Thursday, November 4, 2010
Monday, June 2, 2008
Convention appearances 2008-2009
Planned Con Appearances for 2008-2009
-Aug 1-3 08: Kakkoi Con, MN (artist alley)
-Oct 4-5 08: Fall Con, MN (creator's section)
-Oct 30-Nov 2 08: Youma Con, MI (artist alley)
-?? 09: Anime Detour, MN (artist alley?)
See you there! :D
-Aug 1-3 08: Kakkoi Con, MN (artist alley)
-Oct 4-5 08: Fall Con, MN (creator's section)
-Oct 30-Nov 2 08: Youma Con, MI (artist alley)
-?? 09: Anime Detour, MN (artist alley?)
See you there! :D
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Everything I think I know about selling art at Cons
I always wanted to make a post about this so here goes...
My experience has been somewhat minimal compared to others. I've sold art at Artist Alley for about four years, only six conventions in all.
Anime Detour 4. Anime Iowa 1. Fall Con 1.
Some tips:
Be nice and polite to everyone or be careful of what you say.
First time I had a table(AD) I was right next to AtomicFireball's table. I talked with her without even knowing who she was. It was probably better off that way... I might have been starstruck or something.
Also at AI07, I felt like a complete fool for pitching my webcomic link card to this one dude with a jester comic only to find out later he was the dude that makes Flipside.
Lastly, there's stories I hear artists at cons who behave rudely get bad rep online and off. So be nice to regular con go-ers. They might talk about you elsewhere.
You don't have to be the most skilled artist there to get people to buy your stuff.
Creative ideas work such as selling something that no one else has...I've seen plushie fruit, plastic eggs that hatch into fuzzy creatures, plushie heads with censor signs over the mouth...weird gimics that work.
Also if you are willing to go that way, drawing lusty artwork sells. There's a big audience for yaoi and the like. At regular American comic cons drawing beautiful females works too.
Simple art such as chibis sell. Lots of art sells just because the subject is of a popular character.
Always have easy-to-spot price labels on your art.
People aren't going to ask for the price. First con I sold art, I didn't put on labels and didn't sell anything until I made some.
It's a good way to promote your original work.
You can promote your comic, webcomic, novel, website or original characters by giving away business cards and selling related merchandise. Just a note though, selling original characters or comics at Anime Cons isn't that profitable unless your comic is a parity of a popular anime/novel/game or your art is really really good. I've only been to one comic convention, but I think that is more up your alley if you want to sell original comics.
Be good to your fellow Artist Alley artists.
When it comes to selling your original work, the people most likely to buy them will be your fellow artists of the artist alley. (Maybe because we appreciate small-time art more or maybe because we're in the artist alley longer than the dealers room.)
It is also an opportunity to network with other artists. Make friends. Talk spoilers. Get tips. The like. If there is an artist gathering or dinner after the AA hours go to it.
Relax at a con.
At every con I've went to there is always ALWAYS stressful situations that pop up. The stress usually comes in the beginning when your rushing to get to the con and on the last day when you are absolutely exhausted.
The big thing is don't let it get you down or make you lose your temper. Making a big fuss ruins your time there and it makes it more stressful for others. Try to set aside at least a few fun or relaxing activities you really want to do at the con and assign someone else to watch the table for a short time.
And now to end the post... pictures of my Artist Alley tables and commentary.
Anime Detour 2007. Shared table with Vicemage (angel girl in picture). Kinda a bad layout on my side. The plushies took up a good amount of space. None of them sold. Top seller was the kimono doll origami. This was also the first con I sold my webcomic printed books at. Got lots of feedback.
Anime Iowa 2007. I think this was my best table layout so far. (The plushies were displayed on a separate hanger out of the picture.) The shelf making with the containers really helped display the sculptures I made. I sold a even variety of art, but prints did not sell at all. I've given up on them. (Haha. Spelled sketch wrong. ^^;)
Fall Con 2007. This is my first comic convention so I only brought original comic related stuff. Gave out a lot of promotional stuff. Met many fellow artists. Only sold one TPCTH book and a bookmark, but I got in for free anyway, it didn't hurt me. The Demon Eater book was way too expensive. Several people wanted it but it was out of their price range. My plan is to go through a different publisher to sell it cheaper.
Anime Detour 2008. I invested a lot into the art this time. The painted rocks and canvases sold like hotcakes. This was the first con where I successfully got commissions. I want to display the commission prices signs better next time. I've made a smaller and cheaper print version of TPCTH. Tried selling origami again, but other tables were selling better quality origami at the same price. Had to really slash my prices. The table is a lot more cluttered than Anime Iowa. So much so Vicemage wants to get a separate table next AD. We both had a lot more stuff this year.
Questions, suggestions, or comments? Please reply.
My experience has been somewhat minimal compared to others. I've sold art at Artist Alley for about four years, only six conventions in all.
Anime Detour 4. Anime Iowa 1. Fall Con 1.
Some tips:
Be nice and polite to everyone or be careful of what you say.
First time I had a table(AD) I was right next to AtomicFireball's table. I talked with her without even knowing who she was. It was probably better off that way... I might have been starstruck or something.
Also at AI07, I felt like a complete fool for pitching my webcomic link card to this one dude with a jester comic only to find out later he was the dude that makes Flipside.
Lastly, there's stories I hear artists at cons who behave rudely get bad rep online and off. So be nice to regular con go-ers. They might talk about you elsewhere.
You don't have to be the most skilled artist there to get people to buy your stuff.
Creative ideas work such as selling something that no one else has...I've seen plushie fruit, plastic eggs that hatch into fuzzy creatures, plushie heads with censor signs over the mouth...weird gimics that work.
Also if you are willing to go that way, drawing lusty artwork sells. There's a big audience for yaoi and the like. At regular American comic cons drawing beautiful females works too.
Simple art such as chibis sell. Lots of art sells just because the subject is of a popular character.
Always have easy-to-spot price labels on your art.
People aren't going to ask for the price. First con I sold art, I didn't put on labels and didn't sell anything until I made some.
It's a good way to promote your original work.
You can promote your comic, webcomic, novel, website or original characters by giving away business cards and selling related merchandise. Just a note though, selling original characters or comics at Anime Cons isn't that profitable unless your comic is a parity of a popular anime/novel/game or your art is really really good. I've only been to one comic convention, but I think that is more up your alley if you want to sell original comics.
Be good to your fellow Artist Alley artists.
When it comes to selling your original work, the people most likely to buy them will be your fellow artists of the artist alley. (Maybe because we appreciate small-time art more or maybe because we're in the artist alley longer than the dealers room.)
It is also an opportunity to network with other artists. Make friends. Talk spoilers. Get tips. The like. If there is an artist gathering or dinner after the AA hours go to it.
Relax at a con.
At every con I've went to there is always ALWAYS stressful situations that pop up. The stress usually comes in the beginning when your rushing to get to the con and on the last day when you are absolutely exhausted.
The big thing is don't let it get you down or make you lose your temper. Making a big fuss ruins your time there and it makes it more stressful for others. Try to set aside at least a few fun or relaxing activities you really want to do at the con and assign someone else to watch the table for a short time.
And now to end the post... pictures of my Artist Alley tables and commentary.
Anime Detour 2007. Shared table with Vicemage (angel girl in picture). Kinda a bad layout on my side. The plushies took up a good amount of space. None of them sold. Top seller was the kimono doll origami. This was also the first con I sold my webcomic printed books at. Got lots of feedback.
Anime Iowa 2007. I think this was my best table layout so far. (The plushies were displayed on a separate hanger out of the picture.) The shelf making with the containers really helped display the sculptures I made. I sold a even variety of art, but prints did not sell at all. I've given up on them. (Haha. Spelled sketch wrong. ^^;)
Fall Con 2007. This is my first comic convention so I only brought original comic related stuff. Gave out a lot of promotional stuff. Met many fellow artists. Only sold one TPCTH book and a bookmark, but I got in for free anyway, it didn't hurt me. The Demon Eater book was way too expensive. Several people wanted it but it was out of their price range. My plan is to go through a different publisher to sell it cheaper.
Anime Detour 2008. I invested a lot into the art this time. The painted rocks and canvases sold like hotcakes. This was the first con where I successfully got commissions. I want to display the commission prices signs better next time. I've made a smaller and cheaper print version of TPCTH. Tried selling origami again, but other tables were selling better quality origami at the same price. Had to really slash my prices. The table is a lot more cluttered than Anime Iowa. So much so Vicemage wants to get a separate table next AD. We both had a lot more stuff this year.Questions, suggestions, or comments? Please reply.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Graphic-novel goodies - senior show
Senior show was fun. Even got interviewed.
Graphic-novel goodies - Fine Art
It had a good variety of my art and I was so glad to finally show off my printed books. Also my friend Jennifer Paul was there showing graphic design work. When I was setting up I was starting to tear up. I'm really going to miss college when I'm finished.
My artist statement was:
Creating comics are like being the writer, actor, director, and editor of a movie all in one person. I write the story, the characters, the conflicts... I act out scenes in front of mirrors to draw the emotions of the characters. I direct the angles where I want every scene and character to be placed in each panel. And lastly I edit and manipulate the scenes to emphasize and hide what the audience sees. My work is the result of drawing, digital work, printmaking and publication both online and in print. It becomes a very involving experience. That’s why I like to make comics and will continue to create them.
Here's some pictures before the show:
Graphic-novel goodies - Fine Art
It had a good variety of my art and I was so glad to finally show off my printed books. Also my friend Jennifer Paul was there showing graphic design work. When I was setting up I was starting to tear up. I'm really going to miss college when I'm finished.
My artist statement was:
Creating comics are like being the writer, actor, director, and editor of a movie all in one person. I write the story, the characters, the conflicts... I act out scenes in front of mirrors to draw the emotions of the characters. I direct the angles where I want every scene and character to be placed in each panel. And lastly I edit and manipulate the scenes to emphasize and hide what the audience sees. My work is the result of drawing, digital work, printmaking and publication both online and in print. It becomes a very involving experience. That’s why I like to make comics and will continue to create them.
Here's some pictures before the show:
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tutorial: How to publish a book at Lulu.com!
How to make a print of your comic for Lulu.com
By JillyFoo
Outline:
You need time, money and more time!
1. 300 dpi pages
2. Dialog
3. Page size
4. PDF conversion
5.(evil) Adobe Acrobat Professional
6. Book extras
7. Final steps
1. Make sure all your pages are at 300dpi
What is it?: It’s your page resolution!
Better quality for printing.
Every page must be this for Lulu.com.
Setting 300 dpi:
Traditional art: Set Scanner to scan at 300 dpi.
For photoshop/other art program users: before you draw the image, set the dpi to at least 300.
It is possible to convert less then 300dpi images to 300dpi, but not recommended. Using photoshop go to Image size - resolution -then set to 300 dpi pixels/inch(Also it enlarges the image. make sure the image size isn't too large.)
2. Dialog
For best dialogue print quality it is recommended you save original sized pages as a PSD all font layers intact.
Lulu.com needs the fonts to be embedded into the PDF in order for it to print properly.
There is a long and annoying way instructed by lulu.com, but if you have photoshop... when you save as a pdf make sure "include vector data" has "embed fonts" checked. (the newest photoshops embed fonts automatically I think.)
3. Page Size
Before you make a whole bunch of pdfs…
Decide your page size.
http://www.lulu.com/help/index.php?fSymbol=book_formatting_faq#FAQLink5
What ever the size try to have as much picture fill up the page as possible (without cutting out dialog.)
It is recommended that you format your book to be a “full bleed” for Lulu
What is full bleed?: It makes your content stretch all the way to the edge of the page! For story comics (that have splash pages or is not in panels) it can look nicer. Comics in panels not so much.
Gutters and bleed areas
Gutters and bleed areas are what’s going to be cut off.
Example:
Crown Quarto size: 2307x2979 pixels
Gutter area: 90 pixels
Top and bottom of page 38 all together 75 pix
Opposite side of gutter 75 pixels
4.Conversion to PDF (directions via Adobe Photoshop)
To make a standard 2307x2979 pdf page.
Crop the image to just the picture.
Observe the size. Wider? Higher compared to other pages?
Go to Image Size> height or width. Height> 2904 OR Width> 2127. (notice the 2127 leaves 90pix on both sides of page just in case if you don't know which side has the gutter.)
Then go to Canvas size> Height> 2979 Width> 2307.
Save as> PDF (make sure all fonts are embedded.)
5. (evil) Adobe Acrobat Professional
In order to upload the pages to Lulu you have to have all the pdfs as one big pdf.
You need Adobe Acrobat Professional for that. You can obtain it via trial download for free at the official adobe website (for 30 days).
Make sure you have all the pages in order. (AAP is going to scramble them for ya.)(Make sure all pdf pages are the same size in height and width before you put em in one big pdf!!)
6. Book Extras
Extra pages you might want in your book:
Copyright page
Table of contents
About the author
Filler art
Page numbers
Link to your website/webcomic
7. Final Steps
-Look through your final pdf! Check for mistakes! Prevent yourself from buying multiple proof copies.
-Make a lulu account
-Upload the pages to Lulu. If it’s a large file you’re going to need to use Filezilla program to upload. (directions at lulu.com)
-Upload your PDF front and back cover. Same size as your pdf pages except in jpeg form.
BUY A PROOF COPY! Don’t sell to public until it’s perfect!
If there's anything else just go through the Lulu FAQ
Or pm me but Lulu would probably be easier.
ComixPress uses the same format of a large pdf to make their books, if you don't like Lulu you can probably go through them instead.
By JillyFoo
Outline:
You need time, money and more time!
1. 300 dpi pages
2. Dialog
3. Page size
4. PDF conversion
5.(evil) Adobe Acrobat Professional
6. Book extras
7. Final steps
1. Make sure all your pages are at 300dpi
What is it?: It’s your page resolution!
Better quality for printing.
Every page must be this for Lulu.com.
Setting 300 dpi:
Traditional art: Set Scanner to scan at 300 dpi.
For photoshop/other art program users: before you draw the image, set the dpi to at least 300.
It is possible to convert less then 300dpi images to 300dpi, but not recommended. Using photoshop go to Image size - resolution -then set to 300 dpi pixels/inch(Also it enlarges the image. make sure the image size isn't too large.)
2. Dialog
For best dialogue print quality it is recommended you save original sized pages as a PSD all font layers intact.
Lulu.com needs the fonts to be embedded into the PDF in order for it to print properly.
There is a long and annoying way instructed by lulu.com, but if you have photoshop... when you save as a pdf make sure "include vector data" has "embed fonts" checked. (the newest photoshops embed fonts automatically I think.)
3. Page Size
Before you make a whole bunch of pdfs…
Decide your page size.
http://www.lulu.com/help/index.php?fSymbol=book_formatting_faq#FAQLink5
What ever the size try to have as much picture fill up the page as possible (without cutting out dialog.)
It is recommended that you format your book to be a “full bleed” for Lulu
What is full bleed?: It makes your content stretch all the way to the edge of the page! For story comics (that have splash pages or is not in panels) it can look nicer. Comics in panels not so much.
Gutters and bleed areas
Gutters and bleed areas are what’s going to be cut off.
Example:
Crown Quarto size: 2307x2979 pixels
Gutter area: 90 pixels
Top and bottom of page 38 all together 75 pix
Opposite side of gutter 75 pixels
4.Conversion to PDF (directions via Adobe Photoshop)
To make a standard 2307x2979 pdf page.
Crop the image to just the picture.
Observe the size. Wider? Higher compared to other pages?
Go to Image Size> height or width. Height> 2904 OR Width> 2127. (notice the 2127 leaves 90pix on both sides of page just in case if you don't know which side has the gutter.)
Then go to Canvas size> Height> 2979 Width> 2307.
Save as> PDF (make sure all fonts are embedded.)
5. (evil) Adobe Acrobat Professional
In order to upload the pages to Lulu you have to have all the pdfs as one big pdf.
You need Adobe Acrobat Professional for that. You can obtain it via trial download for free at the official adobe website (for 30 days).
Make sure you have all the pages in order. (AAP is going to scramble them for ya.)(Make sure all pdf pages are the same size in height and width before you put em in one big pdf!!)
6. Book Extras
Extra pages you might want in your book:
Copyright page
Table of contents
About the author
Filler art
Page numbers
Link to your website/webcomic
7. Final Steps
-Look through your final pdf! Check for mistakes! Prevent yourself from buying multiple proof copies.
-Make a lulu account
-Upload the pages to Lulu. If it’s a large file you’re going to need to use Filezilla program to upload. (directions at lulu.com)
-Upload your PDF front and back cover. Same size as your pdf pages except in jpeg form.
BUY A PROOF COPY! Don’t sell to public until it’s perfect!
If there's anything else just go through the Lulu FAQ
Or pm me but Lulu would probably be easier.
ComixPress uses the same format of a large pdf to make their books, if you don't like Lulu you can probably go through them instead.
Convention appearances 2007-2008
Planned Con Appearances for 2007-2008
-April 4-6 08: Anime Detour, MN (artist alley)
-May ?? 08: Anime Central? (artist alley?)
-Aug 1-3 08: Kakkoi Con, MN (artist alley)
-April 4-6 08: Anime Detour, MN (artist alley)
-May ?? 08: Anime Central? (artist alley?)
-Aug 1-3 08: Kakkoi Con, MN (artist alley)
Comixpress and colorist search
I'm experimenting with cheaper printing: Comixpress. I summited my first thing wrong and am waiting for them to tell me it's wrong so I can resubmit. My plan is to make a small TPCTH manga sized book and small comic books of just chapter 10 and 11. The due date is April before Anime Detour and Anime Central. If I want to remake the first book I have to do photoshop batch processing correctly or suffer doing it the hard way.
For the upcoming book covers I thought about it and I want to hire a colorist.
It would be for the three book covers of TPCTH. I want to still do the pencils and inking just have someone color them for me. The reason why is after making comic art for so long really good coloring(the kind that people actually buy at comic and anime cons) is just not what I do good at. I want to focus my talents at pencil and linework so I can become specialized in making that very good.
I'm planning on paying actual money and the colorist will be credited in the book. I have limits though.. I'm not a real company or anything so if you ask too high I'm looking elsewhere.
The kind of colorist I am looking for... someone that can do high contrasting colors and shadows like lights on figures in the dark. Can render realistic fire effects. More artistic painterly like, not cartoony or anime coloring like. Probably a CG artist but you can prove me wrong if I see what I'm looking for in your portfolio (AKA also can be your DA gallery).
I still haven't completely finished drawing the covers yet so I won't seriously be looking for a colorist until December. BTW since I am planning on paying money I'm going to be extremely picky and don't be offended if I refuse to commission you.
Email me if interested or link me recommendations.
For the upcoming book covers I thought about it and I want to hire a colorist.
It would be for the three book covers of TPCTH. I want to still do the pencils and inking just have someone color them for me. The reason why is after making comic art for so long really good coloring(the kind that people actually buy at comic and anime cons) is just not what I do good at. I want to focus my talents at pencil and linework so I can become specialized in making that very good.
I'm planning on paying actual money and the colorist will be credited in the book. I have limits though.. I'm not a real company or anything so if you ask too high I'm looking elsewhere.
The kind of colorist I am looking for... someone that can do high contrasting colors and shadows like lights on figures in the dark. Can render realistic fire effects. More artistic painterly like, not cartoony or anime coloring like. Probably a CG artist but you can prove me wrong if I see what I'm looking for in your portfolio (AKA also can be your DA gallery).
I still haven't completely finished drawing the covers yet so I won't seriously be looking for a colorist until December. BTW since I am planning on paying money I'm going to be extremely picky and don't be offended if I refuse to commission you.
Email me if interested or link me recommendations.
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