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Foxes & Boxes Comics and Blogging by Daniel J. Hogan.
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About Me

daniel j hogan photo

I’m a cartoonist who lives in Lansing, Michigan. Visit my shop to buy original art and more. Follow me on Instagram, @danieljhoganart.

My Books


Check out my fantasy-humor novel, The Magic of Eyri.
magic of eyri book by daniel j hogan
Amazon :: Lulu :: Ebook
Amazon Author Profile
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2014 Convention Year Wrap-Up, Part Two

by Daniel J. Hogan on October 1, 2014 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]Y[/dc]esterday, I went into detail about what I learned during my first year of selling comics at conventions. Today is more skimmer friendly, with lists of random artist alley tips, advice, and thoughts.

sillyt hat commission

Watercolor commission at GrandCon.

Random Business-y stuff I Learned at Conventions

  • Offer items with different prices. $1, $5, $20, whatever. Just offer a variety. I sell a lot of stickers—they are 4 for $1. I’m not making much on them, but each features my artwork, my site url, and my signature (plus the stickers are easy/cheap to make at home).
  • Offer combo deals if you can.
  • Be willing to bargain.
  • Take into account how much it costs to make an item when setting the price–and consider your time too. Sell stuff which is easy to make for less, and stuff which is more work for more (if you can). Ex: my 4 for $1 stickers I print out, versus my watercolor sketch cards I make by hand for $5 each.
  • Some people consider $5 cheaper than $3. Why? One bill versus three bills. Likewise, an item might sell better at $10 than $12 fro the same reason.
  • Experiment with new items in small batches (if you can). I learned this the hard way.
  • Get a Square Reader (or something similar) for credit cards–it is free. Sure, Square takes about 3% of any sale, but $9.70 of a $10 item is better than zero dollars because you couldn’t take credit cards (and they pay you fast). 
  • Track your sales. I highly recommend the Square Reader Register App. You need it to use the Square Reader anyway, but I use it for cash sales too. I enter each item I sell into my Library (sketchcards, mini-comic, etc) and just tap the item for each sale—even cash sales. Then, I have a record of the day. I can easily see what sold and when.
  • Some conventions are worth ‘losing’ money. You cannot beat a convention for exposure to potential fans and networking. You may not sell a lot, but getting in front of people is worth the price (think of it as advertising). 

Other Artist Alley Advice

  • Bring change. Ones and fives, bring as many as you can. I don’t sell anything which requires coins either.
  • Invest in a money envelope/wallet thing. I bought a coupon organizer which works great for storing my cash at conventions. I have my change in one part and my ‘take in’ in another. You could also get a lock box. Speaking of:
  • Keep your take in cash separate from your change. It helps with keeping tabs on your money. Speaking from experience.This helps cut down on the ‘where’s my money?!’ panic.
  • Write down how much change you brought to the show. If you started the weekend with $200 in change, make yourself a note in your cash box/folder/whatever (I do this each time).
  • Bring paper, pens, markers, pencils, and any other art supplies you might need. I’ve had to whip up signs at a moment’s notice more than once.
  • Invest in a cloth tablecloth—not a plastic one. I got a nice bright green tablecloth at Party City for pretty cheap. The plastic tablecloths rip and tear too easily. A cloth tablecloth is worth the money, as it will take a lot of beatings.
  • Bring a second tablecloth to cover your table when you leave or shutdown for the night.
  • Tape: bring duct tape, masking tape, clear tape. You will need it.
  • If you can, bring protective sleeves for prints and sketchcards.
  • Paper towel, wet wipes, hand sanitizer are all good things to have on hand (especially if you are using paint for commissions)
  • I bring a couple small plastic containers to use for my brush water when using my watercolor paints.
  • Speaking of water, bring your own water bottle. Stay hydrated.
  • Bring snacks, like trail mix, jerky, and the like. You might not get to eat a real lunch, so this will help–so will a big breakfast.
  • Get vertical. I bought one of those wire-cube sets and use it at every show. I can make stuff eye-level, which helps grab attention. TIP: I use plastic zip ties to keep my tower from coming apart. 
  • Buy some ceramic disk magnets to use with your wire-cube set and/or to attach a sign to the front of your tablecloth.
  • Invest in good signage. This took me a while, but getting professional looking signage is one of the best things you can do.
  • If you are comfortable with commissions, DO THEM. A commission is a drawing someone hired you to make at the convention. Commissions can really help you have a successful convention.
  • Simple is good. It is easy to overdo one’s table set-up (I’m still figuring out what works best for mine). When it doubt, go for simple.

Feel free to read my other convention and artist alley blog posts.

└ Tags: artist alley, behind the scenes, convention

2014 Convention Year Wrap-Up, Part One

by Daniel J. Hogan on September 30, 2014 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]2[/dc]014 meant a big step for me: taking my comics and cartooning to conventions and shows. Selling my wares and services, trying to make new fans, making connections in the comic world, drinking a lot of coffee, eating more bad food.

I wasn’t a stranger to conventions by any means: I went to several while promoting and selling my novel, The Magic of Eyri, a few years ago (not a comic, a regular novel).

This year was different. Before, all I sold was my finished novel (and later, promoted the accompanying podcast).

Now though, I had much more to sell and explain to potential fans and buyers.

grandcon table

My table at GrandCon. Yes, I know my sign is crooked.

Detailed recaps of my appearances are here:

  • MSU Comics Forum Recap: Artist Alley
  • SPACE Recap, part 1: Artist Alley Business
  • Free Comic Book Day 2014 Recap
  • Cherry Capital Comic Con Artist Alley Recap
  • GrandCon 2014 Artist Alley Recap

Today, I will try to condense what I learned during my first year. Reading other artists’ posts about their experiences helped me, so now it is my turn to help.

In no particular order:

1. Not Every Convention Is Created Equal

What sells at one convention, might not sell at another. I could sell a bunch of mini-comics at a Free Comic Book Day event or the MSU Comics Forum, but I won’t sell nearly as much at another convention. It happens.

If you didn’t have much luck at a certain convention, skip it next year and try a different one. Better to have a smaller group of conventions you always do well at (and have fun), then a lot where most are not that great (because, attending conventions can get pricey–especially if you need a hotel).

Keep track of what sells best at what show for next time.

Yes, next time.

2. Experience Matters

Experience is a big advantage at a convention. I saw this first hand, with other artists and myself. Experience is a double advantage: fans remember you from the year before and want your latest stuff, and you are better at selling your wares, and perhaps most importantly, yourself.

Want numbers? A bunch of artists filled out a survey about conventions and the data is available here. You will see how the more experience an artist has at a convention, the better they (usually) do.

3. Location

Location matters. There are so many factors which can affect your convention weekend, and where you set up is one of the biggest.

I try to get a table near my artist pals if I can. It not only gives you someone to talk to, but you can help promote each other.

Check out that artist survey again for interesting information about being in the (higher priced) vendor area versus the (cheaper) artist alley.

Unlike other factors, location is rarely something you can control at a convention. One convention you could be next to a big name, and the following show you’re in a corner far away from the main traffic.

4. Have an Elevator Pitch

Be able to sum up your comics in a fast and easy way. I hate comparing myself to other work, but it is just something you have to do at a convention. You are fighting for a convention goer’s time and the faster you are, the better.

I say some variation of: “I write and draw a weekly comic with cartoony gag humor like MAD Magazine.”

When I sold Magic of Eyri at shows, I said: “It is like Monty Python and the Holy Grail meets Wizard of Oz.”

Both of these are simple, easy to remember, and give a broad idea of what I’m offering. If the person at my table shows more interest, then I can get more detailed (talk about characters).

Continue Reading

└ Tags: appearances, artist alley, behind the scenes, convention, events

GrandCon 2014 Artist Alley Recap

by Daniel J. Hogan on September 23, 2014 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, News

[dc]A[/dc]nother convention is in the books. GrandCon came and went over the weekend, like a thing which comes and goes (…a bus? Maybe. A catbus? YES).

I attended GrandCon for the first time this year, which was the convention’s second year. Wearing the mantles of a gaming and a comic convention, GrandCon presented, like every convention I attended in my first year of shows, a learning experience.

Take My Print, Please

I drew an exclusive print for GrandCon, one I thought would do pretty well, as I catered it to the convention’s gaming crowd. After the collaborative print I did for Cherry Capital Comic Con sold so well, I decided to try one on my own.

grandcon print

URL watermark not included. Duh.

At C4, I sold 13 prints.

At GrandCon, I sold two. Of the eleven I brought.

So, what happened? A few things, I think:

  • This print wasn’t a collaborative effort, so I couldn’t say “get these other guys to sign it.”
  • People just didn’t like my style or the look in general, which is probably the biggest reason.¹ I didn’t draw much of the C4 print which was so popular.
  • Price? Maybe. It was $10, which is average for an 11” x 17” color print on card stock (same price as C4). I always stressed this was a limited run. I dropped the price to $5 on Sunday, and still only sold one the entire day.²
  • I avoided any character fan art for this print (although I heavily referenced Settlers of Catan). This was probably the other main reason it didn’t sell well. The C4 print featured the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who are always popular.
  • Attendees who were at GrandCon to play games, not buy art and/or comics. A few of my artist alley cohorts shared this feeling. GrandCon was well attended, but the game rooms benefited more than the artists/comic people (which is fine—it is a gaming show after all—I’m not complaining, just pointing out observations).

As the show closed on Sunday, I gave away the remaining exclusive prints. I wouldn’t really be able to sell them at another show (I dunno maybe I could), and wasn’t crazy about bringing so many home.

Keep Me Posted

My latest item, the watercolor postcards, failed to sell too.

magic post card

I did sell this one to a friend, after the show though.

These went for $10 each (they are twice the size of my $5 sketch cards, so twice the price–and included a stamp), and featured different designs and themes. The upside here at least is, I can sell these postcards at other shows, or through Storenvy.

What Sold?

My watercolor sketch cards ($5 each) sold well, like at other shows. I sold 12. I cranked out four new cards on Saturday and two sold within moments of the paint drying.

Stickers were popular again too (four for $1). I make my own using home printer sticker sheets.

I managed three commissions (one watercolor piece for $20 and two small $5 black and white).

Lessons Learned

Will I do a show exclusive print again? I don’t know.

Getting stuck with show specific prints at the end of the day on Sunday wasn’t fun.

I need to better display my willingness to do commissions, I think. I made more off one watercolor commission than I did selling two prints (a print I spent hours drawing, inking, coloring, and preparing for printing, versus about 30 minutes on a commission).

Watercolor sketchcards are fun, and sell, although for the amount of work I do I’m probably short-selling myself at $5 each. I could at least get rid of the ‘3 for $10’ deal, and make it ‘3 for $12’ or ‘3 for $13.’

Selling sketch cards for $10 won’t work, I tried that. Heck, I couldn’t sell a postcard twice the size at that price (although I will try again at my next show).

Originals sell pretty well. By that I mean my sketch cards and commissions. Perhaps instead of prints, for another show I’ll focus on making a few large watercolor originals (and really push commissions). I actually had this idea pre-GrandCon, but since it was my first show since buying my Surface Pro 3, I wanted to try making a print digitally.

Perhaps the biggest lesson was, not all conventions are equal in terms of what will sell, the audience, and so on. The artist alley circuit is all about trial and error, and it being my first year this is even more the case.

 

Final GrandCon Thoughts

I wish I attended GrandCon as a board/card game fan. I don’t mean I regret being a part of artist alley at the show. Not at all.

To clarify, there was a lot of fun gaming going on all weekend, and I wish I had time to join in on the action. GrandCon is worth the trip if you love playing games. I swung by the GenCon game library at GrandCon and drooled over all the games available for free play. So many games, and no time to play any.

If your art and/or goods cater to the gaming crowd, check out GrandCon. If not, you might want to focus on more comic/art centric shows.

–

¹ Which I understand. Not everyone will love my silly, cartoony style.

² Other artists got complaints about charging $10 for prints of the same size.

└ Tags: artist alley, behind the scenes, board games, convention

Friday Six: Mass Effect; Deep Space 9; I Know That Voice

by Daniel J. Hogan on September 12, 2014 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Blog, Friday Six, News

[dc]T[/dc]he week rolls on, like thunder, crashing into the weekend like a thing what needs crashing upon.

Here’s this week’s Friday Six.

[] More Like ‘Mass Talking’

I started playing Mass Effect this week, the epic sci-fi video game which friends kept telling me I Had to Play. Stephanie helped me design/name my character using the Jane Shepard option. Házel Shepard is a tough redhead with huge duck lips and a rather…uh…strong nose. “Bigger,” Stephanie kept saying. “Bigger!” Quality time with the wife.

mass effect

“Tell me more!” Image via Amazon.

I’m enjoying Mass Effect so far, but going to it right after finishing Batman: Arkham City is like using an emergency brake at 200 MPH.

So much talking. There’s nothing wrong with all the talking in Mass Effect, as it helps build the world and such, but I wish there was an easier way to skip parts (especially when I need to restart a fight, etc).

It reminds me of the Simpsons joke about the My Dinner With André video game.

[] Last Call

Also on the sci-fi front, Stephanie started watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (a favorite of mine, as I wrote before) since she finished Enterprise.

Stephanie doesn’t understand why Deep Space Nine’s Promenade closes (specifically the businesses, like Quark’s Bar), at all, because the station is always full of travelers and staff.

She posted this observation on Facebook, which led to one of the nerdier comment threads I’ve been a part of in some time, discussing varies theories including Odo implemented curfews and Bajoran traditions.

My last theory was probably the most correct: lazy writing.

[] Saddle Up

Stephanie and I finished the first season of Bojack Horseman, and we really fell in love with the show. It took a few episodes to really grab us, not that we didn’t like it at first. A few shows in though, Bojack Horseman really gets going. Lots of story layers.

[] Voice in My Head

Also on Netflix (we don’t have ‘real’ cable), is this great documentary, I Know That Voice.

The doc showcases a bunch of voice actors, most of which you probably know by voice, but not by name and/or appearance. If you love cartoons (both classic and modern), give it a watch right away.

[] Prints, Ahoy

I picked up my 11” x 17” prints for GrandCon next weekend. Color printing is a whole new beast for me, but my first color prints turned out great. I’m only bringing 11 copies of the print to GrandCon, and when they are gone, they are gone. Coming up with a show specific print was a good creative challenge.

If all goes well, I will try to do this for future shows too.

[] Penny

According to my stats/analytics/animal entrails readings, I need to write more pen reviews. My Jetstream vs. Pilot Precise post keeps getting reads and search engine traffic.

[] Wrap Up

This Week’s comic: Random Encounters

No Filter Fox has his own way of handling awkward encounters.

Blog Post: Surface Pro 3 Pen Hack: Add a Grip from a SumoGrip Pencil

I added a grip to my Surface Pro 3 pen. Handy.

└ Tags: animation, geek stuff, pop culture, sci-fi, steph, tv, video games
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