/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

I know people ask "what LoL characters should I do" but going to ask which ones sell well for you for those of you who do LoL merch? I was going to do both sweetheart skins and then regular skins. Just not sure who to start first?

>>8879599
do your favourites first and then maybe progress to other champs? if you don't play LoL yourself, all the fanservice-y girls sell well (particularly ahri, jinx, sona) but EVERY LoL artist has merch of them. Pick champions who attract dedicated players, like vayne, lee sin, riven, zed, janna, yi, annie etc because they're more likely to pick up league fanart that isn't just tiddy.

to the anon asking about sticker quantities for really large cons....my country doesn't do conventions that large, sorry! but i'm guessing they probably tend to be more general interest cons than specific fandom ones, therefore the population of people buying from specific fandoms (or buying from the AA at all) will be lower. If it's a multi day con and if you sell at multiple cons it couldn't hurt to prepare 100 and then if it doesn't sell well portion the leftovers for your remaining days/cons? better than selling out totally in hour 3, haha.

What do you guys do if you don't think merchandise (i.e charms, cosmetic bags, washi tape) won't arrive in time for your convention? do you accept the loss and just sell them at your next convention or do you offer them 'preorder' at your table?

how exactly is toby fox going to police 'please have played the game'...? I have, but so many of the fandom is (weak) and has only watched playthroughs on youtube. Not to mention that there are extensive wiki coverage of every aspect of the game so it would be really easy to pretend you had, even if he/other fans went around quizzing you, haha...

>>8879617
The girls where going to be my last, I just wasn't 100% sure. My faves are Echo and Donger, but I don't want to do the art just based on who/what all the time. So thought the sweetheart skins and matching basic skins would be safe. I'll do a mix of fanservice and art for regular players? Also thanks for the input.

>>8879636
probably on the honor system

Probably a stupid question but I'm thinking of opening an online store for prints + charm and what's the best site to do so? I used to think storeenvy was the best choice but I saw so many artist moving to tictail?

>>8879636
He's not, it's just a plea to not let Undertale water down to 'I read something about it!". He can't control it so he just pleads instead.

>>8879599
Yordles are generally pretty good to sell, imo

>>8879636
He obviously can't force it but you can expect fans to start harassing people selling to see if they know the game or not. I think saying that will cause more trouble than good but I understand why he said it.

Sorry, from the precious thread.

I'm confused about dba. I get that dba is your business name but does it also have to be your store name? My dba is the title of my blog but the name of my online store and the studio name i use at cons are not my dba. But if someone uses paypal or cc, they will see my dba as the seller's name. I think it's the same thing as people without dba where they have a store name but have their legal name show up on invoices, but I just want to make sure i'm doing this right so i don't get in trouble later. Can someone help me undertand this better?

>>8879682
I intend to play past the demo if I plan to sell anything, but when I'm busy at my table the last thing I want is tumblerite teens harassing me about minor details of a game because I made a few prints or something. I do understand Toby wanting fan merch to actually be made by fans though, and it sucks he can't really stop anyone from making things regardless. There's so much on Etsy it's ridiculous, and you know most of those are people who probably don't even know Undertale is a game. Like FNAF everyone and their grandmother jumps on the wagon making things from it trying to get that sweet fan money.

>>8879674
Etsy is good if you don't want to do much promotion. Storenvy and the rest are fine, but Storenvy's payment system is pretty shit and tictail has just updated its shipping to something that makes sense.

>>8879707
If you say something like 'I chose X route' or 'I'm almost done with the game but X is so hard to fight I keep getting stuck' or whatever they should back off. Some won't, but most will be satisfied that you at least bought the game.

>>8879695

>>8879708
I just became aware of tictail the other day. Does it get enough traffic to be worth opening a shop there if you already have an etsy and/or storenvy shop?

I'm curious; artists, when you sell grab bags at cons or online, do you usually put your worst/least-selling pieces in there or just pick anything? I've always heard people warning each other about the former.

>>8879760
I pick anything: most of the time I do fresh orders of stock between cons, so I just use whatevers left from the previous one. I don't intentionally put in least-selling pieces, but...

>>8879760
A mix of both. I say what theme/fandom it's from, then put in 2-3 pieces of slow-moving stock and 1-2 pieces of stuff that sells okay. I don't add bestsellers though.

Sent in an email asking about Undertale online sales on Etsy, and I guess it's a bit weird for now heh

>>8879760
I put old merch/stuff I want to be rid of/things I have an over-abundance of, in them. They're not damaged or anything, I just want to clear out space for newer things I think may sell better.

What do you guys think of removing details of a character's design for simple pieces? I want to do a chibi of a character for charms/keychains, but their outfit is super detailed and I was wondering if I removed a few pieces here or there if it would still be alright? Not like big pieces, but stuff like clothes hemmings or accessories or things that aren't iconic to their design.
I don't want it to be inaccurate, but I also don't want to overclutter it.

>>8879941
I think that it's alright. Chibis are really stylized so as long as the character is still recognizable nobody would really notice.

>>8879941
I'd say it depends on the character. Certain details can be important, especially accessories. Who is it?

wtf con story
>person goes around asking for trades and comes to me
>sold like shit so politely decline
>asks if I'll be at any other local cons
>say yeah, ____con later this year
>they say cool then casually mentions they were banned from the AA there
>???
>goes into a tedious explanation of how they got banned (something about selling screenprinted shirts, etc. etc. etc.)
>"Yeah, my friend got banned too so we're gonna try to bring in some lawyers to get us back into the con."
>biggest lolwut of my life

As weird as some of the congoers are, there will always be that artist/vendor that blows them out of the water

>>8879808
So is that a yes or a no...?

>>8880042
Not sure... I haven't been able to find any more word on it from him though. I kinda interpreted "weird" as in be careful with it?

>>8879599
I never see Shyvana anywhere and I'd buy a good artpiece of her in a heartbeat.

>>8880042
>>8880050
To me, it sounds more like a "no," considering he says "I'll post again if that changes."

>>8879944
I'm working on an Asuna, and I was looking to exclude stuff like the little lace on her upper arm, and the cross embroidery around the bottom of her top.

Ok, so i'm having to deal with drama. I became friends with some artists before i started doing artist alley and now they are accusing me that i used them and that i'm copying them. It's true that i wanted to have friends in artist alley but i never once asked them for advice or resources. And we're in the same fandom in the first place so how am i even copying them? They even told some people to not buy from me. I'm kind of fed up so i'm just going to keep to myself from now on and minimize socializing, but have you ever deal with this?

>>8880080
get better friends lmao
it's not you're fault that they're too unconfident/insecure to deal with competition in a mature manner

>>8880078
I did Asuna and Kirito chibis and simplified a bit. I think when doing chibis just think about what really a makes that character recognizable. Like hairstyle/color. Outfit color and silhouette shape etc.

>>8880110
Yeah they only liked me when i was a paying customer haha. I'm just going to try to avoid them

>>8880115
> that Asuna
Oh...umm... You might want to adjust some things with her head and face.

>>8880127
A year ago I spent like 2 months making 50 chibi stickers for various fandoms. I know some of them look wonky now but they're already printed and sold well so Im not going back, lol

>>8880133
Okay, well, hopefully you have grown as an artist since then so you can recognize and fix the wonky areas in your new work. I just have a hard time understanding what the point is if you don't constantly strive to create better content, though I get that if it sells well sometimes you don't want to put in more effort than necessary.

>>8880133
That is not an excuse for stagnating/being lazy.
As an artist you should always be striving to improve.

>>8880137
Eh, anon didn't say that they aren't working to improve now or that they haven't worked to improve since. They just said that they don't feel like going back and fixing old work, nothing wrong with that.

>>8880137
Yeah I'm working on catching my mistakes better. While a year ago I couldn't see how weird her face looks, i can definitely see it now.

If i ever get them reprinted ill probably go back and fix a lot of them. This was just something i did real quick with the liquify tool and i can already see it looks better this way though still needs tweaking. I spend more time than i like reworking old art and i need to just learn to let it go and move forward.

>>8880141
oh right i have misread the comment, sorry my mistake.

>>8880145
I wouldn't 're-work' it. I would just do a new set. I did some commission work for a friend for fanart I could sell later on. Tried to sell it, it did good, but went and redid the whole set for myself. I liked it 200% more, and it sold well. Not only that, my older style didn't match up 100% on quality as the new stuff I'm putting out. I won't be doing a new chibi set from that series anytime soon tho.

for those of you with multiple styles, how do you deal with it? do you group all your work together or separate it by style?
My posters are either painted or completely cleanly cellshaded and they look quite different from another, sometimes with people even mistaking them as being from different artists. For my other merchandise i've tried to use the same style consistently, but I find it difficult for posters (since sometimes different styles suit certain concepts better).

>>8880189
i just draw whatever thing that fits that style
but when display the prints. i do group them off so it's easier for the eyes.

How do you set up files for Vograce? Do you need a "White" layer? Should I add a white layer for each side of the double sided charm?

>>8880189
I sort by fandom. I usually keep comics/cartoon stuff together, vg stuff, and then anime.

>>8879599
A lot of people make stuff for waifu-ish champs like ahri, but the game also has a pretty large fangirl following that loves husbandos like Varus, Talon, Malzahar etc. (even viktor has a pretty gud female fanbase). I barely see merch of those.

>>8880115
>chibis
gonna be blunt anon, these are ugly and a bad example. Fix your faces and don't be afraid to squash your bodies and make them chubbier. These just look lanky and awkward. Your coloring's nice enough to look at though.

>>8880237
did you read the thread or do you just leap at the chance to be negative

>>8880254
>complaints when you don't critique enough
>complaints when you critique at all

The previous anon just mentioned the face, more people are allowed to express what the artist can do to improve or to make their art more appealing. They even complimented them. Not saying you're the artist but don't post your art if you're not willing to hear anything negative or constructive.

>>8880263
Calling someone's art ugly isn't really constructive.

>>8880266
It's their opinion and they shared what could fix that. It's better for someone to tell you the truth and help you than someone saying nothing and let you continue doing things which might be ruining your art. This isn't a hugbox.

>>8880263
there's 0 point in 'critiquing' someones art when they've already recognized the mistakes that are pointed out and will redo/rework them, except to be bitchy and try and exert some shitty superiority complex.

>>8880272
Not sure what you're trying to show me with that image but anon commented on something completely different. First comment was pretty much "fix the head and face" which isn't a critique on the chibi style. How could they recognise the possible mistakes of the body if it wasn't brought up after the original critique? I guess people are sensitive to the word ugly but the person most likely wasn't trying to be rude as they actually suggested things and said something nice. I think it would be bitchy to let someone work hard on something that might not end up selling because they weren't given some guidance.

....anyway, I recently updated some Undertale fanart so it's con worthy, I have a big poster with all the main cast +some monsters, and i wanted to do a desaturated, scratched out 'no mercy' version with chara. What i'm wondering is if anyone has any suggestions for how I can have this be available but not openly displayed, if you get what I mean. I don't really want to just put a 'No Mercy version available on request' sign because then i'll be constantly having to drag it out. Should I just hide it in my print flip file, or does anyone have any cooler suggestions? Also, what do you all usually price your 2inch (or 2.25 inch) buttons at?

>>8880330
Are you trying to avoid spoilers for people who walk by? You could place it in a folder and have a sign resting on top saying something along the lines "flip over for No Mercy Print - spoilers" so people could stop themselves if they care that much. I don't think other sellers will be secretive unless I've missed a rule somewhere so you'll probably see people showcasing stuff like that since that's whats popular.

>>8879760
I put a mix of popular stuff with stuff I'd like to clear out.

>>8880330
When you hang it up, put the no mercy version behind the normal one. Have a sign saying "Lift for no mercy". People can then just lift up the first one and see the no mercy one. You should put some kind of thin cardboard behind them so the top one doesn't get bent or anything when ppl lift it up.

This might be a weird question to ask here, but what the heck!

Does anyone else have trouble establishing their "brand"? Have you ever had the trouble of having (or fear of) too many styles of prints or merch to actually make your store (whether it's online or at a con) presentable or "well put together"?

Those are my experiences at the moment and I was wondering about everyone else's experiences and how you got through it.

(I'm also having trouble establishing a proper "artist" name to use online. I'm wondering if I should just go "fuck it" and just use my real name instead, since I'm going into a creative arts field as a career anyway.)

>>8880337
not as such, I just prefer not to display the same print (only with minor variation) side by side, and I think it would be a neat way to interact with my customers by having them choose the path.

>>8880339
This is a good idea! thanks anon!

>>8880352
I feel this... I feel like I need to dedicate a month or so to creating a logo and branding aesthetic, and then slowly pulling together my stock so it's more cohesive. right now I feel so hodge podge with my content and I see so many artists who are so distinctive and uniform (for lack of a better word ?)

>>8880357
OP here.
Yeah, I'm always frustrated when I get inspiration for things that would be sellable, or at least decently popular at certain conventions, but in the end all I have would be this really fragmented display of different series or aesthetics.

I also know this also hurts sales because people who come to buy things I sell the most of wouldn't even touch anything that looks so different to what they're interested in (if that makes sense).

Right now I'm planning on just trying to sell out what I do want to get rid of or what I don't want associated with my "brand". It's taking a while, but it's giving me some time to think about what I want to do next.

Good luck to you, we'll manage somehow!

Continuing on the spoiler thing. I feel like everything is spoiler to someone who is not familar with a series. So should i really take spoilers into account when i make merch? I like doing prints and bookmarks based on certain scenes and they are basically spoilers if you are not totally up to date (but what is NOT spoiler if you are not a fan?). I don't like the idea of covering them up because i would be covering 60% of my merch and not drawing from scenes is really limiting options. Will customers get mad at me for these spoilers?

Eagerly awaiting those charms in the mail. Drew a thing for you gulls.

>>8880385
I had this all typed out then mobile closed the reply, ugh.
Anon I think it really depends. Are you wanting to draw for newer series or older? I think if it's newer & you want to draw a major spoiler you should be wary, but older series shouldn't be that big of a deal.
Example; AX last year the Yowapeda anime season 1 just ended in the middle of a race. Manga was understandably ahead of the anime but not everyone reads the manga. I saw 2 or 3 prints of the main team accepting the award for that race. Was kinda pissed t b h.

>>8880541
I agree. If it's been around for a bit it doesn't matter, but if it's newer hold off on it. I went to a con right after the new Star Wars was released and I hadn't seen it yet, but I got to enjoy a cosplayer spoiling someone's death for me with his costume, as well as a few prints people must have churned out the weekend before. I was less upset about the prints than I was the cosplayer but still.

>>8880541
This is how I feel. If it's older, it's fine. If it's newer (even if the manga or whatever is older), I think it's kind of shitty.
I once saw a booth that had a little like cover/flap that you could lift up on a couple of display prints that had spoilers - that was cool.

>>8880541
>>8880553
>>8880554
I actually do most of my stuff based on manga so they are always ahead of the anime... Or new anime because i try to watch everything. I like the flip idea, but I obviously want people to see what I'm selling. This is tricky because even if it's from an old show, someone who just started watching it might get pissed at a spoiler. I can't really count everybody into account when making my prints. Also, what about spoilers revolving around minor character deaths? Would people care less about those?

>>8880530
I would buy, frame, and put this print on my wall.

>>8880352
I'm going through some growing pains with that right now. I have a bunch of ideas that don't necessarily go together and yet I feel compelled to make them all. Pic related matches nothing else thematically or otherwise and yet here he is. Someday, I'll have everything match but today is not that day.

>>8880693
this blob made me smile. i like him.

>>8880189
I organize all my work by color, so it doesn't look like a rushly thrown together print wall. The prints of different styles are mixed together, which prevents people asking if they were done by different artists.
I can understand the appeal of keeping them separate, but multiple artists would be the first thing I assume. However, that's more of a peeve, and doesn't really hurt your business if all the revenue is coming back to you.

>>8880352
If you're going into the creative arts, you have to ask yourself if you want your artist alley work being associated with your professional work.
If sure, or you don't mind, then go for your actual name or your actual name alongside a pseudonym. If your AA stuff isn't exactly what you want future employers to see all of, I'd go with an artist's name.

>>8880685
Thank you anon! I might make a superior digital version and print some art card size ones to give out for free like Febronia does with the gull pins.

>>8880693
I enjoy this very much.

>>8880723
>>8881257
Hahaha, thank you. I enjoy Sebastian too. I hope he sells well but who knows. I don't really go to anime cons either so I'm never sure what to make.

Have any of you ever had to back out from rooming arrangements for a con?

A convention friend asked me to room with her for an upcoming out of state con. Originally, I was just going to find some place small/cheap with my helper but since she asked and had another person who was going to be in the room I figured splitting it 4-ways might be better and get us in a closer hotel.

Her friend did some research and ended up booking the room. She was weirdly unresponsive in the group chat during the whole process. Today I found out from her friend that she's not rooming with us anymore. I'm not sure if my helper and I want to stay in the room with this guy because he's essentially a stranger that we only know through the said friend. (She has a history of being flakey though and I don't think I'll ever agree to room with her again. This is the 3rd time she's backed out on AA hotel arrangments. I've learned my lesson.)

I suggested just splitting off and finding rooms separately but this guy seems reluctant to do that because the hotel has a strict cancellation policy. I feel bad about that but I honestly don't want to room with him if an intermediary who knows him isn't going to be there. How do I tell him my helper and I are backing out too without being a colossal ass about it?

tl;dr - Friend facilitating hotel arrangements backed out and left me with a stranger. How do I get out of it?

How much do you guys sell stickers for? I wanted to make a set of around four or five stickers in this style but wasn't sure if around $1 per sticker would be too much/little.

>>8881484
Is your name or credit card is listed in the hotel payment/booking?

>>8881579
I think $1 per sticker is fine, though will depend on the size too

Hi guys I'm back! and wanted some critique on anything that I could do to fix up with these guys. I only did flat colouring because I was thinking about making rubber straps (hence the shoddy brown border as well).

To to anon that said Nicks right hands was too close to his crotch, I didn't want his arm being straight so I ended up bending it more...

>>8881602
It's really cute so far! I think you should go for a thinner and cleaner border around them and maybe shorten Phoenix's hair just a bit since it's pulled bad a bit too far. Otherwise it looks pretty good!

>>8881602
I definitely don't gravitate to that arm now that you lifted up a bit. It is in a position now that suggests he's excited so that fits the character.

>>8881257
bless

>>8881602
They're cute but I think the faces are squished in a little too much and some lines could be thinned out a bit. I moved Nick's mouth down, rounded his eyes and thinned the eyebrows a tad. I made Edgeworth's eyes longer while rounding them and I resized his mouth to be a bit more in proportion and moved it downwards.
I think eye colour/highlights comes down to personal preference for charms so I tried a style. Some rubber straps have them and some don't.

>>8881591
It's not! There won't be any financial consequences to me and my helper but since the hotel is in his name I'm trying to figure out how to tell him we can't stay if our friend isn't going to be there without being an asshole.

>>8881579
cute!! $1 per sticker is fine imo if they're bigger than 1.5 inches

>>8881602
Just a tip for borders, if you use photoshop, merge a copy of your chibis and right click on the layer > blending options > stroke to create an outline! you can vary the thickness/color, too.

>>8881678
same thing what ur friend did, just pad the excuse as so he won't take it personal that's all. things happen all the time and plans change ya know.

>>8881602
>To to anon that said Nicks right hands was too close to his crotch
ah good fix, not zipping his fly like last time. border just seems a tad thick.

>>8881592
>>8881680
Thanks! I was planning to make them around 2 inches, glad that the price isn't too off the mark.

Also, would it be weird to ask for ~$7-8 for chibi commissions in that style? I like simplistic designs so it might not warrant the cost (though it does take me at least an hour to finish one) but I didn't want to lower it too much since it'd be bad for other artists as well right?

>>8881605
>>8881682
Thanks guys! I mentioed I drew the boarders really quickly, just so I could picture the final product a bit better! Will fix it up when ive finalised everything.

>>8881677
Thank you so much for the feedback! Weirdly I like the changes to Edgeworth but not really for Nick, but ill play around with it. As for the highlights on the eyes I'm unsure how they'll come out if I follow through with the rubber strap idea which is why I didnt put them on to begin with (I own straps in image related and I didnt like the eyes on it irlso im worried theyll be like that).

>>8881700
youre welcome!

I've seen people ask $10 for simple chibi commissions, so I think maybe try with $10 and if you don't feel like you're doing too well just drop down to 7/8?

>>8881702
where are you ordering the charms from? vograce? would you mind reviewing them when you get them?

>>8881710
At this point, most likely just so I can test the waters. I dont want to order exp ones if my style/ideas dont work well as rubber straps.

I'll try update on the AA threads when I do place my order etc

>>8881702
If you like the distance between Nick's eyes and mouth then maybe you can move them both down to give him a bigger forehead. His eyebrows are a bit higher than Edgeworths.

Has anyone here ever tabled at an extremely tiny local con? We're talking about 200-300 people, here. I'm not sure what & how much would sell at an event that size. Single day, anime and western comic combination con, hosted by the library.

The only reason I'm considering it is because there's no fee for the table, and it would be good PR for my webcomic.

>>8881764
I've done small but not that small. Offering commissions is a good way to still make some profit in that situation since you can hit on any fandom that way and there probably won't be much competition. PR is always a good reason to set up shop regardless though.

>>8881678
offer to help find another room mate for him. but honestly, just skype chat with him or something to get to know him. if he's crazy just ditch. if not, cool! Stay, you don't have to worry about finding another hotels and stuff then.

>>8881764
ya, I made $90 ( i usually make around 2k at a con)
if you are bored and just want something to do. go with no expectations.

Does anyone have the taobao listing where you could get custom letters on both the hat and the underside of the brim?

>>8881602
These are qt anon. Let us know when you get the actual product because I'll literally buy 5 Nicks and start a Nick ita bag.

>>8881682
How thick should I make the border in mm/inches?
Should I add the "white" layer for Vograce?

>>8881859
I did briefly meet him once at a con but his entire demeanor kind of unnerved me. Without going into too much detail, he did come off as super socially awkward and spent a lot of time complaining about how he wasn't making money so I'm not very keen to be stuck in a room with him if our mutual friend isn't going to be there as well.

I do think I'll take your advice and see if I can find other roommates for him and just grab something cheap with my table helper instead.

>>8881764
I did my very first 300 person con this month, and I made $500 which is surprising because it felt like there was nobody at my table ever. My tip to you is take commissions and bring something to work on! I drew stickers and watched a whole 6 episode anime during that time, that's how empty the AA was, but it was 5 minutes from my house so I went ahead a did it. I also made a lot of friends so I enjoyed it overall.

>>8881746
Awesome I tried that and yeah I do prefer that! Thanks anon youre the best!

>>8881882
Thank you so much anon! I dont actually have a store cos shipping from where I live is exp but ill see what I can do once theyre done!

>>8881863
what was ur wares? prints? mix small items? etc

okay this is the last post I swear.

Made some tweaks suggested above (I cant do much about the thick lines though since id have to re-line it).

I also thought about adding eye colours but cant decide if it looks good or not?

>>8880757
That's true, thanks for making up for my lack of foresight haha. I'll work harder on thinking up an artist's name then so if I do ever want to show anything done for leisure alongside my professional work, I can pick only the things I'm proud of.

>>8881579
Anon this is a really cute Koga~~ Price definitely depends on the size, since you said they'd be around 2 inches I wouldn't mind paying $2 for one- I mean, people here sell stickers for like $4 each its wild.

You could also make unit sets have a little discount maybe? Like, sure the singles are $2 each but a set of Koga, Rei, Adonis and Kaoru could be $7

>>8882119
$4 for what I assume is a 2 inch sticker? Where the fuck do you live?

>>8882129
Australia. Stickers are banned from almost every con here but the one time I saw them in an AA they were all super expensive... That was a couple of years ago now though so people have probably learned better.

>>8881923
As a flat keychain, I could go either way on the eye colors. As a rubber strap, I'm convinced that's going to look hella awkward.

>>8882119
>>8882129

I'm going to be charging $3 (2/$5) for 3" stickers, but they're also holographic. I don't think that's unreasonable? But $4 for a plain 2" sticker...no thanks.

>>8882119
Wow didn't think anyone would recognize enstars! Thanks but $4 seems a bit overboard since I live in the states and most stickers range from $1 - 3.

I think I'll stick to $1 for them unless I can get really good paper for them? And I'll be giving discounts for sure if people buy the whole unit - just wish the cast wasn't so huge since I've only finished undead and ra*bits so far.

>>8881954
I personally like the eye colors more. The solid color looks lifeless compared to the ones with color.

I know some people where talking about AnimeFest last thread. Wondering if anyone got a email back if they got in or not for AA? I got mine not long ago.

Has anyone who signed up for Megacon and had their payment go through gotten any information beyond the acceptance email? They're slowly announcing guests now but I'm antsy about alley prep and details since there hasn't been any word and this will be my first time there.

>>8882541
No info yet, checked a week ago if I had missed a packet but they said they haven't sent any yet.

>>8882518
Got mine 2 weeks ago. Took them forever to invoice me though.

>>8881764
Did one last year which was probably even less than 200, held in one room at a community center. Made less than $100. Spent most of the day talking to other artists and my tablemate.

>>8882129
Really? I'm in aus and sticker sheets are maybe $4-5 if it's loose stickers $1 ...where in aus are you located anon?

>>8882518
I also got mine a while back and the invoice took weeks.

Does Office Depot or Kinko's have sticker paper that they will print for you? Obviously not for kiss cut stickers or anything fancy but I found myself in a pinch and short on certain designs while I'm getting ready for a con this weekend and wanna know if I'm screwed.

Not sure if this is a good place to ask but I'm going to anyway. Does anyone have a good method for printing square shaped books by yourself? Or should I just bring my stuff to kinkos and have them deal with it?

>>8881867
I'm 90% sure there was something similar in one of these threads a few months back, check the archives. And I'm also pretty sure it's Ali you want, not Taobao.

no feels thread and related rant

> work at a company that makes a thing
> browse entire artist alley for that thing, find one print available that looks p great
> 'ooh, it's kinda nice, I wonder if it's available smaller so I can put it on my desk at work? She has smaller sizes of other stuff. lets ask.'
> approach vendor
> "hey, do you have this print in your small size available?"
> "nooooooooooo sorryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" fake smile eye roll
> "uh.... well, is there any way I can order it online in the smaller size from you?"
> not about to be like "I make that thing and would really like that" cuz that's just asshole tier
> "noooooooooooo sorrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy" aggravated eyeroll, dismissed
> "uh.... well. It's nice to see fanart of this thing...."
> already being ignored so walk away
> was super psyched when approached booth, now super put off

Fck I wanted to give you money for your unlicensed fanart of my company's thing that I've put thousands of hours into.
Even if I was anyone else asking these questions, don't roll your eyes and blow off a potential customer.
Be polite to potential customers even if you're tired or pissed. I've worked sales before I know it's shit but c'mon man.

>>8882212
That much for a large holographic sticker is fine, but $4 for something small and plain is just dumb.
>>8883005
I'm pretty sure anywhere like this will have sticker paper, and you can just ask them to print on it instead of normal paper.

>>8883042
I completely understand where you're coming from, some people have such bad people skills it's amazing they signed up for an AA at all. However, it might not have been the artist- most of the times I was treated rudely/like an idiot at an AA it was by the artist's helpers, and I only noticed because the next time I went by the table the person behind it looked completely different and wasn't on their phone. They were always super apologetic about it.
If it really was the artist though, wow. No need to advertise your shitty attitude instead of your products. I've had people ask me if I really think they're going to pay the price I ask for for my stuff because 'I know it's digital, it's not like you had to work to make it' and act like I should be glad to sell large prints for under a fiver, asking about goddamn print sizes is hardly offensive.

>>8883100
It looked like it was the main artist as she was talking to other people after she ignored me, but if it's true that "helpers" tend to be rude... Ugh. I feel for the artists who think those people are there for them.

>>8883100
I went to purchase something 4 times from an artist at a con last summer. The first time she was super busy and being a little short with customers in a not-so-polite way. The second time she was too busy talking to her friends behind her table, even after I said "excuse me" like 3 times. Yes, she did acknowledge me for about a second before she turned back around. At this point I should have stopped trying but I really wanted the thing. Time #3, "sorry, I'm about to go eat can you come back later?" 4th time was a charm, finally got it. Won't ever purchase from her again. Sucks because her art is nice & she's at a ton of cons.

>>8883042
I never understood this attitude. Customer wants to give you money, you be accommodating to get money unless they are being terribly unreasonable.

>>8883125
>>8883137
Artists, especially the younger tumblr ones, can have such ridiculously inflated egos sometimes. I get that you're sixteen and making money selling your own work, but so is literally everyone else in the damn alley, you're not special. A couple of my old friends went through an AA stage where they'd be fine at school, all happy and excited, and when we got to the con and started setting up they'd turn into egomaniac bitches and make underhanded insults at everyone who came up to talk or buy shit. Thankfully they grew out of it, but tumblr and AANI are such rampant asspat breeding grounds that I don't see people like your vendors growing out of their brattyness any time soon.

>>8883042

Having washed your hands of the fact that she was a decent human being, I would have come back a few minutes later with a business card. This is one of the rare instances where "Do You Know Who I Am?" is probably justified because she was being a full-fledged cunt.

>>8883220
>inb4 she doesn't even recognize anon because she knows jackshit about the source material

>>8883220

>>8882603
>>8882852
oh shit. Good and bad I guess? Gives me time to not worry about getting that invoice everyday and focus on upcoming AA's. Thanks anons!

I have yet to see any decent updates today so far for AANI. None too cringe worthy tho? Did I miss some gulls?

>>8882265
Thank you!

>>8882206
Im assuming this reply is for >>8881954 ?
I put the highlights on so it probably would come out like image related? Or do you think it doesnt look good either way?

>>8883310
Not them but I like the bottom one more. I get how they could appear lifeless but it's very common for the rubber straps and it should be fine once printed. The colours could come across as awkward if not printed exactly like your example.

>>8883042
>my company's thing
what's the thing...you can spill some marinara.

>>8883042

She shouldn't have been a cunt, but she owes you nothing. Going out and ordering a run of small prints that may or may not sell just to accommodate your one sale might not be smart to her, especially since this was the only type of fan art of whatever in the alley. It sounds like a potential gamble for her.

That being said, if I you nicely handed a card over saying you are from -company- and you'd like a variation of the print, you probably could have open up a dialogue.

>>8882781
Ditto, I'm another Ausfag and these are pretty standard sticker prices. I've never seen someone charging $4 for standard stickers...

>>8883355

Yeah, you didn't read.

>>8881900
Ok, if you don't know the guy and aren't comfortable staying in a room with him, don't stay in that room. You were staying there bc if your friend, your friend fucked off, that's not your fault.
Dude is a stranger. You don't know if he's going to go through your stuff or even take your stuff and that's the least amount of harm he can do.
This shit is the reason I don't room share with people anymore

>>8883321
Thanks anon! I asked around and most people seem to be leaning to the ones without the highlights so I'll be sticking with that!

>>8882225
Ahaha I wasnt suggesting you sell them for $4-- that was just an example of prices I've seen here... ANWYAY

I'm super glad Enstars is starting to pick up a bit more in the west!!! I feel you on how painfully huge the cast is, theres the two new charas being added on Wednesday as well... And I suppose theres still ANOTHER one yet to come? Seeing as only one of the two new ones is an oddball and theres 5 oddballs all up. Who knows.

Hey gulls, I'm looking for some opinions because I'm kind of torn between the two. I want to do shading because depth, etc etc.. But I also really like how the non-shaded version looks as well. I find it suits the anime a little more.. I'm just wondering if others would think it looks unfinished or boring/plain. If any anons could help, I'd be very grateful!! Thanks in advance.

>>8883042
what is that thing??
fuck, I do that to customers too. if they request smaller sizes I usually just " no sorry ^ _ ^" cause it's easier than explaining why I can print smaller/ too much effort etc if I have a crowd at my table.

>>8883137
who is she? fuck, now I'm paranoid

>>8882781
I'm not in Australia, which probably explains a lot.

>>8883550
I like the flat colors. You're right that it fits the style better.

>>8883550
I prefer the shading, but I'm also unfamiliar with the anime.

>>8883550
I have no strong opinion one way or the other.

>>8883376
I just kind of feel shitty about it because he said he already put down his card information and he's going to get charged a fee if he tries to cancel. Maybe he should have asked us all for money before he put down his card? Idk. I'll try to find other people for him and never room with the mutual friend in question again bc she flakes too much.

>>8883550
I prefer the one without the shading. I kind of think it'd look better over all if you toned down the blush a little bit though.

>>8883550
Yeah, definitely better without shading.

Also I hope I can see you at a con and buy all your Osomatsu stuff

>>8883608
Sounds like he's lying. Every hotel I've ever reserved hasn't had any kind of cancellation fee unless it was the day before, sometimes the week of. Hotels always take card information when you initially reserve just to prove that you do in fact have a card, but when you check in they often don't even have that card on file anymore so you have to give it to them again. I think he's just bullshitting you to guilt trip you into staying, which is a huge red flag anon. Please don't room with a complete stranger.

>>8883579
I think >>8883368
and >>8882781 and for >>8882139

>>8883550
unrelated but you have a bit of a tangent with the open eye of the guy in red and the break in the hair

>>8883720
You're an idiot.

Some hotels have you pay up front, or pay up front with a decreased fee and have no cancellation policies.

Hotels do still have the card on file, you present it to make sure it matches the one on record. You can also change cards or choose to pay in cash, but you have to have a good card on file.

Source: work in hotel

>>8883720
Dude what? Almost every hotel I've stayed in had a cancellation penalty, anywhere from cancelling the week of to three weeks. If he gets burned though it isn't anons fault, money should have been taken up front.

>>8883578
Are you paranoid it's you, or that you'll buy from her?
I don't feel comfortable giving direct names, but if you've seen her I think you should know who it is. She's Asian, her biggest print size is around 8.5x11", and over half her prints are very specific JRPG fan art in bright colors.

>>8883300
I uploaded my SU charms and MyFebronia had her notebooks. But yeah, not a lot really jumped out today.

Does anyone know if Zap got better at their charms? Or they still got that horrible white border with their clear charms?

Never change, Paige.

>>8884141
The cat looks like it got crushed flat by Sailor Moon.

>>8884141
I don't understand why people feel the need to draw characters like this...

>>8883720
>>8883846
>>8883915
Like the other anons mentioned, I think this hotel just had a very strict cancellation policy. I don't understand why he would put his card down without informing us about the policy and asking us to make a deposit first to secure our spaces.

>>8884027
That's pretty cute! Is it going to be a clear charm?

>>8884141
Why can't people just keep slim characters slim and fat characters fat?

>>8884177
We can only have true fat acceptance when EVERYONE is fat. That's why.

>>8884131
I just ordered some this week, if no one else has an answer I can post mine when I get them

>>8884215
Thanks and good luck!

>>8884141
That cat looks pathetic. This is a wip right?

>>8879599
The ones that will probably sell the most atm; Ahri, Annie, Jinx, Kindred, Yordles, SG Lux, MF, Sona, Gnar etc

I would love to see some less popular ones in charms like Kogmaw, Veigar, Orianna, Bard, Ekko, Rengar...

>>8879650
Also, Dragontrainer Tristana and Lulu will probably sell very well, since they are really popular skins

>>8884141
I just hate that this is a flat on shot... It's so lazy! Also the right leg falling off the bed is not even close to right.

>>8884173
Thank you! Yep, planning on clear acrylic!

This is gonna be my first time getting manufactured charms, so I'm excited and nervous!

I recently inherited a vinyl cutter from a family member and usually I'm pretty damn tech savvy but I'm honest to god having a bad time trying to find resources on using one/general how-tos and advice.

Ideally I'm using it to expand my AA table to include vinyl stickers and decals, but honestly any information/resources someone would be willing to point me towards would be appreciated.

>>8883355
You didn't read it, it seemed like it was the fucking attitude problem more than anything that was a turnoff from the artist

>>8883328
>>8883575

I'm curious, too, anon. Are you another anime industry anon? Gaming?

>>8880037
Lmao wtf anon? Not con-related but when I used to work in a cafe this guy ordered his drink, got it, paid, and then just stood there. Like frozen, not even sipping his coffee. So I asked if he was okay and then he said he was and walked away, only to come back thirty seconds later and tell me that because we had a weak winter season, the hurricane season would be wild. I was like "okay, thanks for heads-up and have a nice day" but in my head I was like ??? just like you were lol

>>8880133
>that art
>selling well

why the fuck would I expect any kind of standards from sao fans

>>8880530
I'm one of the anons from the last thread that was a part of the group requesting these to be made. My money is so ready to be just thrown to you it's not even funny.

>>8884870
That post OP here. Upcoming game but small fandom right now, which is why I was so excited to see the print. Will probably pick up closer to release. Obviously can't name say or I would have :-/. Gonna be plastering my wall with prints when it comes out, though :)

>>8884979
Does it involve a chameleon?

>>8885003
No, but suddenly I want to know about this game with a chameleon. Off to google I go.

>>8885009
i think anon is referencing Yooka Laylee

>>8884979
Does the game have a tapir in it by any chance?

Hey guys, can I please ask for some advice regarding table setup if the table space available is quite small?

I lost out on getting a table for my next big con, and my friend (who makes 100000 prints and always sells really wells) managed to get two and said I could use half of one of hers for my stuff.

I sell A3 prints, mini photo-sized prints and buttons. Usually my regular setup has a flip folder, but with only half a table worth of room, I'm worried it might take up my entire space. I do have a back wall that has Velcro attachments, but once again I only get half a table worth, and I want to maximise my space.

Any ideas on setup would be super appreciated!

>>8885070
Build up and go from big (top) to small (bottom). Reserve the table-top for your buttons and mini-prints.

Has anyone used Fireball printing recently? Thinking of making a few orders to test if they have gotten better in terms of quality on all orders or not.

>>8885090
question on the clamps, is the 12" enough to support the pvc pipes? or would you go with the 16". I am currently using those telescopic/stands and mounting it on the table, trying to be more mobile since the bag to carry it in is ridiculously heavy and large.

Hi, I'm an absolute newfag when it comes to the process of printing charms, I've been told about Vograce but they have so many different listings all for custom charms I'm confused as to which one I should use? I just want them to be like pic related.

>>8884979
does it have a reindeer in it?

Can charms done with the crayon brush (like pic related) look okay, or would it be best to just go for smooth lines?

>>8884141
What's with Usagi's left hand?

>>8885315
I've been thinking of doing some Yoshi related charms and I'm going to draw them almost completely with crayon-like brush since I want them to have that Yoshi's Island feel to them. I think it would look very cute, but haven't seen any charms made like that before tho. Maybe depends if you want clear charms or ones with background color/printed onto colored acrylic?

>>8885364
I'm planning on doing them with a white background. I'd like to go for it, but I'm nervous since I haven't seen any like them either.

>>8885384
If it's a white background, it seems doable. I'd say give the art a smooth white stroke before you send it to the printers?
(Sorry for the shitty example, I'm both away from a tablet and at work.)

>>8885225
Yeah, they're strong enough! I use both in my pvc display which can get kinda tall.

How many buttons and stickers do you make per design for a large con around 20k attendees? An anon in the previous thread said make 1 per 100 attendees but I can't imagine using that formula for a large con because that's like 200 per design. So I was thinking doing 10 per design for buttons and 40 flat per design for stickers. I have a lot of designs. Does this sound about right?

The display posted by the OP in the previous thread--is this type of display held down with a clamp? I can't get my head around how you would put it up and make it stay because the panels look flimsy.

>>8885281
It doesn't really matter which of the listings you reply to. Just pick one of the clear charm ones and ask what you want clearly. I'd include that image to make sure they understand what you want. Vograce will give you a quote based on what you ask of them. You don't pay through alibaba but directly to their paypal, that's why it doesn't matter which listing you use.

>>8885315
I think it would look best printed directly onto acrylic, so not vograce's "sandwiched" style. Clear acrylic looks polished/shiny, which doesn't really suit the crayon look.

>>8885315
I think that style could look REALLY cute in wood charms, actually.

>>8885315
I've done this before! It really depends on the size of your charm. Once they're scaled down, it's kind of hard to see the crayon texture anyway and it just looks like lineless art. People still like them fine and buy them so it's not a dealbreaker for customers.

I think they'd be super cute on wood like >>8885700 mentioned!

>>8885669
Anon, how do you setup files for Vograce? Do you need to add a "White" layer? On each side? How big should the border be in in/mm, and how do you make a colored border, is the border color printed? Thanks!

>>8884131
The white border is gone now, just make sure you follow their guide and shrink the 'white ink' layer by 2-3 pixels.

>>8885899
Awesome, that's good to know. Thanks!

>>8885431
Thanks man, yeah thought so - wanted to be sure, I recalled this girl next to me used that setup but I didnt see it assembled, but she took it down pretty fast at the end of the con.
>>8885539
>this type of display held down with a clamp?
if your talking about that sketch, I was skeptical myself, basically the long end that stands upright supports the hollow pvc structure. It could be flimsy it use the thin weak pipes with weak extensions, the thicker ones are solid, overall it is really lightweight. Just got to know ur limits in making them span width wise I think.

>>8885735
Hrm, this feels a little bit like spoonfeeding, anon, I posted a pretty detailed tutorial on how to order from them only a few threads ago. Read back a little, the older threads are linked in OP.

Vograce has two popular options. Clears, which have the art printed directly onto the acrylic, and non-clears, which is just paper sandwiched between two clear layers of acrylic. (They also do colored acrylic but hardly anyone seems to use that.)
Since the non-clears are literally a paper cutout, the border will look like it does in your artwork. So you can use a solid color or a pattern or whatever you want.
I had Coco draw in the cutlines for me, she left roughly 20 pixels on all sides.
I haven't ordered clears so I can't help you on the extra white layers. I think someone mentioned a while ago that they offer it as an extra option now, but you'll have to ask them yourself. They're really friendly and helpful even if their English is a little odd, so don't be afraid to ask questions.
I set my files up like this:

layer 3 - cutline (optional)
layer 2 - back, mirrored, exactly overlaying front
layer 1 - front

Each design is a separate file. They will rescale them for you if they aren't the correct size, btw.

>>8885539
Ah, I actually ordered that display and got it in today. It's surprisingly sturdy, I don't think it needs clamps to stay upright at all, unless you're outside or something. Unfortunately sturdy also means heavy in this case and it's a little harder to put together than I'd hoped. Riding public transport with it isn't going to be fun. Sob. Looks great though!

>>8886071
Not that anon but how do you contact Coco directly? I don't want to have to make an alibaba account.

>>8886084
Thanks, anon! I'm excited to order that display myself. Good to know that it's sturdy but sturdy also means heavy... Carrying it is not going to be fun lol.

>>8886175
seriously? I'm not that anon but you don't have to be a total dipshit. If you want to order from alibaba you have to make an account. it's incredibly easy, and covered in the how to order from vograce link in the OP. Don't be such a baby about it and spend maybe three minutes using your brain.

I've already drawn some charm/sticker/etc designs but I'm afraid the list of fandoms I have is too niche, since I only drew things I actually like: Jojo's, Berserk, Hunter x Hunter, YuYu Hakusho, and Tokyo Mew Mew. I don't know if any of that would even sell. Should I balance it out with some love live/one punch man stuff? I kinda like them both but not enough to be *in* the fandom if you feel

>>8886375
Dude, are you kidding? Jojo stuff is incredibly popular and sells pretty spectacularly at cons. I don't know about the other ones but I know people lose their shit over Berserk and YYH too. You're good.

>>8886375
IDK, I feel like you might have hit a nice balance with those fandoms- they're well-known enough to have a decent amount of fans, and they're also NOT oversaturated in the AA.

>>8886375
one punch man stuff might be a nice addition since i've found its one of those animes even non-anime fans like
but your other fandoms sound fine, they tend to attract loyal fans (as opposed to casual ones who aren't big merch buyers) and as other anon said, there's not a ton of them in AAs, compared to like, steven universe and league of legends (and soon, undertale)

>>8885458
For buttons, 10 is an okay number, but shoot for more for your popular designs. I usually make 10 per design as a minimum. Though it's hard to predict which ones will sell because every con is different.

>>8886375
I buy Hunter x Hunter stuff at artist alleys whenever I see it, unless I'm really turned off by the art style. Being a fan since back in the day, I'm used to seeing very little HxH merch/art and jump on that shit when I see it. It still isn't all that popular despite the success of the new series.

>>8886375
>jojo
>niche
That being said sell the other stuff you have as well, but definitely put in Love Live and OPM shit too

>>8886388
>>8886375
Seconding this; since Part 3 aired, people have been going nuts for Jojo stuff especially since a surprisingly small amount of people seem to have it, IME. With part 4 coming out in April, it would probably be a good idea to get some part 4 characters ready.

>>8885049
>Yooka Laylee
Thanks, couldn't find it with just chameleon. Looks cute tho.

>>8885059
Tapir are pretty cute tho.

>>8885288
Reindeer spit, not a fan.

>>8886375
>>8886471
Agreed on the part 4 stuff. Since the anime is dropping in like two months get some stuff ready if you're doing summer cons. The other stuff you listed seems like a good balance.

>>8886479
Ori and the blind forest? Secretly hope you are with them because I've been working on a print.

>>8886071
Thank you so much anon! I remember your post, I just wanted to clear a few things.
BTW, wpuld you recommend making them darker/more saturated to get the colors right in print?

>>8886375
I don't see much Tokyo Mew Mew stuff, I'd absolutely buy it if I saw it in an AA. OPM and JoJo will sell really well.
>>8885458
Might be worth taking your button machine to the con. If you have a ton of designs 10 for each seems fine, but I've had two or three designs sell out in the first couple of hours while the rest didn't budge. You never know what's going to be most popular, and buttons are easy enough to make in your room.
40 per design sounds good for stickers, you going to sell them individually or in packs?

>>8886571
No, absolutely not. The colors were actually really accurate, expect the dark saturated colors. So watch out for that.
I've only had one order though so I can't really speak for how consistent their colors are. Maybe other anons have some imput here?

How well do things sell at Anime Expo? I normally bring 10~15 buttons for each design, and 10 prints per design. I was going to see if my button maker would fit my weight limit on my flights, but if not how many more designs per everything should I try to bring?

What currency does Vograce take their payments in? Is it only in USD?

>tfw exchange rate for your country is low as fuck

>>8886716
pretty sure they take USD only

>>8886716
They take whatever currency your country has that can be converted through paypal.

>>8886709
I sadly dont own a button machine. I'm hoping to buy one after this upcoming con. Yeah, I have lots if new designs so I don't know what's going to sell... Most of my stickers are individual. I only have a few packs and I was thinking maybe 30 for the packs.

>>8886714
I wonder how bad a hit AX AA will be since they will be separated into Kentia Hall. I already am exhausted just walking through vendors at ax, now they expect people to walk towards the basement area of the convention 2 flights down and around a couple hallways...hmmm hmm

Considering making long-distance trips next year for artist alleys. So, I'm curious, which cons have the best Artist Alleys (in the US) from your experience? I know Texas, that's it.

Do you guys have any tips on cropping of prints? I like to draw fairly close for characters -- I don't enjoy full bodies as much because I feel like they just float in space/I can't make an interesting new print idea with it -- but sometimes this leads to weird shit when I'm trying to flesh out details (hair movement, clothing, etc). Do you guys draw and then crop or crop and then draw within the crop? I tend to do the latter (set my canvas to whatever the print size will be) and go from there but if the other way is a little easier I'd be eager to try it out.

>>8887457
It's a long way but last year's Megacon was pretty great for us.

Anyone get vograce clears before? I've seen/gotten samples of them and they seemed pretty good, but that was a while ago and I feel like they might have changed/improved since then.

>>8887534
I just checked the attendance numbers, holy shit had no idea it was so big! They're almost hitting Dragoncon's numbers. I'm assuming the alley has a way bigger variety of artists given it's a con that covers way more than anime.

>>8886848
Super! Thanks anon

>>8886713
Thanks a lot, Anon!

BTW, there's no need to peel any backing off the charms with Vograce like you have to do with Zap and otgers, is there?

Did you order your charms from Vograce with packaging?

>>8887625
Yeah, there's a little bit of everything at that con. Lots of cosplay too! The AA varies from some really amateurish stuff to super pro so there's a variety of competition in all different styles. I think if you can hit your niche there you can walk away with a lot of $$$$

If I want to buy some stickers paper and take it to a printer, what's the best kind of sticker paper to buy? Preferably a brand I can get on Amazon?

>>8887735
I don't know how Zap's backing looks... Most (but not all) of the charms I ordered had a clear plastic film on both sides. It doesn't really show when it's still on.
I didn't order packaging, and didn't want to have to repack all the charms, so I just left the clear film on and hoped my customers would be smart enough to remove it themselves.

>>8888365
Er, that was a bit unclear sorry. I didn't order special packaging, but they come packaged in clear plastic standard, so I just left them in those.

What's a good printer or making my own small prints for a con? Like bookmarks and shit? I want great quality.

>>8888497
Love my Canon Pixma... I think a lot of people use them for art prints.

>>8888497
>>8888569
I have a Canon Pixma as well! It's the Pro-100 and the print quality's -really- nice, but the downside is it requires a specific ink that I can't usually find in office supply stores, and it can be a little costly. About to experiment with off-brand inks to see how the colors compare and if there's weird fading.

>>8888577
I have a iX5620. I switched to off-brands because damn that cost. No idea if it fades over a long period, but it prints just as nicely. When I'm out of this ink I'm probably getting a refillable ink system.

>>8888581
I ordered some from Speedyinks and I'm a little nervous. They seemed to get overall better reviews on Amazon and I was a little wary about the other offbrands, since some folks said they lacked the chip to read ink levels and ended up messing up their printer.

Thank you for the bit of hope! I can't tell you how nice it felt to get almost a whole range of colors for the price of one and a half cartridge, hah!

If you do make the switch down the line it'd be nice to hear how it goes for you.

Hey gulls, I have a question about Catprint. It's my first time using them and I've noticed that the prices seem to fluctuate quite a lot. My prints will go from an order of over $30 to suddenly being $10 or under. Is that normal? I've been picking the same options every time..

To people that use a PVC pipe display what size do you use? I've always used 3/4th but I've seen people use thinner and I wanted to look at more options that isn't a photo stand since I want to fly out to a con in the summer.

>>8887457
Why would anyone who have half a brain cell tell a stranger where a good con is?

>>8888824
I use 1/2" and it's always been decently sturdy. I wouldn't suggest anything thinner, though.

Those of you gulls at AM do okay? I heard the convention yet again sucked, and the sales where stale. Wondering.

Someone please tell me, is that Supernova manufacturer on the Alibaba google docs list only selling blank wallets for sublimation or also doing custom printing on them like artsbovine?

>>8888824
Who are you flying with? From personal experience Southwest has never had trouble with me bringing my photostand as an extra carry-on because it's more thin. Check with your airport.

>>8888926
I managed to break even with a little extra but it took a lot of work, my friends who never do commissions opened up commission slots.
It was pretty dead most of the time and even when people came by to look they were usually too cheap or just looking. Definately not a con worth flying out to.

>>8888926
I barely broke even

>>8888926
Did poorly. Would have opened commissions if I had thought to bring my art supplies. I'm in Texas but I wouldn't recommend this con to anyone unless they lived in Houston already.

>>8889220
>>8889230
>>8889238
Wasn't there a change in location for AA? Or do you think part of the low turnout was due to people boycotting?

For those of you who went to ikkicon, how did you guys do? I didn't do that graet so I'm not sure if I want to apply again for next year.

I have a question. Most cons make you pickup your badge on thursday and require you to be at your table for the majority of the con. What if it's impossible for you to take thursday and friday off from work? Has any of you faced this problem and will cons work with you when this happens?

>>8889320
AA was in the same location as last year. I think it's a mix of the con being a month earlier (it's usually on Easter weekend) and the boycotting. Also badges are expensive and the convention center is under an annoying amount of construction.

>>8888824
1/2", i used to use 3/4" but realized it was pointlessly heavy. 1/2 has been more than fine, wouldn't go lower as >>8888910 said

I posted these in /ic/ too, but I was wondering if I could get some critique for these? They're sticker designs I made for a friend of mine, but I was wondering if a style like this could be good enough to sell in an AA?

>>8889783
i think that your style is getting there, but you should remove the nose on the human character -- or replace it with a less detailed substitute. it makes it look a bit creepy

>>8889348
I had a friend that did aa at ikki. She told me "Well, I had at least enough money for lunch?" From that, I don't think ikki is that profitable unless you're local.

>>8889783
Meh, I'm not feeling it. The anatomy/perspective is off in some places, and the colors look muddied.

>>8889790
Thanks, I wasn't really sure what type of nose to go for there, next time I do a chibi though I'll make sure it's less detailed.

>>8889795
Can you explain how the colors are muddied? I'm still trying to get used to color. Is it because it's solid in some places and blended in others, or that the colors overall look muted? Thanks for the input!

>>8889783
This kind of sucks? Bill looks okay, but it'd be hard to fuck him up. Colors are muddied as previously mentioned. Scrap the human character. There's no fixing. You need to just re-draw it this time. It's going to be a lot more efficient to do that. Thing I have to point out:
>Awkward pose. Do...something about the legs. They look really weird as-is.
>Flip your fucking canvas every once in a while to catch obvious mistakes. Digital art gives you all of these little things to prevent melty face monstrosities, and you didn't even bother to use them.
>Look up a chibi tutorial. That hand is too detailed. The face isn't too detailed. It's just ugly. Fix that. I know you can do better.
>Hair is fine. Kind of an awkward dip in the head there. Try not to do that on the redo.
>Your lines suck. Clean them. Use different widths. A bold stroke + the same width on the inside doesn't fix anything. It still looks bad.

>>8889783
I did some quick edits on the character on the left! I think you made her head way too wide? Her legs were a little awkward too. You put a lot of detail into what is essentially a chibi so I just simplified everything and gave her a more chibi-esque body proportions?

If you plan on selling it as a sticker - simplify your drawings. Simple drawings read better when they're sized down that small. Keep your detailing for bigger pictures. I think your Gravity Falls ones is simple and cute and would work well! I would give him a blue border all around though if you're turning him into a sticker.

>>8889806
Not the person you're replying to. (>>8889853
here, sorry for double-post) But you can really tell in her face that your shading/blush are muddied. You might try turning the saturation up on the blush because it looks too black/grey toned.

Alternatively, play with color balance or throw a color overlay on top to see if that'll liven up the colors.

>>8887551
I've just placed an order for some, I'll post when they arrive.

>>8889791
Kind of relieved to hear I wasn't the only one who didn't do well... I'm TX and I still didn't earn much. I'm not sure if I would recommend it to other people.

>>8889783 here

>>8889853
>>8889854
Thanks! I agree now that I made her head too wide, and that I made her too detailed in some spots. Thanks for the clarification on how the colors are muddy; like I said, I'm still pretty new to color.

>>8889824
I agree the hair dip is awkward; I like the hand though, I'm keeping it but I'll erase the crease lines inside of it.

>>8889853
your fix looks really nice, i'd like to see more of your artwork. Do you have a blog or online store or something?

>>8890047
Ah, it was a quick drawover but I'm glad that you liked it.

My store's over here: http://asunnydisposish.storenvy.com/

Do any of you use a photography backdrop stand instead of PVC to hanging prints? Seems easy to pack up and reassemble, just curious if there are some unknown drawbacks to them.

>placing order through vograce for first time
>try and order manually through alibaba
>they message me asking them to do it through paypal instead because there is too much 'customs declaration' otherwise
>annoying, but okay
>they ask me to send my designs through message
>link my uploaded designs since alibaba doesn't support PSD files
>they message back asking me to upload it through their site since 'we can't use it if downloaded from there'
Getting real sick of your shit.

>>8890058
hard to balance. Be prepared to hold them down with sandbags or a lot of tape.

>>8890058
>drawbacks
Some cons don't allow them. They tend to not be suitable for small spaces since the legs might encroach another table's space.

>>8890058
If the con doesn't provide enough space between tables, you'll be encroaching on your neighbor's space. Or worse, people will be tripping over your display's base and knocking it over constantly. One girl at Sac had her display fall down like 5 times during the weekend because people would run into it while trying to go use the restroom.

>>8890060
>>8890061
>>8890065
Okay, thanks for your input!

>>8890065
>>8890058
Seconding the space concerns, I was seated next to the wall and barely had any space to exit. But this probably depend on how your con is laid out and how wide your tables are. Otherwise setup and packing up is pretty easy if you have a second set of hands helping.

So, I'm planning on making some Kyoryuger stuff and I got to thinking that some of the people who might want it, especially younger kids who are there with parents or solder siblings, might be more familiar with the US version, PR Dino Charge. Do you guys think it would be worth it to look into the US version just in case?

>>8890059
China has Web restrictions. Don't like it, don't use them. Faster service for me.

Hi artists! I'm hopping over from the ita bag thread to ask if anyone knows people who have Ace Attorney charms or buttons in stock. None of the people in the spreadsheet have any the last time I checked.
If you know someone, please let me know their shop url or how I can contact them.

anyone else getting serious omocat-ripoff vibes? lmao

>>8890536
Yes. I'm getting Omocat from the blue ones, the black, and the yellow, and Milkbbi from the love juice one.
They're probably trying to bank on Omocat's popularity by making shit so similar that if Omocat doesn't have something that weebs want, they'll go to the Toshikigirl booth.

>>8890536
I'm getting tired of the "too ___ to live, to kawaii to die" shirts. I get that it's a cutesy riff on a tough-sounding phrase but the variations are getting tired pretty quick, imo. Most of them are just text or are just uninteresting to look at.

>>8889853
> "quick edits"
> redraws almost the entire thing
You're so fast too! I have much to learn.
I remember your OPM charms and the dragon age brooches. I really dig the way you do lines. They're simple but they work so well.

>>8890059
Just send by e-mail or wetransfer.

>>8890564
Ahh, it was just a draw over on top of OP's existing lines. I just resized some stuff and filled in the spaces in between! It was only quick because I didn't have to worry about the final product or keeping things on neat layers.

Thank you so much anon!

>>8890536
I'm a bit sad about how the last two are spot on with Milkbbi's style. I've avoided omocat as I'm sick of the edgy kawaii stuff Tumblr spews but I'm pretty sure the black one is a copy as well. Milkbbi uses blue ink like that with the white and it looks like it could have been ripped from his gallery especially since he has a lot of space and mecha themes. Their Instagram isn't hiding the obvious inspiration they're taking.

>>8888786
you're doing something wrong. either you forgot to change the paper size or type one time or messed up the pages. one way or another, it's probably you.

How long is Vograce's production time? I'm only ordering a couple of charms as a test batch.

>>8890594
I really wish it was acceptable to call people out for shit like this without people jumping down your throat for it.

>>8890536
Can this girl do anything original? All of her business ventures are just shoddy ripoffs.

>>8890747
After placing the order, the charms took exactly one week to get to me. It took a couple of days for me to adjust the files but if you're more prepared than I was and drew in CMYK, that shouldn't take long

>>8890594
Even if we call them out, if they have friends on AANI or a cute-ish style people will forgive them/ still kiss ass.

>>8890952
I fucking knew the background of the print on the left looked familiar... The trace is so obvious it's disgusting.

AANI is basically a huge circlejerk of people asskissing other people so that they'll asskiss back. I used to see some useful info in that group but now it's just self-promos and people sharing the same videos 200 times to the same group.

>>8890952
This makes me more upset than it should.

>>8890952
Holy shit. That background isn't even traced. They literally just removed the watermarks.
Jfc yosb. I know you're in here. I actually liked your stuff. That's not okay.

>>8890994
Now I'm kind of wondering if their other stuff is traced or how much they've been traced.
And yeah, they do read these threads. They're in the artist spreadsheet as well.

>>8890911
Which shipping method did you choose? I chose SF but it's kind of expensive.

>>8890952
This is ridiculous.

Anyone know anything about Ninja-con in LA? The only review I can find for their AA said that they made a profit, but I kind of want to know more before throwing down $150 for a small one-day convention. It is in Little Tokyo so I guess it would draw in the weebs that go there normally.

>>8890952
someone please call them out. i'm not an artist so i know i don't know/understand the community as well as you guys do but someone needs to do it.

>>8891055
Seconding. I don't use FB, so I never use the group, but call them out before too many people reward them for ripping people off.

>>8891055
>>8891065
AANI isn't the appropriate place to call them out. It'd be taken down in a second.
Knowing that she's an anon, this is probably one of the best places. Tumblr would be another good one.

>>8890952
That's just completely disgusting...
Sunset Dragon is another design theift. She stole the whole design for her shitty Glaceon design and just added ears. This is why I really don't like meeting other 'artist' people find a way to make their stealing okay and use the "omg wow they are similar I had no idea!" Excuse.

>>8890058

Relevant to this but anybody mind sharing what their displays look like? What are some things you notice work and don't work when displaying prints/other product?

Whether it's con display photos or how the skeleton looks I'm trying to research as many as possible before I build my own. Most likely going with PVC bc it seems easiest for setup and travel but if you guys had any suggestions I'm all ears. Pic related is one that I really like.

>>8890952
Wow that's really unfortunate. I thought their stuff was nice but now I'm just really kind of turned off.

>>8890952
Anyone know how to get into contact with some Texas AA heads, or can do it? I know she lives somewhere in Texas. I had a friend buy this damn bag at Afest without knowing, I'm so upset.

>>8890952
On their storenvy the shapes and background are different, did they change it? I don't know where your image is from.

>>8890952
Just went on her storenvy, are you sure she did it? where did you find the first picture?

>>8891153
>>8891164

OP here, A member from AANI called her out on her first version thread she posted for the lady rini bag (If I recall, she already made a few orders on the first batch she had on her SE.) she pretty much said whoops didn't think anyone would notice and changed some slight details.
> Everyone 'forgave' after she got caught, but not long before did a witch hunt on another shitty tracer they banned on AANI.

Even if you call out people, people will forgive them if they have cute art.

>>8891168
that's pretty bad :(, I love her art too

>>8888926
I got a table the very last minute, also did pretty poorly. I'm local but I felt really bad for artists that flew all the way here a lot came from Canada too!

>>8888910
>>8889071
>>8889465
Thank you! and I'm flying southwest too but actually prefer PVC pipes haven't actually used my photostand yet, I'm gonna try 1/2 pipes thank's everyone!

Hey everyone! Just finished mailing out the last batch. All spiderburgers are officially on their way to their homes, and thanks to donations no one had to be left out! I did end up running out of material samples though, so I apologize to those who were interested in that.

>>8891141
can't you just email support from the con websites so they can forward to the AA heads?

>>8891268
Would that work? Not part of the AA scene so I have no clue, just asking.

>>8891126
My prints only display at ALA.
PVC is definitely one of the easier ones to transport. Wire cubes are just too heavy.

>>8891247
ILU

>>8891247
You're a godsend! Can't wait for mine :D

>>8891126
My table from last summer's Sacanime. The button displays have been changed to corkboards recently, and I've added a few more items since then. Pretty low-tech setup, it's all PVC pipes and fittings.

Does anyone know in Animazement allows stickers? There is nothing on the page, but I wanna know before I shell out the cash.

Anyone going to Anime Boston? I'm Canadian and it's my first time at a US con! Just wondering what I can expect in terms of AA? I've heard it's good so how much stock do you recommend bringing?

>>8891623
I took stickers there last year. People buy them like crazy.

>>8891665
I just buy stickers and never put them on anything, which seems like a waste. Where do people even put them? I see them on laptops a lot, but my laptop is way too nice for that.

>>8891665
>>8891784
stickers n buttons..only so much places you can put them.. but I suddenly turned into a button collector cuz I like to clutter my lanyard with buttons from so-and-so con.
Now adding buttons to my AA table finally lol, after being strictly prints.

>>8891784
I usually end up putting them all over the covers of my sketchbooks.

>>8891784

i put them on my laptop and on binders i plan on reusing

>>8891247
I can't wait!! Thanks so much!

>>8891784
I just end up pinning them to notice boards, blu-tacking them to windows and sometimes I string them up like paper dolls if they're from the same series. I don't really stick them to anything though...

>>8891279
i would think it should? if things are actually brought to their attention?
>mfw this person draws for some of my fandoms and appears to be pretty popular in others
>fuck, someone please call her out

>>8890952
am i the only one who doesn't see what the big deal is....? i hardly think stars scattered everywhere is a hugely original design

>>8892066
they aren't just stars scattered everywhere (which is her fix), look at the entire top half, it's star for star, location for location traced (or color editted basically)

Question-so some AA say that they only allow handmade stuff. Are acrylic charms ok? The art is done by you obviously but it was made by another company. Kind of confused.

>>8890994
yosb here

yeah, sorry guys, made a huge error in judgement and mocked this up for preorders. was going thru a lot of other stress at the time re:internal workplace deadlines and totally wasnt thinking straight; not an excuse, i know. i ended up editing the design for the final product/order (feel free to call me out on that being a ripoff; i definitely based my inspiration off of that design). only sold the updated style thats on my storenvy, not the one i initially mocked up. planning on resuing the rini assets for a different design in the future and retiring these pouches (i took them off purchasing online). feel free to drag me through the mud on this one, i did fuck up to begin with -- making sure i dont in the future, though (-:>

>>8892260

If you had time to draw the character, you had time to make the final pattern. I'm not sure if it's common to have a mock up that is noticeably different in design from the final product, but even disregarding the blatant art theft I'd be a bit miffed if what I got didn't match what I pre-ordered (in terms of design).

I guess my point/question is why not just make the design the way you want it for the final in the first place? It seems less a case of "I wanted to update the design" than "I got caught and had to change it." It's not an issue of simply making sure you don't fuck up in the future because it's very clear how NOT to fuck up - don't steal art.

>>8892253
>That is always open to interpretation. If it were strictly "handmade" the AA would only have sculpey-clay thingies, hand-drawn bookmarks, hand-laminted stickers, over-priced original single piece artwork, jewelry items, and an assortment of plushies, oh and don't forget the t-shirt people (if they can prove they manually-silk-screened each and every color).

The fact is there is a tool for everything whether you send it out to someone or do it yourself with a machine you own. The AA all know this, which is where that 100 or less qty comes from, it's directly saying if your are using some service you have to limit your "mass-produced" item to under a 100, and this is something not said but seems implied otherwise the AA would be like what above described. And this is all my opinion because I do a little of everything, I send some stuff out, I paint, print, assemble things at home, and mass-purchase supplies/findings to accomplish this.

>>8892321
i don't want to excuse my behavior, but i will answer your question: it was a case of a lot of bad deadlines working together and me not handling that stress well which extended to the AA side. i needed to place an order by a certain date, but i didnt need the final design until later. at the time, the type of disclosed industry work i was doing involved a design process of internal revisions and photo-bashing (mock-ups, the like) before approvals for a final wide-release product. it's that industry's way of saving time while making scheduled deliverables. i mistakenly took this internal workplace attitude into my personal artist alley merchandise, and it's a behavior i won't replicate again

How much do you charge for small notepads? Like 3.75 x 3.75. They're expensive to print so I would like to charge $8 or 10 but everybody sells these for like 5. I don't understand how they can only charge this much because the profit margin is terrible. Any suggestions on pricing?

Reminder that if you don't draw rose like this you're problematic

>>8892551
Not feeding the troll over zamy drama, but anyone else getting a barachan feel from this? Hella cute still.

>>8888926
We came from Florida, we did pretty damn good considering we had a hell of a time getting there. We will def return next year as well as our friends.

>>8892646
Wait, even with the sexual misconduct from the shit stain head owners your going back? gross.

>>8892657
To be fair, we didn't hear about that until after our table was bought. Besides, we don't take drama into consideration when planning for con business trips. If the con does well, we will go to it again.

>>8892671

>drama
>con owner sexually harassed guests and community members

Since when is sexual harassment (not to mention the money issues John has) simply "drama"?

Hey there, I finally received a sleeping mask order from I got from artsbovine, would anyone be interested in a review?

>>8892701
The fact is, noone cared. The event still happened and artists and attendees still paid to attend. I'm not going to follow out-of-state drama unless there's a criminal investigation.

What's the best kind of sticker paper to buy? I want to get some and bring it with me to a printing service but I'm not sure which kind to get. I'd prefer glossy and weather proof but to also not break the bank. Preferably something on Prime?

>>8892551
She looks like she's having an orgasm

>>8892712
Isn't that turning a blind eye on the girls that came forward? They aren't just lolitas, some are cosplayers that had no tie to the HLC community came forward. John picked people who have little access to getting a lawyer, so getting that criminal investigation started to make you feel better might be though.

>>8892703
Yes!

>>8892712
He's also under investigation for taxes and other debts he's yet to pay for. One being the 100k he owes an ex partner the courts are getting him to pay. That's why his wife is buying all the useless shit, because he's not suppose to.

>>8892778
I don't know who he is or what he did but if he's not been proven to have sexually assaulted someone I wouldn't waste my time looking into it and miss out on a perfectly good event. I'm sorry but there's so much bullshit drama with cons everywhere that if I decided to skip events just because the staff wasn't great I would have a table at 0 conventions. I'm not saying I condone that kind of behavior or that I have no sympathy for victims of such a thing but the harsh truth is that it's none of my concern and until there's an investigation / arrest I would still go to that con if I were in their shoes.

>>8892778
>>8892780

>She's not making the same choices with her money that I would have, weh

I've boycotted AM but jeez people

>>8892712
Except people did care? I know I personally chose not to go as well as a chunk of my artists friends who decided to not go after hearing what had happened.

I mean obviously, yes, there will be people who don't care or don't care enough not to go but according to >>8889382 attendance was visibly lower than previous years.

>>8892778
It honestly just comes down to what you're personally comfortable with. I didn't like the idea of financially supporting a con that had multiple sexual harassment victims come forward so I chose not to go.

That other seagull isn't a bad person for choosing their business over something they're not involved in. It's just all about personal ideals/comfort zones.

>>8892788
Can we not talk about AM, it feels gross.

>Anyone waiting for convention emails about booth approval?

>>8892792
I'm waiting for Kamicon to put their damn maps up. Would like to know where my AA table is.

Also, I bought an AA table for Megacon during the con last year, money was charged, confirmation email was sent out last year. No one has heard back from them since on placement. I know the con is pushed back to May this year, but they told us they'd be sending out an email update a looooong time ago (which never happened). The new management is really bad about putting out updates. Same with that Megacon Fan Days event they did back in November

Paige's latest. I actually think the faces are really really cute but those body proportions... They look like midgets, not children or even Chibi.

>>8892809
Oh my god, you're right, it does look like dwarfism.

Other than the messy white fields of color going out of the lines on their legs, how is this different from her final pieces? It hardly looks like a wip for her

>>8892809
they all look like the same dwarf in different wigs

>>8892791
Yeah, people cared and I know my friends I still care. We don't want to support a con that is obviously shady. It comes down to your preference and whether you want to turn a blind eye to it, but AM is gross. We'll never return until john and his people step down.

>>8892809
>>8892832
>sorta like this

>>8892551

>>8890594
Um, omocat and milkbbi's style isn't that unique t b h. I mean yeah they are really cute, but it's not something that's so unique that anybody who draws in that style becomes a ripoff...

>>8892931
This is beautiful

>>8892832
To be fair, the PowerPuff Girls DO all kind of have the same face, not that a good deal of the characters she draws don't have the same face anyway. She always draws those dot eyebrows...

>>8892978
nah its a blatant ripoff lmao even though the drawing style itself isn't unique, the brand is being copied

>>8892809
They have no necks.

>>8892480
Any advice on pricing please? I really want to try memo/notepads... Is the profit margin usually stiff for memo pads?

>>8892792
Yeah, I'm waiting on a small college con. Really wish they'd get on it.

Gulls, need some art critique- I've been coloring this piece, and something's just not gelling. Any advice on colors/shading/etc to bump this up a notch?
(Yes, I'm gonna add sprinkles to the donut, and some words to the coffee cup. And apologies for sorta crappy image- I'm away from the master file, and had to edit this from my Facebook upload)

>>8893832
Maybe some line variation so the character stands out from the cup and donut?

>>8893832
Also, add another white line border around the main figure.

At AM there was an artist selling those little bean sprout hair clips you can get on Ali for 20 cents a piece for $3 each. And everybody bought them up is this allowed? At first I though she had DIYed them herself but I can't find them anywhere on her online store.

>>8893875
I hate those kind of people so much, she could have at least diy it

New thread >>8893957

>>8893832
Yeah, you need to do something to make the character stand out more. Right now his wing is disappearing into the coffee and it looks like the steam is coming out of his ear. A white border like >>8893847 suggested could work.