Artist Alley General

Do many people here support themselves solely through AA? I was thinking of switching to that rather than just selling online. Is it difficult to deal with taxes and such when going to so many different states? That's my husband's primary concern as he does the bookkeeping for our business now.

How many cons do you guys usually go to as artists/vendors per year?

>>9141530
Someone pointed it out in the last thread, but the Resources and Taobao/Alibaba links aren't working

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Requesting pictures of unique table ideas since we usually only see tables with a wall of prints or a clusterfuck of crafts. I have a few to get started. Doesn't have to be the whole table either, just an interesting shelf or something would be nice.

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>>9141577

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That's all I got.
On another note, anyone know where you could get a cute gachapon machine about that size? The ones I see on eBay seem too big.

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>>9141595
Pic related gachapon was bought off of eBay. It's pretty small (what you see is two pieces stacked together).

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Saved this from the room thread. Not the most space efficient, but display still looks nice

>>9141595
That table organization is nice, though the amount of corkboards make it look more cluttered than it should.

honestly it feels like when people cosplay at their booth or look cute they get way more sales than I do

has anyone else seen this?

>>9141710
Well yeah. Cosplay is going to draw someone's attention more than if you're dressed regularly. Abnormal outfit/hair + in motion is going to catch someone's eye a lot faster and if you're cosplaying from a series, fans will come to your table to see if you have merch for that series. It's the almost the same reason why booth babes exist.

Saw a Rapunzel cosplayer couple of years ago who integrated the wig with the display (her helper was Flynn). I wasn't interested in anything they were selling, but their cosplay caught my eye enough to go look at their table.

>>9141710
When you look like you are there to be apart of the experience, and not there just to make money, you will get more sales.

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>>9141710
on the opposing side, i have definitely been turned off from visiting AA tables if the artist/seller looks ugly, unclean or really weeby. I know that's really shallow but some people just exude an aura of being gross.

also, pic related, does anybody else really dislike being neighbours to men or in a male-dominated AA ? not even in an 'all men should die' sjw thing but I've found that 9/10 they're either completely social inept or really aggressive/obnoxious sales people

>>9141609
Ohh! Those are perfect! I went looking for it and if anyone is looking for it as well it's called "Capsule Station 1/2".

>>9141776
The only booths I've seen with men in them thankfully have been gay guys, I've heard from a friend who goes to other cons that the straight men that table there will try to hook up with all the artists around them and act obnoxious like being a man in AA makes them special

>>9141776
ive tabled at a couple comic cons and stuff next to dudes and I have no problem telling them to cool it when they resort to super annoying tactics to gain sales. I am tall and intimidating tho but have had some volunteer staff back me up sometimes

I find that dude artists get really kerfluffled at like comic-cons when they realize their work isnt as great as they think they are so they act out to try to drive sales whereas women, especially young ones, tend to internalize instead. Like it's a cultural thing i guess? that doesnt mean that there can't be obnoxious sellers with either genders, it is just what i observed

>>9141843
I'm the same, mostly. Dudes get really huffy and make passive aggressive comments if you're doing better in sales or have visibly better artwork (although i've had similar comments from a couple of girls, as well). It's no different to how men react if you're better at them in literally anything. you get used to it.

It's fucking annoying when they think you should be queueing up to suck their dick because they're an okay artist, though.

>>9141552
I have a couple of friends who do. Taxes are annoying but not prohibitive. It can be risky, cons are subject to good and bad years whereas online sales might be more stable. More travel expenses on cons too.

Anyone here going to SMASH in Syndey next weekend? What's up with AA participants requiring a high visibility vest to set up and leave?

>>9141776
what the fuck did he expect from this post? for bi/lesbian women to be like "omg yes! so relatable! I turned lesbian because I saw your gorgeous masterpieces!"?

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>>9141582
Wow this one is really cute, I love the fabric strawberry vines !

>>9141641
also feverworms table is really cute. V jealous.

Unfortunately I dont have many photos for interesting con tables. I'll post the vague few I have. Some of which are just Kawaii Bokos table from different photos lol

>>9141710
I either cosplay, wear Lolita or dress extremely cute in a themed outfit and it does boost my sales by A LOT. It's annoying, hot and impractical, but I can't see doing a con in normal street clothes. It doesn't match the feel of my shop.

People come over to see what a cute girl wearing cute clothes is selling.

>>9141909
I'm doing SMASH. Last year I managed to set up on the Saturday morning without a hi-vis vest on. I probably will wear on this year though

Is it a bad idea to sell your charms online only in sets of two or three?

>>9141922

I think the ladies are handing him the lesbian excuse before he can get around to asking them out. Some of them are probably telling the truth, but I doubt his art is what is inspiring them to have a sexual epiphany.

>>9142055
well i wouldn't want to go out with a guy who acts like him. this one post alone oozes creepiness. to top it off, he's far, far below average in the looks department.

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Is it okay to let an artist that you see and talk at multiple cons that youre interested in them romantically and want to ask them out?
Would that make it too awkward going forward to sell to them? Should they ask before or after buying from you at that con?

I really don't want to lose my friendship with them even if I only talk with them in bits and pieces here and there, especially since I really do like their art.

tl;dr is it too awkward after shooting down someone you usually see at cons?

>>9142124

Ummm just do it like a normal person and it shouldnt be that awkward. Dont just go up to them and autistically spill spaghetti everywhere saying you like them. Just try to subtly hit on them or ask them if they'd like to get coffee sometime. Or you could even ask them if you could run and grab anything for them, like coffee or food. I'm sure they'd appreciate it, after being stuck behind a table for hours.

Then after doing something like that, asking if they want to get food after the con, or something else some other time. See how they respond. Do they make up an excuse to not go or do they make plans with you? Do they seem genuinely interested or not interested?

If they seem interested great. If not, they make up an excuse and everyone saves face. Then you can continue to see them at cons without it being that awkward.

>>9142129
Hmm yeah, I've brought artists food before at con, I didn't realize at the time that would be a good segway to asking them out for casual coffee or a meal.

It's still hard, I feel like right now I'm just sorta viewed as a non-sexual entity when I go around AAs and talk to the artists and make my purchases and I worry that it wont be as fun for artists if they might suddenly start thinking of me as a real person instead of just another neutral weeb. I just dont want to stress out the artists at all since I want AA to be a nice place for them and not create another person to avoid ~_~

I really like trying to bring as much happiness to AA as I can though and try to form that sense of community. Even though I'm not an artist and an outsider that way.

TL;DR version: Thanks for the advice anon.

>>9142139
>I'm just sorta viewed as a non-sexual entity
That's.... a really weird way to look at it.
But most people in the AA are trying to be professional, so even if they're interested, they might not show it because it can risk losing a customer.
Just be casual and forgiving about it. Don't use force or pressure.

>>9142141
...welp I already made it awkward I guess. To clarify what I meant with that line is that a customer is a customer and sometimes I think not really viewed as an individual or considered in more depth than that. Also even though sometimes I talk with artists at length I think the concept of what I do at cons is stronger than a perception of me as a real person?
I don't think I'm explaining it well so I'll give up for now. I can't really say much more without people in my comm recognizing that it's me

>>9141994
does it ever feel like youre selling yourself that way or make you anxious that your art doesnt sell as well when you dont cosplay?

>>9141960
Where do people get gatchapon machines like that?

>>9142231

>>9141609
>>9141789

>>9142219
No. I do this because I like dressing up. I'm not selling myself as a cosplayer. I'm selling a product. I've been cosplaying before I started my business and now I get to incorporate it by wearing it while I work. It's almost like a uniform. I rarely do character cosplays, but I still do them here and there.

I never do a table and not dress up. The only time I didn't dress up was when I got sick on a Sunday at a con and Thursday set up.

I've invested in light and easy premade costumes for Sundays so now I'll wear my seifuku or a kigu if I really don't feel like wearing something with more layers or poof.

>>9142040
Seconding this question. If it's two charms, should you even offer a deal?

>Listening to anime podcast
>Host talking about recent con purchases
>"I got this Zelda bead heart thing where they put them in a mold and blowtorch them in the back to fuse them together

u wot mate

Is he just horribly horribly wrong or have I missed some huge discovery in perler bead technology?

>>9142761
It sounds like he misunderstood how perler bead stuff is made. But now I wanna see some blowtorch them to make crafts.

>>9142763
perler brulee

>>9142763
I considered maybe that's how they crank them out super fast, but I doubt it would make an even surface.

>>9141909
they started doing this in NZ as well. They said we could 'borrow' jackets from them for $20, but u can buy them from Bunnings for like, $1 sooooo

>>9142294
i dress up too but i dont do loli and i dont have cosplay that is good when i need high maneuvering behind a table. I just have nice shirts and a nice blazer so i dont look super casual. Having an AA table is a business and Im still representing my business with the way i present myself. I think i look more approachable to people since i dont look as tired as I really am but that's just the makeup.

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Are there any places where you can get custom enamel pins made without a minimum amount? I want to make my friends and I Wreck it Ralph, "You're My Hero/To Stinkbrain" matching pins. I thought they would have existed already but they surprisingly don't.

What do you think about printed at home doujinshi/fan books? Is it acceptable as a free bonus for buying something?

>>9142975
probably not, since iirc you need to get a die/stamp made for each design. Zapcreatives does a MOQ of 50 per design.

>>9142761
He might've asked the artist how it was made and they made some shit up just to sound cool?
Maybe people lose interest in perler bead stuff once they figure out how piss-easy it is to replicate.

>>9142976
Why not? The only downside I think about this is that it's more work for you, to be honest.

>>9142976
No, I would throw it on the ground and stomp on it how dare you give me something free.

Any news on when ALA's artist alley registration is? Do they normally give a heads up a few days before?

>>9143428
Best thing to do is keep an eye on their fb page, I've noticed that their mailing list has become more delayed in giving the announcements for it.

Thinking of selling packets of stickers with about 12 stickers in each bag. They're varied sized and are from the same series (some are characters and some are small accessories). Each sticker is about 1.5-2 inches. What would be a good price to sell these at? I feel like customers would be dissuaded if it's $10+ even though it's a lot of stickers.

>>9143525
Are they vinyl?

>>9143532
Not sure yet. This is my first time making stickers so I still have to look into different sticker options.

>>9142219

It's more like how all business have a certain attire to make customers feel that the employee is part of the store rather that some wage slave.
Home depot has orange aprons.
Doctors wear white coats.
A cute Lolita stand should have a cute Lolita wearing the merch
And an armor stand should have a person in moderate to heavy armor of the same design and material.

You're a mannequin, host(ess), an information booth, and a cashier all at the same time. With that many jobs you should look like you're supposed to be there.

>>9143538
$10+ will look reasonable to the customer if you do vinyl, because it's a quality material that will last a long time, and not everyone does it.
I would look at Coey and Shy's Etsy, because they do vinyl stickers in that price range a little like what you're thinking about, except they do sheets instead of loose.
I've had a set of their stickers stuck on the back of my laptop for a year and a half, and they've withstood wear and tear and direct weather exposure with minimal damage. They can be stuck and re-stuck easily too.
If you do paper or coated paper, people will still buy them but not for such a high price. It's cheap, but it feels like it, and it doesn't last long.

>>9143543
Hmm that makes alot more sense, thanks anon. What matches at my booth where I just have stickers and prints though? Try to cosplay one of the fandoms?

How do you ship +10 charms internationally? Do you just put them inside a bubble wrap envelope? What can I do to avoid them to scratch or break? Does it help when I write "Fragile/Do not bend" or postal service will just dismiss it? I have sent charms before, but never that many. I just tape them into a piece of cardboard and then film it with bubble wrap, but I was wondering if anybody had done this before and had some issues.

>>9143562
Yeah, or a generic outfit like a maid or a schoolgirl.

>>9143558
I'm planning on having them loose/cut rather than sheets and then making cute packaging for them. I see that Shy's stickers are 2.5 inch tall in with 20 in each set. I don't mind bringing my prices down (since I'll have less and smaller stickers) but was just curious on general sticker prices for sets since I usually see other artists selling individual ones for $2. I'll look into vinyl, thanks anon!

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>>9143564
individually wrap each charm if you can to avoid scratches, and then do the general layer of padding. they should be okay like that.

also, am i the only one fucking sick to death of seeing tracer prints like this? i have seen at least 7 in this exact pose and angle. I can't tell if i'm going crazy or not. I used to be one of the people who insisted that you couldn't tell whether or not someone was really a fan by their fanart but seeing this print in an artist's lineup is a dead giveaway that they're just cashing in on the popularity.

>>9143580
I feel like if you sold that as a mini print people would actually buy it

>>9141609
>>9141789
I've been looking into getting a gachpon machine. My main concern is what capsule ball size to use. I already know where to order capsules but they come in different sizes. I was also wondering if it had a free spin mode or if it only accepted foreign currency.

>>9143580
Saw like 10 tracers like this at otakon, 0 of them had her goofy personality to them, sigh. oh well. what makes money makes money, right?

>>9143832
ugh I hated the AA at Otakon. Very mediocre work and only a few had really interesting table designs and good quality stuff. I was also sick of all the undertale and steven universe crap everywhere.

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This is my first time designing acrylic charms and selling. I would appreciate any feedback, especially if I need to make any color changes since colors aren't exactly my strong suit.

>>9143845
gray paw needs gray toe beans.
source: have gray cat

>>9143845
Hm, I'd change the pink ribbon to more of a red, but other than that the colors are fine.

>>9143823
>capsule size
I assume the machine comes with a few and you can just measure those and order more of that size. If it doesn't, then surely there's some manual on the model somewhere that says which size to use.

>foreign currency
What I've seen people do is
>customer pays for spin
>artist gives customer token
>customer uses token to play
>collect token for reuse after

>>9143880
I was thinking of putting in charms inside the capsules which is mostly why I was concern with the size. I'd hate to invest in a machine and my charms ended up too large to fit in.

I get the second part. I was just worried if I needed to obtain a foreign token to re-use.

Found this mini capsule one on Taobao:
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.5-c.w4002-994939947.41.lvDjaB&id=21133748041
But it's really tiny.

>>9143845
rather than two stripes, maybe make one of them a calico? like a lucky cat?

>>9143889
The pic above with the double gachapon had charms in the machine. The charms are 2" according to the artist. That might give you an idea of what can fit.

I don't really understand your question. It would depend on the machine? The japanese ones tend to take yen.

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>>9143848
>>9143849
>>9143930
Made some changes based on feedback and added the calico variation. Bottom paws are the previous version for comparison. Better or worse?

>>9143992
Personally I prefer the pink-padded grey, but if you want to keep them grey as well I'd suggest making it darker, like the linework?

It could just be the background colour, but it all kind of blends together in the top version.

>>9143845
fuck those are qt
Please let me know when you're done with those because I'm ready to throw my money at you

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>>9143992
I personally like the pink on grey more. The grey you have now isn't quiet dark enough so it blends a bit to much. I think the pink is a nice contrast.

Another one you could do is white with black beans, tuxedo(white toes, pink beans, black foot part) or even multicolored beans.

>>9143992
the calico one is definitely really cute. i thought the orange tabby (with white paws) was cute too, though. seconding that the grey looks better with pink padding. it might not be as realistic, but i think it looks cuter.

>>9143992
KEEP THE PINK BEANS

I buy all sorts of dumb ass grey tabby shit because of my cat and he's got cute pink paw pads.

>>9144059
>>9144081
Thanks! It seems a majority of people prefer the pink beans on gray so I'll stick to the original. Someone proved to me that gray cats can also have pink beans.

I'm going to assume the black paw with the red banner is ok. I'll probably use a pink banner on a white paw instead. I'm starting to wonder if too many variations could be bad thing but these paws are a bit addicting to create.

>>9144069
Thank you! I'll be sure to post a finished product on cgl later. I might not be able to produce any until October though. If anons want to post an email or something, I can send a message when they're ready to buy.

>>9144080
Thank you for the ideas, I'll definitely consider them! I was thinking of doing a multi-bean color for the calico but it was so cute already with the pink. I wanted to do more bean variation which is why I tried out the non-pink beans on the gray paw after the receiving that feedback.

Does anyone sell plush online? How do you package your plush when you ship? Especially if they're 8-12+ inches or oddly shaped?

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Not sure what to make of this. Sticker? All one piece keychains look the same.

>>9143562
I do the pink seifuku thing with a cute wig and that works for me.

>>9144210
I haven't seen any merch of Chopper in any forms except his default and gaurd point, actually! That's super cute! I don't think it'd hang well as a keychain (anywhere I can think to drill the hole would have it either awkward or lopsided) but they would be very cute vinyl stickers.

>>9144210
>>9144246
Don't know if this is too tacky or how it would work, but what if you turned it into an acrylic stand? If you could make it 3-dimensional like having the antlers on two separate acrylic pieces, the antlers could be used to hang small trinkets or jewelry. Though it might work as a single 2d acrylic stand.

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ok this is more of a general 'artist question'

i have an idea for a webcomic, and have had for a while now. but i don't think my art or writing is as good as it could be. but i'll probably always think that on some level. should i just bite the bullet and start the thing? does anyone here have a webcomic?

>>9143845
https://www.reddit.com/r/toebeans might be helpful reference pics

>>9144261
i'm doing this too anon! part of what is pushing me to finally actually start doing it is the fact that every single webcomic i read shows a progression of skill. Your webcomic does not need to be absolutely perfect at launch. If you ever publish it, you can get around and redraw anything you don't like.
You should definitely go for it!

>>9143823
>>9142231
That varies by whatever machine you get but it seems most of these half scale ones use plastic tokens that come with the machine and 2" capsules. Amazon has several different kinds including a pokemon one and they tell you what size the capsule is along with what you currency you can use for the machine. Just check through reviews and description.

>>9144261
Just go for it

>>9144102
Personally, I preferred the pink banner on the black paw.

>>9144261
Fellow webcomic anon here. Just do it. You'll grow with the project.

>>9144210
Chibi Horn Point Chopper??!! Ah!! That would be the very last thing I thought I would have seen as fan merch. It's so cute, love the gum gum fruit and face.
I agree that making it a keychain would make it lopsided. I do t know what a 3D acrylic stand is, but making it a sticker would be cute. I mean in AA your kinda stuck with only a few options: keychain, sticker, super amazing print, or weird craft.

My only suggestion is that I think the antler shadows are on the wrong side? You have all the shadows on the left, but those are on the right.

>>9144261
You got to keep in mind there are literally millions of web comics now a days. Some with mind blowing art (Lackadaisy) and some with awful art (The Oatmeal) and yet both are tremendously popular and make lots of money. One makes a shit ton more than the other... And I'll let you guess which one. But anyway, just do it. Webcomics styles change really dramatic if you actually keep up with it.
But in the words of La Beef, just do it.

For those that sold at Otakon, how was your AA experience? I felt like there was way more than 50% fan art at a lot of the tables and barely any variety as far as art style. I usually spend most of my cash in the AA because I like chatting with other artists. I only bought three things this year. My friend selling in the alley even thought that a lot of people didn't adhere to that rule and that staff didn't know what counted as fan art.

>>9144261
I have a webcomic. Here's the truth that every comic artist you're ever going to talk to will shout from the roof tops: Your first hundred pages are going to suck.

You need to get in there, draw, write, and create, because there is no better teacher than experience. Bite the bullet. Build that experience. Learn through doing, it's the best way. And accept, your first hundred pages are going to suck. There are mistakes that will only be apparent after you've made them. You are going to learn so much that when you look back at the beginning it's going to make you cringe.

This is why you see the second piece of common webcomic advice: Start with something small. Start with a small project that you can envision having a beginning, middle, and end. Start with something you know you can finish. Because yes, you have that sprawling, massive story in your head - but it's not a good place to start. Get your mistakes out of the way on an introductory project. Create something you're going to have fun making, and when it's finished, you'll be better equipped to deliver on the story you're absolutely dying to tell. (Disclaimer: I did not do this. I 100% agree with everyone else that it's a good idea and I should have done it.)

But TL;DR - YES. Start now.

>>9144560
I am curious about this too. I only bought a single cellphone strap from one table and some buttons because those people were personable and had some unique stuff. Everything else seemed to be either overwatch, undertale, or steven universe fanart and it all looked like the same style. On the bright side I saved some money.

>>9144560
It seemed like this year they didn't enforce fanart or the height rule. The height rule is 5 feet above table, which is about 3 vertical prints (a smidge more) or 5 horizontal prints. I saw many tables with 4 and 5 vertical prints so they were obviously over height rule.

They did change heads this year, but i wonder if they just stopped giving a shit because it's the last year in baltimore? Either way i feel ripped off because i could have made more money if i knew i could go taller. Ugh.

>>9144560
I was thinking the same. Like, wow there is a lot of fanart here.

I did buy a lot in artist alley, but it was more smaller and unique things, a gift for a friend, and a print.

It was nearly impossible to really browse the place, especially on Sunday. I just wanted to see what people had, and that usually means not looking at the high displays and checking out what's on the table. Some people did have some really awesome things though, but it was a lot of the same pretty much everywhere.

>>9144606
Everyone was kind of rude this year too, now that you mention it. The artists that I purchased from were nice, one I talked to for at least forty minutes. But the rest ignored you or were too busy talking to their friends to say hello to anybody. Someone in my grouo was all for buying this one print. He asked the artist if there was a story behind the artwork and she just said "no" so nastily before going back to drawing/talking. I know it can get rough selling but at least pretend to be friendly. I've passed up on gorgeous work because the artist was rude or barely acknowledged me.

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Shit like this just make me crindge.

>>9144560
This was my first year tabling at Ota and I was surprised by how lax they were with the 50/50 rule? I went out of my way to make originals for this show and one of the tables near me only had 3 original prints in their display with like 10+ fanart and all of it was gratuitous tits and ass stuff.

I made pretty good money so I can't complain about that but I wish the rule was more strictly enforced.

>>9144762
You can always depend on the normies with no taste to buy it, though.

>>9144766
It usually is strictly enforced with staff counting and stickers and shit but this year, no idea what the fuck happened. Waste of space for people who stuck by their rules.

>>9144762
....tell me that's not finished

>>9144867
Apparently it was gifted and the recipient liked it.

>>9144246
>>9144254
>>9144495

Thanks! I'm a little worried it looks too...commercial? Like it's official merch?

Also, what is a 3D/2D acrylic print?

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>>9144893
Perhaps they mean this?

>>9144903

OH! Uh, that looks like it would cost a lot to make/have to sell for a lot more. Plus your example is super cute. I don't think a cell shaded Chopper would sell as well like that.

>>9144278
>>9144297
>>9144337
>>9144495
>>9144595
thanks everyone, that's all super helpful!
i have an idea for a little fan comic based on a video game i like. i'll try that as a test run.

>>9142219
Nothing wrong with looking cute. People are not going to buy your stuff JUST because you look cute so you are not selling yourself in any way. It might draw in more people but that doesn't always translate into sales. It's like a uniform like how other anons were saying.

I just finished animefest. How do you file sales taxes? Do you just wait until it's time to file your quarterly sales taxes, or is there a separate form you need to fill out for doing "craft shows"?

>>9143583
thank you, i spent a whole 2 minutes on it

>>9143832
it's just so...lazy. like I get she's the mascot of the franchise but there's not being a fan but at least bothering to watch the animated short about her or read her wiki page and then there's just google image searching 'tracer overwatch'

>>9143832
>goofy personality

But she is goofy and one of the MUCH more light hearted heroes.

>>9144157
Flat rate boxes. It's just easier to fill the empty spaces with bubble wrap/tissue paper/padding.

>>9144957
I wonder how well they do truly. The sold out signs i saw were definitely the gremlin d.vas and not any of the sexy girls. But maybe they printed so much they couldn't sell out... eh. whatever. Gonna try not to think about it, i'll do my thing they can do their's

>>9144978
I said they DIDN'T have her goofy personality, meaning they were all fan service and no personality.

>>9145057

Oh. I was gonna say...

>>9145060
Reading comprehension, anon

>>9144919
Zap Creatives makes them if you're interested in seeing how much they cost. http://www.zapcreatives.co.uk/charms-and-pendants/custom-standees

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holy shit. What the actual fuck is this

>>9145285
I think someone's posted that here before, but I still wonder what exactly those are. Mangled feathers?

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>>9145297
I think they're some kind of trim. Like the yellow looks like it's made of something similar to this. Only more shiny and feathery.

The sad thing is, the idea could be cute if she actually used some decent trim or feathers, especially with the little charms from her sister.

>>9145326
>>9145285
the idea isn't TERRIBLE, but they'd need to actually have some structure and design so that they're identifiable as TAILS not just random clumps of craft-room scrap.

>>9144762
I like that people were honest with her and then her mom or whoever came in with "well the person who got it liked it!!"

not helping

>>9144946
Just file them with your quarterly.

About to open up an online store for charms - is there any advice I should know about shipping/packaging? Will generic bubble mailers do the trick?

>>9145285
Yeah that looks like party city wigs someone ripped apart. I like the concept though?

>>9141609
!!! It me --- Yep, I got them on ebay :') This model was sold in Japan in 2009 though so it's not easy to come by. Like you said though they're pretty small. They hold about 15 2" capsules each.

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>>9143580
Well, looks like it's true.

>>9145565
Bubble mailers are fine. Just pack the charm in a small bag or secure it to a card.

>>9143823
Sorry I have no idea how this place works -- but ah my tokens are just US nickels! They happen to work ^^;

>>9145285
I saw those.... I don't think they were selling....but that probably goes without saying.

Going along with this, how did people at Ota and/or Afest do this weekend?

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I bought this poster like 5 years ago at a con
Anyone know the artist

>>9145776
Forgot to mention it was Otakuthon in Montreal

>>9145776
Shelley Li Wen Chen
but there are like dozens of places better to try and source artwork than the AA thread on cgl.

>>9145819
Thank you

Anyone have New Jersey con recommendations for someone just starting out with AA?

I have Castle Point and ANext on my list, but I'd love to hear AA experiences for the area.

>>9145963
Hello! Fellow NJ artist here, and it depends on how far you're willing to travel? I generally look for most East coast cons between Massachusetts and Virginia- that's about a 4 hour radius in either direction for me. So- Otakon, Katsucon, Anime Boston are the big ones.

>>9145029

That's how I ship minus the bubble/tissue paper so...

I just feel weird shipping things without putting them in a bag and I worry the box will get wet and ruin the plush. I wondered if anyone else used bags, how they sealed them, and if they did anything for presentation purposes while keeping the cost down.

>>9145584
oh god those proportions are so bad!

How do you feel about selling phone cases with your art on it? They make super cheap ones on alibaba and the quality is very good, but i don't know if they'd sell or if there's a huge market for it. Also, whats the price range for them?

>>9146136
you definitely should be bagging them, even just a poly bag with tape helps a lot when a box falls into a puddle. they sell gusseted bags that might work for plushies better too.

Has anyone here sold at Ichibancon? I applied to the AA since I met one of my favorite artists there last year but I wanted to hear some more feedback. And does anyone in the NC area have some go to cons that they enjoy selling at? I'm trying to do more next year.

>>9145551
Thanks!

>>9144560
>>9144606
When you guys say same style what do you mean? (Post an example?) Just wondering as someone who's never attended Otakon and hoping to avoid looking too generic and derivative.

>>9146144
I can't tell you whether there's a huge demand for it but speaking as a buyer, if I like the art and it's available on a case that fits my phone, I'll gladly buy it.

Does anyone have experience printing fabric? I have some designs that I want to get printed that are my design so I know spoonflower will work for that but I also have some designs with licensed characters. I really don't want to run into copyright issues with spoonflower...

>>9146263
For me, I mean that same artstyle you tend to find on tumblr. Disney ripoff that they all copy off of each other. And on top of that the same type of most popular character art. i.e. Undertale and steven universe shit. I don't go to anime cons to see that stuff and would hope for more anime related items and more of a unique style.

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>>9146263
>>9146287
Kind of what this anon said. Pic related but not the best example. I was hard to distinguish a lot of the tables because the styles were so similar and they were offering a lot of the same characters. I get that some shows are going to be more popular than others but at least make it unique if you're going to hop on the bandwagon. And don't get me wrong, the art wasn't bad, just boring and generic.

How do you guys organize your large vograce charms? I have mine in the bags they are sent in but my number of designs is growing and it's getting harder and harder to sort through them.

>>9146286
Spoonflower doesn't care. I used to get fabric from Spoonflower for the Garrus dakimakura I offer. They always have the person that fills your order write a quick thank you on the packing slip. On a number of occasions the person who filed the order was a mass effect fan who would draw a confused looking Shepard on it. So yeah, they see and recognize this stuff and let it pass. There are tons of patterns on there with marvel and star fleet logos, etc.

>>9146344
Plastic divider bins, depending on how large your charms are. There's a ton of different organizer sizes.

>>9146144
I just think the problem for phone cases is that there's just so many types of phones, you'd have to stick to the most popular model(s).

>>9146098
Thanks for the reply! My friend and I are trying to keep to just the NJ area so we can travel back and forth to avoid hotel fees for the first few AA's.
I'd love to try otakon and katsucon, but it seems like a really big leap for someone who hasn't done AA or have any physical stock yet. When you just started out, did you immediately go for big cons?

>>9146528
Yeah I was thinking about iphone 5 and 6/6s. Probably an android as well but i dont know which models are the most popular

Does Vograce sends you photos of your charms always or you have to request them?

>>9146602
depends on how busy they are. Better safe than sorry to request it

>>9146611
Aw shit. I just wrote Vicky about it. Thanks!

>>9146344
How big are they and how many are you looking to organize at a time? Is this for at home or for when you're selling at a con?

Typically a tackle box from with dividers from Walmart is good enough for me but that's for small charms or items with a limited quantity/number of designs. I couldn't imagine continuing to use it if I had to carry around more than 20 kinds of charms with 100+ pieces.

>>9146549
Do you have a large following you could try polling, maybe? Or possibly set up a preorder to get a feel for what people want?

>>9146667
1k on both twitter and tumblr.. I don't even have an online store since i dont know if theyd sell really haha. I was mostly thinking about cons and stuff

>>9146549
whatever galaxy s is new, basically.

How do you get people to preorder your stuff when you don't have a huge social network following?

>>9146789
You don't. You keep drawing and put out stuff until people like you enough to buy more things and follow you. And then you can do things like preorders.

>>9146878
But what if you sell decently at cons, just not a huge online presence? Is it better to make a small batch and sell at cons only and not sell online at all?

>>9145326
don't those trims get dirty very easily?

>>9146878
Whats "liking enough"? At what point should you be certain youd get at least a bunch of preorders?

>>9146934
And it sounds like "like you enough as a person/artist". You don't have to know/like the artist to order from them. I order from all sorts of random artists online.

>>9146947
I didn't meant that, i meant the amount of activity you get on your art. I don't really know at what point i'd get some traffic on my store

>>9146878
Well, if you have friends who are willing to reblog the preorder post for you, that could work out pretty well.

>>9146934
you can get preorders even if you don't have a big personal following. Just submit to fandom-relevant blogs on tumblr, or ask people with big followings to reblog/retweet. The worst they can say is 'no', and chances are they won't if your merch is desirable.

>>9146997
Great advice.

>>9146543
I started off doing the big cons first and only added in smaller cons after I had been tabling for a year or so. I know many people recommend doing the opposite but.. that's not what I did so I can't really speak to that.

If you're looking for NJ area smaller cons, though- besides Castle Point, Zenkaikon out in Lancaster is pretty decent (location-wise it's about an hour's drive west from where I am, so I consider that local). Also in PA is Saikoucon, but- I went the first two years and found that attendance was miserably low and wrote it off. I don't know if it's picked up since then, but based on my experience I would recommend against it.

>>9146667
They're like 3 inch and I have about 17 designs right now and I wanted to add around 10 more, and I mean at a con. Yeah I have my 1.5 inch in the same containers I keep buttons with the little departments in and I was thinking divider box that I refill when stock is running low but I just wanted to ask and see if someone already had a system going that was working, but thank you. I'm going to go ahead and try my idea of a divider 4x6 box that I refill throughout the con.

>>9142976
Someone I table with makes them, they seem to sell well enough that I've considered making some myself.

>>9146908
I have 10k followers on tumblr and I could never get a large interest in my online store or very little online sales even thought at cons I did pretty good, so I just stopped selling online (mostly because I hate shipping stuff sporadically). I kept sharing the merch I was making and stuff but only sold at cons and eventually something I made went viral and I had several requests for pre orders and that's when I started posting pre orders. Keep at it anon, make AA friends, support them, retweet their pre orders posts and when you get enough interest on something do pre orders and hope that they will support you too but if they don't it's not a big deal just keep doing you, as long as the interest is there you will get pre orders.

>>9146636
Ah damn, they were already shipped. She says they will arrive from 5 to 8 days that sounds crazy, since usually they take like a month to get here. But comparing with what other anons pay for shipping I think mine came out to be a little expensive? I paid 30 bucks for 60 charms, when I read people paying like 20 and something bucks for more than 100 charms. Must be because I'm from South America. Also I noticed on the package I ordered last year that my charms were shipped from Netherlands instead of China. Crazy.

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Chopper #2. I have another 2 to go and then I can figure out what to do with them...maybe stack them up? That acrylic stand thing would be neat if I had more than one of them to show off.

>>9147520
I love you for making chopper but this is so simplistic and bordering on boring. Maybe it's the coloring. It would still be a cute sticker. Make a sheet of them maybe? Also confused why you slapped a giant watermark on it like any of us are going to steal your art here...

>>9147520
I don't like his curlicue mustache mouth.

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>>9147528

Good point. I have no talent when it comes to interesting poses, let alone chibi-fied ones. Next one should be an action/battle pose, so hopefully that'll make it more interesting. I'm going to stick to the simple shading since I don't know how to shade any better without making it look muddy.

I was told in the last AA thread that it's always a good idea to make your pic here small and with a watermark juuuuust in case. Not that 4chan ain't the most trustful place, and you gulls even more so. Not like your missing much with the dot over it, since it's so simple. I guess, ha.

>>9147535
Too much curl? I just wanted to push it a little more than what he normally has to give it some "style" or at least not make it look like "on model" for the show or something.

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>>9147535
To be fair that's kind of accurate for him, but they did overdo it.

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I've been working on 2" overwatch charms. I was planning on doing the full roster, but 22 (with 1-3 more heroes soon) for one fandom sounds kind of insane when I usually keep my inventory small.

I already drew pairing poses, so I could combine ships into one big, clunky charm. Otherwise I could just force myself to pick 10-12 heroes which would suck to exclude some people's mains/favorites. I'd love some opinions, because I don't like either of my ideas.

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>>9147607
>>Pairing Junkrat with Symmetra

If you pair him literally with anyone else I'll buy two of them from you. Cause those are cute as fuuuck.

>>9147618
See, I really like the idea of single charms because even if I do "paired" poses, you can always mix and match for your own personal ship. Plus some people just want their waifu/husbando separate. Thanks also!

I did symmrat so I'd at least have two het ships. I was thinking about putting Roadhog in the same pose to cater to both ships.

>>9147607
on one hand they'll probably stand out a bit more as pairing charms just because there's so much overwatch stuff out there already.
on the other, you won't be able to avoid the problems that come with pairing 'em. for exmaple that lucio is super cute but i don't ship him with anyone so i'd have to pass on buying it.
do whatever's convenient for you and your time schedule and don't worry too much imo.

>>9147634

For sure have a second back up for Junkrat to be paired with Roadhog. Then I would buy two of them anyways for my ITA bag. (What do I know about shipping, lol, I ship JunkratXMercy)

>>9147607
the only shipping charms i would do would be the Big ones, desu. Symmrat and Lucio/D.Va are much less popular than say McHanzo or Phamercy.
If you wanted to throw in a het ship, I would probably buy an Ana/Reinhardt charm.

>>9147667

Top Tier -
RoadhogxJunkrat
76/Reaper
McHanzo
GenjixZenyatta
PhaMercy

Great Tier-
YoungMcCreexBlackWatchGab
MercyxJack
WidowxTracer
GenjixD.Va
ZiraxPha

Good Tier-
Lucio/D.Va
AnaxReaperx76 friendshipping
WidowxReaper

Shit Tumblr Taste Tier-
SymmRat
DragonBrothers
MaiRat

>>9147642
I can't comment on JunkratxMercy as I've never seen this as a ship before. I guess it could work...like when an extreme crazy meets super calm. Then again it's weird cause Junkrat is 25 and 6'5 and Mercy is like 45 technically...

>>9147667
Ana/Reinhardt was actually the other het ship I have a sketch for!

I'm thinking I might pick 8-10 "popular" heroes for cons and show an example print of the missing heroes with a preorder offer for a small vograce run that would be shipped to the customer. Also thanks a lot everyone for the input so far!

>>9147683

Why not just do them all for cons? You'll sell more and then you'll know for the future which ones you need to make more of. You never know when you'll have that one fan that pairs Reaper with Bastion and bingo, you have both!

>>9147675

I surprisingly agree with your lists, but SymmRat and the DragonIncest are very popular ships.

Fuck MaiRat though....

>>9147690

I'm not saying those are not popular, I'm saying those are just shitty taste ships. Only reason SymmRat is a thing is because super popular artist like them. Like in the Transformers fandom one or two HUGELY POPULAR porn artists started drawing all the robots with vaginas, and thus it became a staple. Ignoring the fact they are non-biological MALE based living metal aliens, they all have wet fat vags now because Tumblr becomes a hive mind. Symmatra is cool and all, I have no beef with her as a character, but she's so cold/mean/serious and doesn't enjoy things being out of order or place. Junkrat doesn't even comb his hair... Opposites attract, sure, but how can there be affection if there is no attraction what so ever? It just seems to be so forced cause she's not white, and Junkrat is the popular, white, tall, lean, weirdo everyone ended up loving. Meh, my two cents on it. ANYWAY.

>>9147607
Those are super cute regardless.

>>9147520
I would redraw either his foot at a better angle or make the hand the same style as the foot? Shading on the antlers is backwards. If the light is coming from the left, the shadows would be on the right, like you have with the rest of the body.

>>9147686
You have no idea how much I want to, but >>9145963 this is me and I can't justify spending $612 on just overwatch charms for my first AA. I've been looking at acornpress to print since the quality and low MOQ for double sided acrylic charms seemed like the best option.

Hello! I've got a few questions about Vograce, but the docs is down so i'll just post them here. Let's say I order 100 charms, how many designs can I do? How much is usually the shipping for 100 of them? Also, I've seen that the min price for some of the items are 1. Can I order just 1 of a bunch to see how they turn out, and then do a larger order? Thank you!

>>9147812
100 charms, you can do 100 designs. Not sure they'll like you for it though haha. Anyway, no MOQ per design, and they'll calculate the price per type of product, not per design.
Shipping varies per location. I forgot to say I'm from the Netherlands last time I ordered, they quoted me about 45 bucks for shipping to the US, but only 30 for the Netherlands. For 100 charms I'm guessing it'd be 20-30 bucks.
And yes, many of their products don't have a MOQ so you can just order one. Might not be worth the shipping, though.
Just shoot them an e-mail and ask what's possible, they're very friendly!

>>9147907
I keep hearing how people get quited 20-30 bucks for 100 charms. Last time I ordered 80 charms, I paid 110 bucks including shipping :/

>>9147907
Ahh thank you so much! I wonder if anyone has just shipped 1, just to see how much the shipping would be. I reeeally want to try out rubber charms but I'm so scared about the outcome.

>>9147907
Sorry, me again. So, how much is it usually for 100 charms, including shipping. Around ~$100?

This year's fanime wasn't very good but is it usually a good con to go to? I'm trying to decide if I should try for it again next year.

>>9147973
Everyone I know did pretty well at Fanime. It's just all the pre-con and organization bullshit that makes it rough.

It's juried, so why not just try for it anyways? If you get in and change your mind later, you can back out and let someone else have the table. At least you have the option available.

Where do you guys get your stickers done? Whats the usual price for 200?

>>9147607
Or just make single charms and get 2 times the profit if someone buys 2 charms to make their OTP? Then you won't have to deal with dumb shit like people arguing over pairings because everyone has different preferences.

>>9147991
That's a great idea. The organization bullshit really makes it rough though. If I do get in again, i hope that i can do better.

>>9147937
A lot of people do group orders with a big enough group order you can get pretty cheap parts.

>>9147973
I didn't get in last year, but I've done really well in the years before. The volume of people that attend really helps sales. Like Pixel said, there's no harm in trying since its juried anyway, and you'll never know how the outcome will be.

>>9147937
The 20-30 bucks is only for shipping, anon! Add the cost of the charms to that.

>>9147949
The cost of charms is heavily dependent on what type, how big and how many you order. I've paid anywhere from 60 cents to 2 bucks per charm. Clear is about twice as expensive as non-clear.

>>9147947
Keep in mind for rubber charms you have to pay an inital cost for the... mold, I think? So ordering just one of those is going to be very expensive. But seriously, just e-mail them, ask if you can order some samples, and how much shipping would be.

I hate when conventions don't invite artists back or don't let you buy your table early. Some cons have let me by my table for next year at the con, and some e-mail me to tell me AA registration has opened back up, but then there are some cons that don't, and they have you re-register every year. Really annoying.

Though, even more annoying are cons that close their AA registration over 6 months before the con even starts.

>>9148128
That's probably to make sure there are always new artists and not just the same 100 people every year.

Quick question. Does anyone have a template for a heart button machines? I want to design some things before spending the money on the machine so I'm not rushing later on when it arrives. Thank you.

Has anypne here ever done Magfest? They open their reg for tables in a couple of days bit I'm kind of iffy about signing up since i dont know anyone who's done them before.

>>9148011
Yea, I think I'm going to go with vograce's new acrylic charms with their low MOQ so I can do everyone.

>>9147996
....come on, anon. I understand genuine questions about manufacturers but this is just asking for spoonfeeding. Googling 'custom stickers' gives me dozens of companies, and being more specific with that search (die cut, kiss cut, sticker sheet, clear stickers, etc) gives you all the info. Then you just look at their pricing info and compare. Don't expect other people to do your work for you.

to not make this entirely cunt-y, the pricing for 200 stickers will vary a lot depending on if you want one design or multiple.

I use stickerapp, and if you wanted 200 of one design it could cost between $59 to $162 depending on how large you wanted the stickers to be.

It's not for some time, but what's the general experience for AA at Tekko in Pittsburgh? I was thinking of going for my first table there (since I went there this April and really enjoyed the atmosphere). Is it WAY too big for a first con?

I'm still doing research but I haven't found a lot of stuff about what doing AA at Tekko is and figured the AA general might be a good place.

Not the anon who just asked about stickers but if I want to make my own stickers, do I have to use my own shitty printer? Or can I bring sticker paper to somewhere like Kinko's and print it there? Sorry for the simple question.

>>9148418
you can go to a local printer or chain with your files. they usually have sticker paper.

>>9148418
I just got myself a decent printer. It was worth the investment to me.

>>9148429
Ah alright, I was worried they wouldn't have any; I'll try researching it a bit more.

>>9148438
Yeah I'm just starting out so it's not worth it for me, but hopefully some day.

>>9148383
I go to Tekko! Profit-wise, it's about the same as AnimeUSA, if you've been there. I think it's fine for a first con - my friends and I were able to barely break even two years ago and our art and table setup were literal shit.

I just received my first order of acrylic clear charms today and found some protective film on them. What's the best way to take them off? I'm terrified of scratching them all up.

>Vograce sent my charms via UPS
How fucked I am?

>>9148602
.. just peel it. It should be fine if your nails aren't jagged as fuck.

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>>9142975
>>9142991

similar question, i'm looking for a good place that does enamel pins with a varied selection of finishes (like copper, silver, gold)

zap only offers silver and black, and even then only as charms and not as pins.

i'm not too concerned with MOQ, though the lower the better.

>>9148383
Tekko was my first getting back into the scene this year! It was actually a great first con because it wasn't too big but not small enough that you wouldn't make a decent profit. I made just under 1k and I really only had prints/commissions. Really friendly environment, helpful staff, would go again.

>>9148620
jagged or not your nails are not hard enough to scratch acrylic like ever. usually my nails are the ones that get fucked up after peeling so many

>>9148670
>>9148620
>>9148602

You can use a piece of sticky tape to lift the protective film off the charm if you're worried about scratches/jagged nails/fucking up your nails.

>>9148604
If you live in Europe you're always fucked, but they sent it to me in Canada and I avoided getting fucked over by customs because they only marked the package value as $5. If it's under the allowed amount, you should be fine.

I was the anon who asked about Fire Emeblem Fave husbands and waifus a few threads back.

Thank you to the anons who helped me! Also wanted to give feedback on which ones did well so far.

Niles and Silas where on my top ones sold for buttons. Followed by Kaden and Keaton. Plus the royal families. Out of the royal familes it seems norhians sold more, and out of those Camilla and Leo sold the most out of that. Takumi sold more on the Hoshidian side.

I also made a few sales on having Kaze and his brother in the batches, as well as Jacob and Felicia. Least sold was Sakura and female corrin.

In terms of charms Takumi out sold leo for some weird reason. It might be because the alley I vended at had so many Leo charms? I'll find out more in future cons.

If anyone has some more input on more FE if stuff please feel free to add to it. I love researching and getting others feedback or experiences.

>>9148727
I'm >>9147356. While it says they will arrive by August 24th, UPS tends to rape wallets here in my country. I hope they marked the value down too :_:

>>9148743
Hey anon I am literally always in the market for more Niles merch. Link your store?

Also all that info is super useful, thank you very much.

>>9148641
Different anon here. I've been considering getting a table at Tekko since it's local, but iirc they never announced the table prices. Kind of iffy about applying if I don't have an idea beforehand. About how much were they if you don't mind me asking?

>>9148906
75$ + con registration and you need to put in your application by December, iirc. Their website is down right now or I'd double check it

>>9148537
It would be my first con doing a table, if I ended up doing it. I'm not totally sure I can do it 2017 but I wanted to get as much info as possible. Thank you!

>>9148641
Awesome! Thanks for the info!

This is going to sound salty as hell, but is anyone else sick of those high contrast, high saturation, semi-realistic rendered, pin-up style prints? I wouldn't have as much issues with these if it weren't for the boring poses, backgrounds, or even sometimes glaring anatomy problems (that art normies don't notice because they focus on the nicely rendered face)

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>>9148961
You mean Sakimichan/Sakimichan-copiers?

>>9148961
eh, they're a staple of cons, much like generic western 'i have a print of literally every western media character' artists, sprite rip-off perler bead artists or plush bootleggers. First time attendees get all star-eyed, but it's boring from then on out.

>>9148961
Used to bother me a little but over time I've stopped caring. They're just normal people trying to make money, and since my art is nothing like their's we are not in direct competition. No biggie.

>>9148961
I don't even pay attention anymore. There's always at least two at every con. I try to focus on art that's more unique in style

So I always hear people doing well at their first cons, even with "shitty" art. Or making at least 1k. My first con, I barely made about 200 and I still only make about 400. How are you guys doing this? Are you just being modest about your art?

>>9149145
you can always post an example of your art and we can give you feedback about ours in relation.
What are you selling? Prints, crafts, buttons...? original or fanart?
I made 800ish at my first con, and now I make 2-3k. I've improved a bit in terms of the quality of my art, but my sales drastically improved with having more variety in my stock (rather than just having prints)

>>9149145
Also depends on which con. If your first con is small, chances are you just don't make that much money. The larger the first con, the more potential there is for spending/earning even if your art isn't great.

>>9149145
How big are the cons you're doing and do you do stuff related to the type of con it is? I make bank at anime cons because I make anime art but do worse at comic cons 5x the size of the anime cons.

Not sure if this has been asked here a billion times (I only lurk every so often) but how do you guys ship your prints? Bubble/regular mailers with cardboard backing? Poster tube? Cardboard mailers? I want to sell some extra stock online but I'm not sure how to ship it so that it won't get all bent up. Even if you put "DO NOT BEND" all over it, the mailmen still handle it roughly sometimes...

Do only fashion good sell at rufflecon or do people sell prints too? I'm interested in a bud table and I plan on making jewelry but I'm unsure if I should bring any lolita related prints as well.

>>9148961
I'm not to bothered them, since I don't think my customers have a lot of crossover with theirs. I personally don't feel like they affect my sales at all.

>>9149214
I use mailing tubes, I only have 11x17 prints so they're hard to mail otherwise.

How do you ask a popular fandom blog to reblog your merchandise? I'm nervous that they are going to be mean about it because I'm wanting free advertisement basically.

Does vograce make quality lanyards? Some say they're good some say they suck. I'm thinking about going with a small random american company but would still like to get some insight on vograce.

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Has anyone here sold amigurumi (crochet) plushes and keychains at a con before? I'm interested in starting selling fleece hats and felt plushes, as well as crochet items. I'm just worried my crocheted items may discourage people since they're more time intensive therefore more expensive.

>photo isn't mine, just a good example of the craft

>>9149315
I never have but I was at a con that had one. The girl was one of the few people that did really well. People were always by her table and no one batted an eye at the price.

>>9149145
How's your display? Do you look interested and interact with customers without being pushy ('Feel free to look around, there's no pressure to buy!' vs hollering out what merch you have and trying to rope in relevant cosplayers)? Do you have various print sizes displayed in interesting, attention-grabbing ways? Do you have merch that isn't prints?
Try adding something attention-catching to your table, like lights or a banner, and change your display around so everything's visible from miles away. No prints lying flat on the table, etc.
>>9149308
It varies, unfortunately.

>>9149285
If they do it often, just ask nicely.
If they usually reblog fanart/official material and not much fan merch, I wouldn't bother.

How much did you guys make at Otakon this year? It's been different from all my friends.

I made 3k but I don't think that's good for a con the size of Otakon.

Is ikkicon worth travelling to?

>>9149515
How far away are you? Tables are sold out for the upcoming con.

>>9149449
I did about 6k revenue? But I did pay for my helper's travel and lodging in addition yo my own so after costs it was more like $4800 profit.

>>9149315
Lots of people sell these. It's fairly popular but sometimes the prices can turn people away. Don't undersell yourself though, I know how time consuming that shit is.

Has anybody sold magnets before? I just bought some magnet paper and already have two magnets to make for someone so I was wondering if it would be worth it.

Is Fallout still relevant enough to sell? I love it and I want to create more (also buy more t b h), but if it isn't going to be relevant I will probably just keep it to myself.

>>9149315
I haven't sold at any big cons, but about half my table is crochet stuff. Scarves are a tough sell, but my smaller keychain/amigurumi stuff do well.

>>9149596
Yes, I really do think Fallout will still sell.

>>9149596
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both promising to make Fallout real, so it's going to be really relevant pretty soon.

>>9149449
14K revenue, i expected less but was surprised considering how much attendance fell last year.

>>9149594
I haven't sold them but as a customer I'd rather buy the magnet version of something than a sticker or keychain.

>>9149757
I was thinking the same thing. At least magnets are reusable and I have had a few people ask me about them. I'll have to think of some new designs and test them out at my next con.

Cross posted in the Lolita thread, but that thread is really for dress talk. Anywho. I just had the most amazing idea (maybe). For those of you that set up tea parties/gatherings, do you just use e-vites? I'm super crafty but I never make things in bulk or for profit. What if I made really fancy, heavy card stock personalized invitations and matching envelops? Lolita styled of course, but that would be a nice thing to get in the mail, if your doing maybe a small gathering of 4-8 friends, right? Thoughts?

Anyone else tabling at SacAnime in like 2 weeks? I've heard mixed things about their staff cracking down on fanart

>>9149449
4k revenue, I usually make around 5 but I was severely understocked.
>>9149642
Woah damn what do you sell?!

>>9149938
PokemonGo merch

>>9149927
I was thinking about making card sets (thank you, feel better, happy birthday, etc) for fandoms recently.

Lolita ones sound really cute! I'd try doing a design you can print and then add stuff to (bows or something?) to keep it slightly handmade. That seems like it might appeal to lolitas while still being easy to make in bulk.

>>9149932
I haven't heard anything about the fanart besides stuff that wasn't allowed by the creators in the first place, and official-like goods. But yeah I'm tabling again this year.

>>9149642
Are you a print artist? What was your profit after costs, if I don't mind me asking?

I recently got closer to friends who make AA a possibility for me, but I was wondering how much merch (as in how many designs/prints) did you bring to your first con? Do you feel like it was enough, too much, or just right?

>>9150238
this is the critical question, and it varies so much depending on if you have an active fanbase or not, how big the con you're going to is, etc etc. I took 5-7 copies of each print and sold out of most, but one of my other first-timer friends barely sold at all. I didn't start selling other merch until my second con.

>>9149596
4's nuka-world dlc is coming out soon. yes.

>>9150251
Thanks. How many prints did you have at the time?

>>9150258
around 9, and a couple of mini prints

>>9149938
>>9150118
Prints and charms like everyone else lol. Got some zines too but they are inconsequential to my bottom line, i just like zines. I probably had 3k in expenses because of the table and i don't outsource my charms to china.

>>9150238
I think my first 1 day shit con i had maybe 8-10 things, my second con was fanime and i had like 18 bigger prints and maybe 15-20 mini prints that were different from my large prints. Mini prints are a good way to start out if you're not sure on how much time / money you want to invest i think.

>>9150238
Bring how ever much you feel is right. You shouldn't worry about being understocked at your first con.

>>9141530
Did anyone manage to save a backup of the resource links? They're still down...

i'm going out of the country for a convention and a large portion of my sales are always done through a card reader.

you can't use square or paypal's card readers internationally, and in order to work around it i would have to acquire a foreign billing address and a foreign bank account, then make a whole new account for either reader.

what the fuck am i supposed to do

>>9150515
I didn't but AANI has their own doc with a lot of the same links so i've been using that.

>>9150800
...which country? we can't help you much without that info

Vograce won't give me a quote unless i give them my design for some reason. Does anybody know how much it would cost for 20 lanyards?

>>9150800
If you have a tablet (or I guess you can just use your phone) - have people just pay through Paypal. I've had a couple of customers pay me that way because they forgot their credit card in their room. They just pulled out their phone and sent a payment to my PP address

>>9150833
from US to canada

>>9150903
that's a good idea, i just wish there was still a way to slide an actual card for people without paypal or people unwilling to stand around for that extra minute or two that it takes to log into their paypal, etc

>>9150800
a lot of people spoofed their location for square >_>

Sorry if this is a dumb question...I'm trying to plan for a 1st AA next year. I have a decent amount of artworks built up, but when I drew them I wasn't thinking about printing them, so nearly all of them are at non-standard sizes (i.e. awkwardly between letter and tabloid) and I'm not sure what to do.

Should I try to rework them at a larger size (possibly by re-rendering on top of a scaled up image, since my style is more painterly)? Scale down and/or crop to fit letter size or postcard size? Add a white border to the originals and print as a 11x17, and then trim off the borders myself? Pay up for custom sizing? Or just forget it all and draw entirely new stuff that does fit standard sizes?

>>9151139
Could we see some examples? It's difficult to gauge how a piece would look printed not knowing what you have to work with.

>>9151139
I just did this recently and it wasn't too difficult? Sometimes it was just a matter of creating a new background that filled more space. Scaling down is better than trying to blow something up. If you have the time just use what you've got as smaller prints and create some new pieces to be the 11x17's.

>>9151139

If you can neatly fit into letter or 11 x 14, I'd go for that than trying to scale all the way up to tabloid. Having postcards is a good, cheap alternative for customers but if the print is good you should definitely offer it at the large size, too. I'm personally very fond of 8x10 and 11x14 because they frame nicely.

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>>9151163
Most of my stuff is like this, though some have simpler backgrounds that might be easier to redo.

>>9151194
>>9151205
Thank you for the suggestions!

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>>9151269
I would crop to get to 11x17 only because i prefer 11x17. You can easily add to 8.5x11 too, just a sliver on each.

attached example of how i'd crop assuming it's high enough dpi. Obviously the middle one you'd need to move the lines and text in.

>>9151269
Do you have a blog, anon- your stuff is really neat and its refreshing to see you do different things with each print! (Sorry I can't really help with your resizing question though)

>>9151273
Oops, I forgot to mention these 3 happen to be 9x12 (300dpi), so I would need to scale up first and then crop/add to get to 11x17. Though maybe I'll do that for just a few of my favorite pieces and add to 8.5x11 for the others.

>>9151274
Thanks, anon. My tumblr username is sei-un (but it's not strictly an artblog, I reblog stuff as well.)

>>9148636
Pinmart.com did mine and they have a lot of different finishes. I just googled custom enamel pins. Another friend uses getlapelpins,com. The minimum usually always is 100

>>9151297
If it's 9x12, I would leave it for 8.5x11 (which is more like 8.75x11.25 if you're accounting for bleed). Just crop a bit on the top, a little on the side. Blowing up an image doesn't work very well typically, and I would avoid doing it.

Can I ask for some adivce on designing lanyards? For lanyards, how do you "simplify" chibi faces? My chibis are more detailed than some people's. But chibi's a chibi, so it is still simple. I don't want to put dot-eyes because I want my style to show. Is it better to be as simple as possible for lanyards even if it is 180 degrees different from my style, or can I stick to my usual style of not so simple chibis?

>>9151379
Taking out the shading or minimizing it helps.
Draw the hair as more chunks, less strands
Put less detail on accessories
You can post an example of your work if you want more thorough help.

Well, shit. Screwed myself out of coin purses from moomoo I think. Used the .99 coupon on a small amount to test out quality and now I'm blocked from reusing it based on my IP, and they suspend accounts for repeat registrants.

>>9151411
Thank you for your help! I'll try to post something soon. What do you think about having lineart? Some artists do lineless art for lanyards. Is it ok to have lineart?

Are you allowed to use random photos you find online and fashion magazines as refereneces when making prints? Maybe not to the point of copying it, but using the same poses or shading? I think this is a good way to study anatomy and those anatomy books just confuse me more. I know using illustrations as ref is bad because it's basically copying an artwork.

>>9148227
I haven't done MAG personally but I know people who have. You share a space with dealers so keep that in mind. It's less print-heavy and more craft-heavy, at least from what I've experienced. If you have a lot of video game related things (obviously) you should be good on sales, especially niche stuff.

The biggest thing that deters me from tabeling at MAG is that the room is open 24 hours all weekend. So you either need a lot of helpers, or have fun sitting for 96 hours.

>>9151775
>less print-heavy and more craft-heavy
This. The attendees are an older, more practical crowd so-to-speak. You don't have as many people who want to plaster their wall with prints. Make stuff for the staple games, but get some random niche or retro games in there too. And make sure you can talk about them.

>>9151297
I would still blow it up. I have 9x12s i blew up to 11x17. 300 dpi is ideal, but even 150-200dpi is fine. Basically, a 11x17 poster is rarely going to be seen from 3 inches away, so a 175dpi poster vs 300dpi seen from 2+ feet away is functionally identical.

In the end it's up to you, but that's just my personal preference.

>>9151768
You're "allowed" to do anything. No one is going to stop you, but if you're going to copy so closely that people can recognize what you copied, you're probably going to get a bad reputation online.

Consider copying for practice but not copying for something you're literally selling for money.

>>9151768
Referencing ≠ Copying. You shouldn't trace, but there isnt anything wrong with using references. That's why.. references exist. However if your concept of using references is tracing them then don't

>>9151756
Most people don't use linearts because at that size it'll either just get lost if it's too thin, or make things very muddy if it's too thick. Zooming out at around 33% should give you an idea of how well things will read when it's finally printed (also keep in mind everything will be fuzzier than you expect since it's printing on fabric).

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>>9151768
Most artists who do any kind of figure work use references all the time. They just don't talk about it much because people get into shit about "real artists" and "muh imagination"

There's whole books and websites dedicated to poses and anatomy and Disney has costumed actors pose for their animators.

Does anyone here use an app to keep track of your sales? Or is it easiest to just write things down in a notebook?

>>9152029
I keep track of my inventory numbers before and after each con as well as taking down notes after each sale to guage feedback.

I just use google docs spreadsheets because I can use that both on my laptop and phone easily.

>>9147675
>Tumblr Tier
>Shimadacest
Anon please, tumblr will rip you to shreds for "promoting incest" if you do that.

>>9152029
I just use excel to keep track of what I sell.

>>9152029
I usually only have a small number of inventory, but my friend and I each use individual notepads to keep track. Its better than an app simply because we can keep track of one another's sales should one of us need to run an errand or want to sightsee. Apps (especially if you dont pack an extra battery) can get tedious.

>>9152029
I just use paper spread sheet, i have too much inventory for an app. Like i've thought about this, but i'd have to search or scroll through a super long list to help each customer and there is no time for that.

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So much Salt on twitter about ECCC

>>9152029
I count stock before and after each day (before trades and things) and use different highlighters to pick out what's selling well and what isn't moving until Sunday. I don't trust myself to use an app for it, and I prefer having physical copies to look through.
Apps aren't a bad idea, but if you don't have anywhere to charge your phone and didn't bring a spare battery, it's going to be a real pain.

>>9152029
Do you use Square at all? I found if you enter all your sales (not just CC transactions) it really helps with inventory numbers.

>>9151768
Why do people think using references is copying now? Artists have been using references for ages. The best way to learn is to use a reference and practice.

>>9151724
I had the same problem when I first ordered the artsmoo cosmetic bags, I only ordered 1 each of a few test designs not realising it was a single use coupon. My boyfriend happened to have an artsmoo account from back in the free mousepad days, so I ended up using his account for my re-order and got them shipped to his address. I had no problems, and I think having no account details shared and a different IP definitely helped.

>>9152746
It's an easy thing for kids to make a big callout bandwagon on an artist with.

>>9152746
Non-artists/beginners don't know this. They're the ones doing the "you're just copying" callouts.

I'm looking at Vograce charms example photos and none of their transparent charms seem to have depth effect. Do they print images right on the front side of charms?

What's the preferred for printing limited run fanzines?

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Before I go overboard and start buying really fancy, thick, printed paper, here is a little (ten second made) prototype of that Lolita invitation card idea I had. Any feed back even at this stage? I k ow there's not really anything to go off of, but I think that's going to look really nice with printed pattern paper, gold ink writing and little beaded/fabric like details.

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>>9153036
Ugh, damn iPhone and your sideway photos...

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>>9153036
>>9153040

>>9153040

>mfw first image, I'm like meh.
>mfw second image the little coat opens.

It's a super cute idea, and your right that it's going to be super glam and posh when you actually put the time and money into making it super nice, but I would be worried you wouldn't have a big market for it? Lolitas are cheap as fuck. They'll spend hundreds on dresses, shoes, make up, and jewelry for themselves, but man do they penny pinch with everything else. I was once at a tea party where the host was trying to haggle with the waitress about one of the lemonade prices. It was like .75 cents more or something, and I was like just pay it!

But good luck!! Post progress pics along the way.

>>9152896
No, side 1 will be printed on the opposite side so you have to look through the plastic, which has become a lot thicker recently

>>9153040

You ever think about doing little lolita paper dolls?

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Does anyone know any places that'll do custom printed card wallets like pic related?

I can't find a place that'll print designs on the covers.

>>9153537
I also would like to know. I've been searching for for places other than jimmy agency.

Is there a reputable alibaba vendor for washi tape? I was going to pick whatever vendor with no minimum order qty but would like to know if there is a vendor that most people uses like vograce.

>>9153537
Getmeds on Twitter

new thread >>9153766