How Much Do Anime Expo Artist Alley Tables Cost

Artists' Alley Beginner Guide

This guide is intended to help and guide artists who new to Artists' Alleys, whether at Anime Boston or elsewhere. It is not a fix of rules. If you are looking for the Anime Boston Artists' Alley rules, you need to read the Artists' aisle FAQ.

Posted beneath is communication based on years of experience by the Artists' Alley staff and artists who accept attended Anime Boston and other conventions.

Some of those artists accept contributed comics to illustrate some of the hurdles and first-time experiences encountered by Artists' Alley Beginners.

Remember: The advice that follows is based on years of feel from various people. You may detect different methods that piece of work better for you. This guide is intended solely to requite you a starting point. It is natural that you will change and expand your methods equally y'all attend Artists' Alleys.

1. How practice I know if I'1000 ready to be in an Artists' Alley?
2. Preparing for the Artists' Alley
   a. What do I bring, and how much?
   b. Should I have a concern card? How many?
   c. What are Commissions and why are they a expert idea?
   d. Presentation and Displays
   e. I don't know what to charge. I feel guilty charging people. How should I PRICE my work?
   f. So what kind of materials practice you recommend that I use?
3. Artist Resources
   a. Book Press
   b. T-Shirt Press
   c. Prints
4. Traditional Art versus Digital Art - which is better?
5. Should I sell Fanart?
6. Artist Survival Guide
   a. Things y'all should bring
   b. Should I take credit cards?
   c. Eating and Drinking
   d. Should I cosplay?
   e. Selling and relating to your customers
   f. Fourth dimension Direction
   g. Demographic Targeting
   h. Have Breaks
   i. Being a Neighbor Artist
   j. Other Full general Advice

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i. How do I know if I'k ready to be in an Artists' Alley?
You never actually know until you try and you won't lose anything by trying, even if you don't exercise well at your first try. The important thing is to have the confidence that you can exercise it and to attempt your best.

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The entire event is a learning experience. Your neighboring artists are often happy to offer advice on a broad variety of subjects, from displays and training, to what to sell and how to color. This is because an creative person'southward alley at just about any convention becomes a community of artists and non simply total strangers sitting in the same room.

Even if you don't run into your expectations, you will yet walk abroad with something yous didn't have before: experience.

2. Preparing for the Artists' Aisle
What do I bring, and how much?
Basically, our advice is: "Keep it small and keep it simple."

If you accept seen an Artists' Alley before, you have probably seen artists with huge and tremendous displays. Non just might they have traditional 2D prints, but also items such as comics, plushies, tee shirts, posters and more than! Don't worry well-nigh trying to match what they have.

Conveying different products is a risk that established artists choose to take. That run a risk is mitigated just through trial and error experienced through years of Artists' Alleys. During your first time in an Artists' Alley, you should set pocket-sized and realistic goals and focus on meeting them.

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The bigger the space, the more information technology volition toll. And the more you effort to sell, the more than y'all will spend on materials. Take your investments a little at a time or you could be out a lot of coin. Consider sharing your space with another artist. It can relieve some of the financial and mental pressures associated with filling up a space.

When information technology comes to what you are selling, effort to focus on a single medium to start. If you are a print creative person, focus on 2D prints. If you are a crafter, create a niche market with a specific type of particular.

Also focus on quality over quantity. When starting, try not to make more than 5-10 products. If things become well, endeavor making 1 or 2 new pieces before every convention you lot go to. Before y'all know information technology, you volition have the large inventory that established artists have.

If you succeed in making 10 really good dissimilar products, don't create too many of each one. It is pretty much guaranteed that you lot volition NOT sell them all at your showtime convention. And odds are it won't be the 1 you lot recall volition be the about popular.

Keep rail of how many of each production you sell. From this yous can acquire what people similar and don't like. With that information you can gear the products for your next Artists' Alley towards what sells the best. However, don't terminate creating what You lot similar though. As much as we all want to make money, we too want to enjoy what we create.

Should I accept a business menu? How many?
Our advice is to brand at least 100 business cards. You can never have also many.

People tend to take cards even if they don't buy anything. And if someone does purchase something, it's a great reminder of where they got it from.

Information technology's also a adept way to go your name out there and try to drum up business organisation exterior of a convention. If yous keep your cards unproblematic, you can reuse them at any event. A simple card might take the post-obit:

• Name
• What you specialize in (i.e. portraits, comics, etc)
• Website URL (if you lot have one)
• At least i way to contact yous (if you move a lot, make it an email accost)
• Logo - if you have time, make a unproblematic graphic people tin associate with you.

What are Commissions and why are they a skillful idea?
Commissions - or 'on the spot art' - are always a skillful style to supplement the products at your table. Sometimes people like your style, but don't happen to have whatsoever interest in the products yous have available. If you can accept commissions, your clients will tell you what information technology is they Do desire to see. A commission will have some of your fourth dimension, merely will as well net you more coin than a unmarried print would have. They tin can also give you lot more than ideas on new prints to make.

Then, if you lot have the ability to handle the simultaneous pressures of doing art with a deadline and having people look over your shoulder, and then this is a skillful route for you to take. Just call up, you have to be able to consummate information technology earlier the end of the convention. If you want commissions to really be worth your while, you'll want to be able to do more than one. On the other mitt, bringing the materials to practise commissions can accept upwardly space in your art baggage.

Our Advice: Set out a sign-up canvas and pen with limited slots (around 5 to offset) and listing the costs of the dissimilar types of commissions. As you lot gain more experience, y'all can gauge better on how many you can do and expand the number of slots.

On the sign-up sheet, get out a little room for descriptions of the commissions. If y'all have v people signed up, and if you lot are notwithstanding working on the starting time one, you lot might forget the clarification of the film that person #5 wants. Writing downwardly the descriptions is e'er a good idea.

Presentation and Displays
Hither are some suggestions to cover the basics of whatsoever display setup:

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• Utilise a slice of material as a tablecloth. It will give your brandish a clean and prissy look.
• Put prints into a portfolio book then they tin can be easily flipped through and viewed.
• Place a price sticker on each page of the print book so the prices are conspicuously marked.
• Put a printed sign with your name and/or studio name in an 8x10 plastic photo frame to make sure people know who you are.
• Another printed sign tin advertise special sales, commission rates, and other prices.
• Accept a card holder for business cards, and so people tin can remember you lot later.
• To a higher place all else, remember to keep information technology simple!

An additional display ideas is using wire filigree cubes. They are modular and allow yous to build up, only break downwardly for easy traveling. They can be sturdier than using pvc piping and clamps. You lot can option them up at Target or online.

I don't know what to charge. I feel guilty charging people. How should I Cost my work?
This is a tough question. All artists have to work this one out on their own. All we tin can do is provide starting price points that you will need to change as you lot gain more feel.

A good way to work this out is to see what other artists charge for the diverse types of things they accept and average it out. You lot tin take notes at conventions when visiting their artists' aisle, or inquire artists on the forums.

Keep in mind that what yous charge for a print, as opposed to what you charge for an original or commission, volition vary widely. A one of a kind, premade original (sold only once) and a one of a kind (on the spot) commission will be close if non the same toll. While a print, since it is a mass produced copy of an original, volition be much less.

When yous price your piece of work consider its worth, including materials and time spent, and charge accordingly. When you charge $5 for something that took you hours to make, you may sell out fast, only yous are also going to burn out quickly. You are also going to bankrupt other artists who try to toll competitively, but cannot afford to lose the same profits you can. Everyone deserves a off-white wage per 60 minutes for their piece of work. Cost fairly and you lot'll ensure this for everyone.

Notwithstanding, hither are some suggested starting cost points for second artwork (depending on size and quality):

• Prints:
  • Blackness and White: $3-$ten
  • Color: $five-$12
• Originals:
  • Black and White: $20-$40
  • Colour: $30-$50
• Commissions (prices lower due to blitz):
  • Pencils: $5
  • Blackness and White: $x-$15
  • Color: $xv-$twenty

The prices to a higher place are based on impress sizes of viii.5x11. Though that is the standard impress size, sometimes people sell smaller or larger sizes. Smaller sizes should exist priced less and larger sizes should be priced more. As you gain experience and confidence, you can conform these prices as needed.

Y'all may offer unlike types of color mediums at different prices. For instance, if you usually color using the computer, but tin can't offer that as a commission selection at the convention, you can lower your prices and utilize colored pencils or fifty-fifty markers. The lower cost offsets the deviation in quality.

Due to the immense variety of products that can be done in a 3d manner, it is harder to come with starting price points - call back these are all suggestions only:

• Plushies: $xx-40
• Hats: $15-20 even upwards towards $100
• Costumes: vary too widely depending on intricacy of the specific costume being made.
• Glass: $12 - $40
• Pins: $1 - $5
• T-shirts: $10 - $twenty
• Paper Fans: $10 - $forty

So what kind of materials do yous recommend that I apply?
This is a affair of personal preference. Beneath are lists of what other artists use, but y'all have to brand your own decisions.

• Paper for Drawing:
  • 100lb Bristol Lath (proficient standard drawing newspaper with archival quality)
  • Utilize polish (Bristol) for pens and markers
  • Use Vellum for pencils and chalk pastels
  • Well-nigh Cardstocks - information technology's a good cheap substitute, only isn't archival. Protected, information technology'll keep for 20+ years
  • Hammermill 80lb Bright White Cardstock (available at Kinko's) is a specially nice and smooth cardstock to work with. Good for pencils, inks and markers
  • Watercolor Paper - Hot and Cold - effectually 100lb can be nice for some effects too. (Note: Cold usually means that the paper has texture, while Hot ways it'due south smooth.)
  • Hot/Common cold Press Analogy Boards
• Paper for Printing:
  • Photo Glossy
  • Photo Matte
  • Hammermill 80lb Brilliant White Cardstock
• Pens - Near of these are bachelor in virtually craft stores or fine art stores, merely all can be establish online hands. Unlike sizes are usually available such equally .005, .1, .3, .5 and more, and are available either individually or in sets.
  • Microns (favorite of many artists)
  • Staedler Pens (proficient for designs and logos)
  • Faber-Castell
  • Copic multiliners (available at the Copic website or at the Copic stations at various conventions)
• Pencils, Colour - Proceed in heed that many color pencils do not travel well. Being banged about breaks the soft lead within MUCH easier than regular pencils. That tin be a problem when you are trying to sharpen them to keep working on a flick.
  • Prismacolor
  • Designs
  • Random - Don't be afraid to try random brands. You tin can find the nearly amazing pencils in the oddest places - including what are regarded as cheap sets.
• Markers
  • Prismacolor- Almost people showtime with these despite them existence $2-3 a piece. But you tin often detect inexpensive sets on eBay.
  • Copic Markers- These are expensive and should not exist invested in unless you have learned mark and painting techniques. They have generic sets equally well as specialty sets such as the 'skin tone' fix. They are plush only if you use markers a lot they may well be worth the cost.
  • Le Plume is another good brand that can be used with water.

three. Artist Resource
Some of the virtually commonly asked questions in the forums are:

• "Where do I get this printed?"
• "Where do I go to make T-Shirts?"
• "How do I publish my comic book?"

Every business has its advantages and disadvantages; you lot will have to find which one works best for you lot. One place may only give expert prices for mass orders while another place is good for smaller orders. These are not your only options, only here are a few to commencement with:

Book Press:
Unlike businesses have different order requirements.

• Lulu Publishing: Lulu is a buy on demand site and makes it possible to keep your inventory modest if you don't accept the cash for it but it too costs more per book to become printed.
• Ka-Blam: Speficically does comic issue printing. The graphics wait better and are more often than not more consistent. The prices are decent and diverse discounts are often bachelor. They also offer means to practise online promoting and selling of your comic issues.
• ComiXpress: Recommended aslope with Ka-Blam as a good source for printing comics past many artists.

T-Shirt Printing:
Of course, you don't have to send out your T-shirt design to a third party such as the ones listed below. You can buy special transfers to utilise with your printer and hand make them. If you do it yourself, the quality may not be as expert, but it will be more cost effective since the price of professionally printed T-shirts increases per each color added to the design.

Proceed in mind that some "Print on Demand" sites are good for most products, simply with T-shirts they tin be sort of odd, especially with darker color shirts. We suggest running/ordering a exam print before committing to anything.

• Signatures
• Contagious Graphics
• Zazzle
• Printfection
• Cafe Press

Prints:
Some artists use a combination of his or her own personal printers and press companies, such every bit Kinko'due south. Some artists have expressed dissatisfaction with Kinko's and recommend finding a local, small printing business for meliorate prices and service. Here is a listing of businesses that are piece of cake to locate regardless of where yous may live in the country. Recollect that Kinko's, unlike some of the others on the list, specializes in press.

• Kinko'south
• Staples
• Office Max
• Deviant Art

4. Traditional Art versus Digital Fine art - which is better?
The truth is, neither is better than the other.

You will find opinionated people all over who proclaim ane to be superior but the truth is neither one of them is. They both require skill, time, and a love of art to practise a piece WELL. There is the distinction.

Some artists use a mix of traditional and digital, others love to describe past hand and others just tin can't get the hang of using a drawing tablet. The dandy aspect of digital color is the unique quality it produces and the fact that, done right, no fault is unfixable.

A moving-picture show isn't better just because it was done traditionally or digitally. Truthfully, there has been both good and bad art fabricated either way. The artist'south called medium does non necessarily reflect the quality of the art produced. Either style will require dedication, practice, and hard work.

If y'all are a digital artist and want to exist able to practise commissions at the conventions, keep the following in mind:

• Non all conventions provide electricity and you may non be guaranteed electricity if it does.
• You will need to bring your unabridged calculator system, including printer, with you to the convention to produce the requested commissions.

With traditional work, it's easy to figure out if you lot are holding the original. Y'all accept a piece of paper and you describe on it. If you flip the paper over, you can see the lines and the bleeds. Yous tin sometimes come across how far it was absorbed into the paper especially if you lot have used ink or markers. To make prints, you browse and impress copies, or yous use a photocopier to make copies. When placed next to each other, y'all can generally see the departure betwixt the original and the prints.

With digital work, what is an 'original' and what is a 'print' can be difficult to differentiate. A digital print looks the same no thing if it is the kickoff off the press or the hundredth. If y'all want it to be billed every bit an original, you accept to brand sure you NEVER print information technology out a 2d time. Otherwise you lot take to alter the pic, make a characterization or put a postage stamp on it that says the picture is a print and not the original.

5. Should I sell Fanart?
Y'all are more likely to sell anime fanart than original at an anime convention. But that being said, you shouldn't be discouraged from doing not-anime art. Artists can do well selling works depicting Lady Gaga, Bieber, or fifty-fifty colorful ponies.

You should too experience free to do completely original art. Try making your own characters or landscapes. Experiment and discover your own style of creation. After all, every character starts off every bit an original creation.

Above all, yous should savour what you make.

6. Creative person Survival Guide:
Things you should bring:

• Business organisation items:
  • Cash Box
  • Lots of modest bills (and modify if necessary)
  • Receipt books
• Tabular array Supplies:
  • Garbage bags
  • Seat cushion
  • Scissors
  • Exacto blade
  • Utility knife
  • Tapes:
    • Gaffer'southward tape
    • Masking record
    • Invisible record
    • Double sided record
  • Portable paper trimmer
  • String, nothing ties, and/or wire
  • Needle nose pliers
  • Rulers
• Personal Wellbeing:
  • Rucksack or Backpack
  • Snacks
  • Water (stay hydrated!)
  • Comfortable shoes
  • Pharynx Lozenges
  • Band-aids and pain relievers
  • Febreeze
  • Eye drops
  • Feminine hygiene products
  • Manus sanitizer
• Sanity Supplies:
  • iPod due west/charger and/or speakers
  • Photographic camera/phones/PSP/DSi and necessary chargers
  • Nook/Kindle with charger
  • Electrical extension cablevision
  • Power strip

Should I take credit cards?
Usually, nosotros would say no, but Foursquare is free and relatively painless. All you need to accept is either a smartphone or tablet that can work with information technology. If you have 1 already, information technology doesn't hurt to get Square. But sign upwards on the Square website and they will send you a device for free and the app is costless, too. The only fee is a small percentage of what yous make.

Eating and drinking:
Make sure you eat. If you are irritable because of hunger, yous could drive potential customers away. You tin can get together with your neighbors and ship someone out on a food run, or bring quick and easy snacks and drinks with you every twenty-four hours. The important thing is that yous eat!

Effort non to bring messy stuff, and if you have to leave and close downwards the table, exit a sign that says "Out to Lunch" or similar.

Bring caffeine. Coffee and soda work well, but we don't recommend Scarlet Bull or other sugary energy drinks due to 'crash factor'.

Should I cosplay?
Sure, why not? Sometimes it tin can concenter people to your tabular array. And it's fun if it's something you similar to practise. But keep in listen that you are in a small space and that you volition be in that costume all day. You should make whatsoever cosplay comfortable and easy to move in. And don't bring large or delicate props.

Selling and relating to your customers!
Don't be cocky and rude or assume that people should want to buy your products. Exist humble, polite, and thank people for their business and compliments. Tell people with a courteous smile, "If you lot like my fine art, please take a business concern card and check me out online."

Practice not telephone call out to a potential customer while they are at another artist'due south table. Aside from beingness incredibly rude and offensive to everyone, it can also take away sales from other artists. Even if it is considering y'all desire to accept a photograph of a cosplayer, endeavor to be sensible about this. You wouldn't want to have a potential sale taken away from you!

If someone is blocking your table and clearly non interested in your products, politely enquire them to move. If there is a large traffic jam, try to get convention staff to assist if you need aid.

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Actively appoint potential customers. Y'all demand to be friendly and approachable towards customers and talk to them even if they are only browsing. Inquire them how the convention is going for them, let them know your price info, tell them to let you know if they have whatsoever questions. Greet people as they pass past your tabular array, you may entice them to stop and run into what you accept bachelor. Even if you don't feel comfortable making pocket-size talk or a sales pitch you should at least stand up (or look up) and await friendly and approachable. Smile and greet people when they come over.

Pay attention to people. It'south a huge turnoff to go to someone'south table and they're hunkered behind it drawing and ignoring you. You lot can nevertheless draw, but if yous make certain you look upwardly and smile and say hello, it makes them aware that you lot are willing to be interrupted without existence pushy and in their face up. If you engage in conversation, stand. Information technology'south really hard to engage people in conversation when you lot are non at eye level, since it is harder to make eye contact from a chair.

Talk and chat with customers on a one-on-ane basis. Don't act like a carnival barker and yell "Buy my stuff!" (and other variations) repeatedly. Yelling drives customers away and makes yous a bad neighbor. Having a personable tone helps immensely.

Time Direction:
Managing your time finer is key to properly preparing for the convention. You need to know how long it takes to brand a product, simply also how much time you have available for preparation. It is ever practiced to become things washed equally far ahead of fourth dimension equally possible

Try to make a programme of what needs to exist washed before the convention. Set a date of two weeks prior to the convention to finish everything that needs to exist completed. You lot will well-nigh likely non finish your plan by the two week mark, but information technology gives you breathing room to deal with last minute changes, emergencies, and panics. Withal, if you procrastinate, yous will find your time is gone faster than you realized.

If you become to multiple conventions, try to keep a ready of dedicated bags/containers prepared just for Artists' Alleys and so that you will just demand to restock them with a few supplies or products between events. You will observe that this tin reduce your preparation time drastically. Keeping a reusable list of what you need for each convention will keep yous from panicking as much.

Demographic Targeting:
Consider who your potential customers are. Who are you selling to and what is popular correct at present? If pirate or ninja shows are hot, try to design products based effectually those themes. Even original piece of work can be highly appealing to your audition if corresponds to pop media. Customers will most likely exist between the ages of 14-25, and then place yourself in their shoes equally if y'all were looking at your trade. Simply still remember to savour what you are making.

Take Breaks
Selling and socializing are totally slap-up, simply it is important to take a breather from information technology all before you get burnt out and cranky. If you have a table buddy to lookout man your space, find a tranquillity space to relax and decompress.

Get upwardly from your tabular array and take some personal time to wander around the Artists' Aisle. Chat up your fellow artists and get to know them. You will see many of them at other conventions. Don't forget to enjoy the convention itself. See a panel, check out a video room, become that autograph y'all've been after. Getting away for a bit will also refresh your heed and give you more vigor and a happier mental attitude.

You want to make sure you actually enjoy being at the convention, or you lot won't want to return.

Being a Neighbour Artist: It'southward important to be nice to the other artists! These are the people who are going to lend you duct record in an emergency, lend you a pen when you can't discover yours, keep an centre on your tabular array when you tin can't find your helper and desperately need to utilize the bathroom, and by and large offer y'all advice and support.

It is truthful that we are all competing confronting each other to sell fine art, simply this is still a very friendly and supportive customs. Respecting the other artists volition earn you their respect in return. Their help and advice tin get you through any rough patches you meet in the Artists' Alley. Bonding with the other artists throughout the convention is a rewarding feel.

If you program to leave your neighbors in accuse of your table at whatsoever point, make sure you show them your inventory setup, cheat sheet for prices, and any other rules, and make sure you tell them if you have any deals going on!

Other General Communication:

• Brand sure you lot know what'due south in your cash box when you started and use receipt books to keep rails of what y'all sell. It'll assistance proceed your helpers honest and can aid you lot immensely when planning for the next result.
• Don't let people put drinks and stuff on your table! They tin harm your products and cake others from seeing your piece of work.
• If you have stuff that'southward very mobile, similar loose prints, jewelry, charms, and buttons, ballast them down. People will touch, movement and jostle things so taping or pinning them downwardly will keep you from having to keep tidying upward and continue them from disappearing.
• Offering deals, as they give customers incentives to purchase more. For example, one of each for $5, or 3 for $12. Customers usually purchase more with incentives like these. But only exercise this if y'all are okay with letting your products go at that toll.
• You cannot have enough signage, list prices very clearly and in several places (especially up high if there happens to be a crowd and people can't see the tabular array height). Your all-time bet is to take a cost on each particular or impress.
• Be aware that no matter how much signage you take, some people will always ask for prices and other information. It is unavoidable.
• If you lot are selling 3D products, it is a adept thought to take photos of your trade. Place them in a flipbook, on your table, or on any high structures you lot take. This volition maximize the number of potential customers who can see your items, fifty-fifty if it is crowded. More chiefly, if you sell out of an detail, people volition still know you lot make them and may brand special orders.
• Organize your workspace behind the table. It will help all your transactions to go smoothly and volition preclude your supplies from taking up more space than they should.

Source: https://www.animeboston.com/artists/artists_alley_beginner_guide/

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