Artist Alley Thread: Summer Hype edition

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.9824185]

Previous Thread: >>9799061

>Please read the FAQ (always updating)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PpDyjw2LDxbupdvHMNsBUOBVB66Lzwf44RM1You1GDA/edit?usp=sharing
>Resources
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10uNmynwRn6CRc-OMqCeXmJwCNnEnd-vYi-7AQzSx74I/edit?usp=sharing
>Taobao/Alibaba services (broken link)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14zGSegr0b-429wZq5_xdMbE9hpLcXg8fqqe0OxnU2Yo/edit#gid=0
>Artist Spreadsheet
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ESQ-1h4IRUivbGNaxJFxXyDU1lSv26xTmMdH0sDX7sU/edit?usp=sharing
>How to order from Vograce (now with video on how to set up files)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/18UxKnpgrmeb82NnW5e4YIEX-eZ3zHt178Mp6i0A5gME/edit?usp=sharing
>Convention List (always WIP)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/13o7hD5xS3sDqVptnTVGUlRae3ovEE-vPPST_QOrQwtM/
>IP taketowns (based on artists contribution, may or may not have been a one time thing, use as a guideline)
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1696MDhNPhrZ0ySZhXkoJnGxb7l1OjW4JsVhu1wKvaWE

remember to keep fit and have fun fellow seagulls

[Anonymous No.9824223]

hi gulls

can we talk about PulsArt Studio for a sec?

The girl who runs it proxys for Kawacy and WLOP and used to rep a bunch of other big name artists in Asia. She's a pro proxy but she's been getting into a lot of juried AAs as if she's the artist, and when reported the AA staff rarely does anything.

If she stays in Dealers I couldn't care less. But now that's she's doing AAs massively, juried and otherwise, it's not cool.

She's listed in AB's Dealers this year but fan art is banned starting this year. So do staff actually care about the rules they set down?? -_-

i'm just salty.

[Anonymous No.9824305]

>>9824223
If she signed her dealer contract and paid before the "no fanart" rule was implemented, she can still sell fanart this year. I know a couple other cons where they're gonna be selling this year, but they have to apply for AA next year.

[Anonymous No.9824311]

can you gulls give me a quick overview of the low range prices for prints in the us? i'm from europe and people here in general seem to charge $4-7 for a 11x17" print. It's too low for my taste, but I know I can't charge $15 for a 11x17" print unless i'm extremly popular lol
Postcard size, bookmarks, 6x8, 8x10, 11x17, any print product where you can give me a rough idea on how to price it in the low range would extremely help me.
(i would also be very grateful for input from europe anons!)

[Anonymous No.9824337]

>>9824311
Well lucky you, $15 is considered dirt cheap for an 11x17 in the US. Here's what I consider low. Other anons may have varying opinions.

4x6- $5
8x10- $10
11x17- $15

[Anonymous No.9824339]

>>9824311
I charge 15 and I do fine

[Anonymous No.9824342]

>>9824223
I saw her name on there too, a lot of artists didn't bother with vendor because of their new no fan art rule.
What I want to know is how is they are getting away with it?
>>9824305
pretty sure the dealer sign up was after implementing the new no fan art rule. I don't see how they would have a different contract than everyone else.

[Anonymous No.9824345]

>>9824311
11 x17's range from $10-$20 in the US. $10 is the ABSOLUTE lowest you can go for that size here without getting flack from other artists/comments about undercharging. Generally you see $10 in places with low income/cost of living. $12 is what people charge when they don't feel as "good" as the other people around them, aka people just starting out or people who are trying to improve their art. $15 is the norm and like 90% of artists will sell their prints at this price. $20 is what a lot of the more popular artists (anime cons) or industry professionals (comic cons) charge or if you have specialty paper or finish (extra thick cardboard, foil, holo, etc).

[Anonymous No.9824350]

Anime Boston added like 40-50 more artists to make up for their timestamp mistake and only gave us our table spots about a week before the con.

They didn't even give us the right map.They linked the map from last year which doesn't have all the tables on this year's list.

[Anonymous No.9824360]

>>9824350
Was about to post this, and be like they got the wrong map bea. When it was first released last night there was no map image at all, so I'm hoping it's just a webdev mistake here.

[Anonymous No.9824388]

>>9824360
Yeah I remember the broken map last night. How hard is it to double-check these things before posting?

It wouldn't be so bad if A) it wasn't so close to the con already and B) they said they're giving us 48 hours to submit complaints/moving requests and we can't even do that since they fucked up on the map.

[Anonymous No.9824550]

>>9824311
European prices vary a lot from country to country. We've been slowly upping our prices in the Netherlands, €10 for an A3 (with a 2+1 free deal) seems to be the new standard and our sales haven't dropped at all. But I know prices in Spain and Portugal are wayyy lower than that. You're sorta dependent on what your community does, which sucks if the people around you insist on selling for cheap.

I sell postcards for €2, A5 for €4 (of 5 for foil) ftr, though I wanna raise those a bit.

[Anonymous No.9824592]

>>9824223
You might as well complain to dealer's staff and chair of the con before the con. And at the con, complain as well. Squeaky wheel gets the grease. Otherwise most cons will be happy to ignore (less work for them to deal) and PulsArt continues to get away with what they're doing.

[Anonymous No.9824597]

>>9824342
A lot of cons will sign contracts with vendors for the next year at the show, using the contract of the current con. So, if the staff approached her at the 2017 con, asking her to come back for 2018, she could have signed what is essentially the 2017 contract, but with 2018 dates and times.

I know of a few cons who do this. It is problematic when new rules get enforced between the end of the con of one year, and the opening of dealer apps for the next year. I know Tekko is going through this right now. They got a new vendor head in August or September who made a LOT of revisions to the contract, so fanart of any kind isn't allowed (unless it is officially licensed). There are gonna be people selling fanart as dealers who signed their contracts last year.
Tekko is a juried con that fills up within hours, and they allow proxy sellers as long as all the paperwork is order (I don't know if this is true, a friend told me this), so it's gonna be even tougher for artists to get in next year.

[Anonymous No.9824767]

>>9824223
if they apply as a studio its fine, unless the proxy doesnt draw at all, then its bad

[Anonymous No.9824800]

Where do people get clear and fabric pouches printed?

[Anonymous No.9824882]

>>9824767
The proxy doesn't draw at all. They're essentially professional proxies (just sell others artworks for a living). They are not an art studio, and do not have any part in the creation in the artworks.

[Anonymous No.9825358]

>>9824388
Everything looks fixed now for those with Aboston emails.
>>9824882
I'm slightly salty about proxies, it really kills it for the local artists. There's only so much space and everyone and their mother and proxy is trying to get a table. Kawacy and WLOP draw some amazing stuff though, I think I just need to draw betterer and everything will sort it self out. It's like a whole different ball game on skill level than 10 years back. Digital just makes learning cheaper and faster.

[Anonymous No.9825533]

I'm going to be sharing a table with my very talented friend and I don't know what to do about print prices. She sells her for 20 dollars but my art isn't good enough to justify that price. I feel like if I sell mine much cheaper than hers, people might end up just buying the cheaper option. What should I price my prints at?

[Anonymous No.9825562]

>>9825533
People won't buy a shittier print just because it's cheaper unless your friend is actually not as good as you're making it to be.

Having them be the same price also lets people do buy 2 get 1 free deals between you which helps both people, but if you really do not want to price at $20 consider building a partition between your halves of the table, i've seen plenty of people do that fine and you get the bonus wall area for both people.

[Anonymous No.9825623]

I have a question for those who have online shops, when you have people buy from your shop do you use your name "Jane Doe" or do you use your shop/brand name "Kawaii Kawaii"? Or do you just have a separate business and personal paypal account?

Another thing is when you ship your products do you ship from your name and address "Jane Doe" or do you use your brand's name like "Kawaii Kawaii", I'm going to assume though that you all use your shop's name and personal address unless you all have your own PO set us for your online business?

[Anonymous No.9825631]

>>9825623
I use my shop name for both and home address for return address.

[Anonymous No.9825640]

>>9825623

I use my shop name for everything and separate everything because customers are less easily confused that way. So many times I've sent a payment to shop and later I'm like "who the fuck is this rando I sent money to?" I also find having a separate PO box with the name of the business on it very useful. My mail carrier won't always deliver stuff if it's not addressed to my actual name, so having a separate box for it assures returns and so forth actually reach me.

[Anonymous No.9825678]

>>9825358
It's easier to git gud at drawing better when you don't have to spend any time attending conventions at all. More time spent on drawing everyday. Less time sacrificed travelling and selling desu.

That's why artists like kawacy and wlop who never/barely attend any cons will have a leg up over artists that attend cons themselves.
They also have time to maintain social media and other accounts because they don't have to spend time prepping or attending cons either.

[Anonymous No.9825686]

What's the best way to find people who are looking to share table space? Not for a specific con or anything

[Anonymous No.9825711]

>>9825562
Thank you so much for the response!
I was mainly worried since I remember being young with a strict budget so I would always opt for the cheaper option even if I didn’t like it as much, haha.
I’ll definitely bring up using a partition, that’s a really good idea.

[Anonymous No.9825786]

>>9825711
No problem. Personally as the person who is usually the "better" half of a table if i share I don't really care too much if the other person sells for cheaper if their quality is also lower, but if they are just as good as me it can be a little frustrating so it really depends on how honest you are about your two skill levels.

But the participation is really an easy and good solution for more space in a shared situation anyway, if you guys are using a pipe display you basically just want to add an extra "side wing" to the center with a quad (or 5/6 if you can't find 4) pipe connecter which should be very easy.

[Anonymous No.9825951]

Does anyone have any advice for meeting fans? I'm vending at a con this summer for the first time and and I'm going to be meeting a lot of my followers for the first time. Not that there's a problem with it, but I'm just super shy I guess and don't know what to expect;;

[Anonymous No.9825971]

>>9825686
this thread

>>9825951
act like a human being that leaves the house more than once a month.

[Anonymous No.9826001]

>>9825951

My advice is to smile and make eye contact, and don't get stressed out if things get awkward; a lot of the fans you'll meet are just as awkward as you, and could even be nervous about meeting you. I'm the most socially awkward person and at a point I just start rolling with it and I barely remember anyone I talked to at the end of it, much less anything embarrassing.

>>9825971
>act like a human being that leaves the house more than once a month

Meeting a thousand people in a day at a convention with your artwork on display in front of you is a lot different from talking to the barista at starbucks. Don't be an asshole.

[Anonymous No.9826186]

>>9825951
Enjoy it! It's a fun experience. Don't overthink it anon, if you really don't know what to say, just say "thank you" and smile.

[Anonymous No.9826211]

>>9826001
Yep, make eye contact. As someone who makes sure to look at every single booth at every con I go to, 1-10 will look at me and say hi, some won’t even look at me, I don’t buy. A greeting makes a difference!

[Anonymous No.9826216]

To buyers, is it a turn off when an artist at their table is on their phone or distracted somehow? Personally, accidentally making eye contact with the table across from me, or watching people pass by can be awkward so I check my phone from time to time.

[Anonymous No.9826258]

>>9826216
I don't mind them being slightly distracted, but if they don't even acknowledge me after a bit (like, don't even look at me or be deep into a conversation with another artist) I'll just pass on whatever I was planning to buy.
As a seller, I usually just go "let me know if you need anything" towards a crowd, since it usually makes people with no intention to buy go away at the same time.

[Anonymous No.9826272]

>>9826216
Yeah, it does. I'll probably still buy from an artist on their phone if their art is nice enough, but if you're just ignoring me while I'm looking around, it's kind of rude. I don't need some five star customer service. Just don't look like you're bored out of your mind. How about working on some art instead of going on your phone? That's what I do as a seller.

[Anonymous No.9826274]

>>9826216
It doesn't bother me as long as they aren't totally distracted. There have been a few times I tried to ask an artist something but they completely ignored me.

[Anonymous No.9826316]

>>9826001
>>9826186
Thank you guys!

[Anonymous No.9826318]

>>9826216
>>9826258
Is it a turn off to buyers if you're drawing? I take sketch commissions during the convention and I wonder if I'm pushing away sellers doing that. Obviously I still say hi and keep looking up, but is it rude if I continue to work?

I've never seen anyone have a problem with it or act annoyed, maybe I'm overthinking it

[Anonymous No.9826360]

>>9826318
You're overthinking it. It's only a bother if you get so engrossed that you forget to look up and greet customers, but other than that it's great. Keeps buyers from feeling stared at, gives you something to do that looks "productive" instead of bored.

[Anonymous No.9826365]

>>9825623
I use my business name for everything including return address. But I'm in Canada and we seem less anal about having the correct name on the parcel. As long as your address on your ID matches the package address, you can pick it up. So family members in the same house can also pick up packages from the post office for you

I use my home address for the return address because I dont really care, but if you arent comfortable with it you can always set up a PO box.

[Anonymous No.9826420]

>>9826216
>>9826258
>>9826272
Is it ok then if you achnowledge them but then look away? I always drop my phone if someone comes up, but I'll usually greet them to show that I'm paying attention, and then lightly draw or doodle or just do something so that I'm not just staring at them the whole time because I figure that makes them uncomfortable. I won't diddle on my phone, but I will come up with almost any excuse to just not like... stare at them.

[Anonymous No.9826428]

>>9826216
As a seller, when i was new to AA i would do my customer service retail greet and hi to everyone and now I just look at my phone if it's slow and look up every so often to gauge if someone needs a greeting. You can kinda get a feel if someone "expects" a greeting and if someone just wants to browse in silence. Invariably, i do get distracted and have had customers have to say "excuse me" and I apologize and they've always been like "it's okay!". My income is on the high end, 10k+ at good cons (of course for those i don't even have time to look at my phone)

As a buyer, I honestly don't care what an artist does. I want to browse in peace, ideally they don't even look at me. I would only be annoyed if I was actively trying to get their attention (excuse me, etc) and they straight up ignored me and they looked non chalant about it. Obviously if someone is having a tense conversation or something on their phone I understand, I've been there. I give a lot of leeway because, hey, I've been there. I don't expect artists to be at my beck and call. If I want something, i'm an adult and I can speak up.

[Anonymous No.9826458]

>>9826420
I haven't been vending that long, but I can tell you as someone who use to be a avid AA shopper, staring made me extremely uncomfortable. I usually prefer if the person is busy but not too busy to where they can help me if I'd like to buy something, and I would definitely not be bothered if they were on their phone. I'm not sure how others feel about it though.

[Anonymous No.9826510]

Quick question concerning Zapcreatives, what’s their turnaround for receiving an order, getting the design printed and shipping it back? This is for acrylics/wood charms mainly.

[Anonymous No.9826915]

>>9826420
When I notice customers I just look up and say a fast "hi, let me know if you have any questions!" since I could go all car salesman on them but personally, that feels very annoying for the customer and it's very draining on me to put that much energy for every single person.

[Anonymous No.9827074]

>>9826510
the last order I had with them (during their black friday sale) I had about 3 weeks from when I submitted my art to when I got it at my door. (west coast of the us)

[Anonymous No.9827080]

>>9826510
Did an acrylic/wood order with them recently, was about 18 days from sending them my designs. To Australia.

[Anonymous No.9827095]

>>9826216
I think it's fine, I would get really uncomfortable if the artist was staring at me while I browsed. I just throw out a "hello!" or if they've been looking for a while (I guess over 10 seconds lol) then I'll tell them to let me know if they have any questions. Since I can't concentrate on drawing while at cons, I'm almost always on my phone otherwise I don't know what to do. Just as long as you are always aware of when there are customers at your table I think you're good.

[Anonymous No.9827145]

I'm looking to get a fanart commission done at an upcoming con. I have a few general questions:

The art is for a custom TGC playmat, the manufacturer's printing template for which is 14x24 inches. Is this a size most artists would be willing to accomodate?

Would artists be comfortable with emailing a file, .psd or otherwise, in lieu of a print?

Is it bad etiquette for me to be particular about color palates (think Street Fighter character alternate colors) and poses (Ultra move poses)?

Assuming this is all above the board, what would be a reasonable price range I can expect for a full-color (and perhaps background) commission?

[Anonymous No.9827162]

>>9827145


you seriously think anyone is going to be able to do a fullsize digital commission for you at a con?

Just collect their info and email later for quotes.

Prices could range from 100-200 on the lower end to 400-500 in the mid range, I know quite a few artists in the con scene who wouldn't do it for any less than 600.

[Anonymous No.9827176]

>>9827162

I wasn't "thinking" anything. I didn't even mention time constraints. Not sure where that aggression is coming from.

Will take your advice requesting quotes, and possibly a proof of sorts.

[Anonymous No.9827181]

>>9827145
For what you're looking for, you're better off shopping around online rather than at con. You can find a style you like at a con but the time you'd get to talk to an artist is sometimes limited whereas shooting an email with all your details for a quote is much more efficient. Not to mention, I've had constant requests like this at con but when I tell them to email me, I get zilch response so I usually don't take at con responses too seriously.

[Anonymous No.9827184]

>>9827176
nayrt I'm gonna guess your wording of "get a commission done at" may have sounded like a do it on the spot sort of request rather than a general search.

Your asks don't strike me as unreasonable, depending on the artist they may find it easier to work with you if you already know what you want.

Agreeing with >>9827181, you'll find it easier to negotiate online than at a convention and if you're asking for something that complicated it'll make it easier for both parties to have everything in writing.

[Anonymous No.9827234]

>>9827145
keep in mind that if this is a multi character thing - and i'm making an assumption that it is, so feel free to ignore me if i'm wrong - it will steeply increase the price for many artists

[Anonymous No.9827253]

is it ok to start off with fanart and then slowly moving to original art until you only sell original art? or would you guys suggest that one should always sell fanart no matter how much experience you have?

[Anonymous No.9827340]

>>9827253
Some people have tables of that generic pretty fantasy anime looking art and that's all they sell- no fanart needed. It depends on you, your art style, pricing, how you're advertising it, etc. Try it out, anon. That's the best way to know.

[Anonymous No.9827486]

>>9827253
Very ok. I started with a mix of fanart and original, just to figure out what of my original stuff actually was something people wanted. I still use some fanart to cushion myself, just in case that weekend no one wants original art.

[Anonymous No.9827520]

>>9827253
That's pretty normal. I've got a few AA buddies who started with fanart or a mix of fanart/original art and moved away from fanart.

[Anonymous No.9827613]

>>9827253

If you still make decent sales selling original then it's the place to be. Most people only sell fanart because they can't make money off original works. Fanworks can be shut down at any second, by the cons, by the copyright holder, so having original work means you are not at anyone else's whims. Some artists have had to throw out entire inventories because a copyright holder suddenly cracked down on their IP. It's just not a smart investment overall. But original work is harder to sell to general con audiences, unless it's very generic concepts, or you start your own brand that becomes well known.

[Anonymous No.9827806]

(Forgive me if this was asked already)
Has anyone heard about waitlist people being contacted for ColossalCon AA?

[Anonymous No.9827813]

>>9827253
It just depends on what you want! My table is 50/50 fanart/original but it's because when I first started out, I needed to fill table space so I used the original pieces I had already done and they still sell to this day so why not leave them up.

[Anonymous No.9827874]

These anime Boston emails all sound like the panicked ramblings of a 14 year old girl. Why is this con so successful when it seems to be held together by paperclips and bubblegum?

[Anonymous No.9827925]

>>9827145
My own prices start 150 1/ character no background. Personal or small press use less than 100 copies. But yes I've done similar things for peeps, and other artist would too.

[Anonymous No.9827943]

>>9827874
First email about the tables she said this is her first year doing this. So.

[Anonymous No.9827957]

>>9827145
All of those things are reasonable to ask for. In my experience, the more detailed the commissioner is the better

[Anonymous No.9828020]

How many buttons do you guys usually have pre-made on you for each design?

[Anonymous No.9828031]

>>9828020
Completely depends on the popularity of the design, anon.
I've had some cons where I've taken 300 of one design and sold out/had to make more in the hotel room and also come home from that same con with leftovers of another design after only punching a dozen.

[Anonymous No.9828040]

>>9827874
its not that bad f am, have you seen otakon emails

[Anonymous No.9828049]

>>9828040
blows cigar smoke out into the distance, otakon? I haven't heard that name in years

[Anonymous No.9828201]

>>9827874
>>9827943
I'm not surprised it's a new person, previous years have been progressively more chaotic and mismanaged.

>>9828040
lol don't even get me started on Otakon, one year I requested and paid for electricity and they not only forgot to provide it, they charged me DOUBLE to get it installed when I arrived.

[Anonymous No.9828478]

Why don’t any of us run AA for cons? I’m sure most of us could do it better than these jokes they keep putting in charge.

Or at bare minimum why can’t cons have a few artists who actually table in AAs to advise the AA staff?

[Anonymous No.9828519]

So first time I’ve ever done something like this, and I have a few questions.

If you’re making fan art acrylic keychains, is is frowned upon to put your user name on the keychain?
Also, I want to do double sided 3” acrylic keychains, what are the most and minimum I can sell them for? Or really, what’s the average?
How do you really draw attention online wise to get popularity? I do giveaways for some of my work, but it’s like that’s the only way I’ve brought in people to “like” my art page..
I’m nervous and I’ve never done something like this, it’s funny- I’m so afraid of failing I get almost too stressed to even start this up.

[Anonymous No.9828523]

>>9828478
Because we actually value our time and AAs tend to be run by volunteers who get diddly squat for their time

Probably explains why they're all so bad at it

[Anonymous No.9828530]

>>9828519
>user name on the keychain
Honestly, I'd prefer if more artists did this subtly somewhere on the product. A lot of artists put handles/names on the packaging but that can be lost/thrown out, and it'd be nice to be able to keep that info with the item. I don't think it'd be frowned upon.
>double sided 3" acrylic keychains
I sell my double-sided 2.5" acrylic charms for $15, they have different art on front/back. Maybe $16 for 3"? At that point the price is pretty high. I wouldn't go below $12.

Also don't be stressed, your first goal is to break even on your investments, so just aim for that and expect losses at first (start small for stock so even if you don't make it back it's not a huge deal). Good luck!

[Anonymous No.9828559]

Has anyone here had an experience with dating one of your fans? I was considering it until I’ve read so many stories that they just end up expecting free art...

[Anonymous No.9828566]

>>9828559
Wouldn't reccomend it. I've had some bad experiences dating people only to find out they only wanted free art of their characters.

[Anonymous No.9828616]

>>9828559
It's either that or they end up being freakishly clingy and you end up having to get a restraining order because they couldn't accept that you guys broke up. Don't do it. Trust me.

[Anonymous No.9828634]

>>9828559
Even if you guys genuinely like each other, if they self describe as a fan there's a power imbalance problem. So long as you're on a pedestal in their mind the relationship can never truly be even, which dooms it for failure.

The Fan > Friend dynamic can shift over time, especially if the "fan" is also a creative (art, writing, w/e) then it gives a chance for conversations to naturally evolve into talking evenly and being excited for each other, not just a one way street. From there going from friendship to dating doesn't sound like it would be a problem? But I've never dated anyone I met like that, so no first hand experience there. Either way to go directly from Fan to Dating is a bad idea.

[Anonymous No.9828645]

>>9828634
Yeah I think you at least need to see them as another artist/ your peer in some way even if they aren’t on your level

[Anonymous No.9828778]

>>9828559
People who are artists themselves usually never ask for free stuff because they understand why thats bad. If they are some normie, then they might have a higher expectation of you, but if they do art too, even if nowhere near as well, they will at least be able to view you more realistically since they can relate.

[Anonymous No.9828793]

How do you reject print trades without sounding like a dick? I can't stand the people who walk around with a batch of their prints and shove it to everyone asking for a trade. Even if they're not being obnoxious about it, it's still awkward to decline. I wish people would stop doing it.

[Anonymous No.9828806]

>>9828793
I only accept print trades at the end of the event. I just ask them to come back later, on the last few hours of the last day being open and they can take their pick of what's currently left. I'm certain they'll understand that you don't want to just give stuff away on the first day when you don't know what is going to sell.

[Anonymous No.9828875]

>>9828793
I felt the same way...it's also really awkward when they ask you to stop by their table and there's nothing you really want. I used to allow trades because I was eager for new friends, but I don't have use for prints and I'm really picky with charms so the whole experience for me is just a bit strained (especially because I'm really bad at faking excitement). It's usually not because their art is terrible or anything but mostly because I don't like having a bunch of random merch just sitting around my room (unless it's my stock, of course).

Now I just say "oh sorry, I don't really do trades, but thanks for the offer!" It's not as hard as it seems and it's much better to just get be direct. If I really want something from someone I'll buy it.

You can also resort to "sorry, I have to save inventory for another con but I'll stop by your table sometime later!" but I tend to feel bad when I don't really mean it.

[Anonymous No.9828908]

>>9828566
>>9828616
>>9828634
>>9828645
>>9828778
Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I’ll try being just friends at first and see how that is since I know to watch for the pedestal stuff now.

[Anonymous No.9828972]

first con went good, lads, thanks for the tips and ideas

[Anonymous No.9829092]

>>9828559
kind of did this, months down the road found out that their crazy ex was a huge fan of my work

>smallworld.jpg

[Anonymous No.9829154]

>>9828793
Prints cost me literally cents, and making AA friends is the best and most fun kind of networking there is. So, with my mindset on that (which I understand not everyone shares), my stock response is, "I'm sorry nothing really grabs me and I'm low on wall space, but if you want to pick out a print go ahead. Do you have a business card - awesome! I'll follow you on twitter when I get back from the con."

That said, I ONLY accept trades/freebies at the end of Day 3 after AA closes - so if they come by before then it's, "I do trades at the end of day three! Come back then!" I need to make sure I have stock for customers after all, and I especially don't want to use the free print line around anyone about to hand me money.

[Anonymous No.9829159]

So is no one going to call out on this blatant rip-off?

[Anonymous No.9829162]

>>9829159
not your personal army, you got a problem you take it up with them.

[Anonymous No.9829189]

>>9829159
it's not even similar? completely different style, completely different colors, completely different layout. the only similarity is the 'gameboy with flowers' theme and you can't copyright ideas

[Anonymous No.9829217]

>>9828559

Not dating, but any time I've let a fan get into friend territory they've let me down massively. Worst instance was when I realized one of them wasn't even that much of a fan but was blatantly using me for my connections and dropped me like a rotten fruit the second they found another avenue. They had seemed very nice. Sometimes you really can't tell. Would not recommend. Even if you see them as an equal person you can never guarantee they are not looking at you through a lens. There's a good chance if the relationship goes south everything you do with them will end up on the internet because they don't see you as a real person with rights to privacy, but rather as an opportunity for attention.

[Anonymous No.9829218]

>>9829159

The rip off is nicer... The original has a convoluted design and too many colors.

[Anonymous No.9829249]

>>9829159
they are gameboys with flowers, that is literally the only similarity. I don't get why people get in a fuss over someone "stealing ideas". The end product is all that matters.

[Anonymous No.9829256]

>>9829159
meyocos stuff is all super derivative from other shit, but she has a better eye for design/appeal than most

[Anonymous No.9829539]

>>9824311
UK Anon and I had this same problem. I ended up pricing my 8x11 prints at £8 and got some side eyes from other artists, but they sold really well in the end so I’m glad I stuck to decent prices. It helped that I didn’t have anything bigger/smaller than that, too, because it meant that if you wanted the art it was that size or bust lol. I had falling price deals for multiple prints too and most people went for that

This was London though, and I’m wondering if I will need to lower prices when I sell farther North or up in Scotland because cost of living is really different there to the capital

[Anonymous No.9829750]

>>9829218
The rip off isn’t even readable as flowers in that picture, at least meyoco’s you immediately distinguish what the elements are. The front facing gameboy is also pretty boring. Even though the idea is generic as hell like all of her “X + florals” she has a better style for it.

[Anonymous No.9829773]

>>9829154
Nayrt, that is a great stock response to give I might try using it. I do a lot of trades at the end of the day, it's nice making friends and then I don't have to carry/fly stock back home.
But a lot of things I don't want or can't think of any of my friends who would so I just end up throwing it away (which I do feel bad about). That said, I'll try using this at the next convention I'm tabling, let people save their own stock and still make friends!

[Anonymous No.9830122]

Those of you who stream or video yourselves making traditional art or crafting, what webcam and equipment do you use? Is it just a normal tripod webcam?

[Anonymous No.9830604]

>>9830122
Literally just my phone and its builtin camera, apps make it SUPER easy which I like and it doesn’t clutter my computer either.

[Anonymous No.9830690]

>>9828645
This. If you're dating in a fandom, dating someone who also creates stuff or is well known in the fandom tends to help. Those relationships have always been much better and healthier than ones I've had with people who found me because of my work.

[Anonymous No.9830736]

>>9828559
Okay so not a fan par say, but I am currently dating someone that so happened to commission me years before us meeting outside of a con and later dated. Since for me, it just so happened to be a thing that happened, there is no power dynamics that way. I guess it's the same advice every other nobody gives people for dating advice: Take it slow

Does anyone else have some "small world" type moments of AA? Like a customer later on turns out to be your best friend/boss/etc.?

[Anonymous No.9830750]

>>9830736
Someone once commissioned me, and when she came to pick it up she had her cousin with her, who was a former co-worker who I'd been really close to. I sat next to her every day for a year. I love how good cons are at (re)connecting you with people.

[Anonymous No.9831373]

>>9829189
>>9829218
>defending that barely put together gameboy in ms paint to be edgy on anon
c'mon now lets not be retarded kiddies. meyoco is extremely popular, this is obviously a knockoff.

[Anonymous No.9831492]

>>9831373

I genuinely think it's better as a pin but tell yourself whatever you need to get thru the day, Meyoco. The screen shape is more visible and I like the simpler color scheme and shapes. The original is a better illustration but it's too complex for a tiny pin that needs to be quickly and easily read.

Plus yeah, it's a generic concept. Flowers plus thing. Everyone's doing it.

[Anonymous No.9831924]

>>9828559
My fiance and I actually followed eachothers art for a year before meeting at Otakon. We had quietly idolized each other, having been in the same fandom, and then everything just kind of clicked when we hung out the whole weekend. Now we table together.
I've dated people in the past who weren't artists, or who were envious of my art, and obviously it didn't last and wasn't great. I was always being asked to draw them things, or treated like my art wasn't a very serious part of my life. But hands down, the needy fan girlfriends were worse. Theres nothing like someone who doesn't understand you dont 'want to draw things for them constantly just because you care about them'.

[Anonymous No.9832738]

anyone thats ordered charms from vograce - i have like more than 20+ designs... do i just let them do the cutline for me for all of them? i feel kinda bad because its a lot of work but im super terrible at making smooth lines.
and how small can the border/cutline around the image be for lets say a 1.5 inch charm? and if they make the border too thick, can i request them to make it smaller? I'm not even close to this step yet and i just want to make sure i prepare for it beforehand

[Anonymous No.9832818]

>>9832738
You can have them do it for as many charms as you want to order. My first time I had them do quite a lot and it worked out fine, just prepare for it to take a while. In general I order about 10 designs and it will take them two days to get back to me to approve the cut lines. I've never had them edit the cut line as they are usually very good about doing it themselves, but I'm sure if you give them a visual reference and request a change, they'll be more than happy to accommodate you.

[Anonymous No.9832824]

Hope its okay to ask it here, but other than a service is there a way to get regular lamination sheets that are holographic?

[Anonymous No.9832846]

>>9832738
do you not know how to make a border in photoshop

[Anonymous No.9832894]

>>9832824
Yes, you can purchase from the supplier yourself? But you better be prepared for larger quantities and negotiating with someone who probably doesn't speak English well.

[Anonymous No.9833290]

Longshot but does anyone here apply to nycc? I’m looking to split a table becouse they are so expensive and I’m not always able to get in.

[Anonymous No.9833425]

Is the fanime aa in a secured area?

[Anonymous No.9833516]

>>9833425
Yes it’s indoors and they close and lock it after AA closes, the only theft you have to worry about is the usual shit when AA is open or other people with tables during the start/end of day.

[Anonymous No.9833534]

>>9833516
Thank you!

[Anonymous No.9833540]

Need some input here guys.
I'm currently preparing prints for an upcoming convention, and while doing so I was wondering if it's even a good idea to offer exclusive postcard size designs or if I should try to get rid of postcards all together?
The designs would work perfectly fine on a bigger size of paper (e.g. 6"x8") and i didn't have to spend more money on the printing, too. On the other hand I'm not sure if I would be missing out on a lot of sales if I don't offer postcards.. any advice?

[Anonymous No.9833597]

>>9833540
People looking for small items gravitate towards keychains. People looking for small and cheap go for buttons. People who want pretty art get prints in sizes where you can actually see the art. Postcards don't really have anything going for them.

[Anonymous No.9833633]

>>9833540

I don't completely agree with >>9833597 Postcards sell really well in deal sets like buy 4 get one free, because some people want multiple arts but can't afford full size print prices, so I do think that's a big benefit if you have a lot of different designs or a lot of like, matching sets of prints. However, I do agree that things like buttons would be more beneficial. Good to have something on your table under $10.

[Anonymous No.9833654]

>>9833633
>Good to have something on your table under $10.

Ok so I hear this a lot, so last con I finally added postcard sized prints and buttons for $5. In total, they constituted about $80 worth of sales? Out of like $3.5k made mostly from prints.

It just doesnt seem worth the effort. I honestly just don't think that every audience is made for small things. I don't know. I'm still trying to diversify but every low-price item I've ever offered has never seemed to be worth the energy I put in.

For people saying it's important to have a low price point, do the volume of sales make up any significant amount of your profits? Or is it moreso of a want for those who can't afford your higher price points to have your art?

[Anonymous No.9833692]

>>9833654

It's not really the point of the low priced items to make up the bulk of profits. Prints are always going to be your best profits. The cheap items are there to give customers a range so they feel less pressured by the bigger prices, or so they can add on without guilt and bump up your profits a little, or so they can spend the last few dollars in their pocket at the end of the con. That $80 is probably not 16 or fewer people who would have spent more on large prints if the cheap options weren't there. Many of them probably would not have spent money with you at all.

(Also some people would probably not consider this good business tactics but I kind of give a shit about my customers and want to offer at least one option that people can afford if they're hard up for money. )

You should also consider that every con is not the same. I sold postcards with the 5 for $20 deal and ended up selling buckets of them at my last con. But the one before that I only sold a couple. That one had more of a normie audience, but the later one had a more geeky, focused audience that was spending a lot more money on their art collections.

[Anonymous No.9833733]

Out of curiosity, has anyone here had any occurances with theft? If so what do you do when you catch the thief? Is it easy for people to steal stuff?

[Anonymous No.9833739]

>>9833692
I don't expect it to make up the bulk of profits, but when I'm making original art for those buttons and postcards, and putting in dozens of extra hours, it just doesn't feel like I'm getting good enough returns to justify time spent. It might be because I'm an exceptionally slow artist, but it'd take me multiple cons just to make back minimum wage for time spent on art, when a new print I know for a fact all my regulars will buy and I can make back my money in a heartbeat.

I'll still offer them at the next few cons though, since they're already made, and see if perhaps they'll pick up.

[Anonymous No.9833851]

>>9833733
Thankfully not, but I used to be friends with the scummy type who would steal from artists and dealers. Here are my tips:
>Do NOT have a million of your keychains just spread across table like Costco samples. Have a corkboard or something where you can display samples instead and keep the stock behind the table.
>Locking cashbox with your name and number written on it in Sharpie. Also put a business card inside just in case.
>Zip tie the shit out of everything, including your props. Your cute Pikachu plushie holding your commission prices is 100% getting stolen if you don't have it tied down.
>If you have a tip jar: Keep it near you, not near the edge of a table where any shithead can just walk off with it.

[Anonymous No.9833932]

>>9833739

I don't make new or complex art for my cheap stuff, I print postcards of prints I design for full size, and buttons are usually just chibi faces that take me five minutes to draw, or cut them out of a larger print. Next time don't make art for it that you're only using for cheap stuff, try to use it over multiple products (for example, draw a group shot with a bunch of chibi characters and you can cut that apart for buttons and also sell it as a larger print). But yeah, definitely spend more of your time on your larger works, the cheap items should almost be an afterthought.

[Anonymous No.9833940]

>>9833733

I've never caught one. They usually get me when I'm not paying enough attention to my table (either checking my phone, talking to someone, working on an artwork) and when I realize something's gone I have no idea who did it. My advice is to arrange your table and sit in a place where you can keep most of your product in your periphery at all times, thieves have a pretty good sense of whether someone can see them even out of the corner of their eye, and they'll avoid you. I experience no theft when I'm sitting very forward right at the table and keeping my head up.

I don't know what I would do if I caught someone red handed. I think they would probably insist they bought it earlier and I would second guess myself and end up feeling bad. I'm a wreck at cons.

[Anonymous No.9834238]

>>9833290
Do you have a throwaway email I can give my friend? She's an author with only novels and applied for a table and doesn't know if she will be able to get in either. If you get in though, she might be willing to split the table cost with you if you.

[Anonymous No.9834249]

>>9833733
I had someone yank one of my display charms as he was quickly walking by my table. I stood up and outright yelled at/towards him. Dude threw it back at me.

[Anonymous No.9834298]

Somebody at AB please give us a full report on how ugly the pro row is this year.

[[e-mail] No.9834340]

>>9834238
Yes please.

[Anonymous No.9834361]

>>9833733
Didn't happen to me, but an artist's tall print display fell and in the midst of chaos, someone stole the artist's personal bag while it was under the table behind tablecloth. Not sure if the theft was intentional (purposefully wreck the display) or opportunistic, either way it sucked for the artist.

Please secure your display and belongings, and keep important stuff on you.

[Anonymous No.9834372]

>>9834361

I think that's a common tactic. They knock some things over and pretend it was an accident, and in the fuss they grab something.

[Anonymous No.9834376]

I know there's a lot of mediocre artist on aani, but then there's stuff like this...

[Anonymous No.9834541]

>>9834376
Reminds me of Fat Gut Inc shit. And what blows my mind is how these people continue to get accepted while other much better artists get wait listed.

[Anonymous No.9834547]

>>9834376
Reminds me of Fat Guy Inc shit. And what blows my mind is how these people continue to get accepted while other much better artists get wait listed.

[Anonymous No.9834655]

Does anyone else paranoid about losing luggage when flying with merch lol. I’m looking into getting a luggage gps tracker but they all have terrible reviews.

[Anonymous No.9834671]

>>9834298
I thought pro row was for original art? Thumbcramps is in pro row and half her stuff is fanart.

[Anonymous No.9834692]

>>9834671
It has to be "mostly" original. I always displayed a little bit more than 50/50. Fucking thumbcramps... none of the actual pros I know got in.

[Anonymous No.9834717]

>>9834376
>thell

[Anonymous No.9834811]

What are your experiences with hecklers or people trying to start drama at your table? Or, customers who are harmless but really awkward/autistic and don't leave. How do you handle it?

[Anonymous No.9834824]

>>9834811
they normally leave on their own after a few minutes if you act uninterested.

[Anonymous No.9835147]

>>9834811
I usually do what >>9834824 says and I'm pretty good at getting rid of people if needed but there's this one super autistic customer who doesn't even pick up on ANY cues. I'm usually patient with people who have mental issues, but something about this guy makes me super grossed out. I think it's because of everything about him combined - mouth breather, looks at anyone from head to toe that happen to stop by and browse my products or speaks to me, pushes his camera into strangers' hands to take photos of him with random cosplayers, randomly licks corners of his dry ass mouth while looking around or talking, stands so his protruding gut hangs out. He asks so many questions too, I feel like a teacher in a special ed class. He usually buys one thing every time he stops by but interacting with him drains me. I'd honestly just take that monetary loss and have him go be autistic elsewhere. He's harmless but I hate seeing his stupid face. I always wonder if anyone has to deal with this guy at cons too.

[Anonymous No.9835227]

where do people get their enamel pins made? i keep seeing people posting their pins for so cheap like 8 dollars... but they're so expensive to produce??

[Anonymous No.9835292]

>>9835227
I think we went a whole two threads without anyone asking this. I really thought we were done with this stupid question. Alibaba. Where else?

[Anonymous No.9835310]

>>9835147
At least he buys something. I have one neckbeard guy that finds me at EVERY SINGLE CALIFORNIA CON and barnacles my table without purchasing shit.

[Anonymous No.9835515]

>>9835292
Get off your high horse anon, not everyone here is an expert/veteran like you

[Anonymous No.9835529]

>>9835310
I just dont understand what it is about cali cons and the type of barnacle neckbeards they have??? Why is it a consistent issue with them when it isnt a problem even north in portland and seattle.

[Anonymous No.9835534]

How are people doing at all the cons happening this weekend?

Sakuracon?
Anime matsuri?
Anime Boston?
Indy comic Con?

[Anonymous No.9835559]

>>9835515
NAYRT but it really doesn't take an expert/veteran TO READ THE FIRST LINK IN THE OP. The answer is literally in the Q&A on here, and there's a document on AANI, and I'm sure there's something for the discord too. Since it's the most commonly asked question, it's literally one of the easiest to find answers in any AA community.

If you're new then you need to be capable to do some fucking basic research.

[Anonymous No.9835741]

Is AM oddly good for anyone else?

[Anonymous No.9835783]

>>9835559
The /cgl/ AA discord even fucking runs group orders for enamel pins. The other anon is an idiot. This question has ben asked 19395937 times

[Anonymous No.9835808]

>>9835534
AM artist here. I had a great first day compared to my last conventions but I also just recently expanded my inventory with buttons and stickers.

[Anonymous No.9835835]

>>9835741
Didn't see this post! But I was >>9835808

[Anonymous No.9836187]

>>9833733
Had a 12-something year old kid at Katsu try to yank a postcard off of me while I was talking to some other people but he wasn't slick and I saw him immediately. His mom brought it back thankfully but she didn't even apologize. Otherwise I had a display charm yanked at AX and some display prints (and my commission price sheet for some reason?) yanked at a small local con, Katsu is the only time I've caught the person.

[Anonymous No.9836567]

is kickstarter still a good platform for starting out with outsourced items like pins and keychains if you have no following?

[Anonymous No.9836577]

>>9836567
Kickstarter by design only works if you have a good following so no. Sorry, anon.

[Anonymous No.9836627]

>>9835534
Been hearing from others that Sakuracon is really good for them this year. I'm doing pretty well myself and I'm glad most of the stuff selling is my new stuff

[Anonymous No.9836687]

So what's the FOTM on every table for AA right now?

[Anonymous No.9836710]

>>9836687
BNHA? I dunno, most of my mutuals are screaming about mobage.

[Anonymous No.9837026]

>>9836687
I bet we’re going to see an explosion of FLCL now

[Anonymous No.9837061]

>>9836687
Franxx

[Anonymous No.9837876]

>>9836687
I sell a lot of BNHA and VLD but I think those are both far past the level of "FOTM" at this point

[Anonymous No.9838774]

Was super afraid the boycott drama for AM would stunt sales but I think the boycott helped me out more since many artists dropped out.

Made my first $1k revenue and was only $12 from 2k.

[Anonymous No.9838847]

>>9836687
Fate Grand Order. Not for prints, but for charms. I wasn't expecting it but I'm seeing it everywhere.

[Anonymous No.9838853]

>>9838774
I assume it's basically that there were less artists there so you have more of a chance on getting a sale, I'm hoping that you won't do AM next year considering that it's after A-kon at the end of June so most people will be broke anyways

[Anonymous No.9838975]

>>9838847
I was thinking of drawing FGO because I really enjoy their designs. Will that bother people if they find out I don't play it?

[Anonymous No.9839045]

>>9838975
Just grab a general knowledge of the characters you're drawing from the type-moon wiki, you'll be fine if you at least understand some of what's going on. Otherwise most people don't really care

[Anonymous No.9839126]

>>9838774
I realize that's really good for you, but honestly for a con as big and as expensive as the tables are that's really pretty mediocre sales.

[Anonymous No.9839127]

>>9833733
I'm about 75% sure a girl stole a sticker set off my table, but I wasn't sure enough to start a ruckus over a $5 pack of stickers.

[Anonymous No.9839162]

>>9838975
I mean it's a mobile game. There's not much to get. Just quickly skim the Wiki and pick a random waifu. You'll be fine.

[Anonymous No.9839481]

Has anyone used this stuff for stickers? Found it on Aliexpress as hot stamping foil, I've used holographic cold laminate for stickers before but that stuff is so expensive. I also found a video where the person used something similar looking stuff, but not sure if this is the same product.

Here's a link to the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBBs_xjXGK8

[Anonymous No.9839497]

>>9838975
Like everyone else, just get the basics, at least. I remember freaking out over Touken Ranbu characters but I completely blanked on the name AND type (it was a long day haha) and I could just see the awkward, squinty displeasure in their (the person I was talking to) eyes lol.

[Anonymous No.9839606]

What kind of desk chairs do you anons use? Could be a silly question but I wonder if they’re a chair out there that’s good for digital artists.

[Anonymous No.9839690]

>>9839481
Yup, that's the stuff. I use it as is (including the release paper) on buttons as well.

[Anonymous No.9839693]

>>9839690
Release film, not paper**

[Anonymous No.9839697]

>>9839690
Awesome, I'll buy some of this foil and try it out then since it's on sale at the moment. My only worry is if the heat laminating damages the sticky part of the sticker paper itself, but guess I'll just have to wait and see.

[Anonymous No.9839745]

>>9839606
I've used the Flintan chair from Ikea for several years, and I think a lot of the artists I know have the same one. Sometimes I use a pillow for extra lower back support but overall I'd recommend it. It won't break the bank and it won't break your body either.

[Anonymous No.9839816]

>>9839697
Different anon, I laminate avery brand sticker paper for cheap home stickers. Heat lamination has never damaged the sticker glue for me.

[Anonymous No.9839935]

>>9836687
Doki Doki Literature Club has been EVERYWHERE at conventions. You don't notice it as much online because online sales are against the dev's fan merch rules. No idea if it's selling well or over saturated, though.

[Anonymous No.9839974]

>>9833733
The one time it happened to me ended up so sweet.

I display my enamel pins out it a rack customers can just take the one from their to purchase. I was pretty sure 1 went missing throughout the day but I couldn't quite remember and it didn't really bother me.

After the con and I get home and I receive a message over Instagram. A girl who had purchased a pin had accidently picked up 2 of the same design. One she paid for and the other she accidently grabbed. I told her not to worry about it but she was insistent and sent me the money over PayPal for it

[Anonymous No.9840191]

>>9839935
I sold it at ALA and they did great. Although, I should note that the dev changed his permissions as far as online sales go and they're fine now.

[Anonymous No.9841607]

>work 4 days straight setting up, watching, and breaking down a booth for a free plushie and a hamburger
Golly what an opportunity.

[Anonymous No.9841618]

>>9841607
This is almost insulting. Either they're the walmart of artist alleys or despite all their branding they actually don't sell anything and therefore can't afford to actually pay helpers. I have friends who will at least pay a flat fee per day, and they don't have anywhere near the social media reach as these people.

[Anonymous No.9841631]

>>9841618
You know people will jump to help them though, that's what bothers me. They don't need to put any effort into fair compensation when they can just throw store credit and a bit of food (which I'm not sure if that meal stipend is per day or not?) at their drones.

[Anonymous No.9841636]

>>9841618
I almost feel like they don't really sell that much because I keep seeing them whoring themselves out doing unboxing videos and video game reviews and other typical Youtube shit. They seem really desperate to gain fans and revenue any way they can.

[Anonymous No.9841704]

>>9841607
and free pass. ~$100 value for the weekend.

How much are you guys paying your table assistants? I give mine a free pass, some snacks, and shared hotel room if we have one and thats it.

[Anonymous No.9841712]

>>9841704
That's expected from a poor artist, not a wholesaler of chinese manufactured art with a physical store. Do you understand the difference?

[Anonymous No.9841714]

>>9841712
I don't see what any of that has to do with how much you pay someone.

[Anonymous No.9841720]

>>9841607
she's a cunt anyway so it's not exactly a shock she's also a miser

[Anonymous No.9841727]

>>9841714
You don't understand if you have the ability to pay a working wage, that you should? Like holy shit anon. Are you trolling or just retarded?

[Anonymous No.9841736]

>>9841727
>You don't understand if you have the ability to pay a working wage, that you should?

correct. Pay people how ever much they are willing to work for.

[Anonymous No.9841738]

>>9841727
careful they might call you a SJWWWWW for thinking many minimum wage isn't too much to ask

[Anonymous No.9841765]

>>9841704
I pay for badge, travel (this includes flights, lyft to/from airport, etc), lodgings (hotel/airbnb), and all meals for family members/boyfriend. For friends I'll pay for all of that plus about $50 a day, sometimes more if it's a busy con and they have to help me out a lot instead of exploring and going to panels they want to see.

Before I would just pay for badge and maybe buy them dinner but I've gotten to a point where I can actually pay my helpers a little now. A big exhibitor like Tasty Peach Studios should be paying their workers min wage for hours worked. It's not like they're small time artists, they actually buy exhibitor's booths and run a full-time business. If they can afford to get stuff mass-produced, they can afford to pay their workers. It's a business cost, they shouldn't be trying to get free labor when they're running a business.

[Anonymous No.9841834]

>>9841607
fucking gross. I doubt I have nearly as many customers as this person and I paid my own friend more than this to help out with my table.

Dont forget, the "$50 TPS giftcard" doesnt actually cost HER $50. Its only the wholesale price out of her pocket. A $50 retail item for her, might be more like... actually $10 cost to herself. What a piece of scum

[Anonymous No.9841848]

>>9841765
If you think the big companies in the dealers hall pay their cosplay booth babes more than a meal and a badge you got another thing coming.
It's a fucking scam

[Anonymous No.9842054]

>>9841848
Yeah, and like another anon mentioned above, the issue is that most people just don't care. That's why there's competition to get into these positions. It looks like an absolute rip off to us, but if fifty other people are foaming at the mouth over this, why should the dealers offer more?

[Anonymous No.9842138]

>>9841848
I have worked for a bigger company in the Dealers room before and they paid about $10-13/hr plus meals and hotel. I think flight too but I was local to the con and those who flew were actually part of the company, whereas I was only hired for the weekend.

I'm not shocked to find out other Dealers compensate way less, but it's pretty disappointing and sad.

[Anonymous No.9842155]

>>9841704
I pay for my assistants' badge and hotel and some food. (definitely more than $15 for the weekend wtf) I'd like to start paying an additional wage when I can afford it.

The difference is that my assistants are my friends, who help me out because it's fun for all of us to spend a weekend at an anime con. I've done the same thing for my friends. I'm not searching for randos on facebook. If it's somebody you don't even know? That's fucking work.

[Anonymous No.9842173]

>>9841848
Every booth I've ever worked for has paid hotel & travel at the very least.

[Anonymous No.9842175]

>>9841704
My table partner and I always cover transportation, hotel, badge, and food,
And then when we swap out I open up the money and hand them a a random amount, depends on how good we've done

I only ever ask friends to help, so if they know we're doing kinda bad they usually wont take anything, but if we're doing good I'll hand them 200 or so a day.

I want to make sure my friends are having a good time and not stuck working since that's what I'm stuck doing and they're nice enough to let me walk around/leave once in a while. But if I were to hire a random person I'd have a set wage either per hour or per day + transportation/badge/food.

I hate that people jump at opportunities like this for absolute shit pay and you can't even enjoy the convention which should be an additional "perk"

[Anonymous No.9842222]

>>9842054
50 people are foaming at the mouth to draw for big brands for no pay, doesn't make a company any less scum to offer "exposure" for free art they can afford handily. Fuck off

[Anonymous No.9842265]

>>9841607
>$15 meal stipend
Like that's nothing considering how much 6 meals per weekend costs... Like that's super shady considering on how popular they are and being able to do booths now

[Anonymous No.9842338]

>>9842265
I used to work for a company that did cons. I was an actual employee for them, so I worked at the store/warehouse, did full setup, breakdown, etc... and ran the booth at cons. Not a poor company and they tried to set our meal stipend at $20 a day for two people (so $10 a piece).

[Anonymous No.9842500]

>>9842338
You're still going to pay for some of your meals out of pocket. Even if you eat only 2 meals per day (breakfast and dinner, skip lunch during the con). Most places for food charge at least $10-20 for a meal. Unless you want to eat fast food all weekend for breakfast and dinner..... But I guess at least they tried harder than Tasty Peach to treat you guys right.

[Anonymous No.9842611]

WTF Most of the fanime roster this year is so good. A few terribles here and there but wow good job artist alley staff.

[Anonymous No.9842615]

>>9841704
I pay all expenses, food, transportation, hotel
+ 200 to 500 a weekend depending on how experienced they are and how busy I am

[Anonymous No.9842624]

Anyone here who lives by themself actually make a living doing AA and selling their art online?

[Anonymous No.9842639]

>>9842624
I have for the past 2 years.

[Anonymous No.9842673]

>>9842624
I support myself and my boyfriend on my aa income and pay for his tuition + my student loans and all our bills.
He drives me to cons, packs and does all the stock and manages my online store/emails so I keep him busy.
It can be done but in the long term I want to cut down the number of cons we do (20+) to just 10 big cons and hopefully he can get a decent full time job with benifits after graduation.

[Anonymous No.9842678]

>>9842624
I live with my family but I pay for the entire cost of the rent on our family home as well as most of the bills. I've also paid off both my parents' cars. AA + online sales are my full time job.

>>9841848
>cosplay booth babes
We're not talking about booth babes though? We're talking about booth staff who do set-up and takedown. If you're asking people to help set up, make sales, and break down - at that point they're more than just a booth babe who stands around to attract people. I have had friends work for booths and get paid and I know boothowners who pay their staff hourly.

[Anonymous No.9842680]

>>9842678
>>9842673
>>9842639

don't mean to make this a diary, but thanks for the replies guys. trying to make this a reality for myself, so it's nice to see others achieve this on their own. gives me hope

[Anonymous No.9842711]

>>9842680
good luck anon!

[Anonymous No.9842722]

>>9842611

lol at this guy, tryin to start shit

[Anonymous No.9842742]

>>9842680
to add on, it took me 2 years of doing etsy and AA seriously until I made enough from it alone. The first year or two of AA is going to every single con possible to see which cons are the best for you in terms of type of con and attendance of the con. Then you can more efficiently do AA.

Where you live makes a big difference too. If you live driving distance to a bunch of cons, its great.

[Anonymous No.9842940]

Any tips for first-timers in Fanime AA?

Especially with table picks nearing.. first time in a con big enough to require that!

[Anonymous No.9843217]

>>9842742
Also don’t forget building connections with other artists so you always have people to split rooms with.
I wasted so much money my first year on solo hotel rooms I wouldn’t wish that in anyone.

[Anonymous No.9843282]

>>9842611
Where is the roster posted?

[Anonymous No.9843288]

>>9843282
It isn’t, that’s how you can tell they are just trying to start shit

[Anonymous No.9843312]

>>9843282
Only internal staff have seen it so far so likely the person who you’re responding to is just rusing you.

[Anonymous No.9843445]

Hi I have a question about vograce acrylic charm colours

This was my first time ordering with them and I sent in 6 designs. The charms for three designs were accurate to the colours of the file I sent but the other three turned out really dull and washed out.

I followed the tutorial and used the same template psd file for all, so I'm stumped as to what went wrong. Is there anything else I could do to prevent this next time?

[Anonymous No.9843456]

>>9843445
It’d be easier to help if you post comparison pictures of the charms vs the art. Usually printed CMYK will be faded or washed out for certain colors like blues and purples. The best you can do is work around it and try color correcting just the purples/blues after you convert it to cmyk in photoshop.

[Anonymous No.9843458]

>>9843445
What colors were the charms that are washed out? Can you post comparison photos?

If your charms had a lot of bright purple or green you might just be out of luck, limitations in the physical printing process will dictate how bright those colors can be.

[Anonymous No.9843595]

>>9843458
I've noticed that my charms end up a little desaturated whenever I print w/ Vograce so I've just been upping the saturation of them before I send them in to compensate. I also don't send them CMYK files (thanks CSP for not having a relatable CMYK mode) but I'm not sure if that makes a huge difference for them.

[Anonymous No.9843603]

>>9843595
oops meant to reply to >>9843445

[Anonymous No.9843906]

>>9843282

No, I'm not. Fanime didn't BCC their email so I see the roster from the internal email chain sent out a while back for the people that got in. I got in so I know.

[Anonymous No.9843907]

>>9843288
see
>>9843906

[Anonymous No.9843983]

>>9843906
Uh, which email are you referring to exactly? I am an artist who was accepted and all of the correspondence I've recived has been BCC'd

[Anonymous No.9844056]

I know this is more geared towards cons, but can anons give me a helping hand on handling shipping costs for online stores? I'm super confused on how to calculate shipping for multiple countries... Thanks in advance

[Anonymous No.9844060]

>>9844056
Which country are you from? What do you mostly sell?

[Anonymous No.9844067]

>>9844060
I'm based in Japan at the moment, selling pins for now

[Anonymous No.9844109]

>>9844067
You could probably divide shipping based on region. Like North America, Europe, Oceania, etc. I think JP post has like 4 zones? I usually do quasi-flat rate for each region with my keychains because it's all the same under a certain weight and it's improbable that someone would order enough keychains to go over that weight.

[Anonymous No.9844165]

People are still getting off the waitlist for Fanime? I thought this was a highly sought after con, why are all these tables being released? Can people not afford them? I'm ready for the bloodbath of table selection.

[Anonymous No.9844172]

>>9844109
Thanks anon, slowly going through the website and adding them in as options. It's a bit confusing when there's a option to pay 1600 yen within asia (via EMS 2days +) and then the other option of paying an extra 800 yen on top for SAL (2 weeks +)! Why would anyone pick sal!

I'll finish doing asia + NA first before even considering Europe urgh

[Anonymous No.9844246]

>>9844165
It’s because applications were so long ago and people weren’t smart enough to snag hotels then and some got into other cons that weekend.

[Anonymous No.9844352]

>>9844172
>It's a bit confusing when there's a option to pay 1600 yen within asia (via EMS 2days +) and then the other option of paying an extra 800 yen on top for SAL (2 weeks +)! Why would anyone pick sal!

just a guess, but probably cheaper with heavier, bulkier items.
Find out what the different zones are. I know for the US, it is; within US, North America, and everywhere else. Its like $3, $11, $14 for stuff under a pound for me.

[Anonymous No.9844441]

>>9843983

Anime Boston or some other con did this recently because they had a new head, I'm pretty sure anon is making it up.

[Anonymous No.9844444]

>>9844165

It's because there's a huge group of AA regulars who apply to EVERY con, including conflicting ones, to see what they can get into. Then a bunch of them always drop out because they got into something closer or cheaper.

[Anonymous No.9844547]

>>9844165
in addition to the other reasons, fanime accepted a lot of really mediocre artists and a lot if super newbie (this is my first con!) type artists and they also tend to drop out at a higher rate because they can't afford the table or other accommodations. But to be honest, most cons are in taking new artists up until the day of the con, most will have no shows/ unsold tables so it's not that weird actually.

[Anonymous No.9844554]

>>9843983
ntayrt but it was in the e-mail titled "Fanime Artist Alley Table Payment and Next Steps"
went back and looked but I can't imagine someone caring enough to look up all the e-mails individually just to be shitty about it

[Anonymous No.9844563]

>>9844554
>Artist Alley Table Payment
Oh I see it. Looks like they messed up on one. All that's revealed are the email addresses though. Not sure how you even get a roster out of that.

[Anonymous No.9845102]

Anyone try the vograce star/heart keychains? How do those hold up/appeal?

[Anonymous No.9845560]

Hey there. I need some help.

I'm going to be selling at my first con across the country, which means taking stuff on a plane, which I haven't done for a con table before. (I live local to a ton of big cons so I've never flied). Grids are VERY heavy and easily makes my luggage around 100 pounds.

How I can bring my heavy grids with me? Or a lighter way I could set up my display? Maybe I could just bring the grids on carry on? Any advice on this or just traveling with table stuff in general would be appriciated

[Anonymous No.9845594]

>>9845102
I haven't had customers want keychains any more or less because of the keyrings, but it is pretty satisfying to have if it fits into your design. Most customers don't notice the rings until after they've already purchased the keychain though.

[Anonymous No.9845896]

>>9845560
My advice is to invest in the polypropylene version of the grids, they're much lighter! If you're under time constraints, then yeah, I'd put them on carry on - just be careful when you're removing them from overhead as well as not to strain your body. Also be prepared to potentially explain it to tsa when they scan them.

[Anonymous No.9846005]

>>9843595
I've always used csp to convert my files to cmyk for vograce and they always turn out exactly how the files look. You can even pick the type of cmyk palette and adjust colors if you want to adjust them more. What version of CSP are you using?

[Anonymous No.9846381]

Anyone know where I can find tabletop displays, racks or easels for cheap? I have a bunch of mini prints and some original comic zines that I want to nicely display on my table.

[Anonymous No.9846385]

>>9846381
Something similar to this basically

[Anonymous No.9846555]

>>9846385
http://cleardisplays.com/postcard-display/

Here ya go, anon!

[Anonymous No.9846781]

Just wanted to say thank you for all the advice this thread has given in the past year or so I've been lurking. My girlfriend and I just did our first 'big' con and made about 1.5k. Tekko was good to us, and we spent a few minutes screaming in the car over the final cash count.

Someone paid for a 5$ sticker pack in ONLY NICKELS though, and now the cash box weighs a ton.

[Anonymous No.9846875]

>>9846781
congrats anon.

[Anonymous No.9847009]

>>9846781
I feel like breaking 1k is like the first "achievement," especially if you're just starting out.

Congrats, anon! You deserve it and also fuck the person with the nickels

[Anonymous No.9847011]

Anyone in this thread do dragoncon artist alley? Curious if they are strict on non-print items. I want to sell my prints and my plush.

[Anonymous No.9847044]

I just did my first "big" convention. 2 days and 2k people. I'm not sure how to feel.

I live in Bible Belt there's nothing around here, including cons. I've only been able to do a few craft shows and specialty markets that never generated any income. Every big con is 2-3 hours away and then 6+ hours if I want to do a REALLY big con.

All I have are prints, stickers, and 5 acrylic charms, and about 10 button designs. For Saturday and Sunday combined, I only sold 3 prints at $5 & a few stickers/buttons.

But I lost count of commissions I did. I generated around $700 these two days on commissions $10-$25.

But I'm feeling depressed bc I feel like no one liked my art since it didn't sell, but yet I got all these commissions, so yet people did like my art? I don't know.

Then because I had to travel, total cost of everything (food, parking, hotel, etc) was around $500. So really I only made $200.

I'm not sure if it's worth it or not. I spent so much time on my prints, and since going to ANY con requires travel, I'll always be shelling out a lot of money every time. I know it's possible to split hotel rooms or get an air b&b, but I could never get on well with that as a con attendee in the past.

Is this kind of thing normal to experience? Should I just make yet more prints and merch for people (I currently have around 17 prints) but that is just more money to production costs, when it seems like people don't want to buy what I already have made.

Sorry about the tldr

[Anonymous No.9847163]

>>9834811
>How do you handle it?
just put up with it without being rude, but immediately shift attention when a customer/browser looks over your warez, they get the hint at that point. but still returns like a lost puppy once they see your are unoccupied again. damn creepy, but harmless so far.

[Anonymous No.9847245]

Question. I have a webcomic I've been working on and off for the past couple of years. Its like a comic I update whenever I have an idea so its not on a consistent schedule.

I decided to print mini comic books the first 7 comic strips. Not sure whether to call it "mini" since its a 8.5 x 11 fully colored comic book, but it has 4 interiors.

How much would you pay for something like this? I was going to charge $3 but I'm not sure if that's too much for a book that has only 7 pages of comics, or if it's too little since it's 8.5 x 11 and fully colored.

I know a regular 14+ page comic book sells for $4-$5 in the store, but I've seen people sell stickers and bookmarks for $2-$3 so...

[Anonymous No.9847349]

>>9847245
>$3
>too much

$3 isn't even a dollar a page. Price it at $10 (that's the low end of standard for these sorts of small booklet type comics) and maybe add a deal like buy $30 worth of merchandise, get this comic free.

[Anonymous No.9847427]

>>9847245
Anon do you know why comic books are that cheap in stores? Because they're mass produced in high volumes and sold to shops at a low enough price that the shops still make a profit. You however do not have the same mass production capability.

Price it higher.

[Anonymous No.9847475]

>>9847245
Also just as a customer, but 7 pages is kind of a small amount for something so big. Just as a suggestion, regardless of your pricing, consider making it a 8.5x5 if you want only so few pages, or give it a few more pages so there are sketches and roughes in there too.

[Anonymous No.9847564]

>>9847245
$10 is steep for four pages, especially if your goal is to get exposure to new possible fans for your comic rather than profit - but definitely up yourself to $5-7. Less than that comes off as desperate/self-defacing.

[Anonymous No.9847583]

>>9847475
I'll remember that for the future. I had never printed my own comics before this and ended up making around 250 copies through OvernightPrints.com because it was pretty cheap. I was also afraid of the text bubbles being too small, so I went with the 8.5 x 11 size. The cost came out to, I think, less than $1 a book but the quality came out nice.

>>9847427
The problem is, since a lot of plebs and comic fans recognize comic book issues with 14 interiors as being only worth $4, I'm afraid they'll think getting a book with only 7 comic strips in it is worth too much. You'd be surprised how many people I know think a hamburger that costs $7 is expensive, because McDonald's and Burger King sells them super cheap.

[Anonymous No.9847586]

>>9845896
I'm looking them up but not finding them, do you have a link?

[Anonymous No.9847596]

>>9847586
NAYRT, but this is the listing I bought from. They're usually not listed using the world "polypropylene" but that's what the plastic looking ones are made out of.

> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M6TWKNA/

[Anonymous No.9847683]

>>9847583

Keep in mind that mainstream comics are also mostly printed on cheap as fuck paper, if you use a slightly nicer paper that's a bit thicker it will justify the price. I just bought a book similar to what you are describing with an extra couple pages for $9, and it has nice thick paper (and nice art) and if anything I felt like they undercharged. You could also consider bundling it with something small and cheap like a couple stickers if you are nervous about trying to sell for 5-7 dollars.

[Anonymous No.9847712]

>>9847245
What kind of con are you tabling at? Anime, comic, indy comic? That vastly changes the attitude of your audience and what they're willing to pay.

[Anonymous No.9847770]

>>9839497
This is hilarious to picture
>i like the one who....yknow he’s the...i uh...sord

[Anonymous No.9847875]

>>9847712
It's a Comic convention, but it's open to all types of artists

[Anonymous No.9847909]

>>9847770
Imagine this except the customer also forgot the name of the character so we are both just
Customer: I want uhmm that.. that one.. *pointing* i'm blanking on his name...
Me: Oh umm.. yes that one i also know his name but forgot shoot ..
Both: *Sweats furiously*

[Anonymous No.9847958]

im mainly a tattoo artist but i wanna get into selling art prints i dunno how to go about it i dont hang out in forums or anything is it important where i go to print? what do ppl recommend?

i called this one print place and they charge like $10 a print and i was gonna charge that. what do ppl usually charge? my first is a pinup that would be 8.5" x 14"

whats a good method for shipping? i see ppl doing this so i figure i should get in on this

i asked this in /ic/ and they told me to ask here. i dont hang out with other srtists i dunno these things

[Anonymous No.9847974]

>>9847958
wtf kind of print shop charges $10 per print... thats how much you should actually sell it for. that print shop is too expensive. Find another business or use an online one, you should not be spending more than $2 for a print to be made.

[Anonymous No.9847978]

>>9847958
very cool print! were you looking to just sell online or at events/conventions? and is your print shop charging $10/print to make your prints or are they selling their artwork for $10/print? sorry for all the questions

if it’s the former then you should look into printing online with catprint or fireball printing. you may have to request color proofs to be mailed to you just to see how you feel about the colors but they’re reasonably affordable depending on what paper quality/size you choose. I’d say an 8.5”x14” would be good to sell for $10-$12

I think most people ship prints via mailing tubes and you can buy those in bulk from places like uline or papermart! you can look into an online store like redbubble or inprint too to handle printing/shipping, but I think they get a cut off your sales. I’ve never sold stuff on redbubble but iirc you only get half of the total sale on inprint. so if a customer buys a $20 print then you only get $10

good luck anon! I really like this and think a ton of people would too

[Anonymous No.9847983]

>>9847978
As a warning, catprint is cracking down on things it sees as "explicit" for some reason. Multiple people have had their art with female nipples denied recently so probably better to not go through them, or be prepared for a possible denial if the wrong person is taking care of your order

[Anonymous No.9847995]

>>9847958
This is the most typical westernized asian fetishized thing i've seen to date. Japanese geisha-esque headdressing and tattoo with a Chinese sword a cartoon swirly blush elbow. wow much asian
If you're OP is white then 10/10 you've made it to being a weeb.

[Anonymous No.9847997]

>>9847958
prints range from $10-50 in that size (in my area at least). it kinda depends on what market you want to cater to. IMO with your style I would go for collectors and price $20+ - do limited print runs and shit, especially if you have some following as a tattoo artist.

[Anonymous No.9848046]

>>9847995
im half polish half colombian i dunno what that makes but i mainly tattoo so cliche details is my bread and butter

>>9847978
man thanks for all that advice ill definitely check out those places. im also planning on adding a few of my business cards ive made over the years that double as mini art pieces for extra sauce. i do plan on selling them myself and shipping them out tho i dunno the best avenues to promote that. i just have a tattoo instagram so i think ill use that. i also just made an artstation account

thanks for the advice on the mailing tubes man i was thinking like manilla folders or some shit

>>9847997
i dont got any real following cuz im too spazzy about where to have social media. like i said i just got an artstation if that helps. is deviantart gay or nah?

[Anonymous No.9848091]

>>9847995
At least it looks like original art, something most people on this sub are allergic to.

[Anonymous No.9848093]

>>9848091
> sub
go away.

[Anonymous No.9848105]

hey me again should i be tryna print this shit glossy or matte?

im tryng catprint right now cuz they got there own instant quote system

also what paper stock do ppl like?

[Anonymous No.9848107]

>>9848105
this is a blue board dude lmao, at least censor your shit if you're gonna ask to be spoonfed

[Anonymous No.9848108]

>>9848107
oh shit i was lead here from another board. ill prolly get banned soon

[Anonymous No.9848112]

>>9841607
Actually a friend of mine did this. They helped set up/take down. but they had the helpers staggered.
for set up, my friend helped for like 2-3 hours and then the next helper would take their place and my friend was free to go for the night.
as for working the con itself. They were asked to helped friday and sunday. Friday they just had to check in with them to see if someone needed a break.
My friend ended up not having to do anything friday or saturday.
I don't know how sunday went. I just know they helped take it down.

[Anonymous No.9848118]

So I found a box full of a bunch of crappy prints I had made through Staples when I was an Artist Alley noob. I never sold them because they were either cropped badly, stretched, the colors were either faded or saturated, flimsy card stock was used instead of heavier card stock, etc.

What should be done with them? They're not in the condition I wanted my artwork to be printed, but money WAS spent on them, and I don't have the heart to throw away my work, even if it was badly printed.

Should I still try to sell them off as bargain bin "error prints" for $1-2 each, or not even bother and just toss them?

[Anonymous No.9848123]

>>9848118
burn them for warmth

[Anonymous No.9848130]

>>9848093
kill me

[Anonymous No.9848132]

Hey guys I'm thinking of making some small prints but can't decide on a size. Do you prefer 5x7 or 4x6? I don't know if it helps, but I have 11x7 and 8.5x11 prints already.

[Anonymous No.9848137]

>>9848132
2.5x3.5 and pack sets together.

[Anonymous No.9848141]

>>9848107
its just fucking nipples, you prude

[Anonymous No.9848144]

>>9848107
Reddit refugee detected

[Anonymous No.9848147]

>>9848118
I packed my old art/not selling prints along with orders(people love free shit) - I also put like 5 in a blind pack for $1.

It's better to have some profit than none at all

[Anonymous No.9848163]

>>9848141
I don't care about the nipples, but they temp ban for that here, most people censor that so they can still post it. OP is from a red board so he probably didn't even think about it.

>>9848108
I'm surprised people have been giving you info desu, most times people get chewed out here for asking basic questions.

Check the OP of the thread. FAQ has basic pricing and paper weight info, and the resources google doc has lots of printing services listed with pros/cons. Fireball might be cool with artistic nudity/topless art, just shoot them an email ahead of time. They were friendly and helpful when I called for print job info. Most places will do free printed proofs if you want to test paper type and quality too.

[Anonymous No.9848334]

>>9847995
get outta here skimlines

[Anonymous No.9848445]

What sells better and what do you guys prefer: individual stickers, stickersheets or sticker packs?

Personally i like stickersheets the most, but I'm not sure how others feel about this.

[Anonymous No.9848519]

>>9848445
I've been considering making sticker sheets vs packs because of how much easier they would be to pack and display, but i feel like it wastes sticker paper (i print from home on a pixma pro 100). my packs sell really well, my girlfriends individuals (or 6 for $5) sell well for her.

[Anonymous No.9848544]

>>9848445
I like sticker sheets and packs but my individual stickers sell better.
I also designed stickers for a con that they sold in packs but they sold better once the staff decided to rip the packs open and sell them as individuals.

[Anonymous No.9848559]

>>9848445
I like sticker sheets, especially when it has multiple small stickers. I bought this one with tiny green plants all over, and I use them with cards I mail out - costed maybe around $6 for a 4x6".

I also have a small collection of medium - large stickers, which I rarely use. Smaller sizes are better for stationery and journaling.

[Anonymous No.9848568]

guys its me again >>9847958

ok so say someone wants a commission from me how much can i charge?

pic unrelated just posting drawings for continuity so ppl trust its me

[Anonymous No.9848647]

Had my first aa this weekend. It was a 2k con just Saturday and Sunday, and I brought in a bit over $700. But only $100 of that was from prints and small item buys I already had made (buttons and stickers). I actually only sold 3 prints at $5 each.

The rest was from commissions ranging from $10-$25.

I'm not sure sure how to feel because really I wouldn't made anything money at all if I didn't do commissions. Was literally drawing all the time and had a helper take into and run the table.

Is this normal? I'm confused because it feels like people didn't like my art since they weren't buying, but yet they did since everyone wanted to commission me (even had to turn many away because I was so full). And I'm also not a big name or anything online.

[Anonymous No.9848666]

>>9848647

There are people who walk through AA and ask every single artist if they do commissions, and they will buy them regardless of the artists' skills because they collect them. So yeah, honestly, your skill level or the appeal of your other art is probably not all that great. Any artist can make decent money at a con on commissions but ideally you get to a point where you don't have to take them, because they are so much work. You should probably focus on improving your art and marketability.

[Anonymous No.9848670]

>>9848568
go away, we're not here to spoonfeed you.

[Anonymous No.9848671]

>>9848670
what are u here for?

[Anonymous No.9848678]

>>9848647
Maybe you didn't really have any popular fandoms?

[Anonymous No.9848693]

>>9848678
I don't have much fanart. All the commissions I got were of people's ocs.

[Anonymous No.9848701]

>>9848670
whats wrong with that? what am i supposed to do lurk goofy art forums and watch ppls conversations for months until this story just comes together? i gotta go make friends or some shit? man shut up lol i got questions

[Anonymous No.9848708]

>>9848693
>I don't have much fanart.
So there's the problem. You're just retarded. People don't come to AAs to buy art of your OC or whatever original art you have. They come to buy fanart of their favorite anime, videogame, comic, and cartoon characters.

[Anonymous No.9848718]

>>9848708
Yeah so I've read but my original art is universal themed with things like zodiac and mythology. i guess that still counts though as own original characters so i should work on fanart and see how i do

[Anonymous No.9848721]

>>9848718
> ask why you did badly
> anon answers
> that can't be!!

[Anonymous No.9848730]

>>9848721
No it makes sense and I was confirming that it must be the reason. I was just dumb in assuming universal themes would sell because I always see mermaids and zodiac stuff. But as anon pointed out i only did have like 2 fanart prints.

[Anonymous No.9848731]

>>9848647
Hey $700 is great for your first AA, don't beat yourself up!! Additionally, when you are an all original artist many people will come to you for commissions since most people like to buy fanart. I don't think you have to do fanart or anything (I'm an original artist myself) but I suggest raising your comission prices and possibly offering to mail excess commissions to people if you are getting too many.

[Anonymous No.9848752]

>>9848647
For that size con and it being your first, $700 is fantastic.
It is hard to say without seeing your work, so take note of what people commission you and see what sells and what doesn't. The first few cons is purely seeing how it works for you.

[Anonymous No.9848832]

Hi guys!

I'm new to this community and I'm stoked on AX 2018 (especially now that they're mailing us tickets instead of standing in that awful line).

I've recently launched a company that develops portable fiber lasers.

Here's a quick video of it drawing Nakiri Erina in real time:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mlufb8os372wbgm/IMG_0399.MOV?dl=0

I love anime and I want to collaborate with an artist who has a booth. I know that this tech can add a lot of value to both the AX experience as well as the booth and I'd very much like to work with an artist who can bring out its full potential. It takes minimal space (fits on a table top 1 x 1.5 x 2 ft) and only needs a laptop and a power plug to run. I can provide jewelry and other materials as well.

Let's connect!

[Anonymous No.9848886]

>>9848832
I think I saw a vendor at a furry con with something like this. Furries love custom stuff. You'll make a lot of money selling custom furry stuff at a furry con.

[Anonymous No.9848908]

Sorry if this has been asked before but how much should washi tapes be? I see it being listed anywhere from $4-$12 but I wanna know whats acceptable at AA.
The design I have is an original design if that helps.

[Anonymous No.9848972]

>>9848708
Dude what?

Yes fanart sells infinitely better and your ocs (unless you have a following) will net you jack shit but originals still get a good amount of customers especially if it's in trend.

Maybe you are the retard.

[Anonymous No.9848988]

>>9848568
Pricing commissions is a tricky thing. Price them based on the time you're likely to spend x the hourly wage you wish to pay yourself. If you get them at that price then you can think about raising it. Also at a con (I'm assuming you want to sell at a con? since you're in this thread) you're more likely to get commissions for lower and cheaper slots so choose accordingly (ex. offer headshots, busts, or waist-up or whatever else you think you can knock out quickly)

btw read the general documents at the top of the thread if you haven't already.

[Anonymous No.9848991]

>>9847958
>printer charging artist $10 per print
holy hell what am i reading. i pay like 90c per.
you probably didn't explain what u were asking and they quoted you a to-the-consumer price.

[Anonymous No.9848995]

>>9848718
People will be original art if it's pretty enough and has universal appeal. If the characters are appealing and the image itself is nice, and the price isn't exorbitant, you can make a decent chunk of your sales from overall art.
Can you post your work? Maybe we can give some input.
By the way, you didn't do badly for your first time. Also, in the future don't straight up turn away people for commissions, just tell them it won't be completed at the con and offer the option to buy it now and receive it digitally when finished.

[Anonymous No.9849056]

>>9848908
Washi tape depends more on aesthetic than any fandom related demand like charms and buttons, so you're fine if people like your art.
If it's a 10m roll you definitely should be pricing it at least at $6. I usually see rolls with foil in the upper limit of $10-12
Personally, I price all my washis at $8 since I don't want to deal with different pricing between my designs

[Anonymous No.9849092]

>>9849056
thank you this is a perfect answer! appreciate your time :)

[Anonymous No.9849153]

I've had a few people comment I should raise the prices on my prints (I sell 11x17 for $15 each, standard AA pricing).

Do any of you price 11x17s at $20? Or maybe making the print bundle deals more expensive (I have buy 2 get 1 free, so $10 each)
I'm curious about how it moves in comparison to regular $15. I know some people who bump up their prices for Comiccons, but I dunno about Anime AAs.

[Anonymous No.9849203]

>>9849153
I've been doing $20 ea 11x17 for years now. My sales per print were almost identically, perhaps sliiiightly lower but the profit that i got for raising prices more than made up for it.

Also no more making change for prints, ever. $20 ea, buy 2 get one free or buy 3 get two free means all my transactions are 20/40/60, perfect.

[Anonymous No.9849223]

So I'm still a bit of a AA noob. Within 1.5 years I have sold at 3 artist allies including NYCC and will be selling at one this weekend. I mostly just offer prints, comics and sketch commissions, but I'd like to start selling my work online.

Which is the best site to open a shop with? Etsy? Tictail? Storenvy? Bigcartel?

Is it wrong to sell prints you've had made through CatPrint through your online store? It's one thing to sell in person at a con, but it feels weird to sell your work through an online service made from another online service. I'd make my own prints but I don't have the time right now nor the money to invest in a good printer, card stock, ink cartridges, etc.

I have a Society6 Shop, but I haven't sold anything, and that fact that artists profit so little from it kinda sucks, so I may just end up closing it.

[Anonymous No.9849242]

>>9849153
I plan on selling postcard sized mini prints for $5 each, 8.5 x 11 prints for $10, 9 X 12 prints for $15 and 11 X 17 prints for $20. Not sure if this is reasonable, expensive or cheap.

>>9849203
I was thinking of adding a deal that if you buy two 11 X 17 prints, you get 15% off. So basically, two 11 X 17 prints for $34. Does this sound like a good offer, or instead, should I throw in a $5 print if they buy two big prints?

[Anonymous No.9849244]

>>9849223
How.... do you think we all sell our charms? We sure don't have those kinda of setups to make our own at home.
You're fine to sell your prints and stickers and everything online through etsy and similar stores. They'll ask you if you have some other source, but everyone purchasing is pretty much under the impression that its your art that you had manufactured into a product. Same goes for prints. Most people DONT print at home, because you can get your prints done dirt cheap online and in stores. The people buying don't care about that. They're paying to own things you've drawn.

Etsy is a huge money maker for me personally. Would definitely recommend, but be careful tagging popular fandoms with your fanart, as you only have 3 strikes for copyright issues.

[Anonymous No.9849262]

>Did Inktober for the first time last October. Overwatch as the theme.
>proud of doing all of them, they're all compiled nicely in a book for easy viewing.
>want to hold onto them to show off at conventions to show my commission quality or overall ability in case I ever get offered a comic job or something
>realize I could make so much bank for these though if someone is interested enough.

Should I mention these are for sale, or should I only mention if someone asks? I feel like only selling these if someone offers to pay good money for them. These are 9 X 12 inked and copic colored pieces. What should these even be priced for if someone asks? The first few have minimum color, but the pieces got more colorful day after day.

[Anonymous No.9849282]

>>9849242
Don't bring in math and percentages at cons, just say 2 for $35 if you must. You basically want a deal that is easy to understand as soon as someone sees it. 2 for $35 is easier to understand than buy two get 15% off. Also generally people buying big prints aren't looking at small ones, so buy 2 get one free mini print is a little like.. most people don't care about that third one unless they are the same exact design as the big ones.. which then introduces the likelihood of people just buying a bunch of small ones once they realize that exists because you're mentioning it in your deal.

I have a lot of problems with your set up desu personally, i would never have 4 print sizes as it's a pain in the ass to organize and keep track of and I wouldn't want to give an opportunity for people to downgrade their purchase either.

[Anonymous No.9849292]

>>9848988
thanks for the advice and no im not going to any convention i dunno how any of that works im barely getting into selling my art on its own. i dunno how to explain it. i go to work. i come home. i go online and see ppl sell prints of their art like i dunno they print their shit out and ppl buy it. i wanna do that. conventions sounds like a stage im not at yet

>>9848991
man i almost went in for it

BUT THANKS TO THIS THREAD i got proofs from fireball and catprint on the way. i sent catprint the file so apparently theyre cool with it. at first they said it was $5 but then later after i gave them the file the lady said they sent it. fireball didnt ask for the file theyre just sending their own sample pack i guess

[Anonymous No.9849295]

>>9849203
I was worried about people buying less but the dip in numbers from per prints sold would be made up for in the higher costs (at least I'd hope). So I appreciate the confirmation.

Hmmm the not having to make change sounds awesome, I'm always either stuck with JUST enough or way too much change. Thanks for the advice and deal pricing!

>>9849242
I sell postcards at $5 too, sometimes I'll have some 8x11s for $10 but I don't like having too much size variety in my prints nor do I carry small/large versions or any prints (just in case people gravitate towards the smaller/cheaper price cause the big prints are what I want to move)

I'm glad to see the prices I have match yours, I think I'm going to raise my 11x17s for my next con!

[Anonymous No.9849299]

>>9849223
Bigcartel's system is a mess to work with and I've only stuck with it because a monthly subscription is way cheaper than paying commission/fees per item sold on the other sites for me.

Honestly Etsy would probably be the easiest. And don't bother printing from home/manufacturing from home no one cares.

[Anonymous No.9849316]

>>9849153
The only people who price their 11x17s at 20$ or higher are professionals with a good art pedigree or just are straight up VERY popular.
If you don't fall into these categories, then ignore the other artists who try to bully you into pricing yours higher. They just don't want your competition is what it is.

[Anonymous No.9849329]

>>9848832
I'm interested in learning more about this. Do you have a email I can contact you with?

[Anonymous No.9849341]

>>9848832
do you sell the lasers?

[Anonymous No.9849354]

>>9849316

It sounds like you're just insecure about your art, no one here is bullying anyone...

[Anonymous No.9849366]

>>9849282
The print sizes are all different images btw. Sure I could've printed all my work at one size, but depending on the context of the image, they're meant to be seen at a certain sizes. Since I only have two 11 X 17 pieces, should I charge the same amount for the 8.5 x 11 and 9 X 12 pieces then, so I can give deals like "Medium prints, $15 each, three for $40?"

[Anonymous No.9849640]

>>9849366
I understand, though FWIW some people don't care about a specific image so much as "I need something from this table" and offering cheaper sizes lets them buy something small. Not a big deal but just putting that out there so you're aware of some buying tendencies.

As for everything else, YES you should change the same price for medium prints. 8x11 and 9x12 is so similar that people don't care and you will just make it harder on yourself with 4 price points for prints. You sound like you're new or haven't started yet but I will just warn you of several things:

- Attendees don't read. The more complexity and options you have the more confused they will get.

- Many of them will ask you what the prices are no matter how many signs you have so saying 1 or 2 prices in one breath is way easier than 3-4 prices.

- Attendees for the most part do not care about how an image is to be seen or whatever. I know as an artist we care and have preferences to how an image is to be perceived but attendees really don't. I used to do 4x5 / 8x12 / 11x17 prints but eventually moved them all to 11x17 because they just read better larger and they brought in more money regardless of how i had to crop or expand them. The only odd size print i have right now is 11x11 and i charge it as a regular print.

So with that in mind i know you can't help it right now if you only have 2 11x17 prints. If I were you I would consider these options:

Small prints $5 (3 for $10 or 5 for $20 if you have a lot) (doesn't change)

1. Medium Prints $15 ea / 3 for $40 (OR buy 2 get 1)
Large Prints $20 ea / 2 for $35 (OR buy both get 1 medium free)

OR

2. ALL (medium/large) PRINTS $15, (3 for $40 or Buy 2 get 1)

OR

3. If your art is really good, all (med/large) prints $20, buy 2 get 1 :)

Personally I would lean towards #2 or #3 as someone who's been doing this for a long time, but #1 is common, i guess do whatever you feel comfy with and don't be afraid to change it up after a couple cons

[Anonymous No.9849703]

>>9849640
Since my small prints are $5 each, am I better off charging my medium prints for $10 and the large ones for $15? Only because I don't want customers to feel there is a huge jump between prices for certain sizes.

[Anonymous No.9849704]

>>9849329 Yes let's do it! [e-mail]

[Anonymous No.9849708]

>>9849341
Yes my company develops and sells portable fiber optic lasers. Happy to answer any questions you have. [e-mail]

[Anonymous No.9849720]

>>9849640
What if you're selling certain sets or collections?

Like I have a series of illustrations I did based on the 7 deadly sins that I printed as postcard sized prints. I'd be selling them for $5 each, but $30 If you buy a whole set.
I also have other illustration sets. Like I have a trio of illustrations based on the sun, moon and stars that I was also going to sell for $5 each, but if you bought all 3, it'll be $12.

[Corky-Lunn !CorkyloMxc No.9849735]

new thread: >>9849732

[Anonymous No.9856907]

>>9826318
Sounds like you're doing fine anon, as long as you acknowledge the customers and look productive, there should be no issue. If you think people are "turned off" by that then they probably weren't even going to purchase anything in the first place.