How to Convention - Artist Alleys

Hullo, Ninja Faithful!

Ever since Yours Truly decided to add a conventions aspect to this blog, there've been a few things here and there that I've been wanting to tack on, but didn't feel were at-home in my actual convention reviews. Thankfully though, in one of my meetings with the Shinobi Council, the idea was put forth that I should just have a category of entries for said thoughts, instead of trying to shoehorn them in elsewhere.

Thus, I give you the "How to Convention" series, geared towards little bits of information and tips that you'll find handy for any convention.

And what better place to start than with my usual base-of-operations, the artist alley?

Behold the natural habitat of the wild Ro.

Artist Alley How-To - BEGIN

It's no secret that I love artist alleys. I gush about them - a lot - I show neat stuff I've found at them to my dear readers, friends, family, strangers I meet on the street, etc., and I've even done an entire entry about a con focusing on them. But maybe you don't know what separates an artist alley from a vendor hall. Maybe you want to know why the heck I'm always talking about them. Or maybe you just want to hear juicy details about the Bloodsport behind the scenes that determine who goes to what alley(actually, it's called the Kumite). I can help you with two of those things.

Artist Alley or Vendor Hall?

Most conventions that know what they're doing make it all-too-easy to find the shinies. Whether front-and-center on a main thoroughfare, or situated at the end of a series of prominent signs like buried treasure, the Places to Buy Stuff are the biggest reasons why many attendees make the trip in the first place. But it can be hard to keep which one is which straight in your mind, especially since some conventions mix the two together, even to the point of having artist and vendor booths side-by-side with no discernible separation. The easiest way to think of it is this: "artists" are those who carry handcrafted goods, while "vendors" stock mass-produced items.

You should go to Cute-Loot and buy these.

So that person selling sketches or custom-made hats or jewelry is most likely an artist booth, while the bloke with wallscrolls and Ramune and figurines is almost certainly a vendor. From their end, there are other differences - vendor booths are usually more expensive but come with more space, etc. - but the "handmade vs. mass-produced" distinction is what I'll focus on here.

Consequently, that's a big reason why I advocate for artist alleys so heavily. I certainly mean no disrespect to vendors - some of my favorite stuff at any con comes from folks like Brix-n-Clix(like this friggin' sweet Happy backpack). But the selection of vendor booths doesn't tend to change much in our region from convention-to-convention, and there tends to be a lot of overlap. More than likely, I can count on seeing Brix, Lemonbrat, Bowen's Blades, and a few others nearly every time, and while their goods are great, they're not quite signature enough to really punctuate any given con. But a calendar series featuring the birthstones as cute girls? A sketch of Raver Girl Sailor Venus(I have an obsession, shuddap)? Those are the kinds of unusual, awesome things that really stick out in my mind, and that you'll generally only find among the creative types in an artist alley. Thus why I am consistently too poor for the high-stakes poker table at the quarterly mixers back in Samoa-Finland.

Alley Go Time

So now that you know the Who(crafters), the What(crafts, yo), and the Why(because they're great), it's time for the How. If you're anything like me, your money can vanish in a flash once you start a-buyin', so there are some things you'll want to keep in mind before merrily time-sharing your liver in order to afford more stuff. Here they are, in no particular order:

• If the alley's location is not immediately apparent, ask a staff member.

  

  Look at what you might have missed out on if you hadn't done some searching.

  Heck, even if the location is obvious, ask a staff member. Sometimes, due to logistical constraints, artist alleys can get shuffled around and split up; for instance, stretched down the length of several hallways, or located on multiple floors. Usually, this will still be fairly apparent, but some cons do less-than-intuitive things with their setup(like hiding half of an artist alley down a rear hallway with zero foot traffic). So don't hesitate to ask a con representative; helping attendees is what they do, after all, and they want their artists and vendors to succeed.

• Save your money until you've scoped out all of the artists ...

  It can be tempting - very tempting - to open your wallet as soon as you find something cool. But there's a big problem with that: if you spend too much before you've had a full look through the alley, you might find yourself suddenly unable to afford That One Perfect Thing being sold at a booth you missed. So make your rounds, do some browsing, ask questions, and get a feel for what's available before you start shelling out the big bucks. Even if you researched ahead of time and have exactly in mind what you want to get before you get there, you may just find something you didn't expect that you'll suddenly want even more.

• ... but don't wait too long to buy something you really, really love.

  This may seem contrary to my last advice, but it's not(exactly). Artists usually can't carry everything they have to a show, so sometimes they'll only have a few copies of an item on-hand. Which means that if that glass mug you really wanted gets sold before you come back, you may be out of luck. It's worth mentioning that many artists will take commissions and ship you a product after the convention - we'll cover commissions later on in this entry, and this is where asking questions, as in my previous bullet-point, comes in handy - but usually that entails extra costs, either for shipping or just for higher prices, and the risk of fragile items being damaged in the mail. So if you see something that just really calls out to you, even after a little time to think about it, it's generally better for everyone if you get it at the convention. You're happy because you have a new pretty, the artist is happy to make a sale - win-freaking-win.

• Find out which artists are going to be at a convention before you get there/while you're there.

  So, yeah, this is more of a preparatory step, and not every convention publishes the list of artists it features before the actual show. But many do - convention web sites, Facebook pages, forums, and email lists are great places to check for that information. If you can find it, by all means, look the artists up ahead of time(or, if at the convention already, check the program; often you'll find a list of artist names inside). Artists have a ton of places online to feature their work, so if you can find their personal web sites, DeviantArt/Facebook pages, Tumblrs, etc., you can get a good picture of what they do and who you'll want to seek out. In addition, many artists will list what conventions they'll be attending, so you know where to find them in the future. On top of that, artists tend to be pretty flattered when you know about them ahead of time - it's great to be able to grease the wheels of a conversation with "Hey, I saw your Gumi perler art, and she was adorable!"

• While you're at it, learn a little about the art market, too.

  It sounds like a lot of work. I'm lazy, so I sympathize. But one of the best things you can do for yourself before shopping at a convention(or anywhere, really) is doing some research on the types of art you're interested in. How complex is it? How many hours does it take someone to craft it? How much do artists typically charge for their items? Doing a little homework ahead of time can help you understand pricing and availability, as well as helping you plan out where you want to spend your hard-earned cash.

• The word "commission" is your friend.

  In case you're completely unfamiliar with the art world, "commissioning" means "requesting a custom item." Like an artist's style, but don't see a piece that really jives with you? No sweat. The availability of this option varies - ask that sculptor to crank out a statue of your Pathfinder wizard's fox familiar in two days and he's likely to throttle you - but it's extremely common, especially among artists who specialize in drawing. It's one thing to have an awesome print of your favorite League of Legends character on your wall. It's another thing entirely to have a drawing of you in your favorite costume - or the main character of a story you wrote(*coughcough-art-from-my-novels-is-in-progress-cough*) - from an artist you've met personally, sitting as a one-of-a-kind conversation piece next to your TV. However, I can't stress enough how important it is to ask an artist whether they'll accept commissions before making plans. Many are happy to do it, especially if you've built up a rapport with them before meeting in person, but it's very time-consuming, and often something that has to wait until after the convention. And some artists just don't have the time to take commissions at all. But it rarely hurts to ask, and the final product can be the most memorable thing you've ever bought.

Those are my most important tips for getting the most out of your shopping experience. However, this entry ain't over yet, ladies and gents. Because there's another side of the situation that savvy customers will want to keep in mind: the perspective of the artists themselves. To introduce that segment, an example from a convention I attended last year:

I'm standing guard at Bardic Kitty when a girl comes up to browse. After a couple minutes of looking things over, she excitedly reaches for a bracelet and picks it up, then looks at the price, grimaces like she's bitten into moldy cheese, and asks why it's "so expensive." The bracelet in question is $10 and made of aluminum, yet several more comments about "that's just too much" are made before this person goes on her way.

This is just one example of what many artists deal with multiple times a day during conventions: disrespect towards the work involved in making a product, insulting not-quite-haggling, and lack of knowledge on a customer's part about the market they're in(if you're shopping for metallic, non-earring jewelry with a $5 limit, you're probably going to walk away disappointed). Now, if you've been keeping up during this entry, you probably realize that a few of my earlier tips would have prevented such an exchange from taking place. But there are plenty of things that, if you think only as a customer, you might miss. Along those lines, I've consulted some of my contacts among the various artist alleys I have visited/worked with over time. And now I'll share with you some of their pet peeves, as well as some of their suggestions for how to facilitate mutually-beneficial interactions whilst perusing the awesomeness of an artist alley.

• Prices

  That's right, jumping straight into the bloody fray here. Of the Big Three resources that a con-goer needs to manage - time, energy, and money - money is often the one that is most difficult(at least for me). So it is completely understandable and acceptable to want to make every last cent stretch as far as it can. What isn't acceptable, however, is devaluing an artist's work. Outright haggling is discouraged, but asking about possible discounts, particularly if you're purchasing multiple items, is generally okay. In fact, lots of artists do bundle packages all the time; you just have to read their signs(and being respectful and friendly is a great start). But it's never acceptable to ask an artist "Why does this cost so much?" Keep in mind that art is work; drawing, painting, sewing, sculpting, jewelcrafting, etc. all take hours to produce wares, and hundreds(or thousands) of hours to hone the skills necessary in the first place. Overall, just try to keep in mind that artists put a lot of time and work into their craft, so if you don't think their prices are fair, it's probably best just to move on.

• Commissions

  One of the most key things to remember is that commissions are a lot of work. As they're entirely request-based, artists who take commissions are relying on you to direct them. Sometimes, they'll be glad to just take a general idea and run with it, but often they'll want you to give them as much of a detailed description of what you want as you can. As such, they'll take a lot of time crafting a product that you'll be pleased to hang on your wall, or put on your nightstand, or duct tape to your back to show every person you meet. Which means they'll be asking you to be patient. Artists often get slammed with commissions at conventions(take some time browsing art sites like DeviantArt, and you'll find that the problem of being overloaded with requests is usually even worse there). So they might not be able to get yours finished in an hour, or by the end of the day, or even by the end of the weekend. Do ask if they can give you a time frame, as most will be upfront about how long they'll need, but don't be upset if they tell you it'll take longer than you expected. They're putting together a custom-made piece of art, just for you(often, one that they won't make available for purchase to anyone else unless you explicitly give them permission)! The time they've quoted you might not be literally as fast as they could possibly produce it, but it's what they feel they can do to give you, their paying customer, the best work they can. Lastly, artists appreciate getting tipped; if you feel they went beyond your expectations on a commission, spend a little more and show 'em some love!

• Booth Awareness

  Conventions are a place where space management can be an issue. You know it, I know it, staff know it, everybuddy know it. And it doesn't even have to be a crowded affair like GenCon's vendor hall; even the smallest conventions can have issues with the amount of room available. Thus, artist booths are often organized in hallways, or in rooms where there's not much area between each table. So, as an Informed Convention Attendee, please do what you can to avoid becoming part of the problem. Idle browsing is fine, but try not to just loiter at artist booths. Similarly, while it's fine to talk, giving an artist your life/career story for half an hour is generally overdoing it. Other people looking to buy things may want to browse, or the artist may have things they need to work on. They probably don't have time to hear about every convention you've been to this year, or to give you their opinions on your entire sketchbook or DeviantArt gallery. And, perhaps most crucially, respect their booths and displays. Be careful when touching, watch out to ensure clothing or costume pieces don't snag on things, ask before removing something you've bought(the artist will often have the real product behind their table to give you), and don't horse around near booths. All it takes is one person pushed into a table to bring an entire display system crashing down, break some items, and have con staff unleashing the hounds. Also, don't leave your trash at their booths. That's just gross, yo.


This may look like a lot of room, but ...

... this is more typical.

And don't even get me started on this. Notice the incredibly cramped quarters of the artist tables on the right.

• General Courtesy

  This last category covers a range of random things, so I'll do a lightning-round list:

  • Always(always, always) ask before taking pictures of someone's table; art theft is a serious problem, and some artists just don't want pictures being taken of them, either.
  • Don't tell artists "I can make that quicker/cheaper." It doesn't make them rethink their prices or speed up their work, it only makes you come across like a jerk(if you can get it quicker or cheaper from someone else, why aren't you just doing that, instead?)
  • Avoid asking about how much money an artist has made. For many, the money isn't a big focus, but for others it's still a business, and that's a thorny question that's best left unasked.
  • Don't compare one artist's work to another. It's fine to ask people about their influences, but telling an artist their work looks just like that of another artist you've seen at a convention is a minefield best avoided entirely.
  • Trade secrets are trade secrets for a reason. Few things will make an artist uncomfortable like a lot of in-depth questions about how they make their stuff.

Well, now that you've heard from both a customer and an artist's perspective, you are duly equipped to go out and start rocking the alleys like a bawss. Go forth and find the prints, and the bracelets, and the fairy wings, and the plushies. Become repeat customers of your favorite artists and commission all of the things. And with that, we'll wrap up this first class on How to Convention. I leaned a lot on other folks for this one, so I'd like to thank the following for their input:

• A Punch in the Art
• Kettle of Fish Productions
• Bardic Kitty
• Esclair Studios
• Ninja'd and the Works of Jenny M. Stead
• Cute-Loot

Look forward to more in the "How to Convention" series here at ACN. In fact, feel free to email me at AlmostCertainlyNinja@gmail.com about a topic you want to see covered. For now, this is Studious Ro, signing off.