[ Poll ] Artists Alley Information Compilation

Most intimidating thing about your first AA?

What if I don't sell anything?		23.5%	[ 133 ]
What if I don't break Even?		12.0%	[ 68 ]
What if they HATE my work?		26.6%	[ 151 ]
What if I sell out of prints too soon?		4.1%	[ 23 ]
All of the other artists are going to think I suck!		21.9%	[ 124 ]
Other (Please share!)		12.0%	[ 68 ]

Total Votes: 567

[Kaxen]

muffin babie

Basically, I'm wondering if we have to have a print book to look though, or if we could post all our prints on the front of the table/on one of those plastic piping things that goes over the table? It would save on space for all of us, I'm just wondering if that's really an option. Will people still look at the prints?

Based on my experience at AX, I would highly suggest hanging prints from a PVC pipe display. >_> Not sure about other cons, but it seemed like more than half of the artists had something really tall going on. That and it probably makes it easier to re-find your table/booth if it's really tall.

Most people passed by my table without even bothering to flip through my portfolio/album so I ended up just laying them all flat on the table after a while.

[Onigiri Monster]

Regarding my earlier post:

I didn't realize how unreliable the information actually was before I posted it. My friend sent it to me on facebook and all I did was repost the info here. I can show you guys a screencap of it since I can't link directly to a private note.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a134/OnigiriMonster/AA.jpg

I just wanted to share any info that might help with preparing for the AA but I didn't even think that it could just be a rumor circulating around. I apologize for making everyone worry. cry

[Nyawyn]

Personally, I dont care for the Pvc pipe displays, if only cause they can sometimes be very unstable. If you're only selling prints, then a pvc method might work fairly well but if youre selling other stuff then id recommended using the wire cubes and making a booth out of them you can clip prints and originals to it as well as hang button or other trinket displays. Plus, on your side of the booth, the open backs of the cubes allow for convenient storage of your merch and art supplies.

[Fiammetta Rey]

The wire cube shelf things I ordered came a few days ago... I have a whole pile of unopened boxes I need to do something with...

I just realized that the bookmark I'm drawing now can't really use a gold tassel... should I have some with tassel and some without, or put a gold one on it anyway (all I have is gold and I have no time to order more...

[[Kako]]

Is it gold-metallic or just goldenrodish? If the latter, you could try bleaching/dyeing a few of them.

[Fiammetta Rey]

...I could try that. Thanks.

Anyone want to help by critiquing my setup? Test run, please excuse the mess behind it.

On the shelves I'm planning on having some jewelry displayed... I think the displays are coming tomorrow.

On the flat panels facing out, I'm going to clip pictures up like I did a little there.

I might lay shiny garlands over the top to draw attention.

These will be farther apart on the actual table, which is 6 feet... this table's about 4 feet.

[shiroiusagi]

I just got finished reading this whole thread from page 1 since yesterday afternoon. XD And I have to say this is the best thread I have ever seen (in the Art Discussion) that was worth reading for (Artist Alleys) myself. >w< I give many thanks to [Kako] who started the thread and all those have contributed their advice and experiences, this is a very awesome resource. So highly recommend to read every page there is so many good things to find from prints to shrinkie discussions. I took lots of notes of different things. XD

As for myself I have no't attended any anime conventions. o_o;; (I did gain interest in manga/ anime around high school, but it dropped by the time I got to college and picked up World of Warcraft >>; I still enjoy manga, but haven't read much lately sad ) A lot of people have encouraged me to sell prints and whatnot of my character and one particular friend has appointed artist alleys a few years ago... So before my spring semester started my friend helped me get at table at AX and I was so excited I accepted it. So in the beginning of my last semester I started to draw solid ideas and by middle of it I stopped. I ended up telling my friend I had to let go of my table because I wasn't ready nor I had anything ready x-x (I slightly regret it, but it was true, I really had nothing, lol). But then near the end of the semesters I was stressing so much ideas came to me and I drew them. The drawings I did at that time really helped the spark within me to be so much more confident about my character and I do feel ready I can go to an artist alley (knowing my art isn't anime at all ^^;; ). This thread really inspired me to do more for the up coming local smaller conventions around my area and hope to have a lot for next year's AX. smile

I am definitely going to be following this thread and hopefully to contribute when I gain the experience. And also ask questions when I have no clue of something. razz

The art I plan to sell is in my DA gallery, theya re the brightly colored drawings with very clean lines. XD

Thanks again for this thread! <3

[Vicemage]

Congrats on your first Alley, Kaxen!

Regarding fanart... I'm about as stubborn as you are on it. smile I have my tiny little chibi charms, but they're the only fanart I have at my table, and they're separated in such a way that I can at any time drop all fanart ones and sell only my originals, which I honestly have much more fun making anyway. I have no prints at all, though...

Sounds like your comic actually did very well! Strangely, I found that mine sells better at some events than others. It'll do great at one con, then the next, no one buys it at all. It'll be interesting to see what happens when I change from 3 books for $10.50 over to 1 large book for $15 or so. (Additionally, sometimes it seems to sell faster if there's a pile of them out, other times, it sells better if there's just a couple on the table. It's so hard to figure people out when it comes to books.)

And people like weird cards. You hit something funny with the "I'm invisible" card. That's one of the more creative ones I've seen/heard of, too. (Which includes the "paper ninja" card that was the name of the studio and cut-out lines around a picture of a ninja.) I miss how much people liked to pick up the card I used to have that just had a picture of a character and the word "b***h," which I was always sure (until I put it out) wasn't going to go over well...

People come up with WEIRD commissions. I'm not sure where they get the ideas of who will draw what, but mine are often totally unrelated to what my portfolio suggests. (Like, "Waffle puppy." I have no food drawings in my portfolio, and at cons, give no information about my real job... as a grocery store artist drawing food and food-related stuff all day.) Totally like the sound of that last one, how'd it turn out? (Did you take it?)

[CuteyHoneyChan]

Just ordered my button supplies and I'm trying to finish the cover art for the comic i'm going to sell...

Oh, by the way, Where's a good place to buy those wire display's?? I could use a couple of those... rofl

Thanks in advance! heart

[Kaxen]

Vicemage

Congrats on your first Alley, Kaxen!

Regarding fanart... I'm about as stubborn as you are on it. smile I have my tiny little chibi charms, but they're the only fanart I have at my table, and they're separated in such a way that I can at any time drop all fanart ones and sell only my originals, which I honestly have much more fun making anyway. I have no prints at all, though...

Sounds like your comic actually did very well! Strangely, I found that mine sells better at some events than others. It'll do great at one con, then the next, no one buys it at all. It'll be interesting to see what happens when I change from 3 books for $10.50 over to 1 large book for $15 or so. (Additionally, sometimes it seems to sell faster if there's a pile of them out, other times, it sells better if there's just a couple on the table. It's so hard to figure people out when it comes to books.)

And people like weird cards. You hit something funny with the "I'm invisible" card. That's one of the more creative ones I've seen/heard of, too. (Which includes the "paper ninja" card that was the name of the studio and cut-out lines around a picture of a ninja.) I miss how much people liked to pick up the card I used to have that just had a picture of a character and the word "b***h," which I was always sure (until I put it out) wasn't going to go over well...

People come up with WEIRD commissions. I'm not sure where they get the ideas of who will draw what, but mine are often totally unrelated to what my portfolio suggests. (Like, "Waffle puppy." I have no food drawings in my portfolio, and at cons, give no information about my real job... as a grocery store artist drawing food and food-related stuff all day.) Totally like the sound of that last one, how'd it turn out? (Did you take it?)

Selling my books, I mainly had the biggest problem of getting people to look at it.

At first their were stood at the back of the table, but then I put the whole stack in front after a while.

I even had to put neon green post-its that said "FLIP THROUGH ME"

I took all the commissions I was suggested minus some Naruto one because I like... completely forgot how to draw Naruto... Most people seem to come prepared with reference pictures. @_@

I just uploaded the Spike Spiegel one onto my DA http://zekarmisama.deviantart.com/art/Swordfish-128544510

[muffin babie]

Oh! I remembered my other question!

I'm planning on making little clay charms/earrings/cell phone jobbers/etc. Would you guys suggest buying colored clay, or just buying a bunch of white clay and painting it? It one significantly nicer than the other? How about cost-effective. Also, I was planning on buying Sculpy. Is that a good choice? I haven't done much clay work since I was younger, and I've never bought it myself.

[Vicemage]

Kaxen

Selling my books, I mainly had the biggest problem of getting people to look at it.

At first their were stood at the back of the table, but then I put the whole stack in front after a while.

I even had to put neon green post-its that said "FLIP THROUGH ME"

I took all the commissions I was suggested minus some Naruto one because I like... completely forgot how to draw Naruto... Most people seem to come prepared with reference pictures. @_@

I just uploaded the Spike Spiegel one onto my DA http://zekarmisama.deviantart.com/art/Swordfish-128544510

That's the biggest problem I usually have, too... one way I've dealt with it is to bait people over with a handout (usually a bookmark until I run out of them), and then when they're over there, try to engage them in a little conversation and invite them to "feel free to take a look at my original comics over here." If they seem not too interested, I usually follow that pretty quickly with an invitation to look at my commission book, too. (I always keep them fairly forward on the table, typically on my right-hand side. Commission book is on the left, charms in front of me, and BJDs on the left set fairly far back to help deter grabby-hands.)

Lucky you with people bringing reference pictures... I keep a boatload on my laptop so I have them handy (and am considering adding a basic internet package to my next cell phone so I can snag them that way, too) because people almost never bring them to me, they just expect me to remember how "the ninja who appeared in the background in frame 2577 of episode 562 of Naruto" looked. In detail. (I don't watch Naruto.)

And that picture is AWESOME. biggrin

[Vicemage]

Apologies for double post. ^_^

Wire boxes: I think we had a ton of links to them a few pages back... I have a ton of them so I don't actually know what they're really called or where to buy them these days, I've had these things since college. (That's a long time ago.)

Clay: Colored polymer clays will probably be quicker. Polymer clays also tend to be a bit more durable than basic Sculpey. Sculpey III, Fimo, and Katoclay are all brands of polyclay.

[Fiammetta Rey]

Bleaching seems to have mostly worked... and the wire crates i set up have yet to fall down, so I think they're working.