#brainbloops

ooj; i got this at ohayocon, best purchase imo. uvu i call it "mika and the crystal skull."

I know you had some questions about artist alley and cons. I'm not real expert, but here are a few things to help you get started c: of course if you ask more experienced artists questions they will probably be able to help you a lot more!

Anyway let's get started:

1) http://artistsalleyinfo.tumblr.com AA Info: Here is a pretty nifty tumblr aimed for questions about artist alley. They have some great tips on things such as where to get stuff printed, business card qualities, display etc. If you have additional questions, submit an ask!

2) http://www.clearbags.com Bags: This site is where Cassie and I buy our bags for our posters, bookmarks, pins etc. 

3 a) http://www.americanbuttonmachines.com Button Maker: This is where I purchased my button maker. I asked many artists whenever I'm at a con about their suggested button maker brand. Every artist I asked told me the same, American Button Machine all the way. (the button maker with the red handle.) I bought mine refurbished, and it's pretty awesome since they treat it as if i was purchasing a new product, so I wouldn't have to worry if something breaks..they have it covered. (I never had ANY problems with mine so far and I had mine for about 2-3 years )

3 b) http://www.americanbuttonmachines.com/product-category/circle-cutters Button Cutters: The second thing I would suggest getting (if you purchase a button maker) is a button circle cutter... it becomes EXTREMELY tedious if you cut each button out with a scissor. I have the circle cutter (the cheapest option) and it works great for my volume.  3 c) The button supplies, I bought from the cheapest location I could find since to me, it's all the same to me. just make sure you buy the correct size for your button maker ;o

4) http://finnichang.tumblr.com/post/16872111904/artist-alley-resources-post Printing. Finni made a great informational post about where to get stuff printed. If you google artist alley printing, you'll find many guides by other artist as well! (ps: her buttonbiz post... directs you to a site that sells the button maker and it's the red handle button maker made by american button machine ;'D) 

5) http://www.zapcreatives.co.uk  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Zap-Creatives/133085338161 Acrylic Keychains etc: I haven't used this site personally, but I knew about this company for a while (im not ready to make any of these myself yet hah) I also asked artists at various artists and some of them mentioned this site! I would recommend giving them a look. They also have a sticker printing service. C:

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Where to find cons: http://animecons.com

I use this site and organize by location. Then I made a list of all cons I'm interested to attend and then I check out each of their websites. Since I'm not ready to really branch out to farther cons, I usually stick to within the tri-state area. Then I look at how big the con is, AA table / badge cost, and how far it is from me to drive (is it worth it?), etc.

Next I check to see the usual time they post up AA sign ups and make a reminder to check 2 weeks to a month befor in case they give notice early/ move up sign ups earlier. This way, even if the sign ups are closed for the current year, Ill have a reminder for next year. Sign ups usually are posted 6-8 months before... or even earlier. Some are later and that's why it's important to mark your calendar and have it ping you. I also use this app, Trello, to help me keep track of signups and then organize what other things I need to do (like set up a reminder for next year) 

If the con website isn't clear when they open sign ups, email the artist alley head and they should get back to you. I also suggest following their tumblr/facebook/twitter for any news posts cause most cons use social media to reach out to attendees. 

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Credit Card Readers: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/square-vs-intuit-gopayment-vs-paypal-here-mobile-credit-card-processors

I use the Square reader, but I had it for a long time. I think it's best to google which reader is best for you. I posted a link of a comparison between the top recommended readers.

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Well that's it pretty much... I have other stuff i can share but those are personal organizational suggestions and I think once you start to attend more artist alleys, you'll form your own organization methods. c:

rue’s is definitely chocolate. frankie’s is strawberry but im sure itd be fine so long as it has a lot of other candy and sprinkles and chocolate syrup on it

HELLO!! hi i've been working on a comic for a few days involving my oc rue and my friend ria's oc frankie I JUST WANTED TO TEST OUT IF I WAS ANY GOOD AT IT, YOU KNOW?? its MEANT  to be seen in a horitzontal format, so here is the FULL VERSION PLEASE CLICK IT pls thIS IS how its meant to be seen haha