#grid cubes

[jojostory]

What do you use for displaying? I’ve seen so many vendors use the plastic rackets, but I don’t know what they are or where to find them!

Hi anon! I’m not entirely sure what you mean by plastic rackets, do you mean grid cubes? Here’s a couple of posts I’ve made about my display setup:

Artist Alley Tips: The Photography Stand Primer

Artist Alley Tips: A Guide to Grids

Definitely feel free to shoot me another ask to clarify if those links don’t answer your question. Hope that helps!

[howtobeaconartist]

I have a big space (10x10 with tables on two sides), and I am going to be using a grid pattern to make a vertical wall so people can see prints on both sides. I've found that this would be the easiest/best option for me for this convention. I was wondering if you knew any way to set it up on the bottom to make sure that it won't wobble everywhere and will be stable? I'm debating a lot of options in my head, but I'd like to ask you to see if you have any ideas to help! Thank you!

Kiriska: I recommend getting actual retail grid walls, which usually have feet, in this scenario, rather than relying on the modular grid cubes most artists use on tables. 

If you must use the latter, you can do something like this:

Pieces flat on the ground and on the side will really help with stability. If you can build the side wall up as high as the rest, that will help even more. You can also stack heavy items or boxes on the pieces that are on the ground, to hold them there.

Nattosoup:  I’m going to switch over to retail grids for local shows, but this is what I used for my 10x10 tent at the Cherry Blossom Festival.  I double secured it with these grid connecters from Daiso and zip ties, and we used weights (like weight lifting weights) to hold down the bottom.    This was an outside event, so the wind would catch the wall when it had frames on it, but for an indoor event, with just lightweight prints, you should be fine I think.  Although I second Kiri on using retail grids- I do know that’s not modular enough to fly with.

[studioappeltjesgroen]

This is how I made my acrylic charm packaging! <3 Took me half a day but it was so much fun to do! Cutting and glueing and figuring things out! And it fits perfectly on my new grid cube accessoires! *0*

You can find them at my booth at Dutch Comic Con and FACTS and now already on etsy! https://www.etsy.com/listing/504797953/pokemon-fruit-boxes-pikachu-mimikyu?ref=shop_home_feat_1

[howtobeaconartist]

i finally brought some crates for set up, do you have any tips on how to set them up quickly? is there an easy way, does it come easier with practice, is it just going to be a long set up any way? they usually take me a while (about 10 minutes!) to set up, and with all of the other stuff in my table, this would be a really good thing to try to cut down on set up time!

Kiriska: Gonna assume you’re talking about grid cubes/wire grids, but man, I think 10 minutes to set those up is really good????

I’ve never personally used grid cubes because I hate how heavy they are and think the connectors are The Worst, but I’ve helped many a friend set theirs up and it’s always a big ordeal. I assume it gets easier with practice, as most things do, but I also think there’s a limit on quickly you can put them up and still have them be reasonably secure. Zip ties do help provide extra security when your connector pieces get worn out over time and things get dinged and dented though.

I use PVC instead of grids, but I can count on a minimum of 10 minutes to set them up too, depending on the size of the table and which particular PVC configuration I want to go with. It usually takes me about 30-45 minutes to fully set up my table with PVC, print displays, precise arrangements/etc, but I usually try to give myself double that amount of time so I’m not rushing.

Being able to set up quickly is great, but being able to take your time and triple-check everything is better.

If you do need to speed things up, I don’t think speeding up the building of your primary table foundation/structure is the thing to speed up. That’s the thing that’s most important to take your time on! Instead, maybe try to speed up how you hang up your prints or how you set up items on your table.

Are there things you can leave partially set up and still pack? Can you store things a certain way so they’re quick and easy to find when you unpack? I think not having to look frantically for every piece of your set up when you set up is the best thing you can do to cut down on setup time.Nattosoup:  I use wiregrids, and have for a few years!  It always takes me a while to set up those grids (just a fact of life, I’m afraid), and I have several years practice and do demo setups before each con.

Some tips:

Standardize your setup

Make a chart of your grid setup, in case you have assistants

Take photos of setups you enjoyed

Simplify if possible

Bring zip ties and scissors

Plan that your grid setup will take a while to get set up- take advantage of early set up times

10 minutes for your gridwall is pretty good though!  It takes me two hours, but my setup is pretty elaborate these days.

[howtobeaconartist]

I was planning on buying either wire frame cubes or grid display walls for this upcoming artist's alley I have next month. While I'm still deciding on which kind to get, the only thing I haven't been able to find during my research is how I'm going to hang my artwork on these things. Are there any certain clips or magnets most artists usually get?

kiriska: Most people use binder clips to secure prints to grids. You can see an example here and here, in dragonbeak‘s table. She sleeves her prints, then clips the sleeve to the grid, so the print itself isn’t damaged. I’ve heard of other people using magnets, but I’m not sure how effective that is. Here’s another example of an artist using binder clips to secure prints to a grid.

Nattosoup:  I use cute magnets to hold prints and small items to my gridwall.  You can get them inexpensively, they’re easily replaced, and they shouldn’t damage your prints.  My only problem is when customers try to help themselves by removing things from my gridwall, the magnets may go flying if they don’t notice them.

[andreacoleacc]

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