A few months ago, I had thought that 3 Rivers Comicon would be my last appearance this summer. I was mistaken.
Since then, I have been invited to attend Pittsburgh Anthrocon – but as an artist this time. This means I’ll be in the Artist Alley instead of the Dealers’ Den, so don’t look for me in the old spot.
I wan’t sure if I would be invited back to Anthrocon. My comics are sometimes considered too furry for mainstream, yet too mainstream for furries. Don’t get me wrong, I love the look of Draconis Wicked. I think the character design is exactly the right choice for the story and I wouldn’t want to change it. But marketing can be a hurdle. Luckily, the good folks at Anthrocon decided that I was animal enough to join the artist alley. I’ll be at slot 67 from Friday to Sunday (July 6, 7, and 8.)
You may be asking, “Hey, you do a few conventions every year. Does everyone of them merit a blog post?”
And I’d reply, “Not really, but I have new stuff this year and I’m excited to tell you about it, so let’s get some hype going.”
As an alley artist, I’m a bit more limited in what I can sell, so I’m focusing in on three items that best represent my work while still fitting in at a furry con: Badges, Charms, and Comics.
Badges
For those of you who are unfamiliar with furry cons, badges are commissioned portraits of someone’s “Fursona” or animal self. They are small enough that someone can wear them on a lanyard and show off their animal avatar in real life.
This year, I’m offering ink and watercolor badges, a medium I enjoy more that the traditional copic marker. In past years, I’ve done some fair business selling to couples, groups, and families, so I’d like to give those crowds a little something extra. I’m designing character badges that can be posed together. If you and your friends order badges together, I’ll pose them so that they can hold hands, high-five, boop noses, or whatever else you and your buds want to do (I won’t judge). They’re kind of like those “Best Friend” necklaces, except neither one will look incomplete on their own. I’m also offering some group discounts so you can get your set at a fair price.
BTW If you know you are going to attend Anthrocon and you want to order a badge in advance, send an email to mr*****@le**********.com We’ll talk shop and I’ll do all I can to have it ready by Friday, when the alley opens.
Charms
For about a year now, I’ve been experimenting with charms – the little decorative ones you can put on keychains, backpacks, zipper pulls, and cellphones from ten years ago (I miss phone charms.) I’ve been making character charms based on the characters from Draconis Wicked. And the nice thing about selling for a furry con is that even if no one knows who these characters are yet, it’s a safe bet that everyone has a favorite animal type. With that in mind, I started designing charms for as many animal types as I could think of. All the main characters are there, as well as some secondary characters, tertiary characters, and even some background characters and characters who haven appeared in the comics yet. I’ve completed a whopping 45 different charm designs.
These charms are as durable as plastic. They are waterproof, fade proof and scratch resistant.
I hope to add them to the online store a few weeks after the con, but if they sell out, it might be a while before I can restock.
Comics
It wouldn’t be a party without the print comics. I’ll still have Draconis Wicked: Chapter One, and the Draconis Wicked Guidebook. I’ll also have the New Readers Kit, which includes both the Chapter One comic and the Guidebook, plus trading cards and magnets.
For those of you missing the con, these are still for sale in the online store, right now.
This will be my first year in the alley and I am looking forward to it. If you’re in the Pittsburgh area and have a fondness for cartoon animals, I hope to see you there.
