#artist alley advice

[jojostory]

Hiii! Your advice for Artists has been super amazing over the years, im sure there are great things ahead of you <3

It’s my second time tabling, and my first was at a really small 1 day event with ~1000 attendees. My most popular print I sold 20 of, but others I only sold around 5-10. However, the convention i just got into is 3 days and has around 25k attendees 😭 so i really have no idea how many to print…I know this is sort of specific but I’d totally appreciate your insight! Have a lovely day <3 <3

Thank you so much! Sorry for the late reply, I hope you had a great artist alley experience at your first big con!

For most big cons, I actually only bring about 20 of my popular prints, and about 10 of my others! So if you were already hitting those numbers at the smaller con, that's amazing!

Larger cons mean more customers, but not by a huge amount in my experience (because that means the artist alley is usually larger too, so there's more competition!). If I were in your situation, I'd probably bring about 30 of my popular prints but still stick to 10ish of my other prints?

One trick I know some artists do is to print more copies of art they sell out of while they're at the con (by running over to the nearest local print shop)! I've never actually done this myself, but one advantage of doing this is that you don't have to carry a ton of prints with you if you're going to be travelling for the con. I'd imagine it'll be expensive to make a print order with < 1 day turnaround, so you'll have to check ahead of time to see if it's financially worth it.

I'm super curious to know how your experience with your second con went and how many prints you actually ended up bringing! (And sorry for not answering this ask in time! T_T)

[lunearch]

artist alley day 1:

tl;Dr bad day

got in early, got my booth the rest of the way set up. I'm learning a lot of stuff I'll want to do different next time but I'm still p pleased with how my setup looks in the end.

and then the actual day started, and things got rapidly worse.

I just ... didn't sell anything. by the end of the day I was about half way to covering my table fee, which means if I'm lucky I might break even this weekend. could be worse I guess - but that still makes this the worst market I've done this year (from a pure finances perspective), and I'm reeling that something I was so excited for could turn out this poorly. plus I'm really close to a bunch of rhythm arcade games and having to listen to 3+ simultaneous sound tracks would drive me crazy on the best of days.

I'm very very grateful that I had a friend offer to help out and I was able to leave the booth with them and go hide out in the bathroom when I got too thoroughly overwhelmed, around 5 hours in. and they kept me company the rest of the day, which was immensely kind and really kept me sane.

I'm really embarrassed. this has to be the most public place I've ever broken down before, and it's really easy to see when I've been crying. it's taking a lot of effort to be kind to myself right now.

the day wasn't a complete failure - I met a ton of really nice people, saw some really cool cosplays and two live parrots, learned a lot about how this sort of event operates. saw well over a dozen Mikus, which warms my heart. Miku if you're reading right now hiiiiii ily. dug through my file folders and found a smattering of old old fanart which I'm printing out right now. not a lot, but I imagine at this point anything will be better than what I have right now. too much original work for this space, not nearly enough blorbos.

day 2 should be better, or if nothing else, far shorter. and I have a month between this and comic con, enough to implement what I'm learning here. as much as it sucks I'm really glad I'm leaning this all now and not at comic con.

ugh! wish me luck tomorrow.

[md3artjournal]

"Successful Artist Alley Table Display Tips for Beginners in 2023! | Artist Alley 101" by Mualcaina

[ddoubleblindd]

This write-up is about our 2024 convention season and what we learned and changed from every event.

I made it public for every writer interested in ever doing conventions or selling at events face-to-face. Read it here.

I hope it can help!💙

[popo-licious]

Calculating Your Worth as a Freelance Artist

Hi all, I originally posted this on Reddit but wanted to share it here as well.

-

There are many different approaches you can take to charge for freelance work, and I'm sure every artist will have slightly different advice. Here is what has worked well for me personally. :)

Method

I bill my clients by the hour as opposed to billing for the entire project upfront. I used to bill a flat fee when I was just starting out, but discovered that I was undercutting myself significantly. Here is the formula I use:

(Hourly Rate x Hours Worked) + Materials = Total

Rate

Determining your rate is tricky because you're essentially defining what you think you are worth. Most of us artists tend to undervalue ourselves, especially when first starting out. As a starting point, figure out the absolute lowest acceptable rate that you would be willing to work for. Ideally this starting rate will be equal to or exceed minimum wage. You and your art are worth it and you shouldn't be expected to work for pennies. <3

Once you determine your baseline, you can add markup to your rate based on your skill level, years of experience, and any additional benefits you bring to the client. Markup is important because it allows you to a) make more money and b) have some wiggle room to negotiate with your client.

Below is a handy formula for calculating markup.

Minimum Rate + (Minimum Rate x Markup) = Final Hourly Rate

For example, lets say the lowest amount you are willing to work for is $20/hour. Additionally, let’s assume for this example that you're a reasonably skilled artist with several years of experience. If you were to markup your minimum by 75%, your hourly rate would be $35/hour. Here is the math:

$20 + ($20 x 0.75) = $35

or

$20 x 1.75 = $35

In this scenario, you can present your client with an hourly rate of $35, and if that isn't in their budget, you have the flexibility to negotiate down as low as $20 without feeling cheated.

Estimating Hours

In order to accurately estimate your hours, its important to ask questions that will help you determine the scope of the project and what will be expected of you.

Here’s an example: a friend has asked you to design the cover art and packaging for their new album. Some good questions to ask are: 

- Do you already have a concept in mind for the design? 

- Will the art be needed for future projects such as merch? (This will dictate the final size you provide.)

- Will you need assistance with setting up the files with the print vendor? 

- Will you need assistance with adding any text to the packaging?

- When is the deadline?

Once you have that information, it will be much easier to determine realistically how much time it will take you to fulfil the request. (Also, build in some time for edits as well!)

Materials

Materials includes any expendable supplies you need to purchase specifically to complete this project. If you are painting, this would be your canvas, paints, brushes, etc. If you are sewing, this would be your textiles, thread, needles, etc.

Make sure to let your client know about these added costs ahead of time, as they are separate from your hourly rate. 

Additionally, I normally wouldn’t charge clients for any non-expendable materials that can be used infinitely, such as software. You can expense those to your business.

-

I hope this helps, good luck! :D

[gaelfox]

Well, it’s official - I’m going to be tabling this year at my very first Artist Alley. Product-wise I have a few things I want to do - I don’t want to go absolutely over-the-top in ordering products if I end up not liking it, but I’m curious as to what people like in terms of browsing Art tables. I know I mainly go for prints, but I’m interested to hear what people think so I can make the best-informed decisions about where to focus!

[n0cturnt]

Just a question because its something I've been noticing lately as I apply to more artist alleys. Has there always been this much scrutiny over fanart in artist alley? I've been going to various conventions as attendee for the past 10 years and I've never seen a con where people didn't sell fanart. Whys it a problem now?

[inkedmyths]

Hi okay since it's been on my mind. I just want some opinions?

[heidiblack]

Hello! I saw that you were at Otakon AA last year. I just got my acceptance email for Otakon 2023, but I've never done AA at a con before and have no idea what kind of stock I should bring for a con of this size. What stock quantities do you recommend? I'm only planning on printing 5-10 designs at most, in varying sizes. I also won't likely be bringing anything fancier than stickers. Thank you so much for your time! I really appreciate it <3

Congratulations on getting in to Otakon!

I often get asked about starting out at conventions, and I recommend to people to start with small, local shows: generally, the cost of tables is significantly less, and it gives you some practice as well as a good idea of what sells. Otakon, however, is the exact opposite of a small, local con.

Even having done conventions for over 20 years I am still occasionally surprised by what might sell - sometimes it's an older series that no one else has, or a group of friends might all want something.

For myself, I have a huge portfolio of work, so dome images I may only bring two or three, but other images I may bring 10 or more. Generally, fanart sells better than original art. Also, smaller, less expensive items sell better than large items (a number of people also no longer buy prints, theyre out of wall space!) Popular series like genshin can be a good bet, BUT if everyone has genshin merchandise then your stuff needs to really stand out.

Also there is some math. What is the price of the table and your other costs versus what is the profit you make from your items? How many total items at each price would you need to sell to make up your cost? Take the price of your table and divide it by the profit, and that's how many items you need to sell, so bring at least that many.

Of course this gets more complicated as prices change depending on if you order in bulk, and when you have items with different profits, and unseen costs like credit card processing fees and bags and business cards or other freebies.

Also, do you have other conventions you'll be attending after otakon? If so, then leftovers can just be used at the next show.

Hope that helped at least a little, and good luck!

[scottycomics]

Here's another good artist alley post~

Preparing for Conventions

What events are best to go to?

Whether it’s a huge celebrity-studded multi-day weekend or a small gathering at a local library, in-person events are an exciting way to reach all kinds of comic fans that may not be in any of your circles online. There’s opportunities to be had at almost every type of event, but a few things that might narrow your focus:

Events that don’t cost more than you think you can make. Convention costs can add up extremely quickly. You can expect to pay at least $100/day for an artist table at mid-sized or large conventions. If you’re just starting out, prioritize conventions that are close enough to your home (or friends/family who will host you) that you won’t have to pay for a hotel or spend a lot in transportation costs.  Splitting the table with another artist is another option!

Events that other artists in your area/genre recommend. A great way to learn about events in your area is to attend one and ask others what conventions they like in the area. Some regular artists even maintain online groups to discuss application deadlines and share experiences.  Depending on the genre of your art or comic, you might also find adjacent things like horror shows, anime shows, or zine fests worth exploring too!

Events that you can actually get into. Conventions can be very competitive to get into, and have very small application windows months in advance. Once you’ve identified which conventions are in your area, follow their Twitter, mailing lists or websites to catch their sign up deadlines. Juried shows may also ask for a link to your portfolio, author bio or store to get an idea of who you are and what you’d be selling, so be sure to put something together and be ready!

What kinds of products should I prepare?

Our Masterlist of Printers is a great place to start for recommendations about places to make your products and inspiration! But to cut down on costs and keep yourself flexible while you figure things out, it’s a good idea to focus on:

Products that suit a specific style and taste.  Do you make big intricate illustrations that would look good as 11x17 printed art? Are you good with quippy one-liners that would make fun stickers? Is there a popular fandom that you like that has a similar genre to your other work?  Popular products are prints, stickers, charms, pins, and comics. But don’t be afraid to handcraft figures or something else.

Products that work together. Be deliberate about the vibe you’re setting, whether that’s a genre (horror, humor, superheroes, etc.), an age range (all ages, adult), a specific type of product (mostly t-shirts, mostly prints, accessories), a theme (eg, all things coffee!).  There’s a lot of approaches to making a cohesive product line and organizing your table to keep like things together, but having cute plushies AND saucy pinups AND anime figurines AND coffee mugs can be confusing to customers who are trying to figure out what your table is all about.

Products with low price points that won’t be too expensive to make. Products priced $15 or lower are generally an easy buy for new customers, and offering a range of small inexpensive things is great for folks who are on a budget but still want to support you. When you’re just starting, look for things that don’t require a high amount of money to produce for you or can print in low quantities with a printer.  Printed-at-home or handcrafted things are also possibilities for a more zine-style table presence and can save you a little money.

Products with a low minimum order quantity. Try not to order more than 10 or so copies of any one thing (especially anything that a stranger wouldn’t recognize like OC) until you’re confident it will sell. You can always order more after the show if you run out.  If you DO have leftover stock (and 99% of the time you will), you definitely can sell it at a future convention, a crowdfunding campaign, include it as Patreon rewards, or list it in an online store. But being stuck with a closet full of 500 postcard prints that you can’t sell is not a fun time, even if you DID get a bulk discount.

Products that have a general appeal. Even if you have a massive social media following, 99% of your customers will have never heard of your comic or your original characters. Comic enthusiasts will often be open to giving a new story from a local artist a chance if you chat them up a little and tell them about it. But also having general interest products (animals, fanart, nerd humor, mythology) on the table that don’t require as much explanation to enjoy is a very good idea.

What do I need other than merch?

A good convention setup looks clean, organized, and easy to engage with.  Once you’re accepted, look carefully at the details of the convention and what’s included with your space.  Many conventions will give you a table and chair, but you’ll probably also need:

Backdrop - Backdrops display your best art and help people see it from across a crowded room, and partition your space if you’re very close to other tables.  A photo backdrop stand with a bunch of 11x17/A3 prints taped together that you’re selling, a wire cube grid construction you can set on your table and stick smaller merch pieces to, or a professionally-printed banner with your name, URL/social handle, and your best art and are all solid options for this.

Where to get them: Google “photo backdrop” or look for photography supply stores. Google “wire cube grids” or look around hardware stores or Walmart/Target.  For banners, you can find printers that can make retractable banners or vinyl banners to hang from a photo backdrop.

8-foot Tablecloth - Many conventions assign you a very weathered 6-foot table, so always plan on having something to cover it (optionally for multi-day shows, a second to cover your setup for security purposes when you leave your table.)

Where to get them: Fabric stores, bedsheets, party stores.

Displays - Flat items on a table are invisible to anyone who isn’t directly in front of you, so look for a way to make your stuff stand up and be seen! Easel stands to highlight featured books or art, cork boards and pins you can prop up, boxes or porfolio books to flip through, wire/wooden racks to hold lots of books are all great ideas to consider, depending on your products.

Where to get them: For heavy-duty stuff, you’ll probably want to Google around order displays online. Art supply stores will often have easels and portfolios. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money yet, dollar stores can be a gold mine of quick solutions too!

Price Signage - Having clear pricing on your table helps people decide what to buy without having to ask you about every product. Print your own signs at home, bring colorful post-its, or some stiff paper, markers, and tape. You can also use a white board or chalk board to make a “menu” style price list.

Where to get them: Office supply stores, Target/Walmart.

The ability to take money from people - A secure place that’s accessible to you to keep money for making change. Cashbox theft can unfortunately be an issue sometimes, so wearable pouches or discreet envelopes that don’t immediately look like money are better in this context. If you have a cellphone or tablet, you can also get an app where you can list your products and connect an attachment to swipe or tap credit cards for a small fee.  (Note wi-fi and power are not dependable in many venues, so be sure to have a charger and a good data plan for your phone)

Where to get them:  For cash, go to your bank in person and ask for $50-$100 in 1s and 5s. For credit card payments, Square, Paypal, and SumUp all have apps that you can put on a phone or tablet and have attachments to swipe or tap credit cards.

Business cards - Customers will often want to follow you on social media, read your comic, or shop online after the show, so be sure to have lots of business cards! Use your most memorable art so they’ll be able to remember where they got it from! If you’re looking to offer commissions or talk to agents/comic professionals, you might also include your email address, but otherwise leave it off.

Where to get them: Many printers offer business cards for cheap. In a pinch, you can also print your own at home or have one sign with your info and ask people to take a picture.

What to Expect

Lots of talking!��You don’t have to have a carnival sideshow “step right up” persona, but be ready to give a friendly hello to folks who look interested in your work, and confidently answer questions about all of your products when asked. If you have a comic, practice a quick elevator pitch to explain it.

Not many breaks! While you can technically step away from your table whenever you want (if you’re alone, you can usually ask a neighboring table to watch your stuff for you), every hour you spend away from your table getting food or going to see cool panels are sales opportunities missed.  Keep snacks and water at your table to minimize your time away, look for slow traffic times to step away and explore a bit, or bring a friend who can watch your table and sell things for you if you need longer breaks to recharge. 

People who have never read a comic on the internet! For those of us who live and breathe our webcomics, this can come as a shock, but many people are still only readers of printed comics and will want to buy your physical book rather than read it free on the internet or buy a digital copy. Even if it’s just a small chapter book, having a print version is a great idea to get readers!

Fun and profit! This can also be surprising if you only have experience with online stores, but people come to convention floors with very open wallets. Things that don’t sell at all online can do gangbusters at conventions when presented right! Experiment with your setup to highlight your favorite things, take careful records of what attracts peoples’ attention and what sells, and keep notes for the next day and next convention, and have fun learning about this new market!

[catchdacraze]

A Comic Convention | A Book Signing | Surviving a Tornado & Losing $$ | ...

[jojostory]

I always read your AA tips despite never planning on tabling, but I’m tabling for the first time ever this summer! I wanted to ask, how much do you generally price your 11x17 posters (or what’s the most common pricing) and how do you normally go about giving deals? Like are people more likely to buy if you say “buy 2 for $x” or “buy 2 get 1 free” ? Thank you!

OMG -- So sorry for the late reply!

About 4 - 5 years ago, when I was active in Artist Alley, the typical price for 11x17 prints was $15. However, it seems like the typical price is now $20 (at least at the few conventions I've been to in the last 1 - 2 years).

For deals, I think it really depends on what you're selling! For example, when I first started out I had some kind of deal where you could get a large print and a small charm at a cheaper bundled price (I think? I can't remember exactly what I offered haha), but I didn't really have any takers, so I stopped offering it.

But later, when I started selling my Nintendo 3DS holiday cards, I offered a "buy 2 for cheaper" deal which a lot of people took advantage of! Thinking about it now, it makes sense to me -- greeting cards get used up, and people will often want to buy multiple at a time because they have multiple people they want to give cards to during holidays, so the deal becomes much more attractive. In contrast, there isn't really a good reason for people to buy a print and charm together (mayyybe unless the print and the charm feature the same character or something).

Anyway -- all this to say, the answer to you question about deals is "it depends!" Don't be afraid to try offering different kinds of deals each time you table and see what works and what doesn't. Try putting yourself in the customers' shoes and think about possible reasons people might want to buy multiple things, and make deals based on those possible reasons.

Hope this helps!

[gemstarb]

Artist Alley Tips & Advice

[md3artjournal]

[dividlibro]

I just got the green-light! I will have my first ever booth at an RPG convention! Does anyone have any tips I should know about?

[meruz]

hi!! im sure ppl have asked this b4, but i scoured your asks tag for an hour or so looking to see if you answered anything abt it and couldnt find anything, so i was just wondering if youve made any posts on your process for making n selling merch b4? and how you know which franchises you can make merch for w/o getting into trouble w copyright n trademark stuff (hopefully that makes sense, im not sure,,,)

hi! got a bunch of asks abt merch stuff lately im gonna put it under a cut.

preface: i don't know if i'm the best person to ask about all this stuff because I'm doing merch on a strictly hobby basis LOL. I have a fulltime job which takes care of the bulk of my finances, I don't really make big quantities of anything and my main priority at cons is to just make enough money to see my friends in different cities at minimal expense. i pretty much always get a refund when i file my con taxes because my profit after all the deductions is like fucking..nothing.. lmao. So if you ultimately lose money following my advice don't blame me. OK NOW lets get into it

my process for making merch: when I have an event scheduled that I want to make merch for I start by brainstorming a bunch of stuff I wanna make. for mgscon this is what I wrote down in my sketchbook lol

i made a legend to denote which ones are actually just reprints. it gets easier to plan out merch when you already have merch. out of the new merch ideas here i actually only made like 4 of them. and out of the reprints i only reprinted like three. i also came up with like 4-5 other merch ideas after writing out this list that i actually did do. LMAOO UM. my point here is that nothing rly goes as planned.

when i get a merch idea i start with thumbnails what i want it to look like (sometimes this is based off merch ive seen before so its very realized and sometimes its really vague bc im kind of pulling it out of my ass)

then BEFORE i go into making the final art I research how I'm going to make the merch. whether its printing/constructing it myself or looking for a manufacturer. There's a lot of different places that you can get custom merch made, i used to go shopping around at local printing shops but nowadays it's really common to do it all online. For both these jet tags and the washi tape I did some of my own research into manufacturers and also asked friends for their contacts/referrals/recommendations etc. most manufacturers either have their specs/template publicly available or will give them to you when you ask. so once I've locked into a manu and gotten the specs I'll start designing the final art.

then it's sending it off and waiting! easier said than done.

i will say this process is a lot lengthier for some types of merch than others LOL. for prints... I've been doing prints for like a million years and I plan out almost none of it. I draw everything at print resolution so a week before I have a con scheduled I'll simply go through all the files I've accumulated since my last con, squeeze whatever drawings I want into standard print sizes lol (ie. 8.5x11, 11x17, 4x6 etc), and print them at a local shop. takes like a couple hours max.

how you know which franchises you can make merch for w/o getting into trouble w copyright n trademark stuff?

I mean. honestly I don't know. selling fanart is the kind of thing that IP holders kind of just let slide as long as they don't think they're losing a substantial amt of money on it. there ARE a couple franchises people avoid because they've been known to send IP lawyers after fanartists... disney is the big one and they're known for being pretty petty abt it... that's why you don't really see people selling fanart of the disney princesses at cons. ive heard pokemon will also crack down if your project seems to be making a lot of money lol, part of why i think a lot of pokemon fanzines operate on a charity basis. I do feel like the pokemon company has bigger fish to fry than someones artist alley table though so i wouldn't sweat it too much.

it's also generally considered impolite/bad taste to sell fanart of small franchises. webcomics and indie games especially if they only have like 1-2 devs who rely on the income that game makes.

I'm not a lawyer so you shouldn't consider this legal advice BUT I will say... I don't think you should let IP law stop you from selling fanart lol. especially if it's low quantities/not mass produced and you're not making crazy amts of money I think you kind of have a leg to stand on. Besides, most cases it seems like the worst you'll get is a cease and desist.

you Will notice that when people start turning their artist alley endeavors into a real business they'll generally ease up on selling fanart (the case most prominent in my mind is omocat lol). but i love fanart and thats why i will never make money and thats a promise [snake saluting gif]

SORRY IDK IF ANY OF THIS WAS HELPFUL. I've been doing merch and cons for a long time (10+ years lmao, you can find record of this on this very blog) and i think im kind of old fashioned about it. i recognize the artist alley/merch scene is a lot more demanding now than it used to be but start small at local low-risk events, online sales etc and work your way up and remember to have fun and itll be ok i believe this wholeheartedly.

its literally just layers of acrylic like any other dinky charm. I'm sure pretty much any manu that does acrylic charms could do it but this specific charm/template i did order through a group order server. they're pretty well known! heres a link to their twitter

@wheatormeat sorry for taking a full month to answer this... anyways. This is tricky because I've actually been changing up my sticker manu everytime LOL IDK if I've found one I actually love.

these ones i ordered thru an alibaba manu because I was jumping on a friend's group order to save on shipping. it was ok. they arrived a liiiitle late and printed a lil dark but i think thats kind of my fault LOL I use dark colors i always need to lighten things before i get them printed and i think i just didnt lighten these enough. otherwise i rly love the quality!

i realized i never posted these online and also this is not a good picture (the lighting in my living room sucks rn) but i printed these tmnt stickers thru stickerninja they feel really solid but they needed kind of a lot of space for the cutline. but their customer service was very nice and helpful!

these ones i got printed at washimill and i was so impressed with how fine their cutline is... pricing and quality of the sticker itself is alright they feel a lil flimsy? idk. but i do like the printing. i kind of elected to go with them solely because i was already ordering washi tape. A LOT of my manufacturing decisions are made based on how much money i can save on shipping tbh.

and thats my sticker manu reviews dont forget to like comment subscribe idk if i have one im gonna stick with forever or anything im rly indecisive. ideally id like a manu based in the u.s...? because im based in the u.s. and international shipping is pricey. but idk if i keep ordering washi tape maybe ill keep using washimill. who knows...