howtobeaconartist

[howtobeaconartist]

Do you know of any Discord servers for Canadian artist alleys?

Kiriska: I don't. Who does? Sound off in comments/reblogs.

[howtobeaconartist]

Do I need to register anything with the government as a business if I want to sell at something local like a farmers market? I don't have any real business it's just me drawing so I'm not sure

Kiriska: Probably.

You should ask the farmer's market if they have any specific requirements.

In most cases, public markets themselves must have permits and licenses to operate and must either cover applicable fees and licenses for vendors, or the vendors need to deal with those individually.

For example, the city of Seattle requires vendors have a business license in the city in order to sell goods. Markets must pay some fee per vendor to the city ($10-15, usually) if the vendor is unlicensed, and so will usually ask vendors to either pay that fee (to the market, so they can pay the city), or ask the vendor for their license number (so they can tell the city, hey they're licensed).

For Seattle, this license is something like $80/year, so whether it makes sense to get the license depends on how many events you do a year in the city.

In most cases, you should probably also figure out how to remit sales tax to the state, which typically involves another license.

Whether or not you consider yourself "a business," selling stuff at events is a kind of business activity that the government probably wants to know about.

Also see: #legal stuff, #permits and licenses, #sales tax

[howtobeaconartist]

How extensive of a portfolio should I have to apply for a convention?

Ex: I make keychains, standees, stickers, and prints. Should I prioritize one item over another in my portfolio or will that hurt my chances of being accepted?

Kiriska: This may depend on the con, so you'll probably need to do some research and potentially prepare different portfolios for different events.

Some just want to see the quality of your art and don't necessarily care if you're putting your art on prints or a standee. In these cases, it doesn't really matter if you want to show a wide variety of products or not.

Some want to know exactly what types of products you have, but don't care about the variety or breadth.

Some shows favour some product types over others, so you may want to only show products they're looking for.

And so on.

If you don't know that a show has any preference though, I would just default to showing examples of your art (not necessarily the final products) and include a photo of a past table, which should give the con an idea of your final products without throwing them into as much focus.

[howtobeaconartist]

I have a shop that focuses mostly on acrylic keychains, standees as well as stickers and prints. I’m doing my first Artist Alley this September and I was wondering how much is a reasonable amount of stock to order for each of my items for a three day mid-sized convention. I’m very scared of over-ordering

Kiriska: See #how much to bring.

If you're afraid of over-ordering, order less, especially if you're worried about spending too much or going over-budget.

If you sell out, you'll know for next time.

Optimal inventory levels is something every retail business everywhere forever has to deal with. There's never going to a straightforward answer because there will always be too many factors that vary between events and over time.

Aside from con size, there's demographic (how much spending money does this crowd have?), fandom interest (how many people at this particular con care about this fandom? this can vary a weird amount sometimes), product interest (do people at this show like keychains?), market competition (how many other artists have keychains here?), etc, etc, etc.

You can't actually know the answer to half those questions when you make your order, so the best you can do is go with a number you can live with.

Again, if you sell out, you know for next time. If you have leftovers, you'll have them for next time. Decide which you prefer.

[howtobeaconartist]

what are possible ways to be eco-friendly while working as an artist? from supplies, to packaging, etc. (also while staying budget friendly maybe?)

Kiriska: Here are some quick ideas:

Whenever possible, save and reuse: boxes, packaging, backing boards, void fillers (packing peanuts/crumpled paper/similar), etc.

Avoid individually packaging prints until time of sale; if multiple prints are purchased together, package them together unless the customer requests otherwise

DIY or thrift for signage and decor when possible. Tablecloths and small cute table decor are usually easy to find at thrift stores. There are lots of fun ways to make your own signage from fabric, wood, and other scrap materials, etc.

Buy used instead of new. This can be for traditional art supplies as well as digital devices like tablets and computers. Some cities have stores that collect and resell art materials. Check if yours does! For tech, refurbished is usually just as good as new, function- and even warranty-wise.

Also see: #eco friendly

[howtobeaconartist]

Hi, I want to know your opinion on this issue my friend(F) and I are currently having. I'm boothing with my friends in a circle and I had brought up the issue of space and that it might be time to consider splitting the booth cost by the amount of space that a person's merch is taking up to keep things fair for everyone. I brought this issue up cause one of my friend, E, has a very big inventory that it almost always end up with them taking most of the booth space, last event E had ended up taking 70% of the booth space (this was 2ppl in 1 table, granted the other person didnt have as much merch) I was told this was unreasonable and that E had also done accounting for us too so it wouldn't be fair for them to pay more since they also had worked more, so I suggested we could take the accounting cost out of the booth cost too so if they took 70% of space, then E only have to pay 60% while the other could do 40%. And if that was too troublesome then I had also suggested that we try to keep our merch down to equal sizes so that others wont get overshadowed. But I got told this was mean and unreasonable to E, do you guys have any suggestions on how we could deal with this? Sorry for the long msg, thanks for taking the time to read this

Kiriska: This sort of stuff really sucks to deal with and is going to be uncomfortable no matter what, unfortunately.

Ultimately, if other part(ies) aren't willing to budge, negotiate, or meet you in the middle, then you have to ask yourself how important is it that you "win" the disagreement, and what you may be willing to give up for that.

I obviously don't know all the details here, but it sounds like this is just table-sharing, rather than a truly collaborative "circle" or studio. If E has such a big inventory, why don't they just get their own table? Is there a reason they prefer to share?

Or, if the person E was tabling with didn't have a problem with the table split, why do you? Would your friends think differently if you were the one splitting with E and brought up your arguments then?

I also don't know both sides of this, only your side. So maybe there are other factors, or a reason your friends think you're being unreasonable even though it seems logical that someone taking up 70% of space should pay more.

Do you feel strongly enough to leave the group? To try table-splitting with other people?

Like, you can't force your friends to agree with you.

In many cases, "the person who cares the most wins." If you're not willing to leave the group, but no one else agrees with you, your only real options are to either keep bringing it up and hope they'll change their minds, or you can just go with the group's decision.

Good luck.

[howtobeaconartist]

Hello! I wanna ask about how should I set my canvas resolution for printing 5x5cm acrylic keychains. Some said I should keep it to the original keychain size, and some said it's a good practice to always make it bigger like twice the size so I'm not sure which one I should follow lol. Though I do understand that I should make the DPI to 300/350 for printings and preferably draw it in CMYK (not a fan tho.) Thank you!

Kiriska: In general, it doesn't hurt to go bigger, though this is mostly so you can repurpose the art for various applications. If you don't know what you plan to use the art for when you make it, it's better to err on the side of bigger.

However, if you do know what product the art is for, it may be better to just work at 300 dpi at your final dimensions.

The one downside of working bigger than you need is that you may end up putting in detail that won't really show up in the product. If you tend to work at 100% canvas size, but your canvas size is significantly bigger than your end product, a lot of that 100% detail won't show up when it gets printed.

Which is better may end up being dependent on your style though. If you tend towards fine details, it's probably better to just work at your final size. If your style is simpler and made of big solid shapes, it probably won't hurt to work a bit bigger, and then if you later decide you want to use the art on something bigger, your art may already be able to accommodate that.

[howtobeaconartist]

do you think its worth it to buy a cricut in order to make vinyl stickers vs ordering from vograce or some other retailer? I am interested but I also like the different finished vograce offers (holo,glitter,rainbow glass, brushed gold, ect.) and i havent found any way to do it at home... I kep on searching for the paper and finding nothing! sorry if this sounds silly, im very new to this!

Kiriska: Different finishes on stickers are typically a laminate that goes over a sheet of stickers prior to their being cut, rather than paper the stickers are being printed on -- like this. Also see: #holographic film.

As for whether it's "worth it" to DIY or outsource, here's how you can calculate that for yourself. Also see: #cost benefit analysis.

[howtobeaconartist]

Hello, I'm selling at my first con in December. I'm planning on getting a Square card reader bc theyre marketed as "easy", but signing up for it confuses me. Do I have to create a business name? Or can I sell under my own name? Can purhcases be sorted by type? What if Im selling with another person; how would I separate purchases from tips? What about fees, banking, & tax info? And how do taxes even work 🤯 This is a lot, but I'm hoping at the very least you can point me in the right direction for resources to learn this stuff 😅

Kiriska: Okay, so,

You can create a business name or sell under your own name. Either is fine. The Business Name/DBA (Doing Business As) name you use in Square may show up on customer receipts and bank statements. If you're registering your business with your city/state/feds/bank/whatever, it may be helpful for your DBA in Square to match, but you can also update/change your Square DBA later.

You can create item categories and variants in Square to help categorise sales. For example, you can have a Prints category and put all your prints in that category. Within each print, you can have variants for different sizes, if you offer the same print in different sizes. Most general Square questions can probably be answered via Square's documentation for Square POS (Point of Sale).

If you are selling with another person, I would highly recommend they have their own Square account, device, and hardware, tbh.

Square automatically separates tips out from normal sales in its reports.

#legal stuff, #sales tax, #income tax, #taxes, #permits and licenses, talk to an accountant. :) You can also try to find a small business association in your area that may do free consultations.

[howtobeaconartist]

Hello! Sorry if this has been asked; I used the search function but I couldn't find quite what I was looking for. I'm really interested in contributing to a zine. Not creating one for myself, but contributing to a group collective style zine where multiple artists are contributing to it. I'm having a hard time finding any, though. All of the ones I've found through searching have already been completed. Any suggestions on how to find open ones?

Kiriska: Being active on social media and in artist communities is the best way to keep abreast of open calls of various sorts.

There have been various Twitter (or similar) and Instagram accounts dedicated to reposting and sharing open calls for zines and other projects over the years, but I'm not aware of any at the moment (followers, please feel free to sound off in comments!).

Large artist communities like the AANI Discord can also be a good way to get open call news, or to ask about more resources. If you're interested in fandom zines, being active in the fandom and a part of fandom communities can also help.

Overall, I think actively looking for zine calls is a difficult way to go about it... you have to be a part of a community that does zines, so you'll already be around when the call comes.

ETA: Folks are recommending the Zinetown Discord server. :o

[howtobeaconartist]

Hey there, thanks so much for the advice you’ve posted, I’ve relied on it a lot prepping for the first con I’ll be tabling at! It occurred to me I’ve got some figures and stuff I could raffle off, do you have any tips on running a raffle at my table/whether or not that’s a good idea at all? (It’s a franchise specific con, so there’s no worry that attendees won’t be familiar with the fandom of the items I’m raffling)

Kiriska: Do note that raffles can be considered a form of gambling and is illegal in some states, except by permit.

Double check with both the state and the convention itself if raffles are permitted before going forward with one!

Aside from that, setting clear expectations on raffle guidelines, especially when the raffle will be decided, is most important, imo. I would make a point to inform everyone about raffle results, even if they don't win, and to do it in way that doesn't require them check up on results themselves (e.g. emailing everyone instead of telling them to check social later), but that's my own preference.

Think of what you'd want out of a raffle experience personally, and do that!

[howtobeaconartist]

Hi! Sorry if this has been asked already, but I want to get into tabling at cons and I've seen people mention needing a liscense to sell merch with some saying that they're fine without.

Do I have to have a business/sellers license to sell art merch at a con or is it dependent on the convention and where I live?

Thank you!

Kiriska: Like the previous ask, it's highly dependent on the specific con and your region (some states don't require sales tax and I don't know how anything works outside of the US).

Further reading: #sales tax, #taxes, #permits and licenses

[howtobeaconartist]

Do all cons in the US require I get a sales tax permit? Also can I use one permit for all states?

Kiriska: Most major conventions will require a sales tax permit. Some even require the permit just to apply to the con. Some may not, but you should always check specific cons for their requirements. I'd recommend being permitted even if the con doesn't require it.

Every state has its own sales tax system, so you need to get an individual permit for every state that has a sales tax. Yes, it's a pain, but that's the reality of doing business across state lines. (States without sales tax don't require sales tax permits, but may require other paperwork.)

I highly recommend also having regional sales tax programmed into your POS and setting a reminder to switch/update them between shows. Sales tax can vary between cities and counties, in addition to state, and you're likely going to need to report the amount for each region.

For example, I mostly just vend in Washington state these days, but I still have individual tax rates in Square for Seattle, Tacoma, Unincorporated King County, Bellevue, Lake Forest Park, Olympia, etc... When I report sales tax annually, I separate out and report the sales per region, because they all have different tax rates.

✨Small biz lyfe ✨

Further reading: #sales tax, #taxes, #permits and licenses

[howtobeaconartist]

Hi there! I’m a small artists looking to try and get into a rather large con (20000 people!) this fall. I was wondering if you had any tips for a first-time seller, including

How much inventory I should be preparing?

About how many designs I should have available?

Any advice a long-time con artist would know, but a first-timer may not know about?

Thank your for your time!

Kiriska:

5-10 per item. Err towards fewer if you're unsure. If you're very confident in a piece, it's in a popular fandom, or you're sure you're not gonna be sick of it -- sure, you can make more than 10, but especially when you're first starting out, it's good to see how things actually sell before you go overboard with production.

Enough to fill your table, and enough such that if you sell everything you have, you'll have covered your costs and have some bonus.

Start small. The number one mistake I think newcomers make is making too much of something or investing a lot in something before they have any sales or customer data. Especially with so many manufacturing options available these days, people want to come out of the gate with like a full run of enamel pins or embroidered hats or whatever. There are certainly some success stories, but naturally, those get more attention than the ones who aren't able to ever sell off that first pin design they did with no feedback. It's better to start small and easy. It's okay to start with just some prints and stickers and other things that are easy to produce and with lower price points. Especially when you first start out, your work is likely to change and improve quickly, so you don't want to be stuck with stock you'll hate in a year. See what subjects and styles work for you. Figure out who your customers are, and also what your end goals are. Is it to do this as a hobby? Are you trying to start a brand? Are you trying to make a living out of this? You don't need to know these things to start, but you should at least seek to answer them with your first few events. How you proceed in AA after your first few shows should be informed by those answers. Further reading: #your first show.

[howtobeaconartist]

So I'm vending at a convention. I know I need to bring cash to make change but I never know what's a good amount of each bill to bring. I know it varies based on a lot of factors.

Kiriska: I personally bring $150 in change. I sometimes hear people say they default to $200.

In my $150, there's:

50 x $1 10 x $5 5 x $10

Previously, I only brought $100 in change and it was something like 30 x $1, 10 x $5, 2 x $10. That worked fine for a long time.

I had to increase the number of 1's in my till when I changed prices to be $6 and $12 and $18 for some items, instead of $5, $10, and $15. I mostly increased the number of 10's to make it an even number, lol, but really all I needed was to add more 1's.

So if your items tend to end on 5's, you'll probably need fewer one dollar bills. If lots of your items end in weird numbers, more ones.

Also good to factor in demographics. You'll probably need more change if your audience is younger. I've swapped out a lot of cons for pop-up market-type things now, and I don't worry as much about change there, because 90% of customers are using a card or equivalent, etc.