well I had hoped to run into you in person at some point I like your work.


Who knows I guess.

It's getting to the point that going to the cons even as a regular attendee is not worth it with the shit that's been happening lately. Really sorry to hear you won't be there Roz. I wouldn't either but then like you said local cons are the only ones I go to anymore with one exception.

You're the second artist I've seen say pretty much the same thing in the past 48 hours (the other being   stevegallacci -- see his journal here).

It's a conspiracy -- I swear.

Well, crap.

I hear you there.
Don't know what my chances of getting in at any particular con may be. With the nose dive my convention sales have been seeing of late I haven't been putting in applications and will be at least taking a break for a while. This year I didn't even make back the cost of the table at Califur. In 2016 I plan to just attend. Maybe put something in the art show. But no long distance conventions unless someone invites me as GoH. Ha!
Not that sales on FurBuy and Etsy have been any better. And only two paid commissions so far this year.

I'm sorry to hear that, that's pretty disappointing for a number of reasons. I know it varies a lot from con to con, but in some places the Artist Alley is a half decent alternative. But I have no experience with BFLC to say if that would be the case or not.

I did the Marketplace last year and it was great! The line for that starts Jan 3rd at 9am.

According to what they sent me, they're doing a juried selection for that too.

The letter did 'helpfully' add that 'you may be approved at a later date if someone drops out," which is absolutely useless for dealers who have to plan months ahead for travel and accommodations.

MFF had problems with the artists alley 2 years ago. Seems some people were taking space to display art and zero intentions of selling anything, some were selling soaps, incense, massage oils, another was just occupying space so they could build their fursuit and make a bloody mess at the end of the day. One or two were there just so they could chat with their friends and make zero effort to do art. A couple each year build up a small Mini-mall, selling everything imaginable. Then again, they have a lottery system to get space. I've seen as many as 225 trying for 90 spaces.

Furry Connection North was hyperly draconic on their artists alley rules it was labled Gestapo-Con. You could't even display what your art looks like, even originals, all art had to be done on the spot. When asked "how will they know what my style looks like?" The answer was "They go back to their rooms, log in and look you up!" Like that will happen!

When I see even smaller cons pulling this shit, it greatly bothers me.

Right. If they can look up your work online, chances are they can commission you online too, at which point both parties are probably wondering what was the point of going to the con in the first place.

Your icon is wonderful. 83

Wow, that's BS. Why are they doing it?

They ran out of space already? I know the hotel block filled almost immediately.

It had nothing to do with space. Like all the cons are doing now, they have a 'juried' system, which means they pick and choose who they want, based on popularity, nepotism or whoever they want to curry favor with. If you don't know someone on staff or aren't a Rukis-level popular artist, you're screwed and won't get space.

Oh. Hmm, I recall hearing some cons were changing it up to try and favor new faces, but I hadn't heard about BLFC doing that.

I don't think it had anything to do with that, either. I've never been to that con at all.

Yeah, it's hard to sell via online alone

A cycling out of the Old Guard..?

If I had been sitting on my ass for the past 15 years doing nothing and expecting special treatment because of stuff I did 20 years ago I might agree, but I've made a point to produce new comics every year, as well as having recent work published in anthologies by different publishers, doing a metric ton of commissions and regularly posting artwork. I've also branched off into selling the Japanese animal figures, which nobody else has at these cons. None of this seems to make an iota of difference, which make it appear like there's a concerted effort to block particular artists from conventions.

This does seem to be the case. Ahhhh, politics. But then, this fandom did seem to set the high water mark for intramural drama some time ago.

Didn't you also win an Ursa Major award just two years ago? Shouldn't that count for something?

Okay, then just WHY does the "old guard" have to be cycled out? How does abandoning history and the past, the original trail blazers in the fandom, help the fandom? Imagine, would some con deny Walt Disney or Don Bluth a table to sell their wares, merely because they were old men? Or maybe they weren't willing to do artwork in a specific type of medium? That would be madness and ultimately unhelpful to the fandom. Yes I get there can be limited table space in the dens and art alleys. First come and first served fine; lottery fine. But what they are doing smacks of blatant nepotism or simply drooling fanboyishness. I agree with Roz totally on that. In the end it doesn't help artists in general, it limits fan access to artists and their wares. It amounts in a way to a kind of censorship, except that the artist don't even have a chance since this censorship's standards see to be only in the minds of those on these "juries". So it gives no one a chance to show if they are up to some vague standard of acceptance. This is not a rant against you Socks, it is merely, a vent against bland acceptance of what I feel is a bad precedence.

These are all good questions. And I am entirely the wrong person to whom to ask them. One would think that at-least, while so many of the pioneers of modern "funny animals" comics and art are still available and able to travel around so much, maybe a Founder's Row or Pioneer's Row or some such place could be erected? As well panels where the "greymuzzles" could expound on all their travails and experiences in the dim, dark, cold pre-Internet days. I myself squeed when I was able to sign up on this site and watch Our Host and the other furry artists who featured in all the old furry comic books I still have in my Boxes-O-Comix.
Perhaps some of the newest stars could approached for some advocacy?

Okay, this won't do jack-all for the con attendance and sales, but have you tried Patreon?  karno has been using it to some success, as well as a few others.

I would contribute toward such a thing, were it to exist.

I do have one: https://www.patreon.com/user?u=376709&ty=h

It's actually a joint one shared my myself and  driprat, to support the various comics and projects we're doing as collaborations and separately. I didn't want to do a solo one because I didn't think I could keep up with the amount of work required alone, and Dave takes care of the day-to-day running of it. But any funds are split 50/50, and I do my best to post WIP, roughs and other stuff that I don't post elsewhere, as well as first postings of a lot of new material as it's done.

Hooray! I had no idea, thanks.

So the much talked about how great it is BLFC has also taken the same path as FC, Texas FurCon , Furry Migration among the ones I am hearing about. That the established artists, old guard and proven are being cast aside to make way for a clic of artists instead.

Looks like the fandom has become highschool all over again, and artists like you, Steve and I are the kids who sit in the library instead of hanging with the kids who smoke or party, football jocks or the pretty girls.

As RainFurrest found out the hard way, pandering towards the young audience results in drunken debauchery, massive hotel damage, adult men wandering around in diapers in public areas, and multiple calls to the police and paramedics. The combination of stupid young people and alcohol will eventually end up in someone being dead. Just a matter of which con and how long.

Odd question to you.

Did the other thread we were commenting in get nuked because it sparked a nerve or what?. I can;t find it and see the *subject was deleted* notice but that is it. Wonder what it sparked off or how it ended.

gaia bless
Pakesh_De
Snoofy old burr

Good Question, I saw that myself. I gotta wonder.

Was it a thread on my journal, or someone else's? I don't recall deleting any of my journals except out-dated stuff like auction announcements.

I am pretty sure it was a con rant thread that got nuked from orbit, just to be sure basically. I know it had you, rabbi-tom, and me in it. I posted a semi long rant about the cherrypicking for some cons and the lack of older furs that are around to run them.

Gaia bless
Pakesh_De
Snoofy old burr

I remember another artist who got rejected from FC having a post about it, so that may be what you're thinking of. I don't remember who it was, though.

Texas FurCon? Do you mean Furry Fiesta?

If so, Furry Fiesta does not have a juried dealers room. Majority of the tables are first come-first served with a small number set aside for charity, guests, partnerships.

That is totally outrageous, wtf
Can't see an idea like 'juried selection' doing anything but creating opportunities for cheating and cliques, totally disgusting, makes it feel like this fandom is not an open society (I guess it is not). I don't even go to cons but the idea that they wouldn't give a seat/spot to roz gibson... : /

I've been noticing that trend too on where the long term writers, older artist, and ones who have help form furry fandom being tossed aside.

Does that also mean no more MCFC? I thought that was somewhat local to you.

I'm not even which con you're speaking of! The only local con to me is CaliFur, and to some extent San Diego ComiCon. (No way I can afford to deal at ComiCon.)

Used to be called FCN, in metro Detroit. I was confused as to where I've seen you before. I think I saw you at FC a few years ago and misremembered it as being FCN.

I'm pretty sure I saw you at AnthroCon some years ago, but may have confused you with someone else...

I haven't been to AC since 2003, but I think we did meet there way back when.

I needed a bit of time to think on this post so sorry for the delay. What has happened to you, and no doubt many other of the original fandom artist, quite frankly sucks. It reeks of the worst kind of cliquish favoritism. I wonder by what method these cons came up with this brilliant idea? They think they are immune from jumping the shark because they cater to the young hip crowds. It the end it will bite them in the ass, as you have already pointed out. Its the stalwart regular, often older fans, that keep these things going year after year. How many of today's hip young furries will stick with it, creating work, and spending money at these things years from now? Catering to a tiny, flighty minority of the fandom is not good at all. And here ours was supposed to be the "accepting" fandom. It stinks. I am sorry Roz, will still look forward to seeing you CaliFur, which was/is the only con I've had the ability to enjoy so far.


LONG LIVE JACK SALEM!!

Fascinating (obejectively). I didn't know cons were getting like that.

Haven't been to any since the mid 2000's, sounds like I'm not missing much. :^