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 ]

[DarkishStar]

Xiaa

I'm pretty new to selling little trinkets >__>

Where can I buy keychain templates where I can just print our my own designs on them? Is Shrinky Dinks the only one?

Also, do you just use normal cardstock for printing out bookmarks?

I know where I can get stuff printed, but I'm kind of confused as to what to buy when I'm trying to do things myself .___.

*excited* You know what works really well? xD I find people sell those little ball-chain keychains by printing out the picture or character on a little piece of very thick paper, more like cardstock I think, and THEN the laminate it, punch a hole through and loop it through. I think it works well. =) But if you want a template.. I can't help much. I've seen most artists use this method. It gives crazy shapes and lots of room for customization. It's really cute too. xD

I used lustre paper for bookmarks from Costco's print service. Well, it's photo print service, but works just as well and great quality. The price really can't be beat honestly. I compared to the online ones that were recommended earlier in the thread. I think I saw like.. 10 artists with costco print envelopes like me. x3 The benefit from lustre is that, fingerprints don't show up, and you don't need to laminate it.

But I may just be a Costco advocate. xD

Making a list may be easier in your case.
Decide what you want as bigger prints.. figure out the size and resolution.
Figure out the small.
And for bookmarks, you can print like.. 8 on a sheet and use a papercutter to slice it apart. Really saves on cost. And I found for cosco, it was... much cheaper to put 2 bookmarks on a 4x6 and just cut it in half.
And then you can figure out how many sheets of what you need from that.
Materials are much harder, I have no experience here.

[Vicemage]

I'm trying to decide if I have anything worth making prints of, myself... I haven't ventured INTO prints yet! xd

Has anyone tried the printer-friendly shrinky-dinks or know where to get them? I've been looking all over for them, and I KNOW they exist, but I must be looking in the wrong places, because all I find are the normal "Draw with your favorite (cheapass) markers!" kind... I'd like to do a few keychain/cell phone charm things, but I'd rather do the kind I run through a printer, and not have to draw every single one separately.

[[Kako]]

Though drawing each one separately would probably make them so much more awesome to own, I can see why you wouldn't want to do that. XD

These aren't EXACTLY Shrinky-dinks, but they seem to be about the same thing and come in an inkjet printable variety. Have you checked the normal shrinky-dink package to make sure they're not inkjet-friendly? I'm not sure about the compositional differences between printer-ink and cheap-crayola-knock-off ink is. I'll keep looking for you. :3

EDIT: AUGH!!!! SHRINKY-DINKS HAS THE MOST FOUL, HORRIBLE, STRESS-INDUCING WEBSITE EVER!!!! gonk I found the official shrinky-dinks stuff, though. D:

http://www.goestores.com/catalog.aspx?storename=shrinkydinks&DeptID=34365&ItemID=4190137&detail=1

[Xiaa]

fanartist

I haven't been able to find any place that allows printing custom keychains, but personally, I wanted to try Shrinky Dinks myself. How was it using those? ^^;

I haven't used it myself either, but this artist has: http://fullmetalomi.livejournal.com/55142.html#cutid1 ^^;

DarkishStar

*excited* You know what works really well? xD I find people sell those little ball-chain keychains by printing out the picture or character on a little piece of very thick paper, more like cardstock I think, and THEN the laminate it, punch a hole through and loop it through. I think it works well. =) But if you want a template.. I can't help much. I've seen most artists use this method. It gives crazy shapes and lots of room for customization. It's really cute too. xD

I used lustre paper for bookmarks from Costco's print service. Well, it's photo print service, but works just as well and great quality. The price really can't be beat honestly. I compared to the online ones that were recommended earlier in the thread. I think I saw like.. 10 artists with costco print envelopes like me. x3 The benefit from lustre is that, fingerprints don't show up, and you don't need to laminate it.

But I may just be a Costco advocate. xD

Making a list may be easier in your case.
Decide what you want as bigger prints.. figure out the size and resolution.
Figure out the small.
And for bookmarks, you can print like.. 8 on a sheet and use a papercutter to slice it apart. Really saves on cost. And I found for cosco, it was... much cheaper to put 2 bookmarks on a 4x6 and just cut it in half.
And then you can figure out how many sheets of what you need from that.
Materials are much harder, I have no experience here.

Oh! I always assumed that people made keychains with some plastic material that I have no clue about XDDD Kind of like this? : http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/57350427/

I'll give laminating thick paper a try as well. Try to build some experience ^^

And, are these the type of ballchains you're talking about? http://www.ballchain.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BCM&Category_Code=KEY

But... I seriously don't think I could make/manage to sell 100 keychains ;____; Is there a play to buy them in smaller quantities?


And I'll definitely give Costco a try for bookmarks, XD This sounds like fun.

Thanks for your helps biggrin

[[Kako]]

Xiaa

fanartist

I haven't been able to find any place that allows printing custom keychains, but personally, I wanted to try Shrinky Dinks myself. How was it using those? ^^;

I haven't used it myself either, but this artist has: http://fullmetalomi.livejournal.com/55142.html#cutid1 ^^;

Wow, those look great! :O I think I might have to try making some keychains from shrinky-dink material.

[fanartist]

Hmmm... I'll need to try those some day...

Should I write about my experience staying in the Artist's Alley until 10 PM almost every night at AX...? ^^;

[Xiaa]

fanartist

Hmmm... I'll need to try those some day...

Should I write about my experience staying in the Artist's Alley until 10 PM almost every night at AX...? ^^;

I'd like to hear it XD

[[Kako]]

fanartist

Hmmm... I'll need to try those some day...

Should I write about my experience staying in the Artist's Alley until 10 PM almost every night at AX...? ^^;

O_O;;; How the hell did you manage to do that!? I couldn't even stay for one day! DX

And yes, please write about it! Every bit of information helps! biggrin

[Moe SahChan]

Wow, that shrinky-dink stuff looks great!

And it's all very cheap too... HM~

[fanartist]

[Kako]

fanartist

Hmmm... I'll need to try those some day...

Should I write about my experience staying in the Artist's Alley until 10 PM almost every night at AX...? ^^;

O_O;;; How the hell did you manage to do that!? I couldn't even stay for one day! DX

And yes, please write about it! Every bit of information helps! biggrin

XD;; I love the Artist's Alley ^^. It also helps that I have a friend with me so we won't feel lonely during downtime.

After the initial Artist's Alley hours, I either get dinner, or my friend gets it for me =w=;; It's usually while we're eating when people come by just to chat, and sometimes they actually buy something. Or they just stick around to chat because there's no where else they really want to go.

After awhile, they might leave or the group might get bigger. I've gotten some weird fanboys hanging around me, but that was only once during Fanime (last year).

I dunno... I just like to sit and talk and spaz out with random people =w=a;;

Also a good time to finish commissions ^^;;

[Vicemage]

Wow, thanks for the links on the shrinky dinks! xd Somehow, too, I managed to remember where I originally saw them: d**k Blick. Hopefully when I'm down in the area of one next week I can swing by and they'll have some in stock. Now all I have to do is actually go buy some printer ink... And, well, pick some designs too.

[Delicious Apple Crisp]

Part A- Getting the table:
1. How many months in advance do conventions usually release tables, in your experience? Not sure, it depends on how well-organized the con is.
2. How much does a table usually cost? Usually $25 for a half table (About 3 feet) and $50 for a full table (6 feet)
3. How quickly are the tables reserved? ...Fast.
4. What complications should one be prepared for? The Artist Alley head messing up. Also, be prepared to share a table with another artist, because nice people do that.
5. Anything else? Keep communicating! After you send in your registration, ask for a confirmation!
Optional: What skill level would you suggest entering the AA at? If possible, please provide examples. As long as YOU feel confident enough to sell your work, really TRULY, then you're good enough.

Part B- Preparing to sell:
1. What sort of merchandise would you advise selling? DIFFERENT SIZES of prints! I usually do 8.5x11's, 5x7's, and 4x6's. Stickers! Trinkets! Anything cute.
2. What sort of merchandise would you advise against selling? Original drawings and paintings. Meaning, the actual hard copy of the sketch, ink, or painting. Not only is this usually more expensive (And buyers like to save for the dealers room), the buyer could slap their signature on it, and hey...they have the original, so what proof do you have that you made it?
3. What sort of stuff sells best? Fanart Prints, and nostalgic characters (I never would have thought that a print of Washu from Tenchi would sell just as well as all the Ouran and Death Note prints!)
4. Where would you suggest going to get things printed? I print my own stuff.
5. If printing at home, what preparations should one make? It takes a LONG time. DON'T think you can do it all very well the day before unless you DON'T have a lot of prints. I've never spent less than 7 hours printing for one convention. For Anime Iowa, I have over 75 picstures total, with about 5 prints of each size...yes, yes that adds up. Also, get a printer thats ink-efficient. Aka NOT the cartridges that have all the colors in it! I Pay 35 dollars for my ink TOTAL ..I get one cartridge of each color (Black, Yellow, Dark Magenta, Light Magenta, Dark Cyan, Light Cyan) + 150 sheets of 4x6 paper. Its an awesome deal. Paper included, I usually spend between $100 and $150 on supplies.
6. How far in advance should one have one's merchandise finished? A week. Don't put it off until RIGHT before the con..Give yourself a few days to relax and get ready, you'll feel much more refreshed and a lot less sick of prints when its time to sell!
7. Anything else? Invest in good supplies. Print on Photo paper, and use at LEAST the "normal" quality - None of that Fast Draft on computer paper crap. Also, work on presentation! Organize your prints into portfolios and binders. I number them in the binder, and then again by number in my expanding file so they're eaaaasy to find!

Part C- At the Con:
1. How early should one arrive to be sure of reserving a good table? Depends on the con, SOME cons already assign you a table. Find out how many tables there are. ..Just go as early as possible, to releive yourself of pressure.
2. When setting up one's table, what sort of layout would you suggest? Here's a trick I learned at Anime Central..Instead of keeping your prints EXCLUSIVELY in binders, set a few of your best out on the table. Some congoers avoid artist tables because they don't want to feel pressured to buy, but if they can casually see a piece that catches their eye, they'll come up for a peek. I made a ton of sales this way! Also, use some congoer-attraction techniques - a basket of candy, some pretty dolls/toys, etc etc...I always do the candy thing.
3. There are some pretty bratty congoers out there. How would you suggest dealing with assholes? Ahh yes. I had some images of Sasuke/Sakura and this girl ran over to tell me "EWWWWWWW SASUKE SAKURA IS SO GROSS" your best bet is to smile and brush it off, maybe say something like "Well thankfully for you I've got some other characters too..." and let them make an a** out of themselves.
4. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. What issues should one be prepared for when running a table at the Artists alley? Losing something, ESPECIALLY a bag of money. Do NOT keep your money out on the table! Don't keep ANYTHING of value out on the table! I keep a backpack looped around the legs of the chair I'm sitting on, and keep EVERYTHING in there, all the folders of drawings, and I keep the bag of money in a different pocket at all times.
5. Anything else? TALK to the people who browse over your work! If you're friendly with them, they'll feel more inclined to buy! OFFER SALES for people who are trying to decide between two pieces (I sell big prints at 8 bucks each, so instead of 16 bucks, I'd offer them two for 15). Let them know that you have multiple sizes of prints.

[[Kako]]

Thank you! biggrin

[DarkishStar]

Vicemage

I'm trying to decide if I have anything worth making prints of, myself... I haven't ventured INTO prints yet! xd

Has anyone tried the printer-friendly shrinky-dinks or know where to get them? I've been looking all over for them, and I KNOW they exist, but I must be looking in the wrong places, because all I find are the normal "Draw with your favorite (cheapass) markers!" kind... I'd like to do a few keychain/cell phone charm things, but I'd rather do the kind I run through a printer, and not have to draw every single one separately.

Hopefully, if you do decide that there's anything worth making prints of, that they are the correct resolution and at least 300 dpi. You haven't ventured into prints yet, so you might not have made art in the correct resolution to be printed. Just a warning. I had to go through that myself. D:

[DarkishStar]

Xiaa

DarkishStar

*excited* You know what works really well? xD I find people sell those little ball-chain keychains by printing out the picture or character on a little piece of very thick paper, more like cardstock I think, and THEN the laminate it, punch a hole through and loop it through. I think it works well. =) But if you want a template.. I can't help much. I've seen most artists use this method. It gives crazy shapes and lots of room for customization. It's really cute too. xD

I used lustre paper for bookmarks from Costco's print service. Well, it's photo print service, but works just as well and great quality. The price really can't be beat honestly. I compared to the online ones that were recommended earlier in the thread. I think I saw like.. 10 artists with costco print envelopes like me. x3 The benefit from lustre is that, fingerprints don't show up, and you don't need to laminate it.

But I may just be a Costco advocate. xD

Making a list may be easier in your case.
Decide what you want as bigger prints.. figure out the size and resolution.
Figure out the small.
And for bookmarks, you can print like.. 8 on a sheet and use a papercutter to slice it apart. Really saves on cost. And I found for cosco, it was... much cheaper to put 2 bookmarks on a 4x6 and just cut it in half.
And then you can figure out how many sheets of what you need from that.
Materials are much harder, I have no experience here.

Oh! I always assumed that people made keychains with some plastic material that I have no clue about XDDD Kind of like this? : http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/57350427/

I'll give laminating thick paper a try as well. Try to build some experience ^^

And, are these the type of ballchains you're talking about? http://www.ballchain.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=BCM&Category_Code=KEY

But... I seriously don't think I could make/manage to sell 100 keychains ;____; Is there a play to buy them in smaller quantities?


And I'll definitely give Costco a try for bookmarks, XD This sounds like fun.

Thanks for your helps biggrin

Ahahah.. with all this talk of shrinky-dinks, I'm beginning to wonder myself. xD

Yep. And what's nice that if you use cardstock, is that's thick and CHEAP. A pack of a hundred a usually a couple of bucks. And it also doubles as great commission paper. People like thick paper and cardstock is great with markers, color pencils, and inks. =)

Yes, the keychains I mentioned are like the ones on the devianart link. Exactly. xD A LOT of artists do it that way. =) And yes, those are the type of ballchains as well.. but 100 is a LOT. O_O But it might not be difficult to sell if you have say.. 10 characters from an anime (like Bleach or Naruto, which have PLENTY of characters) and then you have 10 keychains of each character. That shouldn't be TOO difficult to sell if they're really cute and the price is right. =D