Mostly sketches. Occasionally a painting. Nothing political other than caricatures reinforcing the truism "Politics is Show Business for Ugly People".
Friday, October 03, 2014
Great Con Advice
Click here to read some really great convention advice... table set up, engaging with con goers, social media, pricing, etc. I'm taking this all to heart.
I wouldn't have thought about having stuff at a lot of different price points. For ECCC I'm going to do a lot more small stuff. I have some friends who have been doing some really small like index card sized) color drawings to sell for just a few bucks. Buttons and key chains are also good ideas. I experimented with NOT pricing things so that people might grow to like something before knowing how much it is and scaring them off... I won't make that mistake again. What I haven't figured out is how to make a bunch of concept drawings in pencil more appealing for sale. And I'm going to do a bunch more prints.
I wholeheartedly agree that putting prices on merchandise is very important, because as a customer, I'm exactly the way she describes. If I don't see a price on something, even if I like it a lot, I'll often feel annoyed and just walk away. If there's no sticker, it changes my whole frame of mind from, "I really want this," to "I really like this but I don't really NEED it. I'll pass."
Another sales-killer for me: at a couple of cons I've seen this guy selling these cool little "creature" art cards. I would buy the whole set of twenty, but he only sells them in pre-packaged sets of FIVE RANDOM CARDS! So you end up having to buy a bunch of extras. Why would I want to do that?! It's not like buying a pack of bubble gum or cereal and getting a random card as an extra.
How much for your soul Marty? Are you going to post a few pictures of APE? What kind of useful things did you learn at this con? Was is profitable for you? Is it THE con for artists to attend?
11 comments:
I am the look down and draw type. I doubt I can change that.
Good article. And she's got herself some nice publicity just by writing the it. Now I'm aware of her and will be looking for her table at every Con.
Tom, as usual, you get more out of something than I did. She is a genius.
Being a Carnival Barker in this day in age. How annoying.
Most artists by nature are introverted.
I wouldn't have thought about having stuff at a lot of different price points. For ECCC I'm going to do a lot more small stuff. I have some friends who have been doing some really small like index card sized) color drawings to sell for just a few bucks. Buttons and key chains are also good ideas. I experimented with NOT pricing things so that people might grow to like something before knowing how much it is and scaring them off... I won't make that mistake again. What I haven't figured out is how to make a bunch of concept drawings in pencil more appealing for sale. And I'm going to do a bunch more prints.
I wholeheartedly agree that putting prices on merchandise is very important, because as a customer, I'm exactly the way she describes. If I don't see a price on something, even if I like it a lot, I'll often feel annoyed and just walk away. If there's no sticker, it changes my whole frame of mind from, "I really want this," to "I really like this but I don't really NEED it. I'll pass."
Another sales-killer for me: at a couple of cons I've seen this guy selling these cool little "creature" art cards. I would buy the whole set of twenty, but he only sells them in pre-packaged sets of FIVE RANDOM CARDS! So you end up having to buy a bunch of extras. Why would I want to do that?! It's not like buying a pack of bubble gum or cereal and getting a random card as an extra.
So I think to myself "How cheesy," and walk away.
We should run every idea we have by you Tom. You're a gold mine of thought out comic book smarts.
I can't claim to know a lot about selling, but I do know my own buying habits, which I guess is as good a place to start as any.
Yeah, great comments, Tom.
I've started putting prices on everything--including myself.
How much for your soul Marty? Are you going to post a few pictures of APE? What kind of useful things did you learn at this con? Was is profitable for you? Is it THE con for artists to attend?
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