Artists Alley Information Thread

Selling at Cons is best during the...

Spring	11.6%	[ 83 ]
Summer	30.3%	[ 217 ]
Fall	7.0%	[ 50 ]
Winter	5.3%	[ 38 ]
Any time!	45.7%	[ 327 ]
Total Votes:			[ 715 ]

[Vicemage]

Generally Kinko's (aka FedEx Kinko's aka The FedEx Store aka whatever they've changed it to this week) will have a big ol' paper slicer you can walk in and use. ^_^ I use it all the time for slicing up the bookmarks I hand out as promo items at cons.

Archiver's (a scrapbook store) apparently also has one, though I really haven't looked for it while there...

And I've just got a little mini-slide style papercutter hanging out in the supply bins under my drafting table, for when I need one right away. It's really handy to have one, even when you're not a print artist. ^_^

Though, on the topic of prints, I'm taking up screenprinting again, and the kit I bought included acrylic inks for printing on paper and such... I'm thinking of trying to find some blank notebooks and silkscreening designs on the front, any thoughts on that idea? Should I come up with something else?

[i Pervert]

Hah, well this is a very nice thread. ^^ I'm glad I found it. But there is something I'd like to ask about. You have a truckload of info about prints, but I don't see any information about other goods that we sell (EI buttons, phone charms, hair pieces, etc). Maybe (if you have time) you could make a section about those types of art possibilities. (I kind of got the impression that the FAQ on the first page was aiming toward selling prints only, and for first time AA people shouldn't have to think that they're only option are prints.) But it's just a suggestion and this post can be ignored. xD

[InstantOatmeal]

Vicemage: Maybe getting designs on sketchbooks would work well too.

i Pervert: There is info on buttons and such, but you have to dig a bit for it. I read every single post on this thread. Took me a week and a half, but I did, and while I can't remember everything, it's definitely worth going through all the way.

[Vicemage]

Well, by "notebook" I just kind of meant "small blank book with blank cover I can silkscreen" ^_^

iPervert: Prints tend to be a dominant item, but as was mentioned, there's a good amount of discussion of other items throughout this thread. I've also read the entire thing (I can't remember when I joined it, but it was still big enough that it took me a couple of days to read through), it's worth reading. And we tend to keep the spam sufficiently reported (and deleted) so you won't have to wade through more than the occasional legal bump to bring it back to the front page. smile

[InstantOatmeal]

Haha, sorry, I hear "notebook" and I think "spiral-bound lined paper." My bad. XD

[AEAcomics]

Hm, maybe $3 for 5x7 and $5 for 8x10. I'll just have to get them all ordered up, see how they look, and then do my pricing.

[Masoke]

Wow! I love this thread!!!

I was wondering if anyone has any tips over shrinking your shrinky dinks? I'm about to bake some and I'm afraid of burning them or having them curl up.

[InstantOatmeal]

Weird question: I'm looking at different anime cons in the area to possibly sell at. However my friend with whom I'm gonna be running the table with is worried that we'll be forever categorized as "anime artists" if we chose to sell at an anime con vs. a comic con/sci-fi con/etc. Does this tend to happen to people?

I'm looking at anime cons because it seems to me that it's easier to sell amateur stuff there and there's just more of them (not to mention that the people tend to be friendlier, from what I've heard.) However, I wouldn't consider my art to really be anime.

[Vicemage]

Masoke: Do only a few pieces, check them continuously, and mash them with a good flat spatula when you pull them out. ^_^ That'll minimize both the scorching and the curling. (Unfortunately, sometimes you end up with a bad batch of film, and it scorches anyway, I ended up with one of these not long ago...)

InstantOatmeal: There's plenty of styles usually represented at most of the anime cons I attend, including those which aren't distinctly "anime." There's no need to stick to only one type of con, too, just go for whatever appeals to you. (I do mainly anime cons, personally, with one comic con per year.)

[Masoke]

Thanks a lot Vicemage! I would have never thought about smashing them with a spatula! XD I did get some wiggly ones that looked like it couldn't be helped but none burned!

InstantOatmeal - I think you have a very cool art style that would mix well with the other art styles seen at anime cons. I would defiantly buy your stuff if I saw them! I would most likely commission you, though! I agree with Vicemage about going to cons that appeal to you. Depending on the con being anime/comic/sci-fi; you should consider what pieces you plan to sell. Otherwise, I think your style will be able to fit anywhere so long as you make it fit in, I suppose. razz I don't know about people labeling you as an anime artist, but they will surely like your art!

[Fiammetta Rey]

Hey... putting opinions on selling fanart at all aside, what do you guys think about spoiler art? Do you think people who come to cons should be prepared to hear and see spoilers? Or should we do our best to preserve the emotion of the series without giving it away, even if it means not selling some of our best pieces, or discarding good ideas before even beginning them?

I stayed up all night watching 18 episodes of a show I'm addicted to, and I wanted to do some fanart of it, but I'm not sure (right now I'm not drawing anything unless it's something I plan to sell). I wanted to draw a bunch of characters in their transformed states, but since some of them don't transform until episode 40 or so... should I not draw those ones?

[InstantOatmeal]

Masoke: Thank you very much! Here's hoping other con-goers feel the same way, right? XD

Starre: I would probably not *display* spoiler art, but keep them in a folder on your table or something labeled "spoilers!" or "caution, spoilers ahead" or something like that.

[Vicemage]

Spoiler art is sort of a touchy thing... I guess where I stand is the following:

1. If the spoiler is something that it's reasonable a large number of people at the convention would have seen, proceed with caution but you're probably okay. (Meaning, is the spoiler something that's well past in a TV broadcast or from a major series a while back, etc. Not "It was on in Japan last week, they can download fansubs." )

2. If the spoiler is something that would not have reasonably seen by a large number of people, proceed with extreme caution (maybe keep it covered or in a closed, marked portfolio).

3. If the spoiler is EXTREME (for instance, "Main Character X died in the last episode" ), either don't take it, or guard it better than your smut. I've seen the disappointment people have with having those kind of things revealed to them. (The specific example I'm thinking of was a VA panel, where someone brought up a series the actors had been in that wasn't the one the panel was about, and phrased their question as, "So at the end of Series X, my friend and I were really upset that Main Character Y and Main Character Z died in the last episode, will there be any more?" Um, your question didn't require you to spoil the series for half the room, and the disappointment/frustration/anger toward her for doing that was pretty severe. Don't assume that everyone's seen the series. Don't even assume that anyone but you has. Just play it safe, so you don't piss off a potential customer. ^_^ )

[InstantOatmeal]

I remember having every single Harry Potter death from the last book spoiled to me in a DA poll before I even read it. One of the worst experiences of my life! I still have yet to read the book as I feel it's not worth it anymore. So spoilers are okay if sufficient warning is given, buuuttt....watch it. ;D