Genuinely shocked the con did nothing to help smh. Like I know there’s prolly a “sign here so the con isn’t responsibly for damage of your booth” but literally nothing???
I'm not. I sold at AX in 2014 and had stuff stolen from my table after hours. Displays were dismantled in order to take specific items and food and drinks were taken. I reported it to staff and was told that they'd investigate.
at that point you go to police and make a report or something as that is a total safety issue and the person operating the "automotive" would have to pay for the damages and have there "licenses" removed or have to go back to training and who ever hired them would be charged
So many artists i follow on twitter who were at AX said they had stuff stolen from their booth or belongings (someone had their goddamn walking aid stolen) and nothing was done about it. Super disappointing to hear!
Agree on why artist sales aren't as high the year previous. I just did a local show and didn't hit my goal, and when speaking to the regulars, they all said their sales were down between 30-40% which is a huge chunk. Here's to hoping the economy improves.
Cause Economy sucky sucky makes us brokey brokey. These past 2 years have been financial hell for so many people and Cons and Art are pretty much luxuries as is, couple it in with how things are now and there just isn't as much disposable income as before. When Times are lean, I don't envy those that work in areas like artistry.
That was a fun video. I retired from doing artist alley years ago because it got way too expensive, but I'm really proud and impressed at how booths and merch has grown over the last decade. Thanks for the transparent break down :D
Ngl, if I knew food would be that expensive id definitely go prior to a grocery store or something and bring a cooler. I'll definitely keep that in mind if I ever table lol. Love seeing the booths, its like gamers showing off their pc builds, but for tabling artists/creatives.
I vend at one of my local cons and have for a few years; my friend and I ALWAYS bring a cooler for food and pack things like sandwiches and prepackaged dry snacks. I personally like to stop by a store with bulk foods and get things like trail mixes or dried fruits. It helps a TON.
Last year, thousands of people complained about the lack of air conditioning, oxygen, and space. I'd think AX learned from that (and wanted to avoid possible legal trouble) by putting a cap on attendees. Pure speculation, but that paired with the state of our economy would def lead to smaller sales for the majority. Hoping for better con turnouts and spending behavior by next year, though!
Hey Inkwell! Love your vids and your amazing transparency! Thank you for it. I was working at AX this year as a booth worker for an industry booth up in the Ex. Hall (not *big big industry* but still technically industry). We were there to make sales primarily, and then do some marketing, but sales primarily. 100,000% agree with you: The main action nowadays for Anime Shows is in the Artist Alley, absolutely. Also very much agree that there was far less attendees at the show compared to years past, which, from a business perspective, feels a bit vexing, but definitely on a safety-perspective and as an attendee feels real nice. I wanted to stop by and say hey but when I walked by you had a mini-congestion at your booth so I let you be. Glad there were no assassination attempts from convention services trucks! Thank you for your insight! Keep up the amazing work and keep continuing to be an amazing resource for new and curious artists! See you at Gen Con in a few weeks! :)
I'm currently upgrading my booth from the acursed walls built MacGyver style out of grid cube sections to a wood peg board and *I can't wait* to get rid of these spawns of satan! But also, wow those are some amazing and inspiring booths out there! I was going to level it up anyway, but now I want to ~level it up~
Right like last year thousandskies had there truck stolen and lost half of their inventory last year (they found out that some people were selling there stuff at a swapmeet in Oakland) and this year quaphadoodle somebody (probably the same people) broke into their van and had all of their most expensive and easy to transport inventory stolen. like what the heck is going??
@@MelodiedeVivre that’s wild, I heard about the truck from last year but wasn’t aware something happened again, now that feels super targeted like who would think to steal con merch randomly
I wonder if location played a really big role? We were in that back aisle last year. We did have 6 new prints though! So that could have played a role for sure!
@@DevinElleKurtzArt location felt off for sure, I talked to a few other who were up this year as well, but that was not the majority, I do think I just probably need to make a bunch of new work for cons, I’ve been quite lazy about that, it’s just weird to me that my AB numbers were way better then AX this year. Giving me mixed signals
@@Inkwell Yeah that is super weird. What section were you in for AB? It was slightly below average for me when I did it but it was when Sang and I were in that section that had bad traffic flow. AX is significantly better for me than that. I think the new prints really help us a ton at these repeat shows, I find that year over year, my print sales of old prints (even bestsellers) tends to trend down, so unless we replace them with new bestsellers, my averages go down (we ran into that at fanime one year). But youre right that the overall trend at AX was for people to be down a bit. I had a new mega bestseller at AX and that may have made all the difference actually (plus location)
great insight as always. I'm from Indonesia and sell my works overseas, the majority of my customer/collectors are from US. I also found that my overseas sales has been dropped a lot, and knowing a big artist like you experiencing this too shows that the US economy is in a shaky spot. Totally agree on the diversified price range
The way you deliver stories is always so fun! I'm glad that the event still was worth for you. Last year at AX, when we were packing up for the day, one of those forklifts was going around. I assume one of those hit your table. I'm surprised it went off path and destroyed so much. At least someone should've taken responsibility. During the last few days, I was walking around and enjoying the con. The crowd is a lot less compared to previous edition. As a visitor, it was pretty nice. From a business perspective, it was below expectations. Seeing all those creative table setups got me pumped to work on my own. Thank you for showing so many inspirations in your videos!
Unrelated to anything but want to mention i clicked because i recognize this booth from the convention i went to just a few weeks ago. I love the setup
To your point towards the end about offering more low-priced items, not a bad thought at all, but if we’re talking about profit purely it helps me to remember that in order to make $100 I can either sell 20 $5 items or, a single $100 item. *Sometimes* it can be more time/more effort/more resources spent to make those 20 sales rather than the 1.
I hadn’t heard about you until I saw your booth at AX (I came over because I saw another Howl cosplayer) and I was blown away by your art. I’m someone who has considered selling art at conventions on and off, and this video has definitely encouraged me to try sooner rather than later and at a smaller local convention at least to start out
I like cute decorative pins as a cheaper thing I tend to buy to support artists I like. I used to buy tons of prints, but I just don't have space to do anything with them now, which is the sad inevitable result of someone that's been to almost 2 decades of conventions. A $10-20 pin with a fun character design is easy to keep and display. I do notice you're have those big decorative playmats. Those are great. I use those as mouspads and tend to go through one a year as they wear over time. It's consumable art.
That was really insightful! Thanks for the breakdown. To your point about anime conventions typically having a younger crowd, it'd be interesting to know how you do at a con like Dragon*Con where attendees are generally older/more established and so many fandoms are present. I see your booth there every year and have a hallway full of your prints now!
I think Anime Expo needs a separate area for the artists where the public can actually go. Give the people cap times and sell them a ticket. If anime expo chibi can be a thing, we can do one for artists
I don't think they capped the tickets all that much lower. It barely sold out the day before the show. The crowds only seemed like less because there were more hangout areas for people to gather in when before their main option was to leave the con or wander the halls. I was in AA too, and despite being basically an unknown artist with no fancy display, my sales were somehow better than yours so perhaps it was more your location than anything? Not sure as I was just 1 aisle over from you. Also, sometimes fancy displays end up hurting because of visual confusion. Customers usually aren't artists and might not appreciate the craftmanship of a themed display if it makes it hard to focus on merch when they're busy with the crowd/friends. Keeping it neat and simple can work wonders~
I've been booking hotel block for AX, the last 2 AX, for 4 nights, was like 1k lol. So yeah you're right about that, although I expect artists to come earlier to prep so total for 1 room would probably at least 1.2k. But yes I also spent a lot less at AA this year than I did in 2022 and 23, I came with a set budget and didn't go over. I've moved away from buying keychains and small items and prefer one big central piece of something I really like (ihave a whole collage wall of prints in my room..idk what to do once i move lol or get married) BUT my friends bought a ton of cheaper items this year. In my experience since my friend and I had different fandoms, we bought more often from artists who had those buy 2 get 1 etc deals for multiple fandoms (or really cool original art). We probably wouldn't have bought otherwise if one of us didn't pitch in for the deal. I hope next year AX will be better for artists, but this year its definitely the uncertainty of the economy that impacted buying habits..I knew it did for me. However as a congoer I was very happy with the reduced amount of people and felt like this year was one of the best AX in a long time. Also your food costs were kinda insane to me! But its why I avoided the cafeteria as much as I could
I hate to say it but there's a standby list to get an artist alley and regular booth at AX. They could care less about if an individual artist or non-industry booth threatens to come back or has a bad time. They will literally just move down the list.
thank you so much for your transparency and your thoughts on products production, it’s quite eye opening and makes me rethink my own product line😅! and daaamn, these tables😮! wow, kudos to artists- they are impressive!🎉❤
Just wanted to say how much I appreciate this video, well all your videos, they're always incredibly insightful and the breakdowns and granularity of information you present is top notch. I'm just starting to get back into the con scene and I've been wondering about what the current vibe or feel is for pricing and consumer reaction. I mainly sell prints but they tend to be on the comparatively pricey side because I go with a pricier printer (INPRNT). Will have to consider adding something more budget-conscious maybe. Anyways yeah man, thanks again for another awesome video :)
Quality video from a quality artist 🎉 I loved this a lot and it was a nice surprise to see a new vid from you. You and Sang looked very lovely! I enjoyed how informational and humorous this was. I had a fun time seeing everyone’s table setups on instagram as a spectator. I thought everyone’s creativity was on full blast with how everyone set up their tables. Your table setup has always been an inspiration for me. Cool vid 👍🏼
artist alley used to be easier for sure XD 10 years ago you hardly saw even charms at AA, you could sell laminated paper charms, or shrinky dinks, button makers were novelty. it was a different time AND i'd make more money then too. i don't hate the current AA vibe but going in as a noob is going to hurt so much more than it used to just in growing pains of having to compete with a mostly manufactured AA. i want to do AX at least once in my AA career, so gonna give it my all applying for next year.
Yeah, the artist alley at the local con in my area has had the same problem, just easier to see since it's been shrinking every year. Artists aren't making the money back to justify it, and you can tell by how the con is starting to fill floor space in the artist alley hall with other stuff to make it look more alive by condensing foot traffic. Doesn't help that it happens the same weekend as another major con 2 states over and still charges an arm and a leg for a 1-day table.
Lower priced items have carried me through 2024, it's been rough! My price range is $3-$40 and I'd love to introduce higher priced items, currently my average sale is ~$30. It's getting hard to justify vending at expensive giant cons/travel (even though I love them) vs smaller local events where I might make the same/more with an older audience. I don't sell fan art either, and fine art/oddities events are definitely better for me than fandom cons.
Great video. Just came back from a con myself as an attendee and yes I did feel like I wanted to spend less. Gosh the drinks at every restaurant I went to cost half the meal cost. I went with water all weekend. There were loads of different artist alley stickers I wanted to buy, but even that ($7 for a sticker at one booth) was over my budget. I ended up turning down many items after I heard the price ($40 for a manga book). I was looking everywhere for Dungeon Meshi stuff. I see why that print did well.
$40 CAD is my cap at conventions per art piece. Something not huge and hard to get around a convention, but bigger than a postcard is what I'm looking for. ^^
I’m an artist in the Southeast. Vendors and Artists have been struggling down here too. At one Con, sellers were increasing their prices on Sunday to try and break even. I do one of a kind paintings but I keep my prices very reasonable ($40-120) to be fair. I’m now branching out with other products just to break even
I can't remember the last time I moved an original piece. No one can afford even what I have to ask for handcolors. 90% of what I move is stickers, cheap small prints, and notecards.
@@vectorwolf yeah my stuff generally moves well and it helps how there’s a guy at most of the same Cons doing cheap knock offs of what I do, but charges the same price. I just put my first order in with Vograce to see how those smaller more affordable items do
i am a casual artist but your videos always make me wanna go ham and put up a booth and at least try it out once. i don't need that "car into booth" experience tho
I love your videos so much! They get better and better every time you upload. This entire thing I laughed and cried for you. You’re such a great story teller with how dynamic your body language and voice are in this and the memes had me. I am so sorry you had to deal with all of this good lord.
I recently went to an anime convention on a much smaller scale, and I'm not surprised your Dungeon Meshi print was your top seller. The majority of cosplayers were either cosplaying a hoyoverse (genshin/star rail) character, OR Dungeon Meshi. I went as a genshin character, but the thing I most wanted to see in artists ally was Dungeon Meshi art, of which there was sadly very little. If you had been at that convention, I would have 100% walked away with at least one copy of that print :3
Wow! I bought some of your art at one of the Sugoi Saturday/Sundays in Anaheim. Didn't get your socials/name and never knew how to find your art. Just randomly got your video recommended today and was shocked to recognize your art!
AX was my first time selling my art, although that was over 10 years ago. after seeing these booths i can't imagine doing it now 😭 i wouldn't even know where to begin with building mine. that being said i did pretty well for myself at the time and actually turned a profit. i didn't attend AX this year, couldn't afford it, but man idk if i would ever vend again. that competition is so steep. i'll probably stick to just shopping.
I was wanting to know if you are willing to share what kind of equipment you use for your setup that you were referring to. The camera/streaming rig etc.
@@Inkwell Didn't expect a response that crazy fast lmao, while I'm still watching the video goddamn, BUT TYSM Imma run and check them out 🙏🏃♂It looks amazing frfr, u make a great howl amen 😩
Ngl i managed to scrape as much as I can for just entry in anime expo, it did blow me away when i saw these cute tiny gold key chains with spinny arms for 20 dollars each, but all i could think about was that I could just about afford food and lunch for the next day from the marukai Market in little tokyo. Or even buy groceries for the 4 days I was there.
We must RIOT against the machines! >:( But in all seriousness, please keep these videos up! I haven't started vending at conventions yet since there aren't many fitting ones around me, but I sold at a music/art festival for the first time last month and would not have been able to do so without all the advice and insights! Thank you so much for sharing all this ❤❤❤
I still want a ticket just to go to Artist Alley for LAX, because that's 90% of my visit (the other 10% is just me trying to get my money worth) Also, shocks me that AA attendees leave their products behind- so much trust that I dont have haha
the only thing i would say though about less crowds is that people like me will have more inclination to actually browse the aisles and buy things. I did not buy anything last year or the year before that. I took one look at those crowds and dipped lol
NGL at anime con, you will find people asleep under tables. I believe this man when he says he has slept underneath his table before. It happens, sleepy time comes for us all. Ok I found where you messed up. You jinxed yourself when you shook your table and said "Knock this over, i double dog dare you" universe said "bet"
This reminded me how in Mexico you'll have stands outside of the cons, typically they'd sell lower quality stuff, and none of it was original, but I wonder if they even pay anything at all to set up on the sidewalk. That was decades ago tho, don't know how the scene there is now, but yeah here in the states they wouldn't let you do that lol, but what if all of it was on your person... 🤔 like a wlaking stand 😆
AX Artist Alley is absolutely HORRIBLE I went 2 years and holy hell people, if you think the front of the Merch venue was crowded, Artist Alley you HAVE to be touching someone to go somewhere, it is AWFUL. There is no space to walk, no space to stand there, you cant look and stand at a booth before people start pushing you OR start sniffing someone's sweaty neck OR inhaling someone's SNEEZE. I feel terrible for all the artists in the middle of each row because it was so uncomfortable......
You briefly contrasted the Anime Expo with other types of shows, but unless I missed it, what other broad types of conventions are you comparing with? More locally-focused anime/fandom conventions? Broader fan events, like Comic Con and PAX? Or dedicated art events? Love the videos and the continued insights into the business side of the fandom-art industry.
Is it illegal to set up your own security cam at your booth? I feel like theft and things like this happen way too often now at conventions :( Other than that, thank you for the breakdown! I honestly never considered fluctuating my prices based on consumer market, but it makes a lot of sense.
aw man! i didn't get to see your booth! because artist alley was super duper crowded (at least for me) I only went through about 5 rows out of however many there were. i would of bought that magikarp bag right away! someday i want to have a booth in artist alley AX! someday... i have some art that I do think people would love haha,
I'm new and don't know the full story from last year, did the convention reimburse you guys for the damaged booths? Or did all of you have to pay for the losses out of pocket?
It happens with union, these people damage things and laugh it off. I’ve seen it happen at AX and comiccon, but at least you stuff wasn’t stolen by their volunteer staff.
Holy crap! That's all it cost for a both? I showcased my work at C2E2 like 10 years ago and it cost me 2000! I didn't sell a single thing. I ended up quitting my job to do it because I thought people liked my work good enough. It sent me into a spiral that almost made me homeless. I swore never to do a large convention ever again.
c2e2 Artist alley tables are cheaper from my experience, like 450-500 something. it sounds like you purchased an exhibitor booth which can hurt sales if you're an artist. People look for art in the artist alley, I know a lot of art collectors that don't even go into the exhibitor section at some shows. it also is way more expensive as it seems you found out first hand so a lose-lose.
@@2222nova3 I should also mention sales tax is not included here, we collect that as well but I don’t add that into my gross income listed here, it just gets payed right to the state so that would not effects the numbers here
Genuinely shocked the con did nothing to help smh. Like I know there’s prolly a “sign here so the con isn’t responsibly for damage of your booth” but literally nothing???
@@parkerm5051 it was a bit disappointing to say the least, but the volunteers did help me clean stuff up so that was nice.
I'm not. I sold at AX in 2014 and had stuff stolen from my table after hours. Displays were dismantled in order to take specific items and food and drinks were taken. I reported it to staff and was told that they'd investigate.
at that point you go to police and make a report or something as that is a total safety issue and the person operating the "automotive" would have to pay for the damages and have there "licenses" removed or have to go back to training and who ever hired them would be charged
So many artists i follow on twitter who were at AX said they had stuff stolen from their booth or belongings (someone had their goddamn walking aid stolen) and nothing was done about it. Super disappointing to hear!
@@anena2487 it’s wild how this happens every year after hours and every year they never address the questionable security
Agree on why artist sales aren't as high the year previous. I just did a local show and didn't hit my goal, and when speaking to the regulars, they all said their sales were down between 30-40% which is a huge chunk. Here's to hoping the economy improves.
Cause Economy sucky sucky makes us brokey brokey. These past 2 years have been financial hell for so many people and Cons and Art are pretty much luxuries as is, couple it in with how things are now and there just isn't as much disposable income as before. When Times are lean, I don't envy those that work in areas like artistry.
That was a fun video. I retired from doing artist alley years ago because it got way too expensive, but I'm really proud and impressed at how booths and merch has grown over the last decade. Thanks for the transparent break down :D
Ngl, if I knew food would be that expensive id definitely go prior to a grocery store or something and bring a cooler. I'll definitely keep that in mind if I ever table lol. Love seeing the booths, its like gamers showing off their pc builds, but for tabling artists/creatives.
gotta get the latest graphics card!
I vend at one of my local cons and have for a few years; my friend and I ALWAYS bring a cooler for food and pack things like sandwiches and prepackaged dry snacks. I personally like to stop by a store with bulk foods and get things like trail mixes or dried fruits. It helps a TON.
Thats what we do. We always go to like Costco or Walmart and bring alot of food with us in the cooler for our room.
but why would you lie?
@@bobhill-ol7wp bro what are you yapping about
Last year, thousands of people complained about the lack of air conditioning, oxygen, and space. I'd think AX learned from that (and wanted to avoid possible legal trouble) by putting a cap on attendees. Pure speculation, but that paired with the state of our economy would def lead to smaller sales for the majority. Hoping for better con turnouts and spending behavior by next year, though!
@@karenalleluia 100% that’s what I was thinking
Your videos are just such a great mix of humor/entertainment value/insightful artist advice and it's the best??? Thank you!!!
@@demichenart that’s great to hear, thanks!
Hey Inkwell! Love your vids and your amazing transparency! Thank you for it.
I was working at AX this year as a booth worker for an industry booth up in the Ex. Hall (not *big big industry* but still technically industry). We were there to make sales primarily, and then do some marketing, but sales primarily. 100,000% agree with you: The main action nowadays for Anime Shows is in the Artist Alley, absolutely. Also very much agree that there was far less attendees at the show compared to years past, which, from a business perspective, feels a bit vexing, but definitely on a safety-perspective and as an attendee feels real nice. I wanted to stop by and say hey but when I walked by you had a mini-congestion at your booth so I let you be. Glad there were no assassination attempts from convention services trucks!
Thank you for your insight! Keep up the amazing work and keep continuing to be an amazing resource for new and curious artists! See you at Gen Con in a few weeks! :)
@@zazamospanapolus sorry I missed you at AX, To Gencon we go! 🙏
I'm currently upgrading my booth from the acursed walls built MacGyver style out of grid cube sections to a wood peg board and *I can't wait* to get rid of these spawns of satan! But also, wow those are some amazing and inspiring booths out there! I was going to level it up anyway, but now I want to ~level it up~
@@tiakinsmanart hell yeah! Glow up time!
Right like last year thousandskies had there truck stolen and lost half of their inventory last year (they found out that some people were selling there stuff at a swapmeet in Oakland) and this year
quaphadoodle somebody (probably the same people) broke into their van and had all of their most expensive and easy to transport inventory stolen. like what the heck is going??
@@MelodiedeVivre that’s wild, I heard about the truck from last year but wasn’t aware something happened again, now that feels super targeted like who would think to steal con merch randomly
This is interesting, our sales were actually up 20% this year 😮
I wonder if location played a really big role? We were in that back aisle last year. We did have 6 new prints though! So that could have played a role for sure!
@@DevinElleKurtzArt location felt off for sure, I talked to a few other who were up this year as well, but that was not the majority, I do think I just probably need to make a bunch of new work for cons, I’ve been quite lazy about that, it’s just weird to me that my AB numbers were way better then AX this year. Giving me mixed signals
@@Inkwell Yeah that is super weird. What section were you in for AB? It was slightly below average for me when I did it but it was when Sang and I were in that section that had bad traffic flow. AX is significantly better for me than that.
I think the new prints really help us a ton at these repeat shows, I find that year over year, my print sales of old prints (even bestsellers) tends to trend down, so unless we replace them with new bestsellers, my averages go down (we ran into that at fanime one year). But youre right that the overall trend at AX was for people to be down a bit. I had a new mega bestseller at AX and that may have made all the difference actually (plus location)
AX was also our best con of the year so far.
@@geneljumalon4554 Same here, usually only Gencon or NYCC could dethrone it lol
great insight as always. I'm from Indonesia and sell my works overseas, the majority of my customer/collectors are from US. I also found that my overseas sales has been dropped a lot, and knowing a big artist like you experiencing this too shows that the US economy is in a shaky spot. Totally agree on the diversified price range
The way you deliver stories is always so fun! I'm glad that the event still was worth for you.
Last year at AX, when we were packing up for the day, one of those forklifts was going around. I assume one of those hit your table. I'm surprised it went off path and destroyed so much. At least someone should've taken responsibility.
During the last few days, I was walking around and enjoying the con. The crowd is a lot less compared to previous edition. As a visitor, it was pretty nice. From a business perspective, it was below expectations. Seeing all those creative table setups got me pumped to work on my own. Thank you for showing so many inspirations in your videos!
Thanks for watching and best of luck
Unrelated to anything but want to mention i clicked because i recognize this booth from the convention i went to just a few weeks ago. I love the setup
Thanks for your transparency and entertaining content. I just started doing conventions this year and hope one day I can afford a baja blast too
@@zecypher 🤣 I believe in you!
To your point towards the end about offering more low-priced items, not a bad thought at all, but if we’re talking about profit purely it helps me to remember that in order to make $100 I can either sell 20 $5 items or, a single $100 item. *Sometimes* it can be more time/more effort/more resources spent to make those 20 sales rather than the 1.
I hadn’t heard about you until I saw your booth at AX (I came over because I saw another Howl cosplayer) and I was blown away by your art. I’m someone who has considered selling art at conventions on and off, and this video has definitely encouraged me to try sooner rather than later and at a smaller local convention at least to start out
On top of always being super helpful - Kokomi stan? call him GOATWELL
@@iscott5279 🐐👁️👄👁️
I like cute decorative pins as a cheaper thing I tend to buy to support artists I like. I used to buy tons of prints, but I just don't have space to do anything with them now, which is the sad inevitable result of someone that's been to almost 2 decades of conventions. A $10-20 pin with a fun character design is easy to keep and display. I do notice you're have those big decorative playmats. Those are great. I use those as mouspads and tend to go through one a year as they wear over time. It's consumable art.
XD You are such a storyteller!! This dramatic retelling and the images/videos were amazing! Thank you. Also, need that Howl coat, you look impecable.
Thank You!!!😁
Omg, I love your Howl cosplay jacket.
it must've been shocking to arrive for the day and find that! and even more shocking that the con did nothing to help 😮
honestly, i went straight into fix-it mode, so the wildness of the situation didn't hit me till hours later
That was really insightful! Thanks for the breakdown. To your point about anime conventions typically having a younger crowd, it'd be interesting to know how you do at a con like Dragon*Con where attendees are generally older/more established and so many fandoms are present. I see your booth there every year and have a hallway full of your prints now!
Great and informative video! best of luck in your future work!! I hope mall security learns how to drive...sheesh
I think Anime Expo needs a separate area for the artists where the public can actually go. Give the people cap times and sell them a ticket. If anime expo chibi can be a thing, we can do one for artists
Keep em coming Dustin, Enjoyed seeing how many artists embraced art caves again for AX! 😅
@@vonnart we all activated goblin mode in unison
I don't think they capped the tickets all that much lower. It barely sold out the day before the show. The crowds only seemed like less because there were more hangout areas for people to gather in when before their main option was to leave the con or wander the halls.
I was in AA too, and despite being basically an unknown artist with no fancy display, my sales were somehow better than yours so perhaps it was more your location than anything? Not sure as I was just 1 aisle over from you. Also, sometimes fancy displays end up hurting because of visual confusion. Customers usually aren't artists and might not appreciate the craftmanship of a themed display if it makes it hard to focus on merch when they're busy with the crowd/friends. Keeping it neat and simple can work wonders~
the table with the print wheel OMG this is a whole other lvl of table game ahahushuahsuahushua
its was crazy to see in person, really cool design
last time ive been to AX was 2019 the artist alley did not look as extravagant as that. people really popped off with their booths
its getting crazier every year
I've been booking hotel block for AX, the last 2 AX, for 4 nights, was like 1k lol. So yeah you're right about that, although I expect artists to come earlier to prep so total for 1 room would probably at least 1.2k. But yes I also spent a lot less at AA this year than I did in 2022 and 23, I came with a set budget and didn't go over. I've moved away from buying keychains and small items and prefer one big central piece of something I really like (ihave a whole collage wall of prints in my room..idk what to do once i move lol or get married) BUT my friends bought a ton of cheaper items this year. In my experience since my friend and I had different fandoms, we bought more often from artists who had those buy 2 get 1 etc deals for multiple fandoms (or really cool original art). We probably wouldn't have bought otherwise if one of us didn't pitch in for the deal.
I hope next year AX will be better for artists, but this year its definitely the uncertainty of the economy that impacted buying habits..I knew it did for me. However as a congoer I was very happy with the reduced amount of people and felt like this year was one of the best AX in a long time.
Also your food costs were kinda insane to me! But its why I avoided the cafeteria as much as I could
Unbelievable that they are quick to take your money but not to help! To the organisers….Look beeches, without the artists you would be nothing!
I hate to say it but there's a standby list to get an artist alley and regular booth at AX. They could care less about if an individual artist or non-industry booth threatens to come back or has a bad time. They will literally just move down the list.
Love your art business insight as always, but besides that, can I just say the pacing and humor of this video might be your best yet? Loved the energy
@@pepsinarcolepsy thanks you watching, it was a fun edit to work on
The booths look so good
Not just the US economy. Had a similar experience recently at Japan Expo Paris
thank you so much for your transparency and your thoughts on products production, it’s quite eye opening and makes me rethink my own product line😅! and daaamn, these tables😮! wow, kudos to artists- they are impressive!🎉❤
Just wanted to say how much I appreciate this video, well all your videos, they're always incredibly insightful and the breakdowns and granularity of information you present is top notch. I'm just starting to get back into the con scene and I've been wondering about what the current vibe or feel is for pricing and consumer reaction. I mainly sell prints but they tend to be on the comparatively pricey side because I go with a pricier printer (INPRNT). Will have to consider adding something more budget-conscious maybe.
Anyways yeah man, thanks again for another awesome video :)
Quality video from a quality artist 🎉
I loved this a lot and it was a nice surprise to see a new vid from you. You and Sang looked very lovely! I enjoyed how informational and humorous this was. I had a fun time seeing everyone’s table setups on instagram as a spectator. I thought everyone’s creativity was on full blast with how everyone set up their tables. Your table setup has always been an inspiration for me. Cool vid 👍🏼
@@Kikopaints_ thank you 😭
Possibly your most fun video to watch yet.
👁️👄👁️
Truck kun tried to Isekai you lol
Better luck next time 😅
artist alley used to be easier for sure XD 10 years ago you hardly saw even charms at AA, you could sell laminated paper charms, or shrinky dinks, button makers were novelty. it was a different time AND i'd make more money then too. i don't hate the current AA vibe but going in as a noob is going to hurt so much more than it used to just in growing pains of having to compete with a mostly manufactured AA. i want to do AX at least once in my AA career, so gonna give it my all applying for next year.
Always love the fun storytelling of your vids
Thank you for being transparent as always! I learn sm from ur vids💛
Yeah, the artist alley at the local con in my area has had the same problem, just easier to see since it's been shrinking every year. Artists aren't making the money back to justify it, and you can tell by how the con is starting to fill floor space in the artist alley hall with other stuff to make it look more alive by condensing foot traffic. Doesn't help that it happens the same weekend as another major con 2 states over and still charges an arm and a leg for a 1-day table.
Definitely having afew cheaper products along with the higher prices is definitely a good idea.
Lower priced items have carried me through 2024, it's been rough! My price range is $3-$40 and I'd love to introduce higher priced items, currently my average sale is ~$30. It's getting hard to justify vending at expensive giant cons/travel (even though I love them) vs smaller local events where I might make the same/more with an older audience. I don't sell fan art either, and fine art/oddities events are definitely better for me than fandom cons.
Bro fuck the security, they definitely didnt want to have to pay for damages
Loved seeing this video!!! Makes me so excited for my own artist alley journey :D
@@RadioScars best of luck! Make that bread 🍞
Great video. Just came back from a con myself as an attendee and yes I did feel like I wanted to spend less. Gosh the drinks at every restaurant I went to cost half the meal cost. I went with water all weekend. There were loads of different artist alley stickers I wanted to buy, but even that ($7 for a sticker at one booth) was over my budget. I ended up turning down many items after I heard the price ($40 for a manga book). I was looking everywhere for Dungeon Meshi stuff. I see why that print did well.
$40 CAD is my cap at conventions per art piece. Something not huge and hard to get around a convention, but bigger than a postcard is what I'm looking for. ^^
I’m an artist in the Southeast. Vendors and Artists have been struggling down here too. At one Con, sellers were increasing their prices on Sunday to try and break even. I do one of a kind paintings but I keep my prices very reasonable ($40-120) to be fair. I’m now branching out with other products just to break even
I can't remember the last time I moved an original piece. No one can afford even what I have to ask for handcolors. 90% of what I move is stickers, cheap small prints, and notecards.
@@vectorwolf yeah my stuff generally moves well and it helps how there’s a guy at most of the same Cons doing cheap knock offs of what I do, but charges the same price. I just put my first order in with Vograce to see how those smaller more affordable items do
i am a casual artist but your videos always make me wanna go ham and put up a booth and at least try it out once.
i don't need that "car into booth" experience tho
I love your videos so much! They get better and better every time you upload. This entire thing I laughed and cried for you. You’re such a great story teller with how dynamic your body language and voice are in this and the memes had me.
I am so sorry you had to deal with all of this good lord.
So thankful for your sharing information and insights. I found you last year at Comic Con. Hope you’re there this year.
Great video @inkwell. Thank you so much for being so candid so we all (artists) can learn from each other.
glad its not just me that hates how those cubes look
Was great to see you again this year. I love my new desk mat, it's awesome.
Idk why I laughed so hard when you aggressively shaked the pole lol
Tested and true 🤣
This picture key chains would be kind of cool with your art style. For a more small/ Inexpensive ideam idea.
I recently went to an anime convention on a much smaller scale, and I'm not surprised your Dungeon Meshi print was your top seller. The majority of cosplayers were either cosplaying a hoyoverse (genshin/star rail) character, OR Dungeon Meshi. I went as a genshin character, but the thing I most wanted to see in artists ally was Dungeon Meshi art, of which there was sadly very little. If you had been at that convention, I would have 100% walked away with at least one copy of that print :3
We’ve never seen you with this much energy 😂
To much Baja blast
@@Inkwell You really sound like that guy who makes videos like "A man has drank a thousand gallons of water, this is what happened to his liver"
Wow! I bought some of your art at one of the Sugoi Saturday/Sundays in Anaheim. Didn't get your socials/name and never knew how to find your art. Just randomly got your video recommended today and was shocked to recognize your art!
Loved this video. I really appreciate your transparency with how much money you made.
AX was my first time selling my art, although that was over 10 years ago. after seeing these booths i can't imagine doing it now 😭 i wouldn't even know where to begin with building mine. that being said i did pretty well for myself at the time and actually turned a profit. i didn't attend AX this year, couldn't afford it, but man idk if i would ever vend again. that competition is so steep. i'll probably stick to just shopping.
I was wanting to know if you are willing to share what kind of equipment you use for your setup that you were referring to. The camera/streaming rig etc.
link in the bio
I need to know where you have that howl jacket from, pretty pretty please 😭🙏
@@zwib I commissioned it from the artist Dere Costumes
@@Inkwell Didn't expect a response that crazy fast lmao, while I'm still watching the video goddamn, BUT TYSM Imma run and check them out 🙏🏃♂It looks amazing frfr, u make a great howl amen 😩
NOOOO! Bro that sucks so much! I always love your booth! It's by far my favorite booth when when you come to Fanime where I live. ; n;
Ngl i managed to scrape as much as I can for just entry in anime expo, it did blow me away when i saw these cute tiny gold key chains with spinny arms for 20 dollars each, but all i could think about was that I could just about afford food and lunch for the next day from the marukai Market in little tokyo. Or even buy groceries for the 4 days I was there.
We must RIOT against the machines! >:( But in all seriousness, please keep these videos up! I haven't started vending at conventions yet since there aren't many fitting ones around me, but I sold at a music/art festival for the first time last month and would not have been able to do so without all the advice and insights! Thank you so much for sharing all this ❤❤❤
That's awesome congrats on your first show! and best of luck to your future ones.
@@Inkwell Thank you so much, and same to you!
It was a real help the breakdown for all and the cosplay duo dynamics where in sync for your energy ! Thanks for sharing
I still want a ticket just to go to Artist Alley for LAX, because that's 90% of my visit (the other 10% is just me trying to get my money worth)
Also, shocks me that AA attendees leave their products behind- so much trust that I dont have haha
The Neopets fund at 7:17!
amazing and underrated video 🙌🏻
Your videos are so entertaining!
This vid is iconic, instant subscribe
great video! also now realizing I need a chubbyemu and inkwell colab hahaha
@@fussyfissy oh that would be fun
the only thing i would say though about less crowds is that people like me will have more inclination to actually browse the aisles and buy things. I did not buy anything last year or the year before that. I took one look at those crowds and dipped lol
You sound like Alan from smiling friends but genuinely,I’m sorry that had happened to you and they did nothing and took no responsibility for
"Nobody tried to murder me, so good year." 😂
@@marymaza2187 😅
NGL at anime con, you will find people asleep under tables. I believe this man when he says he has slept underneath his table before. It happens, sleepy time comes for us all. Ok I found where you messed up. You jinxed yourself when you shook your table and said "Knock this over, i double dog dare you" universe said "bet"
This was a fun watch. I have never been to an artist alley, but they look interesting.
This reminded me how in Mexico you'll have stands outside of the cons, typically they'd sell lower quality stuff, and none of it was original, but I wonder if they even pay anything at all to set up on the sidewalk. That was decades ago tho, don't know how the scene there is now, but yeah here in the states they wouldn't let you do that lol, but what if all of it was on your person... 🤔 like a wlaking stand 😆
@ 4:43 that unfortunate foreshadowing, someone clearly went "bet"
AX Artist Alley is absolutely HORRIBLE I went 2 years and holy hell people, if you think the front of the Merch venue was crowded, Artist Alley you HAVE to be touching someone to go somewhere, it is AWFUL. There is no space to walk, no space to stand there, you cant look and stand at a booth before people start pushing you OR start sniffing someone's sweaty neck OR inhaling someone's SNEEZE. I feel terrible for all the artists in the middle of each row because it was so uncomfortable......
You briefly contrasted the Anime Expo with other types of shows, but unless I missed it, what other broad types of conventions are you comparing with? More locally-focused anime/fandom conventions? Broader fan events, like Comic Con and PAX? Or dedicated art events? Love the videos and the continued insights into the business side of the fandom-art industry.
SOOOO FUNNNN!!!! WISH I CAN BE THERE TO SUPPORT!
This made me a bit more confident about doing artist alleys. Now to get over that fear of flying 😮💨
I also hate flying, why do I have this job 🥲
new inkwell video fuck yessss
None of the magnitude and splendor of Anime Expo could hope to match that outfit you're wearing! ;)~
Is it illegal to set up your own security cam at your booth? I feel like theft and things like this happen way too often now at conventions :(
Other than that, thank you for the breakdown! I honestly never considered fluctuating my prices based on consumer market, but it makes a lot of sense.
Oh girl I hope you had insurance for that show 😭
I did, but I had to file a police report to fulfill my clam which just wasn’t worth the effort, I swear insurance is a scam
How did you design the thin banners on the left side of your booth. I'm wanting to design book marks
Dude, How many times do you need to be told to stop?
aw man! i didn't get to see your booth! because artist alley was super duper crowded (at least for me) I only went through about 5 rows out of however many there were. i would of bought that magikarp bag right away! someday i want to have a booth in artist alley AX! someday... i have some art that I do think people would love haha,
AX pretty much cares about profit plus they’re corporate. ALA is a lot more friendlier.
I'm new and don't know the full story from last year, did the convention reimburse you guys for the damaged booths? Or did all of you have to pay for the losses out of pocket?
They didn’t offer any compensation
@@Inkwell That's rough! Thanks for answering, your con videos are always super interesting!
Lovebot always attacks between 2-3am.
It happens with union, these people damage things and laugh it off. I’ve seen it happen at AX and comiccon, but at least you stuff wasn’t stolen by their volunteer staff.
Holy crap! That's all it cost for a both?
I showcased my work at C2E2 like 10 years ago and it cost me 2000! I didn't sell a single thing. I ended up quitting my job to do it because I thought people liked my work good enough.
It sent me into a spiral that almost made me homeless. I swore never to do a large convention ever again.
c2e2 Artist alley tables are cheaper from my experience, like 450-500 something. it sounds like you purchased an exhibitor booth which can hurt sales if you're an artist. People look for art in the artist alley, I know a lot of art collectors that don't even go into the exhibitor section at some shows. it also is way more expensive as it seems you found out first hand so a lose-lose.
woah wait was that you at connor's charity auction?
Always wanted to do con but i dont got the money, the skill or the will to draw fanart of popular stuff lol
the only thing I THINK you forgot to include was the tax to the state.
@@2222nova3 fair point however tax rates are public easy math if someone really wanted to figure it out
@@2222nova3 I should also mention sales tax is not included here, we collect that as well but I don’t add that into my gross income listed here, it just gets payed right to the state so that would not effects the numbers here