How To Be A Con Artist

A resource for Artist Alley artists at anime, comic, gaming, and fandom conventions, including con reports, checklists, advice, and more!

[howtobeaconartist]

Hello! I want to start doing conventions and I’m trying to figure out a set up I like. Do you have to use only tables or can you use floor shelving or displays? I’d think it’d be unique to use something other than just a table and wire cubes but I haven’t seen anyone else do something similar so I’m wondering if it’s just preference/transport thing or if cons don’t allow it. Sorry ask got a lil long but I’d like to hear opinion!

Kiriska: Different conventions may have different rules, so always check details for a given event, but in general, as long as your setup fits within your allotted space and is structurally stable, it doesn't matter what you're using.

Most artists opt for structures that can be easily transported. It's convenient that grid cubes break down and can fit into suitcases, etc, especially if an artist travels long distances for events. Many convention artists are also in a more transitory period of life (teens-20's) so they may not have as much home storage. If you're living in a college dorm or a cramped apartment with roommates, it's hard to justify having a shelf around that you only use at cons, even if you do a lot of cons.

But if you're local and don't mind transporting heavier/prebuilt structures, that's probably fine. It's more common to see these kinds of permanent structures at craft shows/markets because those vendors are also often older, local, and have larger/more permanent homes and garages to store things in.

Many conventions do not allow you to move or rearrange your table in your space, but sometimes they will let you pull your table back slightly or replace the provided table with your own. In those cases, I've seen artists supplement their provided table with smaller side tables or replace the standard 6' table with a 4' one so they can bring in a clothing rack and have that on the side, etc.

But yeah, check with the con and see what's allowed.

[howtobeaconartist]

I want to start doing artist alleys next year, but I'm really apprehensive about two scenarios that could happen. 1. Someone shows up and starts talking nonstop about a novel they never wrote, with their fictional characters they never tried to bring to life, and retains me from making my sales or 2. Someone shows up to degrade my work in front of everyone and make me feel embarrassed about my work. Have you ever faced any of these situations? What did you do to get around them?

Kiriska:

This happens. Not too often, but it happens, and I think it's good to have a few strategies prepared so you aren't caught out trying to figure out what to do when it happens. I generally make a point to greet everyone that approaches my table, and someone talking to/at me does not prevent me from doing this, regardless of who they are. I will stop mid-conversation with a customer to greet another customer, then return to the conversation if it's one I'm interested in. People generally understand. If the conversation is not one I'm interested in, I will try to direct more attention to the new customer/other people at the table, or do something on my phone. Often, this redirection of attention away from the person being a barnacle, is enough to get the person to back off. If not though, further strategies include: a) doing stuff on your phone and saying, "Sorry, I really need to take care of this thing," and typing rapidly, b) texting a friend to come to your table, then having a conversation with that friend, c) texting a friend/staff to come watch your table while you take a break/go to the bathroom, etc. You can also try just being direct. "Hey, that sounds cool, but I don't have time/brain power to process right now and want to just focus on tabling[/drawing/whatever you're doing]." In my experience, these people are usually just socially oblivious and don't necessarily understand they're annoying/making people uncomfortable. Some might appreciate the directness.

This is less likely to happen, at least not as you describe. It takes a lot of energy, effort, and confidence to actively tear someone down in real life, and there's basically nothing to be gained from it, so people aren't likely to do this, even if they hate your work for some reason. What's more likely is that people may make insensitive, offhand comments like "I could do this," "My kid/cousin/brother/etc can draw better," "This is too expensive for what it is," "Why would anyone pay $x for this," etc. You need to ignore these people. Usually, they're making this comment to someone they're with and not to you directly, even if you're in easy earshot, so you aren't expected to respond. If they do direct the comment at you, you can still choose to ignore them. Another option is to respond neutrally or positively: "[Person] can draw better." -> "That's great! I'll work hard to get better." "This is too expensive." -> "I'm sorry it doesn't fit your budget." (If you have less expensive items, you might choose to point them out.) "This isn't worth $x." -> "I understand if it doesn't fit your priorities or budget." You can expand on any of these if you want, but I think it's easiest to keep the interaction short. The goal is just to have these people move on, not to change their mind.

[howtobeaconartist]

How does anyone afford to be a con artist? I have a backlog of work that people enjoy and a gallery very willing to sell my work but the cost of getting my art printed is just so prohibitively expensive that I’ve been unable to do anything. Even on the absolute cheapest sites I can find prices get into the hundreds for even just a couple things printed. I’ve wanted to be a con artist since I was a kid but no matter how hard I try I just can’t seem to make it work.

Kiriska: It always takes money to make money, but it's still possible to start small.

idk what country you're in or where you've looked at printing prices, but if you're in the US, I still recommend Catprint (referral link), which is still pretty affordable, imo. At the very least, it doesn't cost "hundreds" to make a few prints.

But if Catprint isn't an option for you and it really does take "hundreds" for you to get "a couple of things" printed, then don't print a couple of things. Print one thing. Print one thing in one size and print just one of it if you have to. If you already have venues interested in your work, maybe they will accept just one framed print.

Of course, it makes sense to be able to print at least a few things to have a cohesive body of work available, but even so, most people aren't coming out of the gate with a full table full of merchandise. Save up money over time to invest in your art business. Make a few things at a time. Pick smaller and more affordable events to table at. You don't need to make your entire body of work available immediately.

It's good to take your time seeing how business goes for you, too. Just because something is popular online or with one group of people, doesn't mean it will sell well. The audience at a con or the customers at a venue may be different from your usual. What does well with them may not be what you expect, and it's good to gather more of that kind of data before you invest a lot of funds into making a lot of product, especially if funds are limited.

tl;dr, take your time and take it slow. If you can't afford to make products now, save some money. Decide on a goal amount before you start investing it in your business. Do research so you can use your limited funds wisely, etc. Rome wasn't built in a day.

[howtobeaconartist]

Any tips for half-table setups? I keep adding prints and stickers and I’m running out of space. I have a cork board that I put my stickers on, and I like the look but I think it’s too low down for people to see it, but all my prints are up high. I also don’t really want to go above with my grids (or whatever they’re called) bc I’m really paranoid of bumping into it or just having it fall over in general 😭 (not unfounded, did happen to someone at one of my last cons)

Kiriska: I mean, at some point, there's just no room left and you either need to reduce stock or get a full table.

Prints take up a lot of space when displayed individually. It may be worth cutting some less popular designs so you have space to display other things, like stickers. If a popular design sells out, you can then put up a second-tier print in its place, maybe.

If your prints are letter-size or smaller, it may make sense to move some designs into a portfolio or binder, but this won't really work for larger prints on a half table.

It may also make sense to change up what prints you have on display depending on the event. You might also decide to prioritise stickers over less-popular prints at one event, but maximise your print display at another event.

You don't have to do the same setup at every show, and it can be worth it to experiment with different setups when space is very limited. You can even change things up mid-event if you think something isn't working. Good luck!

[howtobeaconartist]

at what point do you give up on prints that just aren't selling? when I started out, for some reason I decided to get 10 ea of 7 different 12x18 prints. that was early 2025 and here I am, with the most popular one having moved... 3 prints. several of them I still have all 10. they take up so much space and no one wants them, but I spent the money to have them printed and I feel bad about just getting rid of them... heck I still have a stack of 50 or so (8.5x11 thank god) misprints just because I didn't want to throw out the paper.

Kiriska: I feel your pain. I have prints that are over 10 years old that haven't sold through their initial runs, but which I'm reluctant to throw away. Sunk cost fallacy is real.

For letter-size prints and smaller, I find it's easier to keep them around for longer because they don't take up as much space and can still be displayed in the back of a binder or print rack or whatever. Sometimes I get surprised and someone unearths an ancient print from aeons ago and decides to buy it! It happens!

Sometimes I make blind packs and include a mix of older stuff and newer, more popular stuff, so hopefully no one feels like they only ended up with a bunch of unwanted stock.

And sometimes, as a primarily traditional artist, I use the blank backs of old prints to test markers or paints, to protect my table from stray marks, or to just doodle on. They are still useful as blank sheets of paper, if nothing else!

But yes, especially for larger prints that take up lots of space, sometimes you just gotta toss them in recycling and move on. For what it's worth, I've found that I forget about whatever I throw away very quickly. The mental load is just gone! It's great! You just gotta do it!

But yeah, I'll reiterate what I've said many times: be conservative about how many prints you make before you know what works/is popular for you. Especially when you first start out, your art is likely to be rapidly changing and improving, so you'll get sick of seeing older work very, very quickly.

Also see: coupla previous related "old stock" asks.

[howtobeaconartist]

For big conventions, do you recommend putting small merch (stickers, photocard, a5 prints) up for grabs on a display rack , OR display it on a board and have buyers tell us which one they want.

I’ve heard some artists said putting it up for grabs increases their sales by a lot. But i’m worried about them stealing too 😂 any advice on this?

Kiriska: Depends a lot on how many individual designs you have and what kind of market, imo.

For fan conventions, it's more standard for there to just be display copies of items and customers must tell you what they want to buy. Often this is because artists have dozens of designs and want all of the individual ones to be visible at all times, which is harder to achieve when all copies are out and packaged for purchase. (Also: packaging goods adds weight and many artists fly to conventions. Not having things pre-packaged lets artists potentially package things together at the time of purchase, which saves them on packaging materials.)

If you only have a few designs, it may be easier to just to have them out for customers to rifle through. Theft might happen, sure, but in most cases, the production cost of these types of items is extremely low, and I wouldn't worry about it too much personally. And the trade off may be worth it because yes, people tend to form stronger attachments to things they can touch, and being able to to pick up an item, handle it, and like, physically show it to a friend, etc, can be influential towards a purchase.

It's also not unheard of for display copies to be stolen too, unfortunately, so not having copies out doesn't necessarily mean theft won't happen. But in general, I'd try to keep a closer eye on your cashbox than your merch. Someone walking off with some prints and stickers probably isn't that big a deal in the end, even if it sucks that people would do that.

Also see: previous similar ask.

[howtobeaconartist]

Hello, any ideas to organize stickers for selling at cons? Just bunch of random stickers with no duplicates.

Kiriska: Stuff I've seen people do:

Tiered display with individual slots for each sticker

Flat cubby display with individual slots for each sticker

Board or corkboard with individual sticker designs pinned/stuck on

Free-for-all unsorted basket/container with all designs in there

Binder with card sleeve pages or similar to store individual designs

[howtobeaconartist]

Hello! I've recently taken on a volunteer position as the organizer of a small conventions' artist alley. I am the first person to be in charge of vendor setup and organization and am trying to lay a solid groundwork for years to come. I figured the best thing to do was ask vendors directly- what makes your ideal vending experience an ideal one, on the organizational side of things? What makes it a bad one? Any advice is much appreciated!

Kiriska: There's definitely a lot that can be said on this topic and I encourage others to share their own opinions in comments/reblogs, but the biggest thing for me is:

Communication, communication, communication. Make sure information about your event and everything about it is readily available and accessible to vendors and potential vendors.

When is the event? What are the public hours VS setup/teardown hours? What size are tables? Is there access to power? Are there rules for displays? Height limits? Noise restrictions? Is the venue accessible? Will there be gaps between tables? What are the expectations and requirements of vendors? Does the event need a business ID? Tax ID? What state or local regulations might be relevant? Are vendors selected by jury? Lotto? First come first serve? Are there preferences for type of art?

Vendors might have a million questions. Anticipate them and write up a robust FAQ. Add to it regularly as you get questions.

Set clear expectations. When should vendors expect to hear back by? Make sure whatever avenue people have for asking questions works for you and the org too. Emails don't need to be answered immediately per se, but they need to not be going into a black hole either.

If there's a delay, let people know. If issues arise, be sure to communicate them. Shit happens! Events almost never go exactly as planned, but vendors are less likely to panic if they know where they can go for information and updates. Is there an info booth? Are there ways to contact staff on-site? etc.

A lot can go wrong at an event, but I'll likely still feel okay about it if I feel like the staff tried and communicated issues to the best of their ability.

[howtobeaconartist]

I'm sure this has been asked before but I keep getting answers relating to tabling specifically.

How do you start doing commissions? I don't have a particularly large following but I want to be out there in case someone wants to, ya know what I mean? I just don't really know how to start

Kiriska: Functionally, all you need is a page with some examples and some prices, and to ensure that the page is easily found/accessible to anyone who might be looking for it. It doesn't hurt to mention occasionally that you are available for commissions.

I think it's also very valuable to have an idea of what the process of doing a commission might be like, in terms of procedures. For example, when and how are you taking payment? How much opportunity will a client have to give revisions? How will the final work be delivered? (What formats and resolutions? If you work traditionally, will it be shipped?) It may be helpful to pace through the process of a commission with a friend, just to see how it goes.

[howtobeaconartist]

Do you know of any Discord servers for Canadian artist alleys?

Kiriska: I don't. Who does? Sound off in comments/reblogs.

[howtobeaconartist]

Do I need to register anything with the government as a business if I want to sell at something local like a farmers market? I don't have any real business it's just me drawing so I'm not sure

Kiriska: Probably.

You should ask the farmer's market if they have any specific requirements.

In most cases, public markets themselves must have permits and licenses to operate and must either cover applicable fees and licenses for vendors, or the vendors need to deal with those individually.

For example, the city of Seattle requires vendors have a business license in the city in order to sell goods. Markets must pay some fee per vendor to the city ($10-15, usually) if the vendor is unlicensed, and so will usually ask vendors to either pay that fee (to the market, so they can pay the city), or ask the vendor for their license number (so they can tell the city, hey they're licensed).

For Seattle, this license is something like $80/year, so whether it makes sense to get the license depends on how many events you do a year in the city.

In most cases, you should probably also figure out how to remit sales tax to the state, which typically involves another license.

Whether or not you consider yourself "a business," selling stuff at events is a kind of business activity that the government probably wants to know about.

Also see: #legal stuff, #permits and licenses, #sales tax

[howtobeaconartist]

How extensive of a portfolio should I have to apply for a convention?

Ex: I make keychains, standees, stickers, and prints. Should I prioritize one item over another in my portfolio or will that hurt my chances of being accepted?

Kiriska: This may depend on the con, so you'll probably need to do some research and potentially prepare different portfolios for different events.

Some just want to see the quality of your art and don't necessarily care if you're putting your art on prints or a standee. In these cases, it doesn't really matter if you want to show a wide variety of products or not.

Some want to know exactly what types of products you have, but don't care about the variety or breadth.

Some shows favour some product types over others, so you may want to only show products they're looking for.

And so on.

If you don't know that a show has any preference though, I would just default to showing examples of your art (not necessarily the final products) and include a photo of a past table, which should give the con an idea of your final products without throwing them into as much focus.

[howtobeaconartist]

I have a shop that focuses mostly on acrylic keychains, standees as well as stickers and prints. I’m doing my first Artist Alley this September and I was wondering how much is a reasonable amount of stock to order for each of my items for a three day mid-sized convention. I’m very scared of over-ordering

Kiriska: See #how much to bring.

If you're afraid of over-ordering, order less, especially if you're worried about spending too much or going over-budget.

If you sell out, you'll know for next time.

Optimal inventory levels is something every retail business everywhere forever has to deal with. There's never going to a straightforward answer because there will always be too many factors that vary between events and over time.

Aside from con size, there's demographic (how much spending money does this crowd have?), fandom interest (how many people at this particular con care about this fandom? this can vary a weird amount sometimes), product interest (do people at this show like keychains?), market competition (how many other artists have keychains here?), etc, etc, etc.

You can't actually know the answer to half those questions when you make your order, so the best you can do is go with a number you can live with.

Again, if you sell out, you know for next time. If you have leftovers, you'll have them for next time. Decide which you prefer.

[howtobeaconartist]

what are possible ways to be eco-friendly while working as an artist? from supplies, to packaging, etc. (also while staying budget friendly maybe?)

Kiriska: Here are some quick ideas:

Whenever possible, save and reuse: boxes, packaging, backing boards, void fillers (packing peanuts/crumpled paper/similar), etc.

Avoid individually packaging prints until time of sale; if multiple prints are purchased together, package them together unless the customer requests otherwise

DIY or thrift for signage and decor when possible. Tablecloths and small cute table decor are usually easy to find at thrift stores. There are lots of fun ways to make your own signage from fabric, wood, and other scrap materials, etc.

Buy used instead of new. This can be for traditional art supplies as well as digital devices like tablets and computers. Some cities have stores that collect and resell art materials. Check if yours does! For tech, refurbished is usually just as good as new, function- and even warranty-wise.

Also see: #eco friendly

[howtobeaconartist]

Hi, I want to know your opinion on this issue my friend(F) and I are currently having. I'm boothing with my friends in a circle and I had brought up the issue of space and that it might be time to consider splitting the booth cost by the amount of space that a person's merch is taking up to keep things fair for everyone. I brought this issue up cause one of my friend, E, has a very big inventory that it almost always end up with them taking most of the booth space, last event E had ended up taking 70% of the booth space (this was 2ppl in 1 table, granted the other person didnt have as much merch) I was told this was unreasonable and that E had also done accounting for us too so it wouldn't be fair for them to pay more since they also had worked more, so I suggested we could take the accounting cost out of the booth cost too so if they took 70% of space, then E only have to pay 60% while the other could do 40%. And if that was too troublesome then I had also suggested that we try to keep our merch down to equal sizes so that others wont get overshadowed. But I got told this was mean and unreasonable to E, do you guys have any suggestions on how we could deal with this? Sorry for the long msg, thanks for taking the time to read this

Kiriska: This sort of stuff really sucks to deal with and is going to be uncomfortable no matter what, unfortunately.

Ultimately, if other part(ies) aren't willing to budge, negotiate, or meet you in the middle, then you have to ask yourself how important is it that you "win" the disagreement, and what you may be willing to give up for that.

I obviously don't know all the details here, but it sounds like this is just table-sharing, rather than a truly collaborative "circle" or studio. If E has such a big inventory, why don't they just get their own table? Is there a reason they prefer to share?

Or, if the person E was tabling with didn't have a problem with the table split, why do you? Would your friends think differently if you were the one splitting with E and brought up your arguments then?

I also don't know both sides of this, only your side. So maybe there are other factors, or a reason your friends think you're being unreasonable even though it seems logical that someone taking up 70% of space should pay more.

Do you feel strongly enough to leave the group? To try table-splitting with other people?

Like, you can't force your friends to agree with you.

In many cases, "the person who cares the most wins." If you're not willing to leave the group, but no one else agrees with you, your only real options are to either keep bringing it up and hope they'll change their minds, or you can just go with the group's decision.

Good luck.

[howtobeaconartist]

Things I've Used For Events - Part 1 - Little Cathedral

PERMISA! Today I'll show you a behind-the-scene of the stuff I use for display and organization of merch when participating in events.

[howtobeaconartist]

Hello! I wanna ask about how should I set my canvas resolution for printing 5x5cm acrylic keychains. Some said I should keep it to the original keychain size, and some said it's a good practice to always make it bigger like twice the size so I'm not sure which one I should follow lol. Though I do understand that I should make the DPI to 300/350 for printings and preferably draw it in CMYK (not a fan tho.) Thank you!

Kiriska: In general, it doesn't hurt to go bigger, though this is mostly so you can repurpose the art for various applications. If you don't know what you plan to use the art for when you make it, it's better to err on the side of bigger.

However, if you do know what product the art is for, it may be better to just work at 300 dpi at your final dimensions.

The one downside of working bigger than you need is that you may end up putting in detail that won't really show up in the product. If you tend to work at 100% canvas size, but your canvas size is significantly bigger than your end product, a lot of that 100% detail won't show up when it gets printed.

Which is better may end up being dependent on your style though. If you tend towards fine details, it's probably better to just work at your final size. If your style is simpler and made of big solid shapes, it probably won't hurt to work a bit bigger, and then if you later decide you want to use the art on something bigger, your art may already be able to accommodate that.