Well, my sister convinced me earlier that we should sell again this year at Sakura Con. I thought she was crazy - one year of intense preparation and stress was certainly enough!
But, I'm crazy too and I agreed to give it another run ;-)
Being aware of what I needed to have to be prepared, I knew I could offer a more solid performance this year. And when I think I can improve, you better believe I'm going to give something another attempt! So, after months of hard work and planning we found ourselves again in Seattle on April 18th & 19th to sell some artwork (BUM-BUMMM!!!).
(the escalator at the entrance to the convention)
(note: because this was my second year at Sakura Con, I'm not writing about the experience in as much detail as I did for my first year - for a more detailed review of the Artist Alley experience, click here )
Alicia had decided that this year she didn't want to emphasize selling much jewelry, so the focus of our entire booth was the prints and bookmarks (with just a few extra things on the side). I also bought a pair of fake cherry blossom branches to put on the top of our booth. For some reason when I think of artist alley booths I think of fake cherry blossoms. . . so I wanted to have some!
(Alicia sitting at our table after we'd properly set up)
Luckily, we timed our arrival well and had plenty of time for set up. Although if I do this next year, I need to remember to get painter's tape. . .
This year I had 6 additional prints (!) and created a whole new range of bookmarks to match.
(my view of the table from my seat behind it)
My sister Alicia also offered two prints of her artwork and a couple of bookmarks as well.
You can see all the prints I brought to sell here
This year, our big performers yet again were:
I was surprised that this time Inuyasha actually outsold Sesshy! (by 1, but still!). I actually sold out of Sesshy 8x10s.
The rest of the lineup was pretty tight - there were a few surprise dark horses in there, but all of the prints did very well overall.
(it's difficult to take a discreet shot of people looking at my art, but I managed this one of a cosplayer dressed as a TARDIS)
We actually took in more money this year than last year, which floored me - our first day was quite slow and I was honestly worried. Luckily our second day we more than doubled the sales of the first day - it was a busy day! Being busy made the day go by very quickly, which when you're sitting behind a table for 8 hours you appreciate :-)
Not to mention how much I appreciate the people who took the time to look at and comment on my art. Being at a table, talking to people about your artwork - it's a wonderful, meaningful experience. Each interaction is a treasure. And I still find myself feeling surprised and flattered when people buy my work. One girl purchased over $40 in prints and I found myself starting to blush!
It was interesting because my experience with the group overall was a bit different from last year. I got more comments on my overall technique than I did on any particular pieces. People didn't seem to connect as strong with individual pieces, there were usually several that they commented on and debated between when purchasing. Maybe because I had more strong pieces to sell this year? I'm not sure why the difference. Also, not as many people recognized my piece from From Far Away - although I did end up with one fan who was over the moon about an Izark necklace my sister made from a drawing I created ;-)
(a photo I snapped as I was walking around Artist Alley - lots of people!)
Like last year, there are things we took away that we would do differently - but nothing major. All in all, we had a really good time.
Alicia asked if I will plan to sell again next year. . .my answer is a resounding "we'll see" ;-)
~m.d.
Alicia asked if I will plan to sell again next year. . .my answer is a resounding "we'll see" ;-)
~m.d.
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