http://uk.pinterest.com/jakgerrish1/portfolio-and-promotion-moodboard/
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Business Card Research -
http://uk.pinterest.com/jakgerrish1/porfolio-and-promotion-business-cards/
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SAMPLE PACKS - INSTANTPRINT, SOLOPRESS, VISTAPRINT
InstantPrint have provided me with an absolute plethora of samples, it feels great to get them all out loosely and browse through. The fact that they're loose samples is the best part; it's definitely the best way to advertise the papers in their applied forms (Business Cards, greeting cards, brochures, letterheads etc). It gives looking through them a fun experience, plus a practical one too because when you find papers you like, you can put them to one side to make a pile. There's a lot of different images, on everything, in different styles too which you'd think would make everything a bit of an eye-sore and confusing; quite the contrary. The fact that every sample item has a completely different design really distinguishes them from one another and helps you remember them. For example I know that the business card with the rose on it is a triple layered card and there's one with a cat that's a matt finish and rather thick. I've only looked through quickly and I already remember things like that. This pack is great, I'm highly considering using them purely because of this.
Solopress sent me their pack, and it's simply a book with each page a different paper they use, with applied services on some aswell, such as die-cutting and spot-UV. A very professional book displaying their samples, but it doesn't hold up to InstantPrint's sample pack. The book is very stiff due to the different thicknesses of papers which makes it very difficult to browse through, let alone folding the corner of the page to bookmark one. It has some samples in this, and it's handy to have all of them together, bound in a clean book preventing the loose samples getting away and getting disorganised (an idea it would seem, that was better on paper... excuse the pun), but it's not practical at all. It just makes the experience frustrating, and makes me want to consult InstantPrint's pack once more.
Disappointing.
I'm currently still waiting on Vistaprint's sample pack (which I had to pay for delivery; it had better be good)
Vistaprint's sample pack came much later, and was a little disappointing, considering I had to pay for postage. It's very minimal but effective. No huge brochure advertising their products; they respect their potential customers, assuming they know the services they provide already. Their prices are very modest compared to the others.
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JENNY BOWERS - Visiting lecturer
- Peepshow Collective (http://peepshow.org.uk/illustration.php)
- Most are graduates from Brighton Uni
- Worked with Graham Rawle, the Guardian Illustrator known for 'Lost Consonants' (http://www.grahamrawle.com/lostconsonants/)
- After university, they decided to stick together and create their collective as they worked well together, they remained productive and most of all, they enjoy it
- 2004 - they/she rented/attained her first studio/space
- Says, 'it's important to get something printed so it shows you can deliver work', such as a published book/work
- She has an agent in the US (gets most of her work from there, I believe she said), and used to have one in Sweden as her work appealed to that nation
- Says that it's important to not drop commercial or personal work in favour of the other. Keep both up, it's necessary for your work to develop more and prevents from becoming stagnant
- Believes it's better to not decline jobs, it's better to learn about the areas of industry, make mistakes and learn from them. (While I agree about taking most jobs to help with portfolio and networking, I do believe that with clients you don't necessarily want to work with, instead of declining, put your price right up. Thusly, it's win/win - if they decline your offer, you don't have to do the job you didn't want to do, and if they accept it, then you're earning much more for your time that your normal rate)
- Recommends AOI for Portfolio + Promotion details, tips, and general help
- Drawbacks of working with others in a collective - Conflicting ideas, not agreeing, maybe your idea will get drowned out by others'
Q&A
PROMOTIONAL ITEMS
- Newspapers, evidently they are a current trend among promotional items. She personally doesn't recommend, or use this concept however.
- Better to make something small + worth keeping. Nice paper, a nice print etc, for example a nice postcard, might be nice to add to a pin board at home.
- Tailor your promotional items to your potential clients.
INSPIRATIONS
- More inspired by Graphic Designers rather than illustrators (can be clearly seen in her work).
METHODS
- Works very simply to help manage and edit it later. Paints her shapes in black Guache and is then composed and edited digitally. A very flexible and effective process.
- Apparently never entered competitions (something we've been encouraged to do).
1
2
3
(3) 10 THINGS I LEARNED AT NEW YORK COMIC CON - article by Kiri Leonard
"DO YOUR HOMEWORK - You are going to save yourself time and worry if you spend time reading up on the convention you are attending before hand. Figure out arrival times, transportation, rules, tax rules – and make sure you start reading up on this in good time."
- Honestly something I wouldn't have thought to do at first but obviously extremely important. It could help to attend a convention as an attendee and get experience second hand by asking around, what people do with these things in mind, what they've learnt, any mistakes they've made before etc.
"BRING YOUR PORTFOLIO - If you are going as an artist (or art student for that matter) you should do yourself a favour and bring your portfolio. If you do not already have one, put together a portfolio of your 9-12 BEST pieces and remember less is more. Each additional piece you add to your portfolio can/will weaken it. Don’t put in life drawing pieces of your student work or random sketches. Put in your personal and ONLY your BEST work. Don’t put original works in your portfolio. Instead have all your pieces printed in the same format and with the same alignment on each print, so people don’t have to turn your book around because some pieces are vertical and others horizontal. Make sure it is a high print quality. It gives a better presentation. Make sure to put your contact information on the first page of your portfolio."
- This, I'd already assumed was a must. After attending cons and seeing the different portfolios I've learn to A) Bring one, and make it professional and B) not to have it too big and no originals within, A4 is optimal I feel. While it's nice to have originals, it's likely better to save them for having one off prints to sell at a high price (reflecting the quality, time and effort into the piece, perhaps frame it). From my experience of seeing originals for sale at a high price, it gives a sense of professionalism, confidence, made me admire it more, and most of all, considering I didn't want to buy such a highly priced item, made me look more intricately at the other items for sale. Alignment is important too, helps with ease of access and professionalism. I'll look into using black card to densely frame my pieces within the portfolio.
"SELLING PRINTS - If you have a table at the convention, you should bring some prints to sell. If it is your first time going, don’t bring a ton of prints. Pick out your four very best pieces and print 5-10 of each. If you want to do yourself a favour, sign them before leaving for the convention. Every single person I sold prints to wanted them signed. You can save yourself some hassle by doing it ahead of time. Another thing you may consider selling is postcards. Packages with 3-5 postcards seem to sell better than singles. If you have single postcards, people are likely to think they are free handouts.
As for print sizes 8.5″x11″ (A4 for the Europeans) and 11″x14″ (A3 for the Europeans) are pretty standard and a good choice. It also makes it easy for potential customers to find frames that fit them."
- Bring about 4 different prints, 5-10 of each, sign them first. (Look into optimal signing compositions). Package 3-5 postcards because having one on their own people tend to assume they're free handouts.
"PACKAGING AND PRESENTATION MATTERS - Consider how you package your prints. A good presentation is more inviting. Get cellophane sleeves and backing board, consider self promoting with a sticker on the corner of the cellophane sleeve. Anything you can do to make it look more professional, inviting and well thought out. If you are selling postcards, make sure to package them nicely too. I had mine packaged at NYCC and most of mine sold, whereas other artists I spoke to had people think theirs were for free, as they weren’t packaged."
- Another way to help with professionalism and help show that things are for sale and not for free. In my experience, mistaking something for being free makes a moment very awkward with the seller, whereas the other way round is the same feeling as finding a fiver in your pocket!
3
"PRICING - Pricing is always up to the individual, but if you need some guidelines here is what I sold my prints and cards for. It seems pretty in tune with what other people at the con were selling theirs for as well:
3
"DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY - Going to a convention for the first time can be overwhelming and concerning, especially if you’re not a social butterfly because there are a lot of people there. Try to relax though, smile and be welcoming and you should do just fine. Don’t miss out on chances to make connections and friends with other artists, say hello, compliment their work and try to get a conversation going. It usually pays of, not just in having more fun at the convention but also in having friends in the future. If people recall you as being a nice person, they’re all the more likely to want to talk to you again another time, or even hire you for work!"
- A similar point made in Tyler James's article. Make friends, be friendly and approachable and things go smoother and profitable opportunities may arise, passively if not directly!
"BUSINESS CARDS/FREEBIES - Don’t forget to bring business cards! The amount you need is of course dependent on the convention which you are attending but 500 seemed to be a good amount of New York Comic Con. Consider having freebies to give away at your table other than business cards. I had bookmarks, Noah Bradley had a beautiful brochure that resembled a mini portfolio with his artwork. Marc Scheff, Cynthia Sheppard and William O’Connor all had beautiful postcards with their artwork on."
- 500 seems like a lot for a first time dealer at a convention. Here, I'd rather take James's advice and keep the quantity a lot lower in terms of business cards. If I have other freebies, like postcards, bookmarks (which I feel would compliment my graphic novel), and little brochure type things, these can act as business cards too.
"CONSIDER SKETCHING ON THE SPOT - Again this of course depends on the convention you will be attending but at NYCC my table-mate Betsy was doing watercolor sketches on the spot for people for $25 a pop and it was really, really popular. If you are good at putting together a decent sketch in a short amount of time, consider doing this. Betsy sold her pencil sketches for $10 and watercolor for $25 and people were more than happy to pay for it, some even said they’d pay more."
- I'd quite like to do some sketching while I'm there regardless of being able to sell it, but if people showed interest I'd definitely sell some there and then. However, I don't feel confident that this will happen on my first few conventions. I'd need some practice firstly, in creating prints that function as an appealing piece without other panels, (which is what I'm used to), and furthermore I'd need to practice honing my artistic skills aswell.
"ORIGINAL ART - Again, depending on the convention you may want to bring a couple of originals. New York Comic Con is much more focused on prints than originals, but a few artists did have luck selling their originals. If you do bring originals don’t undercut yourself. Make sure you charge a fair price worth the amount of time and effort you put into your piece."
- I agree, don't undersell yourself. It's really not worth the sale of an original if you're selling it cheap. Keeping the print is just as valuable as selling it for the price you'd sell it for. I stand by a work ethic that I was taught by creator of "Cherry Pinup", Paris Christou. Paraphrasing, he said "for a job you don't want to do, put your price right up. That way, if they don't accept, you're not doing the job you don't want to do, but if they do accept, you're getting a much higher value out of the job, which is great". In context here then, selling your original print is something you may not want to do, so put the price up. If someone buys it, you're getting much more value out of it, and if they don't buy it, you keep the original which is almost equally as valuable.
"ITEMS YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST BRING TO A CONVENTION -
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COMIC CONVENTIONS
I'm looking into what it is to run your own convention table to sell your work and get more exposure. From simply viewing others' stalls in the photos below, you can see patterns, consistencies, conventions (if you will) in the content of the tables.
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4. TABLING YOUR FIRST CONVENTION - article by Tyler James
"...some are there to check out the independent comics scene and look for cool new comics from independent talent. These, my friends, are your people."
The 3 main reasons to get a table - "they are to promote, to network, and to sell, sell, sell"
"Comic conventions are a great place to promote your comic and yourself"
James discusses how it can be very daunting doing your first table - you might be left with an unimpressive stall when compared to "the guy who drew the last 6 X-men next to you". But he says don't be disheartened, firstly, everyone starts somewhere, and secondly, passerbys may not see it like that. A lot of people may not even read X-men, some might be there for the independent scene. Speaking of which, I'm one of those people. When I go to conventions I have a much better time buying the independent-made products. These are people you can have a chat with too because you're in similar situations, budding amateur illustrators. I found that I became intimidated when approaching a stall of an artist I actually knew of, a little star-struck of course, but they're the ones I'd already heard of at the convention, being the ones to avoid, due to their attitude towards the customers and general persona. (This doesn't go for all successful illustrators, just in my previous experiences this accounts for). Not all artists are the same. This pushed me towards other stalls more instead, and I'm glad it did. You can really talk to the more independent guys, get to know them (only if I liked their work of course! There's nothing worse than being pressured into buying something just because you're chatting to the artist. In which case I'd rather not waste their time and keep moving).
"You’ve got a table, you’ve got a comic book. That simple fact makes you a lot more of a pro than 99% the people walking the aisles" - So roll with it. Like he said, passerbys aren't going to think you're unprofessional, unless your work or table really is bad, but even then, that's subjective.
"If you are friendly and approachable, you’ll be promoting yourself as a cool person to talk to at shows now and in the future." This links back to what I was saying about being intimidated to approach a table. If the sales person is friendly and welcoming, it really helps the sale and exposure. You don't even need to make a sale, just make a smile and that person will remember, go away and let their friends know, maybe one of them would be more interested in what you're selling. Plus you'll get a good reputation, and more support, which also helps you personally gain more confidence and become more comfortable.
"Cons are a great place to break out of the isolation booth and meet other pros and aspiring pros who are passionate about comics just like you." These are people that have put in similar effort and time into their pieces. It's not just a place to sell your work, it's active inspiration, research, experience and influence. Learn people's processes, where they work, how they work, where they print their products, how they go about exposing themselves, "industry gossip and other tidbits worth hearing". Seeing other people's creations next to your own can be mind boggling, especially when you've put in many isolated hours into crafting your pieces that looks absolutely nothing like the table next to yours.
"...creating comics at the professional level is usually a highly collaborative process. Meeting someone face to face and discussing the possibility of working together on a project is going to trump internet talent searching every time. And there’s no better place to do it than at a convention."
"The fact remains, we all like money, and if we’re doing quality work, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to see some financial return on our investment into our books. Conventions offer independent creators one of the BEST ways to monetize our work, as they give us direct access to a large group of people crazy about comics who have brought money to spend."
"Have something to promote and have something to sell. People aren't coming to see you, they're there to see your products."
"Start small, start local. Don't debut at somewhere like San Diego comic con".
"Don't over do it." Don't spend £100s on banners, printing too many books and prints and posters and merchandise etc.
"I suggest you go small and start slow for your first show. Do a small print run of books. Try to make them as professional looking as possible". James recommends KaBlam for Print-on-demand (POD).
"Make a few prints. If you want to bring a small promotional banner with your name on it, that’s fine too. But again, don’t do too much. Instead, start small, and make it a point to be very observant of what other creators are doing for their displays. I try to add one new element or promotional trick to my presentation at each show. This way, I’m splitting the cost of displaying up over the year. If you’re attending shows, plan on being in this for the long haul. No need to go to great expense for just your first tabling experience".
- I can imagine adding a little promotional trick or novelty would help make your stall and work more memorable and entice people over. Also, if you do different tricks at different conventions, you'd be able to observe the most successful novelty.
"Get out from behind the table".
"You never know what kind of friendships you’ll make or what opportunities will arise from a few friendly conversations." He's done work for other artists he's met and likewise has had work done by other artists.
Pitching - "Practice Your Pitch Beforehand. Here’s the challenge: A comic fan is walking past your table. You make eye contact and have about three seconds to say something that may encourage him to take a closer look at your work. So, whatcha gonna say? What you want to do is come up with an easily articulated sentence or two that will encourage attendees to give your stuff a looksy. My first book, Super Seed, for all its flaws, always pitched incredibly well. I would say, “Hey, check out my comic, Super Seed. It’s about the world’s first super powered fertility clinic.” Pause. Watch their eyes as I see the concept registering in their brain. And 9 times out of 10, the reaction is positive. Now, they don’t all buy books, but they do all acknowledge it, and most will take a closer look."
"Have something free to hand out. Really, this works best when incorporated with your pitch. I like to give out high quality postcards. As a fan walks buy, I’d hand out a postcard and deliver my Super Seed line. It’s funny, but an innate human psychological response is to take something handed to us. Just that act gives you the time you need to deliver your pitch and get some consideration. Again, this won’t always lead to sales, but they may check out your work later online if you hand them something with a url printed on it, and you might get a new online reader and make a sale next time."
"Business Cards are a Must. You’re behind the table. That makes you a comics professional now. So act like one. Have a business card printed up for you and your comic creating endeavors. Now, while there are some great places to get incredible deals on mass printing of biz cards, this, I actually don’t recommend. At the early stages of your comics career, you may find it’ll take a while to nail your business card. The last thing you want to do is have 10,000 copies of a business card with links to a webcomic you abandoned after two months in favor of something else." The main thing I'm taking away from this is the "don't purchase mass biz cards". I can fully understand the fickle nature of Illustration, from ideas changing, to no longer liking the artwork on your card, or perhaps it's no longer relevant to your practice and style. I understand that they're very important and are a must, but there's no need for a mass purchase anywhere near the start of your comic-creating endeavours.
"Start small, start local. Don't debut at somewhere like San Diego comic con".
"Don't over do it." Don't spend £100s on banners, printing too many books and prints and posters and merchandise etc.
"I suggest you go small and start slow for your first show. Do a small print run of books. Try to make them as professional looking as possible". James recommends KaBlam for Print-on-demand (POD).
"Make a few prints. If you want to bring a small promotional banner with your name on it, that’s fine too. But again, don’t do too much. Instead, start small, and make it a point to be very observant of what other creators are doing for their displays. I try to add one new element or promotional trick to my presentation at each show. This way, I’m splitting the cost of displaying up over the year. If you’re attending shows, plan on being in this for the long haul. No need to go to great expense for just your first tabling experience".
- I can imagine adding a little promotional trick or novelty would help make your stall and work more memorable and entice people over. Also, if you do different tricks at different conventions, you'd be able to observe the most successful novelty.
"Get out from behind the table".
"You never know what kind of friendships you’ll make or what opportunities will arise from a few friendly conversations." He's done work for other artists he's met and likewise has had work done by other artists.
Pitching - "Practice Your Pitch Beforehand. Here’s the challenge: A comic fan is walking past your table. You make eye contact and have about three seconds to say something that may encourage him to take a closer look at your work. So, whatcha gonna say? What you want to do is come up with an easily articulated sentence or two that will encourage attendees to give your stuff a looksy. My first book, Super Seed, for all its flaws, always pitched incredibly well. I would say, “Hey, check out my comic, Super Seed. It’s about the world’s first super powered fertility clinic.” Pause. Watch their eyes as I see the concept registering in their brain. And 9 times out of 10, the reaction is positive. Now, they don’t all buy books, but they do all acknowledge it, and most will take a closer look."
"Have something free to hand out. Really, this works best when incorporated with your pitch. I like to give out high quality postcards. As a fan walks buy, I’d hand out a postcard and deliver my Super Seed line. It’s funny, but an innate human psychological response is to take something handed to us. Just that act gives you the time you need to deliver your pitch and get some consideration. Again, this won’t always lead to sales, but they may check out your work later online if you hand them something with a url printed on it, and you might get a new online reader and make a sale next time."
"Business Cards are a Must. You’re behind the table. That makes you a comics professional now. So act like one. Have a business card printed up for you and your comic creating endeavors. Now, while there are some great places to get incredible deals on mass printing of biz cards, this, I actually don’t recommend. At the early stages of your comics career, you may find it’ll take a while to nail your business card. The last thing you want to do is have 10,000 copies of a business card with links to a webcomic you abandoned after two months in favor of something else." The main thing I'm taking away from this is the "don't purchase mass biz cards". I can fully understand the fickle nature of Illustration, from ideas changing, to no longer liking the artwork on your card, or perhaps it's no longer relevant to your practice and style. I understand that they're very important and are a must, but there's no need for a mass purchase anywhere near the start of your comic-creating endeavours.
Tyler James. (4)
(3) 10 THINGS I LEARNED AT NEW YORK COMIC CON - article by Kiri Leonard
"DO YOUR HOMEWORK - You are going to save yourself time and worry if you spend time reading up on the convention you are attending before hand. Figure out arrival times, transportation, rules, tax rules – and make sure you start reading up on this in good time."
- Honestly something I wouldn't have thought to do at first but obviously extremely important. It could help to attend a convention as an attendee and get experience second hand by asking around, what people do with these things in mind, what they've learnt, any mistakes they've made before etc.
"BRING YOUR PORTFOLIO - If you are going as an artist (or art student for that matter) you should do yourself a favour and bring your portfolio. If you do not already have one, put together a portfolio of your 9-12 BEST pieces and remember less is more. Each additional piece you add to your portfolio can/will weaken it. Don’t put in life drawing pieces of your student work or random sketches. Put in your personal and ONLY your BEST work. Don’t put original works in your portfolio. Instead have all your pieces printed in the same format and with the same alignment on each print, so people don’t have to turn your book around because some pieces are vertical and others horizontal. Make sure it is a high print quality. It gives a better presentation. Make sure to put your contact information on the first page of your portfolio."
- This, I'd already assumed was a must. After attending cons and seeing the different portfolios I've learn to A) Bring one, and make it professional and B) not to have it too big and no originals within, A4 is optimal I feel. While it's nice to have originals, it's likely better to save them for having one off prints to sell at a high price (reflecting the quality, time and effort into the piece, perhaps frame it). From my experience of seeing originals for sale at a high price, it gives a sense of professionalism, confidence, made me admire it more, and most of all, considering I didn't want to buy such a highly priced item, made me look more intricately at the other items for sale. Alignment is important too, helps with ease of access and professionalism. I'll look into using black card to densely frame my pieces within the portfolio.
"SELLING PRINTS - If you have a table at the convention, you should bring some prints to sell. If it is your first time going, don’t bring a ton of prints. Pick out your four very best pieces and print 5-10 of each. If you want to do yourself a favour, sign them before leaving for the convention. Every single person I sold prints to wanted them signed. You can save yourself some hassle by doing it ahead of time. Another thing you may consider selling is postcards. Packages with 3-5 postcards seem to sell better than singles. If you have single postcards, people are likely to think they are free handouts.
As for print sizes 8.5″x11″ (A4 for the Europeans) and 11″x14″ (A3 for the Europeans) are pretty standard and a good choice. It also makes it easy for potential customers to find frames that fit them."
- Bring about 4 different prints, 5-10 of each, sign them first. (Look into optimal signing compositions). Package 3-5 postcards because having one on their own people tend to assume they're free handouts.
"PACKAGING AND PRESENTATION MATTERS - Consider how you package your prints. A good presentation is more inviting. Get cellophane sleeves and backing board, consider self promoting with a sticker on the corner of the cellophane sleeve. Anything you can do to make it look more professional, inviting and well thought out. If you are selling postcards, make sure to package them nicely too. I had mine packaged at NYCC and most of mine sold, whereas other artists I spoke to had people think theirs were for free, as they weren’t packaged."
- Another way to help with professionalism and help show that things are for sale and not for free. In my experience, mistaking something for being free makes a moment very awkward with the seller, whereas the other way round is the same feeling as finding a fiver in your pocket!
3"PRICING - Pricing is always up to the individual, but if you need some guidelines here is what I sold my prints and cards for. It seems pretty in tune with what other people at the con were selling theirs for as well:
- Small print (8.5″x11″) – $10 (Three for $25)
- Large Print (11″x17″) – $20
- Three pack of postcards – $5
- Small sheet of 6 small stickers – $1
- Original pieces – between $100 – $250 depending on size. (Drawings, with frame)
Make sure to have clear pricing on the items that are for sale. Printed pricing looks a little better than handwritten."
- These guidelines are a good place to start. I'd likely put my prices down a little because I feel that my ability to create prints is a little lacking right now, I need to do more. However, any originals I would not hesitate to set the price depending on the man hours and effort involved. If no one buys it, no harm done, I get to keep the print.
3"DON'T WORRY, BE HAPPY - Going to a convention for the first time can be overwhelming and concerning, especially if you’re not a social butterfly because there are a lot of people there. Try to relax though, smile and be welcoming and you should do just fine. Don’t miss out on chances to make connections and friends with other artists, say hello, compliment their work and try to get a conversation going. It usually pays of, not just in having more fun at the convention but also in having friends in the future. If people recall you as being a nice person, they’re all the more likely to want to talk to you again another time, or even hire you for work!"
- A similar point made in Tyler James's article. Make friends, be friendly and approachable and things go smoother and profitable opportunities may arise, passively if not directly!
"BUSINESS CARDS/FREEBIES - Don’t forget to bring business cards! The amount you need is of course dependent on the convention which you are attending but 500 seemed to be a good amount of New York Comic Con. Consider having freebies to give away at your table other than business cards. I had bookmarks, Noah Bradley had a beautiful brochure that resembled a mini portfolio with his artwork. Marc Scheff, Cynthia Sheppard and William O’Connor all had beautiful postcards with their artwork on."
- 500 seems like a lot for a first time dealer at a convention. Here, I'd rather take James's advice and keep the quantity a lot lower in terms of business cards. If I have other freebies, like postcards, bookmarks (which I feel would compliment my graphic novel), and little brochure type things, these can act as business cards too.
"CONSIDER SKETCHING ON THE SPOT - Again this of course depends on the convention you will be attending but at NYCC my table-mate Betsy was doing watercolor sketches on the spot for people for $25 a pop and it was really, really popular. If you are good at putting together a decent sketch in a short amount of time, consider doing this. Betsy sold her pencil sketches for $10 and watercolor for $25 and people were more than happy to pay for it, some even said they’d pay more."
- I'd quite like to do some sketching while I'm there regardless of being able to sell it, but if people showed interest I'd definitely sell some there and then. However, I don't feel confident that this will happen on my first few conventions. I'd need some practice firstly, in creating prints that function as an appealing piece without other panels, (which is what I'm used to), and furthermore I'd need to practice honing my artistic skills aswell.
"ORIGINAL ART - Again, depending on the convention you may want to bring a couple of originals. New York Comic Con is much more focused on prints than originals, but a few artists did have luck selling their originals. If you do bring originals don’t undercut yourself. Make sure you charge a fair price worth the amount of time and effort you put into your piece."
- I agree, don't undersell yourself. It's really not worth the sale of an original if you're selling it cheap. Keeping the print is just as valuable as selling it for the price you'd sell it for. I stand by a work ethic that I was taught by creator of "Cherry Pinup", Paris Christou. Paraphrasing, he said "for a job you don't want to do, put your price right up. That way, if they don't accept, you're not doing the job you don't want to do, but if they do accept, you're getting a much higher value out of the job, which is great". In context here then, selling your original print is something you may not want to do, so put the price up. If someone buys it, you're getting much more value out of it, and if they don't buy it, you keep the original which is almost equally as valuable.
"ITEMS YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST BRING TO A CONVENTION -
- Hand Sanitizer: You are going to be shaking hands with a lot of people and each one of them have shook hands with a lot of people. For your own sake and others, bring hand sanitizer.
- Cough Drops: You are going to be speaking a lot, make sure to keep your throat soothed.
- Water: Conventions often have long lines at food/drink stands. Do yourself a favour and bring water.
- Tissues: They always come in handy.
- Tape: It also comes in handy and will make immidiate display problem solving so much easier for you.
- Pen: You are definitely going to need a pen, either for signing or just taking notes.
- Scissors: Always handy!
- Paper: To take notes on or make notes of.
- Painkillers: Just in case you get a headache. You don’t want it to ruin your day.
- Bandaid: You never know when you might need it!"
- The reason I've included the whole article is because it's so concise; there's no irrelevant information.
1. http://webcomicalliance.com/business/table-dynamics-optimising-your-storefront/
2. http://monsters-among-us.com/archives/414
3. http://kirileonard.com/10-things-i-learned-at-new-york-comic-con/
4. http://www.comixtribe.com/2012/03/26/tabling-at-your-first-comic-convention/
