instead of just cat or demon, different foam inserts such as rabbit or dragon, ect.)
>Tails?

When I can hone my serging skills, eventually:

>Kigurumi (Journey, Okami, Appa from ATLA, Totoro, eeveelutions, ect.)
>Backpacks/purses (Okami shield, pokeballs, ect.)

And of course various buttons, charms (think 3-D charms like totoro fuzzballs, split-able papou fruits, ect), bookmarks, and possibly custom vinyl sticks (for the car like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Disney, anime stick figure families)

[Anonymous No.8257734]

>>8256288
Oh, I thought they had continuous submissions since the app was still open. Was it just during March?

[Anonymous No.8257743]

>>8257568
>>Animal crossing Tom Nook set (apron, ears, tanuki tail. Hella cute)

that would be cute as fuck, probably would buy it

[shoodoop No.8257936]

>>8257743

I know, I'm pretty excited to make them. Adorable little nookling slaves everywhere.

[Anonymous No.8259594]

i know this gets asked in every thread, but my mind is going blank and i can't remember the general response.

fanime will be my first artist alley, and i need to know how many prints to bring,
i have roughly 20 different prints, mostly sized 9x13. it's going to be my main product, but i will have a variety of other items like charms, buttons and stickers.
i have about 25k followers on tumblr and 20k watchers on dA, if that helps at all.

i'm thinking like 5 copies of each, maybe with a few more stashed in my hotel room?

[Anonymous No.8259597]

>>8259594
forgot to mention; about 1/3 will be fanart, the rest will be original.

[Anonymous No.8259615]

>>8259594
>i have about 25k followers on tumblr and 20k watchers on dA
>i'm thinking like 5 copies of each

If they like your work I would have close to 20-30 of the popular ones - half on the so-so pieces...always hard to tell.

If this is THE ONLY CON you will be going to then just 5-10. I'd have more that can be sold at another con, better to have more imho if your work has a positive response from that many.

Just my 2cents

[Anonymous No.8259618]

>>8259594
bring 20 for your most "popular" art (what got the most likes on tumblr? favourites on deviantart?), 10 for your mid tier, 5 of your low. online hype is usually a good indication of what to bring.

if you don't sell out, that's more for next time. if you sell out on saturday, you're gonna miss out on potential hundreds of dollars, and prints cost what, a dollar to make? always better to print a little more than what you expect. but don't go overboard with like 50 of each (unless you're super confident in your fanbase).

[Anonymous No.8259622]

>>8259597
>about 1/3 will be fanart, the rest will be original.

Does your fanart and original art share similar techniques of your style?

Original art is always iffy, but can't really give an opinion without seeing a sample of your art.

[Anonymous No.8259629]

>>8259622
yeah, same techniques.
my most popular stuff on tumblr is original art, with a few exceptions.

[Anonymous No.8259985]

Did anybody else here with an Etsy store get contacted by someone named Brandon Jensen?

>"Hello, My names Brandon Jensen
>Hello,

>I'm starting up an online store. I would like to have your stuff featured on it. It would be of no cost to you whatsoever. Please contact me at my email [e-mail] so we can discuss details :)
.
>Thanks so much
>Brandon"

[Anonymous No.8260004]

I'm thinking about getting some charms done by Zap. Where do you guys buy the straps to attach the charms to? I'm assuming you would have to buy them in bulk, but I've googled to no avail. I'd also like to know how people put together the little baggies for them with the custom cardboard backing and stuff. I'm super new to this, so I apologize if these are dumb questions, haha.

[Anonymous No.8260017]

What are thoughts on photography prints in artist alley? I've seen this done in craft fairs where some amigurumi artists have taken really nice photos of their own plushies - and turned them into adorable postcards. Was thinking of doing something like this since I'm a 3D artist alley regular, and having something I can actually print would be nice.

I guess you could say it's like the few tables I've seen where there's cosplay photographers selling their photography photos - just...this is photography of my own items.

[Anonymous No.8260040]

>>8260017
Heeey the photo print thing, I thought about doing that myself for amigurumi/needlefelt/etc. No idea how well it'd do, I think it depends on the content, the materials, and how nice the photo is... but if it works, I'd hope it would make back time and effort in making the actual props in the photo, since I imagine the props are one-of-a-kind sort of thing.

Here's an example of such things: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/hine

[Anonymous No.8260043]

which do you guys, personally, prefer to buy? buttons or stickers? i'm not sure which one sells better.

[Anonymous No.8260048]

>>8260040

Thanks for the link! And yeah I'd been thinking of using it especially for certain pieces I wouldn't want to remake for sale since that can get extremely time consuming.

I might just try a couple photos and try it out for my next con. Since worst comes to worst - I'll just include it as a random freebie with purchases haha.

[Digit No.8260158]

>>8250240
Just updating this as things get processed so I don't forget, ordered 20 clear charms around 5cm/roughly two inches and my total came to $7 for the charms and $9 for the shipping.

People are starting to post photo reviews of the clear service and they look nice.

[Anonymous No.8260199]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXlzmId42qo
What's jackie's problem? Every time she comments/ makes an article, she seems pretty defensive toward the customers and her artwork.

"Haven't been to an anime convention for a year and a half now. Refreshing! The people (customers AND photographers) were very respectable, it was really great. There was super EPIC music going on, the food was great, and everyone was so nice and polite! When you go to a convention that provides every table with a complimentary bottle of water while staff walks by to check up on every table and help you out if you need it, this is definitely a place where they deserves a great reputation and respect, and you should support them to expand."

I mean, I understand being respectful and it's nice to have customers that compliment her work, but, is this just a case of her not being able to take criticism?

[Anonymous No.8260200]

>>8260199
http://jackieloart.com/blog/angry-artist-alley-your-customer-should-not/

[Anonymous No.8260212]

>>8260158
Can you share the link to the taobao store? Or is this the alibaba store? I'm just looking for a place with a small minimum order.

[Anonymous No.8260251]

>>8255536
can you use the suitcase as a dolly? how about if things are strapped to your back?

[Digit No.8260269]

>>8260212
http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=2013.1.20141001.2.606c8a&id=44199467289&scm=1007.10115.4482.i44147289768&pvid=0229fe27-9801-48a6-86bc-cb449a3bfe92#

[Anonymous No.8260343]

>>8260043
Stickers.
Buttons are too easy to lose.

[Anonymous No.8260355]

>>8260200
>http://jackieloart.com/blog/angry-artist-alley-your-customer-should-not/

eh he he he... I would almost agree to 90% of what she wrote as I've seen it happen myself at AA.

It is to be expected though in an environment of people casually walking/stopping/talking/touching stuff you just have to contend with.

[Anonymous No.8260380]

>>8260199

vids ok... simple, trying to do a positive note on the AA experience. My only criticism is the intro blurb a tad TMI - "been through shit <insert> sigh" I would have kept that part out, it may sound obvious if have been doing this for 10 years, did not want that heart-bleed-feels while trying to watch this.

[Anonymous No.8260702]

I like reading her blog just for the lol/sometimes she has good points/it's stuff about AA it's just fun to read.

But I definitely agree on how she takes some things personal or defensive. I feel like on some of her posts she even knows she is. She has some advice that she herself doesn't take - but consciously knows it.

Eh lately it seems like she's been trying to make it to the cosplay scene taking photos of people for references. I remember seeing her post about taking photos of people there.

[Anonymous No.8260733]

>>8260158
Please tell me this is yours. I've been trying to find cute TouRabu shit that isn't made with the game's sprites.

[Anonymous No.8260825]

>>8260158
Hey Digit! Thank you so much for the info. May I ask if those 20 were the same design or you sent more than one.

[Anonymous No.8260921]

first test run with some crappy photoshopping to edit out background clutter
crit welcome

[Digit No.8261014]

>>8260733
My stuff will never be that nice. That's just an image I grabbed from their review section.

>>8260825
I sent 2 designs, 10 each. Seems like they have no quantity or design limit. I'll do a larger order once I get these those.

[Anonymous No.8261021]

>>8260921
Your art looks nice.
Would lose the red and black, and stick with one color.

[Anonymous No.8261043]

>>8260921
I like the circus tent feel of it. The orange/black complements orange/white zigzag pattern you use for stuff. And I like how open it looks, it doesn't look too cluttered.

Will you be at AX? I've been meaning to throw money at you and seeing you in person would make it a lot easier.

[Anonymous No.8261070]

>>8260921
i'm sure you were going to already but just make sure all the prints are lined up, no gaps or crooked edges like the two smaller prints on the right side! When a table is sparse, little things like that really jump out and bug me

[Anonymous No.8261075]

>>8260043
I used to buy buttons more, since I don't have many places that I like to put stickers on...But I think a lot of people have the opposite problem (nowhere to put buttons on).

[Anonymous No.8261107]

>>8260158
When you get yours could you do like a scratch test to compare them to inkit/etc? My friend who bought a lot of chinese manufactured charms like that while she was in japan said the prints chip in only a few days so i'm wondering if the process is different since i know ink it charms are virtually indestructible in my experience.

[Anonymous No.8261111]

>>8261043
thank you!
yeah, i'm going to be at fanime and anime expo this year

[Anonymous No.8261147]

>>8261021
hmm.. i'm kind of attached to the orange and black stripes, but i could see how it would be distracting if/when i get more merch.

>>8261070
yeah, i'm working on a different method of hanging the prints that isn't so wonky

thank you guys for your input

[Anonymous No.8261161]

>>8261147
>the stripes
You can't ask for crit then not consider change, man...

[Anonymous No.8261172]

>>8261161
i never said i wasn't considering it mang. i'm attached to them, but i can see where they might be annoying to the viewer. especially if i had any more clutter on my table. it's something i hadn't thought of before.

[Anonymous No.8261205]

>>8260921
i like the striped look as a concept but im going to be hasty and say its possible that while it may surely draw numbers to look it may be difficult for shoppers to settle on something once they are there? just because of busy environment. worth a shot to test that theory out though because im really curious myself whether or not it will be beneficial in both ways for you!

[Anonymous No.8261237]

>>8261205
I don't see how it's too busy? I mean, the thread pic essentially has the same striped sort of awning and I've seen other set ups also do stripes. I think the black on the table breaks up the stripes nicely, since people won't see the bottom stripes once they're actually at the table.

[Anonymous No.8261414]

>>8261172
I really like the stripes. One color will just be boring.

[Anonymous No.8261480]

Just a question on any AA-ers who sell Sanrio art. I know that Sanrio is known to say something to fanartists who sell online - but what are thoughts about selling something with Sanrio in the artist alley? Thinking about doing a new print but with some hello kitty things.

[Tim No.8261554]

>>8260199
If she knew how to take crit, her art wouldn't be at the mediocre quality it's been at for the last four years I've known her.

She has a strong case of "I went to art school therefore all of my artistic decisions are justified" even though she doesn't have the real experience or chops to back that up. She sticks to small, local con because the competition of larger or out of state cons is out of her league. When she doesn't do well, it's never the fact that she's a terrible artist or a poor salesperson but that there's something wrong with the customers or venue ("not respectful," "con wasn't supportive," etc.). To compensate, she tries to be a voice of authority in the AA niche/community, but she's drawing from a very small pool of experience, again, because she's been small fry for years.

Sorry, I sound kind of ranty and bitter. I'm not, really, but it's just that artists like her exasperate the shit out of me because she's always there and shows no sign of improvement at her craft.

[Tim No.8261566]

>>8261147
How do you have them now? A simple way is t ouse binder rings and bulldog clips (binder rings to attach the prints at the top to your overhead bar thing, then bulldog clips to attach them and attach the prints onto the bottom). Makes tear-down way simpler and faster too.

Are you gonna add a couple more prints to the stand? I think you could fill in some of that space with a few more. Maybe 2-4 of the smaller ones (8x10s?) to fill in the space and another larger one off to the right. I feel like just filling in that space gives people more to look at and "fills out" the booth a bit more. Your art style isn't super bold and there's a lot of white space for the border too so it isn't too hard on the eyes.

[Anonymous No.8261582]

>>8261566
>bulldog clip
so that's what those are called...
the clip and ring idea sounds way more secure and practical than what i was using.
also yeah, you're right about the print layout. i'm going to try to fill in some of the gaps with smaller prints and postcards

[Anonymous No.8261800]

Do the clamps at Daiso work well enough? Instead of quick grip.

[Anonymous No.8261806]

>>8261554

This.

I felt like this status of hers was a mean jab to any artists who didn't get into fanime too.

https://twitter.com/JackieLoArt/status/584384856332697600

"Hey great news! I got a table at Fanime! Oh but you know what? I decided not to table and I don't regret it at all. *proud*"

[Anonymous No.8261810]

>last year offer to share table with someone who was looking for one
>this year they bought their own table
>guess who's looking for a table

Sorry for bitter. I know they don't owe it to me to share or anything, but we're both rookies with not enough material for a full table just yet and I thought we got along pretty okay? Similar amount of sales and our work didn't really clash against each other's either. I'm just feeling a little down since I don't have many con or artist friends as it is.

[Anonymous No.8261838]

>>8261810
Do they know you're looking for one?

[Anonymous No.8261857]

how much do you folks charge for commissions? just looking for sample prices. I want to get a bunch done during summer. fully body, either black and white or color. trying to get an idea of what people usually charge.

[Anonymous No.8261871]

>>8261838
I know they were online when I've mentioned it a few times. I'm not going to go "hey you share your table with me!" since they mentioned nothing of looking for a partner. I guess they're ready to fly solo or they found someone else... On the bright side, I don't mind the chance to be an average congoer again and stay long at cosplay gatherings and watch panels this year lol.

[Anonymous No.8261873]

>>8261857
i charge 30 usd or more for chibis and 60 or more for painted busts.
fullbodies usually hit or surpass the 150 dollar mark.
this is just online prices though, i doubt i would be able to get any clientele at a convention.

[Anonymous No.8261937]

>>8260251
>doily

Whoops, yeah, dolly. Haha, sorry. Yeah, I've seen artists pile up boxes and stuff on suitcases and no one's ever stopped them, and backpacks are obviously ok.

[Anonymous No.8261945]

>>8261554
Man, you're way too nice. Why bother trying to help someone like that improve? If she stays mediocre it's more money for the rest of us who care enough to improve our craft.

[Tim No.8262115]

>>8261945
I've never helped her. She's just local to me and I see her at cons a lot and I've seen how she's reacted to friendly criticism before.

>>8261857
Really depends on how I feel at the con. If I don't feel like doing them, but feel that I have to, I usually charge more. If I want to do commissions, I charge a bit less.

Usually around $15~$20 for simple busts and things, 25+ for bigger/inked/colored. For some reason, people really like to commission couple pictures from me, either shippy or not.

>>8261806
Oh man, if she got accepted for the first round of Fanime, then I KNOW something is up with that jury. Pardon the cattiness.

[Anonymous No.8262121]

>>8261873
hmm... $150 would depend on just how good you are and how much i like your style. if you were damned good i'd shell it out.

[Anonymous No.8262154]

>>8261554
See, that's the thing, I posed a question to the group on facebook and jackie immediately took the defensive. All I was asking was whether I was pricing my art too low/ or if it was fair to base it off of material/production costs rather than skill because some people can have inflated egos when it comes to their art and price it too much (ie jackie).

"one thing to consider is that as an artist, you can tell how crappy you think you are, but your customer doesn't. We have insane standards, so don't think too hard on it.
People misunderstand that although paper costs about ten cents, they should price their work at $1. What about the 5+ hours you spent making it? What about the 8 hours you spend sitting at the table trying to sell it? What about the 10+ years you spent your life honing your skills to do that? People don't factor in these things, and underprice heavily. Please don't go into the path of pricing your artwork at the base price of material costs; everything A said about pricing is spot on."

I mean... that's fine and all but aren't your customers the one who should be able to tell whether you're bad at drawing or not? I mean, she's been to several conventions where she's only sold one postcard, and her arts been in the same place for ten years, as well as her attitude. Her reactions just seem to always jump to the negative instead of positive, I guess is her biggest issue.

haha sorry for the long response, just glad I'm not the only one that noticed that.

[Anonymous No.8262196]

>>8262154
I've seen a person that had a similar situation, mostly doing cookie-cutter fanart, dismal sales - until she left the group she was with and hanged out with a more serious classmate, they planned and self-critique their work and ideas and now did pretty good sales with a low number of prints with her new illustration style.

[Anonymous No.8262210]

>>8262154
>https://twitter.com/JackieLoArt/status/584384856332697600
Jackie Lo @JackieLoArt · 4h 4 hours ago
I am proud to NOT table @ Fanime because I thought someone ELSE would appreciate the table. It was also announced too late for me to prepare

[Anonymous No.8262213]

>>8262210
>I'm proud because of circumstances that were out of my control led me to make a logical decision
what a bonehead

[Anonymous No.8262233]

http://jackieloart.storenvy.com/products/11807928-aeriths-pulse-of-life

>25 fucking dollars

[Anonymous No.8262239]

>>8262233
jesus christ does she draw everything as fast as she possibly can? It's like, one big scribble.

[Anonymous No.8262283]

>>8262239
>jesus christ does she draw everything as fast as she possibly can? It's like, one big scribble.
putting it like that - I can only imagine she is trying to emulate another AA that's *cough* does something seeeeeeeemiiiiiiiiiiiilar but with copic markers, better composition, and use of colors.

I think he's asian.

[Anonymous No.8262291]

>>8262283
"Anonymous: Jackie it'd do you a world of good if you would've waited until your art skill was a bit more advanced. I think your attitude on customers as well as your attitude as a seller for artist alley is rather negative and you'd probably benefit from just being more personable as an artist and a seller. Your prices are a bit outrageous for your level of skill so try working on your art before selling for as high as you do.

Thank you. My prices are my choice, and an illustrator should not be paid less than minimum wage for their work. If you are an artist, you will understand my dilemma, and if you are not, then you don’t understand how long it takes to make a single decent piece of work. As for the artist alley thing, again, if you have been in artist alley for at least half a decade, you’ll understand the amount of shit artists get there, and if you’re a customer, my blog brings light of it. Artist alley teaches you patience. Everything I hold in while at the convention goes out on this blog. My blog is not just a representation of a decade’s worth of experience, it represents me, my friends, and many other artists’ experiences we wish to bring light to. Also, you shouldn’t expect a passive blog if the title of the series is called ‘Angry Artist Alley’
Living in the Bay Area, where inflation is insane and having school loans in the five digits range, it’s kind of hard to change that price range. From what I have experienced, my price range is just as reasonable as the table next to me, the table across from me, and any other table in the same vicinity as me.
But if it makes you feel any better, no I’m not selling at conventions for a while because I decided to pursue my life as a comic book artist instead of illustrator, and sacrificing a lot of time to do that.
You can give me this same lecture after you read my my next comic ;)"

[Tim No.8262294]

>>8262283
Pretty sure I know who you're talking about. His art isn't any better, but he's figured out a niche that "works," he hustles like a motherfucker, and he has the attitude of a shounen manga protag, for better or for worse.

Despite his shit art, he's able to sustain a relatively comfortable lifestyle with just his art. It could also be that he does 40+ cons a year, though, and that people actually buy his stuff.

[Anonymous No.8262305]

>>8262291
Wow still awake eh? I don't like to lecture people this is just our opinions being tossed around here since someone brought it up hmmhmm. Other than that, I read your blogs and have no problems with individuals own personal quirks are not favorable to some, makes it interesting imho.

[Anonymous No.8262313]

>>8262305
Ehm, that entire post had quotation marks around it, which leads me to believe it was taken from some other source. I don't think she's going to get on the chon at 5am to give us critics a taste of her sassy attitude. That would be hilarious, though.

[Anonymous No.8262314]

[Anonymous No.8262318]

>>8262294
>he's figured out a niche that "works," he hustles like a motherfucker
haha.. ok yeah you know who I'm talking about. I think he stuff is just OK, the hustle does put me off. The folks I know that buy his stuff habitually I almost sense from them its like that carnival ride you must do each time it comes around, his niche or gimmick to me works on alot of newcomers that attend. As such, it's always good to have a variety of people doing commissions at cons.

[Anonymous No.8262323]

>>8262313
lolol...hmmm ok maybe. It appeared to rephrase my comment as a response, followed by an answer...still wouldn't surprise me if it was.

[Anonymous No.8262325]

>>8262314
>only the dregs of the internet gather there
I love that there are still people who picture 4chan as the alien jazz bar from Star Wars.

[Anonymous No.8262329]

>>8236576
That Vegeta plush is actually super adorable and reasonably priced. (It says $20 or $30, right? my eyesight is shit.) Really cute stuff all around.

[Tim No.8262330]

>>8262318
He's a very engaging salesperson and he's definitely developed a very strong fanbase. I think that's actually really good, though, so as much as his shounen manga personality kind of annoys me and as unimpressed I am with his art, I still respect him as someone who's figured out a way to make pretty decent money doing something they like. Building a dedicated fanbase is an excellent strategy that has applications way outside of conventions.

So you know, good on him.

[Anonymous No.8262333]

>>8262313
ok found that blog post...dammit ppl! don't link my response if it's going to be copypasta. Already had that for dinner.

[Anonymous No.8262334]

>>8262325
well I mean she's right...

[Anonymous No.8262336]

I've always wanted to attend an artist alley, but do you need some kind of huge online following to have a chance of any success? I feel like otherwise you'd just get overlooked for the bigger names.

[Anonymous No.8262337]

>>8241150
Some artist sold similar ones at NYCC for $10 and I bought 3 and got a small discount. I love these. I use one for pencils and one for money in a drawer. The third was a gift.

[Anonymous No.8262341]

>>8262336
You mean sell in artist alley?

[Anonymous No.8262343]

>>8262337
My only gripe with printed pouches is how it gets dirty and faded over time or usage to the point its an eyesore you simply hide in a drawer.

I simply buy these now and sew a patch over it or stick alot of buttons on it. http://www.amazon.com/Custom-Leathercraft-1100-Multi-Purpose-Zippered/dp/B0002YVBC0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429438042&sr=8-2&keywords=zippered+pouches 3 pouches for under $10... >.<

[Digit No.8262344]

>>8262336
It helps, but it's definitely not needed. Much like gathering a follow online your goal should be to present your art in a way that it attracts people to your table. There are a con goers that have "go to" artists or if you're in a particular fandom and you know X artist is there, but most look at AA to find new artists or prints, and plenty of people that don't have huge online presences do great in AA.

[Anonymous No.8262365]

>>8262336
At a smaller con less than 6K, I've seen this girl that's been doing cookie-cutter AA stuff with a group of friends and suddenly gets dumped by those friends. Following year does like 7 or 8 prints in her style fanart (doesnt bring any of previous works since ties with those group) and she sold like crazy. I just sat with her the entire time being my first AA and asked this never happened before?

So yeah, she drew in a unique style is all I can say plus it was fanart letter-size, no Tumblr, DeviantArt followers facebook nothing. People do notice an artists style, and she had to learn by that not following what her old friends did and they stayed at their level.

[Anonymous No.8262640]

>>8260921

my crit is you should do more stuff of fran from FF12

i missed out on those cute paper dolls you made of her

also, that display looks cool to me. fits your aesthetic well and is eye-catching.

[Anonymous No.8262932]

>>8262640
actually i might bring those dolls back now that i have a silhouette cutter
i just need to figure out how to use it

[Anonymous No.8263059]

>>8262336
in my experience, you don't need a following at all. i make pretty good sales at cons, and less than 5% of the people know me from the internet i'd say, it's a noticeable/rare occurance when they do. even a couple years in, majority of my customers are new faces that still want my card cause they don't know who i am online!

Turns out most people don't obsessively follow artists and only those artists, people just want decent art of things they like :)

[Anonymous No.8263137]

>>8262932

very cool. i'll definitely keep an eye on your etsy shop!

[Anonymous No.8263144]

>>8262314

it bothers me how she seems to try to be a big voice of AA - sure she has had experience, friends. I only give her creds for talking about AA at least. /shrugs.

https://twitter.com/JackieLoArt/status/589825039697973249


Also not having a huge following online can still get you good sales. As long as it's noticeable/interesting to the customer you're fine. Have a nice display to attract people/make it easier to see.

[Anonymous No.8263153]

>>8263137
if you ever want to buy something, just leave a note upon checkout that you're from cgl. i'll throw in some freebs

[Tim No.8263165]

>>8263144
These people have the critical reading skills of middle schoolers.

Also lol at "they don't like the style because it's not realistic" all right then

>>8262336
I think having a large online following only makes a huge difference if you want to be, say, a higher profile professional or want to start profiting in the upper thousands our something. Sometimes it'll guarantee a certain threshold of profit because you can bank on fans buying your newer stuff but there are plenty of extremely successful con artists who hardly have an online presence that do really well too for a variety of reasons.

[Anonymous No.8263166]

"because i wrote a blog about artist alley even though I'm just a mediocre artist at the place. Basically, because i'm not established enough, i shouldn't be writing a blog about artist alley. They said I should walk away from artist alley, get better at art, and then come back and sell because it's not good enough standards yet. People were telling me i was overpricing my artwork. stuff like that :T"

I don't think anyone was really saying for her to gftfo out of artist alley. Just. How has she not improved on her art.

It's makes it sound like she walked in "perfect" to the artist alley = customers don't like her work, their fault and so her style everything for not selling is all their fault.

"How COLORFUL is your work? My work is very bland and brown, so when a setup full of acid rainbow colors sits right next to me, I always have a very difficult time. If you want to draw the customers to your table, bright bold colors are very powerful. The layout and harmony of how you position each print is also very helpful too, but you’re going to need mad color theory skills to work that kind of stuff out."

...idk

[Anonymous No.8263173]

>>8263166

she's probably referring to the person who questioned her on tumblr.

http://jackieloart.tumblr.com/post/116727024606/jackie-itd-do-you-a-world-of-good-if-you-wouldve

[Anonymous No.8263182]

"I have an issue with how you represent yourself and try to represent this community. You have a very narrow scope of experience, limited just to Bay Area conventions. You also have a persistent habit of blaming other things for your lack of tangible success. I really don’t think this is a healthy attitude to share with people, especially newbie artists, which is who your blog is supposedly targeting. The last thing that any newbie artist needs is 1) a role model that has NOT progressed for the last decade and 2) thinking that it’s okay to blame the convention/area/congoers for their own inability to compete. DOing art as a living requires an immense amount of self-sufficiency and introspection. Blaming others reflects the opposite of those traits.

If you’re not continuing with the con scene, fine. If you do, however, I hope it’s after a lot of self-development, improvement, and maturity to succeed on your own merits. "

Fucking this. I did my first artist alley at Fanime last year and read her blog. (along with other sources.) But it gave me such a fucking BAD look and attitude towards the just AA in general. I didn't believe it 100%, but it was in the back of my mind.

And you know what? I left Fanime the fucking happiest person, great sales, met the greatest people. And realized I should've taken her outlook with a even LIGHTER grain of salt.

It gave me such an UNHEALTHY look and attitude, maybe other artists have indeed walked into the artist alley and left with the same as hers. But for me - on the overall scale it wasn't that case.

[Anonymous No.8263185]

>>8263182

Also to add to this. lol fanime aa organization makes me cry ha. ha ha. what is this payment step.

I'ma flip something if they're like lol gais no fanime aa. kbye.

[Anonymous No.8263292]

>>8263185
i have to fly out for this shit and they've been giving out wait list tables and i'm so terrified i'm gonna lose my spot like lmao LET ME PAY FOR MY SHIT

[Anonymous No.8263654]

How do you organize your acrylic charms after you've packaged them? I'm worried about creasing the packaging during storage but still need an easy way to get them out when i customer wants to buy one

[Anonymous No.8263701]

>>8262323
Yeah you are busted.

She is obviously lurking here and even posted the name of the other artist you guys may have been referring to.

*sigh* I understand why not to post the other artist in respect since its just a discussion, but wow she just lashed out and called out his work as *subpar* to hers...

That was totally uncalled for on her part.

[Digit No.8263774]

>>8263654
I got this and it works great. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0027ACBKI/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1429488674&sr=8-1&keywords=artbin+double+deep+super+satchel

[Anonymous No.8263792]

>>8263166
>I don't think anyone was really saying for her to gftfo out of artist alley. Just. How has she not improved on her art.

I feel the same way, I don't think no one is implying to anyone to leave AA. She took that tumblr criticism hard, if I knew someone doing it for that long and wanted to help that is what had to be said.

[Anonymous No.8263942]

>>8260199
>>8260200
>>8260355
>>8260380
>>8260702
>>8261554
>>8261806
>>8261945
>>8262115
>>8262154
>>8262210
>>8262213
>>8262233
>>8262239
>>8262283
>>8262291
>>8262305
>>8262313
>>8262314
>>8262333
>>8263144
>>8263166
>>8263173
>>8263182
>>8263792

Talk about Artist Alley Anonymous. Only thing missing is the person introducing themselves and their problem.

[Anonymous No.8264112]

>>8262314
But there are some really great artist that are in that FB and go on here.
They're helpful as fuck and really fucking nice.
It also helps that they have great art too.

[Anonymous No.8264273]

>>8263942
maybe you should calm down jackie

[Tim No.8264277]

>>8260004
I've gotten keyrings and straps from ebay. For local options, the walmart craft section and joannes/Michaels/craft store jewelry and findings sections sometimes carry straps too. If they don't sell them premade, you could also but some nylon string/thread and make then yourself using large jump rings. Much more labor intensive if you do that, though, but an option if you can't get them anywhere else.

Most people buy the nice cellophane bags from clearbags.com for packaging. Print out a cute design onto cardstock and stuff your charms into there. It's pretty labour intensive but I feel like charms sell way better with it.

[Anonymous No.8264280]

>>8264277
Thanks a bunch, much appreciated.

[Anonymous No.8264346]

>>8241966
I hope you're still around, do you have an etsy/storenvy? I need that mako one in my life! Super cute art, anon

[Anonymous No.8264548]

>>8239063
Fitness guru with no knife skills. She's gonna chop a finger off and she should be holding that knife at the bolster.

[Anonymous No.8264652]

How do you all handle being rejected from multiple cons? I've applied to 8 conventions this year and only managed to land 2. I feel like it's becoming more difficult to make artist alley a frequent thing.

Do you all like the off time from conventions? Do you think some conventions should supply more artist tables to meet the demand? Whats the best AA system application process you've seen (first come first serve, lottery, jury, etc)? Whats the worst one?

[Anonymous No.8264690]

>>8264652

Sorry to hear you only got into 2. On the bright side, it's two? Better than none!! Maybe it had to do with the type of con you were going into? That and their application standards.

If it was Fanime AA - I'd say take that with a super big grain of salt. I did get accepted, but seeing who did and who didn't - it's just so across the board I'd take that as lottery.

[Anonymous No.8264913]

>>8261014
Thanks so much for these resources, Digit! Did you go through a shopping agent or just ordered directly?

[Anonymous No.8266239]

>>8263942

[Anonymous No.8266324]

i know they are already on the resources list but just gonna plug for catprint. proofs arrived really fast and i had to switch out some files and they got back to me almost immediately and processed it. also very pleased with the quality for the price!

[Anonymous No.8266348]

Do you guys know why are AN AA people so anal?

[Anonymous No.8267032]

>>8266348
any examples...with pics?

[Anonymous No.8268651]

Has anyone done any of the smaller anime cons in florida?

(also are they worth it?)

[Anonymous No.8268730]

Kinda funny... I never kept up with Jackie's work until coming across this.

I went to high school with her, and really looked up to her. I watched her spend hours drawing, and making everything perfect. Her drawings were excellent, creative, and usually served a more important purpose. Looking at her now, I feel like a lot of that energy is just gone... and I can kind of reflect; it is simply a bitch to pour everything you have into a project when you're busy trying to adult. It's just a shame that I feel the artist I knew is gone.

[Anonymous No.8268744]

There's a point where some artists will become frantic to make sales and either work hard and improve, or become bitter and resentful while making excuses for their art not improving.

She seems the type to not take critique very well and that does not a good artist make. Ever. Some people just need to find a day job and get on with their life.

[Anonymous No.8268771]

I think that resentment/bitterness stems from a lack of confidence more than anything. It does, absolutely, corrupt the individual, though.