#sonicscepter

[ohcarararara]

If you don't mind me asking, how long have you been doing conventions? How did you start? Do you have any advice for a new (and totally broke) artist trying to get their stuff out there?

Get ready for a longer answer than you probably expected! I have literally lectured on this at colleges because it’s what I do for a living.

I started doing cons in highschool, so...15 years, give or take. I used to table at A-Kon and a handful of other nearish anime cons each year, because man, back then getting a table at those cons was easy for a 15 year old that barely knew what she was doing. I pretty much just sold 8.5″x11″ prints that I had made at Office Depot or whatever. Bless the kind people that bought younger me’s shitty art back then.

Eventually I moved away from Texas to attend SCAD in Atlanta, so I started doing AWA, and quickly learned that one of the most important things when doing cons is to have NEW STUFF each year. Since I was bogged down with schoolwork, I didn’t have extra time to make new stuff and was like “why the hell isn’t anyone buy anything when I sold so much last year?” Because, dummy, the people that like your art already bought the stuff they wanted from you. Now that I’m out of school I get to make sure I always have new stuff, and retire stuff that I’m tired of carrying around.

I will also tell you this: in the 15 years I’ve been doing this? I’ve only started making any sort of profit doing it in the last 3 or 4. Having a strong internet presence is a big part of it, I’m sure, but man, you gotta stick with it and not let slow sales discourage you if you’re starting out. Keep producing work. Make friends with the people you see consistently at cons.

Other random tips:

Merch is going to sell differently depending on the con. Prints and books do GREAT at Comic Conventions. Buttons and charms are what sell at Anime cons. That said, I still get surprised at what ends up selling well any given weekend. I sold out of Sailor Moon prints within a day or so at ECCC, and at another con two weeks later, barely sold any all weekend.

Bless anime cons, but you do sort of...get to a point where you out grow them. They were GREAT when I was first starting out. The tables are relatively inexpensive, and sales can be easier there. Anime cons are PERFECT for younger artists and artists wanting to try their hand at tabling. Unfortunately it has become a NIGHTMARE trying to apply to most of them because they’re so cheap and because of the high population of artists at these cons. When that happens, you have another choice....

....I fully embrace mainstream comic cons now. These can be intimidating to do, for good reasons. Tables generally run $200-$500, depending on the con, so it’s an investment compared to getting a $50-$100 anime con table. You also have to be aware that a large part of the crowd is still the gross “comics are for guys, not girls” mindset, and trust me, I’ve gotten LOTS of cold side-eyes from dudes walking by my table and wondering what the hell I’m doing there. BUT. That attitude IS changing. There are SO MANY MORE open minded fans and girls excited to be there. It’s amazing. At C2E2 this year my friend and I literally had a crowd of mostly girls at our table almost the entire weekend. Finally a guy asked “I’ve been watching your booth for hours and I seriously don’t understand. What are you selling that has all of these girls over here?” and it’s like. Dude. We literally have video game and Avengers art. Same as that dude over there. And he was like “....I had no idea girls were this into that kind of stuff.” I CAN’T MAKE THIS UP. IT WAS INSANE. But there are guys that still think like that.The point is though, it’s getting much much easier to sell at comic cons if you’re a girl or your style doesn’t particularly fall into traditional style comic art. I fucking love comic conventions.

Make your table display interesting and unique. I literally sit down after each convention and sketch out my table layout and plan what I can do better next time, or what I need to change if I’ve noticed other tables are starting to do the same sort of set-up I have. You want people to walk by and think “huh, that looks cool”.

Have your name displayed prominently and have business cards available.

One of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to display large prints. At anime cons particularly, artists will set up those giant....walls of prints. This is...okay. At comic cons though it tends to kind of look....tacky and unprofessional. I’m actually much less likely to want to go to table if it’s just a tent made of prints and I can’t see the artist anywhere. But that’s me. I keep my prints in a portfolio on the table and encourage people to look through it. Sure, it’s not ideal, especially when there’s a line of people wanting to shop, but it does at least get people to engage with what you’re selling.

People have different approaches when it comes to selling. I tend to have a very laid back, non-pushy approach when people come up to my table. I’m not the type that will see someone walk by and be like “HEY DO YOU LIKE ATTACK ON TITAN?? I HAVE SNK PRINTS, CHECK IT OUT.” I have my stuff displayed enough that I assume that if you’re walking by and you like what you see, you’ll stop without me having to shout at you. But also I just hate pushy sales people, so I try not to do that. If you’re cosplaying DA though, there is a chance I will shout at you and beg you to talk to me about your head canons.

Get a cool table cloth! You’ll be amazed what a difference this makes in making your table look more unique. Get one that matches your aesthetic! Go nuts!

Be firm in your pricing. Haggle on Sunday if you want, but man, I hate people that try to negotiate prices with me. My prices are what they are for a reason. If you’re not sure if your prices are reasonable, take a walk around the alley before the public is in, look for tables selling stuff maybe a little similar to yours, and see what they’re pricing. The point here is NOT TO CHARGE LESS THAN EVERYONE ELSE. DON’T BE THAT PERSON, OH MY GOD. You’re just making life rougher on everyone else. If someone tells me “Oh, you’re charging $15 for this size print? The table across from you is only charging $10 for this size” I’ll just be like “Hey man, go buy a print from them then.” Making prints costs money, they are HEAVY and a pain to transport, and man, it’s my art. Blood sweat and tears go into making those.

I’m sure I’ll think of a million other things later,  but man this is long enough for now.

[anidragon]

sonicscepter replied to your post “THERE’S the party banter I’ve been waiting for. Excellent. Bull and...”

wait does that ACTUALLY HAPPEN

Yes it does and it's WONDERFUL.

[thegayraven]

I was tagged by sonicscepter~!

(btw thanks friend i'm very flattered)

1. Always post the rules  2. Answer the questions from the person who tagged you and make 11 new ones. 3. Tag 11 people and link them to this post. 4. Let them know you’ve tagged them.

1. If you could bring any fictional character to life to raise as your own, who would it be and why?

Like to raise as my child? Huh...*strokes chin thoughtfully*...um...I kind of want to say Ijeht who's one of MY characters but if not idk maybe Tali or Liara.

2. What’s your favorite article of clothing?

I have this cardigan i especially appreciate, though i'm not sure where it is at the moment? And if you mean in general, then probably...either sweaters or skirts.

3. Are there any songs that have been stuck on repeat in your life lately?

Yep! Big Red Dragon by Little Green Cars, Some Nights Intro by Fun, Headphones by Britt Nicole, and Brave by Sara Bareilles, mostly.

4. You are now a character (main, supporting, or side) from the last show, movie, or video game you’ve watched/played. Who are you?

I last watched Merlin, so I'm Gwaine. (my sisters and i do this thing where when we watch Merlin we're each one of the characters, and I'm Gwaine, so.)

5. What’s your default ringtone?

Uncool and unpersonalized because I'm lazy and my phone's a dinosaur.

6. If you could get any tattoos, what would they be?

I dunno! I've never had tons of interest in tattoos, so i guess i've never really thought about it. But, um...maybe like a quote or something? Or something really dramatic, like fishscales all down my legs.

7. What and where would your dream house be?

I always picture myself living in an apartment for some reason. I don't really have a dream house? I really like sort of dramatic houses that look kind of like castles and have fancy windows and big green shady lawns and stuff. And I like Kentucky a lot. Other than that I dunno.

8. If you could have any outfit belonging to any fictional character, what would you choose?

That. Is a very difficult choice. I really don't know! An envirosuit would be cool, I feel like? But I really don't know. 

9. If you were a character in a medieval fantasy, what would be your weapon of choice?

Hmm. Daggers. Lots of daggers. And throwing knives. And you can't forget my razor-sharp wit. That's lethal, that is.

10. What fictional race do you think you would be (from any sci-fi or fantasy universe)?

(I'm gonna go Mass Effect because Mass Effect) Either a turian or a quarian, I think. Probably a quarian.

My questions:

What was your first fandom? (Besides Harry Potter if it was Harry Potter because I mean Harry Potter was the beginning of fandom for practically all of us)

On a scale of 1 to 100, how many cats would you have as a crazy cat lady?

Are there any story ideas you've wanted to see done for a long time but never managed to write?

What is your preferred color of ink?

What books are you currently reading?

How many murders have you committed?

What role do you think you would be best suited for in my hostile takeover of the world? (It's okay. You can try to oppose me. I'll forgive you. You'll be dead, but I'll forgive you. We all want to be heroes sometimes.)

What is the one superpower you wish you could have?

What is the extent of your loyalty to me?

How would you attempt to overthrow the pre-established villain overlord (or lady) of the world? (This one's important! Be honest.)

If you could be any height, how tall would you be?

I tag: sonicscepter, prismatic-apostate, bisexualrogers, fenfearnley, whydontweevergoanywherenice, sebastianstansdick...and whoever else wants to do it, go for it!

[curvyelf-moved]

sonicscepter replied to your post “its like cole makes me really uncomfortable but i also want to give...”

agreed - i have already decided that i am adopting him

pls take care of him

be sure to brush him and take him outside and make sure he socializes

he needs lots of space to roam around in

do you have a fenced backyard? maybe a giant multi-level flooded basement?

[ritewine]

i wanna say dalish elf rogue maybe

Yes. Perfect.

[kandros]

✏ OF COURSE I'LL DO ONE FOR YOU BUT YOU HAVE TO DO ONE FOR ME TOO :D (i love you btw)

aye aye ok this is the best itll get from skimming ur blogs :S

Name: chelsea!!!! helloGender: grey wardens do not care Race: would it be boring to say human just bc u seem v versatileClass: what class do you THINK with a url like cheesyrogueMastery: LOTS OF SNEAKY STABBY DAGGER ACTIONWeapon: blade of the many (+81 attack)Companion/Familiar: there are griffons in this storyLevel: hmm 16

[sheparrrds]

it went okay ;u; thank you everyone who asked

i wasn't planning to, we were just talking about other stuff and

she said "i think your dad's a bit like that" and how it didn't matter to her what people do in their lives. she already knew i liked girls so..

and then we talked about how my dad is an emotionally constipated neglectful turkey and how he'd never love me (so, usual stuff)

[anidragon]

sonicscepter replied to your photo “Cut out the pattern for the bottom of my foot for my Tali costume....”

tALI COSPLAY? i cannot wait to see it omg

I should be done soon! :D (I'd better be, anyway. Convention's at the end of the month)