Artist Alley General

>>9117455
Well, Alphonse Mucha's work is in the public domain, so legally it's fair game. There is a very clear difference between a commercial company currently making profit on their merchandise, and a long dead artist whose work has all been released to the public domain.

Personally I'm not bothered/offended by style copies if there ISN'T an official release of that fandom from that retailer, but as an artist I wouldn't mess with that can of worms. The retailer is going to be legally obligated to shut you down to protect their trade mark if they ever see it, and convention staff may also enforce it. We're all playing in the legal grey zone to begin with, so it's not worth hunting extra trouble.

In your experience, does tabling with a person of much higher skill level than you boost or take away from your sales? I expected a boost, but when I tabled with a very skillful friend, it felt like nobody paid attention to my stuff.

>>9117564
How much higher? And how different are your styles and fandoms?

Personally, I table with a friend whose art is worse than mine, and I pretty sure it's hurting my sales. People either gush over her side and ignore mine, or vice-versa. But alot of time, the dividing factor was just who had what fandom.

I want to get square prints from walgreens or maybe shutterfly. How should I price them? My rectangle photo prints are $3 so I think $3 is good for square. Is this a fair price? $2 seems too cheap even for a photo print and $4 or $5 seems too much.

>>9117564
a lot of times, people try and limit purchasing only one or two things from a certain table. I've noticed that when I share a table, people pretty much think they're buying from both of us rather than each individual artist.

I don't really like it but unfortunately i'm terrible at turning certain close friends down when they ask to share :/

>>9117658
I noticed this. I shared my first table but I'm thinking that I won't at my next show. Even with clearly defined separation and differing art styles, people still seem to think it's all one artist. I had a group of girls come over to look at my work and while I was talking to two of them, the other two were at the other side of the table purchasing something. It got very confusing because they all seemed to think that I was the artist for everything.

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Ok, so what would you guys suggest to make this the of doll more appealing to the AA market?

I know right now it's very plain. More accessories? more detailed clothes? open to suggestions here

>>9117679
Perhaps make the clothing more J-fashion-y? The base is overall very cute.
How much are you planning on selling her for?

>>9117679
I can see people buying character versions for tons of cash for ita bags

>>9117670
Now I regret deciding to share my next table with a friend. I feel like they're not gonna buy anything from me haha.

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>>9117679
It would be super cute if you made them Lolita or otome outfits and accessories (maybe based on popular dresses). 10/10 would buy instantly.

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>>9117679
Now that I think of it, Jane marple has a popular dress that's mint with polka dots it has a ribbon collar (pic related) if you can make one and add it to the existing doll that would be adorable.
Sorry if this is too niche, it's something I would personally buy instantly but I'm not sure about the usual convention crowd.

anyone have examples of how to display notebooks and comics at a table?

>>9117593
Very different styles but many overlapping fandoms. If I'm mediocre, my friend is one of the best I've seen. I'm into some stuff she doesn't have, so I'm hoping that will help me a little.

>>9117688
Probably between $50-80 depending on complexity. I know it's a bit of a hard sell, but w/e.
>>9117695
>>9117718
>>9117728

Thanks for the ideas gulls! gonna go look up some outfits. (I'm not really too creative when it comes to clothes haha)

>>9117738
Use tiny easels.

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>>9117763

I'd be all over them if you did what movic does for their bear and offer different colored bases with a bunch of outfits, basically allowing the buyer to turn them into whatever character.

>>9117679
I 100% agree with the other anon, I'd love to buy one based on my favorite fandom characters. Especially if you had their other outfits to could be switched around.

>>9117806
Honestly, even though I know fandoms are hot sellers, I really don't do well making products for it. I get super anal, and it's no fun (and if it's not fun what's the point?). I'm a party pooper like that.

Would tsumtsum-esque plushes would sell well? I make them for pokemon and anime/game characters. Or would that be not allowed due to copying a style?

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>>9118004
I've seen stackable plushies at multiple cons. Can't tell you if they sell well or not, but I haven't heard of anyone getting in trouble for it yet. I think at this point "oblong stacking plush with dot eyes" is too vague to be considered a copyright infringement, so long as you're not directly copying existing tsum tsum plushies.

The ones of humanoid characters kind of creep me out, though.

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I make polymer clay charms/figurines, and am considering selling them at cons. Any suggestions about pricing? Having a hard time balancing hours put in vs. how much people would actually spend.

>>9117763
If you included accessories or an extra outfit with them I think they'd be easier to sell for that price. Even having two relatively simple dresses or a change of skirts would be good.
>>9118004
IIRC only Disney tsumtsums are off limits. If you made non-Disney ones, there shouldn't be any problem aside from salty artists.

>>9117823
Ah well wouldn't most people go to AA for fanmerch? Most original stuff doesn't sell as often unless the artists themselves are popular or if they have a popular webcomic, etc.

I just wanted to give my two cents since you were mentioning AA specifically but you shouldn't force yourself if you don't enjoy making fandom merchandise.

>>9118030
I hate to say this but if they're on par with pic related you're not going to be able to charge a lot for them. It's cute, but the sculpt is kinda messy and uneven, and you need to clean up the pieces before you glaze them (rubbing alcohol gets rid of fingerprints and lint btw). Experiment with matte glazes too, they tend to look more polished than shiny ones.
If you're going to make a few to sell with a friend, make 2 or 3 of each design and sell them for $3-5. They should sell since people at AAs don't really care about minor imperfections and snap up any cute cheap shit they find. If they're going to make up the bulk of your stuff I highly recommend taking a lot of time to make one perfect charm and then making a mold out of it- it saves you a lot of time in the long run and you know you'll be getting uniform products.

>>9118042
Thanks for the advice! Yeah I'm getting better at cleaning up lint/fingerprints.

>>9118042
ok this is very negative but i'd sell something like this for 10? lmao @ 3-5

>>9118279
Different anon here: No way I'd consider buying it for $10. $3-5 I'd think about it but honestly it's not that good.

Does anybody know if there is someone who got cute HP acrylic charms? My little sister is into it right now but searching on Etsy...There is literally nothing. I thought it would be still a thing.

>>9117679
>>9117763
Would you take commissions of simple designed original characters at all? If so I would love an email or webpage that I could contact you at. These are super cute!

I recently restocked some charms, the only difference is I decided to make them double sided instead of single sided. That said I have a few of the single sided left and I am not sure how I should price these last few charms in comparison to my double sided ones. (They are all approx 2.5 inches) should I reduce the price slightly? Or do you think I should try to move them some other way?

>>9118468
You could put all designs of the single sided charms together in a 'clearance' display of some kind 'making way for new stock'. Either reduce price or do a 3 for ___ offer to shift them. Maybe?

>>9117679
omg that's soo cute!
I think you should lower the facial features down a bit. The chin looks awfully big in that angle, and add a peter pan collar to close the seams.

if you want it to be marketable, make animals like cats and bunnies. use the same body base but just change the faces

So kinda curious, anyone into laser cutting? Been shopping for the past few months and wondered if anyone experienced was lurking. I was aiming to cut my own acrylic, time is not really a factor, it's mostly just looking at something in my budget.

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>>9118036
That sounds do-able. :)
>>9118412
I'm not sure yet? my instagram is 'dearsweetdarlings' if you want to keep updated though, haha.
>>9118574
the cat/bunny thing I'll defiently do, since I've done those before. as for the face, I think it's more of a neck issue, it need to be shortened, or I need to make sure the lighting is better since the pattern has a bit of an upturned face.
>close seams
haha I'm not sure if you mean this literally. All the seams are finished, but yes, it does need a little something-something.

>>9117433
can i get a source on this artist btw ?

>>9117679
anon this is adorable! it reminds me of the dolls my grandmother used to make me when i was little.

>>9118698
Excellent I gave it a follow! Thanks.

>>9117546
Do you feel the same way about people who do tsumtsum plushies of non disney things? Like tsumtsum sailor moon plushies, or pokemon plushies etc. It seems like people are okay with that, why not this?

>>9118897
I don't really know how to answer this, I'm sorry. I'm a print & charm artist not a crafter, so I'm not familiar with the differences in what's considered acceptable. As I said, I'm personally not offended or bothered by style copies, I'm just not comfortable taking what feels to be a rather large risk.

That risk may be smaller for plushie crafters. Maybe it's because enforcement is more lax on hand made instead of mass printed items, or because the differences in style between anime stacking plushes and disney tsumtsums are larger. Or because tsumtsum doesn't create anime merchandise at all, and so they are clearly not in competition with anime plushie crafters. I honestly don't know.

Wait a minute, Vograce won't let you choose between keyring/strap if you order less than 1000 pieces?

>>9119053
Yes they will, are you sure you're not confusing her with your question? Ask it simply.

>>9119099
Good to know. I haven't made my order yet, I've just seen "Custom accessories is available if the quantity is more 1000 pcs." and it confused me.

>>9119135
Custom is choices that are not there.

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>>9119001
But anime styled tsums do exist as official merch (image related) they're just called something else but still a plush that's stackable.

Does anyone else here live entirely off AA all year?

I'm only concerned because I don't think I can afford health insurance and I haven't been putting away anything for retirement ~_~

how do you do it?

Can you make a decent amount of money on stickers and buttons alone without prints? Most of my prints aren't moving at all so I'm thinking about getting rid of them and just focus on stickers and buttons. I don't like doing prints since they don't sell, but I feel pressured into doing them because everybody does it. Would this be doable? I'm not trying to make a bank off of stickers and buttons but I wonder if it would be possible to make decent amount of money.

>>9119991
What size prints do you currently offer? You can try smaller prints if the big ones aren't working for you. I don't have any info on whether sticker/buttons alone will bring in more money but it won't hurt to try if you don't want to make more prints. If you're making new sitcker/button designs you can even just group them by series and throw them all on a print so you don't have to come up with new print designs. I've done that with some of my charm designs and people who don't want to spend money buying ALL the character charms for the series will buy the poster + the fave character charm so they can have the image of all of them.

>>9120023
I know some people call that lazy but that is a brilliant idea, anon! It would be great for people who don't have money for all the charms. Thanks!

>>9119958
i only do conventions part time but it makes up a bulk of my income. if i bumped it up to like idk 16 cons a year i could prolly completely drop freelancing and be very financially safe (as safe as a sporadic and unpredictable job like cons can be) but i just hate flying all year. it's nice to have winter vacation.

Are photo prints from walmart and walgreens looked down upon? I'm happy with the quality but I hear some artists look down on them.

>>9120345
if you're selling them for gilcee print prices thats an issue.

>>9120388
$3 for 4x6. Is that too much?

>>9120345
Different anon, but nope. I've seen Walgreens prints go from $3~$5. 4 x 6 Miniprints on better paper (80~10lb cardstock) go for like $5~$7.

I recently raised mine from $3 to $4 because the demand was so high but it still doesn't deter anyone from buying them. In fact, I think I started selling more/making more money by raising the price by a dollar.

Anyone try Amazon Handmade? Almost everyone on etsy has said its garbage, but I'm thinking about giving it a try since I make costume accessories and halloween is coming up.

>>9120576
I hear it's not good. And Amazon's policies are very strict. You could give it a try but wouldn't etsy be better?

>>9120487
Thank anon! Great to hear that! :)

>>9120576
I'd stick to Etsy honestly. If you want to branch out a bit more use eBay instead.

Can I request advice on making charm preorders in general? Where can I promote them more efficiently? What can I do when the charms take more than stated to arrive my country and then to ship it to everyone? Should I include another extra item if people preorders just to lure them or it doesn't work that well?

Is it normally allowed to have a bowl of little candies on your table to give away? The con I go to says not to sell food but it doesn't really say anything about giving it away, haha.

>>9120975
As long as they're prepackaged, you should be okay? Depends on the con sometimes.

>>9120975
Depends less on the con, more on the rules of the hotel/facility/city.

Especially if the venue has unionized labor that usually deals with anything food related.

>>9120975
I wouldn't. Its tacky and a lot of cons don't allow it. It also distracts from your table honestly.

So I have a question.

For anyone that sells Plushies, how do you tag prices on them like do you have a big board with all the prices on them or you do like a grocery store where you have the price of the plushies on/front/ next to the item?


Cause it seems to be the inevitable thing of people asking for the prices when the price is right next to them

>>9120975
It's gross.

>>9121000
everybody should put a bowl of Werther's Originals on their tables at their next cons just to make this anon salty

>>9120975
I wouldn't. A friend of mine had a bowl of cheap candies on the table for her first AA, since she thought her art wasn't good enough to attract customers on its own. She attracted a handful of hamplanet booth barnacles instead.
Even assuming you don't end up attracting the wrong kind of people, you might still attract ants, or someone will end up knocking it over, or you might get in trouble with the hotel.

>>9120973
I havent done POs before but I feel like twitter and tumblr are the best places the do POs. generally po exclusive things (like extra stickers or a cute postcard) would do well with whole set pos to encourage people to buy more.

also I think for shipping time its better to overestimate (maybe +1 week to the estimate time) if it doesnt arrive by the time stated its highly likely its lost in the mail.

>>9120975
You'll spend the whole weekend complaining that everyone only came to your table for the free candy and didn't actually buy anything/ or look at your stuff for sale, so just don't.

Is it worth it to sell in AA if you don't keep up with all the FOTM anime and games? I am not aiming to be rolling in cash, but if I can make enough to cover my own crafting addiction or foot the bill for some other con then I'd be thrilled.


I make some stuff from series that always come back into vogue eventually, like Legend of Zelda and Pokemon, but for the most part I don't get around to playing/watching new stuff right when it hits so I don't make stuff for the most recent obsession. If I have stuff for somewhat older series that were still pretty big (Evangelion, Avatar, Chrono Trigger, etc), will I still be able to move some merch?

>>9121127
Pokemon's riding off GO at the moment, although you would also be competing with 80% of the rest of the AA which will also be selling GO merch.
But Pokemon, LoZ, Avatar, and NGE are pretty much always relevant.

The problem with doing FOTM series is that a lot of people do it, so yes you can cash in on impulsive buyers, but you also have a ton of competition. I'd say that your success heavily relies on your table location, as well.
So don't worry about not doing it.

>>9121127
Pokemon and Zelda are always good sellers. Try making new stuff for existing franchises? For example, for Pokemon you can do stuff of Mimikyu or any of the new Sun/Moon Pokes or PokeGo stuff and still make money.

You can watch like 2 episodes of any of the "popular" stuff to get a feel for it before you make merch if you feel that it's gonna deter your sales.

You'll be able to sell older stuff - especially if it's a niche fandom. Just not as much as whatever is the most popular at the moment.

Anyone ever do pvc charm from vograce? or somewhere else?

>>9121230
Digit has, I think. It's in the archives. Not sure if any other anons tried it out after her.

>>9121156
Also, I'd say Sailor Moon is always a good one. Especially since Crystal is still running and the big boom of merch in Japan.

I've had good luck selling older anime merch, just watch for when the studios release a new OVA after 10 years or a movie

nice spikes in interest and most stateside dealers dont bother

>>9120996
I do the latter, so I have each of my plushies and amigurumi of different series with a small price sign next to it with a very brief description like "Apple $5".

>>9121822
it's a slow moving thread, you don't need to bump.

>>9120973
Tumblr and twitter are good for preorders. Make sure you tag appropriately and if you have any friends who run fandom-appropriate blogs ask them nicely to reblog it once or twice. With shipping, just make sure you keep everyone up to date; if the charms arrive later than you expected, let them know with a brief apology and an update.
For preorders I generally discount the charm slightly (i.e if I sell 2inch charms for $12 usually, preorders will be $10 ), but its nice to throw in a couple of buttons or a postcard if someone orders a set to entice people to buy multiple charms.

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>>9120996

I use cute little price tags in custom shapes, but that's because I sell a large variety of plush. It works very well for me because most people like picking up/touching plush and with the price tag right there they can't help but notice it.

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I'm somewhat lost.
Personally I prefer straps to keychains but dislike braided straps. Are Vograce going to make much bigger drill holes if I go with bead chains? It's difficult to tell from sample photos.

I'm thinking to get a table on a con (first time) but... idk if I'll get benefits. It's easy to beat the price of the table with the first time selling? (Btw sorry for the english)

>>9122751
Same question here!

I was wondering if my con's organizers are a bit greedy to ask 50$ for the table and donation of 10 items? Because from my point of view it kind of sucks as my items are 17$ each on the average, so it's like donating 170$ + 50$ = 220$ just for the opportunity to sell something. Are those terms common and I'm just being salty or should I give up the idea? The organisers also don't offer any digital advertisment or any other promotion possibilities.

>>9122816
Dude what?? 10 items? No way. That's bullshit.
But the table price is pretty cheap. You could make eleven of something cheap and low-effort, give them ten of that, and sell the last one at your table. kekekekek

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>>9122654
this is what I go by for vograce theres more options on the screengrab

>>9122654
Just email/message them to show you a charm with a bead chain and they'll do it.

>>9122654
also i feel like they would make a bigger hole. I have a sample pack from zap creatives that used one of those ball chains and the holes were bigger.

>>9122826
That's actually what I was thinking about, but I'm yet to know what they take for donations. It'd be fun to print out like 10 sets of stickers for example, but I doubt that'll do for them. You mentioned that the price itself is pretty cheap for the table though, what are the regular rates on the average (so I could get an idea on what's fair)?

>>9122856
Typically $150 and up depending on how big the con is. So yeah, giving them your regular stock would be a rip but you'd pay 100 less for the table than you normally would.
But please be careful. If they're putting in a weird policy like that, they might be weird and shady in other aspects that you don't know about yet. That donation thing reminds me of Las Pegasus Unicon a little.

>>9122856
>>9122866
yeah I have never seem a con asking for donations from artists

>>9122816
Is this a new con or something? That's really weird.

>>9122866
Thanks a lot for the answer, that's really helpful. I wouldn't call it a big con as non-anime j-stuff (music & fashion mostly) isn't really popular in my country. I also heard that this con loses some percentage of visitors every year, and the sales aren't too damn high.

>>9122882
No, it's pretty old and unfortunately that's all we have in my country for j-music/j-fash. There are two main events throughout a year, but organisers are the same and so are the terms of participation.

>>9119958
I have two friends that do it.

One drew batman for a few years.

One does more wearable high ticket items, more vendor.


Lots of shows and sell sell.

I have heard good things about AFO's AA, can someone tell me what it's like?

What's the price aprox on Vograce for charms double sided? I need examples, please!

>>9122963
Double sided white acrylic or transparent? You can always just ask them for a quote, it'll be easier and more precise that way.

What's the legal situation on selling graphic wearables with screenshots of internet comments? Does it depend on the source website's TOS?

>>9123362
there's a lot factors. Does the site own the layout in the "no reproductions allowed" sense? do they use a commercial font? Does the site say that they own all content posted there?

and so on.

>>9122912
There's only the few returning artists that make a large amount of sales, and the rest barely break $500. Not a con to travel to and sell artwork at all.

>>9122816
What the hell do they want artists to donate items for? Charity auction? Reselling? Just to have them?

>>9123583
Prizes for participants engaged in competitive activities and maybe for the raffle bags

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Hello /cgl/, I have an event coming up and I'm having a hard time pricing my cake boxes. I've considered all materials used and time put in, and I still am not too sure what I should price these. What would be the max of what you'd pay for these.


Also, they come in varying sizes and I would like to hear what you seagulls would be a reasonable price for each size.

Thanks!

>>9121127
A lot of my stuff targeted older fans, so they were willing to shell out higher prices for the prints I had. I think maybe have a bit of a mix helps, especially if it's stuff you're into yourself.

>>9123770
That's kinda bullshit. If they intend to have raffles and prizes, it's the con's responsibility to obtain those items from their own budget; they shouldn't be demanding them from artists. IMO If it was an optional "Donate prizes to lower your booth cost" thing, it wouldn't be so bad but requiring artists to donate ten items? If they don't have a requirement on item value, then maybe do what >>9122826 said and make some cheap stuff that doesn't take very long and donate that.

>>9123790
They look cute at first sight, but the more I look at the pictures the more faults I see. The cream isn't very well made, the strawberries are horribly stitched, there are loose threads in quite a few places, the hems are really messy, and the materials look super cheap.
However, since your average customer doesn't give a shit about any of that, you could price them between $10-25, depending on where you are and what sort of stuff the other sellers at the event will have.
Next time, use nicer materials. Using something stretchier and softer like minky instead of felt for the strawberries will give them a better shape and make them look neater.
Also, don't sew too close to the edge. Leave a seam allowance and very carefully snip wedges out of it so the seams don't bunch up. Use thread in a similar color and don't pull it tight- you want it to be relaxed enough not to dig into the fabric, or you'll end up with something like the seams on the strawberry on the yellow cake on the right. Don't overstuff them either.
For the strawberries on the left, you should have glued them together. The stitches are super messy and visible and visible stitches only look cute when they're neat.
Avoid putting hot pink anything anywhere. It makes your stuff look tacky and cheap. Use white or pink instead.
On the other hand, the general idea is really nice. The bottom middle and heart cakes are the best imo, they look clean and nicely put together. The pearls and bows are nice touches, too. Like I said, these look really nice from a distance- if you work on fixing the issues I mentioned you could definitely sell them for more.

>>9123995
>using minky

nah, they just need really nice will felt and work on their construction. pinky would just look like furry shit.

>>9123790
anon, you need to work on your stitches and color coordinating. what were you thinking with that weak looking strawberry cachabon? are you using poly felt? switch to wool. it has better colors.

Question for those who have webshop: How do you send products that fits in the letter?

I'm thinking of opening Etsy in the future but I'm not sure how I should send my products. They all fit in the letter size but getting tracking will cost as much as my stuff (10~e). Should I just wish they won't get lost and no one would scam me?

>>9124097
where are you shipping from?

>>9124120
Finland, everything is shitty expensive here

How do you make that first online sale? My store has been open for almost 1/2 year. I get good traffic, people are favoriting my stuff, but nobody buys anything. What can I do? I don't do much social networking so blogging and tweeting don't seem to help.

>>9124242
It sounds like your prices might be too high then.

>>9124097
You need tracking. No tracking shouldn't be an option.

>>9124258
My prices are very standard ($10 charms, $5 prints) so that's what I don't understand. My shipping is only $3 too. I think my art is at least ok because I do get good traffic and favorites. But then maybe it's not pretty enough to actually buy. I want to sell online instead of doing cons but this is proving to be very difficult for me lol

>>9124242
I'm in the same boat. I actually just made my first sale a few days ago. I think what really helped is posting in a lot of different places. More eyes on your work that way. I don't know if tabling at my first con helped at all but I'm sure that was a factor too. A lot of the artists I talk to say they make the majority of their sales at shows so idk.

>>9124284
Thanks anon, I don't really have that many followers but I'll keep posting and see where it goes. Hope you get more online sales anon.

>>9123995
>>9124042

Thank you so much for the advice anons.

These are my first products and A LOT was trail and error, so I was going to discount the beginning ones I started off making first,(Which I agree aren't very well put together as you said) at lower prices. This is all really good information I'll keep with me!!
You said the heart box and the middle front ones are the best, those are the ones I made later after I realized the steps I had to make first and prepared in making for.
And you're right about the middle back one and the first one on the right being the worst....because they were the first ones I attempted making so I'll discount of course.

at the discounted less quality ones, how much should I take off do you think?

I also agree with the 10-25$ price. I would THINK some customer would buy 25$ for the heart box at least?

>>9124279
You can post some stuff here for a critique if you want?

I'm making some charms for myself but wonder if I should order a couple of extras of every design for trading purposes. Does organized trading scene for fanmade charms even exist?

>>9124352
I'm sure someone would buy the heart box for that much, yeah. It's really nice.

>>9124242
are you on storenvy or etsy? I had both but exclusively went etsy after a while. Storenvy is free and i liked the UI and stuff but i find that I can't get people to go to my store usually. I have an ok amount of people on social media but i am not as prolific. Whereas with etsy, as long as i tag my fandom stuff I get random people who search the fandom on there looking for merch and ive already made probably 15 sales in 6 months compared to 3 on storenvy for a year.

An artist I know just killed themselves last month. Do other artists in AA ever care or are they happy when competition goes away?

>>9125415
>artist I know just killed themselves last month
>Do other artists in AA ever care or are they happy when competition goes away?
Wow...

>>9125415
not to be harsh or anything (taking the slim chance that this isn't more bait) but how are artists different from anybody else that barely knew the person who died? why should they react any differently?
Apart from my actual friends I tend to not notice if people don't show up to AAs the next year or so on. It wouldn't make a big impact on my life and that doesn't make me a terrible person, it's just how life is. people die. the world keeps on spinning.

>>9125415
you must be asking yourself that instead of bringing that up here. You know the person...so how do YOU feel about it. Less competition? Thinking out loud on here? Will you ask if any of that persons stuff be discounted now?

>>9125415
Um...what?

>>9125450
I thought there might be more of a community since artists see each other often?

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>>9125415
>>9125833
>or are they happy when competition goes away?
asking such a loaded question, for what reason.
if you are legitimately this autistic, then yes, the general human reaction is that death/suicide are generally quite negative things and people who hear about it will feel sorry.

Do you have to decorate your table in order to attract customers? Or can you just have a minimal display?

>>9125833
It's more like "oh that one person isn't here", but they probably won't look into it much.

>>9124895
If there's an Artist Alley FB page dedicated to a specific con, sometimes people post that they're open to trades with their table number.

I myself ask strangers on the last day if they're down to trade only if we have similar fandom merch. If they look like they're trying to find a polite way to decline or look uncomfortable I give them my table number. Otherwise, I go through the effort of seeking out the people I asked at the end of con with my charms and stress that we don't have to do it if they don't see anything they like.

If I'm doing an order with Vograce and during the process I decide I need more charms, do you think it would be bothersome to ask them to ship the new order with the older one? Or they will treat it like a total new order?

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Would anything Gachapin sell? I've made a bunch of plushes of him without really thinking about it and I'm wondering if I should add them to my stock or give them to friends lmao.

>>9126429
Haven't ordered from Vograce yet but if they haven't shipped and both parties haven't confirmed negotiations yet, it's probably better to tell them ASAP rather than holding it off. It doesn't hurt to ask.

>>9117433
>>9118747
http://milk-plus-ink.tumblr.com/

>>9125415
which artist

>>9125415
Of course they care. No ones that heartless.

>>9126474
No harm in taking a few along, if they sell that's great and if not you didn't lose out since they weren't originally part of your stock.

Has anyone done local craft shows with aa merch? It feels like only moms go to craft shows and I'm not sure if it would feel very out of place with anime merch.

>>9127710
I was thinking about doing craft shows myself, but with a slightly different stock of merch from my normal AA set up. I haven't really seen any AA types of tables at shows before (I go to a lot around Christmas time) unless you count standard jewelry vendors or photographers/painters. Considering how many moms bring their kids - I say give it a try! especially if you can find one that's not too expensive.

>>9127721
So I was thinking about doing a pokemon exclusive dusplay like this one anon was saying in this or the last thread.

May I ask what kind of AA related stuff you've seen at craft shows? Also, by cheap, do you mean under $10? Thanks, anon!

>>9127748
Shit sorry lol. Please disregard the $10 part. I was replying to 2 posts at the same time.

>>9127748
That could be really hit or miss, a lot of normies don't really 'get' themed stuff and may think you're a creeper (especially if you're a dude) but then again with the hype around GO it could be a huge success. I would /strongly/ advise you to visit a few of your local craft shows to see what's already circulating in the market, what the attendance age is like, and how people set up their booth displays.

As far as AA related stuff, again besides standard jewelry vendors and painters, the only things I can recall seeing there are blankets made from the printed fleece (MLP, Nintendo), and sometimes handmade soaps - but they're not usually themed like a lot of AA ones seem to be. Every now and then there's some plush vendors but it's mostly stuff you can find patterns for in books.

>>9127748
Sorry I could have included this in my last post but here's a super nifty website that lists all the craft fairs by state & date. http://www.craftmasternews.com/Default.aspx

>>9127710

I've heard that they're horrible unless you have stuff that will sell to mothers somehow. I've done one and did predictably awful, I think I sold about five things.

>>9127909
I sold three things at a show once, and had to donate one of my items for the charity auction, and that was because the kids had their own money or the father let them buy something.

Don't bother unless you have something to sell to mothers.

>>9127710
I have a friend who used to do AAs with me who moved to an area with a big craft market / flea market type area. She has gone a few times and she says she sees lots of lovely pieces and artists but hears that sales are really low. She was observing it for a bit to see about setting up there and talked with a few artists. She says she watched some cake pop stand sell out of overpriced cake pops decorated like Minions but that's the only thing she witnessed anyone really buying. Just food.

Anyone know where to get the grid like display boxes so many people seem to have?

Or is there a better version?

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>>9128197
you mean this? https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LRBSFI/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

>>9128197
As soon as school starts up a lot of random stores start selling these as "dorm gear". Aldi actually had some for super cheap last year.

how do you guys package/prepare your prints when you hand them to a customer?

I know they're not necessary, but I think it'd be nice to have some protection for the print - especially larger ones.
clear plastic pockets do seem like a good idea but they're ridiculously expensive where I'm from. is simply rolling them up and putting on a rubber band ok?

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Does anyone know where i can buy ribbons like this for cheap and in an array of colors? (mainly wanting black and pastel ones) Ive looked up tutorials on how to make them but they seem way too complicated and time consuming for how much I plan to sell them for.

>>9128403
i roll up larger prints and haven't had a complaint (some people were fussy about how I rolled them, bc they were carrying a tube to put them in) I used a4 sized plastic flat bags (non-clear) because like you, they are very expensive. I got like 500 of the plastic bags for what 20-40 of the clear bags wouldve cost here, lol. I use them for general purchases too.
It's a good idea to reinforce them with some cheap card, though.

>>9128436
Look from horse equipment sites or simulars. Atleast in my country you can buy those from all bigger horse equipment companies, but they are not that cheap. Sturdy, yes. They use them with dogs also so you might want to check there. I haven't seen cheap ones tho so you just might have to suck it and make them yourself.

Where do you guys buy your charm straps? I'm new to charms and michael's and jo-anns only have them online in 6 packs.

>>9128757
did you even google?

>>9128797
Yes, and i'm only finding chinese or japanese sites and listings that take 2 months to ship

>>9128811
me thinks your google fu is week
https://www.amazon.com/Smartphone-Phone-Charm-Adapter-Straps/dp/B0085C36S8

>>9128815
Thanks, appreciate it

>>9127710
Don't.

>>9128197
If you like in America Anon, I have wire cubes and I got them from Target.

Though I suggest getting 2 boxes of the cubes if you are dealing with storage and more versatile options.

The connectors can be a bitch installing them by hand I suggest a plastic mallet/hammer to get them in securely.

>>9128213
Got any ideas for similar displays that are easier to put together? Those connectors are murder on my hands.

>>9129761

Would using zip ties in the place of the connectors work?

>>9130128
I use zip ties and they rock.

>>9129761
I use a plastic mallet for the connectors.

My only thing I could think of is similar is those locker shelves that are foldable

If you don't have a lot of merch, is it better to split your table with other artists? When people split a table it seems like customers only flock to the popular or better artist's merch. I'm torn between having an empty table and splitting a table.

>>9130388
If you split a table with an artist, your things should merge together, it shouldn't look like two completely different tables. Also, you should probably only share a table with a friend. I shared a table with someone I didn't know very well who sold things completely different than me and she did a lot worse than normal and it was very awkward...
When I share a table with a friend who sell similar items as me, we both do well.

>>9130399
What if you hare a table with a friend who is into very different fandoms? I'm sure it'll look "merged" to normies as long as we mash our display together. But having very different merch on 1 table affect sales?

>>9130399
How does having similar things or same fandoms work for both of you? I'm curious because don't people limit their purchase to a couple of things per table and grab the "better" artist's merchandise over the other?

Is it a bad idea to share a table with someone when you sell completely different things? I make plushes and she's an artist with prints and the such.

>>9130388
>>9130403
>>9130404
>>9130405
I should word it a little better.

The best scenario from two artists sharing a table is to have items that complement each other. One person selling pokemon plushies while the other artist sells pokemon artwork works out well since someone will want to buy part art and craft item of their favorite pokemon. What doesn't work is one artist selling pokemon plushies while the other sells transformers artwork. Its completely different fandoms and make people think "should I buy a transformers item, or pokemon item from this table?". Vastly different ideas for teh table also make it look more unorganized and might even turn away people of the other fandom. A pokemon fan might not go to the table because they see so much transformers stuff.

Thats simply my opinion, maybe it works differently for others, idk, but its my experience as a artist and shopper.

>>9130470
I'm thinking about tabling with a friend who shares no fandoms with me. But when I think about it, I have about 15 fandoms and my table along looks messy anyway haha. So I'll table share with her and see where this goes and see if we both sell better or do worse.

Is anyone else tired of little_reddo's blatant rip offs? She's been called out so many times but she continues to copy shit

>>9130399
Splitting a table always makes me feel like I'm saving money, but in the end it's a barely noticeable cost compared to sales I might have lost vs selling alone. The average con, you might save $75? $100? I can only rationalize selling if you didn't manage to get in in the first place.

>>9128436
I've seen these at the dollar store a lot, in party goods.

>>9130596
Interesting, so do you lose sales noticeably when you split a table?

>>9130593
First time hearing this. What kind of stuff does she copy?

If you get lucky enough to split a table with a popular artist, does it bring in more sales or do you lose sales because all the customers are at your table for that popular artist? I'm getting nervous thinking about it because I don't want to lose any sales but I didn't even think this would be an issue.

>>9130709
she copies from other fans and even official art
http://bbbreakfast.tumblr.com/post/90021761665/warning-post-about-littlereddo

Her clothing line is a blatant omocat rip
She made those dango plushes that look like the official ones too

>>9130593
>>9130888
has she done anything recently? I saw her table at AX

>>9130706
If you read the Artist Alley Survey (2014, because 2015 doesn't have the results), having half a table makes about half as much as having a full table. Personally, I've never done well at a con where I split my table, and i've done it with all sorts of artists: similar, different. Better or worse.
http://kiriska.com/misc/research/2014_artistalley_survey.pdf

>>9130934
Not the same anon but couldn't there be multiple factors for the half-table vs. full table revenue? Like are more experienced, better artists going to get full tables more often than half-tables that are split between newer artists? Where are the tables located and how is the traffic like? Wouldn't artists with full tables have much more merch, ergo more sales? Etc.

I do think it's a very interesting topic especially with the survey you linked. I haven't really met buyers with mentality of "I can only buy X amount of stuff per table", more like "I can only buy Y amount of stuff per fandom".

>>9130711
unless your art is like way different in quality that theirs is you'll probably be fine. my roommate is pretty well known and tabling with them doesnt hurt my sales at all

>>9130992
Damn my friend's skill level is way above mine. I'm kind of regretting deciding to split my table now lol.

>>9130992
even with that, if you have different styles it's not too bad. Like, a very skilled painterly artist might be much higher quality than say a simple cell shaded chibi artist but they're selling to different crowds so it's not too bad

>>9130711
Shouldn't really affect sales. Might help actually.

>>9130358
I've been looking at wire counter-top displays, will check out locker shelves.

>>9130128
I"ll give it a try, thanks!

>>9130888
>clothing line is a blatant omocat rip
like every other artist doing shirts right now

Does anyone have experience with making/ordering enamel pins?

Hypothetically I wanna make my first vograce order relatively soon, is it significantly more cost-effective to do a group order if I only want a relatively small amount of charms?

>>9131212
search aani for the topic, people there are about as helpful as it gets re: enamel charms for some reason. IIRC zap creatives is doing a giveaway for enamel charms atm, if you're interested in trying them out it's worth entering.

>>9131219
how small is 'relatively small' ? 12 charms or 60?

has anyone sold at PMX? I see there are exhibitor spots still available, do these count for artist alley? I'm looking for another con after my one in end of September. I'll make enough at that one to pay for a PMX table and I wonder if it's worth it

for what it's worth I'm a popular artist, almost 10,000 tumblr followers and over 500 Instagram - I have sold out at smaller ~5K cons. So I know I can do well at basically any con

>>9131237
Probably like 50-60 yeah, sorry for not being specific.

>>9131249
Not that anon, but I'm currently doing a small order myself with almost the same amount. For 59 charms(Some clear double sided keychains and some just paper sandwiched acrylic with epoxy for brooches) Vicky quoted almost 100 bucks(without shipping) I believe, by looking at the archives, other anons got a better deal by ordering way more charms.

For anyone who's ordered from Vograce before, do you prefer the Double Acrylic/Double Epoxy or the Double Acrylic/No Epoxy for double sided printing?

>>9131243
I don't know how it'll be this year since they moved dates back, but last year it was on Labor Day weekend which overlapped with Sacanime Summer. It was a ghost town. There was literally no one there. Pretty much no one in the AA made money, when my friends and I generally pull in several thousand at small/mid-tier cons.

Hopefully it'll be better this year bc they're not on the same weekend as Sac and Anime California, but I'm not doing it again.

Is there a reasonable difference in results between the hand-held punch and the graphic punch for the tecre button makers? I want to purchase a button maker, but am unsure if keeping it under $300 will come back to bite me in the butt later.

>>9131486
in results? not really. It's more about ease of use than anything else.

>>9131460
Yeah PMX should be way better this year. I like the new venue but the Sept date just wasn't working.

>>9131511
Okay, thanks--I'll go with the cheaper one then as it still seems straightforward enough.

I love artist alley so much. It's the only thing keeping me going right now.
I'm not an artist. I love the creativity and kindness so many of you have. I love commissioning you all and seeing the amazing things you make and all the new products you have each convention. Thankyou for dealing with my questions about your art and I'm sorry for the times I booth-barnacle because I love talking about AAs and cons with you.
You all are so great, I miss you so much between cons. I wish I could have friends like you.

>>9131335
I found the keychains felt really solid with the double epoxy on the ones I ordered, but theykeychains had a lot of "dents" in the epoxy, as if they didn't let it cure and pop all the air bubbles before packing. Plus a couple friends have said it yellows over time.

I think next time I order I'm going to get ones without epoxy.

>>9131787
Most epoxy I've found will yellow upon too much sun exposure and UV light, did your friends keep theirs indoors? If they kept them indoors or shaded mostly and they still yellowed....then that's bad.

>>9131790
not sure, this worries me though as I'm sure most of my customers will be using the keychains on their backpacks or other bags...

>>9131785
this isnt the feels thread take your shit elsewhere

>>9131791
There's always the ghetto way that I coat mine: clearcoat nail polish.

>>9131787
Thank you! I'll keep that in mind when I place my order.

>>9131796
That shit yellows and cracks too.

>>9128488
I see! Thanks a heap, it's a relief to hear that rolling larger prints is fine. Where did you get the plastic flat bags?

>>9131829
a local supplier, i just looked up 'handled plastic bags'.
(I would be more specific but i doubt you live in my country, haha)

>>9131829
i get mine at either the craft stores like Michaels/hobby lobby or off of amazon for a more wholesale amount.

For Amazon I recommend go one frame size or two up on the bags cause I made 11x14 artworks. Bought bags for that size and they end up being an inch short both length and width.

>>9131787
All epoxy resin yellows over time. It's less noticable with higher-quality resin, but I don't expect vograce to use high-quality resin.
I've always wondered about epoxy on keychains since keychains are outside a lot. Just doesn't seem like a good idea.

>>9132106
I've always felt people who order from Vograce didn't really care about the long term quality of their product so I've never mentioned it. Seemed obvious the epoxy would yellow over time, but if you're too cheap/can't afford to pay for scratch resistant ink what can i say really.

>>9132267
Well it also depends on how much the customer cares. I don't think any of these buyers intend on keeping these charms for years to come. 5 years at most. Art and taste just kind of ages after that.

>>9131219

Again, depends on how small. I just did a small batch of 45 charms and pretty sure my price per charm is still about $0.60. The shipping I want is $20 (because I need these quick), but it still breaks down to a decent price per charm. Unless you're ordering a ridiculously small batch and needing $$$ shipping, it should be fine.

>>9131486
I found the graphic punch to be way faster to use, but quality is about the same.

>>9132267
Wait, so who is making scratch resistant clear acrylic charms out there, and how?

>>9132385
Inkit? Any of the US based ones afaik. I've never had an inkit one scratch, and i've tried with my keys on my own. Only vograce/oversea ones scratch easily to the point where they need epoxy coating lol

who else here is doing their otak*n crunch and wants to die??

>>9132566
Since this is my fulltime job I'm done with rushing pre-con.

>>9131486
the graphic punch was a lot easier on my hands than a spiral punch i had and is faster than a hand held punch. If youre gonna be doing buttons in the long run, i say invest in the graphic punch

>>9132566
Who isn't? It's tough out here man

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WHO FUCKING TALKS LIKE THIS STOP

>>9132736
I don't even know this person but every time they post, I die a little inside

Does anyone have any pics of Vograce lanyards they got? I'm super picky about the stitching/texture and after ordering some from other companies I've found that they don't always look like their sample pics. I've also gotten varying degrees of softness (some lanyards are pretty stiff?) so I'm curious as to how that is though I know might be really hard to describe...thanks for any help in advance!

>>9132736
so obnoxious and garbage art as well. idk how people enjoy this

Anyone have experiences with wood charms? I'm looking into Ink It, but it's hard finding reviews and comparisons for no gloss vs candy gloss. Also heard that their wood charms are fragile.

>>9132778
be careful with vograce the first batch I got the print was beautiful, very crisp, high quality and I got about 3 or 4 misaligned lanyards but it was out of an order of 60 so I didn't mind, my second order the print was awful it was blurry and so many of them were burned and misaligned? When I asked Coco about it she said printing isn't always consistent.

So just wondering:
Why do artists sometimes ask people not to take photos of their booths/merch?
Most of the time, I'm doing it because I might buy something for a friend who couldn't come but I gotta ask if they'd even want it first.

>>9133128
Because people will steal designs or try to take close-ups so they can have the photo without actually paying for the merchandise. I know it seems dumb but it's basically like, "I like this but not enough to pay"

>>9133128
Because assholes take pictures of prints and then later try to print it out at a local Walmart to save money. Or people might steal designs.

I also sometimes buy merch for out-of-town friends but if a table has a "no photos" flyer, I either explain that I'd like to take a picture to know if my friends want anything or I ask them for their storenvy/twitter/tumblr so friends can look at the available merch. Most of the time artists are more lax about pictures if you explain.

>>9133128
I don't mind it, as long as you're not being as obnoxious as this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0MnkC4Z7IU

>>9132572
whats with the attitude? I'm just struggling bc the display rules are so weird compared to most cons

>>9133128
They think their art or crafts are so good that everyone is out to try and steal it.

>>9133186
Someone sounds mad

>>9132736
Was this person drunk or high?

>>9133146
Jeez.."Free promotion! Free promotion!" No one cares about your autism blog.
ACen's alley has huge signs all over the convention center telling attendees not to take photos/videos too.

>>9133128
It's in your face shoplifting.
I have had friends take a picture of a print and post it on Facebook because they liked it, but didn't buy it. As an artist, we didn't pay $200 or whatever for a table just for people to take a photo of our work and leave. It's the same reason why the art show doesn't allow photography. The point is to buy the art.

For me, if people explain they are gift shopping I really don't mind if they take a photo. Those people always come back and buy something.

>>9132736
Topkek

>>9133455
Yeah, I've had people take photos and post them all over Facebook too. I would prefer that people plug my site/give credit when posting because that actually ends up as free advertising, but this one dude took a long video of all my charms flipping them around and posted it on a fandom specific FB group for likes. When people asked him where the charms were from, he said he "didn't get my name" and shrugged it off. Thankfully, one of my friends was in the group and directed everyone to my store so I actually ended up making some decent sales.

Just ask before you take photos, and be sure to give credit when you post it elsewhere. That's all that most artists ask.

Otakuthon this year was amazing sales-wise. I made more than double than last year, who else went and what was your experience like?

>>9133598
>took a long video of all my charms flipping them around
>shrugged it off
What's the point of even doing this? What are FB likes going to do?

>>9133642
Inflates your ego because you're too unskilled to make crafts yourself.

>>9133641
I didn't get past the waitlist, but I heard that was the consensus as well. I'm slightly jelly.

>>9133642
I don't know, but sharing images without sources (not just photos from AAs but straight up fanart from tumblr and such) on FB pages is rampant. I think a lot of people mean it as "Look at this cool thing I saw on the internet!" but they don't really think to credit the artists so more people can follow/enjoy their work. Internet etiquette re: reposting art is kind of lost on a lot of non-artists.

>>9133598
this has happened to me as well. I dont mind overall booth pics (I do that too if I like someones work and want to go back later) but getting close to take just a zoom in print pic is always annoying. One I let slide before I just stare, but some people will do it for every single print you sell and 99% of the time will not include your name when they repost it online. I try to display my hashtag and name on lot of display things for this reason, so at least people can find me if they like what they see since I do love it when people take pics and share properly

>>9133011
Oh no! Thanks for letting me know. Did Coco do anything about it/replace it? It's frustrating when you have to worry about companies not being consistent.

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WTF is this shit?

>>9134188
Someone wants to make booth barnacle bait. Possible serial killer.

how strict is otakons 50/50 fanart policy?

>>9134340
I've seen folks who adhere strictly to the rule and still get bitched at, and I've seen others in blatant disregard and staff doesn't lift a finger. Otakon AA staff seems to interpret their own rules however they feel like.

>>9134371
thanks. was hoping that id slide with about 60% fanart. I'll just have to try my hand.

>>9134188
welp time to bust out the harambe stickers

>>9134188
I mean, the wacky shit as a joke sure, but I don't know why they think someone might buy a 9/11 sticker.

So I shared a table with this guy twice and I don't want to share with him again but he's being EXTREMELY pushy about it. This guy is a complete idiot and thinks his unknown OC's will sell better than his fanart and he's throwing all of his money into making a card game with all of his OC's in it. I've given him advice and everything and he won't take it. How can I get this guy to just go away.

>>9134188
this is like those people that make t-shirts of Jeffrey Dahmer in flower crowns

>>9134390
>I don't know why they think someone might buy a 9/11 sticker.
Oh PLEASE, like you don't want a fun whacky sticker denouncing a huge American tragedy. I bet you don't want 'the holocaust is a lie' t-shirts either, right?

>>9134373
Otakon is the one con i would not try to skirt the rules. Some people have full fanart tables (either on staff or paid for unlimited table) and you might be mistaking "blatant disregard" as those tables. They're also known for shadow banning people so don't risk it

>>9134494
Just get a table and don't add him on it?

>>9134542
alright, i won't risk it then. i've heard a lot of stories about the favoritism among artists from staff lol. thanks anon!

>>9134494
I literally don't understand why this board has such a hard time just telling people to go away.

Just say "no".

>>9134494
If "no" doesn't work, attempt reasoning with him by saying his products clash too much with your own. Convince him that he needs his own table to display his card game properly and having you share a table with him would hurt both of your sales.

>>9134036
holy shit this reminds me, all chat (the league of legends community show) filmed close ups of my prints without asking. They never published the footage though, thank goodness.

they also did an interview in front of my booth, blocking it, and I'm still pretty salty about that. I tried to ask them to move but this guy who was with them was being an asshole.

That whole event was a disaster for other reasons. Never table at esports events run by college kids

I contacted Vograce but none of them are responding - what can i do? I contacted them like three times in the past three weeks.

I'm getting some troubles via Vograce. Vicky says my charms are too different in sizes. I drew them to fit in a 5x5cm canvas, so some of them are 5cm exact and others are 4.50cm or less. I thought it was OK? I asked her previously and she told me the price was the same even if they were a little smaller.

How many cons do you guys go to in a year? I'm going to 9 this year, hopefully at least 11 next year.

>>9135448
4, although i would gladly do more if it didn't mean going overseas.
Hoping to do 6 next year, and then move to the states after that.

>>9135448
2-3 tops.

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I'm dying. I'm trying to create a vector file for laser cutting and I hate working with vector.

Currently trying to turn a raster into vector via inkscape. I can do it if the lines are thicker but for laser cutting they need to be 1 pixel. What program is best for what I'm trying to achieve, turning small line art raster to vector? Illustrator, inkscape, corel, etc?

plz help

>>9135712
For all i know inkscape can do it but i've never used it. I use illustrator myself, live trace feature will do it for you in a jiffy.

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I wonder if these clickbait video sharers actually think these videos are helpful and will put them ahead of the curve in the AA or if they can't tell the difference between posting to AANI and posting to their own wall.

Either way, I hate that the mods won't take any action because at this point, it's just spam.

>>9135990
Forgot to add, but I asked the mods about it once and they said that they don't delete these kinds of posts because it "generates discussion". I don't see how a bunch of comments that just consist of "cool!", "@(friend) look!", and "OMG I NEEEEEED THIS!" is discussion though.

>>9135990
I hate these too. Especially the dumb one for that color matching pen which has been proven to be fake

>>9136027
Aww, it's fake? That's a shame, it was pretty dang cool.

>>9136134
http://drop-kicker . com/2014/08/scribble-pen-video-more-deceiving-than-originally-thought/

>>9136027
I don't get why people went so nuts about it in the first place. Can you not pick colors on your own..?

My table partner and I are looking into upgrading our display setup, currently we have a 6-7 foot high and 8 foot wide pipe display with wings. While it's able to hold a lot of stuff it's cumbersome to set up and staff aren't really thrilled if we need to stand on chairs to fix something.

I've been looking at photo stands, except I've seen a wide range of pricing and possibly quality [I've tried a friend's out and it's pretty light.] If you've used on before, do you have recommendations on something more heavy-duty? The legs giving out is my main concern.

>>9135712
Yeah if you only have one job you need to do, try getting a trial of illustrator and using live trace. I find there are way more tutorials and videos out there for illustrator as opposed to inkscape,etc. Abode even has tutorials that pop up when you start the app

>>9136572
Might want to ask the photo board since the gearfags over there will argue a whole thread about it

>>9135805
>>9136649

I tried both programs for the live trace. While they work they arent really what I was looking for. I was trying to get something more like an instant pen tool in ps with a 1 pixel stroke.

The engraving place offered to convert it for me for a fee so I caved and did it for this time. Worth my money imo instead of being frustrated in computer programs for hours. Learned my lesson, next time just draw the darn thing in vector.

>>9136817
You can just change the stroke to 1px after you run it through live trace...unless your art is really messy then it won't work of course

>>9135448
I do 3-4, though I really want to expand more. I just live in a con-barren area of the U.S. which only has shitty cons or local cons so it's not very easy without driving a long way or flying.

>>9135448
50

>>9135712
I've only used Illustrator but work with Epilog and Universal lasers which take a 0.001 stroke and very specific RGB requirements.

>>9135712
Also post a screencap or something because I'm confused by your concern. If the res is high enough on the raster image it doesn't usually matter if it's vectorized or not. Only the cut line matters which you usually pen-tool from scratch or shapes and pathfinder

>>9137219
How are you not dead

Is there a guide on how to commission artists in the AA? I'm super shy and just don't know what to do even when I see artists that I really like their work T_T

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I can't get the Resources google doc to open. Double checked the link. Anyone else having problems?

>>9137488
Seems like most of the things that come up with googling are guides for artists on pricing, so this is just a short list of the things I wanted to know when I was taking commissions:

- know what you want (OC - image refs required, fanart - image refs helpful in saving phone battery/obscure characters)
- commission early on during the con so there's enough time for the work to be completed
- be aware of what sort of commission is being offered (is it a bust, fullbody, ink, pencil, etc.)
- be aware if they have lists of what they will/won't draw
- leave your name and number with the artist if they don't ask so that they can contact you when the commission is ready
- I always asked for payment up front, but this varies. I recommend doing this so that you can just grab the commission and go when it's done

Most artists will have a sign if they're taking commissions, plus it doesn't hurt to ask if there are no signs if it's an artist you really like. And if they're rude about your question when you've asked nicely, don't take it personally - they could be super tired or they could be an asshole, but neither of those are reflections of you as a customer.

For 3-day cons, are you allowed to attend Saturday and Sunday only? I know cons don't like having empty tables but I wonder if this would be possible to do. Has anyone ever done this?

>>9137634
You can, depending on the staff they might release your table though if you don't let them know ahead of time you plan to show up Saturday and not Friday, since they'll think you were a no-show and have a waitlisted artist get your table

>>9137587
Is it helpful to bring any character sheets or descriptions of the character as well in addition to any reference images or do artists not care about that?

If they don't have a sign up with pricing and ask me to choose price what's the minimum that's okay without being insulting?

Is it weird for artists or do they dislike if I can't pickup from them at that convention and need to come to another for pickup?

Thankyou so much for answering all these questions!

>>9137488
There was also a similar question in the last thread if you want some others' answers: https://archive.rebeccablacktech . com/cgl/thread/S9102717

>>9137679
Character sheets are super helpful, for descriptions keep it really short like "shy but happy" we don't need "OC is the last person of their kind, they're sad all the time because of ..."

Most people will have a set price list already such as "Chibi sketch for $10" or "Fullbody color for $50", if they don't just ask them to negotiate a price with you.

Most people will be okay if you need to pick it up at a different con/have it mailed (though they'll charge you for shipping), but a lot of people will want to get it done there and then. Personally if I don't do it /at/ the con and they pick it up the same weekend I'll forget about it and so will they.

I live in Canada and the quote I got to ship my (2.5" acrylic) keychains is around $10? That can't be right, can it? How much do you other Canadafags manage to ship at?

>>9137637
Thanks anon. There's a con I can't get to on the first day but I don't want to give up my table. I'll contact the staff and see what they say.

>>9137488
Just don't ask for a dickbutt commission and I guess you'll be good.

>>9138010
Why would anyone ask for that? My kid brother will draw those for you for free lol

>>9138054
You must've missed the shitstorm a few threads ago.
Basically there's this guy that asks artists for dickbutt commissions often. One anon artist here was one of the ones he asked, and she got pretty offended and bothered over it. It was a mess.

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>>9138054

>>9118030
As someone who's been sculpting as a hobby and on a commission basis for years, I can tell you that hand-sculpted goods simply aren't viable for this sort of thing. For starters, people have very unrealistic expectations about pricing in relation to the work required (they always use the size of the final product as a basis for what they think is fair, and/or compare it to commercial mass-produced figures). In addition, efficiently reproducing pieces is nearly impossible - even if you make a mold, the process of casting a copy, cleaning it up, and painting it takes about as long as it would to make a second piece from scratch.

>>9137867
International orders for my 3" charms doesn't exceed $8. I use the shipping option that's offered by PayPal.

>>9138061
>>9138072
Wow, I'm not sure how much you can avoid in life if you consider that to be dirty? On the other hand why would someone go around and commission something so basic? Pretty sure anyone can draw one in like 2 minutes tops

>>9138223
Because why not? Some people just want to support the artist. Plus what other better occasion to get bullshit drawings done?

>>9138223
He approached me and I think it's more of a why-the-fuck-not sort of thing. Also he provides card-sized pieces of paper or mat board, like artist trading cards, so that he can put them into a huge binder with card sleeves. You're allowed to pick your price and to doodle on a card I don't think people charge more than $1-5. They also wear tweed jackets and present a business card. I think it's awesome and I think it would take a pretty humorless individual to see them as offensive.

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>>9118004
Yeah humanoid ones are tough. Though I'm sure Steven Universe characters would do well

>>9138277
>tweed jackets and present a business card.

This simultaneously sounds hilarious and incredibly creepy. I guess it's okay since you have witnesses and people you can yell to for help if needed while in an AA.

>>9138310
I dunno if there are different groups, but the CA cons have a group of blokes dressed in labcoats that ask for dickbutt. They basically save up a wad of cash, offer $5 for a dickbutt to every artist in the alley that they notice is offering commissions, and everyone who doesn't leave their sense of humor at home has a good time with it.

Quite frankly I think this is a pretty good litmus test for determining who you'd want to work with in a studio situation.

>>9138386
This is fantastic and I wish it happened on the east coast.

>>9137867
I can ship mine out for $3-5 as long as it's in a small package and fits in the slot of doom. This is without tracking, I don't know how much it'll be with tracking.

>>9138386
you are spot on about the litmus test thing. so many artists nowadays get their heads stuck up their own asses because they have a couple thousand followers on tumblr or instagram. Elitism and snobbery is not an attractive, employable trait.

Is it weird if you charge $2 for a 2x2 sticker and $1 for a 2x1 sticker? The 2x2 sticker looks considerably larger and if I charge $1 for both, I'm afraid it's going to look like I'm overcharging the smaller sticker. Any thoughts on this?

>>9138968
Considering you're only paying us $5 a commission when many of us have rates that are much higher I dont think you get to complain about us as elitist, asshole.
Way to suck the fun out of it by revealing how you actually feel about those of us that do your shit commission.

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>>9139273

What snacks do you guys recommend bringing for AA? All I can think of is mixed nuts with no peanuts

>>9139450
I find raisins to be good, healthy for you and not a dry snack that'll make you more thirsty

Is it weird if you submit your merchandise pictures to fandom blogs that allow submits?

What are good prices to sell 1.5 inch wood charms at? $9? They're more expensive to make but I feel like customers will compare it to the price of a white or clear acrylic charm

>>9139554
I don't think so, there's nothing wrong with taking advantage of free promotion towards the targeted demographic.

>>9139572
I think they should be the same as your prices for acrylic charms. It's best to go by size and single/double printed than by material.

>>9139601
It's my first time making charms so I see a usual range of $8-$15. Do people also usually expect nicely decorated and designed packaging? It's all bit overwhelming for a first-timer especially when I'm trying to keep costs low, but I still want to create a nice product.

>>9139726
Having a nice packaging is a plus but I don't think it's necessary especially when you're just starting out. Having no designed packaging won't turn off any buyers. If anything, people throw away the packaging anyway. If the charm design is cute, that's all that matters!

>>9139726
I'm always really impressed by cute packaging (and I do save it), but it has never impacted my decision of whether or not to buy a charm. Packaging isn't standard - it's a nice extra, but I wouldn't expect it when making a purchase.

>>9139450
Craisins mixed with pistachios are legit.

Your possibilities are endless if you just get a nice insulated lunch bag with an ice pack. I guess it only works if your hotel room has a freezer though. Good for crudite.

>>9139793
>>9139799
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind! I see it more common with overseas artists who have printing companies also offer packaging services. A lot of these things are hidden costs/services that non-artist customers don't see so I worry about meeting their expectations.

>>9139450
I usually bring individually packaged small crackers like goldfish, or fruit snacks. Dried fruit is good too, I like dried mangoes. Basically I try to stay away from anything too salty or sweet.

>>9139825
I think they're more for people who sell online. If you're at a con there's no reason to go all out with the packaging, since they're probably going to be impulse buys, but if you want to justify the cost of shipping it's a good idea to have good packaging and presentation, so the buyer doesn't feel they've been fucked over.

>>9139450
I honestly feel like such a small child for this but I'm a big fan of Cheerios. No utensils, no prep, no mess, doesn't leave any residue on your fingers. I also usually bring candied ginger.

>>9141357
I like Quaker Oat Squares for the same reason.

>>9141357
Cheerios tend to smell like urine to others while you're eating them... I found this out recently.

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