An improved version of a prevention previously uploaded, includes new slides and new images. Presented by Becca Hillburn and Heidi Black at Mechacon 2014.

1. Conventions:
Kiss your weekends
goodbye

2. Becca Hillburn
I'm a childrens comic artist and freelance illustrator originally from
New Orleans but currently living in Nashville, TN. I graduated from
SCAD with a Masters Degree in Sequential Art in 2013, and from the
University of New Orleans with a bachelors degree in Hypermedia
(digital art). My main focus is currently watercolor comics, and my
hobbies include writing for my blog, Keep on Truckin' Nattosoup and
attending conventions as an artist.

3. Heidi Black
Heidi is a sequential artist and illustrator from dayton, ohio. She
likes cats and potatoes and hates writing bios. Her work is at
electricabyss.com, including her tutorial artbook, Electricabyss, and
her newest comic, Sons of Fire.

4. The basics:
 Convention tables cost between $50 and $2000
 Tables are generally 6' by 2' but can vary
 Located in hallways or closed rooms
 All objects must be made by the artist (can be
sent off for professional printing)
 Fanart is a grey area

5. Stuff to sell

6. A variety of things!
 Minicomics
 Charms, buttons, cheapies
 Perfect bound books
 Prints & posters
 Unique items
 A range of prices

7. commissions
 Big draw at cons: people ask for them a lot
 Have an example of your style/commission work
 At-con impulse buy (people generally want it
then, and won't bother to email you later)
B

8. commissions
 Perfect for fast artists
 Need to be flexible, able to draw in a variety of
styles or characters
 Unique styles work great
 Should have access to reference if possible
(commissioners ought to bring it, but don't
count on it.)
 Do not overbook yourself! Know how
much you can complete

9. Getting stuff made
 Home printer: costly, but you have more
control over quality & edits
 Office store: costly, must be formatted
correctly, staff are not always knowledgeable,
but generally the best option for small runs
 Printing services: catprint, kablam, createspace,
vistaprint, etc. generally have a minimum number
for each item (50+)
H

10. B

11. How much to bring?
 1000 copies of a book probably won't sell
 Bringing copies of files on a flash drive if you
sell out is usually easier than packing too many
 Limitations also include vehicle size, weight, how
much you can carry, how much you can display on
your table

12. TOO MUCH OR TOO LITLE?
 TOO MANY ITEMS ON A TABLE IS OVERWHELMING
 BUT HAVING A WIDE VARIETY APPEALS TO
DIFFERENT PEOPLE
 BRINGING A LOT OF THINGS CAN BE COSTLY
 DIFFERENT THINGS SELL AT DIFFERENT CONS, AND
VARY FROM YEAR TO YEAR
 Be prepared to change your offerings or
setup on the fly

13. Freebies!
 At the minimum, you need business cards -
professionally printed!
 Brand yourself!
 Have something to remember you by!
 Cute/clever things work well

14. An online presence
 Even a blog or deviantart will do –
something you update frequently
 Gmail addresses are free – make one just
for work
 Cons and web presence go hand in hand
 Google yourself – what comes up?
B

15. Nattosoup.blogspot.com
Google nattosoup: every
result on page 1 is Becca
Electricabyss.com
Links to store (buy
stuff), deviantart,
blogspot, twitter,
and tumblr
prominently at top

16. Different types
Of conventions
(which to attend?)

17. Anime cons

18. Superhero cons

19. Indie cons

20. Others

21. Doing different cons can expand
your audience -
Or be an expensive lesson
 Local cons are easy and cheap and a good choice
regardless of style/audience
 Find friends to share hotel and transportation
costs with (there are online groups like AA
network that are great for this)

22. Table setups

23. Some of ours

30. Consider when planning
 Vertical elements
 Visibility from a distance
 Transportability/setup and teardown times
 Number of people you need to help you set up
 Theme
 Don't annoy your neighbors
 Don't annoy the staff

31.  Unique/attention-grabbing elements
 Cost of setup/time to build setup
 Visible and readable prices/signs
 Displaying your stock

34. TABLE ESSENTIALS
 TABLECLOTH
 SIGNS/PRICES
 CASH BOX OR FOLDER WITH SMALL CHANGE
 TAPE
 SHARPIES/PENS
 DISPLAY MATERIALS – EASELS, PLATE HOLDERS
 SCRATCH PAPER
 MEDICINE: HEADACHES, ALLERGIES, UPSET TUMMIES

35. TABLE ESSENTIALS
 ROLLING SUITCASE OR WHEELED BIN
 STICKY NOTES
 CALCULATOR/PHONE
 SKETCHBOOK
 SPARE BATTERY OR CHARGER FOR PHONE
 EXTENTION CORD/POWER STRIP
 SCRATCH PAPER/NOTEBOOK FOR TRANSACTIONS
 SCISSORS AND BANDAIDS

36. TABLE ESSENTIALS
 FLASH DRIVE WITH PDF FILES OF MINICOMICS AND
BUSINESS CARDS
 FOOD AND DRINKS – WATER/GATORADE, GRANOLA
BARS, FRUIT, CASH FOR FOOD
 LOCATE AHEAD OF TIME: BANKS/ATMS, PRINT
SHOPS, RESTAURANTS, HOTEL, TRANSPORTATION
(TRAINS, TAXIS, ETC), CORNER DRUG STORES

37. Planning &
timelines

38. Things to consider
 Transportation
 Packing
 Planning Way in advance
 Table helpers or going as a group

39. Before you leave
 Know your schedule
 Practice table layouts
 Take inventory/reprints
 Have change (at least $80 in small bills)
 Square or other card service
 Promote your presence at the show

42. The business side

43. How much to charge?
 Artists will disagree on this
 Its important to at least cover cost of materials
 Each type of con will have a different “perceived
fair price” - older crowds will generally pay more
for the same item
 Your highest profit margin items should be
prominently displayed

45. Keep track of everything
 All of your expenses can be business (tax)
writeoffs
 Keep track of what sells for future cons
 Price things so you are NOT lOSING MONEY –
REMEMBER FREEBIES COST MONEY TO MAKE
 Consider splitting with friends to cut costs

46. THINGS YOU CAN'T CONTROL
 CONVENTION ATTENDANCE
 YOUR NEIGHBORS/OTHER ARTISTS
 THE ECONOMY
 Where you are located IN THE CON
 The weather

47. THINGS YOU CAN CONTROL
 POSITIVE ATTITUDE
 ENGAGE PEOPLE, BE FRIENDLY
 Wear deodorant
 CHANGE YOUR TABLE AS NECESSARY
 GET ENOUGH SLEEP
 MAKE THE BEST OF WHATEVER HAPPENS

48. RESOURCES
 Howtobeaconartist.tumblr.com
 Artist alley international (facebook)
 Aatoast.tumblr.com
 Conventionscene.com
 Nattosoup.blogspot.com