Artist Alley Thread

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>>8893875
>bean sprout hair clips
wow that's some funny shit, but apparently super popular in china even the adults are into it lol... but yeah it's selling for under 30cents apx. on amazon and ebay in quantities...

oops pic is similar how to assemble but any leafy top can be done.

Can anyone recommend a good brand of glossy sticker paper to buy? I want to get some and take it to a printing service myself.

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Spiderburger came in!!! Thank you so much for doing this, I'm definitely going to place a charm order, the quality is wonderful!

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Just got these in the mail! The burgerspider came out so cute!

If the acornpress people are around - does it cost more to print on the gold/pearl/black sparkle acrylic l?

>>8894348
Fuck sorry for massive image, on mobile

>>8894351
>>8894348
Aha, it seems like we received them exactly at the same time, anon! I'm also super impressed by the quality!

>>8894356
Haha that's awesome! We should attach these to something obvious so we can spot each other at cons. And thanks for asking above, I was wondering about the printing on the colors as well. The black in particular is really amazing in person.

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Got mine today as well! Damn, should've requested a sample set as well, the sparkle black is kinda cute.

>>8894184
Was it someone from AANI? I remember a recent post about someone making them. It's just fake floral pieces hot glued to a hair clip, it's not a hard DIY so if they were actually just reselling the ones from ae or wherever that's the laziest shit I've ever heard.

>>8894377
Boo you whores, I didn't get mine today. Sadness, to go at least 24 more hours without spiderburger in my life.

>>8894644
It's OK anon, I won't be home for another week and a half since I'm on spring break, so me and my spiderburger are a far distance apart

Hey guys, I've never done artist alleys before, but I'm starting to get really interested in it and I'd like to start by getting tables at some small local cons this summer. (I'm planning to sell mostly art prints, stickers and fandom-themed sewn accessories like totes, pencil cases, pillows, and similar items.)

What advice or dos/don'ts can you guys with more experience give an absolute beginner?

>>8894695
The first advice I have is to not ask questions that have been asked a billion times before and to put effort in researching. That's probably the main reason I hate AANI.

Mistakes I made as a beginner and see other people make:
>not putting up very obvious and readable price signs
there will always be people who don't read your signs, so try and get as few of those people as possible by having clear signs

>not having a vertical display to show prints

>running into table display issues
flimsy pipes that fall over without something to clamp them down are a common problem I see.

>not bringing tape and scissors

>not having a lot of art to show
I started with very little because I was in school, but I do much better in sales now with more variety

>not having business cards

>drawing prints with boring poses with simple backgrounds
now I enjoy creating environments for characters to be in and having some sort of simple story behind the piece. It's good for your art to have personality.

>selling prints for very little
check archives to see what people sell theirs for

>going to a con that is notorious for being not very profitable
I've known that PMX sucks for sales by word of mouth from MANY people for years yet people still go there and complain about it.

I still made mistakes even though I researched a shit ton (although that was many years ago when we didn't have tons of resources online like we do now) so you'll learn through experience.

>>8894695

-Have business cards with your website/blog/store/social media. If you can't get cards on time, at least have a sign on your display with information on it so people will be able to find you.

-Before the con figure out how you're going to arrange stuff on your table and on your vertical display. Saves a lot of energy making sure you have the best looking table with the amount of merch you made.

-Bring extra tape, scissors, drawing materials, snacks, water, etc. Eat and drink while you're there, nothing is worse than feeling crappy and having to leave early.

-Make sure your printing quality is good. If you're getting it done at a print shop have them print a sample to see if the color is off.

-Have a friend help you if you can, or table with another artist. It's useful if you need to get up for a bit to go to the bathroom or stretch you legs.

-Try to keep your table space organized. Bring a trash bag for paper scraps and food wrappers. Make it easier for yourself to be able to find anything quickly by arranging where you put things.

-Check the archive for pictures and a lot of information.

hey guys, where do you find artsbovine coupon codes? I found a 10 items for $20 code 2 months ago but it expires tomorrow. And unfortunately I didn't have time to draw anything to get printed. Where can i find more codes like this in the future?

>>8894793
retailmenot
if you ever order something online from anywhere, always check for coupons on retailmenot.

>>8894796
thank you, I'll check that.

One other question--does anybody work in RGB and tried printing it through artsbovine? I know CMYK is more accurate but I work in RGB and it's ugly as shit whenever I convert to CMYK. So I want to just print in RGB but i wonder how that will look on artbovine's products? Any help please?

>>8894853
I've used RGB and it turned out fine. Maybe a bit darker than I thought it would but it wasn't significant enough that I was unsatisfied.

I know they say for copyright/trademark issues in AA is to not have it on display on the item being sold, but if it's just meant as informational title tag/display as to separate it as well for people who don't know where the source is from? I know the word "display" is again used but as a name/desc tag of sorts though is my purpose.

>>8894925
>Titles whether a game name/comic/anime/manga.
Meant to say - it being saying the trademark source or Title name.

>>8894695
-See how many people will attend the con. Pick a handful of designs and make 1 of each per 100 attendees, as per last thread's anon's advice. If you want to see what will sell and what won't make more designs with 1 per 200 people.

-For prints, fucking flip the things, it's not hard and you can prevent all sorts of crap that you wouldn't otherwise have noticed while working on it. Only make them as detailed as you can at your skill level, a dynamic character with a plain bright background will look better than a character in front of a wonky building. You need to make the poses interesting either way.

- For the sewn things, get your ass in gear and start working the day you get the confirmation. Go through your materials, order whatever's missing, and start cutting/pinning pieces together to sew later. You'll save a lot of time if you do everything in stages as opposed to putting them together individually.

-If you haven't sold anything before, either online or at craft fairs, then it might take you a while to get the hang of working quickly. Start earlier, work for 2-3 hours before taking a half hour break, and only bring a friend in to help if they a) are competent and b) won't distract you for hours and slow you down. Remember, even a small con will need a reasonably full table. Set targets and don't overestimate yourself, or underestimate how long it takes to make things.

-Sticker paper is not all the same quality. Do some research and get the brand that's best and within your budget. If the ink scratches off or rubs off you just need to seal them. If you want kiss-cut stickers you need to order them well ahead to ensure they get to you; they're also more expensive. If you're using the same design from your prints for the stickers, make the colours brighter and outline them to make them stand out.

-Bring money. Lots of change, in coins as well as notes, will save you from the hell of your first customer handing you a fifty for a sticker.

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Pic related is better than unipig ice cream, but these combos are getting so stupid and repetitive. Why and how are all these people dumping so much money on plushies? Anyone here have experience going through the process of having them manufactured and if so, was it profitable for you?

>>8894955
this is honestly so boring like there has been 100 fucking corgi plushes the past couple years. give it a rest, people.

>>8894955
This reminds me of that one girl on tumblr that had a flying dog as one of her multiple personalities. Sage for OT.

>>8894925

You cannot have a show title for Funimation shows anywhere on your booth. Whether it's in the packaging of the item or a piece of paper above the print that says "Attack on Titan" that is not allowed. Basically, it boils down to you not being able to advertise that print as representative of the show. Saying "Attack on Giant" is fine, however.

I think if people are curious about the original source they'll ask. Titles from other companies / rights holders are fine, but Funimation properties are the one where you can't have any form of the title or logo in the display or work.

>>8894857
OK, thank you!! I still don't know how to deal with places that only accept CMYK. All my blues turn into green when i convert to cmyk and it's driving me crazy... Is it because I'm not using photoshop to convert RGB to CMYK?? Is there no way but to suck it up and not care about colors changing when converting to cmyk?

>>8894931
Most people just print on crappy white avery sticker paper tho? Stickers are only $1 so i don't think paper quality really matters. As long as they don't rub off lol

>>8895119
True, but if you have good quality sticker paper you can worry less about them getting nasty and smudged by people pawing through them to find the ones they want.

>>8895115
They turn...green? Usually RGB>CMYK results in blues becoming more purple.
What ARE you using to convert your files, if not Photoshop?

If you want to be a print artist, then you just need to suck it up and deal with CMYK- either create in that colorspace initially, or Git Gud at color correction after conversion.

If you're sending any printer RGB files, I assure you they're just converting them to CMYK themselves before they print. And then you just..get what you get. At least if you do the conversion on your end, you have more control over it.

On the topic of stickers, how effective is an exacto knife for cutting them out? I don't like how choppy most hand-cut stickers are and I'm terrible with scissors.

>>8895166
I use manga studio 5 because my computer can't handle photoshop. Yes, they turn green which is weird and frustrating. I wonder if it will look more accurate if i use photoshop.

I mostly do charms and buttons but not too many prints. How do i get good at color conversion?

I'm working on constructing a prize wheel for WonderCon, but I'm still trying to work out what the qualifiers and prizes should be. Which sounds like it would be better?

>Spend $20 (or some other number) and spin, get a free prize anywhere from a small sticker to large prints or acrylic charms
>Follow me on tumblr/facebook/etc, spin for cheaper small prizes like stickers or buttons or wooden charms

I like the sound of the first one better, but since I already have package deals like buy 2, get 1 free, it feels like overkill of deals. Or would it be better to eliminate package deals, and appeal to people's desire to gamble?

How do artist who see things get on with 'copying'
Like tote bags, bows, pencil cases, skirts ectera? The patterns and prints will be the same as someone else down the track. Is that okay? Or do people try to make it their own and make their own prints?

>>8895167
That depends on how precise you are with an exacto knife. If you don't have a steady hand it's going to be a pain in the ass and you should just use scissors.

What do you guys do for taxes?

I only do 1-3 conventions a year. Last year one was in WA and I paid taxes after the con, and the other was in Canada so there's no reporting. I've heard I can get money back for my hotel and travel expenses, but is it worth the extra trouble and going to a tax person?

>>8895375
You can always do it yourself instead of going to a tax person. It's time consuming but saves money haha

>>8895110
>Titles from other companies / rights holders are fine, but Funimation properties are the one where you can't have any form of the title or logo in the display or work.
Thank You. I see people doing that with other brands not funimation.

Awhile back I thought it was funny to be a one of those Stan Lee convention tours - Amazing Comic Con, and see in their AA practically everything Funimation would be against if it were their brand, in a nutshell fan art of marvel characters, display tags with copyrighted names, all the while the actual artist themselves were in the same hall LOL. *cough Liefield* anyway nothing gestapo went down surprisingly. Only one I overheard was someone asking about someones Captain America shield "illustration" print, oh is that "legal"? I was like standing there of all the things in AA.. 3 concentric circles cropped on the sides red and white and a star in the center. Looked like the most basic geometrically created photoshop print.

>>8895386
Yeah but I sorta tried last year, and it seems messy to input travel fees and to know what is and is not okay to claim.

>>8895215
If you have a lot of stuff under whatever value you need to spin the wheel, you should be fine. I think the second one's a bit too pushy, and there's nothing to stop people from unfollowing you immediately after getting their prize.
If you have a lot of stuff that's relatively cheap, even without the deals, raise the price limit. People will gladly spend more money to get something free out of it at the end, and if you have that many deals there's even more temptation to spend a ton.
Honestly, this sounds like a great idea all round. Everyone wins and you'll attract customers.

>>8895264
What do you mean? Are you talking about someone making a print and someone else stealing the design, or someone selling their designs (like on Spoonflower) and someone else making money off their work? Or do you mean something like in the last thread with the blatant ripoffs?

>>8895375
UK here, so I'm not sure exactly what you can and can't claim, but if you dig around on the appropriate websites you should find a lot of information. Generally, things like supplies and raw materials can be claimed, as well as travel costs, but if it's something for a promotional event they might not have your back- so if you tried to claim sticker paper for stickers you were giving away free they might not be okay with that, but if you were selling those stickers then it should be fine. If you're still confused try looking around on sites aimed at crafters and small businesses, they sometimes have tax-related threads.
If you need the money back it's worth going through with it, if not then just drop it. But no, don't go to a tax person, it's not worth it.

>>8895167
I use scissors to cut out the non-detailed bits and an exacto knife for awkward spots. It's worked out well so far. I don't think there's any point in using anything but scissors for the easier parts.
If you think your stickers are too choppy, just go around the choppy bits with an exacto after you're done. Chances are they won't be nearly as choppy as you imagine and you'll only have to trim a couple of bits.

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I'm planning on making some charms for the first time so this may be a dumb question, but will poses (like this one) affect how a charm hangs?? I want to say yes but at the same time am I overthinking it?

>>8895164
Just out of curiosity, what sticker paper do you use? I use avery lol. Is that too cheap?

>>8895213
My computer is shit too, try to find the portable version of photoshop the kind that fits on a flash drive.

>>8895213
What version of MS5 are you using that has CMYK compatibility? I've been using it and I had to use Photoshop to convert.

>>8895453
You just gotta make sure the weight is distributed right. If you want to be sure, print it out, cut it out and put a pin through the hole, see if it hangs straight.

>>8895548
There's a portable version? I'll definitely look into it!

>>8895562
I just use the regular version, not the pro. It's weird because it converts to cmyk but then can't even open the converted cmyk file.

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Does anyone know this artist? Sorry for crap pic. Got this shirt at MAGfest, forgot to grab a business card and my mom would probably love something like this. Artist had a lot of cool dinosaurs too if that helps.

>>8895215
I might look into the con rules before you make that. Having people pay to spin can count as gambling/lottery which is illegal in some states (I know that's the case specifically for CA where WonderCon is because AX and some other cons ban raffles/lotteries at AA tables due to state law).

Check the WC rules to make sure your ass is covered before you go through with it!

so this will be my first time tabling at ACEN. does anyone know the deal about whether or not we'll need an IL sales tax ID?

Can anyone reccomend any t shirt printing services they've used that isn't artbobine ? thanks.

>>8895717
>http://www.lauraillustrates.com/new-products/
It seems that she doesn't have this one in her shop.

>>8894955
Looks like a shitty carnival toy. What's the blue drill on the forehead supposed to be?

I got my spiderburger and samples today, thanks so much! I named him McSpidey.

I got my spiderburger too, thank you Fera. Also I ordered with you guys when you first opened and my prints weren't close to this quality did you guys gets better equipment or did I just have shitty files? Thanks.

>>8894644
>>8894690
I'm from Canada so I have no idea when mine will show up because Canada Post is garbage

So I'm trying to book a flight from houston to chicago for acen and american airlines is the only airline that fits my criteria. But holy shit american airlines have terrible reviews. Is it that bad? What airlines do you gulls use?

>>8896034
Or better yet, what is the best time to book a flight? I was told to buy tickets well in advance and that now is the best time, but it's ridiculously expensive. Tickets for next week are much cheaper so I'm confused. It's my first time flying for a con and I'm already getting discouraged by how expensive the plane ticket is...

>>8895453
yeah it defenitly will, I did a lot of hanging type charms and you have to be pretty careful with 1) the hole placement and 2) how the artwork balances out.

Looking at your sketch id say it would lean a little to the right, but not a whole lot.

>>8896034

I almost always fly Southwest. 2 free checked bags, cheap flights, smaller airport for me to fly out of, efficient boarding, and the most amazing flight crews. I've never had a problem with Southwest and they always seem to have such a fun attitude.

>>8896034
>>8896039
I will take Southwest wherever it is available. No complaints at all.

I read about tickets... it was something like 4-6 weeks before the flight was the best rates? If you Google it I'm sure there's countless sites that discuss that.

>>8896034
JetBlue if your city has it

>>8896039
Is it during a holiday? Holiday plane tickets will always be significantly more expensive.

I'm not sure if I'm able to ask here, but is it worth getting a dA nowadays? I have a substantial following on tumblr but I've wondered if it would be a good idea to also post on dA.

>>8895794
i think it's supposed to be a unicorn horn

I'm very new to the artist alley scene and I don't want to limit myself to only being able to take cash since I usually don't have any on me. How do I go about being able to take cards? I heard that you can get the card readers from your bank but is there an easier method?

>>8896526
I use Square and I know a bunch of AAers who use it too. The card reader is free so there isn't any upstart costs. Just make an account with them.

>>8896423
It couldn't hurt and it's not terribly difficult to maintain. Plus, some AA judges won't accept tumblr, so DA is a good substitute for that.

>>8896423
da is dying, i'd say don't bother past an automated poster if those exist for DA

>>8896526
I second square. You can also log inventory and even cash purchases in it as well, and at least when I used it some time ago, it has automatic scheduled deposits of money into your bank account if you want.

>>8896538
>>8896608
oh thats super helpful! thank you!!

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Just got my Spiderburger in. It looks great! He's guarding my purse now. I've been slowly gearing up to get charms made so I'll definitely get in contact with you when I'm ready for that!

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Not sure if anyone remembers but I posted my charm designs here for feedback. I changed a few things and I also have a new design to complete the set. Has anyone made colored acrylic charms with Inkit or Acornpress? I actually like how it looks compared to clear acrylic.

>>8897385
Your style is cute as fuck but you should move Rin's eyes down a little or move her nose and mouth upwards. I look forwards to seeing your completed charms though!

>>8897392
>>8897385
Definitely thinking moving Rin's eyes downward would help. I think her eyes and mouth are fine as is.
These are super cute, btw

>>8897385
In addition to Rin's eyes, the markings on that swallow are making it read a bit strange to me. I can't quite place what exactly is off about it because it is early morning, but the triangle is really flattening its head and the throat (cheek?) part is pulling the shape outwards like a pouch. The edges might need to be adjusted to follow the curve of the head a bit.

>>8897385
The swallow that Kotori is riding looks pretty bad compared to how cute the chibi characters are. Did you look at actual birds as references? The whole shape of the swallow seems wrong to me, and the shading is not noticeable at all which makes it look flat.

>>8897385
Like >>8897586 said the swallow isn't reading very well. I think what could help would be adding little ridges/shapes to define the wings? So that they actually look feathered? These are really coming along though. I love that Nozomi and would buy it in a second.

>>8897385
I remember you! Nozomi looks so much better. Again, the swallow needs more shading, you need to shade it so it follows the contours of the head/wings/body, it looks like she's riding a paper cutout at the moment.

>>8894349
>>8894348
Aw shoot, is the anon still selling them? I missed out big time.

>>8896088
I checked Southwest and the only downside of it is that it won't stop at the airport I want to get off at. Other than that, my only option is to get american airlines...

Does anybody by 2 one-way tickets? I heard that they are cheaper but have some disadvantages.

Anyone know about what time today Akon is gonna post their acceptance list for the AA? Or at least the general time they've posted in the past?

>>8898069
http://www.artistalleys.com/A-Kon/
Just did

>>8898069
Does anyone know how waitlist works? Do they start contacting waitlisters if an accepted artist drops out or are waitlisters expected to ask if a spot has opened up?

I know there was some on-site AA signups last year (or appeared to be) and I was just a little annoyed that I'd gotten waitlisted then found I could have dragged my stuff to the con and gotten a table last minute.

>>8898080
Sadly I didn't get accepted. Congrats to those who got in but it looks almost identical to last year's list. Kind of discouraging to always see the same people over and over again. Sometimes I wish there was more lottery AA.

>>8898089
What is this "onsite waitlist"?

>>8898098
I guess it's just that all the same artists get their applications in first somehow, but it is a little disappointing.

I feel like the waitlist is way shorter this year...

>>8898108
The waitlist is definitely shorter isn't it?

Just how do all the same artists get their applications in first? What is their secret lol. I thought I was quick this time but they said they already had like 400 people in 16 seconds. As an artist, I'm a little disappointed. As a customer, I'm a little unimpressed.

>>8898126
I think I saw the AA head say on FB that there are less Guest Tables this year, so maybe that's why the waitlist is shorter? Looking at it, I think the accepted list is longer, too.

Yeah, I managed to get my application in within a few minutes, but I've heard that rather than straight by the book going by timestamps, they'll jumble some people down to waitlist for variety's sake.

>>8898126
I've gotten in the past 5? years. Honestly I'm just a fast typer naturally and copy+paste is a friend in situations like this. I hate to say it but if you really want to get in just practice until you make the timestamp in 3 seconds or less. And if you can't do that then accept the fact that maybe the AA can't be as different every year as you want it to be.

How much do each keychain cost through vograce?

>>8898135
Yeah, the accepted list looks longer now that you mention it. But I guess they don't jumble too much though since it's fair to go by the time stamp as much as possible for fcfs.

>>8898154
Cool, you must be really fast. Yeah 3 seconds is unrealistic for me. I'll just practice copy and pasting. And anon, I didn't mean to come across as rude or anything if you were offended? It really does get a bit stale, in terms of things I want to buy, seeing the same people over and over for years... Anyways, congrats for getting in.

>>8898173
the time stamp is done by the first page, if you can't copy and paste your tax id and type your name in under 16 seconds, or even 5 seconds idk what to say.

>>8898179
I guess 5 seconds is shorter than I thought. Even when the counter hits zero you still have to refresh to get to that Tax ID field. Still, going by the FB post, they're going to try and make it so waitlisters have priority at onsite, so there's still a chance.

>>8898185
Yeah, 5 seconds is not that long if you have to refresh and wait for your page to load.

>>8898173
Sorry anon, didn't mean to sound offended. I understand the staleness if it's literally the same people over and over, but in most cases a lot of theses artists change most of their stock year after year so it's not all bad. Besides there's actually quite a few people who got in for the very first year on that list so maybe you can nab a table onsite? Just don't give up hope anon.

>>8898165
did you even click the link? use your brain, anon. don't neglect it so much

>>8898191
>>8898185
.. but you don't refresh? the page auto updates when it hits 0..

>>8898277
Does it? Maybe it's my browser...

>>8898289
yea, make sure you do the test sign up next year first but it should tick over automatically. refreshing will actually hinder you

Got into A-kon for the very first time and I'm pumped. Several of my friends who've never done it before also got on the list.

>>8898126 I'm sorry you didn't get in but I don't think the AA for A-kon is as stale/unchanged from last year as you think it is!

>>8898516
Don't worry this is just the salt that follows after being rejected.

>>8898636
I'm so sorry, I'm sure those feel and smell lovely but it kind of looks like someone sharted in the bath water...

I only applied to Akon to test a theory we had about the jurying system profiling names. They seem to pick white and asian artist names over spanish and others.

I was right.

They put me on the waitlist when it took me 25 seconds to apply while my friends with obvious non-white names weren't even on the list and they applied within 10 seconds.. Disappointed in the management. This is the 2nd year its happened. They have great art and follow all the AA rules. jfc Texas you are such shit.

>>8898658
is it possible to tell how many people with hispanic/black sounding names ARE accepted? it's Texas so racism would not surprise me but still

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>>8898636
>>8898652
I feel bad for laughing, but it's true.

Just use some different colors. You'll be great.

>>8898652
>>8898674
the bath bomb shit thing is a troll, it's been posted before.

>>8898224
Sorry if I sounded rude, anon!! And thank you! I won't give up until the last minute haha. I think it's because I go to a lot of cons and see the same people a lot. I guess I'm bound to run out of stuff to buy lol

>>8898277
Omg does it??

>>8898598
Hey I'm not salty or anything. As I mentioned here >>8898683 I think I saw it that way because I go to a lot of cons. Congrats to the new artists that got in and I didn't know that refreshing actually hinders you. I'll keep this in mind next year.

>>8898658
Uh, I think you may be projecting. One of my friends has a super latino sounding name and he gets in every year.

>>8898692
?
I'm like, white af anon, I think you misunderstood my post. This is just an observation between my friends and I. We've just noticed this has been a trend. I'm just a little concerned that there is some kind of odd profiling going on.

>>8898696
Observations between you and your friends don't exactly constitute a trend when there are several hundreds of people applying. Your sample size is too small, anon. Also I'm just saying that I know latino artists who got in so it kind of disproves your "they don't let latinos in" theory?

>>8898224
I've been hearing about this from people but I don't really understand. How do you "nab" a table on-site when you weren't even accepted to the waitlist? Really interested in finding out.

>>8898716
They do onsite sales. I don't know what day/time but I think it's fcfs? They used to do something similar at ALA where they sold off any last minute refunds/unclaimed tables the day of.

>>8898703
Oh, gotcha. Yea i'd like to see the demographic of people accepted vs those who didn't even make the list. Just for my own curiosity.

>>8898658
The sample size is too small; this sounds like confirmation bias. Not saying Akon isn't racist, just saying there's too little to say that they are.

>>8898658
Honestly this sounds really salty. I personally know two black artists who got in multiple years and will likely continue to get in because they have their shit together

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>>8898747
None of us applied to actually attend since we have shows elsewhere. We applied to test this theory out, and out of our group of people, only the white name was picked, and the white name applied much later than the others. I have no intention of going, I just think they should really broaden the range of artists they accept in the future.

s h r u g

>>8898738
Also another thing re: "Asian sounding" studio names. A ton of non-Asian artists use Asian sounding studio names (specifically Japanese, to a lesser extent Korean) bc they're catering to a certain crowd.

You really can't put forward a theory that bias exists against black/latino artists when said artists may be using Asian names to begin with.

Tbh non-Asians using Asian names bothers me but that's a topic not really meant for a 4chan thread.

>>8898755
We have to use our actual names when applying. That's the name i'm talking about. If we could fake that name, it would be nice... but I think they ask for actual ID names? I can't remember.

>>8898755
maybe not a discussion that would be done reasonably, but this bugs me too. i don't mind so much when it's something like "Kawaii Kreations' or some shit but when it's "Yuki Hana-chan" or some other name mashed together from a weebs collection of japanese anime names. Invariably these people are like chubby white or hispanic girls with mousy brown frizzy hair and unflattering glasses.

>>8898759
I was confused because here: >>8898658
you said "artist names" and I thought you were referring to studio names so that's my bad.

They ask for both your legal name and a studio name.

But yeah my point still stands - your sample size is too small and you need more concrete evidence before you can claim anything. Several people have mentioned personally knowing black/latino artists that get accepted year after year.

Did you all have active Texas Sales IDs when you applied? You said you don't actually attend so you might have fucked something up on your apps as opposed to other artists who are actually applying to get in.

>>8898770
Yea, all active. Since before Anime Matsuri. I'll gather more girls next year and report back gulls.

>>8898753
At this point your story with no concrete evidence has 3 people but we've already scrounged up at least three people to counter (with hard evidence being they get in multiple times so staff know they are Latino / black in addition to names).

S h r u g

>>8898780
I should clarify, the names denied consistently are neither black or latino sounding. But I don't want to get too specific for anonymity sake.

I honestly hope i'm wrong. Like I said' we'll try again next year with a bigger group of names. Sorry for shitting up the thread, carry on.

>>8898777
Honestly, I'd rather you not clog up an AA sign-up with your social experiment. Like >>8898780
said, other anons in this thread have evidence that say otherwise. Tell your friends to get faster at submitting AA forms.

As one of the members of the jury, I find the idea that we racially profile an anime convention artist alley in a state where the dominate demographic is hispanic to be completely ridiculous.

(And no, I'm not not affiliated with any of the social media accounts, just another voice in the jury process)

"They put me on the waitlist when it took me 25 seconds to apply" etc

Again as many people have said, the time stamp is done on the first page, so unless you're saying you took 25 seconds to fill out your name and tax id (in which case you absolutely wouldn't have even been anywhere near the cut off for us to have racially profiled you onto the waitlist, we wouldn't have even seen you), I'm sure you had gotten your proper time stamp much sooner than that but still not within the the cut off.

If there had been a tax id issue, it would have been an outright rejection, so you were good there.

So, I'm sorry that you seem to think that the only reason you're not getting in is because we're racist buttholes and not because it's one of the most vied for convention AAs in the country with less than 200 tables. For those that know a lot of the artists who did get in, they'd also know that many of them are hispanic, so I'm honestly not sure what the basis of this is. Real names are rarely even looked at, It's all about the gallery and a working tax id. (And you know, not being a person who accuses us of profiling the entries. These things can count against you.)

If you feel like there is an error or problem, you're always free to email AkonAA at GMAIL dot COM and discuss it with the head of AA.

To everyone else wondering, yes, there are more tables available this year, which is why the wait list is shorter. Hope that helps~

>>8898820
Thanks for clearing that up for us! I knew anon was pulling shit out of their ass with their sample size of THREE.

>>8898820
thanks anon

>>8898721
Gwen was saying on FB that they're trying to make it so officially waitlisted artists will get to the front of the onsite line.

>>8898777
>>8898790
This. When so many people are seriously applying to get into an AA, maybe don't use it for your experiments? And if you do and get accepted then at least drop out quickly so someone who actually wants to go to the con will be bumped to accepted before they make other plans.

>>8898126
Stable connection and fast fingers?
I've never failed to get into a FCFS, and had my spot in the A-kon app saved in two seconds.
Know what they're going to be asking for (If it's Texas, studio name and tax ID), and keep it on hand. There are apps that let you copy and paste multiple things at once so you can just unload long strings of info that take too long to type, and probably wouldn't get picked up by autofill.

>>8898716
>>8898721
Copied the info from last year. It migjt not be the exact same, but it might help? They sent it out through email so it's a good idea to be subscribed to the mailing list.

>People can start signing in for a chance at a table, starting at 5:00pm on Thursday. People will be added to an onsite list, and the following information will be taken: Name, Business name, website, phone number.

>We will be using the website to jury the business, just to make sure that it fits in the alley. If it passes (which is not hard to do) then we will call the number and invite the person to pay for a table and as many extra badges as they need. Payment will be either cash, check, or via PayPal.

>Please note that onsite sign-ups for potential tables are on a first come, first served basis.

>I should not have to say it, but there is a very good chance that there may not be any onsite sign-ups. Unfortunately, this year has been tighter than usual, in that there was almost zero movement from the wait list. However, if you are going to be at the convention anyway, and if you want to give it a try, there may be an opportunity.

>>8894955
it would be cute without the pointless horn. The uni-animal trend is really dumb...

>>8896586
>>8896590
Thanks so much, sorry for the late reply.

I guess I'll think about it. I haven't done AA yet but I've been looking into it, very good to know that some don't accept tumblr.

>>8898098

This is my first time getting in, which is really a godsend because San Japan never emailed me (guess I didn't make it) and A-fest was an ass and never announced theirs so I missed it.

>>8899346
Congrats! And sorry to hear that. I got into afest but they were asses and never anounced the signups.

I just got my spiderburger!! Thanks so much again, acornpress. It looks wonderful!

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>>8897392
>>8897415
>>8897569
>>8897586
>>8897813
>>8897859
Thank you guys for the feedback! I'll fix Rin's eyes and the swallow. I think i'll probably re-draw a good amount of it to make it look more like pic related.

>>8899912
I think you could make the swallow a bit smaller too, since if all the charms are printed with the same dimensions kotori will be a lot smaller than the others (nozomi is beautiful btw!!)

got my spiderburger! Thanks again Fern! <3

>>8899932
Thank you anon! I'll try making the swallow smaller and see how it goes.

Got my spiderburger too! Thank you Fera!

Also, do you happen to have more info on the sparkle black? How are the prices? Wasn't able to find it on the website.

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Does anyone know what this kind of packaging is called? Or if it even exists? Am i just hallucinating them? I keep thinking they're like pizza pockets but made of kraft board / chip board material but i can't really figure out the real term or them. Does the diagram make sense sorry

>>8900398
Pillow box

>>8900402
THANKS. i kept trying pocket box because i was stuck on pizza pockets.

I'm the UK anon who ordered a spiderburger and it just came through today.

The little acorns are beautiful! Anon who put these together, whats your business? I'd totally order something from you when I get my act together.

>>8901052
Derp just read the thread, I'll look you up now. Thank you so much!

I decided to switch to SquareUp for my online store since I use my Square Reader at cons and this lets me track all inventory in one place. I made my first sale and sent it, and now Square is giving the money back because I didn't... I'm not even sure what I was supposed to do but I think I was supposed to mark it as "shipped" or something??? Now Square is giving this buyer their money back because I failed to ship it within the time I give on my listing (1-3 days) despite the fact that they probably have it already.

Do I... email the buyer and ask them to pay me? I mean now they can totally steal from me if they feel like it. Lesson learned I guess.

>>8894766

Engh, I gotta say some of this gets passed around as great advice but doesn't really work.

I have 6-foot pricing banners and people still ask. Nerds are oblivious. Be ready to repeat your prices 6,000 times.

Also I put a coupon code on my business cards and I have never once had someone use it, so I don't think they accomplish much of anything. People take them to make you feel better about them walking off.

>>8901440
Sometimes they ask for prices because they just want to make conversation and don't know how else to go about it, or they're suspicious parents who don't trust the large glittery price boards by the items and insist on asking the price some two or three times, just in case I change my mind halfway through the transaction.

I haven't bothered with coupons for my online store for this very reason, people just don't bother using them. I'm not complaining, since that means more money for me, but you'd think that people would use the damn coupon if they're going to spend money anyway.

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Is there a term for keychains that are characters who are chibi and are being picked up by their collars/holding onto something that is being pulled away from them? I need some inspiration.

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>>8901899
Pinched or tsumamare? There's a lot of official merch examples here:
http://myfigurecollection.net/search.php?root=-1&categoryid=0&type=Tsumamare

unrelated question but anyone know the artist of these TMM prints?

>>8901908
Score! Perfect. Thank you. Is that the term? Tsumamre?

I can't decide if I HATE the pic you posted casue of the artist style, or I like it casue it's their own style. Hmmm...art is hard.

>>8901440
My friend had this problem the other year where she spent a reasonable amount printing beautiful business cards and there were literally people walking from table to table just taking the cards and not even stopping to look at any of the merch.

Friend now keeps a stack behind the table and gives them out to anyone who asks.

>>8901910
I think the other anon made a typo its 'tsutsumare strap'

>>8901916

I put a business card in each bag when people purchase an item, and also keep a stack on the table. Because of this, I just went with regular double sided cards on nice stock. I used to print mine with a spot UV and on an even nicer paper, but was too much of a waste (and I say that as a designer who really respects a card with some nice print effects). As long as it was nicely designed and not printed on shit paper, I was at peace with it. I'm not going to spend $$$ on cards I give to everyone.

>>8901975
Yeah, my other AA friend does that too where shell put one with a purchase and leave them on her table. I help out and I always notice people taking cards when they're clearly not interested in purchasing anything and it really irks me. Her cards are cute though so I guess that says something.

>>8901916
once my friend taped down her business card on her table. she would offer one from behind the table to anyone who tried and failed to pick it up, it was pretty painful to watch. so i guess if you're feeling sadistic you can do that.
i know a few people just hang signs with their info for people to take pictures of, but that feels a little too cheap to me.

Which acrylic charm site has the fastest turn around? I fucked up and only have a month till my convention. I normally order from inkitlabs and am planning to send them in tomorrow but if another place has a faster turn around I want to put them into consideration.

>>8901916
I resorted to just printing cheaper business card for cons and only saving my nice ones for networking events and such. Seeing people clutching a handful of cards makes me wonder if they're going to get around to looking at them. I also pack them in online orders and put them in sleeves with prints.

>>8901975
i still use spot UV, it's like $88 for 2500 cards that last 2/3 of a year. not too bad, ehhh. I know most people don't give a shit but i just like having them too...

>>8901440
You misunderstood. I said:
>there will always be people who don't read your signs
meaning that having price signs wouldn't make people stop asking about your prices.
Perhaps your problem is proximity. I hardly ever get people asking for prices because I place price signs right next to the product that they're referring to.
Also, people will ask what the price is if they're buying a ton of stuff, which is totally reasonable.

as for business cards, having some is better than having none at all. I intentionally left my advice on that very short because people handle business cards differently. I think having business cards is important if people are interested in commissioning you offsite, or if someone wants to hire you. This has often happens to me and my friends. I pretty much do what >>8902039 does, though.

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Just got redirected here from /diy/, I'm looking to make custom kiss-cut stickers. I have about $500 to spend, and if possible, I'd like to get a machine to do most of the legwork. As I understand it, getting full sticker sheets like those custom Avery things is the way to go; I just print them onto that, and then I'm looking at something like a Cricut cutting machine to cut part-way through, right?

Anybody else have experience with making your own stickers for cons? What's the best way to do this?

>>8902622
I recommend getting a silhouette cameo. The program you use for printing with the cameo only goes up to 72dpi while the silhouette prints up to 1200dpi.

Also don't bother with Avery paper. Purchase either LD sticker photo paper (cheapest) or Online Labels' waterproof matted (mid) or their waterproof glossy (priciest)

>>8902039
I put what I sell on the back of the card and only give them to people who ask for them, so far I've made a few sales from them. It's weird how some people only collect cards, though, why bother to catch them all if you're just going to clutch them in your sweaty hands for hours and never look at them again?

Anybody been to Animefest? I git accepted but i can't table for all 4 days. Can you leave early or do you HAVE to table all 4 days?

>>8901440
>>8902125
Yeah same thing happens with me seeing randoms just pick and grab the free card, I've started to just hand out cards to people that talk and ask for one after, and I simply use 3x5 flyers as my freebie contact (mainly saying what con this is, my table name#, and my warez/online store) print this on bw on a light colored paper and trim myself. Cost is next to nothing and I trim it myself 5-10min done.

>>8902996

So this year it's not labor day weekend. Expect Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to be your biggest days. Monday, not being a holiday, will be sparse. But do stay through Sunday night or late afternoon because it's comparable in sales to a Friday.

>>8903051
Yeah, I'll be there fron Friday to Sunday for sure. I can't do Monday because of school so I want to leave Sunday night. I asked the AA coordinatore if I can be there for 3 days only but he never emailed me back...

>>8903075

Should be fine. Just pack up and leave Sunday. I've had friends do this because they don't want to take another day off work. The last time I was there on a non-Labor Day Monday I only made $100 that day. Not really worth it at that point.

>>8903164
Thanks a bunch, anon!! I'll just leave on Sunday. I'm so relieved that I only need to miss 2 days of school.

How do you feel about laminated paper charms? I get my charms printed but for unpopular shows, I don't want to spend too much money. Any opinions?

>>8903232
Honestly, I really don't like them. I think they look tacky and unprofessional, especially now that people have access to so many cheap and good quality services. If you don't want to spend much money on stuff for less popular shows that's understandable, but at least dome them with resin or something. If you have more than ten or so charms that you're thinking of laminating, consider getting them done with Vograce instead. They're cheap and work quickly, plus there's no MOQ.

>>8903232
I don't like them either, sorry anon. They were cute like 5 years ago when acrylic charms weren't a popular AA staple. Now they just look super cheap and poorly made next to all the acrylic charms you're going to be competing with.

Seconding the other seagull's suggestion for Vograce. They're super quick and easy to use.

>>8903293
>>8903382
Sorry, one more question. How about laminated bookmarks? A lot of canadian artists i know sell laminated bookmarks and they sell really well. Is that an option for the US?

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Got my charm thanks! It is terrorizing AC home

>>8903395
I used to do bookmarks for $2 a pop, 3 for $5. They did fairly well but I didn't laminate them or anything. I don't carry them anymore because they're a hassle and I have miniprints to take up space. So it's up to you really! I don't see a lot of American artists doing bookmarks anymore unless they're one of the bookmark-specific booths with a giant wall of bookmarks.

>>8903404
Cool, thanks! I just print mine on my own and laminate them because it's much more durable than the ones you get printed from companies that do bookmarks.

>>8903395
They're fine. It's okay to leave them unlaminated if they're on good quality card, but if you only have paper, or if you want to add effects like holographic film, then laminating would be a better idea.
They don't do that well but if you have a series, like a set of all the Madoka girls or Sailor Scouts or whatever, they tend to sell better. People just like collecting sets, I guess. If you make them look more like mini prints than something to pad out your table you'll have more success.

Got my first Artist Alley next month. Any tips for a complete noob? I'm an incredibly dense person and I'm worried that I'll miss some sort of alley etiquette. I would really like to make friends. I just hope my prints are good enough and that people like my badges.
I'm so incredibly nervous, anons!

>>8903425
I print them on 9.7 mil thick paper. Hmm I'm not sure if I still should laminate them. I don't do prints so I want them to be like my mini prints lol.

>>8903432
there's not much advice that isn't already covered like, every thread. In terms of etiquette, just don't invade your table neighbors space, be friendly, talk to them during set up if they aren't too busy, if they seem interested in your art offer a trade, etc.
Everyone is nervous about their first alley, but it's a different experience for everyone. Some people do really well, some people don't. Don't feel too shattered if you only (or don't even) break even, there could be a ton of factors influencing that other than 'your art is bad'. Alternatively, if you do really well, don't immediately jump into buying tons and tons of stock. as a beginner it's a good idea to take your first few cons gradually and try and learn from them, rather than immediately guessing how to maximize your profit.

>>8903432
read the thread

>>8903382
>>8903293
Crying because vograce is apparently swamped with orders right now, so they're taking a few days longer than usual. I took one, just one single day too long for my order to arrive safely. Pls vograce, I love you, I trust you, ship my order fast.

>>8903432
Good luck anon. Being nervous is normal. I had my first AA last month and had a blast. If you follow along with these threads you are already ahead of the masses. Thing is though, you do need to actually /read/ the threads. >>8894695

>>8903462
Yeah, I placed a huge like... 3000 piece group order pretty recently and usually they're super good about giving me updates but they've been kind of slow this time around. I should still have them in time for Sakura-Con/Wonder Con though. Sending you good vibes, anon so yours gets to you on time too!

Kinda more /ic/ than AA related, but does anyone here come from a "Fine" arts background?
I feel like there are some things that I'm just banging my head against trying to transition from strict observational drawing to cute anime girls.

>>8903534
I was primarily a painter in college, but also graphic design... so semi fine arts background? Unfortunately went to a state university which meant most of the dept didn't even accept illustration as art unless it was heavily based in print-production.

I've played with computer illustration a lot, but I still feel more comfortable with a 4 foot canvas and some oil paints. I've finally resigned myself to just making my style work. Sometimes having a "different" look in the alley can pay off honestly after seeing ten tables with Steven Universe merch that all looks identical. I just, I can't feel remotely happy producing really crisp cel-shaded stuff. I'm adapting a bit gradually but expressionistic marks is my natural jam.

You don't have to fight stuff from the fine arts world. In the end, observational figure studies are still adapted to anime girls... you are just playing with proportion, but it still has to follow guidelines from real life, like balancing the center-of-gravity and perspective. It's like Picasso. His art for much of his career had crazy human proportions but he was able to adapt so well because he could churn out realism with ease first.

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The hell. Not even counting places like Vograce...I just checked Inkit, and it's only $65 for 50 1" white charms there. JFC people.

>>8903696
>most of the dept didn't even accept illustration as art unless it was heavily based in print-production
Is this only an east coast thing or is it a common occurrence at most state Unis?

>>8903729
i get the feeling so many of people on aani are living paycheck to paycheck and refuse to get a day job or something. my first order was 100 charms so long ago, 1.5" from ink it and it cost a little under $300 all said and done. Pricey but you should be making way more than $300 in pure profit alone per con. If you need a LOAN of *$300* you're really doing it wrong. So damn wrong.

>>8903534
Learning to draw from imagination is definitely a learning curve - for awhile after college I didn't feel like I could do it anymore. But this apparently happens to a lot of people and if you keep at it, you'll figure something out that works for what you want to do. I've also been told my stuff stands out in an AA but it's said like it's a good thing, so I'm happy.

>>8901908
the artist is puddingdrop on tumblr, i believe.

>>8903534
On the other hand, is anyone does *not* come from an art background? I never studied art so I sometimes feel inferior to those with an actual art background. Some told me that I have 0 fundamentals and that was kind if sad. I try really hard to learn on my own but I guess I'm nowhere as good as people who actually studied art. I just need to practice more but get impatient sometimes lol.

A newbie question about hotels. Hotel check-in times are usually 3 pm, but when there's a con going on, can you check-in earlier? Like 8 am-ish? For this one con, I'll arrive at the convention center at 8am to set up my table, but i want to check into my room before the set up. That's the only time I can check-in because AA opens up at 9am. How do you work around this?? I can't afford to arrive on Thursday because of work.

>>8903743
I think it's more like they're teenagers with no real source of income so $300 seems like a ton of money.

But yeah I agree that there are ton of options/ways to save up money for expenditures like that. To be fair, I'm kind of glad that the cost is a deterrent because so many people on AANI are making charms when judging by their art skills, they shouldn't be wasting that much money.

Is there an alternative to wire storage cubes? They're so heavy that I'm looking for more lighter storage cubes but I'm heaving trouble finding some.

>>8903846
What do you sell? PVC piping is usually the alternative, but they're better for hanging things like prints. Wire cubes have the advantage of being able to actually hold/store stuff if you're a plushie or large craft maker

>>8903854
PVC piping is hard to drag around and wire cubes are heavy when flying, so I was trying to look for an alternative. I mainly sell charms and other small accessories but i want some nice hanging space for some small prints and my logo so i use cubes.

>>8903860
try cork boards since you can pin your charms, prints, accessories, and logo to them. they're fairly light weight and you can stack multiple of them.

>>8903845
I feel like there's always several gofundmes/indigogos/kickstarters every SPS. If you want to make a project so badly, save up instead of begging for donations every week.

How do you guys explain why pricing your things too low and undercutting the market is bad?
I can form perfectly coherent thoughts in my head on the subject but once I try to explain it to someone, I'm like "because it makes people think they're entitled to cheap goods" and that's the only thing I can think of saying when I get put on the spot.

>>8903729
Charms are only expensive if your underselling. If you're charging the market price which is $10 for a 1.5 inch double sided or 8 for a single sided charm then it's not bad.

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What can I do to spice this poster I made up? i'm really proud of my BB-8, and I wanted to keep it simple and minimalist, but it's just looking kind of... meh.

Any ideas, please?

>>8903534
>I feel like there are some things that I'm just banging my head against trying to transition from strict observational drawing to cute anime girls.
lol...I feel you, just don't, do draw what you are good at with a balance of whats "popular". I got into AA cuz of a friend who does has her own chibis style illustrations and is wikipedia on anime/games - me not so much mostly old-school cyberpunk manga'ish non-popular stuff lol. Having to resort to my graphic-design/illustration prints since we share a table most of the time (tempting to do chibis if I go off on my own at some point) oh and yes my friend has a bfa as well lol.

>>8904095
I think I see what your are trying to do...tony tiger'ish? parodying that will need to almost imitate the graphic style text etc and format so the silhouette is read as those ads.

>>8903845
>tfw I got into AA as a hobby outside of my 9-5 cad-monkey job
>remembers very first paycheck of $200
purchased maya 2016 for $4500 2 months ago without flinching.

>>8904113
>meant to say my first paycheck was very very very long ago,

>>8904113
its so odd to me that there are people who attend multiple cons and only earn enough to cover their costs or maybe $200-300 more and keep doing it without changing it up. Like, do they just not realize that earning 4-5 figures per con is possible or?

>>8904113
>>8904134
If they're younger kids/teenagers they probably just do it for fun/think several hundred is a lot of money. (It looks like quite a few people on AANI are.)

If we're talking about adults though, I don't get it either.

>>8904095
I think the background is really bland. Maybe you can add like a circle behind BB-8 to give emphasis around the "head" area or use like rays coming from the lighter to frame it better.

Alternatively - do a star background and use a yellow font to evoke Star Wars more strongly.

>>8904145
i mean like those 'full time crafters' doing shitty bows and perler bead stuff or some other 'upcycle' bullshit

>>8904182
Oh yeah, those people are annoying as hell. They're the ones who get bitchy about print artists getting "preferential treatment" all the time too.

Like... actually learn to knit/sew/craft or shut the fuck up about your upcyled diy mod podge bow project being "just as deserving" of a table as other artists.

>>8904187
>>8904182
i was laughing my ass off at the ones having a tantrum in that thread on AANI about the crafters being separated from the print artists.
I personally really don't see shitty plushes made from free patterns on deviantART, or buttons with images from 'upcycled' manga to be 'artist' work, lol.

>>8903845
>>8904145

Kids are fine, kids need to learn that maybe they shouldn't invest in charms if they can't afford it. That's fine, whatever.

But you totally know some of them are in their 30s, there was that one women who was like what you guys make 2K a con? I've been doing cons for 10 years and i've only ever made $500!!

>>8903833
Each hotel can have different policies-- I'd call the one you're planning on booking to be absolutely sure.

>>8903696
>>8903745
>>8904100
Thanks for the replies guys. Didn't expect to get so many.
Yeah, I think part of the reason I'm struggling is because I'm trying to do the typical tight line art and cell shading when my drawing/painting style is really loose.
I'll just keep trying to devise some way to mix the two styles.

>>8903770
Some of the best graphic novel/anime artists I've seen online are self taught.
You just have to learn to devote a shit ton of time to learning fundamentals and shapes in perspective.

>>8903534

I studied graphic design in a liberal arts college that put a lot of emphasis on a fine arts foundation (by comparison, my colleagues who went to a larger, non-liberal arts university probably took 3 times the design classes I had to, but I took way more fine arts classes). I'd been drawing "anime style" as a hobby since high school, but I think the fine arts foundation gave me much better command of materials and the basics, though I feel I never had a chance to develop a style (both in anime or fine arts) until I graduated.

Not all AA work has to be cute AA girls. A lot of really popular artists have work that demonstrates a strong fine arts background and does quite well because of it. Think of all the really beautiful portraits you'll see or great background work.

It's much tougher to be in a situation like >>8903770. I would suggest seeing if you can take a few art classes or maybe even look up fine arts tutorials on youtube. A lot of the basic figure drawing techniques they taught us in drawing class are available online, so I'd look into gesture drawings and that type of thing. Attending a local class at an art store or community college will also be good since you'll have others to compare and contrast against.

>>8903833
regardless of check in time, you can always leave your bags there if you have a reservation, i'm assuming that's why you want to check in? You can just ask the hotel to hold onto your shit (luggage check) and they give you a number to claim it later.

>>8904095

Think of adding texture to this. Something to spice up the background, even if it's a radial gradient. I also think your type needs work. I can't tell if it's an italicized type, but with the effect you have (the arch), it looks italicized on the top and the bottom type looks like it's not? The top text doesn't look fully centered and the arch on the baseline doesn't seem to match the arch on the ascenders on the bottom text. They should look like they're all typed along one circle and either the top text is just too off center, or your circles don't match. The bottom text mirrors the shape of BB nicely, but you need more space in between him and the text. There's so much negative space up top, in part because of the different shape of his head, but you need to mirror the negative space so it's balanced. Mind your kerning as well. It's scrunched up on the bottom but too spaced out up top.

>>8904281
Exactly what I was looking for! Thank you!!

>>8903770
Read the /ic/ sticky and go through tutorial threads there. Try to draw a simple image (say, a rabbit or a gift box) in several different styles. Learn to draw expressions- even if you're not aiming for realism it's good to learn how features fit on a face, and from there you can easily learn how to stretch and squash faces to fit the tone of the drawing. Poses are important too, it's no use drawing a million pictures of someone facing left with a bland smile.
If you're struggling with colour, you're not alone, lol. Flat colours with minimal shading will help you work out whre shadows/highlights are meant to be, and you'll gradually progress from there. A simple, pleasant palette and clean lineart is what you should be aiming for now.
Also, make sure you don't have any tangents or other basic mistakes like that. There are a lot of basics to learn, but once you've gotten the hang of a few it's so much easier to get the hang of the others, because you'll know what to look out for and how to put things together. Drawing for just ten minutes a day will make you improve.
It's fine to get impatient, and to make really shit drawings once in a while. Keep them, wait a few weeks, and redraw them. I've found it's one of the best ways to keep me motivated when I'm impatient, because you have a direct comparison to show how much you've improved.

>>8904004
-Because it undervalues the work of the artists
-Because it disrespects the artists selling for a decent price, who have worked just as hard/harder on the items
-Because it drives your own profits down, as people will buy an $8 charm just as willingly as they would a $4 one (might be the best argument to use if they're young and stupid)
-Because it implies that your own goods are inferior to everyone else's and you're selling them so low because they have defects or bad art

That's everything I can think of rn. It pisses me off when people say stuff like that too, so many people think that art is something they're entitled to and most people don't even understand that digital art involves actual work. They just think you clap your hands and Photoshop shits out an image. Art is hard and you should pay a fair price for it.
Charm price debates piss me off even more because people will spend virtually the same amount of money on a simple mass-produced keyring and then whine when an independent artist dares charge a bit more to cover costs. It's a conversation I'm sick of having with my family whenever they bring up AAs, honestly.

>>8904145
My first con was a huge expense for me because I was poor as all fuck and my parents were really against me going. I made some super simple chibi prints and a few charm bracelets and plushies and made £700 or so, which was some 5 times what I'd spent. My parents were amazed that anyone would want to spend real money on crap like that. To this day, when I make a couple grand or more at conventions, they still think that I'm bullshitting the figures, because nobody could possibly be willing to pay the prices I charge for things they could make themselves. They always tell me to price my charms at £1 and my plushies at £5 so that people will buy them. Needless to say, I don't.
So yes, it's perfectly possible that an actual adult could make £500 at a con and think they were doing great. It's like they're living in the seventies when a pound was enough to get you three sets of clothes and a meal at a fancy restaurant, and charge accordingly. It makes no sense, but hey, they're the only ones losing out.

Does anybody use print outs instead of actual buttons to display their buttons? Do you just print them all on a piece of paper and hang that up or do you actually cut them out vefore display? I don't want to use actual buttons for display but I'm not getting any good ideas on how to display printouts.

>>8904423

I did that one year but people kept asking what they were, despite the sign that said buttons. The second year I had them I sewed a little fabric banner to attach them to and people seemed to respond better to that.

>>8904040
What's the "correct" market price? Some people charge more than others so I'm not sure.

1.5" single sided for 8
2 - 3" single sided for 10
1.5" double sided for 10
2 - 3" double sided for 12

Is this about right? Also, what about clear acrylic? They seem more expensive.

>>8904428
Some people just don't read lol

>>8904428
Sorry, one question. Did you bother cutting them out? I'm not sure if I should cut them out.

>>8904145
I don't know, I'm in my late 20s and I didn't know it was possible either, but I only started doing AA recently. Before posting here, I had read online while researching that one shouldn't expect to profit at AA and most people just do it for fun/to meet other artists/make a little extra cash.

So my experience with Vograce went nothing like it did in the google doc, their communication was awful:
>don't confim my payment
>don't respond with cutting lines
>don't bother telling me production has begun
>don't get any sort of sample photo
>don't tell me when they've shipped my order
They also left days between responses delaying the entire process even more. Never ordering from them again.

>>8904532
Did you order recently? They've been really swamped because it's con season!!

>>8904562
Yeah, I paid on the 1st of March.
Well that makes me a little more forgiving.

>>8904471

Cut out the button print outs? I just made an Illustrator doc with all my button designs, printed it on a tabloid and stuck it in a photo frame.

>>8904532
They're probably not used to dealing with the craziness that is con season now that they're getting so much more popular (damn AANI lol). A lot of companies, big Chinese manufacturer or not, get really overwhelmed by it.

>>8904515
>same here
>aint no get rich scheme involved mentality
>just non-crafty people discovering - holy shit people likez my stuffz, or think I just made $20 (father says to daughter who sold more prints than dad..lol)
It's always fun to see all walks of life as well as the dregs... mothers watching their daughters table, dads reliving their fan-art days with their kids and college-kids wanting that taste of entrepreneurship independence is what stands out when I walk around.

>>8904583
Thank you, anon! Sorry for my stupid question lol. I'm having so much trouble redoing my display...

>>8904600
I see parents with their kids more as family bonding time than anything. I remember making my parents watch my table at my first few cons and they were so overwhelmed by the fact that people were buying things that they kept calling me every time they made a sale. It's also a good way to make parents understand more about their kids' hobbies, and make the more irritating ones stop nagging them to stop doing art and study for a real job. There's no reason not to do both, but from the way some parents act you'd think picking up a paintbrush cursed their kids with eternal unemployment and a weed addiction.
I really like people watching at cons too, it's great fun. It's one of the main reasons I manage to table alone, it keeps the boredom at bay on slow days.

Will epoxy charms from vograce yellow over time? Most of epoxy keychains I own yellowed over time so I don't know if this is something i want to order from them.

>>8904578
Yeah, if you look in this thread people have mentioned all placing orders for con season so it's to be expected. Also did you ask for sample photos? I always check in with them every day to ask about progress updates and explicitly ask for photos and get them. If you didn't follow up, you don't really have anyone to blame but yourself.

>>8904532
Great, after telling me my order would be shipped yesterday or today, they now tell me I'll have to wait even longer.
Just keeps getting better.

>>8905038
Who are you communicating with? Coco has been pretty good with follow up emails and like everyone else said, it's con season. No one's going to pat your back for you while you have a shitty experience. There's probably tons of orders right now and you're not the only one stressed out about it. Either you just tough it out and try again later or make room for people who want to use their services and just try some other vendor.

Um did anybody notice this clause for Acen?

The use of Industrial machines, which are intended to mass produce items such as, t-shirts and vinyl stickers/decals, is prohibited in the Artist Alley. (I.E. the use of compressors or vinyl cut printers belongs in the dealers’ room but a manual press button machine, products made on a home sewing machine, a Art/Comic/Manga Book of your own original Artwork, or prints are acceptable for the Alley.)

Almost everything I have is made by industrial machines (pouches, charms, etc.)... Is this just one of those "keep everything under qty. 100"??

>>8905224
I think it's literally saying you can't have an industrial machine at your table? Or that's how I read that.

>>8903732
Dunno. I'm in Louisiana and I've heard similar situations from our other state unis.

Sometimes I regret not going to SCAD for my Illustrations Masters, but my undergrad experience burned me out so bad on art for a few years. Oh well, old fogey getting back into the game now. Time to see if this can be a living or not.

>>8903770
Honestly the main features of any good artist is a compulsion to draw all the time and a great eye for observation and composition. I've practiced art for 8 years in classes, but taking the courses doesn't mean shit if you don't have it in you. The best thing you get from a fine arts background is being forced to work in a lot of different media and having to work loose and fast with layout which is not how most artists want to work until they can train themselves. Honestly my professors did little to help me actually grow as an artist. It was either empty praise or criticism over something so ridiculously vapid. Nothing remotely "guiding"... so it's not essential to get the art education.

Um, help? I'm having some trouble interpreting Coco's English lately. When asking for clarification the next email only gets more confusing, so... Can anyone here tell me what Coco means by this?
"hello,
im sorry to bother you.
i just get a notes that because of the recent European customs scrutiny global low declare imported goods and goods wrong version of the problem, so whoever sent to European countries and the declared value is less than 27 usd parcel express with the buyer with the goods, please provide screenshots of trading, transaction listing, or contracts.
hope that will be ok for this.
best
coco"
Is she saying she can't mark the package down anymore? That's actually not cool because this is a rush order and getting it stuck in customs means it would definitely be late... Augh. Never ordering this late again.

Everytime i post new merchandise on my blog, not a single person cares and nobody ever visits my store lol. I use all the right tags and try to post during peak times but it's no use. I have my first con coming up next week and I'm so nervous because it's obvious that I will fail miserably. Is it a mistake to table at cons without building an online fanbase? I have zero presence online because nobody cares about my art or merchandise. Now I'm worried that I'm just throwing money away.

>>8905366
how much do you pander to popular fandoms?

>>8905366
when you walk into an AA do you even think about whose table posted online? I don't. What you see is what you get whenever people walk in, I don't worry about some online presence if you've just started. chill.

>>8905366
You'd be surprised how little online presence can factor in AA's. Yeah, someone who's super popular will def. have people flocking to them, but everyone else is just there to buy stuff regardless of your efame. If you have solid merch/preparation and halfway decent art, you'll probably do fine provided you're not just doing really obscure/original only stuff.

(Not to rag on original content or obscure fandoms, but the threshold to doing well with either of those is higher than just general fanart. )

>>8905339
I think she's saying she will mark it down, but for people with packages marked down to less than 27USD, you have to provide a receipt yourself?

>>8905366
NGL, when I go to an AA, I get really hype when I happen to recognize an artist I really like. But 90% of the time, I buy stuff from people I've literally never heard of because I like what they have.

I have very little online presence and I did just fine at my first con. Don't worry about online presence.

>>8905368
About 1/2 is popular stuff and the other half is old stuff nobody really cares about anymore...

>>8905376
>>8905377
>>8905388
Thank you, I will focus on making good merchandise instead if worrying about making my blog popular. I love it when I see artists I like, so I thought an online presence is a must. I hope I can at least break even.

how do you guys deal with someone who is ripping off your merchandise....? i don't mean in a whiny, wah wah wah other artists also do merch for the same fandoms, but as in copies your concepts and recreates them in their style. I know it's intentional because almost every con I go to they come up and talk to me about what is selling well? they're new-ish to artist alleys so maybe they're just anxious about making sales but it's starting to genuinely get on my nerves. I'm tolerating it for now since we sell at different conventions, but i have one coming up that they'll have a table at and to be honest i'm worried about them affecting my sales (they're also a chronic underpricer.)
how would you guys approach someone about this?

>>8905366
If your art is good, I wouldn't worry about it. I don't go by online name; heck, if I like your art I don't even care if I know who you're drawing lol. Also, seeing merch in person is already more convincing to buy than pics online.

Fun story: This one artist was selling some really cute charms...didn't know who the heck they were but read the little sign on top and was like "Can I have one of the Blay charms?"
And she looked at me all weird and gave me the squint frown and I was like....????? dis girl b r00d
Then she was like "....uh, you mean B1A4?"
yeah that was embarrassing lmao
(B1A4 is a Kpop band btw)

>>8905437
I kind of want to see examples of what you mean, anon, before I can give advice. I understand if you do 't want to share though because you don't want to start drama.

My general advice without seeing anything would be to just do it better than them and outsell them based on your own talent/skill. Take the high road?

>>8905441
as an example (since neither of us have fanworks in that fandom), if I drew a print of lapis fighting jasper, you can bet that next con that comes around she'll have a print of lapis fighting jasper. If I started making buttons of monsters/creatures from ghibli, she would too.

I'm aware it could totally be coincidence, and I might just be overreacting, but it's never until AFTER I sell at a con (i don't post my new works online until after i've sold them at at least one show).

I'm confident in my skill since, like I said, she's a newer artist, but it's still irritating. I don't want to call her out or anything, just find a way to suggest she uses more variety in her ideas without necessarily accusing her of copying me.

>>8905453
I've had a relatively newer artist friend do a similar thing to me. It's kind of annoying but I just left it alone. It could be that she looks up to you so she might not even realize that she's copying you? I did briefly talk about with my friend and they apologized and said they could change anything that made me uncomfortable. I can't guarantee that your friend will react the same way though. If you guys have diff fandoms, try encouraging her to do merch for the ones you aren't in. For example, if she likes Transformers but you don't, encourage her to do more TF stufd, etc. Positive reinforcement might be better in the situation rather than an outright confrontation.

Also in other news, Coco just sent me another batch of photos for my group order. I've been in constant communication with her this past week so idk what other anon was going about.

>>8905339
>>8905383
I mailed her again and for some reason she can't mark the package lower than 27USD, so she's marking it at 30USD. Here's hoping that's low enough to pass through customs unscathed (probably not).

>>8905489
How big is your order/ how much less is $30 USD than your actual order? I've never really had a problem with customs because I'm in thr US so I'm cutious as to how that works in other countries.

Coco also just told me she was able to speed up my huge group order (several thousand pieces) and get them finished today. She's shipping them out tomorrow and I'm so stoked to get them!

Omg, can someone please help me? I need a temporary sales permit for Illinois, but I have no idea how to apply for it. I read through their website but I'm so confused... It sounds like I have to register as a business with Illinois first, but I'm nit based in Illionis and I don't have an FEIN number and it's a required field. Please help!

>>8905800
Omg maybe you should like, contact the Illinois department of revenue using one of the billion numbers or emails I found in ten seconds of googling? But omg I totally understand how that's reeeeally hard and confusing.

Bitchiness aside, seriously, there's tons of contact information online just talk to someone.

>>8905532
Actual value is 125USD. I'm also >>8903462 . Your order being shipped faster makes me hopeful mine will be shipped out in time. Now, if UPS is nice to me and doesn't get my package stuck in customs... knock on wood.

European customs are a mess. I think every country does it differently. The Netherlands isn't /the/ most expensive one but we're pretty far up there.
I've plenty of experience ordering from China and Japan (lolita, haha). I usually manage to avoid customs by picking slower shipping options like SAL or AIR. EMS varies, but I know that both UPS and DHL (vograce's options) almost always get hit with customs.
If your order is above 22 euros in value you have to pay 21% VAT + between 10-17 euros administration fee. If your package gets above about 150 euros you also pay import tax, so for expensive packages (like lolita dresses) you often end up paying 30% more. Unlucky people have been known to pay up to 50% more, though I don't know how that ended up happening.
Count your US blessings, anon! Live your customs-free dreams for us Europeans.

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So, hoping to start making more Bunnies this weekend. This is the only "finished" one so far, but looking for one more critique pass? Colors, lines, proportions, etc look OK?

>>8906086
I'm not sure if these are actual characters you're drawing, as I'm not familiar with them, but the concept is cute. Is it supposed to be an onion bunny? But anyway, I'm not really a huge fan of the face...the nose and eyes make it look kind of like an alien, especially with those green highlights.

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>>8906086
>>8906090
Shit. I'm sorry, I forgot to convert the file back to RGB before posting. Yikes.

Yeah, she's an onion bunny. It's a line of veggie themed bunnies I'm making.

When buying another artist's art book, provided that the content is relating to your interests, what do you look for? Full colored illustrations only? Sketches & illustrations? Collab between different artists? Process shots? Or just quality of the art in general?

>>8906043
Oh man that really sucks about the additional customs fees! The value of my package is like $3000? I've had ones about ~$500 from Vograce before without any hassle either.

I also hope that my hugeass order being shipped early means it'll clear the queue so you can get yours on time, anon!

>>8905974
Um sorry I'm too stupid to understand them...? I know calling them is the fastest, but I work 9-7 so I was wondering if someone who already has an Illinois one could help me. Yes, my fault, but I kind of need this permit fast and I don't know when they will email me back so I just wanted to ask other people first..

>>8906086
The eye on our left seems to be a little shorter/smaller than the one on the right, I'd fix that so the face doesn't look wonky. Super cute otherwise though!

>>8906147
Yeah the best thing is when they show up at your door without warning and ask you to pay in cash in exact change!
Man, 3000... I can't imagine the customs bill on that. How many people did you order with? You must be ordering for half the convention at this point! It's gotta feel great to open a package that big and wade through all the charms haha.

>>8906114
I like seeing exclusive stuff. So sketches can be nice in that case. A cohesive theme would be a plus.

>>8906114
I really like sketches. Like if you put a rough sketch and its finished piece next to each other, I'll likely buy the sketch if the artist is a very loose sketcher. I love looking at mark-making.

How simple can you go with chibi in armor? I don't want to abandon armor and robe details altogether but still want to simplify for a 2 in chibi. How much is forgiveable?

>>8906366
its hard to offer advice without knowing what character you're talking about. pretty much all anyone can say is 'as long as its recognizable' in regards to how much you can simplify.

>>8906191
It was about 8-9 other people! I've done group orders with like 2 other people before so coordinating something so big was a new experience!

>>8906102
This is such a cute drawing! I do agree with the other anons that the eyes are kind of unsettling? Maybe you can either simplify the eyes (simple dots) or make them more cartoony.

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New drinking game: take a shot every time something like "I want to do X but can't afford to get it done by (legitimate source). Are there any alternatives?" gets posted on AANI.

>>8906492
ugHHHH THEN FIND AN INCOME ALREADY these people, seriously

>>8905366
I think sometimes having online presence will secure you some purchases. I always sit and decide what merch I want from particular artists. But it doesnt mean that those without will flop. people will just buy stuff they like regardless as long as your art it good.

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>>8906389
Thank you!
Is it maybe the coloring that's making the eyes look weird? I'd wanted the eye shape to look like those of baby bunnies.

>>8906102
bunnion?

How is artsbovine's print quality? Thinking about getting my prints from them but I've never ordered anything from them.

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>>8906621
I think it's more the fact that you've stylized the rest of the bunny but are going for a realistic eye so it gives off an uncanny vibe? I think maybe forgoing the shading + making the eyes a little smaller if you want to keep the shape might work. But since the rest of your style is so cute/cartoony - I think cartoony eyes might honestly look the cutest?

>>8906940
I'm getting a scary uncanny valley sort of effect from the one on the right. The hearts look like tongues to me at first glance so it's like those images where they replace the eyes with the person's mouth.

>>8906945
Ahaha, it was just like a two second fix because that's what came to mind when I thought "cartoony".

>>8906940
I really like that middle one. Bunny anon, just add highlights and that would be super cute.

>>8906945
Oh my god I can't unsee the tongues

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>>8906940
>>8906945
>>8907093
i regret drawing this

>>8907121
make this a sticker and i'll buy it.

>>8907121
YAMEROOOO

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>>8907121
why this

>>8906492
Shrinky dinks domed with resin? Sell something that isn't charms? Get a job, perhaps?
Seriously, even Vograce's clears aren't pricey when you consider how much they go for in an AA. If you love the charm designs so much why not just make stickers and use the profits to fund future charm making?

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>>8907121
Bunnyanon here, thank you for the nightmares.

>8906940
Does this look a little better?

>>8907273
Not that anon, but this looks way better.

>>8907273
Looks a whole lot cuter! 10/10

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>>8907273
Eyes look good in that style, but you still have the problem of the far eye being smaller than the closer one!

>>8907273
I'm not fond of the green highlights, especially since they all seem to be coming from different light sources

>>8907375
>what is perspective

>>8907388
Do you seriously think the one on the left looks better? lmao.

>>8907388
Don't talk about something you obviously don't know shit about. The furthest eye from the viewer doesn't get smaller all around unless the camera is doing some sort of fisheye effect. It only gets squished horizontally. The height of the furthest eye from the viewer will be the same as the height of the closest eye.

>>8907375
Ahh, thank you! I felt something was still janky about my revision, and that was it! Now she does look cuter.

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I did it! I made a pinched League keychain like I wanted to. This isn't anywhere near finished, I have so much to fix and he'll be colored by the end of it. But any feedback would be cool? Thanks.

>>8907381

No no, the green highlights are AWESOME. When I saw them, I was like, this chick knows her coloring highlights rule. I love it. Plus on the all yellow/tan pallet, it looks really, really nice. Don't you dare remove it.

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>>8907121
Oh god. I'm glad that my lazy edit inspired such a thing. First spiderburger and then tongue-eye bunny, AA threads are truly a blessing.

>>8907375
>>8907461
I love that last revision!

>>8907505
I'm not super familiar with this character so the most glaring thing to me was where the keychain attaches to the character itself? You're gonna want to make that piece cloth larger so they can actually put the hole for the attachment there or you can add a circle at the top of your current piece of cloth for the hole. I think your hands could also use some work but it's a WIP so I figure it'll be fixed in later stages!

>>8907505

>cute lol stuff that's not Sona or Jinx.

Sold. If your asking if A is better than B, I would go with B cause if anything, League champs are known for their weapons. And having Singed without his bottle makes him a little harder to recognize. Also, I would make his right eye pupil-less, and when you color it just make it all green. Good start though. Make more uncanny champs and you'll be good to go.

>>8907121
>>8907128
I'm not one to buy cute stickers and charms, but cute stuff with nightmare fuel, I'd buy in a second.

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i'm sorry for horrifying everyone.

>>8907542
HAH. i'm actually the spiderburger (and other creepy foodnimals) artist too.

>>8907505
I love this, and i concur with other anon: league champs that aren't the waifu bait ones or yordles are pretty much an instant sale for me.

In terms of crit, b is definitely better although I would be inclined to lower the brow like pic related since it would make him look a little less...child like? but still cute. and yeah, remove the pupil of the left eye.

>>8907525
>coloring highlights rule

Can someone explain? I'm sort of a beginner artist and i'm curious what that is

Glad to hear people enjoying their spiderburgers!!

To those asking about the specialty acrylic, it follows the same pricing scheme as the clear, though only single sided printing is available. The sparkly black (which I'm super excited about) isn't publicly released yet, so if any of you are interested in that it'll be a special exclusive thing for those who know about it for a short while! ..At least, until I find the time to make some of my own charms with it. It's really fitting for space-y themes.

There's actually a bunch of materials and effects I've been playing around with that I'm itching to release, but I kind of want to hold off until I can get the print quality to be as solid as I can manage. I don't want to seem like I'm trying to compensate for quality with a bunch of gimmicky stuff.

>>8895876
It's hard to say without knowing who you are or what issues you had with the charms you received, but if you were one of our very first orders it's extremely likely that, file issues or not, I screwed a bunch of things up out of sheer obliviousness. (Sorry about that, if you ever decide to give us another shot I'll see if I can't compensate you somehow.)

People do make tons of mistakes setting up their files though, I'm working on a little tutorial on how to avoid the ones I see most frequently. If you shoot me an email, I can let you know if I had any difficulties with your files personally though I don't know if other companies handle the same things differently.

>>8908059
Super excited for the black acrylic! I'm going to assume that the images are still opaque and the sparkle won't show through the image?

Recommendations for fonts for things like buttons and prints? I'm not sure where to start and everything I see in my programs looks too neat/professional or silly.

>>8908059
Would we have to do double white if we want the colors to be bright and vibrant on the shiny black? I just had an idea and I might want to put in an order soon!

Hey, I tried asking a couple of threads ago and got no response. I just found out ACen doesn't allow blind/lucky bags, how strict are they about this? Does anyone know if they're okay at Fanime or AX?

>>8908193
what, why?

>>8908247
I have no idea! I saw people mention it on AANI but I don't want to rely solely on it for info on anything, hah.

>>8908193
Neither Fanime nor AX have these restrictions

I'd assume it's to avoid trouble. I can easily see some nitwit anime fan buying a blind bag, not being happy with the contents and throwing a hissy fit to the con about it. Maybe they had some big incident where something similar happened, so they just banned them outright.

>>8907410
Wait, what? Doesn't the height look bigger or smaller depending on the angle? In a 1/3 veiw, doesn't the eye facing away from you tends to look bigger, as in height?

>>8908193
>>8908247
A local con around here started doing the same, stating it's both because they can't enforce their no-bootleg policy with lucky bags, and because of customers complaining about the contents. Latter seems weird, former I can completely understand.

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>>8908362
yes, things appear smaller in the distance.
but you're not going to see that on two eyes on a face because the difference between their distance away from the viewer is not nearly far enough.
think of the polka dots on a mug, all the circles are the same size, but they only really get narrower in width, not height. Any difference in height isn't perceptible.

>>8908646
Great explanation, thanks anon.

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>>8908042

Ok so, the best way I can explain it, is this: If you want your art to feel more rounded, giving it a shade of highlight of a color that's not THERE, gives it a sense that there is a back-light somewhere highlighting the features. It gives your shape more curve as well as giving it a little pop. Not all light is obviously "white", so giving something a random highlight just to make it stand out is basic bitch 101 high school coloring (even though it might look nice). Green tends to be the counter part to flesh/orangy/pale/white pallets. The human eye can take in over 10000 colors at one time in real life. Like if you were looking at a real painting. On the computer screen it only takes in 5000. It comes more with digital art now, as everything tends to bleed together and look smeared. Isn't that cool? So yeah, giving something a highlighted color that's not part of the object itself, makes it look nicer. And then you have art dorks like me who see it and go "Heeeey this person knows what they're doing" and makes one tip their hat at them. Give it a try next time, you'll see what a difference it'll make to your piece.

>>8908937
I hope that isn't your example of good color choices

>>8907777
Hey anon where I can I buy the food-animal charms? Do you have a tumblr or etsy/store link?

Question for button makers: is it better to print the button on glossy paper or regular? Or doesn't it really affect the outcome?

>>8909794
Go for regular because they're gonna be shiny anyway. Don't print on paper that's too thick, either.

>>8909655
fera might still have some left? they were sending them out to anons a few threads ago.
i don't have a shop yet, but when I open it i'll stock the spiderburgers fera gave me for free + shipping (i'll drop a code in an artist alley thread). I might do small orders of the other foodnimals (in particular crab croissant) plus a couple others I doodled up, as well.

>>8909794
I feel like we need a more obvious FAQ for this type of question that pops up every thread, lol. You can print on whatever paper you like, as long as it isn't too stiff. Ive been printing on glossy for my buttons because i recently did a big bulk order on paper, but matte works fine too because the mylar makes it shiny anyway.

Alright. Catching up on the thread all in one sitting, here goes.

>>8902012
Man, my girlfriend and I are so doing this next con we table at. I'm so ready to watch nerds struggle.

>>8902039
I know a few people who collect the cards and pin them up on corkboards at home? kind of a 'save for later + pretty art' type thing, and that way the can go follow people online. Same people usually don't have a lot of spare cash though, so they're just the kind to watch your art from online instead of purchase anything.

>>8902622
Most of my stickers are honestly printed on label paper at staples. They're cheap as fuck, and usually i sell them in batches, or hand them out to homestucks because I love my trash children. A lot of the homestucks collect my HS sticker sets? so they're not too fussy about the quality, they'd rather be able to take like 6+ every time they see me to fill their sketchbooks with.

>>8904134
>>8904145

I've tabled all of 5 times and I'm still getting the hang of it, so you guys are kind inspiring, honestly. Would love to make that much, and I'm excited to improve and maybe get to that level.

>>8908646
Holy crap, I never realized this. Thanks, anon.

Don't know if this is the right thread, but does anyone know where to get decent quality custon orinted tights or socks without having them all over taobao?

How do you guys travel with your work? I'm talking more specifically prints (11x17 is what I've been making lately) but I'm open to any and all suggestions especially if it could help someone else wondering the same thing. Do you have portfolios or an entire suitcase dedicated to storage? Some advice for traveling with your displays would be helpful as well -- I've only ever had to worry about local con travelling and I'm now looking at 3+ hour drives.

Does kpop or kdrama fanarts sell at anime cons?

New thread >>8911096