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Why I am no longer doing color badges at conventions
11 years ago
I've been thinking about this for awhile but I've finally made the decision that I will no longer be offering colored works (mostly badges) to be completed at conventions. I still offer take-home color badges of all types, but my only at-con commissions from here on out will be sketchbooks, inked sketchbooks, and pencil/inked badges. I'll now be offering toony as well as my more realistic style, so as to fit budgets and stylistic choices, but doing colored work at conventions is super stressful for the following reasons:
1. It's difficult for me to talk and work
I love to talk to people but of course when I'm at a convention I'm there to sell when I'm behind my table, not necessarily socialize until its after hours. When I'm sitting behind my table not drawing, it's easier for me to engage with people and answer questions, but not drawing means I'm not selling. When I'm drawing sketchbooks, I don't have to deal with quickly drying marker I need to blend into the next color (a very time sensitive thing) and can more frequently peek up and say hello. If my head is down in my work, no one engages with me, and I lose sales and, in the past, have been referred to as "aloof" because of this (and then I feel really bad). I know, I know, people should know that I'm not blatantly ignoring them when I'm working, but let's face it, I STILL need to be able to talk with my customers even if its just a little bit, and colored work, for me anyways, is just far too time sensitive for me to take the casual breaks I need to even just say "Hello".
2. My supplies are bulky
I hate traveling with my coloring supplies, which are a mix of tria, copic, and prismacolor markers. I have a "tower" of 3 drawers worth of markers that I take with me to conventions. Some people can get by with less, but to produce the type of work that I do, I like to have this wide variety of colors and brands. When traveling by plane, the hassle grows exponentially, as I have before had TSA dig through my markers, leaving many of them uncapped, allowing them to dry out, costing me hundreds of dollars. After this experience and expensive replacement, I really don't want to risk it. I have done watercolor badges at a convention before as well, but if you want to talk about finicky drying times with marker, multiply that by 10 with watercolor. I applaud people who do this at cons, but it is just not for me.
3. I am a quality control freak
You're paying me for a service, wouldn't you want me to do my best? When I work on color badges at home, I have my own tailor-made ideal working environment that I create to make sure I can produce the best work I am capable of. In a convention, I have none of that, I'm hungry, sometimes cold, breaking frequently to speak with people, and the screaming din of the convention grates on my nerves which can impact my art. Sketches and inks I have absolutely no problem with, as they don't require the careful planning of color layer after color layer that the screaming and yelling of a dealer's den inhibits me from concentrating on, and ultimately by not offering colored work at conventions, I am trying to show you, my customer, that the work I am producing at this con is work I stand behind and feel confident about.
But what if I want colored work?
I understand the need for instant gratification, so really there's two options:
-Commission me for a colored badge for take-home, which will be shipped to you immediately upon completion, for free (and it will be good, detailed work, I promise)
-Commission someone else who does colored work at a con. There are lots!
Does this mean you don't stand behind other colored badges you did at con?
I absolutely stand by them. If I didn't feel that I could create the work at the level of quality advertised, I wouldn't accept it (and I have said no in the past, if I was feeling "off" that day). I'm merely stating that, going forward, it's extremely stressful and I would prefer NOT to anymore. Ever notice I sell out of badge slots on Friday? That's no coincidence, it's me putting a physical capper to limit my stress levels. I would MUCH rather take 3 more sketchbooks than one of those colored badges in that case, so that's what I'm doing from here on out. It's for everyone's benefit, really. Like my work and want something at a convention? Consider a sketchbook commission! They're full body anyways ;)
How can I commission you for a badge for a convention if you're not taking them at-con?
All you have to do is ask! I am almost ALWAYS open for badges even if I'm "closed" for all other work. The only exception to this is if I need a break from the style (Lisa Frank, I'll take these again I just need a few months) or the con you need it for is too soon for me to complete it on time. Everything I upload to galleries and every journal I post is an opportunity for people to ask about my services. I will be happy to give you a quote or tell you of my availability. I have a sampling of badge types i offer and their prices, but since I offer so many different styles of artwork, the best way is to point to a piece in my gallery you like and ask if I can badge-ify it and for how much. The best way to get a hold of me though is through email at thornwolf.art[at]gmail.com
Examples of badges and prices:
http://fs8.formsite.com/Thornwolf/form2/index.html
So, tl;dr - I'm not doing colored badges for at-con completion anymore. Sketchbooks and inked sketchbooks will still be offered, and in some cases, b/w badges, but the only way to get a color badge from me is to commission me outside of a con or buy a take-home badge at-con.
Thanks for reading!
1. It's difficult for me to talk and work
I love to talk to people but of course when I'm at a convention I'm there to sell when I'm behind my table, not necessarily socialize until its after hours. When I'm sitting behind my table not drawing, it's easier for me to engage with people and answer questions, but not drawing means I'm not selling. When I'm drawing sketchbooks, I don't have to deal with quickly drying marker I need to blend into the next color (a very time sensitive thing) and can more frequently peek up and say hello. If my head is down in my work, no one engages with me, and I lose sales and, in the past, have been referred to as "aloof" because of this (and then I feel really bad). I know, I know, people should know that I'm not blatantly ignoring them when I'm working, but let's face it, I STILL need to be able to talk with my customers even if its just a little bit, and colored work, for me anyways, is just far too time sensitive for me to take the casual breaks I need to even just say "Hello".
2. My supplies are bulky
I hate traveling with my coloring supplies, which are a mix of tria, copic, and prismacolor markers. I have a "tower" of 3 drawers worth of markers that I take with me to conventions. Some people can get by with less, but to produce the type of work that I do, I like to have this wide variety of colors and brands. When traveling by plane, the hassle grows exponentially, as I have before had TSA dig through my markers, leaving many of them uncapped, allowing them to dry out, costing me hundreds of dollars. After this experience and expensive replacement, I really don't want to risk it. I have done watercolor badges at a convention before as well, but if you want to talk about finicky drying times with marker, multiply that by 10 with watercolor. I applaud people who do this at cons, but it is just not for me.
3. I am a quality control freak
You're paying me for a service, wouldn't you want me to do my best? When I work on color badges at home, I have my own tailor-made ideal working environment that I create to make sure I can produce the best work I am capable of. In a convention, I have none of that, I'm hungry, sometimes cold, breaking frequently to speak with people, and the screaming din of the convention grates on my nerves which can impact my art. Sketches and inks I have absolutely no problem with, as they don't require the careful planning of color layer after color layer that the screaming and yelling of a dealer's den inhibits me from concentrating on, and ultimately by not offering colored work at conventions, I am trying to show you, my customer, that the work I am producing at this con is work I stand behind and feel confident about.
But what if I want colored work?
I understand the need for instant gratification, so really there's two options:
-Commission me for a colored badge for take-home, which will be shipped to you immediately upon completion, for free (and it will be good, detailed work, I promise)
-Commission someone else who does colored work at a con. There are lots!
Does this mean you don't stand behind other colored badges you did at con?
I absolutely stand by them. If I didn't feel that I could create the work at the level of quality advertised, I wouldn't accept it (and I have said no in the past, if I was feeling "off" that day). I'm merely stating that, going forward, it's extremely stressful and I would prefer NOT to anymore. Ever notice I sell out of badge slots on Friday? That's no coincidence, it's me putting a physical capper to limit my stress levels. I would MUCH rather take 3 more sketchbooks than one of those colored badges in that case, so that's what I'm doing from here on out. It's for everyone's benefit, really. Like my work and want something at a convention? Consider a sketchbook commission! They're full body anyways ;)
How can I commission you for a badge for a convention if you're not taking them at-con?
All you have to do is ask! I am almost ALWAYS open for badges even if I'm "closed" for all other work. The only exception to this is if I need a break from the style (Lisa Frank, I'll take these again I just need a few months) or the con you need it for is too soon for me to complete it on time. Everything I upload to galleries and every journal I post is an opportunity for people to ask about my services. I will be happy to give you a quote or tell you of my availability. I have a sampling of badge types i offer and their prices, but since I offer so many different styles of artwork, the best way is to point to a piece in my gallery you like and ask if I can badge-ify it and for how much. The best way to get a hold of me though is through email at thornwolf.art[at]gmail.com
Examples of badges and prices:
http://fs8.formsite.com/Thornwolf/form2/index.html
So, tl;dr - I'm not doing colored badges for at-con completion anymore. Sketchbooks and inked sketchbooks will still be offered, and in some cases, b/w badges, but the only way to get a color badge from me is to commission me outside of a con or buy a take-home badge at-con.
Thanks for reading!
I can't even count how many times I would've loved to have gone to a panel or two, but couldn't, because it was during dealer room hours, or I would get a bunch of "homework" that needed to get done that night, which would mean missing out any of the evening panels too. And whenever I don't have homework to do, that's usually when they don't have any panels that are of any interest to me XD C'est la vie, I guess.
But I suppose it depends on how you view a convention: if it is for business, then it is for business.
TSA actually left your markers uncapped? I would be livid.
I "attended" my first con recently (that is, not dealing) and I was actually pretty bored. I don't mind dealing if I can turn it off after hours. If I'm going to spend all that money on a trip I'd rather just go visit select friends, but conventions are fun to make money at, I just don't want to kill myself doing it. I do limit myself to 2 cons per year though so I have a looooot of room between them to build up my energy. Art is my main job as well, so I'm never really without art to do, but for the complex stuff I'd rather do it in a quiet area with my music playing than a roomful of yelling people XD
Maybe we'll commission you for some colored take home badges like we did last year with our ones (which we love).
I would much rather do sketches at cons than badges, as they earn more for less stress, and I can do more of them per day/night.
I totally understand why you want to stop...traditional color work is very hard to do at cons if you are a perfectionist (as we both are!) and people don't want to pay top prices for 'a little piece of art' such as a badge.
Tell folks to pre-order before cons to pick up and enjoy at the con. Put out a journal two weeks before each con, reminding folks that you can have their badge ready when the dealer's room opens on the first day!
The way I figure it, if people like my work for the way I do it at my best recommendations and my methods, by commissioning me they acknowledge I know what I need to do to create a good end result for them. When it stops being financially feasible to go to conventions, I will stop going, but after 10 years of doing this I'm realizing I only have one body and my art output is finite, so I might as well do the best work I'm capable of and hope my customers will see the reason behind my decision.
Yeah, I've been doing conventions since 2001...and while I have been thinking on taking a break or whatever, I feel like I'm so *used* to going to them now, I don't think I *could* take a break, even if I wanted to. I've stopped going to cons that just aren't profitable for me anymore, and I'm starting to stick to the ones that are, as well as possibly trying out new ones that are becoming more "local" (eg: In the New England area). Interesting enough, the best con I do well at is a local anime con here in VT. People there can't get enough of my crocheted stuff XD
More and more artists have been opting to do most of their work at home and mailing commissioners the result. If it means I get a pretty piece of art from an artist I admire, I'm all for it :B I'd rather you have fun at a con rather than stress yourself out
I'm of the same mind as you, I've commissioned artists before both at con and after con and I'd really rather they were in their most pleasant element when creating what is basically a miniature custom painting! A lot of comic convention artists take sketchbooks and inks, and I think that trend is best for that environment, personally.
I hope this new approach helps deter stress! I'm pretty impressed by artists who do on-spot commission work at all!
And yeah I did the "homework" thing for a couple of cons and I didn't make that much more than if I just kept my hours to dealer's den hours only, so, it's just not worth it to me. Others sometimes do ALL of their work after hours and just sit at the table all day but that just feels like borrowing time, plus missing out on social activities and good dinners. No thanks, not for me! XD
This year I was considering trialling watercolor, or w/c pencils, but your post has now left me second guessing that!
I've never gotten any bites for b/w badges when I also offered color, but when I offer /only/ b/w badges I haven't had a problem.