Prepare for Artist Alley at Conventions!

One of my favorite times of the year (aside from Christmas) are Anime Convention weekends! Although running a table at an artist alley can be a lot of fun, they can be very stressful and aggravating to prepare for. This is especially true if you wait until the last minute.

Here I am listing some tips along with some products and services that have helped me. You can take these bits of knowledge with you to prepare for your next Artist Alley!

Disclosure: This site contains affiliate links to products. I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no extra cost to you!). These are companies and/or products that I recommend. 😉

Products

One of the most important parts of your table will be the products you’ll be selling, right? Listed below are some items you can sell at your table:

• Prints – Probably the most popular, can be large 11″ x 17″ or small postcard size. I print smaller sizes from my home printer, larger prints are done at Staples. I also hear Catprint.com is really good and their 11 x 17 prints are cheap.
• Keychains – I am still on a hunt for a way to make keychains myself, but Chilly Pig Creations makes acrylic charms. 
• Magnets – I do not see a lot of artists sell magnets, but these are a pretty big seller at my table. I usually get magnet sheets that can be bought at Michael’s (use your coupon!!), print from my home printer and cut the shapes out. I can get over a dozen out of each page. If you are just starting out, this is a good cheap way to make some stuff for your table. You can make a decent profit if you sell each magnet for $1.00 each!
• Bookmarkers – If you are a DIY person (aka cheap) like I am, you can make these at home! I print my designs on cardstock and laminate them which preserves them and gives them a little glossy look.
• Buttons – I get a lot of people who ask me about pinback buttons. You could probably go on a site to buy a bunch of custom-made buttons to sell, or get yourself a button maker! I got mine at buttonboyinc.com which sells the Tecre makers. They’re not cheap, but they are sturdy and will give you the perfect pin back button every time. I bought a hand-held one a while back, but only 1 out of 100 buttons I tried to make turned out okay. It was cheaper, but as they say: you get what you pay for. I definitely think this is a great investment and it’ll impress all of your friends! You can even take it with you to an artist alley and make buttons on the spot. 
• Books (Comic Books, Graphic Novels, etc.) – I print my graphic novel On the Bright Side through CreateSpace and they do a pretty decent job. There are plenty of other printers such as Ka-Blam or Lulu. The only issue I have with CreateSpace is that the image on the spine of the book is too far to the edge at times. This is because they are an On Demand printer and print so fast that they don’t always check for accuracy. Their customer service is good and I like how the matte cover looks.

Display for your Artist Alley Table

Of course, you gotta make your table look nice!

• Table cloth – Most tables are about 6′, you can get a color or print to go with your brand colors or whatever suits your style.
• A Nice Vinyl Banner – I got mine at Vistaprint and it surprisingly turned out really nice! It was I think a 2′ x 3′ and cost around $15.
• Business Cards – You definitely need these! Even if someone does not buy anything from you, 9 out of 10 times they will ask for a business card. Post your website, email or social media and get yourself some followers! They can be printed at Staples or at Vistaprint. I have used both services, and in my experience, they both do a good job.
• Signs – Price signs, a sign to advertise your newest book or anything else! I usually make them with Photoshop or Illustrator, print and laminate them. Now there are lots more options like using little chalkboards or eraser boards.
• Pin-back Button Display – Here I use large frames I bought from the dollar store and a roll of cork board to stick the buttons on. I assemble the button with the pin part removed, then hot glue thumb-tacks to the back of the button…. then I just pin on the board wherever I want! You can check out my tutorial here!

Packaging

Shopping Bags – I bought these clear plastic bags from Amazon, I love these clear ones to show off your merch as buyers carry them around.

Print Sleeves – I have seen people carrying around large clear bags with prints showing right through. I haven’t been able to find these bags with handles, but you can get yourself clear protector sleeves. If someone wants/needs something with handles, you could use white (trash) bags with handles. I actually find these at Dollar Tree. They’re great to put the 11 x 17 prints in.

Well, that’s about all I can think of. Feel free to leave me a comment if you have anything I can add! The key to being ready for artist alley is not to be like me and wait until the week before when you run into all sorts of trouble. It seems as if my printer stops working or any items I order are delayed. Thanks for reading and I hope some of this is helpful to you!