Artist Alley General

How much do you guys value your network of other local artists?
I started tabling this year, and made a pretty successful start compared to others in my country. I get the feeling it's because I researched a lot more than others have. (I lurked here a ton, thanks for all the tips guys.)
Except now everyone is asking me for all my resources while I hardly even know them. They're my local artist network so I don't want to blow them off and make enemies, and it would be nice to have friends in the AA, but at this point I feel like they're using me more than anything. Should I even bother being nice to them?

>>9240504
Be nice and professional because buying yourself enemies early on isn't going to do you any favors - especially if later you find yourself looking for carpooling, hotel sharing, group orders, etc. But you don't have to spoon feed them, either. Polite but short and nonspecific answers are totally fine if you don't feel like going into detail.

>>9240520
Oh yes, of course! I wasn't planning on being a dick. No idea if they're even aware that what they're doing is kinda rude, but I'm not looking for any drama so staying polite is the least I can do.

What are the items that sell the most?
http://www.strawpoll.me/11546694
And it'd be useful if you could also list them in order, so people would know what items to put more priority in. Thanks
Charms/straps
Stickers
Prints and posters
Zines
Stationary such as notebooks, pens
Apparel (shirts, sweaters, hats)
Jewelry and accessories (bracelets, rings, necklaces, hair pieces)
Plushies
Pins
And anything else I didn't list

>>9240562
Sell the most or are the most profitable?

>>9240565
Sell the most, the items that are the most popular

I'm not an artist alley vendor but I generally try to support artists, particularly ones I follow on deviantart. My question is why do people charge wildly different amounts for their prints and why does the quality of the print not seem to correlate with the price of the print? On 11x17 I've seen people charge 10-25. Some use a very thick stock while others feel like cheap poster material. Some have great print quality while I've seen a few that are pixelated when you look at it up close.

Do some artist truly believe that their prints are worth more because of the quality of their artwork? If their artwork is truly better than others, shouldn't they be able to make more by volume rather than by increasing the price of their prints? It's just something that's never made much sense to me as a buyer. Also, how do you guys feel about people asking you to sign your prints?

>>9240572
A lot of artists want to do things as cheap as possibly for the most profit, and a lot of times that means skimping on the paper quality. As far as pixelation goes, some people will intentionally draw on a smaller canvas and print it that way because 'it's being viewed from far away, normal people won't be able to tell'. Both of which are a shitty ideal.

Yeah higher price tiered prints usually mean they value their work more. Really depends on the artist and the norm. 7~10 years ago the standard print size was 8.5x11" for anywhere from $5~$10 and now it's 11x17" for $10~$25. Personally I'm flattered when people ask me to sign things.

>>9240572
Basically what >>9240577 said. I hated skimping on paper because of personal pride, and I charged $20 for 13x19 prints.

Art is such a subjective and personal thing that it's hard to say that a "better" artist would sell more. If someone is a spectacular artist but isn't selling any fanart I would bet the farm that an average artist next to them catering to the latest hot thing would make way the hell more. The only time I've seen this reversed is when the artist in question already has a strong following online.

>>9240572
I charge $15 for my prints when, realistically, I could probably charge more since the paper quality is good. I lower the price for cons, they're $20 online.

I feel like, beyond people trying to be cheap for bigger profit, there's also the case of newbie artists. I'm fairly new myself but I took the time to research. Some people don't do this so they just make prints at home or go to Staples and that's when you have low quality prints or pixelated images. I've purchased a print that I loved only to be disappointed because it was on computer paper. But I felt bad because the poor girl looked so disorganized and she was so happy that I actually bought something. Her art style was great so I really hope she's gotten better quality products (this was last year).

>>9240572
> how do you guys feel about people asking you to sign your prints?
Flattered!

As for the rest of it -

Paper quality pretty much varies depending on an artist's pride. There's no real monetary incentive to print on high quality paper since no one's going to know what it's printed on until the artist hands it to them, at which point they've already purchased it. Artists who care most about profit will spend less on paper/print quality to maximise their profit margin. Artists who care most about creating a product they're proud of will spend the extra $ on materials.

For prices, artists will charge what will sell. If their art style, fandoms, etc are in high demand they can charge more because customers want their art more. It's not necessarily that they believe their skill level or art quality is worth more than other artists (although that certainly IS the case sometimes), but that they know the market and adjust their prices/supply to meet the demand. The way to maximise profit is to find the equilibrium "sweet spot" where you get both high quantity AND high profit.

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>>9240615
Dropped my image.

>>9239179
Ugh I didn't want to but it looks like there's no other way. I just don't like the fact I need to change my PayPal to business type. I'm pretty sure I will get extra charged when someone commissions me too.

>>9240572
Not everyone knows about the best places to print things, and some people value different qualities in their prints. What you might think is "cheap poster quality" may mean "something i can roll in a sturdy tube instead of a questionable envelope when people buy from me online". Some people are new and don't know anything about paper quality, don't walk in assuming everyone is out to rip you off.

And in regards to "making it up in volume", well the hard fact is we can only carry 50lbs per suitcase we check in. "making more by volume" can only go so far. Imagine this: You're an artist who brings the 90lbs (between 2 suitcases) of merchandise to cons as it is. Now lots of your popular prints already sell out, meaning demand exceeds your current supply. You have 10lbs left to work with. Now you can bring 10lbs of prints, and sell more of them, make a little more money and still sell out, OR you can raise your prices, make the same amount of money, and have 10lbs to bring other things, like new prints or a new type of merchandise.

Choosing to just sell more of the same thing at a lower price when you know there's more demand is just.. not the smart choice, it's totally inefficient and limits how variety you can bring, to satisfy a vanishingly small amount of people who refuse to pay a fair price.

>>9240764
Forgot to add in the same vein, cardstock and thicker paper prints physically weigh much more too. As much as i'd love to give everyone 120lb prints, the fact of the matter is i'm at that 100lb limit every single con. It's either a higher number of people get the image they want from me at a con, or a smaller amount of people get it but it's slightly nicer (even though they won't touch it once it's on their wall). I choose to make sure I can supply my image to as many people as possible in the 100lbs I can carry, other people may value putting the best possible peice of paper out there. Neither of us wants to rip off customers or be stingy, you need to open your mind to other points of view.

>>9240764
>>9240767
Wait, are you guys talking about flying? Because I'm honestly lost with this whole weight thing otherwise.

>>9240797
Yes, many artists fly to cons because you can't really drive across the country for a con (Well you can but.. )

>>9240562
I voted "other" for dakimakura, just to let you know. I didn't see anywhere I could comment on strawpoll to be more specific.

I'm doing a giveaway on twitter, but it's super low traction. How could I give it more of a push? Bump it more? Ask people to retweet? I'm still not very used to twitter's ways.

How fast do you think AX tables will sell out this year? I'm hella nervous since i'll be at work on hella slow computer...

It's known that some cons gravitate towards certain types of merch selling more (i.e. AX being print-heavy). I wonder if another tab on the Convention List spreadsheet making a note of what item to generally expect to sell more of would help.

Is it true that more products equal more sales? I've been thinking of getting more things made for my shop (working on organizing a sketchbook, enamel pins, patches, more buttons/stickers) but I'm still worried about spending so much money.

I spent quite a lot on prints last year for my first con which was a small local event and people bought things (I did better than I thought I would) but I didn't sell a crazy amount obviously. I'm planning on more cons next year, just super paranoid about spending so much money and then not making a profit.

I'm really trying to push my online shop as well. I see people selling original sketches or promoting new products on Instagram. Has that worked well for any of you? (I primarily promote on Facebook).

>>9240562
I had to vote other as well because my biggest seller are my custom 3DS skins. I guess after that my buttons and charms/straps.

>>9241112
They sell out pretty much instantly every year, although there would be drop outs 30 mins later for people who opened multiple tabs.

>>9241294
Idk about online sales, but at cons it's yes and no. Items that do not compete with each other will grab more sales, but items that can replace other items will net the same amount. Like, if you only did prints adding charms will grab you way more sales. But if you added post card versions of your prints, you stand to lose money to people who would rather buy smaller versions of your print.

>>9241380

Ugh, I hope AX left a bad enough impression on enough artists last year that it doesn't sell out instantly this year... I'm also in the "stuck at work on a shit computer" camp. Wish they'd have this on a weekend instead.

Hey
so I cant use a computer all that well for digital art but Im decent enough at traditional. How would I go about making quality scans/images for making into keychains? Im scared they will come out awful quality for what I pay to have done. Anyone a traditional artist have some tips?

>>9241380
Thanks! I don't double up on products as a rule so there's no chance of that happening. My large prints only come in that one size and my postcard prints are smaller designs that wouldn't look good as 11x17.

>>9241478
I heard some people saying there were literally a bunch of empty tables last year...so heres to hoping..

>>9241659

welp, they sold out instantly. Super.

>>9241668

holy fuck, my refresh was slow so i missed it, but my boyfriend managed to secure the table for me.

>>9241668
I didn't even blink yet and they're all gone.

>>9241675

I was only like 30 seconds late because of a screaming toddler rampaging through my workplace, but 30 seconds was enough for me to miss out. Uugghhh, I wanna cry.

Is AX even that profitable for people who table? You're competing with so many people in such a huge area, I would think that it's really easy for people to be forgotten or lost unless they're REALLY popular. (Also yes, I'm kind of salty about not getting a table and feeling very sour grapes about it all)

>>9241712
Never been but I've heard mixed reviews honestly. Some saying its their most profitable con while others saying it wasnt worth it.

I'm not even trying since all that shit that happened last year. I dont want to support that kind of nonsense with my money.

>>9241712
Lol yes. If you have good art plus a decent spot, you can rake in an easy 5k+ in profit.

>>9241601
Learn Photoshop really well. You're going to want to mess with white balance, contrast, saturation, etc. to get your scans to look nice. Your biggest priority should be getting your paper/background to be pure white. That's usually traditional artists' biggest mistake.

You can post a scan, and I'll let you know how I'd clean it up if you'd like some tips.

>>9241712
Essentially this: >>9241723
While you're not guaranteed success at AX, if you're lucky enough to get a good spot, it can blow your other conventions out of the water.
High risk, high reward scenario.

I'm not about that life, hence why I don't bother with AX.

I just can't believe that even with the huge protesting/complaining after last year with the bad conditions AND the price increase, it sold out faster than ever. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wish they'd switch to juried.

does anyone have examples of the files they've sent vograce for single sided clear acrylic charms ? I'm super nervous about getting my first charms done and i want to cut down on any possible confusion on what to do

>>9241818
forgot to say I've read the document but I'm a bit confused, do i draw my design, then a surrounding cutting line including the circles for cutting?

>>9241818
>>9241827
The cutting line is referential since they vector a completely new one. Just have your design in a different layer than your ref cutting line.

>>9241808
Agreed, probably better for everyone but also could potentially turn into another annual Fanime scramble if they don't have their shit together

>>9241808
For a con that size, juried would just be a mess. I'm just hoping 2017 will be better in Kentia. Even just a boost in the air conditioning would do wonders.

how high would AX have to raise AA prices for it to actually deter anyone?

>>9241870
It already is, for smaller artists. Anything above $300 is understandably too high for a lot of people. I'd be willing to pay up to $1000 honestly. My profit is crazy for AX.

>>9241870
For it to reach equilibrium where every artist who wants a table gets a table and there are no left overs? I'm guessing around $600-650. Otakon's $1000 unlimited tables price out a lot of people, but $425 seems easy enough still. It's hard to gauge exactly though because returning artists only paid $350.

>>9241840

Please don't remind me the pain of Fanime rejection is coming up this week, too; AX already hurt me enough today :^)

>>9241870
$425 was enough to deter me this year and I live in driving distances of AX. Then again, I know some people are flying in from out of state/country to do AA at AX for the first time.

>>9241790
itll reveal who i am but sure. Im off to buy a printer/scanner tomorrow so Ill post a design then.

(another question)Are Zapcreatives the best place to go for keychains in general in the Uk?

>>9241920
if you want to buy direct from the uk then yep
any reason you want to buy locally? it'll be much cheaper to go via vograce

>>9241925
Only place I knew that did them and one I constantly see pop up. Ill have a look into vograce though!
Also supporting businesses like that are in the Uk is part of it too.

>>9241932
vograce is a chinese company but I have to say zap is good quality, I've seen their stuff before

Speaking of Fanime, I'm putting together my submission images at the moment... I remember people saying the jury tends to favor variety of fandoms, so is it a bad idea to include a lot of items from one particular fandom? I do have items for other series/original art, but this one series outweighs the rest (around 40% this fandom and 60% everything else -- possibly slightly less if I manage to finish up a few more buttons or a print before the deadline) and I'm not sure if that'll be looked upon poorly or not.

>>9241951

IIRC, people were saying that Fanime likes to have a variety of fandoms across the alley as a whole, not necessarily per artist. If that makes sense. So I don't think focusing on one fandom would be a problem unless you foresee it being a fandom everybody else is going to be doing, and Fanime doesn't want to oversaturate with that one series.

>>9241953
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks!

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What is the best thing a con has ever done for you as a vendor? Most don't do anything special, but the con I went to last weekend gave the vendors brownies and lemon cake, and gave all the attendees cookies and milk.
Another con I went to gave out small chip bags and at the end of the con, gave us all hand written letters thanking us. Both were small cons, one was new, and the other moved to a new state, so I guess they are trying to bribe us to come again next year, but it was really nice.

>>9241601
>>9241790
What this anon said. I have prints of my traditional work and have made stickers, etc. Layer masks will be your friend.

>>9241790
What do you mean about the paper/background being pure white? Yeah, for things you are isolating like chibis for keychains or something, but that doesn't matter so much for prints. A lot of traditional artists use toned paper when doing a painting. All that matters is knowing how to clean up and adjust color and tone in photoshop. Also having a decent scanner.

>>9241998
The best for me would probably have to be Otafest in Calgary. Sales were pretty abysmal but they had just changed the date of their con and moved locations so I suppose it was kinda slow. Also Alberta was on literal fire so nobody really had much money to spend. Aside from that though the venue itself was roomy and cool. There were tables full of plastic cups and cold water kegs/coolers (Idk what to call them) so you always had access to nice cold water. The staff came around every hour or two to ask how you were doing and if they could get you anything (water or even to watch your table while you ran to the bathroom, address concerns, etc). One of the staff members carried all my stuff in during setup even though I had my whole squad with me to help me carry it but he just insisted and led us directly to sign up and hauled all my stuff to my table for me. At one point I was in the line up for a Visual-kei concert and the staff brought everyone in line a cup of water and then came back around to collect cups and throw them out for us (not aa related but that was just really nice of them).

Probably doesn't compare to cookies and brownies but it was still so nice and I appreciated it so much.

I was thinking about doing a tutorial video for how to order with vograce and set up files, would anyone be interested in that?

>>9241998
I go to a few super tiny local cons, but they've all been very nice to be at since the cost is very low and I treat it as a day off to see artist friends. One of the local cons in the bay area, KinYoobi con provided a BBQ lunch to all attendees, plus the event organizer was really enthusiastic about making sure all attendees were having a good time. Another local con provided pizza and snacks for all the vendors since there wasn't a lot of food nearby. Each artist also got a small goody bag of some their school merch since it was held at a local arts school. Another small con that was put on by a local high school had student volunteers that were super eager to help me set up and tear down, I felt bad because I felt I could manage myself but I let them help carry some stuff.

>>9242032
yes please! i've tried every other charm printer and would really like to try vograce next, but file set-up is always the thing i worry about.

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I'm thinking of investing in a button maker and I'm considering in getting something different than the typical 1.25" buttons. I want something bigger but how big is too big? What's the best alternative size?

>>9242094
I'm quite tired of tiny buttons, lol
2"-3" would be fine, I think.
You can fit a lot more in there.

>>9242057
Might take me some time since I have work everyday this week but I should ideally have it up by next week for sure~

>>9242094
I think big buttons are really cool and stand out a lot! You can do more pose-wise and have actual backgrounds like a snow globe or a terrarium or something. Plus a lot of itabaggers make ship bags, so having one big piece of merch with both characters on it is really nice, or you can put characters that are often grouped together- something like the units from Ensemble Stars comes to mind. I agree with other anon saying that 2"-3" would be a good size.

>>9242032
Yes!!
I've been interested in ordering with Vograce, but I've been deterred by the idea of not knowing what I'm doing and not being able to ask questions through the language barrier.

>>9242056
I went to KinYoobi it's very first year as my very first con, I've never been back (I'm not local) but I remember staff being wonderful.

>>9242094
I do like bigger buttons, but 3" buttons are HUGE and I know it puts some people off. 2"-2.25" are probably a safer bet.

>>9241870
>>9241874
>>9241876

At $1000 you might as well get an Exhibition Booth for $1575 (last year's prices), I know a few popular artists doing split tables at that price and you get way more traffic, have AC, and power.

I'm thinking of doing that now that I didn't get a AA badge, but everyone I sort of knew/could collaborate with already got their AA table =/

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Is washi tape still a thing? There is a GO at ANNI but with foil(So it is more expensive)

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>>9242009
Sure, if you're using a non-white paper then you don't want it to be pure white. You just need to make the whites/blacks in your art are adjusted to be pure white and pure black once you scan them.

A lot of traditional artists who aren't used to moving from traditional to digital won't fix their white/black and saturation levels. Pic related, found on google and messed with it for a couple minutes.

>>9242273
I hoard washi tape so I hope it's still popular in AA's! I've seen a couple of artists with new tape designs up recently.

>>9240937
Personally I prefer doing RT + Follow to enter, especially since I do mine for reaching follower milestones. It wouldn't feel nice to have someone win that isn't even a follower, and it makes it so that I get a bunch of traction and new followers.

What place is offering to make enamel pins? Because I've been seeing them everywhere all of the sudden and I wonder if suddenly some place is offering it?

>>9242474
last thread -> ctrl + f 'enamel pin' -> success
sorry if this is rude, but it feels like this gets asked every thread.

>>9242009

>decent scanner
>poor ass student

I do understand the need for a decent scanner though(used to read up on Emperpeps scanning tutorials) hopefully the scans will be ok from what I can get out of the scanner. Photoshop I'll also need to pay for but..eh. Decided Im going to try and produce something to sell by the end of the year.

>>9242501
>paying for photoshop
ok.

>>9242515
not the anon you're replying to but i definitely think if you're regularly using photoshop in your professional/working life you should shell out for a subscription
it's hard to justify not paying $12 p/m when using the program nets me 3-4k p/m

I'm looking into catprint. But why is 11x17 way cheaper than smaller sizes? Even 4x6 is more expensive for some reason. Is it just a glitch in there price quote? I'm screaming because all my files are set to 8.5x11 when 11x17 is so much cheaper to print.

>>9242515
Adobe have said they dont care if your "very legally" using photoshop just to practise with.

However if your using it for work/making money that's where they take issue.

>>9241953
Speaking of fanime...are you allowed to put more than one product per image?

>>9242032
>>9242057
>>9242201
I'm going to add a how to set up files in the Vograce Google Doc as well later tonight if I remember.

And I'm going to start an FAQ as well.
What needs to be on it?

Here's what I'm adding so far.
>Where can I get enamel pins made?
Alibaba/Zap Creatives

>What should I charge for 11x17 prints?
Depends on what you think you're worth, average is $10-$15 with some sort of deal if you buy multiple. You can charge more if they're special (holographic or gold foil)

>I'm a traditional artist, how do I make my art work for prints/keychains/etc.
Get a good scanner, and adjust settings in photoshop so blacks are black and white are white, saturation is acceptable, etc.

>>9242522
you're likely doing something wrong with the settings

>>9242550
But all I'm doing is choosing the size and paper type? I just put one full bleed 9.5x11 light card stock matte print into the cart and it shows $12.4.

>>9242556
I wonder if this has to do with them needing to trim the paper when you print under 11x17. If their printers automatically print full bleed on 11x17 they they don't have to do any work, but if you want it smaller they have to hand cut it? You can try emailing or tweeting them for an answer i bet.

>>9242556
I've never experienced this because I use letter paper and 1 sheet of letter paper is also $12+ for 11x17 (with prices getting lower as you buy more)

>>9242558
>>9242560
It's confusing because they show .64 cents for 11x17 lol. I'll tweet them and ask. Thank you anons.

>>9242522
I think this is normal, probably having to do with what >>9242558 said.

If you have a 8.5 x 11 print, you can put two copies on one 11x17 print and just trim it yourself.

>>9242571
That is a great idea anon. Do you have something you recommend for trimming? My skills with scissors is shitty.

>>9242572
My skills with scissors is also shitty, lol. I had a friend trim it for me instead. You can invest in a paper trimmer or just use tape, ruler, and box cutter/exacto knife it. Good luck!

>>9242573
Just wanted to add, if you're doing full bleed. Don't forget to account for it. the canvas size for a FB 11x17 will add a quarter inch or something.

>>9242572
Buy a guillotine?

>>9242576
Iorc, it's 11.25x17.25, right? So that it's basically 0.125 on each of the four sides?

While we're on prints, I have a question. I forgot to account for the bleed for a print. It has a complex background and all the PS tutorials are for resizing art with plain backgrounds. How do you add bleed to a completed artwork?

>>9242528
I hope so, because that's what I'm doing.
It doesn't seem reasonable to me to do 1 product per image in any case, since that wouldn't even be enough items to fill up a table...

>>9242612
You only need an additional quarter inch, right? Have you tried Fill > Content Aware on Photoshop, yet? It fills in small gaps like that pretty well, even on photographs or designs. It probably won't be perfect, but you can go back in and fix any really bad details manually, and minor mistakes won't matter too much since most of your bleed gets cut off anyways.

>>9242634
Yes, I think only about a quarter inch. That is a great idea, anon. I've been trying to do this in SAI. I didn't even think about content aware. I'll try this!

>>9242471
I'm just doing RT to enter since it's not for a follower milestone, just general promotion. My reach isn't very strong and I'm at a loss as to how to give it more traction. I've done one on Tumblr before, but I also had a lot more followers on Tumblr so I'm wondering if that played a factor (it probably does).

>>9242201
It always surprises me to see people deterred from ordering with Vograce because they have no experience. Vograce does most of the file setup for you, so I feel like it's a lot easier through them than through Zap It for example.

>>9242094
I like 1.5" and smaller.

>>9242770
I think the language barrier is the biggest deterrent.

Has anyone ordered dakimakura from Alibaba? Are there any specific manufacturers people have had good experiences with? Guangzhou Ecai seems like the biggest game around, but I figured I'd ask here first if anyone had any opinions. Artsmoo's production costs are annoyingly high.

>work on networking with other artists who also work/aim for working in industries
>artist will either have squeaky clean stale social media accounts only used for promotion and hashtags or unprofessionally bitch about everything and everyone
>want to connect with chill and nice artists while improving own art
>limiting to just chill nice artists means not networking properly since the crazy ones are more successful and somehow keep all their followers
>can't stand being fake as fuck so the idea of chatting up, following these artists, and seeing their nonstop passive aggressive complaints seems draining
Someone teach me how to network properly because I feel like there's supposed to be a balance I'm not getting.

>>9242861
For me, the only people I successfully network with are people who end up not doing much in AA. Like, they'll do one or two tables, then kinda give up.
Basically, I can super easily talk to and stay in contact with amateur artists and crafters, but have never actually done so with someone who does it professionally. The more professional artists are very judgemental in my experience.

>>9242861
the people you wanna talk to are probably not anywhere near AA. AA is a tiny pond with a lot of big, crazy fish. (where does this idea come from that people in AA even wanna be industry professionals?)

>>9242877
>>9242885
Sorry, meant it more as a general artist post trying to network online/irl rather than AA specific. Though there are industry professionals that do attend AA (either started before or after they got into their careers). I don't mean strictly big name professionals, even artists like minor storyboard artists or concept designers who were able to get their foot in the door are what I'm looking at.

Does anyone have a bad table mate story they'd want to share?I did a con this past month and my table mate was super unprofessional , not to mention messy and rude

>>9242885

Depends on what industry you want to get into but at least in my area there's a decent number of people who do AA and also work in the anime industry (all different jobs though).

>>9242861
It's not that difficult, if you're active regardless whether it's bitchy or not, you'll get more followers.

Personally I use my accounts for lots of talking and honestly I wouldn't have had 90% of the people I talk to online these days if I never did that.

I just placed my first vograce order, I'm kinda hyped but also worried no one will buy them since I don't have an online following...

I feel like this is a common question so sorry if it is - for the links to the sample images, do fanime judges look for actual merch sample images?..like physical buttons/prints/what not

I might be thinking too far ahead & too into it but I was planning on applying for a shared table with a friend, but she's been in the AA scene for years and this is going to be my very first year tabling so I won't have pictures of any merch until ALA rolls around. I /have/ an art blog and stuff like that, but not really anything with merch like a store.

at the most, I have 2-3 prints and 1 set of DA2 buttons that my friends have been selling at their tables...

Sorry if this isn't appropriate to ask here since it's not really AA related (haven't sold at a con yet but I hope to one day!) though I'm not sure where else I would ask, but I was wondering if there was any place that allowed you to buy single quantities charms of 1 design as opposed to having to buy them in bulk? I thought it was a nice idea to be able to make custom charms for friends as presents, but unless I've overlooked something, I haven't been able to find sites that would allow me to do that, so I was wondering if anyone else knew, thank you!

>>9243116
Vograce doesn't have a minimum quantity so maybe you can ask people holding group orders if you can add in a few designs. Or you can ask for samples from Vograce though shipping is costly if you're not doing a huge batch.

I sold a $1 sticker on etsy and honestly it doesn't seem like it's worth it after fees and worth my time packing for $0.70 profit. Should I raise the price to $2 or just suck it up because that's just how it is?

>>9243331
sell them in packs/sets you silly. who buys only one sticker anyway unless it's a huge thing?

I get the feeling the competition for Fanime spots is going to be worse than ever this year, esp with AX selling out instantly.

>>9243105
I can't find the rubric from last year, since they took it down, but last year the criteria for 2D work only took into consideration the art itself, rather than what the art was on. I haven't submitted any sample images and have gotten in each juried year. You should be fine.

>>9243460

speaking of the old rubric, I really hope they changed it because the 2d guidelines seem to be applicable for print art only, but what if you do something like stickers or charms or buttons where of course you're not going to have backgrounds or compositions like a print would? It seems really stupid that you might get docked points for not having enough backgrounds or great composition when you're showing them something that doesn't have backgrounds in the first place... now I'm paranoid about showing anything but prints at all

>>9243460
Somebody kindly uploaded it to the FanimeCon Artist Alley Unofficial group on Facebook actually, although it didn't seem that helpful to me because it's essentially "Have decent technique and polish, and don't be too formulaic with your ideas".

>>9243460
Alright! Thank you

super noobish question but where can I get printing done in the uk? I only know of awesomemerchandise.com, are their other websites/places to get prints? Everywhere I look one poster is £20+ for one print.

if any of you go to the UK con thought bubble, how quickly are tables snapped up? is it a 'don't even wait a day' deal? thanks

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I'm looking for star charms like the pic on the left that have loops already cast into the plastic. I've searched on ebay/etsy with terms like pendant/charm/necklace/etc. All I can find are beads, flat metal charms, or the pastel pointy stars like the pic on the right.

Sorry if this is obvious, I've spent a dumb amount of time looking, and I have a feeling they're actually probably easy to find. Thanks for any help.

>>9243626
I know the struggle anon. Try using search words like "facted" "transparent" "color" "star beads" and then stare at the pictures until you can see where the hole is.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/40-New-Charms-Plastic-Acrylic-Clear-Star-Pendants-Mixed-15mm/201684909483?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D2%26asc%3D40293%26meid%3Ddb6dc186e1b34c5391b8929db65c90ea%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D121388208049

>>9243632
Still not a loop (why are they impossible to fucking find?), but holy shit I love you, that works just fine for me. Thanks for the keyword suggestions also!

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>>9243634

http://www.delishbeads.com/products/35mm-super-fun-inner-bead-star-plastic-charms-or-pendants?variant=337582391

I found some. Though they're charging over $3 for 6 beads. I'm going to keep looking around gor you anon and try to find something better.

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>>9243658
The same site has something closer to what you're looking for.

http://www.delishbeads.com/products/plastic-star-charms-12mm-tiny-faceted-transparent-star-plastic-or-acrylic-charms-or-pendants-200-pc-set?variant=20251820612

$3.25 for 200.

>>9243337
You'd be surprised actually lol. Most of my sticker orders are for single 2" stickers.

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>>9243661
Those seem to be out of stock atm.

The ebay shop findingscrown on ebay has these. Not quiet the same but an option.

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>>9243626
This isn't what you asked for, but it's what I found.
(I kind of relly want to see someone use these in a way that makes sense now?)
>https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/hands/2079038_32737977432.html

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>>9243677
I know what you mean. I'm thinking of ordering a lot of these. They'd be super cute with some Kingdom Hearts charms.

>>9243701
>Kingdom Hearts charms

You read my mind anon. Disney doesn't go around with CADs for Kingdom Hearts stuff right? KH2.8 hype is getting to me.

>>9243677
I feel like these might work for Mob Psycho 100 charms, considering that theres a lot of focus on hands in the series?

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>>9243918
Disney can be tricky. I've seen people selling KH's stuff in the AA. I think if you avoid the actual Disney characters like Donald and Goofy, and stick to the Square Enix side(Sora, Riku, etc...) you'll probably be okay. Though avoid online sales since Disney is way more likely to bust your ass there instead of poking around Artist Alley.

>>9243929
For Mob, yeah. I can't see it working on any of the non-psychic characters.

Also maybe Parasite? In a way?

>>9243932
Thanks, I was thinking of Sora/Riku/Kairi and Terra/Aqua/Ven charms so I should be in the clear. I'd kill for some decent Kingdom Hearts merch, kind of surprised there's not as much considering how big the fandom is.

>>9243658
I keep seeing those on aliexpress, ebay, and etsy. They look pretty big.

>>9243661
Oh these are really cute! I'll keep an eye out for a restock, thanks for searching for me.

I can dump a list charm pendants I've found if anyone wants to see more also.

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>>9243961
If you check the listing on their site they say send them an email so they can let people know when stock is back in. I found >>9243667
As an alternative. Though you're probably looking for the loop to be close by.

I'm thinking of ordering these to use with love live charms.

>>9243677
fuck I want these for my Kira charms :')

>>9243977
>Kira charms

That's actually a really good idea.

>>9243961
I'd like to see more! I'm barely starting on my charms and was wondering I should take a step further and get charm pendants too.

>>9243972
Are these supposed to be treble clefs? It looks like someone who doesn't know what a treble clef is tried to finger paint one

>>9243977
Ooh I was making Kira charms too! That's actually a cute idea, I hope you don't mind I use these too...

Please post yours when you get them, I'd love to add to my collection!

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Might anyone have any experience working with these? I was trying to decide on what glue would be best to attach the dome to the base and the necklace ring to the top of the glass (was thinking E6000 or super glue I guess?).

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>>9243972
Yea, I signed up for the restocking notification! I hope they have more soon.

>>9243973
>>9243982
Alright! Some of these are pendant loops and some are just beads. I only started this list a day or two ago, but I'll add more as I find them.

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>>9244063
And here's the really short aliexpress list I've compiled so far.

>>9244071
It says it's not a public wishlist, anon. Can't see it.

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>>9244293
Are you sure? GroupId=3108773270 I tried making it private and then public again, not sure what's up with AE.

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Where can I get custom self-inking stamps like these made?

>>9244020
E6000 works fine, done it myself

Is it better to miss the first day or the last day of a 4-day con? People usually say the last day, but I feel like the first day could be slower than the last day. Any insight on this anons?

>>9244594
I usually notice less traffic on the last day, whether it's Friday-Monday or Thursday-Sunday. There are people on the last day but they're usually scragglers looking for a deal so they expect you to offer sales and discounts.
First day has a bigger rush because people want to buy things before they get sold out.

>>9244594
In the past 3 or 4 cons I've done, the first day has been 'busy' in terms of lookers, but the last day has been my best day all weekend. Some cons also make you forfeit your table if you skip the first day or don't show up by X time, however some cons can excuse it if you e-mail them - just something to keep in mind.

>>9244594
I would think the 1st day would be better to miss. if someone is going to the con on a thursday, they will also probably be there the rest of the week too. But there are many people who work every day except sunday and are only able to come in then.

I think more people only attend on sunday than only attend on Thursday. Otherwise, the first day might be more important since you don't want people spending their money elsewhere before knowing you exist.

>>9244594
I would think that you have to show up on the first day as some cons will think you're a no show if your tables empty. Last day is usually always slow as most people have already bought everything that they want/have spent all their money. You'll get a few people but for the most part it's pretty dead.

>>9244602
This too. So many people looking for a deal on the last day.

>>9244654
>have spent all their money
I think that's changed a little bit since the introduction of square and other credit card readers though. I remember so many cons being dead on Sunday because all the atms were empty, and people's pockets were dry.
Now that everyone has a credit card reader though, and all the customers know it, I've noticed an uptick in sales and impulse buys last day.

First days are still better sales days though.

>>9244651
Is that true? Damn I was going to wait until Sunday to apply.

>>9244424
Thanks! Will use the E6000 then.

I didn't realize that even though Fanime is juried, the waitlist will be determined FCFS style by the time of the original application. Fuck!

>>9244694
yuuuuuuuup lol fanime jury is also lazy so the earlier you turn yours in, the better

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>>9243677
kira charm

What's the going rate on 2" acrylic charms? I see 1.5" for about $10, does the slight increase in size justify any increase in price? I don't want to overprice them, but I don't want to undercut anyone either.
I just ordered a handful for fun and was going to sell extras. I maximized the amount of space used on the template so I think parts of my charms will actually measure closer to 2.5" (set them up diagonally).

Just submitted my Fanime app... good luck to all of us here.
It's my first time applying there so I'm trying my best not to get my hopes up.

>>9244417
Possibly Alibaba? I searched 'custom self inking stamp' and filtered for <100 minimum order and some sellers came up.

>>9244417
getmeds . info does them on their product page. They do monthly group orders, but not all of their products are included in each GO i think?

>>9244706

there's no way to prove that though, right? how would anyone know that? that just sounds like crazy speculation

(trying to console myself because I haven't submitted yet and still have 1 more thing to finish)

>>9244746
Good luck to you as well! This is my 4th time submitting since they started running the jury system, it's been hit or miss depending on the year.

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>>9244746
>>9244750
Thanks anons!!

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Does anyone know where to get custom plushies made? I've been searching forever for where and I've seen it brought up here but I haven't seen an answer for it yet.

>>9244834
Ive heard of people doing it but I dont have experience myself. The company I think I hear the most about is shinedown (iirc??)

>>9244754
Rumor or not, we all know that fanime isn't the best when it comes to fairness or planning. So they probably don't have a system of randomizing the entries, so they'll be sorted in the order that they're submitted, and they'll be going through them as such. Based on that, I'm sure they get pretty tired by the time they reach the midway point since so many people apply.

I'm actually really curious if anyone knows who's on the jury? The rubric they give out sounds like some college handout sheet, so I wonder if the jury is just composed of art students, namely SJSU students, and not even "experienced illustrators and designers" lol.

>>9244848

Fanime official said that your time submitted has no bearing on your judging. I wanna believe the lies...

>>9244694
>>9244706
Fuck is that true? What is the point of keeping the applications open until 11/7 then? Well I'm screwed...

>>9244878
I'm pretty sure these are false claims and are what people have told themselves to feel better about not getting picked. Had a friend submit 1 hour before apps closed and still got in this year.

>>9244878
>>9244891

The waitlist is FCFS style according to their website. They say that anyone who doesn't make it in will automatically be added to the waitlist, and that the order of the waitlist will be made from the time the app was judged. You do the math.

>>9244878
They used to be first come first serve with very little weeding out. People were upset that if they weren't available for the first 30 minutes of applying, which was pretty much the window for getting a chance.

They're trying to compensate now by leaving the window open wide and allegedly jurying entries. At least the window is down to 3 days instead of the whole fucking week, which they did they first year they tried this. It made it so anyone and everyone who sells at AAs applied and that left them with thousands of applications to sort through. And by the time they got through them it was really close to con and a lot of the people they accepted had been accepted at other cons that weekend and they had to go back in to the pool.

Honestly they should only keep it open for 24 hours with the rate they judge at. Fanime is a shit show but nothing will ever change because people are still going and there's always fresh new kids attending cons these days who don't know what they're signing up for. Look at how they actually fixed registration for 3 years and then somehow fucked up and went back to their old 10 hour lines last year.

Anyone here done Anime Boston pro row? How is it compare to reg, do you get more traffic?

>>9244720
What affects charm price is
> size
> material (eg. transparent acrylic, extra epoxy, etc.)
> accessories
I think $15 usually sounds fair, though I wouldn't consider less (like $12) undercutting.

Are eevee evolution charms even worth doing? I want to make some but it feels like there's just so many out there already.

>>9244911
Wow $15? I sell my 2" opaque ones for $10 and 3" opaque ones for $12. I have no embellishments. Is this undercutting? I thought my prices were pretty average.

>>9244898
This is what I thought too, but I think they actually randomly assign numbers to the submissions and judge in that order. I woke up early to submit my app anyway just in case, because I remembered hearing the FCFS jury theory last year too. I submitted pretty late last year and got in regardless.

What number did everyone get assigned this year? (I think it's the "account number" you get in your confirmation email?)

>>9244925
I sell my 1.5" clear acrylic charms for $8. I'm planning on selling my 1.5" double sided (different drawing on either side) clear acrylic ones for at least $12.

I've seen 1.5" double sided clear charms with the same art on both sides going for $10 before, I'd say you could probably increase your prices for at least your 3" one. Clear acrylic charms are also just worth more imo.

>>9244848
I heard from someone who knows someone that most judges are not actually artist at all, they're just other normal staff. Also, the way the judging is done is each person takes a chunk of application and goes through them, so every application is not looked at by every judge. Which is why you have some talented people turned away when other less talented get in, they are being judged by different people. It sounded also like not every application is ranked since there are so many, they don't finish them all. This was the past few years though, I'm hoping they will improve the situation this year. Every application should be looked at by at least several judges, and if you don't have time to do it then why be on the judge panel?? It sounded just like luck really whether someone gets in.

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>>9244911
Material now too? A couple of threads ago, anons said that size mattered more to customers and that the general standard for 1.5" single sided was $7-8 and $10-12 for double sided regardless of material.

On a side note, I feel people are more likely to accept/justify a higher price if you package your charms nicely.

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>>9244960
Adding that this artist's local printer also packages their charms for them for a low cost. Packaging doesn't matter as much as the quality of your actual charm, but it can certainly boost it to look a lot more appealing.

>>9244960
I see clear ones priced above opaque usually. Also anon was asking for 2"-2.5". I forgot about it, but double-sided charms also tend to be viewed as worth more. Packaging goes under "accessories" for me: basically things that make it look nicer for the customers.

I personally prefer clear charms but have you guys found charms being clear or double board really mattered in terms of sales?

>>9244964
Are these lower quality charms or something? I looked them up, and the artist was only selling them for $6 which seems incredibly cheap for how many parts they have and the size.

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What do you think about different texture stickers?Like kraft or vellum? Do you think it would be worth to invest on them or people rather want the usual like vinyl or regular sticker paper? I can't find anybody online selling them but perhaps someone has seen them in conventions.

>>9244911
>>9244925

Woah yeah, original anon here and after I'd googled a few I saw 2" charms falling generally around $10. I saw some for as low as $5, which I personally thought was way too low and that the artists should be charging more for both themselves and the rest of the market. I'm assuming the really really low cost ones came from Vograce/other Taobao or Alibaba charm manfuacturers so people are still making a fair amount of profit on them so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Neway my charms are 2" (on the larger side I guess? I filled damn near all of the template, so closer 2.5" wide in some areas. Now that I think about it, 2" seems like a really weird size and I wish I had gone for smaller, oops.) and double sided clear acrylic. One has a different image on the B-side and the other doesn't (but it's still double-sided, just... the same image).
I only have a handful so it's not a huge deal, but I'd love to make enough money back to cover costs so that I can continue making them as a bit of a hobby for my smaller fandoms with no merch. I'm worried about alienating potential customers with price, but don't want put of anyone from returning if I had to raise prices in the future, I guess?

>>9244941
>>9244960
>>9244964
Thanks! I'll only be selling online so I didn't go for custom packaging, but I have bought nice little cello bags and some backing cards, so there's at least thought and care put into it.

>>9244960
>>9244964

Also holy shit those are cute, can you tell me who the artist is?

>>9244981
naoyakou storenvy

>>9244694
This was only true the first jury year

>>9244706
>>9244754
>>9244848
>>9244862
>>9244878
>>9244891
Okay i don't work for fanime or anything but i have a pretty good idea of how their system works and it's not based on time stamp at all.

Before they started jury, your account was assigned a chronological ID number, so if there were like 500 applicants, everyone's number was somethithing like 100-600, in order of creation of account.

If you ask around today, you'll notice the numbers are 5+ digits long and completely random, ranging from single to 5+ digits.

Now why change the ID assignment? IMO it's because they're assigning a random order to the accounts, so when they jury it will not correspond to time stamp at all.

Now they all go down the list giving ratings as best they can (i mean whether or not that's good enough for you is a separate matter), and tally up scores for all artists. Then they take all the scores and just generate a list going from highest to lowest, this is very easy if the rating system is just punching in numbers per rubric segment.

The first year, i think they did it like most cons where they did just go down the list and kinda go "yes or no", thats why the waitlist was random. But last year they said they went down the list generated by the score, which makes sense with how everything else seems to work.

I could be wrong, but I don't see why they would change a working ID system otherwise. It also works with the fact that if you have google analytics you can see them visiting your links via a fanime app, so the judges are probably viewing via their system and selecting numbers as they go down.

>>9243130
Late reply but thank you! I'm looking into it.

>>9245054
No problem! I did the same a few months ago due to friends being nice enough to let me piggyback on their order. Just be careful for the upcoming winter rush orders, Vograce is probably going to be swamped soon.

>>9244960

Packaging really only matters with prices if the customer can see that they're packaged though. I still package all mine even though I just display them on a corkboard outside the packaging. I like that the packaging is a cute surprise when someone buys the charm.

I've been told I'm underselling but my charms are $8 or 2/$12. They're 2" double sided, feature 2 characters, and are packaged. Maybe my art just isn't that good but they sell at this price and haven't really sold much at higher prices. They're just Vograce, too, so my profit margins are fine and I don't feel like charging $15 for a fanart charm even if it could sell at that price. I feel like a lot of artists charge more because their cogs are high from buying from more expensive vendors.

>>9245083
If only I thought of this idea earlier or I knew anyone I could piggyback off of.....but even if I'm not able to get when i want to it should be ok!

Also has anyone bought the rubber keychains in this thread? It's a bit tempting since it feels like it might last longer compared to an acrylic one but I'm not sure.

So I finished filming that Vograce tutorial and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for an editing program that's free for windows? I just need to block out some information like email addresses and stuff and youtube's blur feature is garbage.

>>9245520
GIMP, FireAlpaca, Paint

>>9245568
I should have clarified that I needed it to edit videos. Since I'm scrolling through various emails and stuff to pull out example files and dont wanna toss out my email and stuff

>>9245225
>2/$12

What the hell anon? This is way undercharging. My AA friends charge $10-12 per charm and they all use Vograce.

I got distracted and applied for anime boston after 19 minutes they opened apps. How screwed am i? I picked a 3 ft table so I'm hoping that I still have a chance. Did anyone else apply?

>>9245717

Sorry to say it, but prob. pretty screwed? Tables are usually all taken up just by people who got their apps in the first 1-2 minutes.

>>9245520
Ahhh I'm really excited to see this! I did a little googling and maybe http://filmora.wondershare.com/video-editing-tips/blur-face.html will work? I can't really tell how free it actually is.

>>9245766
It's not free, it'll let you export the video but it places a giant red watermark in the center of the entire video.

>>9245770
Oh no, my mistake. Anyway, this looks a little more promising: http://lifehacker.com/5474789/how-to-blur-out-faces-and-other-portions-of-video

>>9245717

scratch that, they just posted on their FB that they had over 600 applicants within the first minute. WHY THE FUCK ISN'T THIS CON SWITCHING TO LOTTERY if they don't want to spend time/resources doing a jury? It already is a lotto system now with their website randomly crashing and destroying your application submissions.

>>9245802
This is the first year they've have problems this severe, why the fuck would the switch to lottery if there was no reason to previously. Also lottery blows, only scrubs want lottery.

>>9245854
>only scrubs want lottery
Cry more. Give other people a turn.

Wait if AB is fcfs, I don't understand why they do things in waves? Why don't they just set it up so people can buy their tables during applications? Isn't it pointless to leave applications up after the first hour?

>>9245872
Aren't you the one crying first that you can't get a turn because you don't care enough to be on time?

>>9245854
HAH. I'd prefer a juried system but they already said there's no way they'd switch to that, so no, lottery is better than FCFS when the FCFS is horribly broken.

I gave up and just cut out the section where I show you how to email them and how to do a Jpeg guide if they ask for one. So this video just has me rambling a bit and shows how to format the files without photoshop (no CYMK). I'm totes open to suggestions on how to make better tutorials or even if anyone else wanted a tutorial on something else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QU1uUIQYufw&feature=youtu.be

>>9245766
Ahh Thank you but yea, a big watermark would make it really annoying for anyone watching the video. Thanks for trying. I'll keep searching. I used to use Sony Vegas but that was years ago on a computer long gone. One day I'll find something comparable I hope.

>>9245947
Thanks, that's pretty useful! I didn't know that Vograce did as much as the file setup as they apparently do, so I figured you'd have to include a cut layer. I also didn't know that the cuthole could extend from part of the file itself , I thought it all had to be contained in the template (does that make sense? I've been reading academic papers and my brain is jello rn). Do you know if that's a Vograce only thing?

What were your time stamps for AB? Mine was 1:17. I'm definitely out of luck lol.

>>9246015
Vicky might have fixed it for me but I'm not sure. That is the exact file I sent her and my charm came out okay but I probably wouldn't risk it if you do notice that it's outside a little bit. Better to size it down a few mm then have a weird edge.

I've never done orders with any other other company so I can't tell you if that would work for other places. They might charge you to fix it or something.

>>9245947
Nice tutorial, and your charm is cute! Approx. how long did it take for them to ship the charms after you sent the final file?

>>9246066
Roughly 1.5 days to discuss details and to check over the files, then 2-4 days to produce all my charms and shipping was somewhere between 3-5 business days. Overall I got it within like a week and a half.

>>9246076
I should mention that I took DHL which was the most expensive option but it was also the fastest. If you're a Canadian then you'll be paying out the ass in customs fees with DHL.

>>9246076
Thanks, it's been 2 days since I've heard from Coco after confirming the files so I got a bit worried, glad to know that's normal.

Just a question for anons who sell both stickers and buttons! Which do you sell more of, especially online? I'm trying to figure out which I want to invest in first. Thank you!

>>9246059
Oh ok! I just did some for acorn and made sure that everything fit within the template, which I assumed would have to happen no matter what. I'll just stick to doing that, regardless of who I order with. I wanna try Vograce out of sheer curiosity.
What type of shipping did you get, btw. EMS?

>>9246080
They don't answer on weekends if that helps.

>>9245937
I prefer jury to lottery, but them messing up once doesn't mean fcfs is broken forever. It's not a choice between broken fcfs and lottery, this is the first year it broke like this so next year they could very well fix it.

>>9246089
Stickers

>>9246089
Buttons

For double sided charms, would I be losing out on profit if I put a different character on each side? The pairing is popular but wasn't sure if it'd be better if I made separate charms for both guys.

>>9247099
is the silhouette similar enough that it won't have awkward posing ...? i personally wouldn't mind buying a two character charm, even though i'm not into shipping at all, as long as it wasn't blatantly a pairing-only charm (like each of them are holding one half of a heart or some shit like that)

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>>9247099
Put them both together on each side. If the pairing is popular then why not?

>>9246059
Diff anon, just wondering if you can place your own cutline for Vograce if you're picky about the shape of it, or is it all hands off?

>>9246043

1:10, which means I am somewhere in that nebulous first minute of 600 applicants. Sooo like a 25% chance I made it. Fug

>>9247142
The overlay should be fine - they have similar poses and the hair styles aren't outrageous. That's good to know, I didn't want to turn off potential buyers and didn't make it super shippy.

>>9247167
I didn't want to have it be too wide and it just looked better design-wise if they were on opposite sides. And it's a fairly new series and I just thought the concept would be a cute idea rather than creating it with the purpose of it being shippy. I think I'd put two characters on the same side if it was a more established series though thank you for the suggestion.

Anyone get any luck hearing back from Magfest? I hear some spotty acceptances and waitlists here and there, but most folks I know are in the dark about any sort of email, rejection, waitlist, or not.

>>9247507
I got an acceptance email around 4 PM PST. It was my first time applying so I'm pretty stoked.

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Does anyone have experience getting tights made? I'm considering starting a line of kimono inspired tights.

>>9247565
I have no idea about getting tights made but these are gorgeous and I want to buy the shit out of them

>>9247565
Most artists I know get them done through the artsmoo, so there's a lead.

I don't wear tights myself but these are so my aesthetic

>>9247589
This is just what I'm looking for. Thanks anon.

d/ic/k here, crawling my way across the boards. shout me out if this question is too off topic

from what i've read of this thread, you should have a fair amount of cash to get involved in an AA -- y'all get that through commissions? should you have a fanbase and know there's a demand for your work in fandom circles before you table? what tips apply to tabling as well as commissioning?

thanks

>>9247623
I just saved up before starting. I'm pretty much an unknown on the internet, but I do pretty well at cons, I think people just like my art style in general but I haven't gone like 'viral' or anything, so having a pre-existing fanbase is not required.

Other tips are mostly just common sense, so just research and lurk a lot before diving in. I did that before doing my first year of cons, and apparently my profit margin was marketedly higher that newbies who jumped into it without having a clue about what they're doing. Take that as you will.

>>9247641
Not the same anon but what would you say is the usual profit margin for newbies?

>>9247659
Based on the 2015 Artist Alley Survey Statistics compiled here: http://kiriska.com/blog/2016/05/2015-artist-alley-survey-results/#more-6855

The average seems to range from $500-$900. Which seems relatively accurate as my friend who also started cons at the same time as me was pulling in that much.

>>9247659
Not that anon, but for your first con? Nothing. You have to make BACK everything you spent on supplies, display, merch, travel, table, etc. So don't expect to make anything beyond that if you can even break even. Some people will make profit yeah, but don't go in expecting it.

>>9247667
it's true, but it's still possible to do okay if you operate smartly and not make rookie mistakes like making 50 copies of a print or whatever.

However, even if you did everything right, there could be other things that could go wrong that could affect your sales like table placements and etc. so go in with neutral to low expectations.

What kind of sticker sheets do anons use? Shipping labels? Vinyl? I remember vaguely anons mentioning LD stick sheets. I'm also considering getting sheets from Online Labels.

>>9247671
or you just have a shit product.

>>9248377
Using 4chan or trusted friends for criticism helps with that

I feel bad for the artists who learn their work is shit the hard/expensive way

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>>9248361
I use LD sticker sheets. You can find it on Amazon as "LD © Glossy Inkjet Photo Sticker Paper (8.5X11) 100 pack" for like $19 with Prime.

It says glossy but it looks semi-gloss to me, I tried taking a picture for you. It's definitely not matte. The quality is pretty nice imo.

>>9248446
I second LD paper, it's what I use too.
(Anon do you have a shop link? I need more ACNL things)

>>9248448
I have an old storenvy with crappy shrink film charms from when I first started. My storenvy is lokiroki. If you're interested in the stickers, I can throw in one or two with a charm order.

Side question: Do you think with the welcome amiibo update animal crossing stuff will get more popular in AA again?

>>9248456
Shit you're the one with the cute ass overwatch charms! Please tell me you'll be at AX.
I seriously hope so, my stickers weren't selling amazingly before but I've always wanted to make more. Ketchup is also one of my favorite villagers so I'm simply ecstatic they brought her back in the update.

>>9248518
Aw thanks! I'm actually waiting on Vograce for some of the normal ow charm samples actually.

And I'm on the east coast so no AX for me, sorry. Good villager taste though, I'm probably going to make more sticker sets in the future. I hope more people do animal crossing stuff, if the art is good I almost always buy it.

>>9248361
The only thing about LD is that they randomly yellow. I think they have occasionally bad batches. I've been trying to look for alternatives. Can I get a hint anons?

>>9248446
>>9248448
I remember a past anon mentioning spraying a top coat for LD stickers which concern me about the product quality without topcoat.

Just applied for fanime for the first time. I hope they go through apps in a timely manner.

>>9248878
>fanime
>timely
*laughing*

>>9248861
I've seen mixed reviews regarding the quality so I've been looking for another alternative

>>9248861
>>9249147
I mean in the end it's still cheap ass photo paper, it's not going to be weather proof or scratch proof in the slightest. But what are you willing to spend? $1-2 a sheet for nice vinyl paper? (If so, papilio makes the best consumer vinyl sticker paper) But most people here are really stingy/cheap so yea, LD is the best just like vograce is around these parts. You aren't going to get any other answers unless you quantify what quality is to you and how much you are willing to spend.

>>9249203
I can't remember which vinyl papers I bought from Papilio but some if their vinyl yellows too. LD is so cheap but you never know if you'll be getting a bad batch. I wish there was a good alernative but there doesn't seem to be one unless you're willing to pay more for quality paper.

>>9248878
>>9248943
How long did they say they were aiming for this time? Iirc I think they said they were going to try to be more speedy this time.

the fuck is wrong with this girl

https://twitter.com/skimlines/status/795730901619638273

tl;dr guys only Asian-Americans "deserve" to be in AA. White people shouldn't be allowed in because AAs are too competitive now, so Asians should be the real champions of anime convention AAs (even if they aren't Japanese, just Asian in general)

Shit, I've seen her at conventions before, too, and had no idea she was this insane.

>>9249251
Just another racist. Move along.

>>9249261
This. No point in reasoning with the unreasonable.

>>9249251
>>9249251
I see she's still going on about this, I remember she posted something similar in one of the artist alley fb groups I was in and everyone was like nah get out of here. It might be because she's from the East Coast and tried this at a group for a con in California, and AA make up most of the alleys anyways.

Then again I'm AA and really as long as it's good art I couldn't care less about your ethnicity.

>>9249251
>https://twitter.com/skimlines/status/796022965397757953
Honestly, what is this logic backflip?

>>9249251
omg, she just went full triggered, this is amazing.

>>9249319
>https://twitter.com/skimlines/status/796022965397757953

I am fucking rolling over here, thank you for the laughs. This is pure insanity.

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Is vector art still a pretty popular style? I'm quite good with illustrator, but my drawskills in photoshop (I don't have SAI) is a bit wanting. But for printing things like shirts, tights, bags, buttons, etc. would vector art be the best way to go? Pic is not my art, just vector.

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>Whites shouldn't be allowed in AA
>no one is preventing whites from getting a job

AA IS my job, how does she sit trying to get white people out of AA, then say no one is trying to limit white people from jobs?

>>9249251
Does her craziness know no bounds?

>>9249380

the only thing that would make this more complete would be if she added that men should also be banned from the AA for oppressing her and her chances, so AA should strictly be for Asian females.

>>9249251
Are there really people out there this entitled?

>>9249361
Jesus what a racist little brat. Yeah... lets toyally make the AA, Asians only even though anime conventions have a wide variety of attendants.

>>9249361
I was reading through her tweets about this whole bullshit and said to one person that she "knows so many asian girls who had breakdowns this past weekend because they didn't get into Anime Boston and that they NEED that convention!" and I may be wrong in this since I'm not American, but isn't AB first come first served..?

She's whining about how asians are apparently being ~locked out~ of tabling at conventions as if it's because they ARE asian, when in reality, it's more because they just weren't fast enough.

>>9249416

AB is FCFS, so she is being a moron.


Also, I mostly do cons on the west coast, and as a white dude I AM IN THE MINORITY. All the AAs here are majority Asian girls. So I don't know what the fuck she's going on about how whites are keeping Asians out. How is that possible when most of the people in the AA are Asian in the first place?

>>9249416
Well that's funny cause if she's saying that then doesn't it become less about having a space for Asian artists to gather and more about making money like she said whitey only does it for?

>>9249361
Sounds like someone's mad no one gives a shit about her mediocre art.

>>9249445
Also sage for double post but by her logic she shouldn't be at these conventions either. She's Korean, these are "Japanese" conventions

>>9249251
I'm Asian American and it kind of sounds like this is a reaction to discrimination/hardships she has faced in the U.S. due to being Asian (which I do empathize with), but the idea of blindly banning non-Asian artists is silly to me because it's not really addressing the root issue which is much bigger than anime conventions that a tiny fraction of the population attends. I can't say there aren't attitudes among anime fans towards Asia/Asians that make me raise my eyebrow but a ban like that would not help make those attitudes go away. Not to mention it'd be a practical/logistical nightmare.

>>9249432
Seems like she wants everything about cons to be Asian. Con staff, con attendees, AA artists, etc.

>>9249445
Yeah that's how I see it. Asians can have shitty art. Sorry some white people have nicer art than you? If it's a juried panel.
FCFS, sorry the whites are faster.

>>9249445
Her art is garbage.
How has this girl not been banned from any con artist alley yet? A lot of heads are white and do artist alley. Surely they must see this shit when they look her up.

>>9249355
are you saying you don't draw your own pieces, just vector others' and put them together?

>>9249485
No, I'm just saying the image used in the post was not an example of my art and just an image I found on googles to display what I was describing.

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>>9249251
She has such a weird case of confirmation bias. She's going as far as to ignore other asian americans who are saying she's being racist.

>>9249452
I can understand ranting about discrimination in general in the US because that's an actual problem. To complain that white artists are stealing AA tables unfairly from asian artists on the east coast is ridiculous. Being a certain race doesn't give you the right to a table anymore than any other person.

It's incredibly convenient that she's saying Asian American instead of Japanese (you know, where anime originally comes from) so that she can lump herself into it even though she's Korean American.

>>9249355
I think it can work, just try to do something a little more creative than your pic related, since that's such an easy/common take on vectors.

>>9249452
>>9249520
I'm As-Am too and sometimes she has good points about Anti-Asian racism in the US but the Artist Alley stuff is bullshit. She's blindly grouping all East Asians together which perpetuates the Asian monolith myth and is harmful in itself. I think I also remember reading a post from her saying that Korean actresses could play Mulan in the upcoming Disney movie because Koreans are of the same Han ethnicity so it's not racist.

>>9249561
I'm an immigrant from China and I find it funny how much Asian Americans immediately jump on SJW advocacy when most of the time, natives could not care less about what a sheltered American kid rants about on social media. Don't speak for people who you have very little relations with.

>specifically ask coco for pictures of the charms before she sends them
>a few days later don't get any pictures, just a shipping notice

Well, never mind then. Hopefully they look okay.

>>9249568
I'm also an immigrant. Arguing that Asian Americans are less Asian and thus don't get a say in representation is not a great argument. However, this discussion doesn't really belong in an Artist Alley thread.

>>9249561
She's really misguided.
She's trying so hard to tackle Asian discrimination in the US and while that is a major issue, she's doing it in all the wrong ways, piggybacking off of nationalities that aren't hers for convenience, etc.

It's just kind of sad.

>>9249496
oh okay! i was slightly confused due to the file name looking like a a personal file name

>>9249251
this 30 year old nutjob is still going huh

>>9249447
there is no logic. she's spouting bullshit to try and justify her whining about not getting picked for AA's like a child.

>>9249251
Didn't she have a thread on lolcow?

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>>9249672
Yes, and if we could stop shitting up cgl with this crap and keep it to lolcow that would be a++++

She is not and will never be relevant to discussion here.

>>9249572
They did the same to me.

>>9249572

I've ordered from Vograce several times and it just seems like they have so many orders now, whatever the "full process" is doesn't really get followed. I know I ordered from them back when they were new and I always got pics and outlines. Now it's not so sure but I haven't had any huge issues with the quality?

Sadly this is pretty common, anon.

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So I went to JoAnns and they're having their Veterans day sale. A bunch of the jewelry making stuff is on sale. Packaged beads are 60% off and the strung beads are 70% off. I picked up a couple things. The winged hearts are metal. With tax I paid less the $1.50 each. They also have a 60% coupon out. Not dirt cheap but might be worth checking out.

>>9251355
those aren't very cute

>>9251355
Cheap looking.

>fall asleep cause I got sick mid AA and needed a break.

>wake up to find a note scolding me for falling asleep.

ayyy.

>answer question on AANI with a '?' at the end
>SO FUCKING RUDE

Does anyone have alot of experience with shrink plastic? Or any old tutorials?

>>9251427
oh my god aren't you that guy at fanime who fell asleep but didn't even bothering to sleep out of view? it's kinda sad that it was slow enough for you to fall asleep in the first place, but even more shitty considering how many artists wanted a table there and you slept through the con

>>9251515
shrinky dink type plastic or shrink film for packaging?

>>9251535
Shrinky dink type stuff!

>>9251538
save money buy buying graphix and not name brand shrinky dink. expect to lose some product from rolling that doesn't unstick. test your oven temp, it's better to add time and heat slower than it is to rush it by going hotter.

be warned it's just a very time intensive thing over all. the time it takes to print, cut, seal (if you want it to have any chance of being water proof, you need to seal) is almost the same as lamination charms.

>>9247589
I would actually advise against artsmoo if quality is important to you- I got a pair printed with them for cosplay purposes and it started to come apart at the seams my first time wearing it.

Is artsmoo good for bulk ordering calendars? I'm just curious if there are any printing sites that would be reliable for 100 or so, and they have a lot of customization options.

>>9251910
Yeah I'm just going to use them for prototyping purposes since it's too expensive to get just a few pieces done by a local place.

Oh boy I can't even handle how much of a dumbass I am right now

Commissioned an artist at an AA the weekend before last, it was a digital art commission so she took my email and said it would be done and sent to me by the next weekend. I grabbed her business card in case I needed to contact her. By now I still haven't heard anything so I thought I'd just send a message to check in.... WOAH GUESS WHO LOST THAT FUCKIN BUSINESS CARD

I can't remember her name and going through the list of people who were there nothing is jumping out at me so I'm gonna have to google all these people and hope I recognise the style

Dear artists if someone commissioned you and you're gonna take longer than you said please just drop them a quick "yo sorry still workin on it" just in case your customer is a stupid fuck like me

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>>9251355
I have the star version of those and they're really cheap. The wing hearts are okay but seem like hte kind that will get cheap metal smell over time.

Superior glasswork mushrooms are the shit though.

>>9252035
anal beads

Does anyone know of a place that does custom iPhone diary cases? Especially ones that would do a single order.

What's up with Sakuracon this year? They usually have everything announced in October with the hellish free-for-all in a week or two, but their AA page is still a "coming soon" with no sign of an update.

Anyone else cringe seeing that trump toast on AANI

>>9251427
>pay full price for a table at a con that brings in 1k easy
>don't even break even because your art sucks

ayyy.

>>9252741
That raccoon is too cute

>>9252313
Artzkao

Why do some artists keep their business card behind their table? Its not like they cost much, 5 cents at most.

>>9253435
i do it sometimes if i'm running low. I used to do it because I had two kinds of business cards - cool fancy ones for other artists/actual clients and then cheapo ones for randoms.

>>9252741
yeeeep. Of all the things to 'kawaii food'-ify....

>>9252741
Yepppp. Part of me wants to know: who is this for? Who do they think is going to buy this...? The other part of me... does not want to know.

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Question about credit card readers! !

I am mostly just selling my own artwork at artist alley, so when registering with a reader, like SquareUp what kind of business or service am I considered?
What did you guys put??
Casual Use for Events/Festivals? Or Professional/Design???

I could just say fuck it and be cash only but last time I had a table, I missed out on a handful of customers because I didn't take credit.

What do I do???

>>9253696
the fucked up part is that they arent for the guy so im assuming theyre making it for ppl that hate him like they'd even buy it. I feel like his supporters would be the ones buying it.

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>>9253727
These are the choices by the way

>>9252741
I'd have been okay with it if proceeds went to the ACLU or something, but as it is it's just cashing up there with cashing in on a disaster. Gross

>>9253435
They're not expensive but they have a weight. I usually give cards out freely but lately on the last days i start to run low so i reserve them only for customers and people who ask. I frankly don't want to have to bring 1000+ cards when i know most of you guys don't take a second look later.

>>9253727
I don't think it matters. Just go for casual use if you won't be using it every single day.

>>9253435
it's extra weight to bring, I know I usually go thru 500-600 per convention when I had it out but now I go thru about 50 when I have it in the back. also 5 cents each adds up

>>9254160
>I know I usually go thru 500-600 per convention when I had it out
Are you serious? I bought 500 cards and went to 7 conventions and still had several cards left over with my old design.

>>9254184
I personally go through about 300-500 per con when they are placed on the table.

>>9254184
>>9254248

I'm >>9253841 and yea, can easily go through 500 if i just left them out the entire weekend + include one in each purchase bag

new thread >>9254267

>>9253429

I looked and they don't seem to be diary style, thank you though.

>>9254268
ignore this post
Please follow this new thread instead
>>9254336