Welcome to the WORLD of Shannon "Roku-chan" Townsend, artist for the webcomic Otaku -no- Yen. Shannon is a professional freelance artist who specializes in the style of Anime and Manga, and is happy to have a spot here on TheOtaku! Visit Otaku -no- Yen online Mondays and Thursdays www.otakunoyen.com

11 Things Every Starving Artist Needs to Know

Some days, I regret ever becoming an artist as a career choice. I have my moments when I wonder if I should have kept it nothing more than a hobby and instead continued my pursuit of other things, like theatre or the stage. Even now, I'm getting more and more into other things that threaten to take up my time, but no matter what, my heart is in the art.

I continue to do what I do because it's where my heart is. I always said that when I auditioned for a part in a play, I knew I gave it my all, but still made mistakes that were imperceptible to me and cost me the part. When I goof something up on paper, it just makes more sense to me. I'm sure that doesn't make sense to many of you, but I digress. I draw because at the heart of it, I enjoy it. I love it. It doesn't mean I love every project I take, but sometimes you just have to do what needs to be done. Work is work. My husband jokes sometimes that I'm the Bobba Fett of artwork...pay me enough, and I'll just about draw anything. I have pretty low standards I guess.

...though I draw the line at Loli, Shota, and non-con. *shudders* Sorry, gang. Just not my cup of tea.

When you choose to become an artist and start looking for paying gigs, there are inevitably a few things that are going to happen. When anything stops being a hobby and begins being a way to pay your bills, you're going to have a hard time being all hearts and flowers happy about it. But there are a few things you can do to help yourself along the way, and keep the enjoyability in the work.

Again, just some advice. Strictly my opinions, and based entirely on previous experience. I.e., THE HARD WAY...

1. THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT, EVEN WHEN HE'S WRONG! This is the hardest part to get used to when you become a freelancer. When someone is paying you for your work, usually, you have to pretty much do what they want. Now, commission work may be a different story. Most commissions aren't contract gigs that pay you a big lump sum. So get used to the fact that if the company you are doing work for wants everyone in period garb, you're going to have to research it and draw it the way they want, even if you think it's dumb. They're paying for it; do it their way as long as it isn't morally objective to you.

2. This should be #1, but sometimes it falls to slot 2. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS GET YOURSELF A CONTRACT!!!!!!! I can NOT stress this enough. Long story short, I was on a large project once back when I got started for a company that ultimately kicked the bucket. I did roughly around $2000 worth of work and conceptual stuff that never saw the light of day, and I never got a penny for it. From that day forward, I insist on contracts. They cover your butt and make sure you get compensated for the work you've done, as well as ensure you don't go crazy from extra work getting dumped on you.

3. NEGOTIATE A KILL FEE. Let's say you're working on a comic book for a small company, and they have a very different vision than the one you are presenting. Neither party can agree on anything, so they pay you a 'kill fee' and you amiably part ways. I usually negotiate my kill fee to be half of what the full payment would be for whatever gig I'm on. That way, I get compensation for the work I've done, and if the company decides to kick my sorry booty off the project, I still get payment for what's been done. This is a safe thing to do and trust me, no professional company would argue a kill fee. If they do, that's a red flag in my opinion.

4. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS ARTISTS BLOCK WHEN YOU ARE ON A DEADLINE. Let's face it. If you are going to take freelance work, you're going to have to get over artists block. There's no such thing as an 'off day' when you are working on a severe deadline. If I have a day where I just can't draw, I put on music that inspires me, or...gasp!...draw something for myself! If I'm having fun with it, I tend to loosen up and then the ability comes back. Experiment and find out what makes you relax, but always make sure you get your projects done on time.

5. I need to take my own advice here, but DO NOT TAKE ON MORE THAN YOU CAN HANDLE! Otherwise, you'll be like me...working on a massive graphic novel, 12 backlogged commissions, and a weekly updated webcomic at the same time. -_-; I am full of suck and fail...

6. LEARN TO ACCEPT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM. Not every person from a company will like what you are doing. I had a massive project for a marketing company in Chicago a couple years back that made me want to rip my hair out. There was criticism coming out of every angle, but I smiled and nodded, and took it to heart. Don't let yourself get bent out of shape. You opened yourself up for this when you took on the project.

7. SMILE! You have to be friendly. Treat your freelance work as what it is; BUSINESS. If you were a dick to every Tom Dick and Harry who wanted to get artwork from you, you'd have no business at all. Your clients are customers. Treat them with the same respect you would expect as a customer.

8. Again, need to take my own advice... DO NOT LEAVE EVERYTHING TILL THE LAST MINUTE! Now, me personally, I work better on stress and deadlines. I've been known to pull all nighters with energy drinks, and I like doing it. But I don't recommend it to you. Inking with the jitters sucks.

9. LEARN TO TIME YOURSELF SO YOU AREN'T GOING CRAZY. I work a 40 hour a week job on top of my studio work, and I also volunteer at the local animal shelter, take weekly bellydance lessons, lecture at libraries and colleges, AND I am a gamer. How do I do it? I make sure that I make time for myself to do the things I enjoy. If I didn't, I'd go crazy. Make time for yourself, and remind yourself why you are doing what you do. If you are miserable, it's not worth it!

10. HAVE A FALLBACK! Getting paid is good. Paying your bills is good. Working a freelance project and knowing you are going to get $3000 but not knowing WHEN you will get it is BAD. Freelance work often has uncertainties when it comes to pay, so you ARE better off having some sort of day job on top of everything else, so that you have regular, steady pay coming in.

and finally, 11. OCCASIONALLY DRAW SOMETHING JUST FOR YOU. This is something I forget to do alot, but sometimes I just need to sit back and draw something that makes ME happy. Sure, it's selfish, and not often the best thing to do when I'm in the midst of a deadline or something similar. But I need to recharge like everyone else from time to time, and if drawing Gojyo and Sanzo beating one another upside the head will make me smile, damn it, I'm going to do it!

The point I'm making here folks is that sure, it's work. Any time you do freelance work, it's a job. And you have to treat it as such. But that doesn't mean you have to make yourself crazy. The day drawing makes you miserable, it's not worth doing as a career any longer.

I have more advice for aspiring professionals and other artists, but I'll talk about that later.

Fan Art. Oh Yes, I'm Going There

I want to state right up front that what is about to be discussed here is purely my opinions. It is not the thought of anyone here at theOtaku.com. I'm just making some thoughts public, and stating some opinions. I'm going to do this in the most polite way I can, and I'll attempt not to sound like a douche. I do not want hate mail, or brownies sent to me under the guise of being a box of explosives...I'm looking at you, Dave. ;) (Though last time, the brownies WERE damn good...)

Once again, here is Wikipedia's definition of Fan Art:

Fan art or fanart is artwork that is based on a character, costume, item, or story that was created by someone other than the artist. The term, while it can apply to art done by fans of characters from books, is usually used to refer to art derived from visual media such as comics, movies or video games. Usually, it refers to artworks by amateur artists, or artists who are unpaid for their fan creations--so that, for example, professional comic adaptations of the Star Wars films would not be considered fanart while a version done by an unaffiliated fan would be. The distinctions here cannot always be finely drawn and the actual status of particular works can often fall into a gray area.

I'm going to start out here with a little story. Years ago at a certain convention that will go nameless for this post, I had an unfortunate run in with someone who had a massive problem with the fact that I was selling fan art. I had some harmless Final Fantasy VIII pieces on my table, as well as a little Saiyuki parody. The rest was original artwork. Someone took severe offense for some reason or another to the fact that I was selling fan art, and told the head of the AA to have me thrown from the convention. Now, I have no idea why the individual did this. I'd had no conversation with him about it previously, and literally every table around me was selling fan art. But for some reason, I was singled out. He stood on a table, rallied around some fangirls, and basically singled me out for a good hour or so. I smiled through it; what the hell else could I do, you know?

I'd been doing AA's for a few years, and I remember crying the entire drive home to Chicago. I never cried after cons. Usually I was giddy and bouncy, full of ideas the whole way home. I was pretty broken up by it. I wasn't used to that sort of hostility. But the entire thing had made me really give the Fan Art thing a good once over in my mind, and after that show, I decided against mass producing fan art ever again.

It came down to one thing with me: I decided that it was time to stand on my own two feet as an artist. I was done relying on other people's characters to make my dollar, and truthfully I had a million ideas in my head that were mine and mine alone that I wanted to commit to paper. I made the decision to do so, and I've held true to that for several years now.

Over the years, I've run tons of art related panels at cons and libraries/colleges, and at almost every single one someone brings up the Fan Art debate. I remember at Anime Central last year, I had a particularly rousing Artist Alley panel where this topic came up.

I said it then, and I'll say it now: You can agree with me, or you can disagree with me. But Fan Art available for purchase, in the purest sense without parody applied, is a form of copyright infringement. Not one that will get noticed most of the time, but there it is.

There, I said it. Now, if you'd like to send ninjas to kill me, my address is...what, do you think I'm that stupid? Heeeell to the no. ^_~

In all seriousness here though, here's the way I look at it. Fan Art is not wrong, per say, but it does fall under an artistic grey area. Why? Because as fledgling artists, we all need to learn somewhere. No one is a pure genius and is able to create completely original characters, story, fluid panels, and a killer art style right off the bat. Most artist I've ever known, including myself, like to emulate the art style of someone they particular admire, and that is how they learn. I never went to college for art. I'm completely self taught, and if it weren't for the stylings of Naoko Takeuchi, Rumiko Takahashi, Kazuya Minakura and Maki Murikami I would never have given any of this a shot. I used to doodle for hours, just trying to draw Ranma and Ryoga in hand to hand combat, or Sailor Mars kicking Tuxedo Kamen's butt...oh come on. Mamoru was a wuss. You know I'm right. =P

For a while, I sold artwork of these characters in large quantities. I had original stuff, sure, but I also had prints of some very popular characters that were mass produced. Not many; I've always tried to incorporate my original ideas for prints and product as well. And I've never relied on fan material to make my money. But it's how I got started, and it is, to this day, how most DO get started. There is NOTHING wrong with that.

The problem comes when you rely purely on fan art to make your dollar. What do I mean? I mean if you have an entire booth of AMAZINGLY good artwork, loaded with tons of prints of Ouran High School Host Club, Lucky Star, and Gurren Lagaan stuff, and little to no original artwork, you are prime suspect for me to whack you upside the head.

It's one thing to do a little fan art here and there. Even people like Bob DeJesus do this from time to time. One of his art collections, which I want to add was LIMITED in number, had several popular video game characters in it. Lots of it was parody, but some was just cute and neat sketchwork. Is this wrong? I don't think so. Sure, it's still in a grey area as far as legality, but if you are going to sell fan art, there are a few short rules I like to think you should stick to.

1. DO NOT MASS PRODUCE! If you are going do do fanart, make it a one of a kind piece or a limited number of numbered prints. If you mass produce, you are flat out ripping off the company that owns that property. And that, my friends, is wrooong.

2. ALWAYS CREDIT THE ORIGINAL CREATOR OR COMPANY THAT OWNS THE PROPERTY! Let's say I do a Naruto piece where Sasuke's hair is being compared to a duck's butt by a giggling Kiba. I would sign it at the bottom, date it, and then slap a little note that states I do not own the characters, and I would thus write that the copyright of the characters belongs to Viz Media or Mashashi Kishimoto.

3. DO NOT PURELY RELY ON FAN ART TO MAKE YOUR MONEY! This is the one most people abuse, and the one that makes me the saddest panda of all. Contrary to popular belief folks, you do not need fan art to make all of your money at a convention! I know for a fact, and from experience, that you can make just as much, if not MORE money, with originality and creativity. Some people will disagree with me on this, but the truth holds firm. If you are good enough to make $2000 in a weekend selling materials with licensed characters that you are NOT paying the right to use, you are good enough to make your own artwork and stand on your own two feet.

4. NEVER EVER EVER PUT YOUR OWN ARTWORK OF LICENSED CHARACTERS ON MERCHANDISE! This is a big no no, and one that several conventions are starting to crack down on. Don't make little clocks or mugs with Ed Elric or Pyramid head on them (no matter how funny it is to see the word "raep" on each time slot). Don't make scarves with Furuba characters, or hats designed to look like Kirby. That is blatant copyright abuse, and tends to rub companies the wrong way most of the time.

5. IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO FAN ART, BE CREATIVE ABOUT IT! Don't just draw the standard Chun-Li giving the V sign, or Sailor Moon doing her "Oshioki Yo!" pose. What do you draw? Something like this, or this. The point I'm making is if it's parody, or creative, or just a cool drawing that doesn't look like it's been copied right off a page of the manga, you're in pretty good shape.

And finally, 6: IF YOU TRULY THINK YOU WILL ONLY EVER BE GOOD AT FAN ART, STICK TO ART SHOWS AND AUCTIONS. The reason for this suggestion is that most of the time, Fan Art is very much allowed in Art Shows and Art Auctions. You can do numbered prints there most of the time, or you could create amazing one of a kind works that will sell for a LOT more than you would probably make in an AA. AND you get the added bonus of not having to stand watch over your table all weekend, thus not getting to enjoy the convention as the fan you obviously are.

It comes down to common sense and respect. If you feel you can stand on your own two feet, do so. You might be surprised at how well it turns out. =) Trust me on that one.

~Roku

p.s. For the record, yes, I have purchased one of a kind fanart from several people. Black Cat is a weakness of mine...so sue me. =P

Artist's Alley vs. Dealer Hall

Ah, Artist's Alley. That crazy, massive part of the convention that stole my heart ages ago and refuses to give it back.

I've spent a LOT of time in Artist's Alleys over the last 8 years or so. Some of the craziest stuff I've ever seen in my life happened in Artist Alleys. I've made tons of friends, and even forged relationships with people whom I now consider family. The AA is an important thing to me, something I consider a part of my 'job' so to speak, but also something that will always be an enjoyable part of said job.

Back when I started as an anime style artist, I spent a small amount of money on an AA table so that I could network with other local artists and maybe make a buck or two. It was nothing fancy; my setup was minimal at best. I had no bells, no whistles, no huge setup or even an impressive portfolio of work. It was me, a stack of paper, a pen and a prayer. No joke. I had NO idea what the hell I was doing. And contrary to popular belief, you do NOT need to be well known or exceedingly talented to have an AA table. If you have the will and the want, go for it!

Let me break for a second here. If you aren't sure what an Artist Alley is, it's a specific part of a convention where individual artists or studios can purchase a table to sell their artwork or craftwork. Usually these tables are infinitely cheaper than purchasing a dealer table, have different hours than the dealer hall, and have more lenient selling rules and guidelines. It's a place for the fledgling artist, or even the more experienced, to get together, share their artwork with the convention, and hopefully make a living...or at least make up the expense of the convention.

I spent years in Artist Alleys, meeting people, networking, utilizing them for what they are; a great place to meet people! But there came a time when my husband and I took a look around and realized that many of the things we were doing were out of the ordinary. I won't get into details, but after a long discussion, we decided that our place was typically in a dealer hall instead of the AA.

So when do you make that jump from Artist Alley tables to Dealer Halls?

This was a tough choice for us, and not one that we made easily. The first thought on the subject was probably the most important: Do we belong in the dealer hall? Over the years, we've branched our selection of items from simple art pieces to prints, the occasional poster, shirts, buttons, keychains, and most importantly, professionally printed books. When I realized we had solid merchandise, that was the first sign to me that we really needed to be in a dealer hall. It's one thing if you're doing commissions or just selling prints all weekend. It's another if you're selling a ton of items that aren't just solid artwork, you probably belong in a dealer hall.

The second thought involved the dreaded "F" word...FANART. Many artists nowadays don't take into consideration that fanart is somewhat of a grey-illegal area. If you're selling tons of stuff with a character on it that you don't own the rights to, that is a copyright violation. You can't usually get away with this in dealer halls, and no, the 'parody' rule doesn't always hold up. Now, I'm not saying some cons don't allow it. Commissions are one thing. But if you've got a stack of hats designed to look like a Furuba character and you aren't paying for the liscensing of that...well, nine times out of ten that's considered illegal. And yeah, you could even get kicked out of a con for it. I've seen it happen. So think carefully about what you are selling, not just what type of item it is.

The third point to think on is pretty simple...TRAFFIC. I'll be the first one to admit that nine times out of ten, we'd rather pay to be in a dealer hall when we have to than be in the AA. It's not that I don't like being in the AA. It's that I find we get better traffic, and better response from the public, being in a dealer hall. But at the same time, our studio has solid merchandise to sell (i.e. hats, wristbands, books, etc.). If you lack that, you may be better off sticking with the AA or even getting rented space to auction your goods in the Art Show. It's an easier way to make money, and that way you aren't glued to a table all weekend.

There are many folks who would argue that any artist belongs in an AA, no matter what. I tend to agree most of the time on that. I think it's unfair to single out a specific artist just because they are considered 'professional' or whatever the case may be. So many people these days are so worried about it being a competition, about outselling and outdoing the people around them in the AA. I love a little competitive spirit folks, but you know what? My first convention I was right next to Steve Bennett and Robert Dejesus, and I didn't see it as a threat. I saw it as an opportunity to learn! It was motivation! I learned more watching Steve and asking him a billion questions that weekend than I would have by being catty and obnoxious, and bitching that "zomg he's taking all my business!!!11one!!" Also, to those of you who frequent AA's, remember that often the guests who are artists have no say in where they put us. We've been G.O.H.'s for several cons now, and sometimes we're put in the AA, sometimes we're put in the dealer hall. It all depends on what the con wants to do with us.

It all comes down to common sense, when you look at it. If you feel you can justify the additional cost of a dealer table, if you have a ton of merchandise other than just artwork, and if you are fairly well known in your medium, it might be time to make the move over to dealer halls.

Till next time...

Roku

PiQ Magazine: An Interesting Concept

I took my first trip to Borders since about two months before the move. I've been avoiding the store like a madwoman, mainly because I am a whore for Borders. I seriously go in there, and I have no problem spending a good $200 on manga, CD's for bellydance, the occasional DVD, and how to/art books for my personal collection. I am horrible. You know how in R.O.D. Yomiko Readman had flyers up that said 'customer of the month' and what not? Yeah, Borders should have one of those for me. Only it should say "pshcho geek will buy you out of Minakura comics and anything Miles Davis produces! You have been warned!"

I wasn't actually going for manga this time, though I did debate picking up Wild Adapter 4. I opted not to, but I'll get it later this week. Instead, I went with the sole purpose of picking up ADV's new magazine project since ditching the NewType USA franchise, PiQ.

The concept behind PiQ fascinated me, though I don't like the mostly male demographic they have said they are aiming for. We chick-geeks are large in numbers! We're like Spartans, dammit. Spartans with boobs. But enough of that visual, because I don't know about you but the mental picture I just got? Yeah, not cool.

PiQ is an interesting pop-culture mashup of movies, games, anime, television series, comics of the western and Japanese variety, and loads of editorials from ADV staff. I was a little worried that they were trying to be the next Maxim without the pretty centerfolds, but you know what? It's kind of a neat magazine.

The price is the first thing that turns me off. $7.99 for a magazine that lacks the dvd's and goodies that NewType presented is a bit high for me. I don't splurge on magazines at all, but this one I would, and I would often...if it wasn't so pircey. The subscription prices are a bit much for me too, so I'll probably just end up purchasing the ones that cover things that I'd like to follow. The only other thing that bugs me is the mostly-male target audience. I think they missed the point; I know chicks will read up on this too. Hell this issue was worth it just for the Crisis Core rundown and the section "Is Anime Dead?" which gives numerous views on the state-of-the-industry on both American and Japanese shores. Even Monica Rial comments in this section, and it gives an interesting perspective or two on the entire industry crisis.

Go pick it up and check it out for yourself. There're some great bits in there about the upcoming Sweeny Todd dvd (April 9th!) and some video games that caught my interest, like Apollo Justice and Patapon. There's also some neat ads for cosplay books and some movies from Korea and Japan being brought over.

It's worth looking at, and I give ADV credit for dumping the bank-drainer that was NewType USA. I just hope PiQ stands up to the test of time.

My First Artist Alley Experience

I started doing Artist Alleys at conventions ages ago, I think in the early 2000's. I'd done convention staffing before, but never an Artist's Alley. My first one was at Acen, back when I was a staffer for the con and had begun dabbling in the Anime and Manga art style as more than just a passing hobby.

Someone had suggested to me for some reason to get an AA table for the weekend on top of my staff duties, which all took place at night. That was the LAST time that I listened to that particular friend, for obvious reasons. I think I slept something like six hours in four days. I remember crying on the way home because I was so tired that I felt some jamoke did me complete injustice by cutting me off getting off the expressway. That was the ONLY time I actually fell asleep with my feet on the floor and my head face down in the matress.

Rule 1: ALWAYS heed the con rules, and EAT, SLEEP, and BATHE REGULARLY. For the love of god. It's hard enough selling artwork without looking like a brit with a cricket bat is going to bash your head in because you're wandering around mumbling about 'brains' all weekend.

I was fortunate that weekend. I walked in to the large area where Acen was to have their AA that year, the long corridor just outside of main programming. Big windows, loads of tables. Now, mind you, this was before they did registration for the tables. It was, literally, a free for all. I showed up with a backpack full of supplies and a sketchbook, and sat around in a circle with a bunch of other aspiring artists, chatting for several hours as we waited for the 'first come first serve' tables to become available. Fortunately for me, I was with a very honest, good hearted group who all wanted me to get a table, so they let me go up right away.

I wound up even more fortunately right next to Studio Ironcat, otherwise known as the former company of Steve Bennett. Steve would later become a friend, and someone whom I'm glad to say has become one of the folks I adore running into a cons, because I don't get much chance to see them outside of shows, if at all. Con families rule. So here on one side, I had this pillar of fandom who had a gaggle of fangirls surrounding his table at all times.

On the other side of me was a young lady whom I still chat with on occasion by the name of Tani. We still chat via livejournal and a few other spots, though I rarely see her these days in person. (check her stuff out. It's cute http://thetani.deviantart.com/) Anyway, Tani, and some of Steve's friends, were kind enough to steer me in the right direction.

I spent that weekend looking around and feeling horribly out of place. Everywhere there were artists with displays and banners, cute little bristol-board characters propped up with little price signs, and tons of supplies. It was a wake up call, and yet it seems so unbelievably far away in my mind that to look around an AA now is like staring at a completely different monster altogether.

It made me understand a few things right off the bat.

*Timing is everything. If you bite off more than you can chew, it bites you in the ass later. This is a rule I still need to remind myself exists sometimes.

*Not all Otaku are kind. Some are downright rude, and despite the fact that you have internationally published work on your table, will utter those famous words "I can draw better than that." My favorite thing to do these days is hand them a sharpie and smile, and then say "Dude, SHOW me! I'd love to learn."

*Constructive criticism doesn't always come at the best times. It's hard to nod and take it when you're surrounded by people who want to buy your stuff, and then one guy can point out that a toe is too big on a character and all of a sudden, the masses scramble for other things.

*Fanart is a start, but in my humble opinion, it's not a way to make a living. Each artist reaches a time when they have to stand on their own two feet. But that's a whole other debate, one that my hubby and I will point/counterpoint at some time in the near future.

*The most important thing of all:

PEOPLE NEED TO REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN IN AN ARTISTS ALLEY! Sure, it's a place of business. And of course you're trying to make the cost back on your table, and network with as many folks as you can. But it doesn't mean you should loose track of what a convention is, of what fandom in general is.

This is something I've had a tough time with. When you decide yes, I am going to make a living drawing in this style, and you break away from the fanart and start working on independant or contract projects, the whole convention scene turns into something very different. It's work.

But I have to remember, also, it's FUN. There is NOTHING in the world I love more than sitting behind my table, drawing something for somebody, and watching them smile, or cry, or watch their eyes light up with joy when they get a look at what's on that sheet of bristol. It's a feeling of warmth, of joy, of reaffirmation that someone out there loves that piece of artwork.

And that, my friends, is what keeps idiots like me going, even when I'm ready to throw in the towel and beat my head against the perverbial wall. I remember the good folks, the kind ones who were nice enough to purchase something I drew, and smile.

So folks, if you have AA tables in the future, be kind. Don't be jerks to the folks around you, be them table mates or attendees.

You really do catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.