The Deviant Art’s Otaku Spot (THE DAOS!)
Issue Twelve: Artist Tables and YOU!

This week, The DAOS will be talking about Artist Tables at Anime Conventions. While Convention Season is kinda over, many conventions have begun selling their artist tables for 2008! Before you start becoming a traveling artist, be sure to read this issue! Heck, even if you are a non-anime artist but you wish to open an artist table somewhere, read this issue too!

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Reviews Of The Week: By Mike over at

Anime Review Of The Week
DearS – First Contact (Volume 1)
Four Volumes available from Geneon and a Complete box set



Plot Summary: Ikuhara Takeya is a high school student living a normal life. He is not interested in the commotion around a UFO filled with beautiful alien females that crashed on earth a year ago. The aliens, known as DearS, are deciding to take permanent residence on earth. What no one knows is that these aliens are a slave species whose sole purpose is to serve and please their masters. One day, Takeya spots a person shivering behind some bushes. This person, Ren, is one of the DearS, and after being saved by Takeya she chooses him as her master. Takeya, who doesn't know about the master-slave relationship of DearS, tries to learn Ren the normal lifestyle of the people on earth, though he constantly fears that Ren is an evil alien who's trying to brainwash him. But Ren isn't like other DearS. She is in fact malfunctioning and is being tracked down by their leader. Meanwhile, Takeya begins to learn more about DearS, and a mythical DearS relationship called “Gift” begin to develop between them.

Pros to the Anime: Peach-Pit are the makers of this series and they always produce some beautifully detailed characters. DearS is no different. The characters are quite funny and the art is really great. The character development moves at a good clip (not too fast or slow) and you can really get attached to some of these characters. I personally love the hair styles that all the characters have been given and how adamant Takeya is about being anti-DearS makes things funny. I kind of like the ending theme, not my general cup o’ tea but still a fun little tune.

Cons to the Anime: I’m not sure how I feel about the intro song. It’s a little weird. The words fit the anime perfectly, but I think maybe that could have picked something else? I also think it’s a little too close to the ‘Chobits’ storyline, but I could be wrong I only watched the first four episodes. Also, so far I am not to thrilled with their cat-girl DearS. Are these characters obligatory in this type of anime? I don’t feel that she belongs (yet) and it feels kind of like she was just a cat-girl plug for ‘fan service’. Only time will tell.

Damaged Thoughts: What did my friend call Inukami? Hum, oh yeah! Ecchi. This series is defiantly that word. At first I was totally bummed out that I got this because I was thinking that I was going to be watching a porn. I mean, the teacher, she should totally be fired. I really enjoy Ren though, she reminds me a lot of Chii and she is one of those characters that gets into very funny situations. Though she appears to be naked a lot… And that cat girl, thus far I hate her, but I bet she is an integral part to the series. So I think I’ll probably get the rest of the series, it seems to have a good storyline and some funny moments and I really want to see Ren’s adventures.

Manga Of The Week
Q-Ko-Chan Volume 1
Two Volumes available from Ballantine books



Plot Summary: In the near-future on Planet Earth, a world gone mad where never-ending war is a fact of life, Kirio is the coolest kid at school. Up in the sky, a giant robot is fighting a fleet of gunships, but the brilliant and distant Kirio is far from fazed-until the battling ‘bot makes an unexpected landing in Kirio’s front yard and rings the bell. But the worst threat for Kirio could be what stands on the other side of the door: the alien robot who has changed into an adorable girl!

Pros to the Manga: Q-Ko-Chan does a good job of portraying the action scenes that take place through out the manga and has some nice pages of detailed and beautiful art. Some of the backgrounds are really well drawn and fit the scenes perfectly. Q-Ko herself is quite adorable and it is fun to watch her trying to get to know Kirio.

Cons to the Manga: Well, first and foremost the art is not the exciting. Most of the time the characters are not shaded and when they are it’s a simple, very simple, screen tone. The story itself is very complicated and seems to jump around not allowing the reader to really get into the story. Most of the time I had no idea who was talking since speech tails were a non-existent commodity and I was really left to guess who was talking, at least when Q-Ko was in her full robot form they changed the speech bubble to something different and changed the font. Did I say the backgrounds were good? Yeah, when they existed, they too were hard to come by.

Damaged Thoughts: I figured that since this was from the creators of FLCL it would have been worth a read. I was mistaken. There is a story alright, but good luck figuring out what it is. And the art looks like it was made in 10 minutes. The story jumped all over the place, this in turn made the story hard to follow which made the jokes not funny. I couldn’t get it to it. I laughed once. In my opinion the only thing this manga has going for it is Q-Ko herself, she is really cute.

Issue Twelve: Artist Tables and YOU!

For the readers of the DAOS, last week we talked about anime artist tools. (Thanks to all those who left input as well!) And one of the many things we got from the issue, was that many artists, don’t quite know how to acquire all these tools on such limited funds. Well for the next two weeks, we will be talking about how artists can sell their talents and make a little additional money to buy the things they so desire.

While many work on commissions, and through a print selling business, (like DA’s awesome Print Shop Program) a majority of artists, make the most of their money selling their wares at anime/comic conventions. During the “height” of the anime convention season, many artists make hundreds if not THOUSANDS of dollars in one weekend!!! And yes, it is possible to make thousands on a three-day weekend, I mean the Dealers Tables do, why can’t we? With proper merchandising and planning, artists can make a small fortune. And many conventions, will let you walk away with as much as you make without having to tell the IRS!! So this week, we will be focusing on Artist Tables, how they work, and what you can do to make the most bang for your buck and still have loads of fun!

The Pros and Cons To Artist Tables

The Pros:
1) Great networking not only with other artists, but new fans as well. You learn new tricks and how other artists sell their wares well if your new, and if you are a veteran, it’s like hanging out with the a group of peeps who think exactly like YOU!
2) Peeps get to see your work, who usually don’t have time to look on DA, as well as showcase some special stuff that you usually wouldn’t put on DA either.
3) Commissions come to you, and they are usually prepaid. So you have $$ coming to you and all you did was sit there.
4) If your prints sell, you have some $$ just for you to spend at your own disposal!
5) Although we have heard of some bad staff table runners, many of the staff at the conventions, are very nice and love fellow artists.

The Cons:
1) To make the money you want, you have to stay at your table. And I mean STAY there, one moment’s movement and either someone else takes your sale, or your artwork. THEVIES ARE ALIVE AND WELL OKAY!
2) Not all conventions are going to have all the space needed to run a convention. Sometimes, many artist alleys are in small cramped spots, with little room for movement. Sometimes, they break up a six-foot table into halves, and you have to share with another artist that you may not know AT ALL! So you just have to make do with what you can!

The Things To Consider BEFORE Running A Table!

1) When do you want to be traveling? PLAN ACCORDING TO DATE FIRST!!

Before you even begin to consider where you want to go, the best way to plan your conventions, are by deciding when you want to travel! The Anime/Comic Convention season (Or “con season” as we otakus call them) is year round. The first conventions of the new year usually start a week or two after New Years Holiday, and the last conventions take place about two weeks before Christmas Holidays. However, the majority of conventions take place from early April to the end of August. Usually, that’s when most of us otakus aren’t in school and have tons of vacation time. For older otakus, it’s when most of us like to take our vacation time anyway.

The first question you have to ask, is “When do I want to be running tables?”. Some anime artists, are college students, or have fulfilling careers already. Anime Tables, require you taking time out of school and life, to travel and to run. Many artists head for conventions on Thursday, setup Friday morning, run the entire weekend, and either leave Sunday night or Monday morning. That’s 5 working days that you have to take off, and many bosses aren’t too happy with that. If you are underage, that means your parents are going to have to deal with otakus for almost three days! And while I have met many AWESOME otaku parents, not all of them are and are happy to be around a bunch of otaku weirdoes for a weekend.

Whatever you decide, plan your time frame accordingly. Make sure that you can get the days off, and if you take any friends that they can as well. Life happens, so if you plan to go months in advance and you can’t make it you have time to change arrangements if necessary.

Our advice: go to Anime Cons.com : [link] and see a list of conventions that are taking place in order by month and weekend. It single-handedly, will help all artists be able to plan accordingly. Also, if you plan on staying at a hotel, be sure to check out the hotel room rates or the rates of closer by hotels to get the best bang for your buck.

2) Where do you want to go? Big cons, or smaller conventions?

After you’ve figured out where you want to go, you have to consider where you are going to go. Many otakus, are near big cities that have huge conventions, but many otakus are not. Distance and lodging are also big factors, because they are an investment of money and time. Two things, that you have to take out of your profits! Furthermore, you must consider where you think your work is going to hit it the best! Some conventions you will love, and some you will absolutely detest with a passion. It all depends on your personality, and where you want the most exposure.

Our Advice: If you are a first time table runner, start with a small convention or trade show. Get a couple shows under your belt, and people talking about you! The longer you do it, the more press you grab and soon you can go to more. Many convention-goers attend more than one con in a year’s time, so you may run into these people again sometime in the future! If you are a veteran, then consider attending bigger conventions where there is more industry related people there, and they can look at your works and even hook you up with a job! A lot of artists that I have met have eventually found their industry dream jobs!

3) The cost of the entire convention!

Although I am going to talk about costs in more details in a few seconds, the cost to prep for a convention alone, sometimes ends up being more than it would cost to JUST NOT GO. You can’t unfortunately go to every convention that you want to go. You just have to pick and choose sometimes.

Our Advice: Read the section of this article concerning costs and then make the decision yourself. Miss Red Rose’s rule of thumb however, if the cost to prep and run a table costs more than $500 BEFORE including hotel and travel, then DON’T GO. Your profit margin may be way too low, and you may end up with more bills instead.

How to Acquire an Artist Table!
Artist tables are also known as part of a Artist Alley, Press Zone, Artist Colony, Artist Room or by any other name they wish to call it. Most conventions call them one of the names above, regardless, upon confirmation of a table, arrive early! Some conventions deal the tables on a first come-first serve basis, you show up late and you end up with a super sucky spot. Some conventions, even open their doors to artist rooms ONLY during the convention and not in advance out of fairness to all the artists. So get their early and be ready for anything!

Also, if you and a friend decided to go together, be sure to be as considerate as you can. If they are helping you, be sure to hook them up with food and rides or whatever you can afford. They didn’t have to help you but they did, so be sure to thank them for your help. If you both are selling however, HAVE SEPARATE CASH BOXES. Yes friends are friends, but trust me, you do not want money to cause a rift in your relationship.

The Costs To Prepare and Run an Artist Table!
So now comes a very important section. How much do you need to invest on preparing for a artist table? Well for many that depends, on what mediums they work with, how much they intend to sell and what other side things you may have to get in order to run the table.

~ Badge and Table Costs: Most of the time, when you buy an artist table, you usually buy a badge as well. Many conventions, may require you to prepay for a table in advance, some come with a badge and some cons though, don’t do that. So be sure to double check the rules! Be sure to email the heads of the departments via-email through the convention website.

~ Permit Fees: Some states, require that all artist have a temporary or permanent permit to sell your wares and then you report your sales to the state, and you pay the sales tax. If you live in the state of California go here: [link] and apply and file for a permit here. While to get a permit in CA is free, other states may not, be sure to check your local business association.

~ The cost to produce prints: While Costco, Kinkos, Office Max, Walmart and Staples are many artists reproducing friends because they can give your works the glossy look, at an affordable rate the cost of prints are also another cost to take in. Our advice is to make only a few prints, and see what sells and doesn’t. While conventions vary in taste, you can get some good feedback on what sells and what doesn’t. So you know what to bring and what to just showcase instead of sell. If you are a craft seller, take only a few pieces at a time and find out what sells and what doesn’t. You are always testing when you are running a table for what does and doesn’t sell, remember that!

~Any miscellaneous supplies you need: Pens, papers, and any additional stuff you need to build a table. Many otakus have easels and other awesome things to help make their items sell! Whatever you spend, be sure to keep the receipts. You can write it off as a tax deductible if you are self-employed. If not, it’s a good thing to have on hand in case something doesn’t work out and you can reclaim your losses.

Things To Remember For Running Your Table

1) While it is possible to make a small fortune at your table, sometimes, it may not work out in your favor. You do have to take location, times that the alley is open, and the size of the convention into account. Smaller conventions don’t make as much money for artists as big conventions do. While good merchandising helps, sometimes, there just won’t be the reception you want for it. Artist tables sometimes are a big gamble, especially at smaller conventions where there aren’t as many people. Be ready for that!

2) Not everyone is going to like your works.. THAT’S OKAY! Just keep on trucking, cause there will always be someone who does love your work.

3) If you receive a commission order, be sure to get either an email address, phone number or mailing address. In the event that you don’t finish the commission, you can send it to them! Also, be sure to get the cash upfront. (I’ve had some artists wait MONTHS for me to pay them on accident. So be nice and pay them upfront to be safe.)

4) Consider all styles and anime series when taking commissions. Not all otakus are fans of the original stuff, they may prefer their favorite characters instead. You have to be willing to draw whatever you can to make them happy. Even if you don’t personally like the series.

5) Have a Cash box with a lock and key with at least $110 in change if you are going to a three day con. Take less change if you are going for less than a day or two. Many otakus usually only take twenties and up to conventions and break them when buying them. And sometimes, it’s really weird to ask a neighboring table for change. One of the best ways to avoid that though, is just have rounded prices that don‘t require too much change. LOCK THE BOX AFTER EVERY TRANACTION AND PUT IT SOMEWHERE NOT IN PLAIN SIGHT!! While otakus are nice people, thievery is still alive and well. SO PROTECT YOURSELF!

Ways To Attract Customers

1) Have an array of merchandising: While a majority of artists sell just their prints, many otakus are now looking for new ways to show off their love of Otakudom. Buttons, pins, t-shirts, bags and other awesome pieces do help in the way of sales. Café Press is an awesome site to where you can make a piece, buy in bulk and sell it at a table for some extra cash! Be sure to make it your own works, they are really good at finding out copyrighted material.

2) Have a free drawing at your table! Although I originally saw a friend of mine doing this, when I (Miss Red Rose) first got started doing artist tables, I held a raffle for free commissions and other free stuff. Not only does it build press, but you get fans who are just so curious about what is at your table as well! Make sure that what ever you raffle you can afford to give it up! Also, be sure to remind your customers to give you A VAILD EMAIL ADDRESS. Otherwise they don’t win anything if the email bounces back.

3) Play music at your table!! Now this one for me, was just so I wasn’t all bored listening to conversations and that I had music to listen to while I was working on commissions and stuff. But surprisingly, because I played anime theme songs and other awesome J-pop and J-rock music, most of my customers came to my table simply because they want to compliment the music. And the point is to get customers to your table. Be sure though not to blare the music too loud, cause you may make some people mad, and you need to also hear what your customers are saying too.

4) On site requests are your best friend! If possible, on site customs, sometimes makes you more money than your own prints do! This advice is at your own personal discretion, but it does help your sales. Some artists can’t do it or choose not to, but that’s okay. If you properly merchandise a mix of fan art and original works, you will be okay.

5) Below is a list of anime/manga series that sells well, any merchandise in these animes, are sure almost to sell instantly off your table and get more people to look at your stuff!
~ Naruto
~ Inuyasha
~ Bleach
~ Fullmetal Alchemist (FMA)
~ Death Note
~ Trinity Blood
~ Hellsing
~ The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
~ One Piece
~ Blood+
~ Romeo x Juliet
~ Welcome To The NHK
~ The Wallflower
~ Final Fantasy

The Ultimate Supply Checklist
So you have finally decided on where to go, and you are almost ready to head out to the convention! Before you head out the door, make sure that you have the following pieces packed away for the convention table!

~Your prints and customs supplies.. (I know. But I have to say it, you would be surprised how many people forget those two important things!)
~ Tablecloth and/or a flat board to do customs on and not get ink or anything else on the table.
~ Miscellaneous Display Supplies to display artwork like easels, poster hangers or anything like that.
~ Calculator, if you suck at counting anything.
~ At least one roll of The Three Tapes: Duct, Masking, and Electrical (NO STAPLES OR PINS! Many conventions won’t allow you to staple anything to the tables or walls, but they do allow tape!)
~ First Aid Kit (You NEVER know. Crazy things happen at conventions.)
~ Scissors. Yes that’s usually an artist’s no-duh, but you would be surprise who still forgets something that simple!
~ BUSINESS CARDS!!! They take ten seconds to make on a computer now! Put your artist name, real name, and website that you display your work on! You will have more visitors to your website when the convention is over! Postcards are awesome too, but if you don’t have time to print them, simple small biz cards help get the word out about you!
~ Extra pens and pencils for commission orders or for your free drawing if you choose to have one.
~ Note Cards for the drawing as well as for any commission orders to put info on!
~ Portable CD player (optional)
~ MP3 Player (optional)
~ Laptop (optional, but not always recommended. You’re responsible if you lose it!)
~ A Cash box with a lock and key with at least $110 in change if you are going to a three day con. Cut the change breakdown in half if you are doing two days or less.

Editorial Note: For those helpless in making change for cashboxes, break the $110 in change like this:
2 twenties,
2 tens,
4 five dollar bills,
20 one dollar bills,
5 dollars in quarters,
2 dollars in dimes and nickels,
1 dollar in pennies

If you can‘t break it correctly, go to the place you bank at, and ask them for cash in this order. Make sure to tell them it’s for a table you are running and you need change, otherwise they WILL look at you funny.

With these things in mind, please look around and be ready for anything. Tune in next week, when we talk about how you can sell your works and commissions over the world wide web through websites and print shops! All comments and questions can be left below! Thanks again for reading and keep drawing!

See you next week!
~Miss Red Rose~

Upcoming Releases: Remember that all release dates and actual prices vary from seller to seller, so remember to look around okay? Good Otakus..

Upcoming DVD Releases for 11/05/2007
Ah! My Goddess: Flights of Fancy - I'm a Believer
BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad (DVD 4)
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (DVD 6)
Cat's Eye (Sub.DVD 5)
Cat's Eye (Sub.DVD 6)
Desert Punk - Desert Dung (DVD 4 of 6)
Desert Punk - Vixen of the Desert (DVD 3 of 6)
Di Gi Charat Nyo (DVD 4)
Eureka Seven (DVD 10)
Eureka Seven - Special Edition (Shirt, Manga) (DVD 10)
Flag (DVD 1)
Flag - Limited Edition + Artbox (DVD 1)
Girls High (Sub.DVD 3 of 3)
Golden Boy (DVD)
Guyver: The Bioboosted Armor - Armor of the Gods (DVD 7)
Mars Daybreak - DVD Collection (Anime Legends) (DVD)
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Destiny (DVD 11)
My-Otome (DVD 3)
Naruto (Dub.DVD 17)
Nobody's Boy (DVD 5)
Nobody's Boy (Sub.DVD 6)
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (DVD 4)
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Character Song Voume 7: Emiri (DVD 7)
The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Special Limited Edition (DVD 4)
The Super Dimension Century Orguss (Sub.DVD 5) 96
The Super Dimension Century Orguss - DVD Se (Sub.DVD 6)
Tide-Line Blue (DVD 4)
Witchblade (DVD 2)



Upcoming Manga Releases for 11/05/2007
Baby & Me (G.novel 5)
Black Cat (G.novel 11 of 20)
D.Gray-man (G.novel 7)
Gintama (G.novel 3)
Godchild (G.novel 7)
Hunter X Hunter (G.novel 17)
Kaze Hikaru (G.novel 7)
Lovely Complex (G.novel 3)
Mahou Tsukai Kurohime (G.novel 2)
Naruto (G.novel 22)
Naruto (G.novel 23)
Naruto (G.novel 24)
One Piece (G.novel 16)
S.A (G.novel 1)
Skip Beat! (G.novel 9)
The Prince of Tennis (G.novel 22)
Ultimate Muscle: The Kinnikuman Legacy (G.novel 18)
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (G.novel 1)