Artist Alley - What to Sell at a Convention

Today we're continuing on with some artist alley tips! For a first time artist, it might be a bit daunting to answer the question: "what do I sell?" There's a lot of things to consider, so let's break it down!
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[@CipherSister]

I have literally never seen a convention have a fan art rule. All the stuff I buy at cons are fan art pieces

[@novemberninth4392]

Haha sameee

[@che7941]

It depends on the country but most Conventions actually do. Many Artists dont give a shit though and do it anyway.

[@brontoofthesaurus2674]

New Zealand doesn't care haha.

[@finaltheorygames1781]

The conventions are expensive when you buy a booth. So if I only had fan art to sell and they wanted to say no then I would ask for a refund. That simple. Unless you are doing something 100% illegal then usually its okay to sell whatever.

[@suides4810]

@@finaltheorygames1781 fanart isusually only semi-legal

[@Toribell1928]

For me, I never sell fanart of anything that is small or independent media but anything super mainstream like Nintendo, certain anime, etc. aka Corporate Big Boys are fair game to me (as long as they aren’t really strict about fan art in a scary way). Basically if my selling a product could hurt that small company in any way I won’t do it but if it’s just a drop in the ocean🤷‍♂️

[@stewyhosseini]

Same, if it’s a big corporation then I feel like it’s fair game 🤷‍♀️

[@Marie-di5gl]

I think it could be a good way to spread awareness and advertise the original product! But make contact with the smaller artist and ask if they're ok with this.

[@insaneunderblade480]

This is so relieving to see someone says just sell what you like to draw. One of my family says to make fanarts or sth that people like. But as I draw the art, I become more frustrated. Thank you so much on sharing your knowledge in this video!

[@alocuana]

i'm super scared to sell at conventions, my family keeps telling me i should but i'm terrified haha

[@sixdsix5028]

Just do it, I did one in 2018 and flopped hard, but I plan to try again in 2022. People tend to regret what they didn't do more than what they did at the end of their lives.

[@FireflyRaye]

SixDSix gave great advice! If it's something you want to do, I say go for it. I've also flopped hard at several conventions when I started out, but I never regretted trying. It may ease your nerves to do a small convention that is local to you, so you aren't spending a lot of money on travel or admission.

[@Zinarei]

Thank you for the information. The idea of selling at a con is so daunting, honestly. I've been pushing it back for years now, but I really ought to just bite the very intimidating-looking bullet.

[@FireflyRaye]

You can do it! It never hurts to give it a try. I wish you the best of luck!

[@bobateapenguin]

Thank you for all of these artist alley videos! I've recently started doing more conventions and I just had one last Saturday! These tips have honestly helped me what I should sell and how do display my items. I've only done three conventions so far but I want to do more of them!

[@FireflyRaye]

I'm so happy to hear this! Good luck with all your future conventions! :D

[@rcquibic8571]

Thank you for this video!!!! A friend who I share a table with sometimes on conventions always asks me how many merch I've made and if I tell her I've only done a bit, she immediately pushes me to make more. That's why I'm glad I watched your video. Now I won't feel guilty even if I didn't get to make so many art.

[@0._aika_.034]

The Google doc in the description can’t be accessed anymore unless you join a discord server. But you can only join if you’re already someone who has drawn for an artist alley (as far as I’m aware), which is a little bad for people who just got into wanting to draw fanart :( is there another document or site that you can recommend?

[@alexandrazapatamultimedia]

I've never done an artist alley before so this is incredibly helpful information! Thanks for these videos!

[@viktoriamerkel6514]

Thank you so much. Just found your channel with the artist alley tips and it's really helpful for me. I plan on having a table in an alley for the first time and it's a good third opinion.

[@Cosmicxcrimson]

this was really helpful!! I really enjoy these videos so keep up the good work!

[@george.harrrison.]

This is my dream job and your videos are so helpful! I need to get my art quality up, but in a few years, I might be able to do this for a living!

[@dodobirdsrock]

YOU ARE AMAZING!! Thank you so much for answering my comment full of questions! You answered it so fully, I feel excited and confident about getting ready for the first one! I hope you have a stellar weekend, FireflyRaye!

[@FireflyRaye]

So glad to hear this! :D I'm happy I could help! I hope you have a great weekend too!

[@shannon_j.b.]

God bless you! This is just what I was looking for!

[@maskedfoxx7173]

I find it kind of surprising that these big companies take such an issue with fans selling fan art. Like bruh, you already makin' millions and your fans are just some kids tryna make a living. They've probably only made a couple hundred (possibly thousands if they're popular or have been doing it for a long time) off of selling fan art of your stuff and that in no way directly takes from your profits. I personally would be so pleased to see people drawing fan art of my stuff and would even highly encourage artists to sell fan art.

[@FireflyRaye]

It definitely sounds counter-intuitive to take issue with fan art, doesn't it? It actively harms the community built around your IP. I think a lot of the time companies have to take issue, because if they don't they lose out on their right to claim their IP... at least that's what someone explained to me once, I'm not sure how accurate that is.

[@hellaradusername]

If you can make 1" pins it's pretty easy to make little fridge magnets with your artwork, I've bought a bunch over the years

[@priminhos1000]

99% of my art is fan art , yikes

[@ragedsycokiller]

You might need to throw some original works then lol. It'll help grow your fanbase for your own work as well

[@FireflyRaye]

I agree with Ram; while I don't see any real issue with mostly drawing fan art, I think in the long-term it's good to start producing your own original works. You'd be surprised how many people respond positively to seeing their favorite artist produce original pieces!

[@ariv172]

Thank youuu for these tips! I just started out and someone suggested To go to cons and I was clueless until I saw this video! Thank youuuuuu so muuuchhh 💖💖🌙🌙💕✨✨

[@sinyabun]

I second the choice advice so much! I often prefer fewer choices where its easy and fast to see what a person is selling. I feel subcontious about holding a line while browsing a big selection, so a 10-25 variety of choices is my favorite to browse. Heck recently when I was buying a print (the artist having 3 for sale) while they were finding a copy of it for me, I decided to also buy one of the other prints. Fewer good polished choices can sometimes lead to a client buying one of everything ^^

[@shiikato9562]

I just went to my first con, and motivated to sell works hopefully in my next one thank you for these!

[@penguovo9514]

Selling fanarts is prohibited on German conventions but sometimes I see people selling them though. It seems like some events to ban people who sell them but still claim they aren't legal to sell there. There was a case where one even got sued by a company..

[@dropinarte]

Omg danke für die Info sonst hätte ich das nämlich gemacht xD

[@ChismosaPrincesa]

Thank you! This was so helpful 🥰

[@YourUndead]

Thank you for making this video.

[@pomegraphite]

I really appreciated this video. Your artist alley videos were some of the ones I'd been referencing while prepping for my first tabling event a few months back :) The fan art rule always seems a bit weird to me, especially since I've seen that run at conventions where.. there was very clearly fan art being sold all over the place. I figure the convention states it in case an artist ends up in legal trouble with IP usage.

[@FireflyRaye]

Bingo! It's exactly that. The whole thing is so legally gray, so it's understandable that conventions want to cover their bases. Thank you for your kind words! I'm so glad these videos helped you!

[@Amourenjoy4ever]

Thank you! I'll be selling at a local small popup market. It was cheap for a booth and beside: stickers, bookmarks. I could not for the life of think of other things beside postcard sized prints!

[@dxrky_5536]

OMG TYSM IMMA FOLLOW!!! You are a life saver 🥲

[@staffofthoma8283]

Omg, why don’t you have more subs??? I love your channel so far. Btw, I have a question regarding several items. How many should you stock charms/pins for a first time vendor (for example: one design=25 pins), and how many designs should you make?

[@FireflyRaye]

Thank you! And this is definitely a good question, please be on the lookout for a video about this in the near future! :)

[@NANA-vb2rc]

oop most of my works that i'm selling at the next con are fanart LOL, i have two original designs but 🙊🙊guess we'll see

[@FireflyRaye]

Nothing wrong with that! You draw what makes your happiest to draw :)

[@melodicPalette]

Thank you so much for this video, I found it really informative as Im beginning my process of trying to table at my first convention! I love your art and videos, keep up the good work ❤

[@FireflyRaye]

Thank you! I hope to have more videos out soon! :)

[@sociallyirrelevant5855]

Hi, great video! I'm looking to be a vendor at a local convention and your video popped up! I was wondering about what I should report as earnings to the irs, and if I need to collect sales tax.

[@granny-nyan]

thank you!

[@WeirdIsTheBest]

Such amazing tips. Thank you for sharing. You mentioned that we can find IPs list in the description, but I can’t see it there. Could you please share it?

[@barbycarbajal1853]

Thank you so much for you Artist Alley video series , I found it very helpful since I'm a beginner in this media. Can you please do a video about table displays? I think it would be a good one :D

[@FireflyRaye]

Great suggestion! I can certainly do a video on table displays :D Thank you for your kind words!

[@mariekuelbs9347]

I’d love to do this, but if only I had an ounce of artistic talent and the supplies. I don’t mind manning the booth though. (Also coronavirus, etc.) The whole thing sounds like fun.

[@Vipanen03]

I've been considering trying to apply for some artist valley for a while now. I'm planning on at first selling some A4 and A5 prints and some stickers at first. The thing is tho that I only draw Zelda fanart so that'll really narrow down my potential customers. Maybe I could do some pride stuff or meme stuff as well.

[@Johndoe-co3pw]

I find having a good mix between original art and fan based art is good at conventions I think it’s nice to grow your fan base with original art but also need to cover booth fees etc that’s where the fan art element helps financially.

[@kimjoyce1552]

hi! hope i get an answer here. gonna do my first booth in a bit less than a year and i literally have no idea how much to bring of what? its a relatively small con (2 1/2 days, about 5000 visitors). i rlly want to do din a 4, 5 & 6 prints and some stickers, mainly of my ocs and some pokemon themed ones. also, is a big display like behin/on top of your booth a MUST? bc i have literally no idea how to do that. thank you in advance for answers (if i get some)

[@user-id2rv9jd9b]

Hi, I'm actually working on making an Etsy shop before I try artist alley someday but I figure the info in these videos is helpful either way. 😊 I have a question though. Where do you find out if a company that is not on that list will allow fanart sales? I am making a print for Dragalia Lost, a mobile game. I tried searching on Google for the game and the company, but I just don't see any fanart rules... Maybe I'm using the wrong keywords?

[@asofyett]

Does anyone have an updated link for the ips that she mentioned at 5:10? It would be interesting to look at.

[@creationsbyvalerie]

Hi, how should you price your artwork? And should you paint over a painting that you did many years ago were you can see the paint lines or lack of fullness 🥺🖼 thanks ✌️

[@cosmicreef5858]

Original stuff is just as popular. Just think about it:Fanarts are also made of of someone's original art/character. :D The difference is that it got some good advertisements. :)

[@FireflyRaye]

This is an excellent point!

[@jadedwolvesart]

I made a pokemon color palette, i had it tagged with pokemon but it wasn't the pokemon just the colors. I was "yelled" at by the redbubble for the tag, so i had to weasel around it.

[@adelaiideAngel]

weird, i’ve literally never heard of the ratio thing for conventions. all the ones i’ve applied to simple say it should be your own work, and the only convention i’ve heard of that bans fanart entirely is ohayocon.

[@FireflyRaye]

I believe Otakon has a "no more than 50% fan art" rule, but every convention is different (a different commenter on this video even mentioned there's a convention that only allows fan art, which is new to me). The most common thing I see is like you said, just that it needs to be your own work and that original art is encouraged.

[@sacrificiallambchop3333]

Where do you print your shirts? I’ve looked and it’s so expensive!

[@KyrBear]

I tried to join the discord server but the Google doc survey is broken. I'm also surprised that this discord server is so strict. Perhaps to protect artists? It would be nice to have some common areas I can view without having to be an fully active member.

[@andrewgalatea733]

I wanna ask so I saw your IP link so technically I only can sell type of merch that's listed on that sheet like my hero academia (key chains) and can I sell my merch in an online shop app from my country or from instagram ... Sorry if u don't understand or if this is too long

[@dannyuniverse4295]

Should I put my signature on prints? I have noticed a lot of the prints I buy are not signed

[@FireflyRaye]

Up to you! I like to do it, but I know some artists don't. I like to do it because it's nice to have my "stamp" on my work. It's just a matter of preference.

[@TheKawaiifan]

I personally get annoyed when an artist doesn’t put a signature on. Harder to track em down, check out their other stuff and show em off to friends

[@tiratao]

you didn't provide the links you mentioned??

[@ayatoboba1145]

Question : what is the best file type to print my drawings? I always save it as JPEG and PNG are they good enough?

[@slippereend]

Hi Shiro! The file type for printing your art depends on what your printer wants. Usually PNG or PDF will work fine. If I were you I wouldn't use JPEG since your art will be compressed a lot and generally won't look as good as PNG or PDF. And don't forget that you wan't to work on a high DPI (300 instead of 72) to make sure it will look good when printed :)

[@ayatoboba1145]

Esther I see! Thank you so much for the help!

[@slippereend]

@@ayatoboba1145 You're welcome :) Good luck!

[@rachi1435]

@@slippereend But I thought you couldn't save a PNG in CMYK? If you have to print something doesn't it have to be in a CMYK color profile?

[@lilianhope1080]

Where do I find the link for the IPs? I can’t find it

[@acexsketches]

I’ve been trying to find which franchises are ok with people selling fan art but I really don’t get an answer and the doc on the link doesn’t work any more, anyone know where to find a list?

[@crazytoontown3291]

Hey, I can’t seem to find a link to wish to see what fanart it’s OK to sell an wish fanart is not. Can you send me the link? This will help me because I been trying to find websites that shows the yes or no to sell Fanart .

[@myliethegamerfox]

At a con are you aloud to just look at the con?

[@gabysart9484]

When most of the things you like are in that gray zone of could causes issues with the IP but you see EVERYWHERE it's very confusing. Like spy x family, there has been a few accounts on the server saying they got taken down yet when I look around I see so much people selling fanart online and cons.

[@andrearouillard7668]

My main question is.. how many prints should I make? Because I'm so worried about having too many/too few.. like, I don't know what a good base number is... I want to have different sizes available as well, so like, how many should I make per size? 🙈

[@sdh3401]

I'm seeking the same answer but I think that especially if it's your first alley, bring about 10-15 each (surprisingly, its a pretty thick stack despite the number) So if you're selling more of a variety of prints, sell 10 or so each If youre selling a way less variwty of prints, prints more that 10 per piece

[@andrearouillard7668]

@@sdh3401 thank you so much, that's super helpful 💕☺️☺️

[@FireflyRaye]

@Mandrei Bug gave some great advice! :) I agree with their suggestion, around 10 is a great starting number. You can always use the leftovers for future conventions, to sell online, or to give as gifts!

[@andrearouillard7668]

@@FireflyRaye thank you so much for replying! I really appreciate it ☺️ I'll definitely do that ☺️☺️😁

[@EllyBunny27]

im literally into almost nothing that is mainstreamm so i *have* to make fanart of shows/games i dont play... i dont like it either but a lot of anime im into are old/less popular and even that fanart doesnt sell... it is what it is :( thanks for this video tho!

[@fresa_cielo3395]

I’m currently in the same boat! Pretty much every piece of media I like is under the radar lol. But I’m gonna take that chance anyway, if it flops, oh well 🤷

[@wtora777]

Wait do you still have the link of the IP addresses

[@cmw2490]

Hi. I dont see anything listed on the link you provided about selling fanart, (maybe its because I'm on moble)

[@FireflyRaye]

It may be because you're on mobile. I don't know if you've had a chance to take a look at it on desktop, but there are tabs at the bottom of the spreadsheet in the link (they're labeled "US/Euro Media", "JPN Media", etc.) and that's where all the info is

[@danemiller4852]

Question.... What about fan fics? Do people sell their own stories about their favorite series at comicon? I've never been. But I've always wanted to go.

[@patheticmortal373]

In Japan it's allowed, but I've not seen it be legal elsewhere as it infringes on IP copywrites. I'd say have fan art if it's allowed, but for fanfic you could suggest your AO3/wattpad/other as additional info rather than a something you sell. As soon as you receive money the law may get involved.

[@alyssaannsolano1094]

I'm about to go to my very first art convention in 2 months and I'm panicking 😣 i dont know what to do

[@FireflyRaye]

It's okay! The first step is just figuring out what you'd like to sell. Since it's your first time, don't overload yourself with too much to do, just stick with a couple different kinds of items that you love to make. Once you figure that out, then it's just a matter of doing it! :) If you're struggling with how else to prepare for your first convention, I do have another video in this series called "Artist Alley - Convention Prep" that you may want to check out. It gives lots of tips on how to get organized. I wish you the best of luck!

[@goblinunleashed7346]

So I’m unsure where to ask this. I’m starting a dog leash buissness with leashes inspired by anime characters as well as original designs. Could I sell these at a con?

[@FireflyRaye]

I don't see why not! You can always apply to a convention, and the event organizers will let you know if they think it's a good fit for their convention or not.

[@strictlyserge]

Hey im an artist however i got a lot of troubles deciding with how much to bring. like Stickers how many designs should i do consequently con after con. i just try to do like at least 15 new desings but i just stress myself out way too much. i feel like my stuff will get old quickly

[@FireflyRaye]

Hey! This is something I have also struggled with in the past. For me, I always try to have 2 - 3 new designs for the next convention. Honestly, this number will depend on how many conventions you are going to each year. If you go to a con a month, you probably don't need to push out too many new designs between cons. If you go to only a couple cons a year, you will likely have more time to make new designs. But even if you go to the same, one convention year after year, you probably don't need to worry too much about having an abundance of new designs. There are always new attendees that have never seen your work before, and people who have seen your work in previous years may suddenly decide the next year to buy something from you. Many of my best selling works are from 6+ years ago. Our art may seem to get old fast to us, because we're our own worst critic, but to most attendees your work will remain fresh for many years.

[@strictlyserge]

@@FireflyRaye thanks so much for answering You are amazing !

[@EckosamaGhostTsushima]

homestuck doesnt like fan art? why

[@jackiejax1994]

Thanks so much for posting this!! I’m interested in selling handmade press-on nails with original artwork and some fan art. I’ve read that some conventions don’t allow selling of soaps, makeup, and food. But I’m wondering if press-on nails fall under the makeup category? I messaged anime expo, so I’ll see what they have to say! But curious to see if anyone else might have an answer or experience with this :)

[@someembarrassingLPs]

I was just talking to my partner about how someone needs to do this!! I don't do nail art but it would be SO cool to see someone selling themed press-on nails. At big conventions you would make a killing! I would think that nails would be considered a craft. Makeup, soaps, food all can expire or house bacteria (I think), which is why I imagine you aren't allowed to sell them. Press-ons wouldn't have that problem. You could also hand out little illustrated instruction cards for the best way to apply/preserve the nails.

[@Sasscat58]

You sound a lot like Rachel from the Rachel and Jun channel

[@ArtopolisRealm]

What is meant by fan art? Because I draw character from kdramas but they are all my original work because no one has the same style 😅

[@actualkfkingvoid]

Fanartist here-generally speaking, I believe Kdrama fan art have more of a leeway since it's 3D (live actors) projected on a 2D (fan art) medium. In the end, it boils down to whether you will advertise your work as *that specific character* from a Kdrama, or not.

[@Unnaturalcats]

Did u go to the liverpool or wales con in 2021? I think ive bought art from you before

[@FireflyRaye]

I have not, I only attend conventions in the United States. But I do have an online store, so maybe you got something there?

[@Unnaturalcats]

@@FireflyRaye i mightve seen it there

[@unmeilu4998]

I really want to start selling at conventions. But I'm like hella scared. I dont have a large following so I'm afraid that I wouldn't be able to sell anything. XC

[@FireflyRaye]

Does your convention have anything like an art auction, or a way to to sell art outside of an artist alley? When I first started out, I sold paintings in an art auction at my local convention rather than have an artist alley table. When I saw that I was able to sell my art through the art auction, that gave me the confidence to try to sell at a table in the following years. Maybe there is something small like that, that you can do at your local convention?

[@BradPitbull]

GOOD JOB MY NIGGA

[@razxberrie]

2:02 lol let them be disappointed, im trying to get my bag

[@sugarsneeze]

Okay maybe things are different from country to country but arent prints like the cheapest item usually?

[@FireflyRaye]

Perhaps it is in different countries! At the conventions I've been to in the United States, artists usually sell prints for $10 - $20 (usually depending on size). Compared to a button that may be sold for $1-$2, prints are ten times more expensive.

[@genuineghoul3452]

The convention I am going to said ALL fanart, no original, which is disappointing.

[@FireflyRaye]

Wow, I've never heard of a convention like that before! That's so wild D:

[@genuineghoul3452]

@@FireflyRaye It gets me a little scared because It's my first artist alley, and I wanted to brand myself a little. I have plenty of time to make the fanart and I will be with a friend, no matter what, I am going to try and make the most of it.

[@rarity-bo8pk]

I only go to buy fan art👀

[@FireflyRaye]

Totally fair!

[@kesterfae5447]

wtf kind of con doesn't allow fan art? I know most do, but who wouldn't? Do they hate puppies and chocolate and fun as well?

[@FireflyRaye]

Hahaha I share your sentiment! Unfortunately, at the end of the day, selling fan art is a legally gray area and some conventions don't want to deal with a potential lawsuit.

[@slimritter1638]

Very bad french translate. I prefer videos like that propose no subtitle instead of bad subtitle made by google translator. -_-

[@deniseramirez6244]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge, they are very helpful, new subscriber!