File: 1748855471318.jpg (169.24 KB, 736x981, 1000020950.jpg)
No. 2546545
Prev: >>>ot/2116172
>What do you make?
>Where do you sell? Cons, local markets?
>What's the item that sells best/worst?
>Any advice for old and new artists and crafters?
>Somebody tried to scam you? Rob you? Harrassed you? Any horror stories?
>What's something you cannot stand in a con/market? Cringy cosplayers? Rude people? Other vendors being insufferable? Stinky neighbours?
>What's your no-buy list? (ex. you don't buy from people supporting gender ideology, you don't buy from weird, kinky people etc)
>What makes you buy merch or support an artist?
>Share tips! Where do you keep your merch? How do you protect your booth?
>Best social media to share art? Tips? (Please avoid basic stuff like drawing fotm or using tags, we know, we need serious advice)
>For the same reason, drop any resource that you want to share: con guidelines, con prices, booth prices, why you were approved/rejected, which cons are better and which are worse (for staff, people, position etc)
No. 2546631
File: 1748869011615.jpg (517.61 KB, 1100x1878, 1000018019.jpg)
>>2546549Picrel, most cons in the US at least have a physical card badge with a lanyard, and you can stick ribbons on the bottom. It's like a big plastic card with your name and the access type on it (weekend pass, single day etc.) If wristbands are used, they're for adult area access only and the cheap paper kind.
Sometimes at smaller cons they'll have a paper/cardboard pass that goes in a holder, but the overall form is similar.
A lot have your name (or at least a space to write it), but I've noticed that falling out of favor with the more fancy plastic badges. They usually have some nice con related art on them too.
I've seen wristbands like you're describing at festivals, seems more annoying/intrusive for cosplaying.
Badge ribbons are also sometimes used for stuff like disability access, in which case it's something the con gives themselves. But usually they're attendee produced. Some people just sell them, but it's common to have them as rewards for doing a little task or visiting booths (stamp rally etc.)
No. 2546755
File: 1748877496236.webp (106.58 KB, 1400x933, ec3b1746-6b3c-46fc-9e0b-4ee335…)
>>2546631I always hated those lanyard badges! They're clunky and ugly and imo ruins cosplays and outfits because you have to wear them around your neck in an uncomfortable way and taking them off often messes up your hair/wig. They usually only give these to staff and AA/vendors/guests.
The actual "badges" visitors get look like picrel, and it's even kind of a status symbol among some (usually men for some reason) to keep all the old bands and wear them all at once like in picrel to show you're a veteran con-goer. Though this guy cut off all the ends where the metal clamp is, but usually you can use pliers to pull the clamp out a bit so you can take them off/on after the con as a bracelet without having to cut it off as intended.
No. 2547115
File: 1748896339016.jpg (131.48 KB, 1280x720, maxresdefault.jpg)
What item do you earn the most from nonas? Do you have a big expensive one like an ita bag that gets you covered if you just sell 1, or do you sell like 500 stickers?
And as a site note, can you nonas please all become artist alley youtubers because every time I google something all I get is this lady and it would be nice to see some varity!
No. 2547632
>>2547139The wristband is fabric, it's equally sturdy to a fabric lanyard.
I think the main issue is that a lanyard can easily be taken off and thus used to let multiple people in in secret who didn't actually buy tickets. It's also easy to lose it if you take it off, or if the lanyard isn't one with clasps that open when you pull It's a safety hazard. On the rare occasions I've seen them at events here you weren't allowed to wear them any other way than around your neck for easy identification.
No. 2547948
>>2547802Depends on what your goal is. It sounds like your goal isn't to sell/earn as much as possible, but to sell out. So in that case your normal amount is fine, since you'll likely sell out and thus have reached your goal!
If you had wanted to sell/earn as much as possible you shouldn't be focused on selling out since that just means you're losing out on sales. For example it's possible you could have been able to sell twice or thrice as much of your best selling items at the smaller cons all along, but since you prefer selling out it means you actually have no idea how many of them there are a demand for. It could be that all along you would have been able to easily sell 15, 30, 50 or 100 of them. The only items you actually know the demand for are the ones that didn't sell out, because you know exactly how many you were able to sell of them.
How come you're scared of unsold merch? I love unsold merch because it means everyone who wanted to buy one got to buy it, and I don't have to restock every single item every con. Though I sell some items that have a long production time so it's a big chore and takes a long time to order more of those.
No. 2547960
>>2547948>How come you're scared of unsold merch?I'm a really small artist (I only sell original art so that narrows my customer base down to a fraction of that of fanartists) and even though I've applied to 8 cons this year I've only gotten into two. I don't plan on doing this forever either so idk, I feel like the initial investment that I put towards the merch will be completely lost if I'm left with tons of unsold stuff.
You make good points though! I guess for me it's just really hard to approximate which items will sell and which won't so I'm playing it safe by ordering less and restocking every con.
No. 2548407
>>2546969>>2548124Awesome! I’d love to trade, gift, or buy some merch from some of you beloved Dokononnies, but I don’t know how to recognize a
nonny’s booth while trying to avoid any accidental interaction about this thread with a tif/normie kek
No. 2548435
>>2548124If you get lost don't be afraid to get an uber, they're pretty common in the larger cities and I've never had an issue with them before, also saves a lot of trouble carrying around your luggage. I'm traveling on Thursday, thinking about setting up that day as well!
>>2548407I don't know how I could signal I am a fellow nona without outing myself besides having no pronouns in my social media bio kek. But I know it's not foolproof.
No. 2548727
>>2548407Of course I wouldn't out myself but let's say that no pronouns on table, no pride merch, no tif like appearance (meaning no patchy moustache, no broccoli hair, no ill fitting tank tops), no random gross shit (meaning no scars, no clearly self hating art depicting self harm, cuntboys or implied cuntboys - tifs do not draw women due to muh dysphoria but of course they love drawing gross looking pussies), no edgy stuff like a 7th grader would do and I guess you already cut out the most obvious ones. I learned that clean looking girls, meaning nice hair, makeup and clothes that are well kept/styled are less likely to be tras because tras love to shock with their appearance but also do not assume that every alt girl is a tra, I'm one before troonism became a trend and I hate how they appropriated goth styles. Look out for what they sell: the last yaoi fandom? There's a good chance that's a tif since they gravitate towards media only for the yaoi appeal, so look out for spokons, mihoyo stuff, male centric gacha, the new thing now is Alien Stage and Love and Deepspace, male kpop group fanarts and such.
On the other hand, look out for women (of course don't shop from males) that sell original art or more obscure fandom, you don't have the absolute certainity that they're not a tra but at least you wont be putting money in a tif's pocket to pay for her shitty testosterone. Avoid the nsfw area, not only it's full of shit art that only got it for having nipples and dicks out, tifs use the nsfw area to go full retard about self harming and yaoi shit and you will also avoid getting exposed to overall gross shit, don't ruin your day lol.
No. 2548729
File: 1749032628007.webp (140.38 KB, 2000x2000, 502_1.webp)
>>2548407>I don’t know how to recognize a nonny’s booth while trying to avoid any accidental interaction about this thread with a tif/normie kekI'm not going to dokomi, but I think one thing to look for (not just for nonas but secret terfs) is if someone has unnatural dyed hair and alt fashion but not a single troon/gender/pride/pronoun thing for sale (or as decor of course). So
>dyed hairBecause for troons the ones who look like gremlins with dyed hair are
never just casual allies, they're always super deep into troonism and feel obligated to have at least a few troon items (and more often they identify as troons). So when someone with dyed hair doesn't do any of it (and we know they're fully aware of troonism from being in those alt spaces) then that's a sign they don't buy into it.
>Harry Potter items on saleBecause they are seen as evil and supporting JKR/trans genocide. I still see several booths at cons where I live with HP stuff on sale which makes me very happy.
>Lizards/geckosThey're the detrans symbol. If you were to see one that just happens to have a message about healing or wearing a bandaid that's likely a detrans seller (who is now peaked and anti-trans).
>Suffragette colors - purple white greenAdopted by terfs, so if you see art that use these 3 as a combo in "feminist" leaning art that could be a sign.
>Cow (or milk) item on sale or as decorSpecifically for lc you could bring a cow plush or toy to subtly keep on your table, or sell cow merch. I think it's easy to make up a lie if anyone asks, like "oh my toddler niece gave it to me haha she wanted me to have it", "I grew up in the country side so it's like a good luck charm" or "I just love stardew valley a lot".
>Azumarill (the pokemon)It's the
terf pokemon according to lc, it's not unpopular but it's very rare to see it. So if you see someone selling basic popular pokemon AND azumarill you know that's a sign they're from lc. Even more so if it's in the punk outfit kek
None of them are 100% accurate, anyone could do any of them but the more of them a seller hits the more likely it is that they're a
terf or from lc.
No. 2549021
File: 1749061522805.jpg (66.64 KB, 700x700, custom-brushed-gold-stickers-v…)
I just got my first vograce order! Is it normal to receive a lot more stickers than you bought? I got about 60% more than I actually paid for
No. 2549954
File: 1749130096081.png (331.87 KB, 1689x1563, 803287_alcang_little-egg-oc.pn…)
>>2549238>I usually get extras when I order 2 inchThey were 2 inch stickers! I think maybe you're right that they fill up the space or something, 19 is such an odd number to end up on.
I saw some egg themed art earlier and it made me happy that the egg trend has died kek. Does anyone else remember when everything was eggs? Have you disliked any art trends? Other than troon art because that's a given
No. 2551236
>>2548727>>2548729These are all great points! However, I noticed that some TIF sellers are quietly cleaning up their merch and their appearance since wearing deodorant and normal clothes is getting them more sales, but I'd rather buy from a crypto TIF than a gender gremblino who hasn't showered since 2010.
>>2549954Any trend, because they're all run into the ground after a week. The worst ones were succulents and coquette.
No. 2551423
>>2551161>dokomilkkek love you nona
>>2551236>I noticed that some TIF sellers are quietly cleaning up their merch and their appearance since wearing deodorant and normal clothes is getting them more salesI strongly believe those people are close to detransing and are getting bored with troondom. A true troon would never waiver on troon ideology like that. If a tif is clever enough to stop pedaling troonism in her art and appearance to the point she and her art look so normal a
terf can't tell she's a tif/pro-trans - then it might actually be a good thing that she's socially rewarded for it. That way she'll realize life is better detransed living in reality VS in a gender goblin fantasy world.
>succulentsI love the plants, but buying basic generic art of them… I guess that's not as fun huh.
No. 2551706
>>2551423Oh I agree about the TIFs! I noticed that even when they're squeeing about their husbandosonas with the unkempt TIFs they're pushed to the side and ignored much more than the true bois. Since being part of the community is such a big part of being trans, it's a real wake up call for many TIFs.
Succulents are great but the endless succulent-themed everything got old fast. Especially when it led to idiots killing their succulent hoards through neglect, or when stores decided that spray painting a real cactus and hot gluing a fake flower on it was a good idea.
>>2551684Watching the drama unfold between an asshole and another group of assholes over the most trivial non-issues is the best part of a con.
No. 2551817
>>2551706dont be shy
nonnie, share some milk with the rest of us
No. 2552044
>>2551817>>2551946Kek I wish I could but most of the milk is in private messages and I know that at least one of the people involved likes to 'self harm' by browsing lolcow whenever she hasn't had enough attention. I'd definitely be found out.
But the gist of the milk is that A 'stole' a super generic design from B, who is now calling it a hate crime. In retaliation, B is planning to copy A's next con setup and merch and steal all of her customers. B has called in her pack of attack dogs to steal A's ideas, none of which are original in any capacity, and most of her art is traced. One of the attack dogs, C, is now being called out by another artist for tracing her art, which C didn't know about because she was copying A's traced art. Both C and the artist calling her out are literal nobodies with less than 50 followers so sadly I can't even post that milk without someone getting suspicious. B is now panicking and making insane tinfoil posts, then crying in a private chat I'm in about how A is out to get her. A doesn't know about any of this because B is scared that she'll start drama at their next shared con, as she has a history of starting witch hunts and she has the most followers (under 100). Everyone involved in this pointless mess is an adult gendie who sells pastel kawiwi slop.
There are so many other personal cows in these chats, and previous dramas included meltdowns over color palettes of some items being offensive to otherkin, racism and twansphobia accusation wars over a sexy husbando design because no titty scars, and using witchcraft to steal customers. Again, these are grown women.
No. 2552450
>>2552044Well that's a mess to follow. Firstly, why are you friends with them?
Secondly if you've got proof of them tracing (and also admitting to copying on purpose), compile and use that to submit to people in charge of the artist alley/con you know they're applying to. You can even make a new account to do it "anonymously". Explain how you're a concerned citizen who doesn't think art theft is ok and these people are blatantly doing it and you wanted to give them a heads up so they don't accidentally let in art thieves to their cons. If they then wanna ban/blacklist them or still let them into the con that's on them.
Like you said these are grown adult women who should know better. If they wanna act like childish retards then they have to face the consequences. They give all artist a bad name. The people in charge won't rat you out to them or anything, they likely won't even tell them they're blacklisted.
No. 2554438
>>2554401I wonder how much that would cost?
>>2554418Tbh just seeing my art in a big format like that makes me feel like it's worth it even if it's only for special occasions
No. 2554603
File: 1749419052142.webp (296.44 KB, 1080x1440, 4wndsxblabz61.webp)
>>2554376Stolen from redshit, 3D printed at home
>"Battledroid was 8 rolls, 20 days printing 10 days finishing, about £200>Pit Droid was about 2 rolls, 6 days printing, 2 days finishing, about £50 No. 2555389
>>2555019Then do it! Though if you're buying a 3D printer to do it that's gonna be a big cost on its own too, and if you're not and try to find someone to print it for you then don't be surprised that the printing and shipping of a human-sized item will be very pricey. It's a lot different letting your own printer run for 20 days than paying someone else to have it run so they can't use it for anything else during that time.
Anyway dokominonas please tell us how your weekend went!
No. 2555785
>>2555389I saw someone in the artist alley having to take down a print on display because it had nudity in it. (Do people not read the basic rules?) Another artist got told by staff to stop selling their artbook because they put in someone's OC without their permission kek. I wish I could be more specific though.
Personally I sold really well! Even was able to walk around a bit to buy from other artist. Had a good time.
No. 2555946
File: 1749483594042.jpg (931.29 KB, 4080x3072, IMG_20250609_120938017_AE.jpg)
Posted with the caption "feedback is welcome and appreciated" so what do we think nonas?
No. 2556374
File: 1749504813485.png (823.03 KB, 883x883, anime-pattern-19.png)
Does crochet sell well at artist alleys?
No. 2556722
>>2555946i like the art, but then again i am a cringe millenial.
the set up is nice but might look a bit bare if she's at a bigger con.
No. 2557226
>>2556374I think not, usually they're too small and look too homemade or like "I could do that myself" so people don't buy. Keep in mind a lot of people who like artist alley are artists/creative people so if they like crochet they know they can also just download the pattern and make it themselves. It's rare that anyone sells something they patterned themselves even in AA. Crochet rarely has that "personal touch" (or "art style") that automatically comes with drawn art so it can be a tough sell.
And if the crochet items are big they're pretty expensive (takes a lot of material, effort, time so it's a given) and it still looks less polished than just a normal plush does by nature. I personally don't crochet and I know I will never learn it because I have no interest in it, so I have bought a small one of a character I like before.
No. 2558965
>>2558928They always picture terfs as xoomer women a la JKR and they love to mock the phrase "we can always tell" because they're the ones that come prepackaged in a uniform. I don't need to see a troon flag on a backpack to realize that the guy with estrogen curls and striped socks is deep in gendie shit but they can't tell that I'm against it kek. They're the ones that can't tell. Thinking about it, what made the situation funny with one of them is that he was so obivously and painfully talking in a high pitch voice meanwhile I have a much deeper voice when I talk in english (maybe due to the foreign phonematics) and I had no problem speaking lowly and confidently, meanwhile presenting as a hyper, goth femme with my visible chest (I was hot in there, didn't want to sweat under my neck area, like I care), in fact the thought of making them seethe just by existing gives me infinite power.
Anyway, about the con per se, what was the deal about the bathrooms being, apparently exhibitors only but then everyone could come in and out? Couldn't they pay a random bastard around 100 dollars per day to check the passes?
No. 2559041
File: 1749656223598.jpg (1.39 MB, 4032x3024, 20250610_195041.jpg)
Made me giggle that this woman accidentally made the terf flag too. I know the "genderqueer" flag use the same colors but still funny how shitty this craft is and that she's wasting her time doing it because who the fuck buys a something a 4 year old could make at home? I say all that, but imagine walking up to her table like "oh this one is me!" and paying for it going "thanks for letting me rep the terf flag! I'll tell all my terf friends about you!" as you hurry away and she stares on in horror of what she's done
No. 2559730
>>2559596Some IPs are very aggressive when it comes to fanart, most don't give a shit because some nobody selling 4 keychains at a local con isn't going to impact their sales. I remember back when artists began to use Vograce and other manufacturers to make keychains, badges, pins, plushes and all that. A bunch of cons had issues with it because the goods looked like official art- regardless of the style or what it portrayed, the item itself looked professionally produced, and at that time (2010s) most people were still selling locally printed fanart and other things that nobody could possibly mistake as being official merch because of how shit it was.
Things are very different now. I haven't seen anyone have an issue with fanart for a long time, but you never know if or when that's going to change. I'd err on the side of caution and have plenty of original art to sell alongside fanart just in case.
No. 2559752
>>2559041Please buy the
terf flag kek
No. 2559839
File: 1749689285057.png (68.43 KB, 1190x432, mexicant.png)
some libfem woke they/them female presenting gendie keeps writing cringe posts in the AA discord I lurk, constantly reminding everyone she is in Mexico kek.
Two of the responses to her post about wanting to draw Mexican themed art for artist alley were from handmaidens that didn't want her to "appropriate" their culture. Only one they/them autistic girl said she thought it was ok as long as it is done with love.
What are nonas responses to this? Is it more woke pandering? How is drawing Mexican baked goods any different than all the boba, pocky, lucky cats and weeb art of Azn stuff? This girl is another annoying white knight martyr, typical for American artist alley who can't think for herself.
No. 2560040
File: 1749702387283.png (360.46 KB, 1179x1848, funimation1.png)
>>2559958Looked more into this, and it turns out that in the U.S. Funimation has stated they will allow fan art to be sold in artist alleys as long as it does not contain brand names/logos:
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2015-07-01/funimation-issues-statement-on-fan-art-and-trademark-rights/.89972(1/3)
No. 2560259
>>2559839>"can I draw this culture I live in and have an extremely close bond to because I'm literally married into it despite being white? Also I explicitly have permission from someone from that culture, the culture which I am part of now because I live here, is this racism though????"Actually so tragic that she still feels the need to ask. Must be a millenial/older zoomer who lived through the entire "cultural appropriation makes you satan" era on tumblr-twitter as a teen.
>>2559958Try it out with just 1-2 small pieces and see how you feel after that. Remember that if you create the art, it's still YOUR art that you're selling. You're not selling a pirated copy, you're selling original art that just happens to depict a known character.
No. 2560333
File: 1749723028092.png (1.23 MB, 716x956, 20250612_060209.png)
Made the mistake of vending at a small con in my hometown that ended up being full of 1000% normies who mostly just stopped by to gawk.
Tons of people!! But only one teenage girl bought any clothes.
People liked my plushes, though!
I had ETC, Angelic Pretty, MILK, and Liz Lisa stuff all from like 40 to 90 bucks.
Tbf, I hadn't been to a con in years. Do people even like that kinda stuff anymore?
No. 2561043
>>2560970are there "iconic" knits like that though?
now that you mention it, the only ones I can think of are Jaime's hat from Firefly and the Dr Who scarf. but that's super dated lol.
I can think of the red scarf from Nana, but that might be too plain/obscure
No. 2561071
File: 1749764301511.jpg (142.66 KB, 359x500, SailorScarf1_medium.jpg)
>>2561043>are there "iconic" knits like that though?With that lack of creativity you just have to be one of the knitters kek
sorry just teasing you, but notice how you just jumped to "recreate thing" rather than creating something of your own
inspired by media? Sailor Moon didn't wear a scarf, yet this scarf is clearly sailor moon inspired. I NEVER seen anything like this from knitters in AA here. It's literally just the most basic one colored hats or scarves devoid of any creativity.
No. 2562356
>>2561071I knit, but not for sale or anything, so I was curious what you meant.
it's recognizable, but would anyone even buy it? I feel like it would end up being like
>>2560333 where people say wow so cool and don't actually buy anything. I didn't think anybody actually bought those amigurumi crochet dolls either
I think if you had the skills and creativity, you'd just open a regular Etsy store
No. 2562371
>>2562356If it's genuinely good enough people will buy it. Selling out of fashion brand clothes isn't the same as selling in artist alley. In AA people care about hand made goods and not about following fashion trends.
>>2562362That's gonna be hard to find, especially if you want them printed on top of that. Why do you need them to be so cheap? You can sell them for more anyway if they look good with your design.
No. 2562802
File: 1749856507402.png (581.93 KB, 1421x1894, fizzy.png)
Went to lurk in the AA discord servers and saw someone was asking about starting their own business. Some replies just spread misinformation so I hope the person asking didn't actually trust their words, couldn't be arsed to correct them though. But the hilarious thing was some enby woman replied
>"I tried it and the fallout was horrible"and out of curiosity I checked her out and it's literally the lady who made
>>2559041 and picrel is her other current art that she sells as mlp commissions. Yeah no shit your art business fucking failed lmfao
No. 2563541
>>2563319Raise the price to 15 euros at least! It's a small increase in price and your customers probably won't care about it as much as you do. If you feel like it's going to cost you customers you could price them at 18 each and do 2 for 30, you could add a cheap bag charm in the same theme as the bag, you could throw in a free print or sticker with purchase. 12 euros for a tote is way too cheap.
>>2562802Is this fucking traced? What's wrong with her? It doesn't take a genius to figure out that perler flags and atrocious art won't sell well, this is the kind of thing a 12 year old makes to decorate her room with.
No. 2563602
>>2563319Well either cut your losses or increase the price a bit and see if it still sells. Don't undervalue yourself nona! Remember that you can always lower the price or make attractive deals to lurk people in later! I sell a deck of playing cards for €35 when the initial plan was to sell it for around €18 but the added production costs really shot up… I was so frustrated because no one was going to buy a €35 card deck! Turns out I was wrong, enough people do buy it at that price that it was worth it. And now if I find a cheaper production method for it I can still charge €35 and know that it will still sell.
Remember that if you sell something for cheap, people assume it's poorly made and they don't value it. If it breaks it was just a cheap thing anyway, who cares. But if it cost more they value it and take care of it more even if it's the literal same bag. They assume the price reflects the production and that it's higher quality. You're just one single person, you will NEVER be able to compete with even a smaller sized store's cheap prizes because they can buy cheap stuff in bulk. You have to value you art for others to value it too. A standard totebag in a store (with like a tacky boring logo) where I live is about €13, which means an exclusive designer tote bag should be at least like €18-20 and will be acceptable for most people. Selling not because people like your work, but because it was cheap is no fun anyway. Unless your goal is to run a store with tacky cheap items, rather than to sell your art.
No. 2563619
File: 1749910146622.png (533.85 KB, 1596x1903, swirlywirly.png)
>>2563541>Is this fucking traced?The hilarious thing is that MLP is genuinely so easy to trace and draw from like screenshots of the show with minor tweaks and still have it be acceptable by the community and she couldn't even do that. Not only that but her other MLP commissions use the same base, she just changes the hair and recolors it see picrel
>What's wrong with her?"queer autistic they/she"
She's the type who also buys little trinkets/beads and strings them together to make jewelry. Because the pieces she buys are nice they end up looking pretty nice and I can see people buying that thinking she was the one who made it. She also uses forms/casts so she can say "I made this" even though it's not her design by any means. Most people who sell either make their own trinkets for AA from something like polymer clay, or they design it and order the items from a manu. So she's riding the wave of people assuming she actually made/designed hers too when she's actually just a kindergarten crafter.
No. 2563626
File: 1749910343727.webp (468.08 KB, 1440x1440, 497187819_17959423712921519_91…)
>>2563619>She's the type who also buys little trinkets/beads and strings them together to make jewelry.Picrel to show an example of it, she just bought flowers and rabbits while most AA people make their own
No. 2563763
>>2563619>>2563626She's tragic, damn. The earrings are cute enough
because she didn't make them but they don't really belong at an AA, they belong at Claires or Aliexpress. I can't imagine her being able to make any money from this unless she exclusively sells at normie-heavy cons with lots of tweens with pocket money to burn. She's definitely not making money from that atrocious art unless it's a pity commission from a friend or her parents. Cons seriously need to start doing better checks on their artists, toddler crafts are insulting to the other artists and cheapen the name of the con.
No. 2564538
>>2563626I have seen a lot of this shit in artists alley lately, and they have the audacity to charge $15-20 for them too. Bonus points when they start accusing eachother of "copying" their aliexpress beads and fighting eachother on prices because one person is selling the same items for cheaper aka not gouging. In my area we also have "creator corners" meant for these people but lately they're infiltrating artist's alley.
>>2563319I agree with other nonnies, dont sell yourself short! Try a higher price point. I think $20 is still a fair, low price.
No. 2564668
>>2564538>I have seen a lot of this shit in artists alley lately, and they have the audacity to charge $15-20Yeah the picrel is nearly $16. For plastic trinkets she bought and strung together. How do they keep getting in? Are the judges that stupid that they can't tell or do they pity them and let them get in anyway?
>Bonus points when they start accusing eachother of "copying" their aliexpress beads and fighting eachother kek true. This kind of people usually are the most aggressive about accusing others.
I have so much more respect for the "small shop owners" who sell their crafts in the actual vendor halls.
No. 2565670
>>2565529I take pics of ugly art in AA and send to my friend group chat and we all make fun of it together (they do this too)
I act fake nice to shitty artists and even compliment their work. I'm two-faced like that kek but I don't see it that way, I genuinely want and hope for them to improve (unless they're terrible people like gendies) and I'm happy for them if they do. It's like making fun of a kid for acting stupid with other adults when the kid can't hear it, but praising them and wanting to encourage their strong points when they can hear.
No. 2565698
File: 1750032134271.jpg (2.03 MB, 4096x2733, Go1bKiBXEAAINCj.jpg)
How the fuck do SO many people get away selling Sonic fanart full time? A lot of it is copied from the model as well. This is literally just that Chiiwara thing but as Sonic. On top of it, how are there entire fan run Sonic conventions, with artist alleys full of fanart for sale, and Sega does nothing?
No. 2565793
>>2565698Seems like it's one of those cases where they just pretend not to see it and purposely don't look at all. They know they're not actually losing money on the fanart and that it's good for them to get free advertising. But it is a potentially dangerous line to walk for them because if someone infringes on your copyright and you don't act to stop it you can actually legally lose your right to it. It's why big companies sometimes out of nowhere sue a kindergarten for drawing their characters on the walls. If it's brought to their attention they legally have to fight it even if it's benign.
My guess is they've decided to make their lawyers avoid fandom places fully and only look at the regular market, wheras normally they'd look everywhere by default.
No. 2566772
>>2566537The worst breed of lost normies are the lost dads, from 40 to 60. They don't understand shit about cons, treat you like a retard because again, they don't understand and try to make you laugh with them while they make fun of you. These old men can't grasp the concept that not only that space is not for them, so no shit that they don't understand, they belittle anything artistic because they see everything as useless and I mean sure, a plastic charm is not a life changing item but it adds flavour, moids don't grasp this concept at all. They also often drag their mostly male kids around to stuff that THEY like because they're obsessed to raise mini-mes so to them cutesy stuff is stupid. If they happen to have a daughter and they stop at my con, they ask me if that's really my job and why do people shop from me like the fuck would I know? Why do you even care? Do you know where you are?
The sweetest interaction was with a shy girl and her mother, I didn't speak their language because it was an oversea con and I simply said "Hey" and gave a pink charm to her all pink girl, the mother grasped english and said "Ohh, thank you!" and the girl looked at it with a big smile and then looked at me. I want them to have a nice time at cons and have nice memrories, that's all I care about for little girls and a five to ten dollars profit less doesn't change my life at the end of the day but they will remember. I want to see them happy, really, because I remember all the nice things that adults did to me when I was little and girls deserve it but since the world is rotten, I always do it in silence or I only talk about it in spaces like this thread because I know that people are bitter in AA discords/threads and either will call me a pickme of some sort or they will start doing it too for clout. I don't care for clout, I really just want to leave a nice memory to little girls.
No. 2567205
>>2566772>The worst breed of lost normies are the lost dads, from 40 to 60. Out of all the people I know who "don't get it" it is a dad exactly within that age bracket kek. Even old pensioners tend to go "that's nice dear, have fun with your little projects" in a mildly encouraging way.
>they don't understand and try to make you laugh with them while they make fun of you. I wonder what would happen if you played along like "haHA yeah it's so shit and these gullible people actually buy it, can you believe it?!" is that what they expect?
Maybe when they start asking question you should start acting fake nice with a touch of condescending (like talking to a child or tard) like "Oooh this must be your first con huh?" Laugh at his question like "haha oh you thought people do this for a living? It's a hobby, apart from the pro-artists of course but that's obvious. You can just go talk to con staff if you feel a little lost about it and they can help you learn about it"
No. 2567269
>>2567205Yeah I could do it but I simply chose to not to talk to men, when kids shop from me and they have a dad to the side I only talk to the kid, also to build their confidence since I've seen dads going "Noo, don't buy this! Buy THIS!" like mister please, shut your sewer mouth. When men get closer to my booth I simply look at them to let them know that I can see them but I don't talk. They buy something? Cool. They don't? I wont waste my time. They ask stupid shit? They get confused looks, I try to make them feel out of place because that's what they are. The gentrifications of cons made these fuckers think that cons were a family event, techinically they are, but it's not the Sunday Market, they believe that they can do what they want because it's a market for comics right?? It's something stupid, so you can treat everyone as stupid because you're older and the girl that sells kawaii keychains doesn't know any better, ahah!
I wish cons would become uncool again.
No. 2567293
>>2565793>if someone infringes on your copyright and you don't act to stop it you can actually legally lose your right to itNo, only if someone infringes on your
trademark. See
>>2560040 No. 2567360
File: 1750161599312.jpg (308.85 KB, 2000x2000, custom-acrylic-anime-standee.j…)
Nonas what's your personal opinion on this type of standees? Do they sell in your country/your local cons?
I personally don't quite get the appeal, they're like way worse figurines to me. They're not super common around here but I see a few here and there. I feel like they're better as a table mascot trinket/advertising than for actual sales.
>>2567269>Yeah I could do it but I simply chose to not to talk to menBased, I support it kek
No. 2567376
>>2567360I don't buy standees and I did one one time and it didn't sell at all lol
I agree, it's cute as a mascot, mainly with ocs, make them stand there and they decorate the table nicely but I don't make them because I don't think I'll find the right demographic for them
No. 2567444
File: 1750166855857.jpg (24.64 KB, 244x400, s-l400.jpg)
>>2567360I'm an eurofag if that matters and I really like them. I really want to have some and display them nicely maybe with light or on different levels but I feel like they're also rather expensive for what they are. I really want a standee from one of my favorite musicians . Hizaki. But it's expensive and the online store doesn't ship to gaijins.
No. 2567493
File: 1750170601491.jpg (103.52 KB, 720x822, 1000079538.jpg)
>>2567360I actually love these little standees. Basically they are great for flat packing in your bag and then you can pull them out and set them up so you can oshikatsu/otakatsu with your otaku friends when you go out to eat together. They are safer to take out in public because they won't get broken unlike an actual 3d figure, they also take up less space than a plushie.
Picrel is a woman I follow who shares otakatsu pics with her friends and they like the same pairing.
>This is yesterday's after party meat!!>I want to have another Jun/Hiyo after partyI've actually otakatsu'd with my friend in restaurants and bars with plushies where we even got approached by people who asked if we sell the plushies we had out, it was so cute. I'd love a standee though because a plushie could easily become stained where as standees are pretty standard wipe-clean.
No. 2567727
File: 1750182236939.jpg (128.56 KB, 800x800, 78070540f949d619ef4ff5cda6f9e3…)
>>2567444ayrt and I'm also a eurofag, I was under the impression they were more of an american thing, or asian since they're typically produced in china and I've never seen anything like it offered around here (like in normal shops)
>>2567493>you can pull them out and set them up so you can oshikatsu/otakatsu with your otaku friends when you go out to eat together.Ok that'd kinda cute kek I'd prefer a plushie but I think that inherently looks more childish to rude strangers and I don't want them to get dirty… I can see it as a decent compensation.
Follow up question to those who like standees! What style do you prefer? Photo, full-size anime character, or chibi? Clean character or with backgrounds?
I always imagined if I ever got one it would have to be a big stylized one, basically in place of a figurine. Now that I think about it perhaps it's also a good decor item for kids, so they don't ruin an actual collectible figurine. But idk if they'd care though, they'd probably be disappointed they can't play with it as a toy the way they could with a figurine huh
No. 2567751
File: 1750183149760.jpg (65.74 KB, 414x569, 1750024472371.jpg)
Hows the AA @ Japan Expo?
No. 2567773
File: 1750184102334.jpg (584.57 KB, 1224x2088, 1000018104.jpg)
>>2567771Dropped a photo of something similar
No. 2570242
I think that the market should be more exclusive and have some criteria like:
>Fanartists need to have basic anatomy and rendering skills. Let's stop with the tiktok monstrosities that have no linework but pretty lights and twinkles
>Original art/projects gets a pass but only due to the original ideas and the artistry of creating
>Branding artists (the kawaii sloppers and the quirky animal sloppers) should be limited at max 3-4 per category. 3-4 kawaii sloppers, 3-4 funny animals, 3-4 shitty humor and such.
Right now I feel that the market is so over saturated, it made everyone believe that they can do it with no effort and I think that the more more people race for a space and a booth, the more it will look awkward when the inevitable fallout will happen. I use cons to advertise my art, mainly, I do not consider it my main income despite making good money because it's so unstable and you constantly have to live on fomo if you want to maintain that money and the fandoms come and go, but as every other big trend came and went, I'm afraid that once cons will stop being cool among normies and the old school losers like me will have a family and will be deeper in adult life, no one would browse artist alley not because they don't like it but because the hype will be down. People move on and putting this stuff in a such high position is gonna make it fall harder. Artist Alley booths need a lot more soul to it, I can count on my hand the booths that I saw at Dokomi that carried actual soul and art without soul and care is no more than a shein product. Pretty but low quality, shit manifacturing and will look awkward in a few years.
No. 2570254
File: 1750339100199.png (1.1 MB, 647x887, cap.png)
And you're surprised? Absolutely hideous, Sonic is already simple, why shittifing him?
No. 2570284
File: 1750341670750.png (4.51 KB, 240x240, Line_Sketchog_Icon.png)
>>2570254This looks like a bootleg you'd buy oh Aliexpress kek. Why are some artists in the AA allergic to making genuinely appealing designs? It is possible to simplify him even more in a cutesy way, picrel is proof of that.
No. 2570343
File: 1750345771690.jpg (509.96 KB, 1080x1281, 20250619_090739.jpg)
>>2569291I dont know or care about these people I just found them on my IG explore tab last night. (Couldn't post due to 500 error msgs)
>unique displays>not cluttered>mascot looks nonbinary>generic circle eyed void cats No. 2570351
File: 1750346120719.mp4 (6.63 MB, 720x1280, booth3.mp4)
>very cool displays. I love the awning
>organized set up
>art is consistent and stylized, but unfortunately looks too copy/paste and cheapens the overall vibe
No. 2570597
>>2570242You should start your own AA and be the judge and select other judges who you trust to follow those rules.
>>2570375>I can't stand this girl.Same. Devoid of any creativity whatsoever. She had the power to make ANYTHING and yet she makes nothing but funko pops, but worse.
No. 2570632
>>2570335Sorry not an answer, but same! I'm interested in making pins but idk what the best process is for it.
>>2570343I don't hate it, but I feel like it's missing something? Or maybe it's because there's so much flat stuff on the front of the table that makes it look cluttered to me or something?
I know they're common but imo those dish racks for prints is a bad idea, it's better to display them in such a way that they're all visible (like how the sticker sheets are). Most people just won't bother touching the prints to see what's behind.
>>2570346>First thing I saw was the demon with titties pad, so kinda ew>Prints badly displayed>Buttons badly displayed>Stickers slightly better display, but still messy>Building a dark corner was a bad idea, the lamps are clearly too weak>>2570351A bit flat and same-y, but still very nicely organized! The art is too flat and boring though. Much like the ditto-sameface girl, this one is just like one step above it.
>>2570405But the ones in
>>2570343 are $30! And that's just white lines on a black tote!
No. 2571274
File: 1750373822876.jpg (75.77 KB, 489x652, Stand_popee.jpg)
>>2567360>>2567376>>2567427>>2567444>>2567493>>2567727I only buy standees from the Artist Alley if the character design appeals to me otherwise I don't.
No. 2571414
>>2570335>>2570632So, it's been a while since I've made some pins, and I made some pretty complex ones (soft enamel + print; crazy experience). But I'll give you a run-down to get you started and I'm sure others will chime in:
1. If you absolutely can, try to do your own vector art. You don't have to do this, but if you can, hand vectorize your picture. If not, make sure your lines are crisp and defined so that the manu can process it for you.
If reason why I suggest learning how to do your own vectors is so that you have more control over the piece before it goes to the machine. It's not necessary, especially for a beginner or someone who's never done vector art before (or doesn't mind letting someone else handle it). But if you've got the skill, use it. I remember the thinnest lines were about 0.02mm which was nice for lacework/filigree effects, but ask/check with your manu. Otherwise, with raster, they'll handle all of that for you.
2. Get familiar with Pantone colors since that is what they use. You don't have to invest in a book in the beginning unless you find it on the cheap (or, better yet, paint swatches), but at least refer to a color palette/RGB/HSV values of a close-enough color. There is a cost per color. It's not much, and it may be only extra after a certain number of colors depending on who you work with. My personal rule is to stay around 2 or 3. More colors means lower grade. Stick to solids. You can also use gradients for screen effects, which is also extra. If you want to use glitter or glow in the dark, ask what they have for you to choose from.
You can also do transparent effects by setting those Pantone colors to an opacity %.
3. As far as MOQ, remember that your main cost will be with the die. As long as you pay for the die, most places are happy to give you 1. For a very rough example, your die may cost you $75, and 100 pins might push it to $95. Or one pin is $10, so you're paying $85. It scales. They keep the die for a while, too.
4. Enamel types: Understand that some effects for some companies are only available with soft enamel. Soft enamel allows for pantone-colored metal. Hard enamel is more cloisonné / jewelry-like flat look. You can also have a clear enamel over a soft enamel to create a domed effect (This style can utilize printed pins). Not every manu does the same thing and does a thing better than others, so just ask/mind their portfolios.
5. I have no idea how things are right now, but try to find a place where you can work direct with the factory and not a middleman. At least with the factory, you won't have an agent who changes heads. This is tough and time consuming, but it's worth it if you find a good factory. That's not to say a middleman working with a cluster of factories is always bad, but the closer you can get to the people making your stuff, the better.
Extra: If you do manage to work directly with a factory, always remember that these are artisans on the other side. Show respect; many of them have been doing this for decades. The last factory I worked with had historical roots to cloisonne and actually offered it. (Which is overkill for most fanmerch, but it was cool) Treat them right, and they'll treat you better.
6. Don't be afraid to collect pictures of pins with styles you'd like to have. Showing is always better than telling. You can make a stylesheet/mood board to break down what you want, too, when requesting a quote with your finished art.
7. It's nice to make a little mockup. Printing out the actual size and getting an idea of where you'd like the pins to go + how many is good. They can place it, but you may have aesthetic preferences
8. Just like how you sign your artwork, it's nice to make a branded hallmark to go on the back of your pins. It's extra for some factories, but it's worth designing and doing.
That's a lot, but that's about all. The vector step is especially optional. As long as you can get something defined and crisp to send them, that's the best starting point to keep it looking like it was a converted MSPaint image.
No. 2571557
File: 1750393017163.jpeg (630.87 KB, 1536x2048, GrkrvL5W0AA4U2c.jpeg)
>>2570632I like your reviews, here are some more i found on Twitter kek
No. 2571558
File: 1750393058550.jpeg (579.26 KB, 1153x2048, Gta_yTrbwAAVuDJ.jpeg)
No. 2571560
File: 1750393188083.jpeg (734.34 KB, 1639x2048, GrlPZCKXwAAM7rB.jpeg)
No. 2571561
File: 1750393245375.jpeg (201.53 KB, 1024x768, GswQeRuWUAAfaJf.jpeg)
No. 2571564
File: 1750393401217.jpeg (861.69 KB, 1536x2048, GrmJOF5WMAA0KHU.jpeg)
>pvc pipe actually has color
>unique keychains that arent just clear acrylic
>art is too kpopfujo but still nice and presentable
No. 2571788
>>2570242I wish cons had rules like this. I hope cons go out of fashion with normies soon. I also hope that making zines, artbooks, comics and anthologies becomes more popular, it's difficult to make a long term project that doesn't have some soul.
>>2571414NTA but thank you nonna, that's great advice!
>>2571560It's almost cute but the doughy Tumblr bodies and wonky faces ruin it.
>>2571564I love the CD keychains, that's such a cute idea!
No. 2571790
File: 1750414832882.png (76.5 KB, 498x258, bip-based-internet-panda.png)
Sorry for my wall of text table reviews lmao
>>2571557This kind of setup is totally ok, but it's not
great. Thinking of the table like a composition, this is just a an alphabet poster or a food menu. By which I mean the main table items are the same sizes and listed in the same way in neat little rows. There's nothing to guide your eye around and it's instead a bit overwhelming.
It's also seemingly fully "menu-serve" and no "self-serve" at all. Self-serving is always superior because people get attached to items they pick up and touch and are thus much more likely to buy, but the risk of stealing is always there. So a happy medium is to at least have cheap items like stickers as self-serve, because it allows the customer to touch them and if they steal some you only really lost pennies from the low production cost of stickers.
There's also no personality to this table. Logo on a black background? Groundbreaking. But on the other hand if you want to stay "anonymous" that's not bad.
>>2571558This one has a lot of personality. Cohesive and uses the most popular table color of pink, but paired with the unusual green it still stands out. Also matches the words in the name "melon + mint" so all around good branding imo.
This is a very good table setup. The items are varied and at different heights, browsing guides your eyes all around it and the amount of items aren't overwhelming. The stickers could be sorted better (with less overlap), but because everything else is so neat that's not really a problem because it's contained to such a small area (and not everywhere like
>>2570346 where you'd have to big into each and every basket to find anything).
>>2571560Tumblr art lol
The sales window is too small AND they block it with a big gachapon? Not great, but the tables look tiny so I get it. Putting the smallest keychains at the top is a bad position choice, you want them close for people to see them better, and the biggest items on top so people can see them from afar and get lured in. I'm not a fan of pre-shaped items like the heart-shape stickers or round buttons (nor the tumblr style) so the art isn't for me.
>>2571561Another good table imo. Cohesive color branding is always sweet. Good variety of items and using things like wooden pieces to display your plastic items makes them seem more "natural" and not just "cheap plastic trash". I'm a sucker for floral decor. I like how the display of the keychains is clearly labeled "chinese zodiac" so people don't just go "hmm idk that show so better not buy" not realizing it's original designs.
And to tie in
>>2571672 comment about them selling OCs, I thinks so and I support it! If they can make a brand of their character then good for them. If hello kitty can do it why can't they? But it's also often likely they have more content tied to them, like it could be a vtuber design, their webcomic or fiction they write etc. So it's not always "just" an OC. I think it's smart to get fans/customers attached to a character you make. Use that OC autism to your advantage!
>>2571564Half decent, small displays are hard to make good. Too much of a mismatch of colors for me. Bright yellow mixed with muted/pastels mixed with cardboard mixed with thin stripes mixed with checkered pattern mixed with waves… what's the vision exactly? Imo the colors also do NOT go with the items/theme. I expect the items to be kinda trashy or wacky (think tif bug/bugself art kek), but then it's actually quite cute. But the item layout isn't terrible, having the "touchable" items at the bottom and prints at the top is good.
No. 2572635
File: 1750463800394.jpg (378.32 KB, 1080x805, 20250620_174907.jpg)
>>2571790I read every word! I appreciate your eyes and perspective. It's interesting seeing how a display can really tie everything together.
Do you have any examples of 6ft tables with a large variety of items, without looking cluttered? I am at the point where I outgrew my 6ft table but don't have enough merch for a 10x10 booth.
In picrel, is the keychain wall behind the shelf on the left side too out of reach for self-serve on the back panel?
No. 2572639
File: 1750463938402.jpg (652.81 KB, 1063x1324, 20250620_175019.jpg)
>>2572635Samefag, this booth is full, lots of options but still extremely organized and easy to follow, for me at least. I dislike using plastic grids because its time-consuming and the plastic connectors suck, but i haven't found a better solution
No. 2572930
File: 1750483081235.jpg (179.16 KB, 736x736, 896f79f2e339aa2e1fde182d427209…)
>>2572635>Do you have any examples of 6ft tables with a large variety of items, without looking cluttered?I think that's tricky, and it's going to depend on what kind of items you have. One option is to simply limit what you actually put up on your table, maybe you don't need to show every single item at every con. If you have a lot of items it's always going to be some level of clutter to it, but there are ways to make it easier to browse. In picrel the variety of items have different colored backgrounds/shelves so that you can easily see items. You can easily see that keychains are on the board with holes, the frog plushies are on the shelf at the front, the pin board is green, stickers displayed on wood so you can see them and they're also self-served in front so you can grab them yourself. Each thing has it's own little section, it's easy to see where one ends and the next begins. See how in your good example
>>2572639 it's all the same blue/white board for everything on the walls so you aren't drawn to anything in particular. It's using the space best they can for that large amount of small items, but it's not as clearly thought out as my picrel and imo would benefit from having more defined sections for items. But it's miles better than the garbage crates in
>>2570346 so I'm not saying it's bad!
And more about making sections, for a kinda bad example of it look at
>>2570343 see how they put a giant board as the center piece. But the board really just cuts the whole table in half AND is underused. It steals the attention but then there's barely anything on it, the items could be fit on half the board. So as a result it's like the board is screaming "look how empty I am" and the other items kind of blend into the black background. Subconsciously you kinda have to pick a side to browse, and going to the other is a chore.
>is the keychain wall behind the shelf on the left side too out of reach for self-serve on the back panel?Judging by the grid boxes it's about 2 grids in, which I think is about the maximum length for self-serve. It's not the best, but if it's the only option it should be reachable for most people. Though kids might need help. It's also a good option if you're worried about people stealing them as it's harder to steal if they have to reach a bit. So it's one of those things where you should consider the crowd, are there lots of little kids or have you heard a lot of artists complain about people stealing at that con etc. Plus if you do longer hooks that stick out they'll be a bit closer to grab too.
No. 2572965
>>2572930I really love the honest feedback nona! The critiques on these booths give me a lot to consider when displaying my items for my biggest con of the year coming up.
>maybe you don't need to show every single item at every conYou're right. I think my solution ultimately is either to get 2ft more space or downsize designs. I had an 8ft table recently which helped so much but that never happens.
I have been hitting my sales goals lately by only displaying my best and new sellers. For less popular designs I keep them handy which has still helped. When people asked for a character in a different option (say a pin instead of keychain) and I actually had it, they asked to see what else I had and it got me $30-$40 extra on top of what they already bought. I try to remind myself this is just my hobby but I get fomo sometimes and people genuinely like buying my products so i try to have a happy medium.
>kids might need help. It's also a good option if you're worried about people stealingmy art is cute and colorful but they actually don't care for it KEK. Parents want to buy my stuff for their kids but when they ask them if they want anything, the kids typically scrunch their faces up and shake their heads with a strong "no" and shyly hide behind their parents or run away. It's hilarious and doesn't offend me because the parents still usually buy for themselves anyway. I have honed in on my target audience and carry items that suit adults' practical needs and items that can function at work or in their daily life. This year i switched my self-serve sticker display to being on my second tier instead of the lowest part of my table. It prevents kids from touching them for the sake of it and them messing up the display. I havent had a helper this year so I cant tidy up when I get busy. Stickers are my best sellers and most profitable item so keeping them eye level and out of reach has surprising effective! Thankfully I don't think anyone has stolen from me either and it isn't a concern of mine. I will always prefer self-serve because it's easier for everyone and I don't have to talk as much kek. Thanks again I love the reviews!
No. 2573171
File: 1750512792046.jpg (302.65 KB, 929x768, unnamed.jpg)
>>2572965Glad you enjoy it! It's a bit cathartic to get to judge booths because in the AA seller groups I'm in the only acceptable feedback is ass kissing so people post their
terrible tables that literally do everything wrong and I desperately want to point them in the right direction but I'm not allowed to be. Some of them are tifs who have like 5 badly drawn titchop sonic drawings on a flat table and a plastic box of perler art going "is this a good setup?" and people still going "yasss king" and it's just painful to see it kek
I think it's really beneficial and helpful to judge tables because it allows you to see what works and what doesn't, and I personally find it fun.
>I have been hitting my sales goals lately by only displaying my best and new sellers.>I have honed in on my target audience and carry items that suit adults' practical needs and items that can function at work or in their daily life.That's fantastic! My favorite items are often ones I know I can/will actually use. It's also just a hobby for me but I still find it fun to see how far it can take me. I'd love to have a little online shop one day, I don't need to become a big brand I just want to share my art with those who like it. Some people play chill cozy farming or crafting games to relax, I feel like I'm doing it irl with my art and making packaging and signs and in the end I actually get some profit too.
No. 2573469
>>2572639This is easy to follow because of the contrast between the background and the items on display. There are so many booths where the main color of the setup is the same color as the items and it's impossible to see anything.
>>2572930Oh I love this one! It's a unique theme and setup and the kawaii plant/frog art looks so much more appealing than it would on a pastel pink table.
>>2572965If your target audience is adults that might be why you haven't had an issue with theft.
No. 2573550
Being nice and helping an artist with a design only for them to turn around like "I'm gonna turn them into pride colors!" sigh, time wasted
>>2573469>It's a unique theme and setup and the kawaii plant/frog art looks so much more appealing than it would on a pastel pink table. People definitely undervalue matching their art to their booth and just go with generic pink/Blue too often. My favourite booths all have a "theme" that makes them memorable. I love the wood + green and would love to do it myself but idk if it realistically matches my art the best… maybe i should start over and only draw art matching my favourite theme so I can use them lol
No. 2575220
File: 1750631095245.mp4 (1.94 MB, 720x1280, 45.mp4)
Kek what did she expect asking 35 dollar for 2 magnetic keychains of poorly drawn chibi fotm slop?
No. 2575221
File: 1750631149810.png (2.39 MB, 1209x1179, slop.png)
>>2575220 She also charges 20 dollar per keychain for this type of quality. This is just delusion.
No. 2575263
>>2575220I mean it is rude buuut…
>>2575221 sure ain't worth 20 dollar to many people. It's incredibly generic, uninspired and lacks artistry. Nothing about it makes it worth buying over generic real brand one piece merch. There's no spin or personal take on it so why even be upset? It's not like her artistic vision was criticized, because there is none.
No. 2575631
File: 1750657924267.mp4 (3.75 MB, 720x1280, aa.mp4)
Thoughts and opinions?
No. 2576024
>>2575631Song is "give me a call" by luv8s on ig.
>>2575636I don't know, I have been vending for a long time and never got those types of comments about my art kek. It would be a wakeup call to me that maybe I need practice. I really can't imagine she sells much of that art, even with epoxy overlay, which only adds maybe .25 to the total cost of the product. It does not justify an additional $5 markup. "Smol business uwu" tiktok artists need to get humbled, I'm sorry.
No. 2576082
File: 1750698726681.jpg (393.94 KB, 600x592, designinspo-andreabell1.jpg)
Does any nona have experience making and selling comics? Do they sell well? I've only been to nerd/anime cons and never strictly a "comic"-con.
Also, if you sell it at cons do you also publish it online for free? I imagine posting at least some of it for free is the best way getting fans/hype for it and then those people would want to buy a physical copy. And if people just walk by your table and like the look of it without knowing it's also online they'd still buy it so posting online shouldn't really affect sales negatively?
No. 2576319
>>2576285Oh. I would say, yes they definitely consider themselves artists who make art, but no they don’t tend to put out a lot of plastic merch. Maybe prints or stickers at most.
Also a lot of times the bigger name comic artists have their booths and hotels paid for by their publishers, sometimes they’re even paid a fee to be there for the weekend. So they don’t really need to sell a ton of merch to break even or make a profit. And if they don’t
have to haul around a bunch of merchandise, they’re not going to.
No. 2576424
>>2576400>Me personally, I hate tacky plastic shit like chibi character keychains.Sure, but if you already have both the comic art and cover art there's a lot you can do to tie in with your comic. Bookmarks, stickers, prints, notebooks, keychains (tastefully made with good art, doesn't have to be plastic), pens, plushies, mugs… I feel like it wouldn't take much to build up a nice little booth and not just put like 2 comic books on a flat table and if you do like
>>2571561 and focus on your comic books characters you can build a brand for it and get people hyped. If you treat your comic book like it's already a big deal people will often genuinely think it must be a big deal and get interested in reading it. And if you think your comic isn't good enough for that then why even sell it in the first place? Of course you do need to have a comic that's not dogshit with art that's at least somewhat appealing for it to work, but assuming you do kek
I honestly avoid tables with minimal art/stuff because they're just always bad. I've literally never seen good art on a "bad" table. Maybe they exist, I just haven't ever seen it in my 10+ years of going to cons.
No. 2576793
>>2576543Love that for you! I'm thinking when I get my lazy ass to make my comic I'll make an exclusive extra chapter in the physical version. Nothing that affects the plot, maybe some cute fluff or maybe something that digs deeper into the lore, or a flashback to when the characters were kids. I'd probably eventually release it online too, but only years later.
While not exactly the same, a con I once went to had a guest cosplayer from Japan and she had made a small booklet that she sold at her meet and greet. It was tailored to each country she visited and was themed around the country with unique photos (to the best of her abilities) so she only sold it specifically in that country. I always thought that was really cool of her, I love that everyone got something they could feel was special that no one else got. Especially because I'm from a smaller euro country, made me feel like she appreciated coming here. I don't even care to own booklets/photos from cosplayers but I still bought that one because I appreciated the effort put in.
No. 2576814
>>2576424Solid advice nona
>I honestly avoid tables with minimal art/stuff because they're just always bad. This is the harsh truth. If people lack creativity and effort with their booth I would assume the comics would be lacking as well. I am not a comic artist but I love supporting comic artists! I have met people who write/draw and print their art as well as authors who write and commission artists to illustrate their own manga. I have paid $25-$30 for a paperback and $5-$10 for some nice magazine style booklets. Presentation of the booth matters and you need to learn how to draw people in. If you aren't extroverted, hire a friend who isn't scared to talk to people about the book. You may even want to consider selling fanart of your favorite series alongside your comic to attract fans who might be interested in your work. I have seen comic artists sell out of booths and get REALLY good networking opportunities out of vending.
>>2576543I seriously wish I could buy your comic nona!
No. 2577031
>>2576424I’ve been to a lot of (European, if that matters) comic cons with both indie and industry comic artists and I think
>>2576319 is correct. They’re there to sell their comics - the story and art - not random merchandise. Often they’ll keep a part of the table clear to draw and sign stuff for people. Very occasionally the more popular webcomics (like Hark, A Vagrant) will have merch like printed totes and t-shirts but that’s rare. When people do sell mugs or figurines they’re usually handmade or at least hand-decorated, not mass produced. I think if you showed up to one of these conventions with a booth full of factory-made plastic promotional stuff people would look at you very strangely. Especially if that meant you didn’t have room to draw at the table! People come to these things to meet artists, get things signed, commission original drawings (sometimes for free, sometimes paid, depending on the artist), not to buy trinkets. I don’t think they’d even think of factory-made keychains or plushies as art even if they are based on an original illustration. The only thing you’d probably have any success selling is prints and even then I’m sure most visitors would rather just buy the comic itself and/or get an original personalised sketch done.
The OP photo looks like it was taken at one of these conventions, not at an anime con AA. They’re different cultures. I think if you showed up to
>>2576082 with a booth like
>>2575631, not many people would be interested.
No. 2577092
>>2576814>You may even want to consider selling fanart of your favorite series alongside your comic to attract fans who might be interested in your work.Speaking of fanart, depending on the con rules, but many actually allow you to sell art you commissioned from someone else of your work in AA too if it's tied to your work. For example, if you're the author/writer of a comic but didn't do the art you can still commission other artists to draw posters and such for the comic and sell that. Or if you're a vtuber or streamer you can sell your merch even if you didn't actually personally design it. I personally still wouldn't do it because at the core I'm an artist who loves to draw, but if you're mostly just a writer it's a good option.
>>2576819>all of that stuff takes up front investment and could potentially be a massive waste of money.That's always the case when you're in any kind of AA or market to sell stuff though. And while I get the fear people have, it's actually the opposite of what happens in reality. They think having fewer items means what they have will sell out and it's thus more "safe", but in reality the empty table is off-putting and looks unprofessional so people instead avoid it and they earn less in the end. But that's the kind of thing that is often scary and unknown to new people.
>I personally have never seen any comic artist only just have one or two books out on their table and nothing elseYou know who usually does this? Moids.
No. 2577101
File: 1750759318617.jpg (178.25 KB, 1080x1080, ElyDI07XUAAP69n.jpg)
>>2577031>They’re there to sell their comics - the story and art - not random merchandise.>I think if you showed up to one of these conventions with a booth full of factory-made plastic promotional stuff people would look at you very strangely.I'm
>>2576245 and that's also what I was trying to ask about. Like if it's kinda frowned upon to sell "cheap plastic merch" (like a regular average AA table) because they see themselves as kinda better and their art - their comics - are there to speak for themselves.
>I think if you showed up to >>2576082 with a booth like >>2575631, not many people would be interested.This would interestingly mean the comic book con crowd and anime/manga/gaming crowd (though ironically not really "Comic Con" the brand) are totally different people then. Because if anime/manga/gaming people went to a comic con and saw regular booths they'd think it was perfectly normal, and if the comic book people had been to anime/manga/gaming cons then booths should be normal to them too. Funny how comic book guy being a bit of a snob about comics was a true stereotype all along! Imo it's a bit sad that the crowds are seemingly so separate, I'd love to see more comic in the AAs I go to.
No. 2577160
>>2575631Art is tumblr tier fugly (race swaps, ugly hybrid art style and melted colors) and that’s the only thing that contrasts the booth, so people get close, see the ugly art style and skip the actually good things (idog charm). A good booth setup makes up half of the sales, because thats what attracts people and some AA artists don’t understand that people need to also be some sort of graphic designer, most people also wear shit cosplay lenses that make everything restricted or blurry so if a booth is all pastel, people are most likely to skipnot because they hate the art, but because they see pink lilac and yellow and go “yeah another kawaii slooper” and move on. Having a pastel display with pastel merch is not doing any good on the attention catching factor.
On the second take, Miku is an abused character. Either you make fanart of more vintage/obscure songs to catch up with old fans and curious people or it’s just miku fanart number 390. I have yet to see a Darkwood Circus/Rakshasa/Godish/Rotten Girl fanart. Yes I know that Miku is very versatile and everyone can make their own version but unless that version is very particular or unique, then I don’t why I should get Miku maid, Miku cute girl, Miku pastel girl and sakura miku more than once. I miss the days where weeaboos got so deep into Vocaloid, we had Yowane or rare SeeU fanarts kek.
No. 2577163
>>2577101It’s not that they’re bewildered by those kinds of booths, it’s that those booths don’t really belong at the kinds of conventions people go to to discover new comics and meet comic artists. Like the Hark, A Vagrant booth I mentioned got very little traffic because, even though plenty of attendees enjoyed HAV and were excited for it initially, they lost interest when they learned that Kate Beaton herself wouldn’t be there. Her stuff was being sold by proxy by less well known Canadian (web)comic artists who ended up doing quite well on their own stuff even though most attendees hadn’t heard of them before. Because they were there, and people could talk to them! That’s the point. Nobody comes to these events to buy keychains, they come for the comics. I don't think it’s snobbery to prefer media over trinkets at an event meant to showcase a specific medium.
And there is certainly an overlap in audiences. I don’t know a single younger (like under 35) comic artist who didn’t grow up reading manga and most of them attend anime cons, too. But anime cons aren’t where you go to sell your own original comics (because lbr nobody there really cares and booths are expensive), just like comic conventions aren’t where you go to sell mousepads you bulk ordered from China. It’s just not the right event for that. IMO these comic cons tend to be much more specialised and niche than anime cons (with the exception of Comic Con(TM) which as you say is a completely different beast) so people prefer to stick to that niche and don’t appreciate what they see as commercialisation muscling its way in. Even when these cons have Marvel or Disney artists as special guests and so have booths selling official branded merchandise people rarely buy the t-shirts or figurines, they buy comics and prints to have them signed by the artist.
I think it’s fair to say that generally, these comic cons (notably excepting Comic Con(TM)) attract an audience that wants to engage with the source material and anime cons attract an audience that’s there to engage with fandom.
No. 2577237
>>2572930For nonas who sell at AA, is your booth built around a specific theme like this, or do you have a booth under your artist name where you sell your art without a unifying theme? Which kinda booth do you think sells better in AA?
I am more drawn to themed tables, but feel like I would burn out only being able to draw and sell one subject matter.
No. 2577396
>>2577237I have a booth under my art name, with a basic theme that's not too precise (for example I like cool colors so I use Blue, violet and black) that can be easily adapted, like I can make space, sea, sky or pastel/neon with just small decorations. People with a too strict theme risk a horrible fall the moment they want to try something else and the gimmick doesn't sell anymore, so it's better to advertise you as an artist rather than a brand. If tomorrow I switched to all ocs or all fanart, nothing will change because I always widened my art range but if tomorrow a kawaii slooper or a relatable&quirky animal artists wants to try more edgy theme, not only it will Clash horribly with the booth, but also their main demographic will stop buying. Unless someone has theme boots and different displays, it's better to not to rot on a single theme
No. 2577559
>>2577237>For nonas who sell at AA, is your booth built around a specific theme like this, or do you have a booth under your artist name where you sell your art without a unifying theme?I'm on team theme! Not saying what theme to not dox myself since it's kinda niche kek but I personally find themed tables so much more appealing that it's what I want for myself too. It only works if you have general enough theme or something you're passionate enough about for it to feel fun long time. Like
>>2572930 is plants + frogs which would get repetitive for me, but if you're passionate about plants I can see it working. They can branch out to lizards, birds, bugs and such and plants include all sorts of colorful flowers, fruits and berries can be paired with drawings of cakes. And tbh you can always rebrand your booth if you get tired of it! Like say they want to make a lot of blue art all of a sudden, then just make "collection" themed around a garden pond and rain and make the booth more blue.