Introduction to the Artist Alley- Presented at Mechacon 2014

Conventions:

Kiss your weekends

goodbye

Becca Hillburn

I'm a childrens comic artist and freelance illustrator originally from

New Orleans but currently living in Nashville, TN. I graduated from

SCAD with a Masters Degree in Sequential Art in 2013, and from the

University of New Orleans with a bachelors degree in Hypermedia

(digital art). My main focus is currently watercolor comics, and my

hobbies include writing for my blog, Keep on Truckin' Nattosoup and

attending conventions as an artist.

Heidi Black

Heidi is a sequential artist and illustrator from dayton, ohio. She

likes cats and potatoes and hates writing bios. Her work is at

electricabyss.com, including her tutorial artbook, Electricabyss, and

her newest comic, Sons of Fire.

The basics:

Convention tables cost between $50 and $2000

Tables are generally 6' by 2' but can vary

Located in hallways or closed rooms

All objects must be made by the artist (can be

sent off for professional printing)

Fanart is a grey area

Stuff to sell

A variety of things! Minicomics

Charms, buttons, cheapies

Perfect bound books

Prints & posters

Unique items

A range of prices

commissions Big draw at cons: people ask for them a lot

Have an example of your style/commission work

At-con impulse buy (people generally want it

then, and won't bother to email you later)

B

commissions Perfect for fast artists

Need to be flexible, able to draw in a variety of

styles or characters

Unique styles work great

Should have access to reference if possible

(commissioners ought to bring it, but don't

count on it.)

Do not overbook yourself! Know how

much you can complete

Getting stuff made Home printer: costly, but you have more

control over quality & edits

Office store: costly, must be formatted

correctly, staff are not always knowledgeable,

but generally the best option for small runs

Printing services: catprint, kablam, createspace,

vistaprint, etc. generally have a minimum number

for each item (50+)

H

B

How much to bring? 1000 copies of a book probably won't sell

Bringing copies of files on a flash drive if you

sell out is usually easier than packing too many

Limitations also include vehicle size, weight, how

much you can carry, how much you can display on

your table

TOO MUCH OR TOO LITLE? TOO MANY ITEMS ON A TABLE IS OVERWHELMING

BUT HAVING A WIDE VARIETY APPEALS TO

DIFFERENT PEOPLE

BRINGING A LOT OF THINGS CAN BE COSTLY

DIFFERENT THINGS SELL AT DIFFERENT CONS, AND

VARY FROM YEAR TO YEAR

Be prepared to change your offerings or

setup on the fly

Freebies! At the minimum, you need business cards -

professionally printed!

Brand yourself!

Have something to remember you by!

Cute/clever things work well

An online presence Even a blog or deviantart will do –

something you update frequently

Gmail addresses are free – make one just

for work

Cons and web presence go hand in hand

Google yourself – what comes up?

B

Nattosoup.blogspot.com

Google nattosoup: every

result on page 1 is Becca

Electricabyss.com

Links to store (buy

stuff), deviantart,

blogspot, twitter,

and tumblr

prominently at top

Different types

Of conventions(which to attend?)

Anime cons

Superhero cons

Indie cons

Others

Doing different cons can expand

your audience -

Or be an expensive lesson

Local cons are easy and cheap and a good choice

regardless of style/audience

Find friends to share hotel and transportation

costs with (there are online groups like AA

network that are great for this)

Table setups

Some of ours

Consider when planning

Vertical elements

Visibility from a distance

Transportability/setup and teardown times

Number of people you need to help you set up

Theme

Don't annoy your neighbors

Don't annoy the staff

Unique/attention-grabbing elements

Cost of setup/time to build setup

Visible and readable prices/signs

Displaying your stock

TABLE ESSENTIALS TABLECLOTH

SIGNS/PRICES

CASH BOX OR FOLDER WITH SMALL CHANGE

TAPE

SHARPIES/PENS

DISPLAY MATERIALS – EASELS, PLATE HOLDERS

SCRATCH PAPER

MEDICINE: HEADACHES, ALLERGIES, UPSET TUMMIES

TABLE ESSENTIALS ROLLING SUITCASE OR WHEELED BIN

STICKY NOTES

CALCULATOR/PHONE

SKETCHBOOK

SPARE BATTERY OR CHARGER FOR PHONE

EXTENTION CORD/POWER STRIP

SCRATCH PAPER/NOTEBOOK FOR TRANSACTIONS

SCISSORS AND BANDAIDS

TABLE ESSENTIALS FLASH DRIVE WITH PDF FILES OF MINICOMICS AND

BUSINESS CARDS

FOOD AND DRINKS – WATER/GATORADE, GRANOLA

BARS, FRUIT, CASH FOR FOOD

LOCATE AHEAD OF TIME: BANKS/ATMS, PRINT

SHOPS, RESTAURANTS, HOTEL, TRANSPORTATION

(TRAINS, TAXIS, ETC), CORNER DRUG STORES

Planning &

timelines

Things to consider Transportation

Packing

Planning Way in advance

Table helpers or going as a group

Before you leave

Know your schedule

Practice table layouts

Take inventory/reprints

Have change (at least $80 in small bills)

Square or other card service

Promote your presence at the show

The business side

How much to charge? Artists will disagree on this

Its important to at least cover cost of materials

Each type of con will have a different “perceived

fair price” - older crowds will generally pay more

for the same item

Your highest profit margin items should be

prominently displayed

Keep track of everything

All of your expenses can be business (tax)

writeoffs

Keep track of what sells for future cons

Price things so you are NOT lOSING MONEY –

REMEMBER FREEBIES COST MONEY TO MAKE

Consider splitting with friends to cut costs

THINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL

CONVENTION ATTENDANCE

YOUR NEIGHBORS/OTHER ARTISTS

THE ECONOMY

Where you are located IN THE CON

The weather

THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL

POSITIVE ATTITUDE

ENGAGE PEOPLE, BE FRIENDLY

Wear deodorant

CHANGE YOUR TABLE AS NECESSARY

GET ENOUGH SLEEP

MAKE THE BEST OF WHATEVER HAPPENS

RESOURCES

Howtobeaconartist.tumblr.com

Artist alley international (facebook)

Aatoast.tumblr.com

Conventionscene.com

Nattosoup.blogspot.com