I was in my junior year of college when I met some other students who introduced me to the idea of selling my art at anime cons. I had been to Otakon twice as a teen, and I loved the idea of tabling at an Artist Alley - I was still studying psychology but applying to animation jobs at the time, and the idea that real people might be interested in not only looking at, but possibly BUYING some art was pretty exhilarating.
I was able to get in touch with another student named Sophie who was sweet enough to share her table with me, and from there I started getting some ideas together for prints.
Preparation
As a student without any disposable income at the time, I got my prints made in the CMU digital print lab and cut them down to size myself. I remember this being VERY difficult and kind of janky, and I ended up accidentally ruining some of the prints because I’d left a little bit of the white border around the edge that I couldn’t get rid of… (rookie mistake…)
My favorite print was an ATLA Fire Nation girls illustration that I’d made, along with a set of Pokemon Sun and Moon travel posters. I had no idea what would sell well, so I ended up just printing more copies of my favorites and hoping that con-goers would like them too.
The Convention
David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Pittsburgh | April 6-9, 2017
For 3 days, Sophie and I hung out at our table at Tekko, taking pictures of cosplayers and occasionally making sales. I recall being shook when a couple people recognized my illustrations from Tumblr! I don’t believe I kept a record of the money I spent on supplies and my weekend profits, but I was able to find this piece of paper tallying up how much of each item had sold on Saturday (the busiest day).
The Aftermath
The only thing I have record of purchasing at this event was a Naruto print - sadly I have no idea what I did with it! After the con I also got tagged in a couple Tekko haul posts from people who’d purchased prints from me, which was a fun little surprise.
The Review
I feel like Tekko was just the right type of convention for a new artist, not too crazy but still with a nice flow of foot traffic. Between Sophie and I, the table was only $75(!!!) which is insane to think about nowadays, when a table at a mid-sized con might run you $250 - $300. At an table fee of only $37.50 each, it would’ve been incredibly easy to break even, making it a very forgiving convention experience.
Here’s a little stat breakdown:
Tekko 2017
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Dates: April 6-9, 2017
Event Type: Anime
Table: 8’ x 2’, $75
Items Sold: Medium-sized Prints, Postcards
Net Profit: No Record