Artist Alley Resources Post!

Follow up on TMI-Tuesday! Most of the questions were about artist alley so I am compiling everything into one post. Disclaimer: I’m not affiliated with any of the companies below.



Short-run print resources: 

It really depends on the quality of paper and color and ink that you like. I personally use a local printer (warning: really bad webdesign) that my previous boss (ilu Amy) recommended because I am an amazing procrastinator and I don’t get stuff done early enough to order online. The couple that runs this shop has done so many amazing 12-hr turnaround favors for me to pick up directly in the shop the day before I leave for a con, so I have to give them all of my money. But here are some other places you can check out:

CATPRINT.COM — Color quality is phenomenal. Tons of paper stock to choose from. Prices get more discounted if you order more. Full bleed capability! 7-day economy shipping.
FIREBALLPRINTING.COM — Cheap! Color is typical of digital/laser printers, a little on the darker, more saturated side. Watch your K values! Can upgrade to thicker paper stock. Full bleed capability! 
STAPLES — 49c prints if you bring your own paper! I purchase 80# gloss cardstock (roughly 8c per sheet) and bring it to my local Staples to get really last minute prints made. No bleed capability, but most places will be able to print on paper as large as 13x19” if you supply it. 98c for 11x17” or larger size.

Buttons:

I have a button machine from BUTTONBIZ.COM in the 1.25” size. I coerce my boyfriend into making buttons for me in exchange for turtles. 

Originally, Zimmay and I split the cost of a machine to shoulder the cost but being that we’re 400+ miles apart, we decided to get another one so each of us could have our own machine. 

You can always order buttons online but I prefer the ability to make just one button of any one design. I’d rather try the waters and see how something might sell before having to commit to making like 20 or 30 of the same design! The button machine might seem really expensive at first but it’s a long-term investment that will pay for itself.

A lot of people also ask where I get my button sets made and packaged. It’s actually a very simple answer: it’s all made by hand. I design paper backings for the sets either in Photoshop or Illustrator, and then get them printed (usually at Staples), and hand cut each paper to the proper size, shove the buttons in their designated positions, and then wrap them in plastic. (Actually nowadays I just force my boyfriend to make the sets for me too…)

Why so much work only to sell sets at a discount?? Because I love packaging so much I can’t even put it into words. Additionally it’s easier to restock because I don’t have to deal with individual buttons, even if I would make more money selling them individually.

PAPERMART.COM sells plastic packaging in bulk with little hang tabs for ease of display. Also they’re located in southern California so the shipping is lightning fast to my apartment. They only sell wholesale, so Zimmay and I are still working through that box of 1000 bags we purchased like a year or two ago….
 

Quantities:

I think the most common newbie mistake is to print way too many copies. My first convention at Fanime ‘06 (when tables were like $20 and I was underage LOL so I’m on my 6th year of artist alley, yikes) I think I made like 40 copies of everything, and then I cried a little when I realized there were going to be so many leftovers. I think I was selling that same run of prints up until ‘08 until I gave up?? Zimmay tabled with me and she made the same mistake. 

To start with, I would suggest making 5-10 copies. 15-20 if you’re feeling really confident or you plan on going to multiple conventions. As to the amounts that I personally bring, it really varies! I hate selling out of a print (because I spend the rest of the weekend wondering how much more money I might’ve made if I had just printed more, but selling out on the last day feels great :D!) so I bring anywhere between 2-40 copies for both mid/large cons, and hope I don’t sell out. For small cons, I bring <10-15 of everything. If you attend multiple cons, you’ll get a better feel for what tends to do better, though I have to warn you, it can be kind of random…

Yes, you can always make more copies at Kinko’s or whatever resource is close to the convention center when you’re there (or if you’re commuting from home, no need to worry about quantities!), but Kinko’s is expensive as ass and usually what happens is once I reprint something for $3 per page, it doesn’t sell, and then I have low-quality-high-cost prints to take to the next con that I just feel embarrassed to sell, so I often just recycle them afterwards.


Measurements:

34-2—hey, I mean.

There’s rules now at some cons about how large your overhead display can be, and I’ve found that this limit is almost always 5’ above your table. My stand is actually 5’ of pipes plus a few more inches added on because of the connecting pieces and the clamps that secure the stand to the table, but ultimately I think the most important part is keeping the stand steady. I use three clamps and construct my pipes with horizontal T-pillar for extra stability, so it’s really not going to fall over.

Basic materials (all available at Home Depot, mostly in the plumbing section):

  • PVC risers/pipes (24” or less for portability); threaded
  • Straight and elbow adapters; threaded
  • Clamps

Technically you can use unthreaded pipes but I find twisting the pipes together is much more stable than just pressure. Duct tape also helps.
 

Artist Alley Life:

What sucks the most is being chained to your table!! You can’t really leave during open hours because people are dishonest and steal stuff, plus if you’re really desperate to make a sale, you might miss a customer. That’s why you should always table next to a friend or make new friends with your table neighbors!! They are your ticket to the bathroom! Additionally if you’re sharing a table with a friend or you have friends who are willing to help you out at your table and take turns selling for you, they are the best.

Another thing that sucks is when the hours are absurdly long (I’m looking at you, Otakon) and there’s no way to go out and eat after alley closes. Or, just in general, it’s difficult to get food while you’re in the alley unless you have a friend who is making a food run or if you brought your own snacks. It’s even harder when you’re vegetarian!

When we were younger, Zim and I would literally just hold out at con, starve all day, and then eat whatever we could when the alley closed. We used to joke saying that we’d lose so much weight at cons simply due to starvation. Now it’s the complete opposite LOL…. we always make it a point to eat well at a con, get a big breakfast to go, and go out to dinner with friends even if the alley hasn’t closed yet (my stomach > customers). There’s almost always a friend who is making a food run so that we can have lunch in the alley, and I try to bring whatever snacks I can. And at the end of the 3 or 4-day adventure, there’s usually a celebratory dinner. At Otakon, this almost always involves cheesecake.

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So that’s probably more information than you could have ever wanted to know, but if anyone has more questions, go ahead and drop it in my askbox. If you’re asking anon questions, I’ll wait to answer them in batches, but I’ll respond privately to non-anon asks usually within 24 hours.

Thanks for reading!

208 notes
Posted on Wednesday, February 1
Tagged as: artist advice   artist alley   huge textpost   rant   resource   text   ask  
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    I’m basically just going...Bronycon, although I’m hoping
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