May 2013
18 posts
Anonymous asked: Why is 11x17 a good size to use? Most of the prints I've bought at cons are that size but I can hardly ever find frames for them. I'm in the process of getting art done for my first table in the fall, and I'm not crazy about this size. Why does everyone use it?
Buttons?
I only do one or two cons a year, so I don’t order a huge stock of buttons, but the button service I use is CheapestButtons on Etsy run by Kyle Lewis (he has a website, too, but it’s pretty much the same process either way). I found the site while Etsy-searching for a button supplier since Etsy is where I get a lot of my supplies.
No Design Limit
My favorite part about him is that...
Temporary Hiatus(ish)
Hello everyone! Pi-ratical, the user who runs this blog, here. My computer is temporarily out-of-operation (and right before a con too! argh.) so this blog is going to be on a semi-hiatus. I will still be publishing submitted articles and answering what questions I can, but I won’t be making any new articles or tutorials until the problem is fixed. Sorry about this!
Anonymous asked: Do you have any suggestions for short-run, kiss cut sticker printig? I wanted to make some sticker sheets where you could peel off individual stickers, but it doesn't seem like many people offer that option (with smaller runs).
moldybass asked: Ok, so I'm thinking about using FedEx or a similar service to make art prints. However, when I go to their page to check on prices, the options are like "postcards" or "booklets" and all that jazz. What would regular 8x11 and 3x5 prints be categorized under? I'm very sorry, I'm sure this is probably a really dumb question, but it IS my first Artist's Alley...
pigeony asked: To add to what you said to the person wondering about costs for hotel vs travel, I always factor in travel expenses + parking + time. I live in the east bay and travel to the south bay for Fanime but I usually end up trying to stay closer to the con due to traffic, gas cost and parking cost, since they all add up to about the same cost for a night at a hotel room. It's also easier to lug...
Anonymous asked: Hi, I was wondering how do you figure out when it is easier to stay in a hotel rather than travel back home? There are some cons near me that are only 1 hr (or less) away, but there are others that are 2 hrs or more. Is there a certain point when it's easier to stay at a hotel?
Anonymous asked: I've been trying to find this information everywhere but I never found the answer as tutorials always seem to leave out this important bit. But when looking for Irwin clamps for holding the PVC pipe display up, which size clamps would work best? Is 12" enough to hold up a 1.5" in diameter pipes that rise up to 6 feet tall? I'm unsure whether to buy 12" clamps afraid that...
200 follower giveaway winners!
Thanks to everyone who entered in the giveaway, and hello to our new followers! Without further ado, the winners of the giveaway are…
1. Soloazume - “Um..Don’t spend to much on prints? Bring snacks?? lwl”
2. dauphe - “One thing I’ve learned from working in an Artist Alley is that complementing on others’ cosplays can in fact go a long way. I knew positive attitude is...
Giveaway ends tonight!
If you haven’t entered our 200 follower giveaway yet, get to it! Only twelve hours remain!
Button making services!
Just thought i’d share my experiences with a couple button making places online!
I don’t do many cons per year, nor do I have a lot of button designs (I got around 20 with me, although I’ve heard artists having close to or over a hundred designs in many cases) so buying a button machine and investing in a good printer was something I never looked into.
The first button making...
Badge-a-Minit review by littlewarriormissile
I have a badge-a-minit button maker and I definitely do NOT recommend it. The size I have is about 2 1/2 inch-ISH?? I can’t remember the size for sure, but very few of the buttons I made ever came out right. Most of them weren’t pushed in entirely, no matter how much force I used when making them. It was really frustrating and I just gave up trying to use it.
Artist Alley Resources Post!
finnichang:
Follow up on TMI-Tuesday! Most of the questions were about artist alley so I am compiling everything into one post. Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with any of the companies below.
Read More
Call for button-making reviews!
Do you sell buttons? We’re looking for reviews of button printing services and home button machines! If you have experience with either of these, please contact us using the ‘submit’ button!
6 tags
200 Follower Giveaway!
Goodness, already? It feels like we just finished our 100 follower giveaway, but now there are 200 of you wonderful, awesome artists following this blog - hooray!
To celebrate, we’re doing another giveaway. Like last time, to enter you need to send an ask or fanmail starting with ***ENTRY***. After that, you need to write a short (one or two sentences) statement about something you’ve...
Anonymous asked: Hello, I am planning on starting a web comic and for next year was thinking about getting a booth at a convention to promote my Comic, what type of booth should I get?
April 2013
3 posts
Speaking of display easels...
We’re approaching 200 followers, and I think that calls for another giveaway - how does 5 itty bitty easels sound?
Anonymous asked: Any tips on displaying large prints? Some people use those tall wire-rack thingies behind their table, but I've never known where to get one of those! (What are they even called....)
Anonymous asked: I hope this doesn't come off as silly, but in what form do I order prints? I've heard ordering them on photo paper somewhere, and thought about printing it as a flyer.
March 2013
8 posts
Artist Alley Toast!: Toasted Post: Common... →
aatoast:
A quick guide for AN Comic Market/Artist Alley artists (or anyone really!) as you’re planning for print and thinking about print sizes!
COMMON STANDARD PRINT (OFFICE) PAPER SIZES
Letter 8.5x11”
Legal 8.5x14”
Ledger 17x11” / Tabloid 11x17”
COMMON STANDARD PHOTO PRINT SIZES
4x6”
…
littlewarriormissile asked: Hey! I'm not sure how much table prices fluctuate between year to year at cons, but I was wondering if sometime it'd be possible to make a list of artist alley prices for different cons? Because some con sites don't have them up until they're open and it makes it harder to judge how worth it it'd be. I've just recently started doing AA stuff so maybe $60 is what most...
2 tags
Your First Artist's Alley (Part two)
(Part one)
So you’ve put your application in and you’re waiting to hear back from the convention about whether or not you got a table. This can be pretty nerve-wracking, particularly if you’ve never done it before, but don’t stress! It’s out of your hands now. Conventions are often understaffed and sometimes there can be only a single person running the entire...
3 tags
(Also, as a quick note - Anonymous asks are now enabled! I’m…. not really sure why I didn’t do so before.)
Anonymous asked: I've noticed that many companies who do digital (short run) rather than offset (large run) printing specifically request RGB rather than CMYK files. But as I understand it, RBG is a light-only format and CMYK is a pigment-only format. I'm confused about what color profile I should actually be working in and why digital printing requires RGB. Any advice?
spikedrewthis:
.Hope Emerald City Comic Con and STAPLE are going smoothly for all you shaky baby deers.
Remember to make eye contact. Enjoy your Sunday.
I imagine more than a few people reading this blog can empathise with this. :)
February 2013
2 posts
spacebandit asked: THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR THE BUSINESS CARDS !!! THEY CAME OUT SO BEAUTIFUL ~ THANK YOU THANK YOU !!!
shadowsolstice asked: Are there any good places or sites to make good prints that isn't too expensive? I'm hoping to get a booth in the Artist's Alley next year at a local anime con (It's my first time) and I was wondering where to get good, non-expensive prints to sell.
January 2013
9 posts
4 tags
David Petersen on First-Time Conventions →
David Petersen, creator of the Mouse Guard comics, gives his perspective on selling at cons for the first time and some friendly advice for artists looking to do so.
1 tag
shota-tastic-deactivated2013051 asked: I was also wondering how many copies of each print I should bring to my first AA - the con isn't super small, but it's by no means large. Last year attendance was just under 1300, though it is growing nicely every year. I've been working on prints and finding where I'm going to order them (hopefully very soon!) but at a loss for how many to get.
1 tag
shota-tastic-deactivated2013051 asked: I was wondering if it's okay to sell styled wigs in the artist's alley? I've heard of people selling them if they've ordered them specifically for a brand of their own, but never just styled wigs. The con I'm attending doesn't seem to have any rules on things you can sell aside from no pedophilia/put all 18+ stuff in a binder, and check ID. Thanks for your time!
1 tag
100 follower giveaway WINNER!
Congratulations to spacebandit, who won our 100-follower giveaway! You will be receiving 250 double-sided business cards from Vistaprint. Please contact us to work out the details.
Spacebandit had this to say about themself!
“I love drawing more than anything else in the world! I’m always trying to improve and learn from others since I’m not very skilled. As for AA, when I went...
2 tags
Show Me Your Booth!
Looking for inspiration on your table layout? Check out the Flickr group Show Me Your Booth! It has thousands of pictures of beautiful booths from craft fairs and other shows!
4 tags
100 follower giveaway!
Wow, Artist’s Alley Info just reached 100 followers! That is Awesome! To celebrate, we’re going to do a little giveaway.
Now, tumblr has decided that reblog giveaways aren’t allowed so this going to be a little different. To enter, send a message to our ask with ***ENTRY*** at the top. After that, please write a small blurb about yourself as an artist and/or your experience...
1 tag
zix-art asked: How do you prepare your artwork for printing?
2 tags
thumbcramps asked: this is literally the best tumblr that has ever happened to me thank you so much oh my god you have saved me so much stress over printing crap
2 tags
lowsugarhighfever asked: I was wondering about how artists carry their prints/what artists carry their prints in (around poster size 11"x17" or bigger) from home to the convention while using public transportation (BART, bus, etc)? Also what do you use to store your prints in while at the AA? (thanks!)
November 2012
4 posts
Erkhart's Art: Chicago ComicCon Recap & First-Time... →
erkhart:
August 9th through 12th, I went to my first comic convention as an artist in Artist’s Alley. It was as a result of a free table I won in an art contest back in April. I entered the contest in the amateur category and was almost entirely unprepared to win the pro-category prize of a free table….
An interesting perspective on someone’s first time selling at a con!
“How do I become authorized to make sales in the State of California?”
Excellent question! I’m currently (still) working on a compilation of the Sales Tax practices of every US state, but as there are a lot of conventions in California this is probably good information to post in the mean time. Obligatory reminder that I am not a representative of the government of the state...
On the Importance of Business Cards
Business cards are an unbelievably important part of promoting yourself in an Artist’s Alley, particularly if you want to make sales online between conventions. They are a specific and strong connection between you and the people you meet when you’re behind the table. It is how your customers will remember you, and it is how they’ll find you again. But there’s a...
Looking for contributing posters!
Hello everyone! Pi-ratical here. November is a busy month for me, and I’m having a bit of trouble keeping up with regular posts on this blog. Being able to provide help and advice for Artists interested in the Alleys is something really important to me, though, so I’m looking for 1-2 more people who are interested in contributing posts to this blog! Ideally I’m looking for people...
October 2012
2 posts
Artist Alley Guide!
I thought this might be worth a post :) It’s a very extensive, in depth artist alley guide and has been my bible (so to speak) in my past Artist Alley ventures. It’s always ongoing and updating so reading through it for each convention helps loads!
https://docs.google.com/document/edit?id=1ApauE6NiCVBgjQ6Yf8rnbPlmxcLIWKVVRWN9mKPAHQ0&pli=1
Moderator Note: This was actually already...
3 tags
Quick, easy button display
You’ll need:
1 picture frame, no glass (whatever size you’d like. Space enough to display all of your buttons evenly spaced with a good inch of margin on the edges is recommended)
1 block of crafting foam or styrofoam 1” in thickness and wide enough to fit inside your frame
1 yard of the fabric of your choice (I’d reccomend a faux velvet) in a neutral colour
a hot...
September 2012
1 post
Sorry for the Hiatus
Artist’s Alley Info should be returning to regular posting within the next week!
June 2012
2 posts
1 tag
paiganism asked: i'm not sure of how many people have sam's club memberships, but the prints there are really cheap and you can pick them up in store even at sizes up to 20 by 30! that's who i'm going to be using for my AA coming up. :3
an-iridescence asked: I was curious; are there any good but cheap print services (online and local) out there? I've found a few, but I was wondering if there were any specific ones that particularly catch one's eye.
May 2012
6 posts
4 tags
What do you think is most important when it comes to having a good table display?
