Based on something I heard from Trisha (aka. Ratgirl Productions), and the entire intention of writing this series, this article is aimed entirely for the newcomers in artist alley, and the ones who are thinking about it. Last post was very happy, so I’m going to balance it out with this one, just so you don’t get the delusion that every small-press/artist alley is so freaking awesome. And yes, I have cried myself, or wanted to cry so many times I lost count.

Not all of this applies to every artist now, but I guarantee you that at one point in time sitting behind artist alley, you’ve felt this way before. 

And yes, this is a threat-post to you noobies.

Because I care. We all do (?). This “threat post” is to make sure you sissies don’t hurt yourself behind artist alley. 

The first thing I’d probably say about artist alley: ARTIST ALLEY IS A BATTLEFIELD.

From the moment it is announced by the group, the battle has already begun. You’ve got to get enough money and register, since it’s almost always a first-come first-serve basis. Nowadays, there have been ‘random raffle’ ones, but for some very odd reason, every year they have that, out of the 100+ people who register, it seems like some of the same few people are there every year. So the battle has begun.

Will you, or will you not join the battle of the table-grabbing?

Tables can go out like hotcakes in some places. There could be 30 tables that go out in a week, or even 50 that go out in seven minutes. Trust me, not kidding. If you have the opportunity and you’re 100% sure you want it, get it. Don’t wait last minute.

Now, suck up your gut soldier, because it doesn’t get better!

It’s about the gold. Well, not entirely, but the reason we bought a table is so we can earn money from selling stuff there. If your reason for going behind artist alley is ‘to get better at drawing’ you’re an idiot because you can seriously do that online for free and tons of people will ask you to draw stuff for them for free as you ‘improve’. You don’t need a table if you want to get better at drawing.  Get it? If your ‘excuse’ is to gain experience, I’m writing this article to prepare you for what you’re REALLY going to experience. Another ‘excuse’ is to gain exposure. If that’s the case, go to a comic convention or craft fair instead of an anime convention because the ‘bigger people’ looking for potentials are walking around there. An art director walking around at anime conventions are nearly non-existent (but there have been a few). You go to a convention TO SELL YOUR ARTWORK. And also, to have fun ^_^

Does your art suck? I…won’t answer that for you. But I totally bet someone you knew said ‘Whoa you made that? Have you ever thought of selling it at a convention?’ ….and it all began. So if it sucked or not, they were either being very polite and nice, or serious. But you’ve got to decide, because here’s the thing:

Don’t get your hopes up. You think buying 10 prints and selling it for 10 dollars each will get you one hundred dollars? Well, kid, have you ever considered that not all 10 prints would sell? Maybe only two would sell at a convention. I printed about 25 new prints  and over two hundred postcards for my last convention,. Guess how many I sold? I sold one postcard.

My first time making prints, I printed 10 of each design. That set of prints lasted me about five years until the point where I took a pair of scissors and cut it into shreds. It felt AWESOME. 

 You think they’ll all like your work? Well, somewhere out there, you might see someone give a sour look, or not even look in your direction. It could be unintentional, but the moment you see that face near your table, it’s like a blow to your heart. And imagine more than one person doing it. Imagine sitting there for eight hours seeing these things. Can you handle it? There have been SEVERAL cases where moms and young teenagers would look away from my table either from disgust of my artwork or because it’s too ‘dark’. I’ve seen them glance at my work, barely looking closely. I’ve even heard mothers drag their kids away from my table saying ‘don’t look!’. I am absolutely not kidding.

Just because your work is decent doesn’t mean you’ll pick up the most business. Some people get a LOT of business doing things that seem mediocre to us (artists). But as I’ve once said to a group of people “as artists we can see what real skill is, but to customers, even the dumbest things can be the coolest thing ever”. You can see really untalented people farm the gold and you’re not. There are ways of attracting attention that is really stupid and you can’t say a word or it’ll ruin your reputation. Or even….if they’re your friends sitting next to you.

 Brian Wolf:  Actually I’d be the one with my head down if he was selling next to me 0_0

Your reputation is on the line. Do one stupid piece of shit like complain to a customer, they tell a friend, who tells a friend, posts it online, and you’re screwed. Sometimes you need to lick their goddamn shoes just so you don’t seem like a meanie. Or sometimes you need the excuse “oh uh…I need to go to the restroom real quick!”

Sitting next to ANYONE will end up having you comparing business with them. You might be earning more than them and end up like a cocky f_ck. Or you might not be earning anything compared to the person sitting next to you. Or you’re comparing and worried if you’re earning enough. It’s a shame kid. For me, as long as I hit the green zone and earn at least three times the amount that I paid for the ticket to sell at the con, I’ll stay sane. Try and be humble.

You will have a lot of customers you won’t like. From people who are hitting on you, to the freaky perverts that want to request something that…well, I’ve had interesting drawing requests. There may be people who would walk to your booth and photograph your work and walk away, and there may be people who just tick you off. If your fans adore you, you get respect. And if they’ve never heard of you, you usually get treated in an entirely different way.

Sometimes you get those people who think they’re so cool because they think they know every single anime/manga character ever made. So what I do in my portfolio is draw a few random characters that aren’t well known. I sound evil here, but I love it when they are stumped, because they’re usually there to impress their friends and sometimes too embarrassed to ask me. You gotta have a little fun behind artist alley ;)

You might draw something you might not like. There are things people ask that you might not like, but still want the money. But there are still boundaries. If you do not have the guts to refuse a drawing you don’t want to draw, then this is definitely not the place you want to go to. Someone wants you to draw a picture of two characters you don’t really like kissing? Well it’s your decision, but either way you need the bravery to do it, or the willpower to do it.

I’ve been asked to draw yaoi on a few occasions, but some of those requests can get really….intense. Oddly enough, I’ve never been asked to draw hentai. Yuri, once. Maybe twice. I don’t remember. But if you are uncomfortable drawing it, just say no. 

You gonna cry like a little baby? If that’s the case, don’t go. It’s not that you suck, it’s that you might end up hurting yourself in a way that will scar you for life :( I would rather see an enthusiastic artist celebrate and appreciate their hard-trained talent to others in a happy way than have them beaten down where they’re in a mental state crying in the bathroom.

…..and if you think you can handle all of this without shedding a tear all the time, then be my guest. It’s not as happy-go-lucky as you might imagine. It’s more like the customers don’t understand any of this, and so if you’re beginning artist alley, you start to understand what it really feels like behind the table. In fact, I broke down and sobbed on a pillow once too in front of my friends. But when you’re a beginner, you should be prepared for everything I’ve just said. Crying on your first day is awful. If you can’t handle it, then you should hold on to your pocket money and invest it in something else.

So pray you’re not on the bottom of the food chain at a convention, and if you are, suck it up and make sure you learn from your mistakes. 

But you know, there are very fun moments. From the adrenaline rush, to making new friends and remembering old customers, and even learning and meeting new artists. Sometimes just the small moments where kid’s eyes widen when they see something on your work and compliment you even though they don’t know anything about it really warms your heart. You might be looking up to an artist sitting next to you, or it could be them that respect you. Maybe introducing a series you absolutely love to someone who’s never heard of it, and having them come back the next year to tell you how they loved it too. Maybe it’s the incredibly rare times someone recognizes your artwork and calls you by your screenname. There’s a lot of great things in artist alley too. I may have gone through a lot of the wrong plots of artist alley (thus, the name of this blog series), but you know, I’ve had incredible moments too. I just don’t talk a lot about them because the best way to know these experiences is going through them yourself :3