Artist Alley General

Can someone tell me the sauce of the downfall of acrylic keychains from being sold in AA? I recalled tidbits from last year but this past year my local AA called a meeting of artist one night during closing hours (a rarity to see the head AA ppl themselves) to bring up updates and even brought up the acrylic keychains as a mass produced item that is prohibited unless you sell them on the more pricier vendor table among other things.

>>9563910
Industry views it as competition with their own shitty tier charms they markup the hell out of, even though they barely ship any outside of Nippon.

>>9563912
Get over yourself. You're making money off of someone else's IP. Be thankful that they let you make money off of it for as long as they did. It sucks, but at least we still have prints. Make generic cute charms that aren't associated with anything if you still want to sell charms. That's what I ended up doing (food, cute horoscope girls/boys, cute animals, etc.). People still buy that stuff.

>>9563931
Although enamel pins seems to be under the radar afaik lol.

>>9563944
I think that's because enamel pins stopped being a THING for official merchandise back in the early 2000s. I have some Chobits enamel pins, but I don't really think I've seen any other than that (other than for ~fancy~ series like Black Butler). It's not directly competing with anything. Rubber straps and acrylic charms absolutely are, though.

>>9563910
your wording is extremely strange but I guess what you're trying to say is

"When did cons start cracking down on acrylic keychains in the AA?"

>>9563910
I've honestly seen it start with comic book conventions and spread out to a few anime cons. Most of the big anime cons I know (AX, Fanime, ACen, A-Kon, etc) don't care about acrylic keychains. It's the big comic book conventions that like to ban them (ECCC, WonderCon, NYCC, all the Wizard Worlds). And it makes sense in the case of comic cons because they want to keep their alleys 2D only to favor actual comic creators and people who either work in the industry or self-publish.

>>9563931
Making prints isn't somehow ~better than making charms~ when you consider the legality of it. They're both grey market goods. If a company wanted to send a C&D, you'd still be culpable.

>>9563970
This isn't necessarily true though? I own official Boku no Hero Academia enamel pins and that's a fairly recent IP. I also used to work for a company that made official licensed anime goods and enamel pins were actually a sizable part of what they produced. Even disregarding official enamel pins, you could argue that fan-made enamel pins are directly competing with official can badges. The deluge of fan-made enamel pins are only a recent trend so I'm sure if some cons want to crack down on them, it'll happen eventually once it gets to be on their radar.

>>9563970
I understand Japanese IPs cracking down since they make their own acrylic products but I guess I don't understand western companies who don't even offer these types of products cracking down on it? Or are western IP holders as a whole not worried about this as an issue yet?

>>9564000

If it's an anime licensor in the US often they have to crack down on behalf of the Japanese licensor or are doing so proactively. See any Funimation takedown ever.

Acrylics haven't caught on for Western licensed anime merch yet, though, and I'm not sure why because they've certainly gotten popular in Japan. Western merch though depends on the art that the licensors provide for merchandise so it could just be a limitation of artwork. Often Western merch relies on magazine illustrations rather than merchandise illustrations or direct reproductions of Japanese merch. So you're less likely to see the type of art that would go on an acrylic in the first place.

>>9564000
>but I guess I don't understand western companies who don't even offer these types of products cracking down on it?
Well shit, retard. You're making money off of their idea. I wonder why they don't like that! Fan merch is a grey area legally, like >>9563998 said. The second the rights holder tells you to stop, you stop.

this is the first I've heard of cons cracking down on acrylic charms and it makes sense I'm not gonna argue but

>I just want to buy my fav artists charms because the art is cute and its of my fav chara ;_;

Some rubber straps and charms from licensed series are sometimes... not cute (if any at all) so I'm super thankful for the variety in art styles AA has charm wise, even the rarer ones

>>9564018
I wouldn't worry about it too much, anon. Most anime cons I attend haven't started cracking down on them at all. The only ones I can recall off the top of my head are KawaiiKon and Anime North.

>>9564012
I can't speak for all US licensors, but the place I worked at just preferred making rubber/PVC keychains instead of acrylic ones. It wasn't a matter of them not getting artwork that was suited to acrylic keychains. My boss thought that the perceived value of rubber keychains was higher than acrylics since rubber keychains aren't prone to snapping like acrylics.

I know another thing that might be stopping a lot of US licensors is their contracts w/ the Japanese IP holders. The company I was at had to renegotiate contracts every now and then to include certain types of merchandise in the list of things they can legally produce so if acrylics aren't covered under their contract, they can't produce merch for it. It's also possible that Japanese licensors don't want competing products and thus haven't granted U.S. licensors the right to make acrylic goods. This is all just speculation though.

>>9564046

My guess would be more towards competing products. A lot of what Western companies make is very different than what you get in Japan even if just in terms of the art that gets used on a clearfile or notebook. There's really nothing to be gained fully replicating Japanese merch when you can just make different merch that will still sell here. I think the demographics can be different here, too, in terms of both buyers and where these things get sold. People who buy Western anime merch aren't exactly your hardcore itabagging crowd and vice versa. A lot of what's made now for Japanese release seems targeted specifically at itabagging. There's just way more merch now in general, overall, too.

Is anyone else bothered when they see enamel pin designs and the person just wrote out the text and didn't bother to even pick a font. I keep seeing really shitty text on pins and if you're going to spend the money to make a pin, why would you ruin it with your terrible ass handwriting?!

>>9564192
I think people see that artistic scribble style (I'll try to find pics if you're not quite sure what I mean) and think that THEY can do it, too. It's a lot like when a supermodel wears fashionably sloppy clothing and some not so supermodel looking person tries to imitate it and it looks horrible.

>>9564192
I kinda want to see an example of what you're talking about, just curious

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>>9564199

Stuff like this. I don't expect people to be graphic designers I've just never got why people would write it out instead of using a font.

>>9564195

No, I know what you mean. There's so many faux hand lettering fonts, especially for scripts, though.

>>9564192
I think it's alright when the artist themselves have clean handwriting or actually know how to do lettering.

This >>9564200 is atrocious though.

>>9563944
I've noticed most enamel pins are original art. It may be because of MOQ or manufacturing costs and getting your products pulled because they're fanart would suck with so much stock.

>>9564205
idfk, i've seen a shit ton of fanart pins. There's like 6 different Lion (from Steven Universe) pins.
There's a bunch of Overwatch ones too (not to mention persona, bnha, pokemon, sailor moon, yoi ....and so on). The fact that it's a permanent mold and a high moq (mass production, even) doesn't really deter people from getting in on that sweet fan cash

>>9564205
None of the US enamel pin manufacturers (that I know of) will allow you to do fanart either. Alibaba, of course, does not give a shit, but the US enamel pin manufacturers are mainly focused on indie artists. I hate to use this term, but like REAL artists, not people who sell shiny anime art at conventions. They don't let you make enamel pins unless it's original.

I made merch of tokyo ghoul re (basically tokyo ghoul 2) and i had no idea that funi had the rights to the anime tokyo ghoul. They told me to take some of my merch down. Now, i understand they have the license for the anime, but i'm puzzled because tokyo ghoul re was never turned into anime and i'm sure they don't have the license for the manga. Do you think it's worth emailing them and argue my points? Or should i just sneak them online after a few months? If I do that and if they find out that I re-uploaded, can i get into trouble for real this time?

>>9564227
You're wrong though? People in the Disney fantasy pin trading game have been using US manufacturers for a while. Not the mention "US pin manufacturers" are all just middlemen for Chinese companies. FDA regulations prevent enamel pins from being produced in the US. Most US pin companies cater to clubs and local sports teams... the indie artist boom is a recent thing.

>>9564236
>FDA regulations prevent enamel pins from being produced in the US.
There you have it, folks. Anyone who hasn't been going to Alibaba this whole time has been getting cucked.

>>9564236
>FDA regulations prevent enamel pins from being produced in the US.

Do you have a source for this?

>>9564267
Word of mouth from a rather large enamel pin group. Which I guess should be taken with a grain of salt. It's more likely that the US has stricter regulations re: the chemicals used in the process which is why most US based companies outsource to China and mark up instead of trying to do manufacturing directly in the US. It's just too costly to do the safety testing/etc in the US vs China.

A lot of companies that advertise as being US-based have been debunked as middlemen though. That at the very least is provable fact. Going direct is always faster and cheaper than going through a US manufacturer because you're skipping over the middleman. The only time going to a US manu makes sense is if you're worried about the language barrier.

>>9564282
uh-oh got a bad feeling about this... I can think of one thing when outsourcing something to china with the high competition to make it cheaper cheaper and cheaper when it involves metals and paint..probability of high lead content.

>>9564297
I mean even if you went with a US pin company you'be getting pins made in China anyway since they're all middlemen.

>>9564297

I agree about being worried... Like if there was a significant break of info about hazardous manufacturing processes, it could kill the entire enamel pin business. I can't imagine the end product is overall toxic because Disney sells a billion enamel pins? But all normies have to hear is that there might be poison involved and they'll just stop buying them.

>>9564232
Dude, just don't do it at all. Arguing that tokyo ghoul Re: wasn't turned into an anime doesn't make it separate from the tokyo ghoul overall franchise. You can try to sneak the merch after a few months, but then you're already on Funimation's radar. You risk further legal action and honestly, is it worth it?

>>9564416
I saw a post where people were saying they re-upload without tags after a month. I suppose it isn't worth it but it's my biggest seller, so it's a shame.

>>9564301
>>9564282
MetroPins has a facility in the US which does limited types of things if you ask for it specifically. It's expensive but the quality is good. I used them for a political pin I did since it seemed weird to do a us politics pin on China

>>9564046
I thought last thread someone said AX is no longer going to allow certain goods in AA such as fan keychains and pouches and such?

>>9564416
Are there certain companies that are more likely to go for the takedown? I know marvel can be a bitch at bigger cons, but could you get by at smaller ones? And what about online?

I'm new to the artist alley experience and want to become a shameless freeloader on the IP of others as well

Here I was concern that china was gonna steal artist enamel pin designs when it was happening in our own backyard.

http://www.courthousenews.com/knock-off-enamel-pins-send-artists-to-court/

>>9564604
Here's a spreadsheet with some of the IP takedowns.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1696MDhNPhrZ0ySZhXkoJnGxb7l1OjW4JsVhu1wKvaWE

>>9564604
If a company can find your stuff with a simple google search and see it sold online then you have a problem, if you just sell in person at small cons they'll never know.

How long does it take for people to forget about something embarrassing or bad? Like for example....pissing off a group of people by pricing all your prints at $5?
Or...let's say some drunk people made fun of your art in the AA and you literally started crying in the middle of the con because you're a baby and while a few people were nice and tried to help you, most of the other artists thought it was funny and posted about you/your art online and it blew up for about a week.
Do people ever actually forget? I read somewhere it takes 6 months, but is it easy to remember something like that...

>>9564662
This is really helpful as someone who's been considering opening a shop but wants to try to avoid takedowns. Thank you!

Also, in you guys' experience, how strict is Funi online if no names or characters are mentioned? Most of the shows I make art of are Funi.

>>9564551
Fearmongering. The specific clause they pointed out has been in the AX contract since I first started tabling at AX in 2010. They just don't want you wholesale ripping off existing official merchandise and are covering their asses just in case an IP holder decided to sue.

>>9564675
People have the attention span of gnats. As a group no one remembers anything beyond 3-6 months.

On the individual level, that'll vary wildly. I know I have running lists of people to avoid for table placement questionnaires just because I don't need that type of drama in my life.

>>9564683
So what, it's only the images of characters?

>>9564662
>>9564674
Thanks. Are they likely to file a C/D or just go through the marketplace for a takedown ? I don't want to end up on a shit list for selling at a con

>>9564675
>Or...let's say some drunk people made fun of your art in the AA and you literally started crying in the middle of the con because you're a baby and while a few people were nice and tried to help you, most of the other artists thought it was funny and posted about you/your art online and it blew up for about a week.
Aw, did that actually happen to you? That's really fucked up. Hope you feel better about it now, anon.

But yeah, people forget. There is SOOO much good drama in the art community. Unless someone was personally involved in something, they'll forget.

For example, I remember Feverworm's deviantArt days. That piece of shit was telling everyone that they were copying her style. I'd never even heard of this fucker until they made a big stink on one of my drawings.

Feverworm, if you are reading this, you are a piece of shit and your drawings are stiff as hell.

>>9564675
>most of the other artists thought it was funny and posted about you/your art online
Who the fuck did this so I know who to blacklist, FUCKING SPILL

>>9564727
>>9564675
Yeah anon, luckily for you people forget things quickly

Like when averyniceprince/barleytea/emily hu cheated on her trans boyfriend by having phone sex while roleplaying dangan ronpa with some rando fan girl

>>9564675
Not gonna lie... if you were a friend I would have been livid for your sake but if you were a stranger, I probably would have been one of the artists who thought it was a little funny. Probably wouldn't have posted about you online but might have brought you up at dinner with other artist friends in passing in a "what was up with the person who cried" way.

A couple of artists might not want to be seated near you in the future. (After all, they don't know you, they won't know if this is a common occurrence for you and if it's detracting from their own sales, they might want to avoid you in the future. Tabling at cons is hard enough without having to hold a stranger's hand through every mean comment.) But other than that, most people won't care or remember. If they do remember, it's probably a passing "oh that happened" kind of thing. As long as you don't make a name for yourself by having a breakdown every con, you'll be fine.

I'm sorry that it blew up like it did.

>>9564727
>>9564745
>People forget things!
>Names details of specific scandal

Although I do get the point of these posts is that reading it, no one else but the poster probably remembers or cares. It comes down to a select few will probably remember, but the artist community hive mind moves on quickly.Short attention span, easily distracted by new drama.

>>9564756
I mean to be fair, Emi and other artcows that get brought up here frequently (Paige/thumbcramps, that acrylic hat girl, etc etc) have an established pattern of publicly putting their foot in their mouths. As long as anon doesn't make a name for herself by having a breakdown every con, she'll be fine. Making a mistake is okay, making a series of mistakes over and over again makes it a pattern and people are going to start recognizing your name.

>>9564761
Yeah, like in emis case she fucked her way to the top and screwed over many people and look at her now, she's at marvel

Like go ahead and be a terrible person anon, you can still have drama and be "successful"

>>9564675
Any artist laughing at you for crying at a con because drunk assholes were making fun of you don't deserve your respect in the first place. I don't know who you are but I hope this doesn't deter you. Likewise, see these people going out of their way to bring up emi? That's the worse than can happen more or less: Some weird sad people too scared to ever talk to you irl talking shit about you on anon boards. And if they ever talk about people like this irl, people know straight away what type of person they are and to avoid them for serious friendships.

TL;DR? Shit talkers and drama stirrers have more to fear in all important situations, don't worry about dumb shit, your friends have your back.

>>9564727
>>9564741
>Who the fuck did this so I know who to blacklist, FUCKING SPILL
>>9564751
>Not gonna lie... if you were a friend I would have been livid for your sake but if you were a stranger, I probably would have been one of the artists who thought it was a little funny.

Anon asking who was involved. People like this anon. It's sweet you'd care about me if i were your friend, but there are people who just love this drama and wouldn't care if i wasn't their friend.

>>9564756
yeah it happened about a yr ago and i got posted about on 4chan desu...not the cgl board though. i bought up the details just to see if anyone would actually remember it still bc it's been about a yr

so I don't exactly know who the anons were of course, but
>>9564761
I've been rly quiet in general. I have having SUCH a bad day/con, and then the drunk people just pushed me to the limit where I started crying haha....

It started out innocently enough. Someone was actually mad that these drunk ppl were causing a scene in the AA and posted about them. Then I got bought up. Anons asked to see my artwork to see if it was really that horrible or not.

It is.

So my artwork/me got made fun off. People seeked my tumblr out. Got bad messages on tumblr and facebook. They dug up PERSONAL posts and I got questions about personal stuff even unrelated to the incident. It's made me very weary to talk to other artists even now.

I never responded to one of them, but it still freaks me out because about 2 months ago, someone actually did mention me here on cgl and I was pretty shocked that this person still remembered and brought me up. No one responded to the anon who did bring me up, but it weirded me out and so I'm wondering just how long ppl do take to forget.

I haven't even posted on ANNI since the incident out of fear or being a laughing stock again

>>9564762
Fuck it. I have nothing to lose. Gulls, I'm going on a six month journey to fuck, lie, cheat, and trace my way to the top. Wish me luck.

>>9564782
Oof yeah. If it was just a one of time that blew into something big like that that really sucks anon. It doesn't sound like crying at cons is something you do all that often so I wouldn't worry about it too much going in the future. It's not like you're causing a scene by having a meltdown at every con.

I'm sure you know by now but just as a general rule of thumb, I try not to post my art here if it can be directly linked back to me.Generally when people are giving each other crits and asking for help it's fine but when anons try goading you into outing yourself, don't fall for it. I hope you can have better convention experiences in the future!

>>9564806
Ohhh no no no I didn't post my art. Someone else had. That's what freaked me out too. They were originally talking about the intoxicated ppl causing the scene and what they did at my table. Then anons asked to see my art. Someone posted it.
They found my tumblr/facebook. I got a message about it, and I sat back and painfully watched the whole thing explode...but I knew not to say anything because I knew that would make it worse.

>>9564807
>intoxicated ppl causing the scene
I'd call security/police and had gotten them thrown out on the grounds they were endangering the attendees and yourself.

>>9564772
>Some weird sad people too scared to ever talk to you irl talking shit about you on anon boards.
But... isn't that what you're doing right now? LOL

>>9564821
If I recall, they did get kicked out later.

Soooo are we going to post the art or at least give enough details for me to find the thread where shit went down?

>>9564852
you're being too vague, please elaborate

>>9564852
Don't be a dick, just leave it alone.

>>9564882
Sorry, I was referring to the whole fiasco a few posts up re: anon who cried at the con and then had her art posted here.

>>9564885
The anon mentioned it was a few threads back, you can probably find it if you just ctrl+f some key words but it sounds like they just explained the whole situation. If no one replied to the past post, then no one cares and there's nothing else to add.

>>9564852
I feel like there's already enough details on here to find out if you really wanted. Anon mentioned that someone brought her up on cgl 2 months ago so... if you're really curious at the v least you have a starting point.

Has anyone done Otakon Vegas? I've been curious about Otakon for a while but LV is much easier to get out to than Otakon, so. Kinda curious most of the NV cons since it seems like the closest jump out of LA.

>>9564893
That's a lot of thread searching. There's probably better drama atm you can find that people will reply to.

>>9564899
I personally haven't done it but all my friends who have done it say it's an absolute mess.

>>9564941
You're damn right it is. I gave up. See, Tears-chan? I love drama and I still didn't bother to go out of my way to find this. People forget. They move on. There are literal art thieves that have been forgotten/forgiven.

Is the AA bubble starting to pop? It feels like it's harder and harder for new people to start and veterans to continue.

>>9564989
that does make sense, it's either:

harder for veterans to continue->more spots open-> new people can enter

or

veterans dominate the AA scene -> difficult for new people to enter

>>9564989
>>9564995
I don't think it's necessarily impossible to make money now, I think that people just expect higher quality stuff.

>>9564782
Most people forget. A lot of people don't, but even of those people, most will just kind of wave it off or talk about it with their friends. You might have one vendetta-chan who'll keep bringing it up and shitting on you because of it, but I wouldn't sweat it. That's the reality of it, but I would follow >>9564772's advice. Honestly, it doesn't amount to anything in the end. It might help to just stay away from certain communities like AANI or even /cgl/ for a time, but after you've built your confidence back up, the shit people sling about you will be pretty easy to dismiss.

I mean almost all the artists people talk shit about on /cgl/ are gainfully employed/successful/making a ton of money at cons despite anons shitting on them constantly. Keep working hard, do what you can to improve yourself and your art, and everyone else will become completely irrelevant.

>>9564989
no, the standard is just being raised. There's such a glut of fanmerch nowadays people who would've previously gotten sales because 'that's all there is' get rightfully ignored.

>>9564675
I think typically people will be quick to forget something where you embarrassed yourself or did something silly or dumb, but they'll cling to the memory of you embarrassing yourself by trying to scam or hurt other people. The difference being that the former is just a mildly entertaining thing that happened and the latter being an indicator that you're someone to stay away from.


>>9564727
I've never seen Feverworm actually confront anyone for copying their style, just sub-tweets and vague-posts. What drawing did they harass you for?

>>9564989
This year has been my highest grossing year on record, over double last year, so I'd say no. You just need to be smart about what markets you target. Having the 90th print of D.Va pointing and winking at the screen is just competing with too many people.

>>9564989
I don't think so. A couple of my friends and I have been seeing record sales this year. You have to be willing to change the way you do things to meet market demands. Most of the people I've seen who are floundering in the current market haven't been keeping up with trends. I remember being able to make a new set of prints for the entire year and being able to take the same set to every con for the year and still make money. It's not like that anymore. You have to be constantly churning out new stuff and updating your inventory or you won't be able to compete.

>>9564997
Yeah, with how easy it is to get average quality pics of a character on Tumblr you have to either step up your game or be more subtle and make things people can reasonably hang in their house

>>9564899
LV Local, I personally only keep tabling for this convention because its the only local con I actually attend due to college schedule. It's not the best due to the AA's location but its enough for locals like myself to get quick cash. I've met a lot of artists from out of state over the years that honestly only go to OV just for the Vegas vacation.

>>9565043

This but know that not every market or group you cater to will bring equal money. Some groups will just by nature net you less. You will probably get an even amount at each con, but it might not be the big big bucks because you're tapping out that market every con.

>>9564989
>>9564995
>>9565025
>>9565043
Well another factor to consider is how much money is locked up in pre registering for the next con. I think I have 2 grand paid just to make sure I have a spot for the next 6 cons I'm going to as well as AX2018

People who are starting would find it hard to put this much money in up front. Not to mention travel expenses and merch costs.

>>9565112

The rise in non print merch has made upfront costs way higher than they used to be. It's a lot easier to make prints on the cheap or cut corners but you can't do that with more 3D items without serious, obvious loss of quality. It's pretty daunting to think about laying down several hundred dollars that you might not make back. That said, the demand is still there for new people to break in.

>>9565112
Yeah, I was calculating this out and it seriously came out to like 5 grand float for merch, travel, tables and hotels as the estimate for a year's worth of cons.

>>9564942
>>9565078
Ah, dangit. Thanks anons, good to know. Maybe I can talk my friends who go enough for free rooms to go on a con weekend to cut down on costs and such.

>>9565112
>>9565124
Yeah I think both of these are a pretty big factor. Price for tables have skyrockets from when I started and like anon said, prices for stock has risen too, since people don't expect keychains that are just laminated from you cheap walmart laminator anymore. Making, just as a easy random number, $100 after table and food costs would not be too shabby after a local con, but now with the more expensive stock, it now kind of blows, even for someone that is doing this 80% for fun and just as a means of getting a couple of extra bucks.

Which is another point, people's perspective of what artist alley is has changed. Not only the customers, but the artists as well. For many , it is no longer just a fun thing to do to meet new people and gain new friends in your fandom, kind of like an alternate cosplay in the old days. Now, there is more of a business slant on things, and it is expected you have mid to high profits or "why bother doing it". Sure there are people that are more like the before and there was always people that was more in it for the money; and true, most people are realistically in the middle (Being in a con for something that you hate really is not fun for almost everyone) but the focus has slanted over the years.

At least that is how I have seen things. Occasionally I get to speak with an old timer that decided to show up, and you notice a difference in the tone and reasons for being in artist alley. The artist alley is by not means bursting, but it is certainly different. Plus for my area at least, the economy is kind of shaky, but that's a whole different animal

>>9565013
>you can be a terrible fucking person but still do great

oh boy cant wait to backstab and burn every bridge to get to the top. seriously though that is a shit message and unfortunately its so true lol

Is it still possible to do print only tables? I don't care about making bank. Just a small profit.

>>9565154
There are a couple of print-only tables at the cons I frequent, but they often have 40ish available prints.

I read the documents, but is there anywhere to get appeal/stationery printed for super cheap? I mean, I don't care if the quality bad. I just kind of want to experiment if the products will sell as shirts or notebooks or whatever, so I don't want to pay a lot.

>>9565160
Yeah, making art isn't an issue for me. I can easily do that. I just don't feel comfortable investing into making charms and the like when I haven't ever done AA in my life.

>>9565154
Yeah. I have tons of different merch types, but every so often I go to a con where my prints outsell all my other stuff. It's still possible.

>>9565150
>burn every bridge to get to the top
...and the day would come when you fall from the top and discover that the bridges never forget...

Remember this saying at the height of your success..."All Good Things Always Comes to an End."

>>9564727
God feverworm is so annoying. Their art is ugly as fuck too. I love how she complains people copy her painting style even though it's sloppy and all her colors are muddy

>>9565175
Also on this note, I can't understand alibaba for the life of me. Everything feels like Engrish, and it's so confusing on what they actually want you to send in for a quote? I can't understand if they want you to actually email them or use the alibaba messaging system.

>>9565212
Send them a message through the system. Get over the Engrish. They'll ask you for what they need.

>>9565212
Hey, they're trying their best. Yes, send in a message through the Alibaba messaging system and receive a quote there. Don't feel obligated to reply to every single quote. They get a bazillion quotes a day. It's not that personal. Just let them know what you need and if you run into any problems, just ask here for help.

>>9565196
YES. Her own art looks like a shitty Ruan Jia copy and she has the audacity to say other people are copying her. I didn't even hear about her bitch ass until she accused me of copying her on deviantArt. I'm still butthurt about that years later. I think it's the only time in my life where I have ever been legitimately offended.

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>>9565250
>Being this big of a bitchass
Idk what feverworm did to you but it sounds like you deserved it.

>>9565264
>idk what feverworm did to you
Anon learn to read, they say that feverworm accused them of style-stealing.

>>9565264
Hahaha what

>>9565264
Hi, Fever!

>>9565175
cafe press/arts bovine

not a troll comment

>>9565154
I think comic/general nerd cons are still into prints. It's become a smaller market at anime conventions

>>9565375
Comic cons also tend to be much, much stricter about what they let into their AAs in general. A lot of the bigger comic cons straight up don't allow you to have anything but prints or books.

I assume there's quite a few gulls from Cali in here. I'm a little confused on the status of selling art in the state--I know to do an AA you need at least a temporary seller's permit, but if you're planning on doing stuff long term and an online store too, that means you need a business license as well, right?

>>9565630
It depends on how you want to do your taxes or setup a business.

>>9565124
>>9565140
I started as a newbie this year and my start up investment (travel fees, table costs, making not-prints merch) was about 2K USD. It's been something I've really been wanting to do for a long time and I have some entrepreneur experience with start up companies, but I can easily see how that would be daunting to someone with less research or experience under their belt.

And I'm not even trying to seriously invest as a business, just wanting to make enough to break even, travel a bit, meet other artists and go to cons, get to keep printing cool things that I want to make of characters I like to draw. But it feels like the entry threshold to do AA even on a hobbyist level is quite high.

>>9565154
I'm a print only table and always do as well as the mixed merch tables.

Digitalartwear website is down but it says something about still being able to order. Do you just email them? Has anyone else tried to order right now?

>>9565753
Your prints are probably pretty damn high quality then, depending on what cons you do

>>9565710
Yeah, my costs are calculated from the idea that I'd need enough merch where selling 50% of everything would put me over 5k gross a con. It's a very aggressive plan, thus the higher investment isn't surprising to me.

>>9565757
are we fucking google?

>>9565778
>high quality
Does this refer to the art or the quality of the print?

>>9565808
Why don't you try Googling this yourself and see how that goes? The only information I can find consists of dead forum posts from 2013 and older.

>>9565859
Both

>>9565882
>>9565859
I'd actually say it's more the art. Customers don't really give a shit about the paper when they're about to make a purchase (as long as it's not like printer paper)

>>9565154
when i had a print-only table i would make about 7-9k per con. i added small merch last year and have broken records each con since.

>>9565955
i'd love to see an example of your work.

>>9565955
Just curious, would you you're around the popularity of artists like sakimichan or yuumei? How much of your sales come from your online fan base and how much from just random people browsing AA.

>>9565905
This. As long as it doesn't look like it was printed on a napkin, people care vastly more about art quality.

>>9565992
>yuumei
lmao is she even a fucking artist, she has people draw for her and sell for her

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>>9566018
ni hao!

>>9565992
NAYRT, but an online following doesn't mean anything. 10,000 people can give you a like, but if they don't have a dollar to their name, what's the point? People come to cons to spend. Good art and smart shopping are essential, but there are other important factors too. Reach a variety of price points. Does Susie the 14 year old at her first con see something she can afford at your table? She only has $10, but if she's buying 10 $1 buttons, you're now $10 richer. Don't be afraid to have some pricier items to appeal to the big pockets, picky shopper crowd. Don't underestimate the power of generic cuteness either. Normies, people who just go to cons to see friends, people who haven't watched anime in YEARS, etc. are all people you can appeal to with this stuff. There's a reason people still make generic food merch. It still sells! The masses have no taste.

>>9565983
I see people asking this a lot when an anon shares their profit margins and uh... I'm sorry but none of us are going to share our artwork when you can directly link it to how much money we make. It defeats the purpose of being anonymous.

>>9565992
Nayrt but while having online recognition does help to some extent, that doesn't mean you're not gonna sell anything if you don't have an established fan base. I used to hit 6-7k with a print-majority table and I have nowhere near the following that Yuumei does. In fact, I've made more money at cons than some of my friends who had larger followings than I do. I've noticed that online followers will specifically seek you our or come back for return sales but the majority of my sales go to random AA goers.

>>9566146
that was kind of my point. i'm really not about to take most of what you say seriously because you're posting anonymously about your magical earnings without anything to back it up. and with the direction these threads have been going lately, it's no stretch of the imagination to assume half of you guys are talking out of your ass just to fuck with people.

>>9566326
Not the anon you're replying to, but seriously, 90% of us are not going to reveal our identities and thus our merch types and series' that obviously do well for us. Also, many of us don't want our identities tied to this board, because this isn't the greatest place for other people to know we frequent.
And I mean, you can think we're magical butterflies who lie to get fake internet points on an anon board if you want, but that doesn't change the fact that we do make that amount of money.

>>9566326
No one is going to post their art and out themselves as potential racist assholes who talk behind other artist's backs lol. Don't believe it if you don't want to, if knowing people are making more than you "fucks with you" then that's your problem. Others will take it as a sign to work smarter/harder or inspiration for a new goal. Those are the ones who will succeed.

>>9566343
>>9566347
lmao that's fine. i still don't believe you though

>>9566326
I used to think making more than 5k+ at cons was for like god tier artists but i came back from AX with 7k in my pocket. I wouldn't consider myself amazing but considering the time and effort I put into building my inventory, I am pleasantly surprised. It's all a combo of having a following+making a shit ton of different merch for different fandoms+an even spread in prices to target people who are willing to spend and randos who will throw money if something is cheap and cute enough. Or at least in my case?

>>9566326
Here's the thing though. Remember the anon a couple of posts up who said they got bullied because their art was posted on here? Remember how they said they even got harassed on their own personal blog? After all of that, you want people to post their art along with their earnings so their work can get torn apart with comments like "I can't believe this person made 6k with shitty art like this!!!" etc? No one's stupid enough to open themselves up to that sort of harassment with how critical people on here can be.

I get where you're coming from but someone else's profit margin is literally... their business secret and they have no obligation to provide it to you just because you demanded them to on an anonymous image board. If you really can't believe that people can make that kind of money doing AAs, you need to find friends who are better at art. Most of my friends have pulled in around $6k regularly. Check the kiriska AA surveys - that kind of profit isn't unheard of.

>>9566349
Imagine sucking so bad at art that a $5000 profit seems made up.

>>9566375
You said what we were all thinking. If anon is so hell bent on getting examples of art from the people who discuss their earnings on this board, they should post their art first.

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>>9566375

>>9566082
made en china xD

There's a guy who always visits my table almost every convention that I table at and I'm pretty sure he has a crush on me. I'm pretty lonely these days so I think I might go for it even though I'm not really attracted to him.

Do fans really talk with each other though? It's not really worth it I think if my sales might drop because of the other guys who won't buy as much when they learn I'm not available. Has anyone had experience with this?

>>9566408
Do people actually ask you if you're single?

>>9566408
>It's not really worth it I think if my sales might drop because of the other guys who won't buy as much when they learn I'm not available.
Uh, are you selling porn or cosplay prints or something? Are your big buyers neckbeards? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then your answer is yes. Otherwise, you are worrying too much.

Also from one seagull to another, don't fucking do it. Been there, done that. Not only do you get the usual relationship bullshit, but now this dude thinks he can get free art all the time. You have been warned.

>>9566413
Rarely does anyone ask, that's why I was asking how much fans really talk with each other.

>>9566415
I think like many in AA my sales are about 40% neckbeards. Thanks for the warning though, I'm sorry it didnt work out for you.

>>9566456
You probably have nothing to worry about with fans talking about your relationship status. Also most of my sales are to girls or normie guys, less so neckbeards. Do you sell moe anime merch or something?

>>9566408
I have a similar problem where I have so many guys constantly at my table trying to hit me up but im fucking gay and have a girlfriend. I'm afraid of coming out though and the possible repercussions it may have

>>9566408
>>9566413
The thirst is real. Some of these guys just think cuz a girl is tabling by themselves that they are easy to pickup, get a number, ask to meet up at a bar after the con

>>9566456
>>9566472
I've been straight up asked out by a neckbeard at a con before and I turned him down without seeing any negative consequences. It hasn't affected my sales at all. My boyfriend is my table helper and goes to 90% of the cons I'm at. I still average $6~8k per con. Having a significant other at the con with you or letting you customers know that you are unavailable won't affect your sales as much as you think.

>>9566479
Tabling alone sounds awful especially if you do series with a large male fanbase. I share my table and have my boyfriend as a helper, so I'm glad I haven't dealt with that. I mostly get nice gamer bros talking to me.

>>9566484
I wonder if most of these overconfident neckbeards are going for idol/moe tables or is it just random.

>>9566484
I have an irrational fear of being shot esp in this current climate tho

>>9566490
Nah, I didn't have any idol stuff. I had more Western/gamer stuff though.

>>9566494
That's fair. I was speaking more about the financial aspect of it but that's a more reasonable fear to have than losing out on sales.

>>9566501
unrelated but kind of related to the con scene, an autistic anime fan killed his senpai recently

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wswp-lkfZc&ab_channel=ReignBot

>>9566523
Has anyone been able to sneak things in with your art supplies for self defense besides the usual scissors and box cutters? I've been able to bring sharpened scissors with me reliably for when the creeps attempt assault.

>>9566533
I carry my pepper spray everywhere. Print out a label to make it look like lipstick.

>>9566536
ooh, good idea. But for me I wouldn't even bother disguising it haha

>>9566533
Not answering your question, but every time I get paranoid I think of that one movie Red Eye? where the girl stabs the guy in the neck with a pen lol. At least artists always have pens around...even if they might not be all that effective

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Okay, sorry if this has been asked a thousand times before but I didn't see it in the thread's FAQ or the past few threads.

How well does original art and merch sell? Is it worth it?

I know a few people who sell original prints, comics, and merch at conventions and I guess they do fairly well. I don't want to sell fanart since it wouldn't sit right with me...I mean, I'm not totally opposed to it, but I don't want it to be the main thing I'm selling.

If it helps, I only have a few hundred followers on my social media accounts so I'm basically a nobody lol. But I thought it might be a good chance to network and get my work out there.

>>9566602
I'd say do 50/50 for a fanart and original split. Fanart usually draws people to your table just because it's familiar so you're less likely to get ignored. It'll help pay for you to produce your original content and you'll be able to get an idea for what original stuff sells best for you. After you've got a handle on it you can slowly decrease the amount of fanart until you're left with original stuff.

It'll also depend on your style and what merch type you want to sell especially if you don't already have a substantial following for your original stuff.

>>9566408
This seems like a huge stretch, if not an outright grab for attention. I've had my experience with flirty guys, but for the most part, people are at cons/AA to buy shit and get caught up in the hype and interactions are brief. If guys are interested, I give them my business card and that's about it, but I've never heard of or experienced relationship status being a major factor in sales.

Maybe I'm just ugly or something, I dunno.

>>9566602
Obviously you know it is something not common, so be prepared to stare a lot or deal with the random artsy fartsy table barnacle talking classics and doesn't spend a nickel on your booth...you just have to do it, and realize whether its the right place for that type of style etc.

>>9566602
It depends on what KIND of original work you wanna sell and knowing your audience.

For example, if you want to focus on zines/self published comics - table at zine fests and comic book conventions. They're more suited toward those venues than your average anime con. If you want to do apparel in an anime style - then hit up anime cons instead of comic cons.

Prints of your OCs will be a hard sell unless you have some sort of a connection to the audience. You either need to give them a backstory (via a webcomic/published comic) or you need to have it be generally cutesy enough to not warrant a backstory (animals, food things with faces on them, mythical creatures, mermaids, etc). The point is to make something that connects with congoers without having the immediate connection that established fandoms already have.

I've done original work along with my fan stuff and 100% the stuff that sells just as well as fanart for me is my cute animal stuff. It's innocuous enough for normies to buy, and general "cute" things will appeal to a broad audience.

If you're set on doing original art, go to cons where original art is the focus and where the audience is actively looking to buy original art. Shows geared toward indie/comic artists tend to have crowds that are way more appreciative of general artsy stuff instead of fan-oriented. Also, don't forget to take commissions! I have a friend who does 90% original art at cons and people who like her style will commission her and that's where the bulk of her money comes from.

It's hard and you definitely won't make as much as fanartists but that's how it goes unless you make it big with your original IP.

>>9566602
Okay, this is only slightly related but you just made me remember. At the last con I was at, someone was selling adoptable OCs (those character designs you buy on deviantArt/tumblr). And they were SELLING! It was fucking genius.

Got a message from a friend that they were waitlisted for Animenyc. Anyone else get a response from them?

>>9566837
Nothing here, how long ago did they send their application in? AnimeNYC said they'd be sending out emails tomorrow.

>>9566837
Very early. Like last year

>>9566847
Oh ok, ANYC might've decided a while ago then, I applied with my tablemate this month. Is your friend's AA portfolio good? I'm so nervous about getting in.

>>9566860
Its ok. I don't remember if it was juried though.

>>9566901
It is juried, and it seemed like a lot of artists applied. Sounds like anyone who got emails today got waitlisted going by the twitter tag.

So question,

How do y'all feel about people who are super fans of your art? I don't come off as an annoying autist or anything so I wasn't worried about it before, but I just realized maybe my purchasing habits are over board and I don't want to creep anyone out. 4chan seems like a great place to ask this anon and get honest answers

How do you feel about:
> Someone who has purchased everything from your table, and picks up the new work every year.
> Someone who purchases multiples, generally for original properties (web/indie comics, indie games). Like. A lot of multiples. (for itabags)
> Someone dropping $300USD+ in one sitting at your table

Especially for indie creators, is it okay to answer general sales pitchy, "have you seen this print/button" with "oh, yeah, I already own all the rest of your merch, just picking up the new stuff." For fan artists, do you recognize/remember fans who commission every year, or does that kind of thing fly under the radar because you get so many every con?

Worry about it because I'm a straight-looking guy and don't want to come off like these dudes >>9566408 >>9566472 >>9566490 , I just really like art. I never worried about sticking around to chat for a couple minutes while making my purchases because I'm not a booth barnacle if I'm spending, but now I'm worried. Maybe I'm over thinking it.

>>9566947
I have a couple of repeat commissioners right now and I love it. Usually they tell me straight up if they have seen me before and it generally surprises me in a good way. Never felt they were hitting on me.

>>9566837
it looks like if you haven't received an email yet you've most likely gotten in? I hope

Rejections/waitlists only at the moment

>>9566947
How do you feel about:
> Someone who has purchased everything from your table, and picks up the new work every year.
bae
> Someone who purchases multiples, generally for original properties (web/indie comics, indie games). Like. A lot of multiples. (for itabags)
bae
> Someone dropping $300USD+ in one sitting at your table
very bae

I absolutely remember my super fans. I love them. I love how excited they get when I follow them on Instagram, tumblr, or deviantArt. It's so fun. They're so nice. I love people.

>>9566947
I have a girl who consistently places $200+ orders online for her and her brothers which is really cute. I try to throw in something extra most of the time since she's a repeat customer and super sweet. It was strange getting "regulars" but now I'm happy to see their orders pop up. I'm small/new enough that I can recognize repeat customers, but I think most artists will remember if you're there yearly unless they do loads of big conventions. I think it's nice, you don't sound creepy to me!

>>9566947
I love everything that you just said, and if you tell me you're a repeat and I don't remember I'll definitely make it a point to remember next time. I care way the hell more about customers who like my work enough to return than new customers, and I want to make absolutely sure that they are super well taken care of.

True fans are the best and you're super duper for being that kind of fan.

>>9566947
I think it really just depends on the way a fan interacts with an artist. I'm all cool with super fans, especially fans who want to spend a lot of money on me, I'm hugely thankful and glad I can make something that they like that much!

I'm just not cool if one of those fans tries to act like they're super buddy-buddy with me or something just because they buy my stuff. I've gotten a few people on twitter who think that suddenly they're my best friend and can make overly-familiar jokes with me and all that. That's the creepy stuff.

I'm not saying you can be nice to an artist, just don't be overly familiar with them unless they happen to give clear signs that yes, they actually are open to a friendship with you. (Something easier said than understood, because human relationships can get messy, sure. But still.).

A few of my good friends started out as "fans" of mine. But I know I and most other artists typically don't like to be bothered by a rando desperately trying to make friends with us.

>>9566947
Oh, I'm
>>9566972
and to clarify, everything you stated there doesn't sound creepy at all, if that's what you do you sound totally fine and not creepy at all to me.

uhh, someone on etsy asked for an exchange since they are disappointed in what they got, but then 10 minutes later they sent another message saying "nevermind".
Think I should I respond or?..

>>9566408
>>9566413
I get asked semi-often, but idk if it is because I'm male and everyone assumes that since my table partner is female, we must be dating, or they because they find me attractive. I know there is at least one girl I see at cons a lot has a crush on me. She is super awkward, so its kinda cute.

>>9566947
Anon, you could be the weirdest autistic creep ever to exist, but if you are making regular large purchases, I'll treat you great. Just ask what is new and I'll show you. I personally love talking about my table and love to interact with someone who also loves my table.
If you plan on spending $200+ online, send them a message and they'll probably throw in something more or give you a discount.

>>9566985
you sent in the item they bought, you fulfilled your part of the transaction

what was the item though?

>>9567026
I re-read their message and figured it out. She bought a white fox tail with red LED lights thinking it was a red tail with red lights. She saw the tail was white and messaged me thinking it was the wrong thing, then turned the lights on to see it is red, then messages me again to say never mind.

Customers, man.

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>>9566614
>>9566692
>>9566699
>>9566830

Thanks guys! I'll keep all of that in mind. If I tabled at an anime con, I was thinking about selling cutesy artwork of my OCs (like >>9566699 was saying, nice digits btw). I do a lot of creepy cute character and environment art so my work does well with tumblr weebs and furries. I think I probably will do a 50/50 for fanart and original work if I chose to go to an anime con, but I'll consider tabling at comic book cons and zine fests too.

The part about the adoptable OCs is interesting...I had no idea people sold them at cons! It's something I need to look into it. Did that person also hold auctions for them too?

>>9566952
>>9566960
>>9566961
>>9566969
>>9566974
Thanks, guys!
Sounds like I was definitely over thinking it. I'll just keep on keeping on, then.

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Did anyone here get into the AA for this?

>>9567110
I've seen a couple of people on my TL that got in, the tweets I've seen who were rejected were obviously too americanized or just B a d (marker, pencil sketches, phone pictures)

>>9567110
I got in.

>>9566947
I'm happy to see familiar faces! Have a lot of repeat customers since I've been cranking out buttons for a series and they come back to pick up more characters as they become available. I'm not a big name so it means a lot when people remember and actively seeking my table out.

So wait. Paige Hall is Thumb cramps?? Excuse me if I'm late af realizing this

>>9567237
Yes she is. And it's okay, don't apologize for not keeping up with dumb internet drama.

>>9567237
yep. and she's a real fucking bitch.

>>9566904
>>9566901
>>9566860
>>9566842
So my response was sitting under a weird tab this whole time.

Got waitlisted.

Did any of you get into juried cons when first starting AA. I feel like maybe I should wait until I have more variety before I apply to juried cons.

Hey guys I would love your opinion on a situation I have.

So I have a Patreon and there's one person who pledges 800$ a month(even though I only have $1 rewards and nothing else). They comment on my new works often on all my social media. Would it be a faux pas to follow them back on those social medias? For me I feel in a weird situation of power because as thankful as I am that they love my work, I don't know how to repay them for that large amount.

>>9567269
I applied for a popular juried con my first year and got rejected, but got in the second year with nearly the same amount of content. I can only chock it up to having more content to show to the judges and showcasing more variety.

>>9567329
*same content, not the same amount of content

Meaning I basically showed them the same stuff as last year, just with /more/

>>9567118
Really? I feel like a lot of artists I've seen who got in have really tumblry art

I got in too but I'm still debating on committing. It just baffles me that they've got such a low social media presence

>>9567313
Enjoy your sugar daddy from a distance.

>>9567350
Did they give you a deadline for table payment? I'm on the waitlist and I'm just wondering how long I should hold out hope.

>>9567361
The 27th is the deadline, a lot of people are going to drop so there's hope anon

>>9567362
Thank you for the info! I was really looking forward to it since it's my birthday weekend so I was gonna spend a couple more days in New York as a work vacation type thing. I hope I can get in off the waitlist!

>>9567362
>a lot of people are going to drop
You think so? I really hope you're right, I want to get something lined up for the fall. Being stuck on the east coast is suffering.

>>9567376
I see a lot of big names in the animenyc tag on twitter going:
idk if should go
is it worth it gaiz? :<
i cant really afford going to the east coast lol

>>9567399
Wtf is up with your retarded typing style.
If you can't even afford traveling, it's probably best you don't go. Especially if you don' tthink you can compete with popular artists.

>>9567399
For you? No.

>>9567399
Why bother signing up then, people who do that just to see if they'd get in are the worst.

>>9567402
>>9567403
Anon is mimicking what the big name twitter posts are typing like. Wtf is reading comprehension, there's a colon right there.

>>9567405
Yikes my bad; I read too quickly.

>>9567399
Good

I hope they drop out so one of us can get off the waitlist. I live in NYC so this con would cost so little to table at.

>>9567402
I was quoting people, please read the entire post for context it is not difficult.

When does ALA applications open? Their website isn't updated yet.

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I applied to a con but Gosh Should i? Go HahA . . .

>>9567405
>Why bother signing up then, people who do that just to see if they'd get in are the worst.

Probably as a backup con if they don't get into some.

>>9567361
I need to pay by this Friday. That's the deadline they gave me anyway

>>9567436
A backup makes sense, but some of these artists on twitter are saying they don't think they can go because it's so far away or too expensive. It's not like AnimeNYC suddenly moved after they submitted their applications. Also why bother posting about it online, they just look like they're either gloating or dumb. I'm just salty and complaining, sorry.

>>9567440
I'm waitlisted too but I think sometimes artists have the mentality of "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it". I think a lot of reservation is also coming from the fact that it's a first year con? I hope it's enough for people to drop because I really want a reason to go to New York!

>>9567440
We should say 'Then don't go and give your table to someone else"

Watch the shitflinging ensue

>>9567442
>I think a lot of reservation is also coming from the fact that it's a first year con?


Then why did they apply is the question.

>>9567447
Like I mentioned, it's the "cross the bridge when I get to it" mentality. They feel iffy about it being a first year con but they tell themsleves, "well I'll apply anyway and decide if I'm going or not if I get in". They're weighing the cost of the trip + it being a first year con against the potential profits. They're just... doing it after being accepted instead of before they applied. It's kind of annoying to hear because we're on the waitlist, but they're not losing anything by taking the time to decide before the payment deadline.

>>9567442
Good luck anon! Hopefully a bunch of them do end up dropping and they're not just being coy. I wonder how many applications they ended up getting with it being open for that long too, I have no idea why they thought they needed to have it open for like 9 months to get enough people.

>>9567402
Learn to read, dipshit

>>9567403
You, also learn to read

>>9567461
Shit, you're right. I had to read that post over and over again before I finally noticed
>:
The difference that makes. Sorry, anon!

Has anyone been charged tax ON their AA table space?

I was accepted to a local convention, which charges $85 for tables. When they sent my invoice they charged me state sales tax (around an extra $5 and some change). I've never been charged taxes for tables or badges.

Thoughts?

>>9567486
This is normal for any business that send invoices, you just don't see it often at anime cons cus...anime cons aren't run by business minded folks.

Cons that use eventbrite have sales tax on them.

>>9566947
Honestly?
The more autist-y fans of mine are the ones who rarely spend money, but just love to wallflower at my table/in my DMs and just infodump and sperg out because me being courteous to them apparently means we're best friends.

The fans who buy the most merch of mine are the ones who are actually pretty decent people ? It's almost like the ones who can support their lives enough with good jobs that allow them to have crazy spending-cash are the least socially-retarded.

>>9567433
usually in the beginning of september

>>9567490
It's not really eventbrite and even conventions that use them don't charge tax, but I do see your point. It was just very off putting that no where did it say plus tax on the site before signup nor in the emails.

>>9567507
i dont know about that i am an attractive guy according to girls and spend alot on the tables that have cute girls but out of the 12 i asked at anime expo to hookup only one seemed into the idea

>>9567519
This doesn't make a shred of sense as a reply to >>9567507

They're saying people who spend the most money are generally the least socially retarded. Are you trying to offer a rebuttal to anon by saying you're socially retarded?

>>9567523
im saying artist should appreciate their customer especially repeat customer that appreciates them very much it only makes sense that they would like them that way too

>>9567534
What. That makes no sense at all.

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>>9567519
>>9567534
>spend alot on the tables that have cute girls but out of the 12 i asked at anime expo to hookup only one seemed into the idea
>im saying artist should appreciate their customer

So you're saying we should appreciate our customers by having sex with them.

>>9567534
what the fuck is happening right now

>>9566602
If you do end up doing a split of original and fanart (i think you should) be sure to label the side thats originals, it'll help sales wise so people dont look and assume its art for a series theyve never seen.

Who's at SDCC and who has BNHA stuff? I missed my chance to go to AA at Anime Expo and I'm pretty thristy for All Might or Shinsou!

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Just want to make sure I'm not hallucinating;;
The flat side of the charm looks less saturated than the side with epoxy correct?

>>9567534
I;m concerned for a friend I tabled with in which this thirsty guy who dropped bout 100bucks saying he was going to come back for the prints..(lol.wut)..later he comes around near closing and kept persisting to get her info or to go out with him to a bar after the con. My friend seemed clueless by what he was attempting and her concern was "it's getting late, and I don't know what prints he wanted". After refusing any more advances he sorta walked away, now in a few weeks the same con is coming up and I'm expecting he will show up again....

>>9566947
I absolutely love it when people tell me that they've been looking for my table and they want to get new stuff, it always surprises me but it's so heartwarming.

Does anybody have experience with vograce's clear charms? They used to be printed on a single acrylic board and was unfortunately see through. Is it still like that or did they solve that problem?

>>9567763
what? What kind of file did you send them that has never been an issue raised in these threads

>>9567763
Last time I talked to them, they still had that issue. A chinese anon managed to get them to do double white though, which solves the transparency problem.

>>9567778
Vograce's white layer has always been thin. Zap, chilly pig, acorn press, etc. all had options to do double white layers which help prevent the charm from being see-through if you have two different designs on front and back.

>>9567376
I dropped my table, so there's at least one chance.

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When most of the AnimeNYC accepted people are Voltron fujos.

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>>9568416
I know I'm just being a bitter bitch at this point but your comment had me curious so I went to see who got in on Twitter and what is this???

I can't believe a jury let this person in.

>>9568416
I saw ichi get in and fucking screeched

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>>9568431
I know some cons choose participants of varying skill level on purpose, so don't take it to heart anon.

However, finding them drawing a "fake anime screencap" by copying an anime wholesale was pretty funny.

>>9568432
Ichi, mookie, thumbcramps all got in. What a clusterfuck of asshole artists.

>>9568464
>thumbcramps got in
if i hadn't already submitted my table payment i would back out because of this. i don't wanna be in the same state as that cow

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>>9568431
Holy shit some of these artists are below mediocre. I get that cons need to have a variety of skills in their AAs but jesus these people won't come close to making their costs back.

>>9568481
>. I get that cons need to have a variety of skills in their AAs

But why? What's the point of that? Fairness? It isn't exactly fair to those that have the inventory, skills, etc that apply if stuff like that is ok.

>>9568493
I figured the first anon who said that knew what they were talking about, but I realize how bullshit that is now that I think about it. Giving mediocre artists tables for a juried conventions just boosts their confidence even if they don't make a profit. There are plenty of average and great artists who got waitlisted.

I feel like they didn't actually wait to judge the applicants until after their submission date ended, they probably overwhelmed themselves with how many people applied over the course of 9 fucking months.

>>9568493
People with lots of skill and inventory aren't guaranteed not to have anything better lined up. Why only let the kind of people who might immediately drop the table in, when you could mix them with people who will be thankful for you giving them the opportunity?

>>9568464
What a disgusting fucking bunch LOL
Why do most tumblr famous artists turn out to be fucking degenerates?

>>9567735
1) Yes, based on that picture, one side does appear to be more saturated, and
2) Your(/those?) nails are super cute, anon.

>>9568464
Unrelated, but I remember the time when it took ichi more than 1 year and a lot of nagging emails to mail out my order lol

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FOr anons that do stationery/artwork, what website do you use to send your artwork to be made in bags/coin purses/totes?

Pic is example

>>9568506
>Giving mediocre artists tables for a juried conventions just boosts their confidence
...So? What's wrong with that? You seem like a cunt.

>>9569033
I'm not talking about average/above average artists just starting out at in artist alley. I'm talking about artists who won't even break even on travel and table costs. The entire point of a juried convention is to guarantee some level of quality.

>>9569026
arts bovine

>>9569036
>the entire point of a juried convention is to guarantee some level of quality
This isn't necessarily true. I'm sure that this is the reason some conventions use juried, but I know for a fact that my local convention wants to change to a jury not to assure quality but to assure variety.

>>9569087
I cant speak for animenyc but didn't fanime say they want a juried for variety AND quality?

The same fanime who rejected actual animation directors??

>>9569105
Dunno, I live in Australia. My comment was just based on personal experience.

>>9569087
Yea that's true too. Variety in artists would be what they make or the series that they draw, it shouldn't affect the overall quality of the artist alley. I'm not saying only accept amazing artists because obviously that's shitty, but some of the artists who were accepted are so below average that they're only getting pity sales. I know two accepted artists from previous cons, and they didn't even break even at smaller local conventions. At the end of the day it's the convention's decision, I just don't get it so it's frustrating to me.

>>9569252
Those artists can use that kind of failure as a kick in the ass to get better, anon -- it's a valuable experience. It's better to do it at a smaller first-year con like ANYC than at a bigger one. Better artists can make the same money somewhere else.

>>9569026
Google is free

So Etsy decided to screw over every single shop owner today.

https://www.etsy.com/teams/7722/discussions/discuss/18423980/

Etsy now includes shipping cost into the displayed cost. Why is this bad?

My pair of ears are $10 each and $4 shipping + 50 cents for each additional ears.

If you buy 5 pairs of ears, that is $56, NOT $70 which is what the customer will now think since it now displays each item as being $14.

Now everything looks like it costs more than it does since I offer deals on shipping for people who buy multiple items. Seriously, good bye to any sales.

Does Vograce work on Saturdays? I have an urgent order but they've been ignoring my emails. I really need to hear from them tonight, but that would be Saturday for them :(

>>9569385
As a buyer, I am really excited for this. Now I understand why it would be really bad for sellers. Never thought of it from your perspective. Could you maybe factor shipping into the cost of the item, offer ~~~"FREE"~~~ shipping and make a "bundle" listing? For example:

>1 Pair: $15
>Bundled Pair: $25 ($5 saved)
>Bundled Trio:$35 ($10 saved)
>4x Bundle: $45 ($15 saved)
>5x Bundle: $55 ($20 saved)

Obviously they were never saving any money in the first place, BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THEY WERE! Maybe that's an option? Sorry, if it's not. I'm not a seller. Just trying to be useful.

>>9569401
There are other countries to ship to besides the US.

>>9569401
No, because with that system if they buy 1 red pair of ears and 1 black pair of ears it would be $30 when actually it should be $24.50.
Almost no one buys multiple things of the exact same listing, and I'm not about to combine all my listings of similar price and weight into one listing.

>>9569420
Yes, and also this. That is what makes this situation even stupider because even people living in another country s seeing the "US shipping included" bs.

God I hate Etsy. I am leaving at the end of the year if they don't clean this up. I am tired of them randomly changing things like this WITH NO WARNING AT ALL. Now everyone's customers are confused why all the prices are different and everything looks different.

>>9569401
Oh, and I forgot to mention ****THERE ARE MULTIPLE SHIPPING OPTIONS****
There is first class and priority shipping. How am I suppose to add THAT into prices? Just make everything 50% more expensive by making everything priority shipping?

>>9569400
They do.

will I be seeing any artists at ConBravo in Canada next weekend?

>>9569483
Thank you!

>>9569446
In the response that >>9569385 linked, it says
>"We can’t bundle the shipping costs for Priority Mail because in order to estimate the total price we would require the buyer’s zip code."

It seems they're only bundling First Class.

>>9569523
>It seems they're only bundling First Class.
They are bundling everyone who uses first class and/or set their own flat rate charges.

which, again, is even worse because now people who use automatic shipping estimate look cheaper than people who use a flat rate shipping cost.

What's everyone's follower count and do you think it helps contribute to sales? Mine's around 7000 at the moment and I at least make decent commission money when I ask for commissions.

>>9569920
I think it helps somewhat? But it's not a super huge factor. Obviously having more followers means your stuff reaches a bigger audience but it can just come down to whether you are creating content people want to buy. I have about 1600~ on Twitter and about 4k on Tumblr. I make about $2-$3k per month off online sales. During the holidays, I've hit $6k+ in a month. I know people with more followers than me (several k on Twitter, 15-20k on IG ) but they don't seem to get the same amount of shop traffic I do.

>>9569930
What would you say you do differently than the people who have more followers but don't seem to do as well then? Is it just the content/products you offer, or?

>>9569938
They offer mostly 2D products? Prints, stickers, wallscrolls. And generally they seem to go for variety in fandoms so they'll have a ton of fandoms to choose from, but generally 1-2 items from said fandom.

I offer a mix of 2d and 3d goods. Specifically focusing on adult fans with spending power by providing them products they can actually use seems to boost sales. I have a big variety of fandoms too but for the niche fandoms I'm really passionate abot, I'll pretty much draw evey single character. For my best selling fandoms, I offer like 6-12 items. I also design a lot of my stuff in sets so people generally tend to spend a lot of money because they view me as a one stop shop vs. the people who have 1 print of their favorite series. I understand that this is a bit of a gamble though because you could always make a ton of art for a fandom and not have that fandom be receptive. I generally test the waters with 2-3 items and if they are well received, I'll roll out several more while I have the audience's interest.

>>9569938
I have 8,500 followers on tumblr, but they don't buy shit or commission. I think it's because they're mostly children/teens. Focus on people with money, like above anon said.

>>9568416
I actually noticed this too. Almost every single artist I saw got in was a voltron artist, it was weird.

>>9569920
5k on tumblr and 1-2k on instagram and twitter, i pay bills with my comms. Doesn't really matter when it comes to AA (most my followers aren't in my country) but it's useful for whenever I put up merch for preorder.

>>9569920
I have around 4000 on tumblr, but they're mostly teenagers because of the series I draw stuff of. Very few can afford commissions unless they're dirt cheap and not worth it for me. The posts still get lots of notes, but it's mostly kids saying "ohh I wish I had money".

I think with good tags and (if you're not reaching enough people) asking popular reblog tumblrs to help you out goes a long way, you don't really need big numbers to do that. I made a lot of sales for charms thanks to a popular tumblr reblogging my thing out of the series tag.

>>9569998
A couple of my friends noticed almost all of the bad artists who got tables drew indie comics.

>>9570000
How do you reach people on twitter. Its gobbledegoop interface doesn't seem helpful for exposure.

>>9570020
Literally just pray a popular person RTs your stuff.

>>9570020
Holy shit I'm so bad at twitter, I have no clue how some people have thousands of followers. Plus they all seem to RT the shit out of other artists so it's hard to just view their art. Tumblr and instagram seem easier to build up entirely alone without resorting to reblogs or being in a popular clique.

>>9569938
I have 150k followers on tumblr, I know for a fact that my friend with 7k followers makes more money than me through internet/con sales.

Followers don't mean shit senpai

>>9570029
Is your blog only your art?

>>9570028
I only really started using Twitter around this time last year - and it did take a while to get followers but I've noticed that if one of my drawings starts circulating on Twitter, it's a CONSTANT stream of followers. I've gained about 200 followers in the last week or so because one of my fandom tweets blew up.

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>>9570029
>150k followers on tumblr
What's your secret?

>>9570020
Learn Japanese and/or Korean, then get in with those crowds. Insta RTs and followers when you draw art for things that the Japanese and Korean artists like.

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>>9569920
>>9569930
> Working shitty retail job out of college
> Feeling worthless
> Decide to try to do cons after doing two with my friends
>Take it more seriously
>Friend tells me about AANI
>Start posting there
>Gain a good amount of attention through that alone
>Work starts getting recognized at cons
> Start up online store and promote it
>Get a couple of sales maybe 1 or 2 every other month
>Now starting to see a glacial increase in buyers but an increase none the less
>Currently pushing to have a more consistent schedule with products and conventions
>Still pretty much a "literal who" but the small progress is uplifting
>Even have 2 return commissioners from cons
>Hope one day I'll be able to quit my depressing sales job to focus on this full time
>Watching a daydream slowly become a sliver of a possibility

I want to make it gulls. I'm going to do this!

>>9570020
>make friends during cons who have twitters
>become mutuals
>rt their shit; they rt yours
boom followers

you can also get lucky and have a random post blow up (like on tumblr). I had the same piece of art blow up on both tumblr (120k notes) and twitter (15k rts) that netted me a few thousand followers each. The interaction (like, reblog/retweet) to new follower ratio is much higher on twitter.

>>9570062
You can do it anon! Live that dream!

>>9570062
I believe in you anon! I was stuck in a shitty dead-end office job a couple years back with a super racist/sexist boss who I couldn't report because his wife was HR and I eventually ended up quitting to do this full time. Now I make enough to support my entire family through cons + online sales alone and broke my sales record by over 3 times my previous record this year. If I can do it, you can do it!

>>9569948
That's pretty interesting. What online shop service/shipping service do you use?

>>9569920
>>9570029
I have 30k followers on dA, just did my first fanime and AX cons and made a lot of profit, but I think < 10 people who came to my table followed me online.

However, I don't do commissions but I still get tons of PMs asking for commissions.

It seems that online followers built from online (as opposed to from doing AA itself) doesn't really translate to a lot of con-goers who would buy yours stuff.

>>9570148
I use Etsy. I used to be on Storenvy but I decided to give Etsy a try last year and honestly, I'm never going back. I make more than enough to justify the Etsy fees. I got pretty okay traffic while I was on Storenvy because I would post about my new shop updates on my social media but even that couldn't beat the amount of reach Etsy gets me.

>>9570150
Do you mind me asking how much you made? I just wanted to put a number to 30k followers so I could compare it to my own profit margins.

>>9570160
I meant only 10 people who came to my table actually followed me already, basically 99% of my customers at the cons never heard of me before so my 30k dA followers basically meant nothing in terms of con-going audience.

I also don't have an online store setup or do comissions so I'm not getting any money from my online base yet.

>>9570160
So I'm guessing a lot of your customers find you via browsing etsy, as opposed to directly being one of your followers on social media?

>>9570164
Oh yeah, I got what you meant. I was just curious about your total AX profit because I assumed your art was pretty top tier with 30k followers!

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>>9570165
Yes. Here are my Etsy stats from this month so far and I've gotten over double the number of hits from people just browsing Etsy vs the number of people visiting from Twitter.

If I set the stats to "all time" - I've gotten 4 times as much hits from Etsy browsers as the people who come from Twitter. Almost 7 times more than Tumblr.

How do you even get followers? AKA how do you get noticed by famous people that have a clique?

>>9570174
suck ass

>>9570166
I made 8.5k in sales and 5.7k in profit. My costs were kind of high cause I split an exhibitor table with someone else (couldn't get into AA) so it ended up being almost 1000 for the table itself + insurance (which you need for Exhibitor).

I also had wallscrolls made of my print variations because I only had 8 prints so the table would look really empty if I all I had were prints. They sold okay but their base costs were really high. I'm considering just raising my prices next con (especially on the wallscrolls) since I don't want to carry as much inventory.

>>9570168
That's really insightful. Are you using Etsy marketplace?

>>9570174
Draw gift art for famous artists -- either of their OCs or fandom headcanons exclusive to that artist. Beware: a small handful of artists think it's weird to receive too many gift arts from one person within a set time period and will be suspicious of you if they feel smothered (it can be anywhere from within a month to a year). Go in person and meet them at cons, and give them food and gifts. Make sure to write a note encouraging them, and signing it with your username(s).

>>9569920
I have 30K on tumblr and only 3K on twitter, and my tumblr is what brings me online sales. Even though I'm a lot less active on tumblr, I notice that I get significantly less sales whenever I forget to boost things on tumblr. It also helps with commissions I think, because my slots always fill up.

>>9570174
If you make good fandom art you'll always attract followers from that fandom. If you want to get noticed by "popular artists", just be a chill person and actually be interested in them as a person rather than just their popularity. People can always tell when you're a social climber.

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Fellow artists --

1. Where do you go to pick up collab partners? I will eventually try to get a writer for a oneshot. If things go well, I (we) could sell it at conventions.

2. Do comics and zines sell well at cons? I love them, but I rarely see them.

>>9570174
It's so funny when people here talk shit about "famous people that have a clique" and then turn around and act so desperate to get noticed by them lol

For those who have made an order with Vograce recently, what was the timeframe from production to ship? They haven't been replying to my emails and I want to figure out if I should use a different supplier.

>worry.png

>>9570033
>>9570055
Only art and I post at least once every two days. A constant stream of content is essential for building followers

>>9570202
Don't do this. At best, the artist is going to see right through your little scheme. At worst, they will be terrified and get a restraining order. Not to mention, what am I going to do with some no name shitter's art? I can draw. I'm sure this strategy would work great on an e-famous cosplayer or something, but not on another artist.

>>9570723
Anon did say that mileage may vary. Personally, I would be happy to receive art of my OCs or favourite characters, even if the art objectively looked bad. I would just be happy someone thought to give me a gift. I wouldn't follow just for that, but it does make the person stand out from the crowd.

>>9570330
>1. Where do you go to pick up collab partners? I will eventually try to get a writer for a oneshot. If things go well, I (we) could sell it at conventions.

If you have followers on social media just make a call and say you're interested in a collaboration and ask them to maybe submit a sample of their writing. I would make it clear if it was for an original work or a fandom, and obviously give them a cut (ideally half) of whatever you make if you do sell it at conventions. And if you do go through all of this, give both of yourselves peace of mind by writing up a short contract and having you both sign it. Nothing overly formal, just something stating that you both have the rights to it and will get a cut of the profits should it make a profit.

Please take this advice from someone who has collaborated with multiple people in the past and has had both good and bad experiences. If it's a friend you're collaborating with that's one thing, but if it's someone you haven't talked to before then you need to lay some clear and fair ground rules for the both of you.

>>9570700
Do you post WIPs or quick <1hr drawings, or are you just good at drawing quickly?

I've always only posted completed work and also draw relatively slow, but I'm wondering if I should change that. My WIPs are usually messy and ugly though, which is why I'm hesitant to share.

Well... I'm bored. Between July and September, I have average online sales and no conventions. I've already completed most of the new projects that I wanted to do. Now i'm kinda left with nothing.
Any ideas on ways to stay productive during times like this? I thought about maybe making a website but idk if it is worth it? Currently just sell on etsy.

>>9570767
Not that anon, but I used to only post complete work and realized posting once every week or two was losing me some followers. I even asked if people would be interested in seeing WIPs, most said yes. Being able to post twice a week or more even if it's messy has helped with notes and followers a lot, I'd recommend it.

>>9570770
If I'm not feeling creative I'll usually spend my time researching stuff like new conventions or manufacturers. Finding new product types usually leads to me drawing something. Even just the research is good when you're feeling bored.

Making a portfolio website is also a good idea imo, especially if you're applying to juried conventions later. It eats up a lot of time too.

I'll only admit it here because it's anonymous but I always make better sales at my table when I wear my skimpier cosplays compared to wearing my coord, guys will pretty obviously look at my chest but they do end up buying in the end.

>>9570788
Is it a recognizable cosplay? Could also be people are more likely to notice someone cosplaying a character they recognize than some random lolita.

>>9570794
That could be a factor also I suppose, either way even wearing lolita I make better sales than when I just wear regular clothes. I think cosplay and j-culture related clothes/outfits and lolita all help to boost sales because I'm more welcoming to shy con attendees that way. I'm pretty sure the biggest factor for alot of guys at con though is how rarely they get out and see ANY woman that isn't their mom.

>>9570767
I post both, I'm average speed at drawing. What's important is that your followers are acquainted wihyour art,icon, and name

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Has anyone made keychains like pic related? Do people even buy keychains that aren't acrylic or rubber anymore? I was thinking about ordering some and using them for things like character portraits, because it'd be easy to print, cut, and assemble them myself. I'd like to hear if anyone's done that before though, and if it's actually a pain in the ass.

Related: do people actually buy bookmarks? I'm trying to get my paper products figured out for my first AA this coming year, and bookmarks were another thing I could print sheets of and cut myself. But I wonder if mini-prints would be a better option.

>>9571028
I've made and sold these as well as seen other people in the AA with them. They do sell because people like the customization aspect if you take on the spot commissions or offer to let them pick different characters for each side. (It's really good for fandoms with a lot of shipping because then people will customize them with their OTPs.) But it is a hassle to carry around and cut out all the paper to assemble. I've switched entirely to acrylic keychains instead.

Anon... don't do bookmarks unless you're just starting out and need something small to fill up your table. Bookmarks go for like $1~$2 and they're only gonna take up display space while making you really little money. I got rid of all my bookmarks years ago. It's just not worth it. Miniprints are a better than bookmarks because at least you can sell them for #3~$5 but they also cannibalize your big print sales!

>>9570753
This is fantastic advice. Thank you so much! I never would have thought about a contract.

>>9570767
Bitches love WIPs. The messier, the better. It's been a while since I was where most of my followers probably are, but I feel like a messy sketch is the art equivalent of fitness blogs/Instagrammers posting things like "this is how I look like after I eat" with a bloated pic. It's showing your followers that you're just like them. You get bloated when you eat, you are messy when you draw. Does that make sense?

Dream Daddy Merch Y/N? Don't want to step on any toes anyone know what the official word is ?

>>9571145
My tablemate is also wondering about this. I don't think there's been any official word since it's so new right now.

>>9571028
I have one of those types of keychains from Otakon 2008 from the artist kimchii, and it's still in good condition despite getting slammed around for years. I'd buy another if the art was cute enough desu.

>>9571094
>>9571008
>>9570777
Thanks for the responses. I guess I should really work on suppressing that urge to hide everything until it's as close to my vision as possible, lol.

>>9571145
>>9571163
Been wondering that too, but I remember seeing this tweet a while back and dug it up to make sure

https://twitter.com/dreamdaddygame/status/882377124887146496

So no official word yet, but they seemed pretty happy to find fan merch at AX, so prospects seem good for now? And the artist seems to have been selling them online since without issue.

If this is the case and I already have most of a merch set drawn out, does it seem ok to get a few pieces made for a con coming up..?

This is something I'm struggling with & was wondering your guys opinion on it. Do you like it when artists share stuff about their lives or non-art related things on social media? Or would you just want them to strictly just share their artwork and have other stuff on side accounts? I've been debating for awhile on how I should present myself online. I recently gained a bunch of followers from the past few years after posting more artwork online and participating in artist alleys. I feel guilty if I'd make posts about non-art related stuff, since most of my followers followed me for my art. Is this something to even worry about?

>>9571293
I keep my art handle blog strictly posts of my art only because that sort of stuff has led to me unfollowing artists that have amazing art because their personal posts end up being too much for me. Put a personal blog link in your art blog description, then it's up to your followers to decide whether they want to follow it for more personal stuff.

>>9571285
Oh awesome! Thanks for the link. I'd say if the devs were cool with the merch at AX, you're probably safe to make stuff too. Do you think DD will still be popular in the winter? My tablemate was considering making some dakis.

>>9571312
Yeah, no prob! And thanks, glad to get a second opinion on that.

I'm honestly not sure about how long this will last, especially with all the drama going on right now, but it seems like it could last as a good niche hit? I'm sorry, I haven't tabled much before, so I'm not the best judge about this kinda stuff yet. Dakis definitely sound like the kinda stuff that some fans would shell out $$$ when it comes to this game, though.

>>9571293
If you've seen how the vendetta posts come on here like a regular menstrual cycle each month ask yourself this - what would you not want them to know about you, besides art.

>>9571324
Yea, dakis sound perfect for how rabid some game grumps and visual novel fans can be, but the production costs would suck if popularity dies down and she can't sell them. I feel like charms, buttons, and prints are safe af for how low MOQ and low cost they are. Trying to predict trend lifespans absolutely sucks. Good luck with your merch btw!

>>9571293
Within moderation. I don't wanna know about every little thing in your life but it's nice to hear about maybe what game your playing or anime your into.

>>9571293
I think it's a pretty common thing to worry about! It really depends on the platform, I think.

I like seeing art-only tumblrs since the platform itself lets you run multiple blogs. I do all my shitposting + reblogging on my personal tumblr and I only post art and convention related stuff on my art tumblr.

Twitter and instagram are a bit more lax as platforms than tumblr! I actually kind of like seeing people post about their personal lives on Twitter because it has a more personal feel than Tumblr and people can directly @ you. A lot of fans use it to directly communicate with artists. I know some artists use their main Twitter accounts for art + occasional personal updates and their private accounts for shitposting with friends/venting. I also like seeing artist selfies on IG because it helps me put a name to the face and makes sense given the platform.

Honestly, most people won't care if you post harmless stuff about yourself. The rule of thumb is to not vent on your public account, don't start fights with other artists, and don't be overtly rude. Your main account will be in the public eye and people will screencap whatever you do. Keep your shittalking to your private/personal accounts. The only reason artcows keep getting posted is because they keep fucking up publicly. Most artists just learn to vent in private to their friends.

>>9571285
i'd be cautious, the game itself is pretty damn shallow so I would be shocked if interest isn't completely dead in 4-6 months

>>9571339
Ahh yeah, definitely. Good luck to your friend, and thanks!

>>9571398
Haha, as much as I'm enjoying it right now, it does feel like a lotta it is just hype, which is why I'm gonna stick with the smaller stuff like the other anon brought up. Gonna strike while the iron's still hot!

>>9564662
this would be handy to link in the OP
>>9563879

>>9571293
>Do you like it when artists share stuff about their lives or non-art related things on social media?
I do, as long as it is related to them.
90% of pictures I upload are of my crafts, 5% is something related like mentioning a con I am going to or a meetup I did, and 5% is of my bunny.
For stuff like deviantart, I use journals to update about cons I am going to or what is being worked on and such.

>>9571293
>implying I have much of a life outside of cons and AA

I do enjoy when other artists I follow have some personal stuff from time to time, as long as they don't go full politics of something I think it's fine.

However if you're using something as your MAIN platform try not to cover up your own art under tons of retweets of other people's art. I think it's good to keep a tumblr/insta solely for your own art and nothing else

>>9571312
>>9571364
I used to post about games and anime I was into at the moment, but after awhile, I got into my head and started think that it was annoying for my followers. So I started posting less and less about what I like and just focused on only making posts about art and cons to the public. I do understand that certain things should be kept on a personal account (I do have a private twitter if I ever need to vent/etc).

>>9571375
>Honestly, most people won't care if you post harmless stuff about yourself.
This is good advice that I need to remind myself! I was more worried about Twitter and Instagram and felt pressured that I should only be posting art content, rather than an occasional selfie or cosplay pic or even sharing little things about something I'm into at the moment. But I also enjoy reading little things about artist's lives because it makes them feel more approachable and relatable. I want to be able to have that personal feel towards my followers and have them know me a bit too.

Thanks for everyone's input!

>>9571293
I really like the story feature on instagram for this. I put most of my dumb shit (like playing games, really rough sketches, my cat, etc) in that and keep more "structured" posts for my actual feed.

Twitter is a crapshoot though. sometimes i retweet stuff there instead of my personal and it's innocuous enough that I don't give a shit and leave it up. Tumblr is solely art posts/con posts though, as is Facebook.

>>9571766
Yeah I've been using the story feature for stuff like that too. Especially since they're not permanent posts and people have a choice to view it or not.

>>9571293
Personally 95% of the people i follow are my friends so i absolutely want to see their day to day life tweets. Some people have art only accounts and just RT the art to their main accounts, if you're that worried you can just do that. As far as I can tell, there are plenty of artist with accounts that talk about their life as well as heavy politics who have way more followers than those who try to keep quiet.

Hell even those who keep a low profile and never say anything controversial or political get shit talked here, if anything that's just proven to me no matter what you do someone will find a way to hate you so you might as well have fun and make some real friends while you're here if people are gonna make fun of you anyway. Eh.

Gulls have any tips on being more likely to get accepted into katsucon?

>>9571912
There are plenty of tips on the AA rules page - I'd just say make sure you've got n/a in all the fields you'd leave blank.

>>9564662
>https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1696MDhNPhrZ0ySZhXkoJnGxb7l1OjW4JsVhu1wKvaWE

This IP takedown sheet is pretty useless without being able to see the original art that was taken down. I've seen people on this list say their Vocaloid stuff was taken down, which is EXTREMELY surprising considering Vocaloid is pretty much ran by doujin material. This makes me think they literally just took official art and tried to sell it. Same for Pokemon.

>>9571908
>Hell even those who keep a low profile and never say anything controversial or political get shit talked here

Literally who, anon??? Everyone I've seen discussed here by name generally fucked up publicly in some way. Like that Ichi person and that other girl who were scamming customers. Or Paige who constantly picks fights with other artists online.

I agree that you should do what you want though - it's your social media after all. People don't care about you sharing pics of your hobbies.

>>9571966
The point is what counts as "fucking up" is a shot in the dark. Drunk guy crying anon, throwing charms in the trash girl, omg crow pin copy cat girl, etc. like who gives a shit about these irl. Every so often some random ass artist gets dunked on for something stupid, literally nothing makes you safe from these idiots other than never saying anything at all and whats the fun in that?

>>9571998
Crying anon said she wasn't posted on this board though? Your point is fair, but I feel like most of the people who get brought up on here legitimately did somethig wrong whether its shady business practices or being rude to other artists. Like I never would have known about the Ichi mess otherwise, so i appreciate discussions like that so I know who to avoid buying from.

In other news, an artist emailed the creators of Dream Daddy and they said fanmerch is cool as long as it doesn't use their logo! I wonder how much fanmerch we'll see at upcoming cons.

Anyone know which charm accessories from Vograce are particularly shitty? I know braided phone straps have shit construction in general, but anything besides that? I'm new to them and am open to options—just don't wanna waste time and money on charms that'll break off in the short term.

>>9572095
Most of the vograce charms I've bought from artists end up having the little D clasp keychain. It works really well especially for 2"+ charms. That or lariats are pretty safe and easy for customers to attach to stuff.

I'm glad that person on AANI finished their Sailor Moon Eternal cross-stitch, I got sick of seeing it every week considering it's just an official sprite from one of the games. I know cross-stitch is really time consuming, but the majority I see in AAs are based on official art - much like Perler art.

File: notevenyourself.jpg (31KB, 600x600px) Image search: [Google]

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Customer here; if I needed to commission original concept art would AA artists generally be okay with the stipulations of:

>Not posting the finished piece on social media, as it's a confidential project
>Being okay with using their real names for credit and not some deviantart "sparkle eevee-chan" shit

I've been to enough cons to know that it obviously varies from artist to artist (and that a lot of the really good artists usually just use their real names anyway), but I was wondering if anyone had any personal experience or opinions on general attitudes towards this kind of stuff. I might have important industry people look at it one day, or at least that's what I like telling myself. Thank.

>>9572652
Mention to the artist beforehand that you're looking to commission a confidential piece of work. You'll probably be charged a bit more and some artists will want to negotiate to be able post the finished piece after your project has been released, but most artists are fine with it.

If it's a more 'professional' looking project, I think most artists would be fine with using their real names. If it's your hentai VN, then people will likely tend towards wanting to using their studio name or alias. Literally just ask them m8.

>>9572652
>Not posting the finished piece on social media, as it's a confidential project
This is reasonable, make it known and written in your contract

>Being okay with using their real names for credit and not some deviantart "sparkle eevee-chan" shit
You can ask them but I don't see the big deal with using their pen name? Why is it REQUIRED that their real name is used?

>>9572652

It sounds like you want a more professional level of work than just "commissions", by the current definition anyway. Phrase it like freelance work and then the artists would be more likely to accept your terms, since they're common in freelance.

>>9572687
It's for the practice pitch bible to an animated movie that I'm not trying to actually get made but have to show my storytelling ability when applying for internships. Right now I have a few sketches and stills from test animations, but I admittedly want some higher-level art for the cover to really pop in a way my own drawing ability just isn't at yet. Not any kind Sistine Chapel shit though either.

>>9572702
>I don't see the big deal with using their pen name? Why is it REQUIRED that their real name is used?
Because people who have worked in the entertainment industry for decades probably don't know how fan/con-oriented artists work and I don't want it to sound like something their weeb nieces would have come up with. That admittedly sounds kind of mean (and I know most artists' names aren't twelve-yo da garbage), but I want the talent to be presented in the most accessible format for people who probably don't come into contact with the environment very often. I suppose it'll come down to the specific artists I end up finding; if it's something that sounds enough like a good studio/talent name I guess I'd be okay with it.

>>9572776
Keep in mind that unless you get the artist to sign over the rights to the work, that they own the reproduction rights to the commission.

>>9572652
You're going to need a NDA form (non-disclosure agreement) and a work-for-hire contract in which the artist is signing all rights over to you for the work done. And yeah, call it freelance, not a commission, and make sure everything you're asking for is in writing.

>>9572776
But anon, if the name is weeby then so will be the art. If you want something that is presentable to normalfags, better off casting a wider net rather than looking at fan artists specifically.