It's so nice to see artists talk about money and the way they make it, as someone who hopes to sell my own art one day! I'm glad you made at least a little profit and got to learn something!
@jemajoy88397 ай бұрын
I read a quote from Oscar Wilde which something goes like this (wording could be different) "When bankers gathered they talk about art. When artists gathered they talk about money, "
@marymarhta8 ай бұрын
I have had similar painful experiences as an anime-styled artist with comic cons in TX, so you’re not alone 😅 it’s a learning opportunity for sure. The artists really do feel like they’re passing a $20 bill around to each other. Traveling out-of-state is a risk I’m unwilling to take yet though, so kudos to you for doing this all solo! Wishing you greater success at your next events!
@xochartt7 ай бұрын
Not the dragon ball scream 😭
@ChrisFixedKitty8 ай бұрын
I feel your pain. Many years ago, I ran a photography booth with backdrops and offering digital editing for the cosplayers at a con a with similarly dead artist's alley room. A dragging, awful, expensive weekend.
@DrawJam7 ай бұрын
DC area local here and I've been to a bunch of Awesome Con. Really, this show is all about the celebrity culture around comics and movies and wrestling. It's a real bummer your stuff didn't do better. Otakon or Katsucon which are also in this area are more suited to anime/manga style art. I haven't done Baltimore Comic Con but that show is specifically aimed at comic artists and doesn't invite a lot of celebs so that might be an option, but I feel like BCC is best if you're a local.
@chelseaf87858 ай бұрын
The cat cafe was a good treat for you after that weekend! I love artists alleys, even though I live in a busy city (Toronto), there's only 3 major cons which gets too busy for anyone to even walk through. I wish there were a lot more smaller cons in my area.
@CAdams_Art6 ай бұрын
I'm across the lake near the Falls, and I feel this lol - the only shows that really exist are the big ones, and down here in "vine country", I have to commute to get to anything at all! I'm just a wee artist, and tabling is really hard 😭
@chelseaf87858 ай бұрын
Your art is amazing & I hope your future cons have a better turnout 😭❤
@glitcheremily89947 ай бұрын
It sucks to know you didn't do well at this con. I wish you luck next one around, and I hope you make more Artist Alley videos!!! I love these types of videos, so I hope to see more.
@Camilicy7 ай бұрын
Awesome con definitely leans towards DND/COMIC related things in the artist alley at least. KPOP is also a huge thing especially when a lot of booths dont have this sort of stuff, after that this con really seems to love craft like stuff a lot . i love awesome con and have been going there for 3 years now, i do agree it is not for everyone and it can be a hit or miss, i agree with you on a lot of things you said and this year it was much slower than previous years! i loved loved seeing your booth and at least had fun being around DC
@jokerrfox3547 ай бұрын
TIL I LEARNED THERES A CAPSLE HOTEL IN DC WTF I GREW UP HERE HOW DID I NOT KNOW???
@misoandtofustudio7 ай бұрын
ahhh im so sorry you had a bad con i was wondering about this one so thank you for being so transparent about it! your art is so lovely! i hope to see you at another con! and the capsule hotel is so cool! i didnt even know there was an option! the artist discord is so cool!
@cosumosu_art7 ай бұрын
OOF yeah I was another artist in the AA (I got ur infp stickers!) and yeah everyone said it was mid but...shit STILL managed to be disappointing as someone that lives local to the con 8,D Hope you have fun at Anime Boston tho!!!
@vincyagain7 ай бұрын
3:50 this shot is my favourite thing ever. Glad to see the capsule hotel was a cool experience! Budget friendly Japanese experience with the con snacks too xD enjoyed this video and the breakdown 😌
@friedeggs15767 ай бұрын
super informative video !! I was pondering doing a con in the near future so this was both grounding and motivating to watch. thanks for the transparency 🫡💕
@lemoncakess7 ай бұрын
Oh my goshhh my sister bought one of ur prints for my brother for Christmas and he cherishes it as his only art print haha love ur work!
@Kikopaints_7 ай бұрын
YT recommended me your video and it did not disappoint! I really enjoyed this vlog because you definitely showed a different perspective about cons that most people choose to not disclose. Funny how I had a similar problem with the photostand during a convention but ended up being okay! Haha. Also I’m still 1:42 min in the video but I wanna make sure to comment my initial thoughts now. I hope we can meet each other at a convention in the future! I love meeting fellow artists! Also looking forward for more of your videos.
@JunipershroomАй бұрын
Seeing you walk around DC and know EXACTLY what you are doing, being able to instantly recognize the Hana (Asian market she went to) market FROM THE FLOOR TILES. Feels soooo wierd I have lived in DC my whole life, I also know exactly which cat cafe you went to!
@wheeliebot86548 ай бұрын
Sorry to hear u had a rough time, best of luck with future cons
@jonr66808 ай бұрын
Fascinating aka terrifying breakdown of the economic reality of the artist, event management, client/visitor mindset etc... Plus the mechanics of travel & set up... & running video production at the same time. This video is an excellent essay & reflection on the entire issue of competition & market forces. Being successful is such a roulette wheel, even if you're talented. The brutal changing zeitgeist of customer sentiment, the popularity contest of franchises, what's hot or not. Is an event for entertainment? Or are visitors actually ready to spend money? Are they primed by the organisers? Are the events marketed well? And now the spectre of AI... What is art? What is talent? What is 'worth' effort & reward (i.e. $$$). If I was an artist I wouldn't be able to sleep from this existential uncertainty...
@reckks7 ай бұрын
omg if i has known about the existence of this convention and that you were going to be in the artist alley, i wouldve gone bc im in the area 😭😭, i love your work, especially the atla stuff
@NocturnalAce7 ай бұрын
the Kamehameha edit had me dying 🤣🤣🤣
@loveyourlife91668 ай бұрын
Super interesting, thank you!
@zenithwolf83867 ай бұрын
As someone who used to live near Washington Dc, I always thought the city was empty and just filled with crime, but this really opened my eyes to the cool stuff in it I just never saw.
@rockon81747 ай бұрын
Stay clear!
@HaoToDraw697 ай бұрын
The goku in the background is hilarious only because I don't have to suffer in person
@buildingadream7 ай бұрын
I had this experience once where I had to drive for a few hours it was just not the right crowd. Most of my friends didn't even brake even, luckily I just did but it was so rough having such an event. Nice that you still met all your goals!
@candiirabbit5 ай бұрын
There's a local con for me that has a similar problem of having waaaay too many vendors. It is a growing con, but they had artists packing up early last year (from poor sales) AND STILL thought it was a good idea to add even more tables THIS YEAR. I think some conventions just need to reduce the artist alley and stop trying to expand. It feels like they don't actually care about anything except the money that comes from selling more and more tables. I hope someone who works with Awesomecon sees your video and tries to learn from it.
@AnnexedcatStudios4 ай бұрын
Price breakdown was SO helpful! Thank you for sharing!
@Sifanix8 ай бұрын
Hi there! I was one of the people who bought prints from you at AnimeNYC (Your spiderverse one and the Caelus/March ones come to mind). I only realized this after seeing those prints in this video 😩. Anyways, happy to see you spreading out of your comfort zone. Looking forward to what you do next (and hoping you come back for this year's AnimeNYC)!
@IndiGoddess8 ай бұрын
Unfortunate that the con was so slow but it was great to hear your thoughts about it! I'd love to have a table at a con one day but it all sounds super intimidating and don't really know where to start 😓 do you have any tips for getting over the social anxiety/nerves that come with it?
@qrbitsart8 ай бұрын
I would say try to find an artist friend and try it out with them, either as their helper to scope out how things work, or sharing a table with them, I think it's a lot less intimidating with someone else there!
@Khaleddraws8 ай бұрын
I like the deadline idea. I have been just practicing art for the most part and realized I didn't have too many finished pieces. I registered for Fanexpo in Canada to try and give me a deadline to have things done and ready. This would be my first con (if I get accepted into it). What was the discord channel you mentioned about cons?
@qrbitsart8 ай бұрын
good luck! google "artist alley network discord" and you can apply to join
@Khaleddraws8 ай бұрын
Thank you@@qrbitsart
@4tarobyte6 ай бұрын
Hey good luck!! I think deadlines would help me actually get the ball rolling, too. Trying to get 15 pieces ready for the AAN Discord artist application this month is my current goal and it's kicking my butt lol
@SapphireGladeComics6 ай бұрын
Oh... most people were over by the celebrity autograph area and trapped in line waiting for Rosario Dawson and Hayden. Sorry you had a rough time! I was on Crew during this Awesomecon. Not sure if I'll do Crew again next year. I vendor at smaller local conventions in Chantilly, VA.
@s-wo87817 ай бұрын
I went to the con no way there was 70,000 people. They did have way more people than last year, but it was not as crowded as Otakon. Their exhibit hall is huge though. I was annoyed with the crowds down there.
@SirJosephZhou7 ай бұрын
Thanks for the vlog! I was at table D-29 and sold shitty as well (non-anime indie IP). I felt like artist alley got put off to the side, and definitely not 70k attendees...
@skunkgirl4567 ай бұрын
Honestly, I had a similar situation happen with the guy screaming in the artist alley, i was at youmacon, and every 5 minutes, you'd just hear some random guy do that. I dont know if it was the voice actor for like idk goku or just some rando, but jeez, either way, it was really annoying.
@Lindowyn7 ай бұрын
Oh my gosh we were in the same row! D30 here! And...this was my xp too. I'm local and I barely made my table fee back alone.
@ConifuriousTree8 ай бұрын
Thinking of doing a con table in August but super nervous, what inspired you to do your first time?
@qrbitsart8 ай бұрын
I was rly lucky to be part of a club at college dedicated to doing artist alley's together so there was lots of support there... if you haven't joined yet, the artist alley network discord has so much resource and community, hopefully it'll make it less intimidating!
@4tarobyte6 ай бұрын
@@qrbitsart Wow that's such a cool club!! Were there a lot of members there? Are your clubmates still active in AAs?
@HappyKittyShop7 ай бұрын
I'm sorry to hear that. I feel like they say they don't allow Ai or bootlegs just for save face but in reality they allow it anyway. I seen the same bootleg plush booth at Granite Con that stole a design from one of my mutual plush artists and they didn't care. I even tried to report them and nothing! They just want your money and couldn't be bothered to check and see if they sell something stolen or not. It really sucks and Ai just adds into the mix. At least the Dad could tell fake stolen "art" when he saw it but not everyone there does that. So yea it's not fair to them.
@Dialga91877 ай бұрын
the kamehameha dude is a real one, especially in the light of the tragic news.
@teojoon7 ай бұрын
this is super informative and also sad
@kofipang7 ай бұрын
the breakdown at the end will be i inputed into my brain memory for use later
@mariebibeyron31376 ай бұрын
😅 I do convention for health 😅...and now I want to do what I really love 😅 creative création 😊 u ,all are so inspiring us 😅... Merci beaucoup 🤩🌬️🫧🌸🪷🪷🪷☁️🕊️🙏🏽
@cherrydewdrops8 ай бұрын
I hope DC was at least a nice time/stay for you bc I think you would kill it at Otakon
@qrbitsart8 ай бұрын
Ye I enjoyed DC a lot! Would love to come back for ota or katsu if they will have me >
@mushroomsoda44227 ай бұрын
Had a similar situation two years in a row with a new anime Con in AZ. Its was just big name voice actors for animes, it had fuckin gojos english voice, so yeah, no one was giving a shit about the artist alley shoved in the opposite corner of the room. they also over sold AA and exhibitor tables. There was about, 400+ tables of sellers, and it was also so empty. It didnt help that they were charging like 100 dollars for people trying to get in on saturday.
@alyxhalawaz34067 ай бұрын
Tbf I miss con's just for weird con stuff, aka that one guy anime screaming LMAO it's the best
@AnixVerum6 ай бұрын
This is so shocking to me because I went to AwesomeCon in 2016 and it was BOOMING! Tons of crowds, lots of anime and gaming. The artist alley was packed and there were tons of celebs being featured. It’s kinda sad to see it being so dry…
@Sayadear7 ай бұрын
yeah I have noooo clue how that's a 70,000 person con ^^; Been going to cons for 10+ years, sometimes as an Artist's Alley helper, sometimes as just an attendee/cosplayer. And like..??? huh 70,000 people at this con?? No way lol. I genuinely wonder where they got that number because it's not even like people are in panel rooms/etc for the programming. The programming isn't super extensive at Awesomecon (like it is for stuff like Otakon, MAGfest, etc). So it's just a weird claim from the con gjfmldgmldkgfr
@elorrapatatarata21 күн бұрын
Omg it that the idledee hxh tshirt... i love it
@Fynchfire3 ай бұрын
I went to awesomecon (just as a guest, not selling anything) and tbh, I really struggled to navigate it. There were almost no signs (in my opinion) and they only had life one map per floor. Def my least favourite convention I've been to so far (for reference, I also went to vidcon which was SO MUCH BETTER). I also feel like there were a bit too many sellers there bc on the day I came there (saturday), there was a decent amount of people but a hell of a lot of sellers.
@uniandumi7 ай бұрын
Awesomecon isn’t so awesome huh😭😭😭 I’m so sorry
@milocole39796 ай бұрын
did your backdrop display fit in your suitcase? or how did you fly with it? i'm flying in to a con for the first time soon, and trying to figure out how best to do it with a backdrop display
@milocole39796 ай бұрын
and if it did fit in your suitcase, do you have a link to it?
@qrbitsart6 ай бұрын
it does fit in my suitcase, however this time I brought is as my carryon. most airlines are fine with you putting it in the overhead bin
@amandagloverart24257 ай бұрын
I went to a one day convention in Delaware on Saturday, it was dead. and I thought the whole time - I should have been at Awesome con, why didnt i try to get into awesome con...thats probably where the customers are" I guess not. so yeah... idk. where were the people?
@sketchypeoplepdx7 ай бұрын
Glad there was a cat cafe! Meowwww!
@LisasplaceАй бұрын
im very concerned with the amount of AI art sellers ive been hearing about. I don't understand why a con would ever allow it and that they don't notice it
@vandelvlogs46097 ай бұрын
I call this hustle con it’s not easy I was selling anime art and did pretty well with all the expenses. I had a corner spot and also someone to stay with I agree though this con is not the best without like very low costs. But you gotta really PULLLL people for this to work. So anime can work but you gotta work a lot to convert. But yeah stick to the west coast anime cons are way better.
@taylorpitts74388 ай бұрын
bad shows arer really rough because they just get boringggg it feels like loosing time and money at once lol
@ofwgkta.08 ай бұрын
You sound like grimes, awesome
@notso_emma7 ай бұрын
Gosh I didn't notice until you said it... Yes she does sound like grimes
@LisasplaceАй бұрын
im jut trying to imagine how a Madge can explode lol