Artists Alley Information Thread

Selling at Cons is best during the...

Spring	12.0%	[ 80 ]
Summer	30.2%	[ 201 ]
Fall	6.8%	[ 45 ]
Winter	5.4%	[ 36 ]
Any time!	45.6%	[ 303 ]
Total Votes:			[ 665 ]

[Fiammetta Rey]

I'm living with false hope

And my eyes just want to see a ray of light

I'm gonna find it in my fairy tale...

Making boxes... good idea! You could do, like, cool origami ones or something!

*googles up origami boxes*

edit: Woah... Just found a great site. First link on Google, so everyone probably knows this one if they're into origami, but... so many different types of boxes!

Origami Resource Center

[pearberrie]

Starre257

I'm living with false hope

And my eyes just want to see a ray of light

I'm gonna find it in my fairy tale...

Making boxes... good idea! You could do, like, cool origami ones or something!

*googles up origami boxes*

edit: Woah... Just found a great site. First link on Google, so everyone probably knows this one if they're into origami, but... so many different types of boxes!

Origami Resource Center

oooh thats the same! I had found this video last year:
http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/how-to-make-a-box-out-of-paper-scraps-243/
on etsy it's really neat I made some for x-mas but forgot about it until I realized why buy when I can make? Plus you can make it all personal adding a stamp or drawing on top smile

[Konbanwa_megami]

You could try to save money on food... if your hotel room has a refrigerator then you could buy ham and cheese for sandwiches. I know at Metrocon last year food and drinks at the convention center were very expensive. You could also bring a case of water and some cup o noodles for food. Just don't forget the forks lol.

[Jayde Panda]

On how late to stay at your table: A guy who did AA for a living (he gave a panel at AUSA one year) recommended setting a base time (say 9 or 10 pm) and then a set time after that (I think his was 15 min). Once he reached his base time, he would pack up if he went 15 minutes without making a sale, but every time he made a sale after the base time he'd reset the 15 min timer thing. I tried that... but it hasn't worked so well because I found I couldn't stay up late enough, so I just pack up when I get tired. So.. his advice wasn't so good for me, but maybe it'll help someone else here. ^_^

I totally second taking your own food too. smile My husband and I load up on foods that don't need to be refrigerated. Our favorite is monkey bread--my husband makes it fresh before we leave every convention (for those who don't know monkey bread is cut up biscuits, cinnamon and butter, mixed together and baked in a bundt pan). So it's not that healthy, but it keeps my stomach from growling and it's like a little extra treat to make the convention even more fun.

[Vicemage]

Considering the tendancy of people like us to undereat at a convention (very unhealthy! shame on us! Yes I do it too...), unhealthy/calorie-laden treats aren't such a bad thing, really. I normally drink water or low-calorie/no calorie drinks, but when I hit cons, I switch over to sugary sodas and other things with a calorie load. Why? Because I already know from experience that I likely will NOT get sufficient calories from what I manage to remember to eat (yes I just flat-out forget to eat half the time) or get my hands on while still working away behind the table, to keep functioning at any decent level during the convention. Calories are energy, and energy is needed behind the table.

Last con I attended, my hotel roommates and I pooled food... we had an assortment of things that didn't need refridgeration--I provided a big bag of apples, another brought clementines, and another brought bags of jerky, and we shared it all around. It was nice, too, that it was stuff I could easily stash behind my table and eat quickly during short down-times. (Also nice was that my costume includes a pair of gloves, meaning I could eat the jerky left-handed, then put the glove back on and have things more-or-less protected from the small amount of grease/foodiness that gets on your hands when eating it.)

I always carry a little food to cons... usually some energy drinks, fruit, and meal-bars (I tend to get Luna and Clif bars, they tend to have some palatable flavors). I usually have a water-bottle too that can be easily refilled in the bathroom or at a fountain. Very helpful!

(... >.> Eventually I'll finish my "convention survival" guide with food tips...)

[Jayde Panda]

Yeah, learning to eat at cons has been very difficult to do; my cosplay group used to go out to eat on Sunday at a place like Chili's or Applebee's because by Sunday morning after checkout we'd realize we hadn't eaten anything except maybe a pack of crackers all weekend. It was also a great time to spend time with our friends for a few extra hours before we had to all split off to our own hometowns.

Question: I've seen links to places that will print individual stickers. Does anyone know where I could get a sheet of stickers printed--not a sheet of the same sticker, but where there's a say 5x7" sheet with maybe 10 different stickers scattered on it?

[muffin babie]

If you've got friends going to the con who aren't working behind the table with you, you could send them on food runs, too.
At the last con I was at, my tablemate and I sent my boyfriend to the consuite and to Subway and the like tons of times. That way, we got out food, he had something to do, and we didn't have to leave the table. Also, Subway has those handy bags the sandwiches come in, that you can stick trash into.

[InstantOatmeal]

Though it comes from a non-con experience, this is similar:
For the shows that I've done, very few people remember to eat on performance weekends (which can be very bad.) What I've done is gone out to WalMart or some place that has those giant, prepackaged cold subs loaded with meat and veggies and get one of those. I keep that around and it can last me and two other people the entire day. Maybe pack a few of those in a cooler and bring one to the table each day to keep with you. These things are beastly and would easily be a lunch and dinner for two or three people. It's also cheaper, healthier, and more filling than most of the stuff you can conveniently get at cons.

[Seijaku_Ishida]

At Ohayocon, I had packed some waterbottles with the Special K stuff that helps supress hunger, and some things in bar-form. Otherwise I had to rely on friends getting stuff from the food court, which was pretty overpriced.

The cold sub thing is a good idea. Or even just making sandwiches or whatever else keeps well.

[Vicemage]

Seijaku_Ishida

At Ohayocon, I had packed some waterbottles with the Special K stuff that helps supress hunger, and some things in bar-form. Otherwise I had to rely on friends getting stuff from the food court, which was pretty overpriced.

The cold sub thing is a good idea. Or even just making sandwiches or whatever else keeps well.

You think so? I've actually found the food court prices are decent for a food court, and are in fact better than a lot of cons I've attended. (Seriously. The first time I went to Reactor, I watched the prices at the food stand go up every time I walked past it. Acen charges me $4 for a freakin' hot dog with nothing on it. The prices at the Ohayo food court really aren't bad at all. smile )

I actually ate fairly well at Ohayo, myself, since I had an assistant who would run down and grab things from the food court for me... I just wish I'd known about the day Emily was going to come around with sammiches, I wouldn't have sent her down that time, since it arrived just after I'd finished off my purchased food and wasn't hungry anymore. sweatdrop

Most other cons, I don't do so well... I bring food but forget to eat it, or I forget food and dig in my heels about paying $3 for a tiny ice cream cone or $2 for a 50-cent bag of chips. biggrin

[StarMasayume]

I have a question to pose to you guys. I'm going to be at Metrocon in two weeks and have a whole table to myself. So I'm planning to spread out my merchandise and prints a lot. I have a couple of large traditional fanart (12x16 matted into 16x20) that's different then my regular work. I figured I could display at least one on top of my table.

Now would it be better to have a high buy it now price or would it be an idea to do something like a raffle each day? Are raffles for artwork allowed in the artist alley and would they be a bad idea? A friend mentioned to me before so I thought I would consider it. I did sell my Sailor Moon one at the art show of the last con for $65 and wouldn't want to make less then $30 to $40. They are large pieces. What do you guys think? If it's safer to do buy it now prices, what price might you suggest and which of the below would you showcase (since I probably only have room for one at a time). I don't have the Sailor Moon any more, but I have a Kingdom Hearts one (not chibi)




The other thing is I've been warned about the artists next to me--apparently they've had problems with other artists in the past (hogging artist tables throughout the con, registering under false pretenses, mass producing fanart)--she has two tables by me and two tables somewhere else. Their artwork (even if it is all fanart and mostly the same) is pretty decent and I've bought stuff from them previously I think. I thought it was weird there wasn't even a link to a gallery like most of the artists (apparently she's been banned a lot on DA). I'm going to assume things will be all right. I do know they have a really big display (usually large shiny prints framing the entire table and such).

So it got me thinking, what kind of displays do people do to attract people? I've had another friend do the pipe and string thing to hook prints across the table. Is something like that worth the trouble?

I know the worse thing is to keep everything flat. I have a sign post my dad made with frames on all side and artowrk so it's viewable from different directions and somewhat high. When I can, I'll put up a few 4x6 or 5x7 prints in frames or use a frame stand to hold a matted print. smile

[Nyawyn]

I personally have found that the displays making use of the .... im not sure of the name but theyre those wire crates that you make by piecing together each side with the plastic connectors and you can make boxes with them. When positioned correctly they are very stable and easy to clip the artwork too. Personally i have yet to see a fully stable PVC setup.

[Seijaku_Ishida]

Vicemage

Seijaku_Ishida

At Ohayocon, I had packed some waterbottles with the Special K stuff that helps supress hunger, and some things in bar-form. Otherwise I had to rely on friends getting stuff from the food court, which was pretty overpriced.

The cold sub thing is a good idea. Or even just making sandwiches or whatever else keeps well.

You think so? I've actually found the food court prices are decent for a food court, and are in fact better than a lot of cons I've attended. (Seriously. The first time I went to Reactor, I watched the prices at the food stand go up every time I walked past it. Acen charges me $4 for a freakin' hot dog with nothing on it. The prices at the Ohayo food court really aren't bad at all. smile )

I actually ate fairly well at Ohayo, myself, since I had an assistant who would run down and grab things from the food court for me... I just wish I'd known about the day Emily was going to come around with sammiches, I wouldn't have sent her down that time, since it arrived just after I'd finished off my purchased food and wasn't hungry anymore. sweatdrop

Most other cons, I don't do so well... I bring food but forget to eat it, or I forget food and dig in my heels about paying $3 for a tiny ice cream cone or $2 for a 50-cent bag of chips. biggrin

Well...some of it was overpriced. Mostly the things like chips and drinks...but don't mind me, I'm a cheapskate XD

[Sakura Alchemist]

?A? i found a PVC pipe display tutorial idk I've never used it but since you were asking about displays i thought it could at least give ideas.
http://www.kittytreats.org/drupal/?q=pvcpipe