SDCC Guide Addendum.

[seanan_mcguire]

This one just came in from mimisgrotto, and I wanted to make sure it wouldn't get missed in the grand hullabaloo surrounding the ramp-up to San Diego:

"One from the other side of the tables:

"Please remember that the artists exhibiting are people too, not machines.

"Some artists will fill up their commission lists quickly, others will ebb and flow in waves. We are all trying to be fair and serve people in order they come to us. So if an artist says they're full, don't think that you are any special exception for 'just this one little thing'.

"There are only so many hours in the con day, we need food and bathroom breaks too and some of us actually like to relax and rest after hours instead of be bent over commission art until 3am. If we could accommodate every person who asks for a sketch or a commission, we would. Please understand if we just can't.

"Also, don't use your adorable children to try and get free art. It's awesome that so many parents share the con experience with their kids, but there is the odd entitled parent and we CAN spot you. The denizens of Artist Alley aren't just there to be seen, we've spent lots of money like you to come to Comicon and we're here to earn our living in a very crowded, tough industry.

"So if something free is only an autograph or a quick doodle rather than an hour-long marker sketch, don't get huffy. You get what you pay for.

"Be courteous and pleasant and GET THE HINT that if an artist is REALLY focused on their work rather than enraptured by your verbatim recount of your Favorite Episodes of Dr Who, it's time to move on and leave them to it."

One of my favorite things about attending conventions in person is having the ability to commission artwork from artists I adore. My walls can attest to this habit. But seriously, it's like a win-win party scenario. I get amazing art that no one else has; the artists I love get to keep their lights on; and best of all, by putting dollars in their pockets, I keep them coming to the conventions. I love it! That being said...

Artists are working. You may be at the convention to play, but they? Are at work. Do you want me to come up to Amy's table and distract her while she's trying to draw your awesome Muppet Rose Tyler? No? Then why would I want you to come up and distract her while she's trying to draw my Emma Frost?

Things that are not distractions for most artists:

* Looking through folders.
* Looking at prints.
* Having a brief, friendly conversation.
* Giving them money.
* Asking if the commission lists are open.

Things that are distractions, all of which I have witnessed at one time or another:

* "Can I get a free one? I'll tell all my friends about you."
* "Oh, hey, let me see what you're working on."
* "You're really hot. Do you have a boyfriend?"
* "Oops, sorry, I/my small child didn't mean to rip that." (Not followed by payment in this instance.)
* "Have you seen Firefly? There's this one episode where..."

Visit Artist's Alley! Take this amazing opportunity to see and purchase artwork, some of which can be created just for you. But remember that the artists are there to make a living, and that trying to bargain that $50 sketch down to $20 because you think it's fun is potentially going to get you stabbed with a colored pencil. (Also, I highly recommend visiting Amy Mebberson and James Silvani, who will have EPIC mashups of EPIC EPICNESS.)

See you in San Diego!

Comments

[taldragon.livejournal.com]

"(Also, I highly recommend visiting Amy Mebberson and James Silvani, who will have EPIC mashups of EPIC EPICNESS.)"

i am not going to Comicon and would like to see these epicnesses - do they have a website?

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

You can view Amy's work here:

http://amymebberson.tumblr.com/

I'm not sure about Jim's, but I think Amy links him from time to time.

[taldragon.livejournal.com]

thank you!

[bercilakslady.livejournal.com]

The Muppet Dr Who is brilliant. Makes me wish I was going to the con, as it seems to be an exclusive.

[deanna rodriguez (from livejournal.com)]

I'd feel like I was insulting the artist trying to haggle like that. This behavior is actually one of the reasons I very rarely do any type of art/craft work for anyone but people I love or as gifts. Too many people just don't value the work.

SDCC - maybe next year. I would like to go before the Rising.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Many people sadly don't seem to care about insulting the artist.

[jenjen4280.livejournal.com]

Also if you're wondering why a particular artist is charging an exorbitant fee for convention sketches, it's because he/she got tired of his/her sketches flipped on eBay and sell for literally hundreds of dollars more than they charged for the sketch.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

WORD.

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

Reading this makes me sad someone has to - yanno - actually spell it out like this.

But the other half of my brain reminds me that this is an environment where trying out questionable behaviors is not only accepted, it's encouraged...because someone is selling the tools for it over at that other table. The personal boundaries get blurred. A lot. (Hardly restricted to SDCC, neh?)

I also remember a time when the artists had handlers - and room for that second person at the table to run interference. Is it me, or has everyone forgotten that you can't have it if they say no? Or have they learned that nobody has the time or energy to say no often enough to compete with the din?

Unless that's all you do, of course. I'd rather they made art.

I remember working with Frankie Laine once - and his agent was the nicest fellow I ever met. Proper introductions all around, your best Emily Post...to the letter. (That stuff works - it's why I insist on it.) And the agent knew all the answers to all the questions, could properly 'squee' with the best of them over his client's work. Unforgettable, both of them. It was an understood thing that Jimmy did all the talking, and Frankie did all the working. I got to watch. (It's a nice memory - they both got to their feet when I entered the room like I was some princess and not just a girl to shake hands with me. I was what, 23? And absolutely nobody. Flattered? I'm still gibbering.)

There's patronage, and then there's unpaid slavery. (Do people order their lunches that way?)

There's a lot I could say about Richard Pini, but he sure knew this one as well.

Boundaries. Know them, use them and insist on nothing but the best of them. People are exhausting.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

YES.

[spectralbovine.livejournal.com]

"You're really hot. Do you have a boyfriend?"
THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK SIR.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Sad but true.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

There's a personal rule I throw in, though I don't know how often it comes up for artists.

Sometimes, when I'm shopping at a convention, the price is higher than I can afford. No harm, no foul. It is generally a reasonable price, my wallet is merely not that thick, so it goes.

Every now and then, a vendor will offer to cut me a deal. That's fine. It is for them to decide whether or not to do this. If that makes the difference between not buying and buying, great!

If it is still not affordable, is further bargaining permissible? Possibly. Possibly not. You need to read the situation there, and I can't tell you what any given one will be. But, if I know that either a) I'm not really interested in the item after all (some vendors will assume an appreciative glance implies more interest than it does, and as long as they're willing to accept a 'no', that's fine. They're there to sell.) or b) I cannot afford to buy it at any price that the vendor can afford to sell it, I will not attempt to bargain further and will say outright that I can't afford it. It's not that I don't appreciate the gesture. I really, really do. But, I don't want to waste the seller's time.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Good rule of thumb re: bargaining.

[argonel.livejournal.com]

I would consider one additional thought. This only applies to dealers that brought stuff to sell not artists or commission sales. At the end of the convention you can see if negotiations for a reasonable discount would be fruitful.

Sometimes a discounted sale is better than packing stuff up and schlepping it back home. Take no for an answer and don't expect a huge discount though on the order of 10% maybe.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

Yes, that can work. I'm not sure if I've done the asking per se, at least, not for a discount. When I reviewed RPGs regularly, I would sometimes ask for a review copy and be told, "We need to wait until we know whether we're going to sell all of our copies at the show."

For "we don't want to schlep this stuff home" discounts, a lot of book and game dealers announce discounts up front. Titan Games will often do this on the last day of Gen Con. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable asking, but that's me. mnemex has asked dealers he knows well for discounts on the last day of gaming cons.

There was one odd discount I remember. Robin Laws's 40 Years of Gen Con had come out for the 40th year of Gen Con. On the last day of the show, we could buy two for the price of one. We could not, however, buy one at half price. We found someone who also wanted a copy, and all was well. We did wonder if there wasn't some secret agenda to help gamers make new friends at the con.

[black-rider.livejournal.com]

I just ask if they're offering any last day specials. If they really want to move product, they say so. It's quick and simple for everyone.

[drcpunk.livejournal.com]

That's perfectly reasonable. My feeling uncomfortable with it is just me.

[kangaekaeru.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you for this PSA.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Very welcome.