So Anime Detour was last weekend, and I've had time to think about how it went. I was pleased to make roughly $240 throughout the course of the three day convention, most of it made on sunday. My boys love coloring book sold all but one copy, which was the display copy, and the girls love had seven left over. I sold roughly 15 buttons tops, and about 10 stickers, and only two of my comics, which was kind of disappointing. I made about $60 in commissions, which was very nice, and sold maybe three original works.
I know that if my work had been more well known, I would have sold more, and I am okay with the amount that I made. I know that what anime fans want is fanart, unless the artist's original characters are well known.
That little fact is really starting to urk me.Making the images inside the coloring books after spending my time at perpich working on my own style, then drawing back to that was actually painful for me.
I know that people do put work and effort into fanart, and the act of making fanart is flattering in and of itself, but when it comes down to it, the majority of people at anime conventions are making their money off of someone else's idea, and a good amount of money at that. I know you could take that and say that in that light you could twist it and say that nothing is really original, that the idea came from something else originally, and I'm not saying that's not true, but there are so many people who spend all their energy in the anime world to emulate someone else's drawing style, and use that person's original characters to make money, and it seems like such a waste to me. Taking inspiration from someone else is a different matter, and something every good artist participates in, it's just that after a while you should branch off into your own style and your own line of creative thinking instead of selling said fanart. If you do have artistic talent, you could be spending your energy developing your own style, not making money off someone else's work.
Now, with that little rant out of my system, I'll go on to say that my style has been heavily influenced by anime, and that I think it's time for a change. I'm going to be spending the next few days of my spring break drilling actual human anatomy (particularly of the face) into my system. I know that anime will never fully leave me, and it's a part of my repertoire that I'm not particularly proud of but I'm not going to disown completely, I'm just not satisfied with my style being primarily defined by it.
On that note, I made this alias, Cocoyasha, when I was in fifth grade while I had an obsession with Inuyasha. I haven't liked Inuyasha specifically since I was twelve, thirteenish, and that in and of itself is reason for me to get a new alias.
There are some pieces I have posted on here that I'll be posting on my new account, but for the most part, you'll be seeing a new parade of new shit from me. If you're interested in seeing what I'm gonna come up with, my new screen name will be NeedleToTheGroove. Hope to hear from you all later, and now my account will be switched to invisible mode. Thanks again!