Two new blocks from the other day! Iâve actually had the stoat drawn and ready to go for a while now but never got around to carving it until now. Debating whether I should add some fur texture to it or not, because this lino is softer so Iâm very worried about slipping.
I tried out printing on old file folders I got at my local reuse centre, and it turned out well I think! Was worried that the paper wouldnât take ink too well but it took just fine!
I do commissions for linocut blocks that you can use in perpetuity starting at $200. This option is reserved for individuals, community groups/clubs, non-profits, and maybe small business, depending on circumstances.
I havenât done commissions for prints before but Iâd be willing to! Would have to think through and discuss pricing. We would also have to discuss permissions on my ability to use the block again for further prints, since a block I use to make only like 5 prints and then canât use again is somewhat of a waste of materials for me. Not entirely opposed to it, but an exclusive design would definitely cost more than a reusable one.
Beyond those things, generally all pricing will vary by the size and complexity of the piece.
I believe I have DMâs open, so feel free to message me!
Good news: Iâve been going to physio for my arm and wrist pain and itâs been improving! Iâm still not going back to carving for right now, but Iâm building my strength and stability back up and itâs going really well :)
carved in a softer lino for the sake of my poor right arm which hasnât been doing so hot lately lol (gaming+being a student+doing art, especially carving=owie)
When you table at cons, what do you use to display your art upright?
I wanna start tabling sometime soon, and I know that if I leave all of my work flat to a table Iâm not going to catch as many eyes, but I donât have a lot of supplies for displaying things higher up, and so Iâm curious what other people use! I love your table set up overall btw :)
Sure!! Sorry for the late reply btw; I only just got back from dinner!
So in terms of displays and whatnot, it definitely depends on what you have already in terms of merchandise! If youâve got a handful of sticker designs, maybe a couple keychains and small to medium prints, you donât necessarily need to go for a full cube setup right away. Most likely (if youâre going to furry cons) youâll be in the artist alley and have limited space, so you donât need to spend a couple hundred or whatever on a lot of display equipment if youâre not sure your space will even be that big! For example, this was what my Artist Alley half table at Vancoufur 2023 looked like versus my Dealerâs Den half table at Vancoufur 2025!
Iâm gonna go over some of the things Iâve used for vending based on the different merch items too!!
STICKERS/STICKER SHEETS
These are legitimately the BEST starting product if youâre an art vendor. Custom stickers are one of the cheapest custom products to obtain, and that works well when youâre starting out!! You donât wanna jump in with enamel pins or keychains right out the gate because those are more expensive and (from my experience) people often drift towards some of the cheaper things if theyâve never heard of your art before and arenât sure what to get!
For stickers, the way you display them can sort of go two ways; you can either do self-serve (which I do) or you can do display-only! Both options have their own benefits and drawbacks; I find that customers like being able to get a feel for the texture and size of the stickers on hand, however there is obviously a risk of people being more easily able to steal stuff. Display only can be nice to more clearly lay out your stickers, but it could also take up more vertical space that you might need.
For self serve stickers, the best thing to get would be these acrylic display risers!! You can find them pretty easily on places like Walmart and Temu, or you can look up local retail display suppliers in your area to see if they have some!! They usually go by names like âacrylic display caddyâ or âacrylic cosmetics risersâ or something similar.
ART PRINTS
You donât actually need to go with a full fancy four foot tall setup for art prints!! For prints 8 x 10 and under, you can get something like acrylic brochure holders or these desk organizers to let people browse through your prints!
KEYCHAINS AND PINS
If youâre going into keychain and pin manufacturing, then starting off small would be best!! Having something similar to a small standing pegboard or hook countertop display would be best, since theyâre usually lightweight and on the cheaper end (this hook countertop display is like 10$)
CUBES AND DISPLAYS
If youâve moved on to a full table If youâre confident enough that you want to give cube displays a go, then cube displays are what basically every vendor out there has used at some point and time!! These guys are probably like one of those most used products by vendors ever.
With cube displays, there tend to be two main ones- full metal grid, or plastic. Metal grids are fully metal, while plastic ones only have metal in the main square frame and have plastic covering the rest.
Whichever one you get, again, depends on what your plans are. Both options have upsides and downsides. Grid cubes, because they have more metal, are much heavier. The plastic ones are lighter, but also more flimsy and at risk of bending at points. The grid cubes, depending on how you use them, also offer less privacy- meanwhile the plastic ones do much better in that regard.
For my display specifically though, I actually tried something a bit different- I got these plastic pop up shelf from IKEA- itâs called the Vesken specifically. On the cheaper end compared to the cubes while still being 12ââ wide, but theyâre (in my opinion) much easier to set up!! Theyâre also lighter then the grid cubes, which is good if youâre travelling!!
To help deal with the gaps in between the shelves, I cut up some fabric and basically created homemade covers to tie around the shelves! This lets me tape prints to the front of them too, and also helps with theming!!
For things like keychains and pins, I have a piece of poster board with magnets glued to the third level of the shelf, along with a piece of poster board that will actually display stuff. I glue magnets to the poster board too, and then the poster board is anchored pretty good to the shelves even with the fabric between them!
And I still use the grid cubes, actually! I just set them up or across the two units and tie them to the bottom of the shelves (since they have holes on the bottom, as they were designed for the bathroom/shower)
Obviously this isnât perfect- the shelves are actually lightweight enough that they could tip over if enough force is applied, and I definitely recommend using something like rope or something to weight down the bottom, not to mention that theyâre a little tricky to disassemble, and having two of them can take up a good bit of space in your luggage even if theyâre lighter then cube storage. But theyâve been working out really well for me so far!!
Itâs late and Iâm emotionally drained from today so thatâs like all I can think of atm ahah
If any other more experienced vendors want to pitch their own tips, feel free!
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