What I learned from my first Con

As I mentioned in the last post, MFF was just for us to see what “furry” cons (the horror!) are like, and just for me to see what cons in general are like. I brought a handful of art supplies and a ton of cash, but mostly expected to be a customer and spectator. I ended up making more than double of what I spent (including registration and probably gas/food fees). While I’m, to say the least, ecstatic about that, the truth of the matter is – I could have done even better! So here’s a checklist of things that I would (will?) do at the next convention.

Planning for getting there

• If possible, go for all three days of the convention. Although there weren’t too many panels and such at MFF, there was nonetheless a lot to see and do. There are always new people to meet and talk to, plus if you know you have all three full days, you can experience the con at a more relaxed pace instead of trying to cram everything in at once. We spent nearly 10 hours in the Artist’s Alley and desperately drug our exhausted bodies to the dance floor afterwards JUST so we could be sure to see some costumes and crazy antics. Rochelle and Andrea didn’t even get to take a break to see the parade!
• Figure out transportation routes and gas costs. My parents were generous enough to lend me their car with a full tank of gas, so this wasn’t an issue this time. However, if we go to FCN or a con that’s further away from us than MFF (MFF was roughly an hour drive from us, only a 20 minute drive from Andrea’s place), it’ll be important to factor in the cost of gas when trying to recoup that money later in commissions. Also, we had a pretty easy route to take, but still shaved off several minutes when we were briefly lost, plus when we had to print out the directions beforehand. So, know where you’re going and roughly how much it will cost to get there.
• Figure out Lodging and costs. For MFF, Andrea had a relative who lived, as mentioned, 20 minutes from the con. This saved us the cost of renting a room or driving a much longer distance to/from our houses or one of my relative’s houses. If we attend conventions that are further away, we might ask to crash with someone who lives nearby, or if the hotel isn’t too pricey, we might just have to find a fourth roommate to cut down on that.
• Finally, add it all together. Keep a tally on how much this planning will cost to make sure you can afford it and to set a goal to break even against when/if doing commissions.

Preparation for your actual time there

• FOOD! Pack breakfasts and lunches! Pack fruit, granola bars or oatmeal that can simply be mixed with water for breakfast. Bring a box of juice boxes for some healthy hydration. Make some sandwiches and bag them to nibble on later. The less you have to spend in restaurants and the less you have to leave the con to find food, the better.
• Bring everything you need to make badges. Badges seem to be the most popular item to buy at a convention, so in addition to whatever your favorite medium is (inks, markers, pencil, etc.), bring sticker lamination sheets and badge clips. Lots of them!
• Have lots of samples of your work, but not too many. It was sheer luck (Tom Shear luck?) that I even had a handful of inks in my new sketch book to cut out and lay out on the table. They were mostly tiny doodles and one larger, slightly more realistic piece. Yet in the end, this is what sold a lot of people to my work. There was enough to show what I was doing, but not enough to turn someone off from one or two sub-par samples in the bunch, or to think that I was trying too hard, or to make them feel overwhelmed by how much there was to look at. I feel some other artists there turned people off from having several giant binders of their work. It’s kind of exhausting for someone to go through, and if there’s too many options they may be worried how their particular commission might come out. However, I will say that having too few samples (as I sort of did) turned some people off from my work. Find enough samples of your work that really, really show your one specific style that you will use in the badges, so people will know what they will get when they commission you. If you insist, have a separate binder and label it “alternate styles” so people feel they have a choice in how it will look. What ends up convincing people to buy or not is style; Everyone is going to draw their dog fursona with the same colors and markings, but how will yours look?
• Offer some standard priced commissions as well as “cheap” commissions. This one comes from Rochelle. She and I were offering our standard $10 – $25 inks, badges, sketches and marker commissions, but Rochelle also offered $2 chibis. People who commissioned her ended up tossing in an extra $2 with their orders to get a second, smaller version of their character (and they loved it!). As people buy and buy throughout the con and run out of spending cash, have some small item for them to tack on their purchases or spend their last few bucks on. In fact, our last commissioner for the night was a gentleman going around getting $1 badges from every artist at the con. When he approached us, he was at the end of his roll of singles. Sure, it’s only one dollar, but it ends up stretching your bottom line that much more.
• Have an order sheet prepared. You can either get something fancy printed out at Kinko’s, or just use your home printer, but have some standard order sheet prepared. It should have room for the person’s full name, the name (and spelling!) of what they want on the badge, their cell phone number (for reaching them during the con when their commission is done), e-mail (you’ll see why later), and enough room to write in a description of their character if they don’t have a ref sheet. I luckily had my trusty Iron Man notebook to write much of this down, but it would have looked more professional and kept me better organized if I had a standardized sheet to use.
• Have a con-related business card. Rochelle and I were planning on making some biz cards, but so much got in the way and we never got around to it. We both wanted to get the biggest bang for our buck and focused on having more long-term info for the card, but really, having a con-specific card is not only fine, but really, much more appropriate. The card should have your personal web site, any other community/social sites on the ‘net you care to share with others (in the case of a furry con, you would include your FA or DA account). Include your cell phone so commissioners can contact you during the con if needed. Include your contact and paypal e-mail addresses. Have your full name and alias. Include a very eye-catching piece of your work on both sides if possible. Have a stack of the cards spread out on your table so that people are encouraged to take them. Have LOTS spread out at all times so that people don’t worry about taking the last one. Make sure everyone who commissions you takes one (or several to hand to their friends!) so they can reach you.
• Know what events are going on, and what you’d like to see. We were going to do this beforehand, but again our time got cut short and decided we’d look when we got there. But then, of course, we ended up spending our time at the Artist’s Alley and missed most of the events and panels. So if the con releases their event schedule beforehand, print it out and highlight the ones you’d like to see most, and highlight some back-up ones. Now, we went on a Saturday, and much less “interesting” panels were going on, so I feel that attending events and panels is best reserved for Friday and Sunday of the con if you go all three days. You want to maximize your availability as an artist, of course, but you also want to enjoy the con while you’re there!
• Know who’s going! Luckily for this con, we had three of us so that two could hold the table while one ran off to get food or check out the convention. But doing this would be a lot easier and a lot more fun if we knew even more people to tag-team with when leaving to go to the bathroom, get food, attend a panel, view an event, mingle, etc. Even if you only know someone through the Internet, so long as you’re on good terms with them, you should work out a sort of buddy system for watching one another’s tables or attending events. The more, the merrier!

During the con

• Keep a commission queue list. I CAN’T STRESS THIS ONE ENOUGH. I started to do this in my Iron Man notebook as more and more people commissioned me, but before I did I was pretty disorganized. This list should note: Who commissioned you, what they commissioned (ink, badge, etc.), what they paid, to whom they paid (if, like Rochelle and I did, you’re doing collaborations. She and I had some confusion with the exchange of money on our first collaboration), and what time they ordered. This list will help you and your customers know what “order” the commissions are being done in and when they can be expected to be done. It will help you keep track of how much money you’ve made so you can know if you’ve broken even yet with your other expenses, and how much more you want to take on to make a profit.
• Take e-mail addresses. Make sure to get the e-mail address of everyone who commissions you, and try to get the e-mail of those who visit your table. After the con, send a thank-you note to everyone! This is not only professional, but gives people who stopped by a second reminder of who you are and a chance to check out your art again online. Send the e-mail within a few days of the con so that you remain fresh in their minds.
• At around 4p.m., post a sign saying, “Now accepting DINNER in exchange for art!” As evening rolled around, we got VERY hungry. But we felt like we couldn’t leave the table since we had so much work on our plate, and people kept returning to ask if their commission was done yet. Earlier, however, one very kind gentleman gave us some soft drinks in exchange for some doodles in his sketch book. He mentioned to us that other artists were accepting lunch or dinner as payment for food. So, to help avoid leaving your table, make sure this option is available for your buyers. Let them know if you have any food sensitivities or allergies, but besides that try not to be too picky. Also, take the sign down once someone agrees to get you food!
• Work steadily, but make time for breaks. I’m still trying to figure this one out. We worked so hard on so much art that we hardly took any time for ourselves. We were extremely burnt out by the end of the con. The most ideal situation would be to have an actual hotel room at the con so you can run up for a quick cat nap, but otherwise just try to be aware of how much work you’re taking on and what your own energy levels are at. Bring lots of healthy snacks to keep your stamina up. You should have some sign prepared for your table to notify people when you are gone on a break.
• Have fun, be social! We did this at MFF, that’s for sure. We’re very loud, giggling people, and drew in a lot of others to join in on our mischief. There are a lot of asocial nerds (ha!) that go to these things, a lot of people that go alone since they have no other friends with this interest, or a lot of people that are unsure of this environment. The happier you seem and the more outgoing you are, the more fun you will have making friends and the more business you will draw to your table!

Alright, I think that’s a good, solid list for now. I’m sure when/if the next convention I attend rolls around I will rewrite what I have for it. But this is definitely good to get in writing at least while it’s still fresh on my mind.

The next con we may go to will likely be “Furry Connection North” in Michigan. I’m thinking about trying my hand at ACEN just because Rochelle gives it such rave reviews, and one of these days I would love to attend Comic Con and Anthrocon.

Have any of your own con advice? Leave a comment below!