Conventions:
Kiss your weekends
goodbye
Becca Hillburn
I'm a childrens comic artist and freelance illustrator originally from
New Orleans but currently living in Nashville, TN. I graduated from
SCAD with a Masters Degree in Sequential Art in 2013, and from the
University of New Orleans with a bachelors degree in Hypermedia
(digital art). My main focus is currently watercolor comics, and my
hobbies include writing for my blog, Keep on Truckin' Nattosoup and
attending conventions as an artist.
Heidi Black
Heidi is a sequential artist and illustrator from dayton, ohio. She
likes cats and potatoes and hates writing bios. Her work is at
electricabyss.com, including her tutorial artbook, Electricabyss, and
her newest comic, Sons of Fire.
The basics:
Convention tables cost between $50 and $2000
Tables are generally 6' by 2' but can vary
Located in hallways or closed rooms
All objects must be made by the artist (can be
sent off for professional printing)
Fanart is a grey area
Stuff to sell
A variety of things! Minicomics
Charms, buttons, cheapies
Perfect bound books
Prints & posters
Unique items
A range of prices
commissions Big draw at cons: people ask for them a lot
Have an example of your style/commission work
At-con impulse buy (people generally want it
then, and won't bother to email you later)
B
commissions Perfect for fast artists
Need to be flexible, able to draw in a variety of
styles or characters
Unique styles work great
Should have access to reference if possible
(commissioners ought to bring it, but don't
count on it.)
Do not overbook yourself! Know how
much you can complete
Getting stuff made Home printer: costly, but you have more
control over quality & edits
Office store: costly, must be formatted
correctly, staff are not always knowledgeable,
but generally the best option for small runs
Printing services: catprint, kablam, createspace,
vistaprint, etc. generally have a minimum number
for each item (50+)
H
B
How much to bring? 1000 copies of a book probably won't sell
Bringing copies of files on a flash drive if you
sell out is usually easier than packing too many
Limitations also include vehicle size, weight, how
much you can carry, how much you can display on
your table
TOO MUCH OR TOO LITLE? TOO MANY ITEMS ON A TABLE IS OVERWHELMING
BUT HAVING A WIDE VARIETY APPEALS TO
DIFFERENT PEOPLE
BRINGING A LOT OF THINGS CAN BE COSTLY
DIFFERENT THINGS SELL AT DIFFERENT CONS, AND
VARY FROM YEAR TO YEAR
Be prepared to change your offerings or
setup on the fly
Freebies! At the minimum, you need business cards -
professionally printed!
Brand yourself!
Have something to remember you by!
Cute/clever things work well
An online presence Even a blog or deviantart will do –
something you update frequently
Gmail addresses are free – make one just
for work
Cons and web presence go hand in hand
Google yourself – what comes up?
B
Nattosoup.blogspot.com
Google nattosoup: every
result on page 1 is Becca
Electricabyss.com
Links to store (buy
stuff), deviantart,
blogspot, twitter,
and tumblr
prominently at top
Different types
Of conventions(which to attend?)
Anime cons
Superhero cons
Indie cons
Others
Doing different cons can expand
your audience -
Or be an expensive lesson
Local cons are easy and cheap and a good choice
regardless of style/audience
Find friends to share hotel and transportation
costs with (there are online groups like AA
network that are great for this)
Table setups
Some of ours
Consider when planning
Vertical elements
Visibility from a distance
Transportability/setup and teardown times
Number of people you need to help you set up
Theme
Don't annoy your neighbors
Don't annoy the staff
Unique/attention-grabbing elements
Cost of setup/time to build setup
Visible and readable prices/signs
Displaying your stock
TABLE ESSENTIALS TABLECLOTH
SIGNS/PRICES
CASH BOX OR FOLDER WITH SMALL CHANGE
TAPE
SHARPIES/PENS
DISPLAY MATERIALS – EASELS, PLATE HOLDERS
SCRATCH PAPER
MEDICINE: HEADACHES, ALLERGIES, UPSET TUMMIES
TABLE ESSENTIALS ROLLING SUITCASE OR WHEELED BIN
STICKY NOTES
CALCULATOR/PHONE
SKETCHBOOK
SPARE BATTERY OR CHARGER FOR PHONE
EXTENTION CORD/POWER STRIP
SCRATCH PAPER/NOTEBOOK FOR TRANSACTIONS
SCISSORS AND BANDAIDS
TABLE ESSENTIALS FLASH DRIVE WITH PDF FILES OF MINICOMICS AND
BUSINESS CARDS
FOOD AND DRINKS – WATER/GATORADE, GRANOLA
BARS, FRUIT, CASH FOR FOOD
LOCATE AHEAD OF TIME: BANKS/ATMS, PRINT
SHOPS, RESTAURANTS, HOTEL, TRANSPORTATION
(TRAINS, TAXIS, ETC), CORNER DRUG STORES
Planning &
timelines
Things to consider Transportation
Packing
Planning Way in advance
Table helpers or going as a group
Before you leave
Know your schedule
Practice table layouts
Take inventory/reprints
Have change (at least $80 in small bills)
Square or other card service
Promote your presence at the show
The business side
How much to charge? Artists will disagree on this
Its important to at least cover cost of materials
Each type of con will have a different “perceived
fair price” - older crowds will generally pay more
for the same item
Your highest profit margin items should be
prominently displayed
Keep track of everything
All of your expenses can be business (tax)
writeoffs
Keep track of what sells for future cons
Price things so you are NOT lOSING MONEY –
REMEMBER FREEBIES COST MONEY TO MAKE
Consider splitting with friends to cut costs
THINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL
CONVENTION ATTENDANCE
YOUR NEIGHBORS/OTHER ARTISTS
THE ECONOMY
Where you are located IN THE CON
The weather
THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL
POSITIVE ATTITUDE
ENGAGE PEOPLE, BE FRIENDLY
Wear deodorant
CHANGE YOUR TABLE AS NECESSARY
GET ENOUGH SLEEP
MAKE THE BEST OF WHATEVER HAPPENS
RESOURCES
Howtobeaconartist.tumblr.com
Artist alley international (facebook)
Aatoast.tumblr.com
Conventionscene.com
Nattosoup.blogspot.com