Author: Angela S.

Mar 2020 Wrap-Up – Arting through the Pandemic

Reading my last posts and writing this one right now feels so surreal.  Last month, we were canceling cons just in case. Now?  Kev and I have been self-sequestered for 3 weeks and adjusting to a new lifestyle.

Funny enough, my husband is handling this very well, while I’m the one who’s been an anxious mess working in my pjs, taking twice as long to do anything, and reading news late into the night (a bad habit I’m breaking with reading manga/comics instead!).

It’s been rough for me launching a Kickstarter this month as well because I honestly thought “With everyone in survival mode right now, why would they support a Kickstarter? I wouldn’t blame them for saving!”.  I’m so incredibly moved that even during this tough time, you guys came out to support me so that we’ve already fully funded the Goddesses of Spring!  So many of you have also chosen to stay as my Patrons, which I am so eternally grateful for.  My fans are the best!  Thank you so much for supporting the arts during a difficult time for all!

Right now, Kev and I are both safe, working from home, and financially stable.  Knock on wood!  I hope you all are doing well.  It’s okay if it’s difficult to focus.  The world is going through something it hasn’t seen in years.  Just remember that we will endure!  

I’ve decided to keep on working through the Birthstone Goddesses and try to do my best.  I still want to work on a calendar and Art Book for my Goddesses and am still excited to indulge more Fantasy Art to share with you all!  In these dark times, we turn to art for a hopeful escape.  A little light goes a long way!

On that note, I thought I’d round up a few resources that are keeping me sane that might also help you guys out (feel free to share more with me in the comments!):

Free Comics for 60 Days – Comixology, my fave comics reader, has extended their Unlimited subscription service free trial to 60 days.  They have a ton of comics in the Unlimited program!  They also integrate with Amazon for easy sign in.

Free Virtual Museum Tours – Here’s a collection of some of the biggest museums offering tours online.

StayHomeWrimo – The minds behind NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) are doing a daily event where they share writing prompts and self-care tips.  Camp NaNoWriMo is starting up in April as well!

The Uncrucified Free Audiobook + Book – My shameless plug! If you’re interested in my current writing project, check out this story inspired by my adventures in the Exalted tabletop roleplaying game.  

It’s a mature fantasy tale about a young girl who rises to greatness from a childhood spent in slavery.  After being granted abilities by a god to help stave off the world’s destruction, she chooses instead to use her newfound powers to forge her own path of revenge to right the wrongs of the world.  But will absolute power corrupt absolutely?

Also, gunslingers, Queenpins, sand, and sorcery!

It’s my hope that those who aren’t into Exalted can still enjoy it!  Come marvel at my very first try at audiobook reading and perhaps become invested in a writing project near and dear to my heart. (Currently seeking Beta Readers for the expanded rewrite!)

New Rewards Added this Month

Posts You May Have Missed this Month

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For April, I’m hunkering down to ship out as many of the Birthstone Goddess pins as possible, while managing the Goddesses of Spring campaign.  Then, I’ve promised myself a break afterwards to work on other non-Birthstone Goddess things for awhile.  I’m excited to share new work after being focused on more decorative art for so long. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into some narrative art!  We may be seeing more art inspired by the aforementioned writing project.

Stay safe and healthy, friends!

♥ Ang

The Goddesses of Spring Enamel Pins Have Launched!

The moment we’ve been building up to for almost a year has finally come.  The campaign for the final set in my Birthstone Goddesses enamel pins has launched on Kickstarter!

This launch almost didn’t happen, however.  In uncertain times like this, I was very afraid to push the button!  Does anyone have time for art right now?  Won’t everyone be saving for other things?  It felt almost irresponsible for me to do this.  After some thought, I realized that it was ok to do this.  Art is there for us during the dark times to bring us a bit of shine and beauty.  If people connect with my project and want something to help bring that feeling to them, they should be allowed!

And honestly right now with all of my conventions canceled for the year, I’m grateful for any support that comes my way.  I almost cried during my livestream of the launch after seeing the enthusiasm of fans in the chat and the fact I raised so much during my first minutes of support.  It means a lot right now to me!

(Watch the launch’s livestream recording here)

Thank you all for your kindness!  Especially those of you who have continued your support here on Patreon as well!  It truly helps and warms the heart.   I understand if anyone must drop their Pledges for financial purposes right now and doubly appreciate anyone who chooses to stay! 

Before I get all sappy again, here’s the Press Kit of images and links to help with sharing my project!  Ya’ll are my biggest fans and your voices are always the loudest when I run these campaigns.  Share away, my lovelies!

Links to Share!

Remember to add your own commentary, if you have the time!  People love to know what you think.  Did you enjoy your last pins? Do you have a fave Goddess you can’t wait to see as a finished pin?   Let everyone know!

Downloadable Images

(16:9 aspect ratio Cover Photo)

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(Cover Photo – Square for Instagram)

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(Cover Photo – Facebook Cover Size. Feel free to snag this to use for your own Cover!)

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(March’s Pin – Square for Instagram)

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(March’s Pin – Rectangle for Facebook)

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(April’s Pin – Square for Instagram)

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(April’s Pin – Rectangle for Facebook)

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(May’s Pin – Square for Instagram)

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(May’s Pin – Rectangle Facebook)

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(Selected Reward Tier Images)

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Thanks to everyone who has been cheering me on through this project. It’s been a year of pushing and creating something grand with these pins (and more years before that for the paintings)! I can’t wait to see all of these lovely designs together soon.

I hope these beauties bring you all a bit of light and happiness today!

Stay safe, friends!

♥ Ang

Feb 2020 Wrap Up – Coronavirus Delays, Con Cancellations, & Burn Out

This month has been a doozy!  Stress levels have been high while all of my Kickstarters and the items in my shop that are made in China have been delayed by about a month due to the COVID-19 outbreak.  That’s meant writing many support messages to explain delays, dealing with folks who fear my products will contain viruses (they do not), etc.  Thankfully, most of my fans and Backers have been very understanding and supportive during the chaos.  Most can agree products are NOT worth people’s lives and I’m happy for that!

Unfortunately, due to an abundance of caution, I’ve decided to cancel all of my convention appearances for this year.  While I think most healthy adults have nothing to fear, my husband is in an extremely vulnerable population as someone with a heart condition (making him susceptible to respiratory complications), plus the possible need for cancer treatments that may lower his immune system, should he come out of remission at any point this year (he is thankfully clear for now, but it is an unpredictable situation he must get regular scans for).

Since we cannot predict what the situation will be like this year as far as the spread of COVID-19, I decided now was an opportune time to make 2020 about hunkering down and focusing on making new art.  I also very much need to update my shop which does not even have nearly all of the bags, scarves, etc. in it that I’ve been designing since last year!

And I’ll be frank, guys.  After working four Kickstarters which have included stressful delays that have prolonged these stressful times, I am ready to shift gears and let myself recuperate for awhile!  Promoting a pre-launch period, launch period, etc. is like shouting at the top of your lungs for two months each time to be seen and it is extremely draining, energy-wise, despite these being ‘simple’ projects.  I’m ready for a break!  

And there is still one more launch to go for the Goddesses of Spring (on March 19th aaaaah SOON!) 

But I got this!  I got this.  I got this!  I can do this. Aaaah!

So after that last Kickstarter, maybe I’ll work on some personal pieces?  Or some new portfolio pieces?  Perhaps I’ll indulge in some fun diversions from the Birthstone Goddesses for a little while?  We’ll see where this Side Quest might take us!

I’ll miss seeing some of your faces in person, but I hope we can still keep sharing here and in my Patreon Discord server where we’ve all been chatting about our projects and inspirations.

New Rewards Added in February

Posts You May Have Missed In February

I’ll have some new wallpapers coming in March along with some new art, so stay tuned!  In the meanwhile, I hope you all stay happy, healthy, and inspired!

♥ Ang

Art Collection: Exalted Art Challenge 2020

After much contemplation, I’ve decided to go ahead and mark the Exalted Art Challenge as ‘complete’!  I’ve been working on it since October of 2020, so it was time to end this not-so-short break from the Birthstone Goddesses, despite the fact I didn’t quite get to finish the final two topics of the Challenge due to life throwing some major challenges our way.  

My husband is thankfully home and healing very well from COVID!  We’ve both been resting after the sleepless nights and it seemed a good time to put this challenge to bed.  It’s time to recuperate my energy levels and embark on the next part of my artistic journey!

It’s been a really great ride with this Art Challenge and I’ve enjoyed the creative challenge of strange and new topics for a while.  Did you all also enjoy the diversion?  I’m curious to know how this crowd likes my TTRPG-inspired art!

I do eventually want to finish the comic for the “Favorite Stunt” topic during my free time.  When I do, you can catch the finished pages on my Exalted project’s social media accounts instead:

For now, enjoy a compilation of all the topics!  Be sure to click the links to the individual collections for more on each topic and its creative notes.

The Master Challenge List

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View Collection 1 

  • Favorite Caste
  • Regional Fashion
  • Favorite Charm (Sketch)

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View Collection 2 

  • Favorite Charm (Final)
  • Favorite Incarnae
  • Favorite House
  • Favorite Spell

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View Collection 3

  • Favorite God
  • First Age Incarnation
  • Age of Sorrows Incarnation
  • Incarnations Back to Back

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View Collection 4 

  • Deathlord
  • Abyssal
  • Monstrance

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View Collection 5 

  • Limit Break
  • Anima Banner
  • Reasons to Have Ox Body
  • When No One Takes Sail

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View Collection 6 

  • Weapon
  • Artifact
  • Magic Material
  • Warstrider

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View Collection 7 

  • Familiar
  • Mutation
  • Animal
  • Beastmen

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View Collection 8 

  • Demon
  • Manse
  • Locale
  • Signature Character

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View Collection 9 

  • Favorite Stunt

Jan 2020 Wrap Up – Spring Goddesses & Plans for 2020

Wow did January fly by or is it just me?  I’ve been managing a lot of stressful situations this month, including my husband launching a deer into the stratosphere with his car (he is thankfully uninjured, but the deer was not) and many production woes involving my pins.  So that’s meant a new car payment for us and dreaded Kickstarter production delays!  

I’m especially grateful to my Patrons who have stayed with me through the holidays, as I know things can be tight during the holiday rush.  Welcome to the new folks who’ve hopped on board this month when many are still recovering from the holiday expenses!  The support is definitely helping us during the extra stress this month.  For those who had to leave, I still appreciate your support during the time you were here and totally understand that life happens (Boy howdy does it. Hello, teleporting deer!).

I’m grateful that all the Kickstarter Backers have been so understanding of delays thus far as well!  I’d much rather the factory workers be safe during the coronavirus outbreak, as my pins are not worth more than people’s lives!  I’ve written an update about how this situation affects shipping and safety here for the curious.

Meanwhile, I’m marching ever onwards and have started designing the Goddesses of Spring pins!  There’ll be a Secret Sketchbook entry showing off the creative process behind these designs within the next week or so.

I’m starting to see the finish line that’s coming after a year straight of Kickstarter projects and that feels GREAT!  I love how successful these campaigns have been, but I’d be lying if I said I weren’t also pretty exhausted from doing them!  I’ve learned exactly what my tolerance is for stress and project management and plan to never do this many in a row ever again (hopefully not famous last words!).

I’ve started to ponder what’s next after the Birthstone Goddesses wrap up, which could be a whole blog entry on its own!  For now, I’m focusing on finishing the Birthstone Goddesses  pins and the wall calendar in 2020 and then we shall see what happens at that point!

I can tell after 5 years of working on this endeavor, my muse is starting to meander with Witcher OCs and other distractions and that’s a clear sign to me that I may need to temporarily switch gears when I get to a good stopping point.  But to what?  I have many thoughts which I will save for a later entry once I’ve wrapped up my current queue!

New Rewards Added in January

Posts You May Have Missed In January

I’m keen to see what amazing beginnings and endings happen in 2020!  Thanks for being along for the ride.

♥ Ang

Exalted Mini Comic WiPs

It’s been an anxiety-filled month with everything happening in the US this month and other personal challenges I’ll post about later once I have all the details.  For now, I wanted to at least share some progress shots of the mini comic I’ve been working on for the Exalted Art Challenge.

This has been a fun challenge to try in Clip Studio Paint for the first time.  I knew this program was created for manga artists, but everything about it is so much more efficient for this purpose than photoshop, especially the panel tools.  I really love its touch gestures for making my life easier as well!

This mini comic was created for the Exalted Art Challenge‘s topic “Favorite Stunt”, or in RPG terms, favorite cool moment of roleplaying!  For this particular campaign, my favorite moment happened when our band of weary Solar warriors went up against the Walker in Darkness, an extremely powerful Deathlord who had invaded our town.  My gal Kalara decided to initiate combat in a pretty badass way I had fun with!

Storyboard Sketches

My comics begin as loose sketches that give an idea of where the dialogue and main figures will be.

Ink and Screentone Style Tests

Next came figuring out how to ink and style the pages.  I opted for a style inspired by the energetic line work of one of my favorite manga, Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura.  I enjoy the graceful energy of the lines and the way the screentone portrays the local color of the elements (darker skin vs lighter clothing, etc).

Here’s a peek at our entire party of Kalara’s Solar band!  From left to right we have:

Cathak Demiato, Dawn Caste, who rose through the Dynast ranks as a decorated warrior, only to Exalt after discovering the war crimes her family was committing.  

Night Locust, Night Caste, a child slave turned assassin who Exalted when they tried to ‘test’ him by having him kill his young best friend.  He’s the prankster-sage of the group.  

Kalara Vadras (my character), Eclipse Caste, whom most of you know, but if you don’t, she’s an emancipated slave turned Guild reformer who has Major Beef with the Guild after they murdered her surrogate dad and framed her for it. 

Chaos Divide, Zenith Caste, raised by a wandering Air Aspect and Immaculate monk after his family was killed by fairfolk.  He bakes really good cookies!  He’s also the one who gave Kalara the most headaches because he never hesitates.  

Xesa, Twilight Caste, a wandering fortune teller who told the fortune of the wrong person and ended up Exalting when they hunted her down.

This comic has come along slowly, but surely.  It’s been a fun experiment to get to know Clip Studio Paint and to stretch my legs, creatively, before I return to the final phase of my Birthstone Goddesses project.

Are you enjoying the Exalted material thus far?  I’m curious to gauge interest here!

Next, I hope to have the finalized pages to show to wrap up this ‘finale’ for the Exalted Art Challenge.

New Art! The Cobra Witcher of Ofir

And now for something completely different – my first painting of 2020!  Seeing The Witcher adapted into a tv series on Netflix re-ignited my old love for this fantasy world, so I thought I’d take a break with my own fan homage.  I couldn’t resist hopping on the Witcher OC bandwagon with a Witcher concept of my own – a Witcher of Ofir!

Ofir is a country south of Nilfgaard consisting of numerous desert tribes and kingdoms united under a Malliq.  It is a land of great cities said to be even more grand than those of Nilfgaard.  

This gal is from the Ofieri School of the Cobra (a school of my own creation), who train Witchers in alchemy, oils, and poisons made to fight monsters.  

I don’t have a name for this gal yet, as she was very much a spur of the moment inspiration! I get the sense that she’s:

  • Extremely sarcastic
  • Casually talks about horrible things
  • Very picky about what poisons go into her body

Comment with your suggestions!

The Witchers of Ofir

DISCLAIMER! This is a fan concept for how Witchers might operate in Ofir.  It is not canon and I have not read all of the novels yet, just the first three, so there may be other obscure lore of Ofir I might have missed.

The Witchers of Ofir are not feared as their counterparts in the Northern Realms, but are revered as experts.  However, royal decree states that only a certain number of Witchers may exist at any one time, the Malliq’s subtle population control of these powerful beings.  When one falls, another is chosen from among volunteers to take their place.  

Witchers of Ofir undergo their own unique Trial of the Grasses which is said to be the origin of the techniques used in the Northern Realms and lauded to be superior, resulting in more powerful mutations with less side effects and lethality to the subjects of the Trial.

Witcher Gear

Ofieri Witchers also do not use medallions to detect magic, but rather sense it through the markings tattooed on their faces, which also identify their School of origin.  Created with infused dyes, these tattoos grow warm and tingle in the presence of magic and are iridescent in appearance.

Ofir is the homeland of masterful Runewright mages who have perfected the technique of enhancing the properties of blades with runic symbols.  The Witchers of Ofir benefit from this talent, each individual granted a unique weapon imbued with runes upon their initiation and survival of the Trial of the Grasses.  

Work-in-Progress Pics

I created this image in Photoshop with an experimental method of using multiple adjustment layers and effects.  I’ll be uploading a wallpaper pack featuring this gal for all of my Patrons, plus a PSD for my $5 and up Patrons to study and enjoy!

References for Ofir from the world of The Witcher. Including the Witcher comic “Of Flesh and Flame”, the Witcher 3 video game, and excellent swordcraft of Kaer Morhen Forge.

Exploratory sketching. I dropped the hood so she would read less like an Assassin’s Creed character.

Trying out different hairstyles.  I chose the style she ended up with since it reminded me of the cowl of a cobra, which is symbolic of her school.  I imagine she could also use the silver hair thong as a garrote in a pinch as well! 

Final line art.

Completed color flats.

A collage of all the details I spent entirely too long on.

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I’ve been missing doing more traditional dark fantasy work, so this was a nice break from my usual art mode.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program of whimsical Art Nouveau ladies!  I hope you enjoyed this brief diversion into my geek love.

♥ Ang

Convention Report – Multiverse 2019

Kevin and I had a great time at Multiverse this past weekend!  It represented our last show of the season and the first time we’ve been at this con, since this is a brand new event.  Normally, I’d be hesitant to do a first-year show because the traffic is usually slow at these, but in the end, I’m glad I gave this show a shot!  

After the chaos of DragonCon and consecutive Kickstarters happening around here, it was nice to do a small, chill con, while still being able to network with other artists and enjoy a more relaxed environment.

Booth Tour

I’ll admit by the time the con rolled around, I didn’t have a plan or proper signage for the vendor table for this untested arrangement!  Here’s what we were able to throw together at the last minute.  

After studying the booth’s traffic flow at DragonCon, I realized many folks were afraid to walk up to the prints in the corner.  I knew I wanted to try a display where the prints were front and center and viewers could engage with them immediately, so on the table they went so people would not be afraid to pick them up or venture into our personal space!

A spice rack served as a display for the pins. I’m still trying to decide if it blends well and if I should cover it with paper. Or if I want to place it with a rotating rack entirely.  My table display is always evolving!

You can see where I also forgot to bring the table runner, so the scarves ended up being draped across the front of the table, since I wasn’t sure where to put them otherwise and it filled the space left by our missing table runner.  I didn’t have proper signage for the top behind me either, so my Patreon sign became my main sign temporarily.

Folks had trouble even realizing the scarves were there because they blended so well, so I will have to think of a new way to display them so they stand out more.  Perhaps hanging them off a dowel rod of some sort? Or replacing my silver tablecloth with a darker color?  I know I want the scarves up front where people can touch them because most people want to feel the material before they buy clothing accessories.

Gallery Tour

While my table display focused on the Birthstone Goddesses, I decided that my gallery display should focus on my darker narrative art, which I felt was relevant to the interests of this con’s scifi/fantasy/literary themes.

I had a small 4’x4′ bay in the Art Expo which left a little to be desired. The unexpectedly large bid sheets and the print bin which overlapped my display meant I had to leave 2 pieces out of my planned display.  Simple fixes for next year, however!  The show staff are also new to things and were receptive to feedback.  

I sold nothing from my bay, so if any of this display interests you, drop me a line! (Reminder that Patreon Patrons will get their Patreon discount on these as well.)

So was it worth it?

I honestly would have been satisfied for the fact that I sold enough to cover my attendance fees AND I got to network with fellow artists in a much more relaxed environment!  We’re always so busy at DragonCon and other shows and barely have time to say hello.  

During this show, I was invited to two local events, was invited into a new vendor group online, and was able to attend 3 fantastic panels on writing since traffic was chill enough for me to let my husband handle things alone.

On top of all that, we did end up meeting a metric of success I agree with, which is this formula:

Profit = Cost of attending + $100 a day = worth attending

We made back the cost of attending, plus at least $100 of profit per day, so were paid for our time at the very least.  I got to test my new Square Terminal as well.  I’ll have more about the Terminal later over in The Muse’s Library where I’ll be writing a review on it! This is a fantastic piece of tech we just invested in that has totally blown my mind for how useful it is.

Favorite Cosplay

I always love to admire the wonderful costumes of attendees and Multiverse did not disappoint because the amazing folks of the Whiskey Weasel Cosplay dropped by with their wonderfully detailed Monster Hunter World cosplays!  They even replicated the scoutflies you use for tracking with little LEDs. SO COOL!

Final Thoughts

Sometimes it’s worth it for more reasons than just money to attend smaller shows.  It was nice to leave my art cave and remember how awesome the fan community is, as well as to meet a couple of my Patrons in person and say thank you for their support.  

It’s easy to spend so much time alone without the love and laughter of the community.  I hope to return next year and continue supporting the spirit of fan appreciation this convention is nurturing!

Kickstarter Launched! Goddesses of Autumn Enamel Pins + Summer Pin Pre-Orders

Originally posted on Patreon

The fateful day has finally arrived and the Goddesses of Autumn Enamel Pins have now launched on Kickstarter!  By the time I’ve sat down to write this post, we’re already almost 30% funded, which fills me with such happiness.  It’s been easier for me to deal with my fear of failure when doing these kinds of crowdfunded projects because of your massive support and enthusiasm!

So thanks so much to all of you who have been along for the ride while I grow my Birthstone Goddesses into a collection of my own and fly free as an independent artist.  It means the world to me!

Since my folks here are my SUPER FANS, your word of mouth means a lot!  If you’d like to help spread the word, here are a few links for you to easily share even if pins aren’t your thing or you don’t have the funds to participate this time.  Sharing is caring!

– Retweet this post on Twitter
– Share and/or Like this post on Facebook
– Re-blog this blog on tumblr 

Pre-Order the Goddesses of Summer Pins

If you missed out on the Goddesses of Summer pins, I’ve finally listed them in my shop where you can pre-order the whole set or a single pin!  I plan to ship them out in mid-October or sooner (once my Kickstarter Backers have all their pins first).

>Pre-Order here!< 

Patreon Patrons, don’t forget to use your Patreon discount code for 15% off (or your 25% off code if you are pledging $10 or more!).

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Now it’s time to celebrate this milestone!  We’re now officially at the halfway point with the enamel pin Kickstarters.  What a gratifying learning experience it has been!

I’ll be back soon with another update about where we’re going from here.

Here’s to all of you who make my dreams possible!

♥ Ang

Convention Report – DragonCon 2019

I’m back from DragonCon and have finally stirred from my post-con torpor!  Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by, including a couple of my Patrons here!  It was so lovely to meet you and give you hugs (and pins!).  I got to see so many artist friends I haven’t met in person, plus old friends I only get to see this time of year.  I only wish I’d had more time to spend with everyone!

I always like to do a write-up if I can.  DragonCon is such a massive show and always a great event for testing out new, ambitious things!  I’ve been working hard towards it for a long time before the event to make new products to debut, such as the tote bags and scarves.  This was also the first time I’ve ever had to fill such a large space at 8 x 10 feet! It was an intimidating prospect!

So how’d I do?  I sold half my canvas totes, but only a couple of scarves!  Most folks went for my prints, pouches, totes, and greeting cards (especially the ones themed for the month of September!).  I also think my display made an impression!  People really seemed to love my little ‘shrine’ of flowers and candles.

You can also see a video tour of the booth here.

All in all, I made back expenses and then some!  Having a larger display space really paid off for me, as I think the larger display footprint allowed me to give people a better idea of the scale of this ambitious project of mine which is really hard to contain in a smaller space.

The Art Show

The Art Show was a new beast this year!  New management meant new changes, such as the lack of a silent auction or a print shop.  This meant more floor space for artists and a new way to buy directly from the artist, instead of an auction!  It was nice to be able to take my earnings from sales in the Gallery area home immediately instead of waiting for a check to come in the mail.

There was a little confusion about how to buy things from the gallery bay, but otherwise, I felt the changes were for the better, letting the Art Show check-in process go more smoothly (no dealing with barcodes or anything of that nature).  I really enjoyed the new black pegboard for the Gallery area as well!

The volunteers were especially exceptional this year.  They came around often to see if we needed help and check on our well-being!

What Did I Learn?

DragonCon, especially one where I test out new things, is always a learning experience!  Here are some things I learned.

  • Bundle Deals. The bundle deals worked like a charm! I attribute most of my sales to people wanting to buy gifts for multiple people and being encouraged to do so by saving a little money with a bulk discount.
  • More Signage. I need more signage to show people I’m on Patreon, what my name is, and also that the series is about a birthstone series, as it took  people a minute to realize this was a birthstone series and upon realizing that fact, they of course then wanted to immediately see what their month was, which was easier when I made month signs to go by the images (and to subdivide the print bins).
  • The 15 Second Rule.  Kevin, who has vast retail experience and is a remarkable salesman, taught me this at the con. Basically, instead of smothering people with my overeager greetings, give people 15 seconds to process what they’re seeing and decide if they are engaged with it.  

    This wait time helped me make a better call about who was meandering through and who was actually interested so I don’t waste my precious introvert energy on people who have no interest.

  • Stock for Birthday/Month Sensitive Items.  I had so many September babies stop by and say “It’s my birth month and I’m treating myself” or I had friends of September babies shopping for birthday gifts for the special September person in their life. This should have been obvious to me, but I need to keep more stock on hand for these timely occasions!  I even made extra of September and still sold out!
  • More Small Impulse Items. I had so many people who didn’t want to make a big investment or who didn’t have a lot of wall space who ended up scooping up stickers and greeting cards.  I would have sold pins like hot cakes for this reason as well!  

    I want to focus my table area around showing off these small items since they became the ‘bread and butter’ small sales that added up nicely at the end of the day because they are easy to manufacture on a mass scale with a good markup and impulse range price tag that isn’t too much of a burden for the average buyer.

  • Calendar. I REALLY need to finish up the calendar for this series, as now that I have all 12 images, it’s become my number one requested item. I’ve planned to work on it after the enamel pins, so it will be coming next year!

Favorite Cosplay

Oh boy it was SO hard to pick a cosplay to feature here!  Now that they’ve lifted the no photo ban in the Art Show, I had a lot of fun taking photos of amazing cosplayers who dropped by my booth.  They were all wonderful and you can see more of them here.  

However, I just have to feature this lady!  I was a Power Rangers fan back in the day and this lady made me squeal with nostalgic glee.  She also made her costume herself!

I am already missing the glorious geeky chaos that was DragonCon!  I love being around so many kindred spirits that it feels pretty lonely when I get home and return to the grind.  I’m grateful my fans (and especially my Patrons) are here in my corner experiencing this journey along with me.  Your encouragement and feedback have helped me have one of my best cons ever!

Next, I’ll be hopping right into Kickstarter fulfillment and revving up for the Goddesses of Autumn pins, so there’s no rest for the wary!

Did you stop by at DragonCon?  What was your fave cosplay?  Sound off in the comments!

♥ Ang