Customers come in many shapes and sizes….and some of them do rude things. Most of them not knowing it at all. So let’s examine….

This article is actually pointed to you customers, and not the artists. Please be aware, please be thoughtful. Unlike you, the customer, we, the artist spend practically the entire convention sitting there. So be mindful about how you treat us-we’re human (or furries), and we need some respect too!

Eating over the table: People buy coffee, eat cookies, fatty french fries, you name it. And then they bend over to look at your artwork while you’re munching. And they pick up a piece of your work. You may want to consider covering your work with mylar bags to prevent this.  If, in the incredibly rare circumstances, that they coffee or even water on your artwork, you should ask that they pay for the damaged piece.

They are telling their friends how they don’t like the artwork. At least don’t do it in front of the table. I’m sure people need to voice their opinion, but do it when you’re not near the artist. As artists, some of us suck. But you know what? We are sitting there trying our best to make business. We spent time and effort doing the art that you see on the table. At least give us that respect.

They’re taking photos of your work. Please ask the artist and include reference. See link here: http://jackieloart.com/blog/angry-artist-alley-let-me-photograph-your-artwork/

They ask you every possible secret to your techniques of drawing. This isn’t just for artists. There can be complete random people trying to pry out what the hell and how the hell you’re doing stuff. I made a huge mistake one time trying to push a guy into how he drew detailed rocks in his comics even though he said no (I’m so sorry!). If they don’t want to tell you how they do it, don’t push it. Sometimes we artists don’t like to give out our secrets. But I do enjoy asking people where the hell they print their paper. I don’t think that’s a huge issue at all.

They are pressuring you to give them a discount. I hate assholes who don’t understand the concept that drawing art does not cost the same amount as the paper you draw on. It costs the amount of time, effort, concentration, and skill of many, many, MANY years of practice blown onto a piece of paper, and at the same time, very likely spending more than an hour on something where we’re being paid ten bucks to do. Sometimes we artist just need to charge MORE for the effort we’re spending on a piece (gundams take forever!). If you think the price is insane, then don’t buy it. But don’t haggle something that is less than twenty five bucks. And DEFINITELY do not go for ‘if you draw this for free, I’ll post it online for exposure’–that is a stupid scam.  

Leaning on the table, touching everything roughly. It may have been my imagination, but I vaguely remember me or someone else rubbing against the table so much that the cloth just jumbled up and the table had to be re-organized. Very small nitpick, but these things are really annoying, especially when you set the table up and your body is on the other side of the table doing it. Touching and dropping something is very….just don’t do it. You can lean a little on the table, but one slip on that table cloth and the artist will get very aggravated  Make sure to keep your balance!

Hitting on you, and won’t stop hitting on you. Now this is freakin hilarious, and I’m not joking with this one. Basically, every once in a while a guy will walk up to my table, and we make a looooong conversation about nothing I care about, and they just won’t leave. Just talk, and talk, and talk…..I mean, it’s fun for a while but at some point it gets very aggravating and other things. It’s not the boredom or awkwardness of it, it’s the fact that having someone talk in front of your table for long periods of time actually drives customers away because they think you’re busy on the table or the other person is covering your artwork with their back.

Fun story: I had no idea guys were hitting on me at conventions until my more-social friends pointed it out. Judging from what and when they tell me this happens, I can’t believe I never picked it up at all for years! But yes, I would get into stupid conversations with guys for loong periods of time thinking they wanted to buy a commission or something (so I’m friendly), and then at some point they walk away not getting a commission and with their head down. Here’s the thing guys–if you want to hit on a girl at artist alley and you tell them you love their art, try getting a drawing from them first before going any further.

Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY?! I really hate answering this question over and over. Basically, when you ask someone ‘Why’, they will give you an answer. Don’t keep prying with this question. It’s just a personal peeve, because I once had a friend who wouldn’t stop asking ‘why’ so much that when I went home I just sat in front of my computer crying wondering WHY I couldn’t answer him…and it made me feel stupid. If you keep asking someone this question, at one point they’ll answer ‘I don’t know!’ or something, and at that point, you’ve aggravated the artist too far. If you don’t understand this, here’s a light sample:

Artist: So here I have these drawings, feel free to look at them.

Customer: What kind of media did you use for this?

Artist: Well um…they’re mostly digital.

Customer: Why?

Artist: What do you mean?

Customer: Why are you using digital instead of traditional?

Artist: It’s just preference, I like it, that’s all.

Customer: Why do you like it?

Artist: Because it’s easy to use.

Customer: Why is it easy to use?

Artist: It works well with my hands and I can erase easily.

Customer: Why?

Artist: Because you can press the undo button.

Customer: Why?

Artist: ………..

[never end.]

Extra: Kids with grubby hands. I was at Big WOW con today, and although not sure if my table partner was aware, but there were some very…tactile children. They would stick their little agile fingers up their mouth/nose/?? and then start touching the stickers on his button and stickers. LOL. Their mommies and daddies would stop them, when they catch the kid, but I would never attempt to stop them physically. I might get in trouble for that.

Be courteous and think about the artists too!

Featured Artist:

“Lolita POP!” – When I saw this table and their cute outfits, I could not walk away. I had to try on a hat :3  I can’t believe they pointed out who I was from the Facebook page for Artist Alley, my heart warmed up a little. So this is for you, my featured artists!

Don’t forget to check these out!
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And if you have more to add on this list, feel free to post!

First thing that blew my mind was how the textbooks and the real thing do not look alike at all. Well, I kind of know the body parts are all color coded in textbooks, but this dead body, soaked in formaldehyde (I think?), …..well, it smelled a bit. My nose stung a little so I breathed with my mouth and it was a lot better. But back to topic, I had NO IDEA what a real intestine looked like. Wow my textbooks are so different. So just to clarify, your intestine is not some giant tube shoved into your tummy. It actually looks more like a sea anenome, where the tubes are all connected with flaps of cartilage together, so they fit in place. super duper crazy.

They let me uncover her face, and I was surprised how untouched it looked. But it was different. Something about it…it looks like she’s sleeping, but it looks like she’s dead. It was a strange feeling to see someone who would sleep for the rest of eternity. Then I saw the male cadaver, and he had very prominent muscles. The people cutting up the body picked out some veins/tendons, it was nuts. I had no idea that some veins are actually attached to arteries! Anyhow, the male cadaver had a broken arm, and it was an interesting draw:

(top left: piece of rib and cartiledge that was cut open, top right: giant artery that split between the shoulder, bottom: there was a bone sticking out of the tendons in one arm)

And here’s one more of the intestine. The fact that you can barely recognize what it looks like is because in textbooks they usually show the anterior view of the body on the diagrams:

But man….when I saw the teacher just pull out the thing I was so amazed…

And finally, the most intriguing session was when Professor Em took out a preserved esophagus to show me. Many, many things have cleared up in my head about how the throat works. Now that I’ve seen a real throat, it’s so much easier to understand how the epiglottis works (how food and air is separated in the throat). I also learned that taste buds really DO work deep in your throat, which is actually part of the ‘aftertaste’ of some foods. It’s not really that you just tasted it, it’s often that the receptors in your tongue that sense bitter flavors are towards the back, so when you have that nasty aftertaste, it’s actually your back receptors in your throat working!

Anyways, I came home smelling like….I know I smelled like something. Since it was the last day of the class, I will have to wait many months to get the opportunity to do this again. When I do, I think I’ll pay for the six week class session. Even though I probably won’t cut anything, sitting there, poking and pulling the parts to understand the structure of a real thing…really intense experience. I just have to keep saying this, but this is nothing like the textbook. I don’t even think finding photos online will help you. When you cut up, touch, feel, and understand the real body parts, it’s far more intense and different, and truly a very unique learning experience.

(Above) Rachel Dropp from Raw Elements Jewlery. A couch just happened to be right behind her at the San Francisco Cherry Blossom Festival event :3

You might have heard stories about how your butt will get big if you sit too long, how some guy cut off most of the blood circulation from his legs playing Diablo 3 and died, and well, numerous other ones. I mean, your ass is on the chair, you’re pretty much doing no business (unless you’re drawing a commission), you might as well stand up, stretch, and sit back down.

Here’s the breakdown: When you’re bored, you’re tired. Then you wanna sleep. At that point, you’re not at full capacity to do commissions or make conversation at all. So here are ways to keep you slightly more energetic.

Time Killer #1: Stretches

note: I am a fatty ass at home and I don’t exercise. If you don’t believe any of these exercises work, let’s say if you DID do it, you just killed twenty seconds of boredom, which is good enough to refresh.

The thing is, your arms and legs are part of your circulatory system, which means you need a good amount travelling through everywhere. Sitting down can cut off a little circulation. When your circulation is poor, you begin to feel tired. You might even feel things like numbness in your legs, or ‘pins and needles’ on other limbs. You’d feel stiff, your back might hurt, all that stuff. So when you’re done drawing a commission or it’s been about an hour, make sure to do some stretches. Here’s a diagram that will help you out:

(note: if you knew me in real life, I barely exercise and sit on my butt all day drawing. Somehow even I’m able to do this, which means you can too for twenty seconds of boredom)

And don’t forget to check this youtube video out too: http://youtu.be/hUyMNyrOHJQ

Time Killer #2: Conversation

A great way to make friends is to engage with a topic you two are interested in. So uh, you’re sitting next to a person who draws (and hopefully isn’t mooching all the business), and you can tell them issues about your table. Where did I learn about some of these tips and tricks? By the people who sat next to me! To start off a conversation, offer a snack or a mint, and just talk and talk. I mean, this is if they’re not busy drawing and stuff.

Time Killer #3: Take a walk

You’re wondering something like “wait if I’m out the table, then no one will buy anything!” You might and might not be right. In the instance this event is a full 9 hour event, I’ll tell you there are times of the day which I call ‘dead time’. Basically people are done buying what they want, or are just walking around browsing/killing time. Or it could be lunch time, or it could almost be the end of the day. Who knows.

In the occasion there’s a panel going on, just go! It might be the last time you’ll ever see the panel.

Time Killer #4: Food

Fruits and nuts keep without having to refrigerate them, and nuts are a really good for energy. A handful of almonds is enough for me to last an hour, and tangerines smell oh-so-yummy when you peel them open. Beef Jerky is also a great source of protein. Especially on conventions with multiple days, you do NOT want to be deprived of your daily diet essentials. If possible, eat a vitamin pill each day just to be safe.

Time Killer #5: Entertain yourself, Entertain others?

I’m pretty much deprived of handheld games and smartphones, but it’s everywhere. Check your email on your phone, play Legend of Zelda on your nintendo 3ds, just name it. You can crochet and stuff behind the table too. I would name ‘playing music’ as a great one, but for some reason people never read the ‘do not do’ part of just about every convention. One of the things is not to bring something that can play loud noises outside the table. Obviously I’ve seen violinists do it and never get in trouble, so I might be wrong. My friend Tim Fierra is a magician, every once in a while he does a short show. That usually picks up EVERYONE’s spirit!

Time Killer #5: Bathroom Break

Some people just completely forget to let it out. I know I forget all the time, but doesn’t mean you shouldn’t either. Basically, you walk to the bathroom, do your business, and walk out. A refreshed bladder will help you uh….well it feels better than a full one. It’s better not to wait till you’re about to explode, just in case there might be a line in the bathroom. Especially at cons, when people are dressing inside the stalls for cosplay.

PLEASE AVOID INTENSE ENERGY DRINKS. 

I would say go for it if you were trying to stay awake for work or class, but when you’re sitting for eight hours drawing and it’s not like some crazy energy task, you’d probably feel more like crap than you did before in a few hours. And that isn’t good when you need to be on game-mode for eight hours straight. Something light might be okay, but a heavy energy drink that would make you even more tired later is not good. Especially when you drink it early in the morning to stay awake and then feel tired in the afternoon when it gets busier. But you know…some people can do it. 

CarlyFornia here (left). I see her at practically every con I’ve gone to in the Bay Area, and I always say hi. She ALWAYS has her game face on. Never tired, always prepared. When she doesn’t have anything to do, I can see her sewing behind the table. A real soldier!

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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

Cogscon was incredibly small in Sunnyvale, California, taking place in the Cogswell College. I don’t care if this was honestly one of the conventions I’ve ever been to with the worst business (PLUS this is the second time I hit the red zone), but I will give my regards and respect to this convention because I know the reason was NOT in the customers and it was more like there wasn’t ENOUGH of them. If you go to a convention like this and stay smiling and happy all the way till you get home, then you know the entire adventure was worth it. In fact, I was much happier at the end of the day. So here’s a list of things that seriously made this day worth it:

note: I am not exaggerating a single piece of information here. 

1) When I walked to the building,  they immediately greeted my friend and I. In fact, the moment I said my name they knew I was an artist and walked me to the direction of the room. There was blue tape on the floor, and all we had to do is follow it.

2) The moment I got to the room, another person greeted us and walked both of us to the tables! We saw two bags on the thing, PLUS a small nametag with our names just to make sure.

3) In the bag, we saw a bunch of cute goodies. What really opened my eyes was that THERE WAS A BOTTLE OF WATER. Okay, the moment I saw it, I just knew the staff already deserve a lot of love and respect to be so thoughtful. Why a bottle of water? Because when you get dehydrated from talking, you drink water. So this was the WIN of the day, pluuuuus……

4) Another guy in a very beautiful Link cosplay with a sword on his back said if we needed anyone to guard the table if we needed to get food or use the bathroom, he would help us out. WOW, now that’s some seriously thoughtful staff here.

5) During table setup, I was approached twice. One one stop, they asked me if everything was good, and I said yes. And another stop, one person asked if I needed help with setup. Did they do it with my table only? Nope. They approached every table and asked, even if their table was set up, just to make sure.

6) I made a slight complaint to my friend Laurel about being hungry, and guess what? They directed me to the ‘staff room’ where I could get some chips if I wanted (for free). When I walked in, there was indeed two boxes of small chips, AND waterbottles. There was staff there, and I asked if I could get two bags because I was really starving. They didn’t mind.

7) During lunch, they provided free pizza. You do not talk down on a convention that provides free food. This is the second time ever that’s happened to me. But wait, there was even a vegetarian one just in case there too! Of course I got the one with some sausage on it too, coz I love that stuff on my pizza. And another bag of chips.

8) Nice bathrooms. Although in the end of the day two stalls really DID run out of toilet paper (HA! I TOLD YOU!) Actually the other stalls had toilet paper too, so that’s cool. That’s the wonderful thing about college conventions–there’s more than one bathroom place you can go to.

9) Staff walked at my table again to make sure I was okay (remember, this is about 2pm, which means they’ve been doing a routine check just in case).

10) PHOTOGRAPHERS: Of course, I made an article a while ago about photographing without permission. Indeed there were a few, but you see, these people were incredibly thoughtful after a ten second talk with them. One guy was photographing for the school press/website, and after I gave him my short lecture, every single time he walked by my table for a photo, he would ask one more time. This was very thoughtful of him. Another girl accidentally took a photo of one of my friend’s work. She gave her short ten second speech, and even before she could finish, the photographer understood, nodded her head and deleted the photo right in front of her and apologized. Very respectable young lady.

11) After the masquerade that took place (It is a small convention so it was in the same room), the music was slightly louder. I told the staff, and in less than five seconds the music was down and they asked if it was okay. Indeed, I was finally able to hear the staff from my table, and I thanked them.

12) Customers were really nice and polite. No idiots, and even the kids were really thoughtful. I had a comic called Detergent with an ‘Adults Only’ sign on it, no one picked it up and read it without my permission. YUP. I didn’t have a sign that said ‘DO NOT TOUCH BUTTONS’ and people asked before they touched. Amazing.

13) The staff literally had bright orange shirts (not just badges on their thing). You can immediately see who is staff without reading their badges on the other side of their body or looking for a hidden black earpiece on their head. If you had a question, they had an answer, and if they didn’t have an answer, they would IMMEDIATELY find the guy in charge to answer that question. I think the head guy approached me three or four times for my concerns too! All the shirts were purposely noted with a word that describes them. I love the volunteer staff that had shirts that said ‘Minion’ on them, it was so cute. I personally think of them more as knights and bishops in a chess game :3

14) Artist Alley was in the same room as Dealer’s Hall, and some promotion for games.

15) Although I didn’t need it, THERE WAS LOTS OF PARKING. And it was free too.

So business wise, I did very poorly, but I know it was NOT because of the convention, the staff, the customers, or even me (or was it?). Like I said, I walked out of this convention happier than I did walking in it, and it was NOT because of business. I will definitely come again to this convention. Because it was truly a happy experience for me. And that’s what a great convention should be. They asked for an art donation and I gave them some old prints. But if they asked me again, this time I would be prepared and would literally work on a marker piece of a dragon tamer and their dragon if they wanted one, just for donation to this convention.

Recommendation for Cogscon? It’s small; in fact it’s the second time ever. But you know what? This is a place that has potential and deserves to be FAR LARGER than what it is now. Given another chance, I will definitely go and drag as many people there as I can. Because it’s places like these where I want to sell for the enjoyment of the atmosphere, and not always concerning about my business while at the same time sitting behind the table.

Featuring me (left) and Ratgirl Productions (right, and omg SHE MADE THAT THING HERSELF!)

This is NOT an angry artist alley :P

I’m going to a very small convention called Cogs Con in Sunnyvale this Saturday. You probably won’t go, but I wonder if people know how much time and work we stick on a single piece.

I noticed my incredible lack of imagination and skills of drawing anything that fits into the anime category. As my business was terrible the last few times I did this, my hopes aren’t really up at all. But just doing it will bring me back into the swing of it all for Big WOW when it gets CRAZY.

Anyhow, my little chibi thingies have changed a LOT. But I kinda like this even more simplified style. My favorite drawings I do are stick figure representations, but I don’t think anyone would be interested in that. So, being low on bristol paper three days before the convention, I took out my ‘manga trading cards’. I got them for free and because of all the words and lines on it I never touched it. But I found my way around that issue, so here’s a little hint:

And if you didn’t know, a few months ago I threw a fit, took out a pair of scissors and cut up my old prints. So I started over, but all I could do were two images. The other pics are postcard prints. I wonder if people actually know how much time is spent on these things when they ask you to do a commission. Anyhow, here’s the marker process:

Finished pieces:

Matoko In Markers

 The Little Red Riding Hood

So stop by to check my table out! I have a new colored tablecloth, an actual stand, and I wonder what else!

***Bay Area Artists Unite is a art group located in the Bay Area. All books are limited print and contributed by various artists in the Bay Area every year. To take part in the yearly anthology, please go to www.baau.org and visit the ‘About’ link. Currently, they’re in need for some contributing artists, so if you’d like to contribute, they’re very open to it. You can purchase the following limited-print books here too:

NOTE: This article is about refusing photos without permission. If you let them take a photo of your work, then go ahead.  Also, YES I did get permission from everyone here and even gave them a slip of paper with my contact and blog in case they’re pissed about it. 

Artist: Aurelia Toscano. “Nope. Don’t think so.”

“Hell no, you cannot take a picture of my work and shove it on instagram with your stupid ass meme or whatever” No. NO.

If you’re one of these people, please dunk your head in some ice water and think about what you just did:

I don’t care if you’re a fellow artist, public media, or whatever shit. Please ask the artist behind the table before zooming in and taking a pic of the artwork. If my reputation behind artist alley table didn’t matter, I’d seriously get up and take that person’s cellphone and throw it against the wall. Of course, that won’t happen, because well….my reputation would go down the drain. So as fellow artists, LET’S STAND UP FOR OURSELVES!

Artist: Scuttlebutt Ink. “Not on my watch!”

Photographing someone’s artwork in artist alley is very impolite. The artist  has spent so much time creating artwork to sell for cash to make up for the table and expenses, and the person with the camera takes the photo for free without even asking. I started hearing stories about people photographing artwork, and with such high resolution cameras and phones, they used those photos to re-print and sell. Copyright infringement, artist exploitation, sometimes internet harassment/cyber bullying is built from these things. When you take a photo and keep it for your own viewing or post it online, you’re exploiting the artist’s hard work and effort making it. So please support an artist by buying something that is worth the picture itself.

There’s no 100% definite way to fix this. Actually at conventions, they often have a note in their booklets or websites that already say ‘please do not take photos of artists and their property without permission from the artist themselves’ SO UH, WHO ACTUALLY READ AND KNEW THAT? Almost no one, since that’s usually an obscure sentence hidden in the ‘artist alley’ section of the booklets or website, where only artists really actually read. SO, here’s some ways to help you, us, and everyone in artist alley. It only works if we all work together on this, okay?

Things to understand about these people with cameras

• They are usually using phone cameras, which usually also leads to things like instagram, which means an instant photo of your work posted on facebook while the convention is going on.
• You need to understand that when they do that, they usually will never buy anything from your table. I mean, they have a photo they can look at and post and show off online, why do they need another picture?
• Their excuse would likely be ignorance. “I didn’t know!” Well, informing people is just the first step. Artist alley is not just a show of your artwork, it’s getting enough cash to pay back for your table and more in the first place and get exposure for your work.
• No payment required. Just *click* and you got a picture of it.
• Memes

So, how should we artists stand up for ourselves?

• When they whip out the camera and point it at your work, quickly cover it with your hands and politely say ‘please, no pictures unless you’re buying, okay?’
• Have an obvious sign that says ‘NO CAMERAS without permission of artist’
• Straight out tell them ‘Excuse me, but why are you pointing your camera at my artwork?’ and then explain your situation to them.
• If they ever EVER want to, make sure they take a photo of you and your sign/name. When you have a sign or name on your table, people can at least find your screenname or site from it. For example, my sign would be ‘Pineapple Pocky Productions’. Someone finds that phrase online, whips it to my website. This can be both good or bad, so be cautious on this too.

Artist: 777Sprites. He knows what’s up. Don’t worry, I ASKED before I took this photo :P

How do the customers feel?

• Usually, they get really giddy about the picture. I’m pretty sure you’ve seen this reaction a few times somewhere. “Oh my god check this out!”
• Taking a photo of the picture WITH themselves in it makes it into proof that they didn’t just clip it online.
• They like the picture
• When you refuse, they’re angry and think you’re an ass for not letting them ‘show’ your artwork
• Your reputation will go down because of that.
• They walk away not buying anything
• They don’t understand your situation.

If they don’t understand how you feel or your situation,

would you think they’d be an actual customer in the first place?

I was once ignorant and used to take pics of tables (and cosplayers, I’m so sorry). So yes, I’m guilty, and when people started doing it to my own artwork, I began to understand too. Not that I’ve ever posted a photo of these things online, but I would do it anyhow. The only time I remembered doing it was to post something about art theft. I’d like to apologize to anyone here in my earlier years with a camera that I had no idea how you felt. Hopefully other people who were once ignorant about this situation is not anymore now.

***Bay Area Artists Unite is a art group located in the Bay Area. All books are limited print and contributed by various artists in the Bay Area every year. To take part in the yearly anthology, please go to www.baau.org and visit the ‘About’ link. Currently, they’re in need for some contributing artists, so if you’d like to contribute, they’re very open to it. You can purchase the following limited-print books here too:

(artist link: http://yamihp7.deviantart.com/)

So they put  the tables out side and you’re a drawing artist eh?

First thing’s first: PUT ON SOME SUNSCREEN.

Dear, you’re gonna feel more like shit than you will normally do indoors. Unless the weather is not too hot, not windy, not raining, and slightly cloudy, it’s likely you won’t get much business or feel like doing much either. Well for me, I’ve never had good experiences going outside doing it.

Issues with the weather and how to prepare:

Sunny/hot: Sunburn, and blinding light. All I can say is slap on some sunscreen and wear some sunglasses. The downside is that sunglasses are tinted so your drawings might not have the colors you wanted in the first place. It might get hot and sweaty as well, so make sure to freeze some water bottles overnight for the day.

Cloudy: Of all possible weathers, this is the greatest. No blinding sun, no wind, no crap falling from the sky.

Windy: All hell will rise. Please make sure to secure your work very very tightly with extra binder clips and tape. I’ll explain later.

Rainy: Well, depending on the kind of work you’re selling, you’re in a lot of deep shit too. Hope it’s not windy at the same time. If the place didn’t have a tent cover for your booth, you’re in some really serious trouble.

Craft fairs are taken outside for many reasons, like cost, convenience, etc. But their work is ROOTED DOWN on their tables a lot heavier than flimsy paper. When you hang your paper onto a pole, the paper creates a sort of  ’wind tunnel’ around the thing, making it so easy to flip off the thing. Here’s a drawing that might explain it a bit better:

Things that can aid you:

CLAMPS:

These things are used from holding down stands from the table, connecting pvc pipes to the sides of the tables, keeping table cloths from flying everywhere, and hanging signs off the table. They are affordable and come in insane industrial strength. Industrial as in you can toss it against the wall or hang over fifty pounds without it having a scratch. It’s a great investment that can last for decades.

A beautiful young lady reminded me the wonders of clamps. Genius!

And here her stand is set up. A four tier wire shelf frame stacked vertically, held only by two clamps for each stand. As you can see, it’s pretty strong. If it was a windy day, it’d probably keep, but always be safe and add another extra one or two if you’re going outside ;)

Image Courtesy of ScuttleButtInk: [link] and [link].

Tape: Something like masking tape might not do. You may need to go one grade up to ‘artist’s tape’, find stronger scotch tape, and go heavy duty with duct tape or packaging tape. If you use the super strong stuff, make sure not to use too much, and make sure your images are lined inside something like mylar bags, so the inside won’t be damaged if you ripped the tape apart.

WEIGHTS: A can of soda might work. Actually depending on what you’re weighing down, you might need a six pack. Or binder clips, or something like duct tape.

FOAM: This is more for the artists who sell crafts. You’ll usually see them sticking things like rings and necklaces in them. Not really for drawings. But excellent for jewelry and buttons.

PINS: For me, I actually pin all my pinback buttons on a piece of cloth when I sell it, so if you have something that can be hanged, something simple like pins are ok. Safety pins are so great too (especially if a cosplayer needs emergency help too)

Anyhow, here is a diagram of problems with windy weather:

(click image for larger size)

Random story

Once it was quite the windy day. Really hated it. Me, my tablemates, customers….I’d say everyone sitting there were in hell. It was seriously WINDY. So as the tape was very weak on all our work, the wind would literally blow our crap away. I think it was me or someone near my table, but we were literally chasing after some artwork that ripped off a stand and flew away! When I hear about tables being outside, I don’t bother buying a table at all. Not because of customers (hell, tons of people walk by because it’s outside in public), but it’s because of that tiny chance of intense weather. Here in the Bay Area, it’s starting to get unpredictable too. 

…and there you go. Hope this helps :D

Deals on clamps:

Depending on your popularity and how much you’ve sold before, it’s all up to you. But before you stuff your wallet, think of these few tips:

• How cheap/expensive is your work?
• How much is the cheapest thing that you’re selling?
• If it’s not one, five, or ten dollars, what are you charging?
• Any $0.50?
• How poor are you?
• How much money did you spend getting your table in the first place?

Key things to think about:

• NEVER bring $20 in your cashier stash. In the first couple hours of any convention, consumers would have brought $20 from the atm machine or packed it in their wallet. Your cashier’s wallet is to GIVE CHANGE to people, not to buy stuff from people. Two hours in the convention someone is sure to buy a little button for $1 and give you a twenty.
• Do not accept bills over $20. I get nervous when someone hands me $50….I don’t have a magic marker that can check or anything, but I don’t want to take my chances.
• Bring some quarters just in case. Maybe your tablemate might need to break a dollar, or you need bus fare, it’s just for safety.
• Look for a cafe. If there was an insane emergency where you and the rest of the people in the row of tables don’t have enough dollar bills or something, you NEED to break them right away! A local cafe or restaurant that is generous enough will help you break them. But you need to know where the closest one is.
• A $20 bill can break into two $10 or four $5 or twenty $1, a $10 can break into two $5 or ten $1, a $5 can break into five $1, BUT YOU CANNOT BREAK A DOLLAR INTO TWO DOLLARS.
• In large conventions, usually in the first few hours everyone is carrying twenty dollar bills. Towards the middle of the convention, you’ll notice people using more $10 and $5, and towards the end of the convention, you usually don’t have to give out as much change. And on rare occasions you’ll see people give you exact pocket change to buy things.
• People actually carry credit cards everywhere (I mean, here in the Bay Area). So if you have a smartphone, get a card reader. Currently, Paypal and Square has a deal to get you one for free

Story: Many years ago as an amateur  I used to bring tons of fives, tens, and twenties. But not enough ones. And all I sold were dollar buttons, buttons, buttons. People would give me twenty dollar bills in the morning just to buy one or two buttons, and my $10 and $5 went out so fast. But I had this stash of $20 bills. So I kept asking my tablemates to break them, over and over. Then I kept running out of dollar bills. At one point I had to ASK the consumers to break MY big bills, and everyone was running low on their dollar bills because of me. Pretty much learned my lesson there. 

Calculations:

• Common dollars come in $1, $5, $10, $20
• If you sell something that is an integer, you don’t need to worry about spare change (although for safety measures, bringing four quarters would be wise)
• Having a product that does not end in five or ten dollars, you need to figure this out:
  • $1 priced objects=$4 in change with a five. This means you need to prepare far more dollar bills than anything else.
  • $2 priced objects=$3 in change with a five.  Same as above, you need to consider extra dollar bills
  • $8 priced objects from a $20 does not mean two fives and two dollars. That means one ten and two dollars. Giving less change=better for you and them.
• Your most important bills are $1 and $5. The moment you’re out of either one, you need to break your big bills, because these can go out like hotcakes depending on what you sell.
• Avoid using your $5 if possible when giving out change. The reason is not just because $10 change is convenient than two $5, it’s because if you needed to get some $1, the person next to you may not have ten $1 bills.
• SquareUp card readers can read credit cards, but for 2.75% transaction. Paypal card readers will use a 2.7% transaction through account.

 My personal wallet:

Just to give you an idea about my ‘cashier’s wallet’ before the convention starts, this is usually how much is in it.

Three $10 (nothing I sell is above $10, and it’s only when someone hands me a $20 that i need these)

Five $5 ( like I said, nothing I have is above $20, so after someone hands me a five, I get it or need to break a ten)

Fifteen $1 ( I sell lots of little stickers and buttons. So I either get ones, or have to break fives)

A fat ass handful of quarters (my stickers were $1.50)

After selling and earning cash for the day, I would recommend you read this blog article about how your earnings should be considered: http://jackieloart.com/blog/angry-artist-alley-qa-the-red-zone/

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oh…AND THIS INVOLVES PICKING UP COMMISSIONS TOO. >:0

What happens when they forget to pick up their drawing?

• you feel unloved
• wait...did they pay you upfront, or not?
• this drawing is going to sit on your lap. You can use it as a portfolio piece though
• If you use it as a portfolio piece you will feel the guilt of making it for someone who never picked it up
• If no one gave a crap about the picture, and no one wants to buy it off, it’ll just sit there…and sit there…and…

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What do you do to prevent this? Put a tracer on them. I’m half kidding there.

• Make sure that they pay for the entire picture before you start on it. Or at least a portion of it. You don’t want to draw a picture and not get paid even though you get the privilege of keeping it.
• Get their phone number/email: When you’re done, call them up. However, at HUGE cons, even telling them your table number is tedious.
• Make sure your table, compared to the other tables, LOOKS DIFFERENT. If all the tables had black tablecloths, it gets tricky to find people. And this is a reason why conventions don’t give out tablecloths anymore and others bring their own. You can use black to be suave, but if you had a bright red table, of course they’ll remember to look for that table. Imagine a ton of black tables surrounding you and you’ve got the red one popping out ;)
• Important note: when choosing a table cloth, make sure it is large enough to cover over the table AND reach towards the floor at least down to your ankles. Table cloths aren’t just for decoration. They are also used to cover/hide your supplies, food, etc. to make sure it’s not visible to people who might want to crawl over and steal it. So when choosing a tablecloth, it can’t just be 4x6ft, it needs to be WAY bigger than that!
• You look unique. I figured this waaay back years ago. I looked like every other asian girl behind the table, and at cons there would always be someone who forgot. And I would feel sad. I realized that it was hard to figure out the difference from my table and the other tables, so I put a bright ribbon hairband on my head. Hey, whaddaya know, it worked. If any of you know me in real life and just met me, I’ll often say “If you’re looking for me, I have a big red flower hairclip on my head”–so what do people do? Find the kid with a flower on their head. Not too tricky to forget. Still, you get the occasional people who forgot they even asked you to draw something for them in the first place. Things like dressing in cosplay, lolita, bunny ears, cat ears, awesome tshirt–all of those things really help. From the comic conventions I’ve been to, the variety of people sitting behind the tables are greater–you’ve got big people, little people, adult people, people that look like Santa Claus, people of all races and genders, tall people–it’s a bit trickier there.

-and lastly, WRITE A RECEIPT.

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Wait…what?

 .         Trust me on this. you get a copy of the receipt, and so should they. I’ve never had a commission where someone forgot ever again after this method. Basically, you do the same thing as I mentioned before–get their email, get their phone. But on the receipt, you will also get their name,their commission, the cost of it, and alternate phone just in case. AND they will also get your information: Your table number, your phone number/contact/email, what the commission was, the cost, and lastly, if applicable, the approximate time it will be finished. That way, they’ll be prepared to wait for your phone call or go to your table to check up on you. Ka-peesh? The copy you have will also help you calculate your earnings at the end of the day.

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They’re easy to do–just use normal printer paper, make a template, print a few copies, cut it up, and you’re done. Make sure when you tell these people to sign it, do it in pen and ink and their signature. You don’t want people to try and trick you that it was some other drawing or it costed less.

And here’s a template that you’ll hopefully understand:

You, as the artist will fill this out for them (IN PEN) :

you can print these out, but I’m sure you can make your own look WAAAAAAY cooler, yes? If you customize yours, you can just write your name and cell contact there so you don’t have to constantly write it every time.

They ain’t got no excuse to pick it up or forget, and you don’t have to worry about them not paying you. If they lose the paper slip, you got a copy next to you. If you lose the paper slip, they’ll have the copy and contact you. If you both lose the slip, both of you need a slap in the face.

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