Art: Anime Expo 2009

I forgot to take my camera to AnimeNext, so I don't have any photos from it. So, we have to skip right to AnimeExpo. I raised my commission prices here. I got some color work to do, which was exciting, but no one wanted full bodies, which is a shame. I need to adjust the psychology of my commission prices.

Someone wanted her OC with Kiba from Naruto. I couldn't remember where his headband went, so I had her hold it because I thought that would be cute. I was warming up and praciticing the anime style, so it looks a little off.


Her friend requested Ulquiorra and Orihime. She spent a long time deciding between that and another pairing.


Melinda said the girl's face was nice, which was a super compliment because I think faces are the major turn off on my pieces. She told me that I do eyes too close together when drawing anime. Upon further analysis, it was pretty obvious. Usually, I match eyes to the edges of the nostril. When I distort the anime nose to make it smaller, the nostril distance obviously shrinks so the eyes get too close together! Man, I'm an idiot some times! I've done that for years!


I was intimidated by the reference I got of this original character. It had a lot of detail, so I kind of wanted to do it regular, but they wanted chibi. :( I think it turned out good, though. It's better than my A-kon ones.


I like how this chibi turned out, too! It's meant to be Kiba from Wolf's Rain, but I think the clothing is inaccurate. Adding ears and tails to chibis increases their cute proportion.


Ritsuka! He's so adorable. Argh, I spilled some ink on the other side of this - just when I had finsihed inking, so I traced it onto the back and started again. That was depressing. I felt so bad because I was already taking a long time.


I think this was one of my favorite's from the convention. I like how the cybernetic arms turned out, as well as the scar. I was worried the girl had forgotten since she got it on Thursday, but she came back on Sunday to my relief.


Ah, then again, I liked this one, too! Somehow, original characters pose so much more of an intellectual challenge to me. This girl was really nice and had art from a lot of people. I hope I did her character justic.


Some girl asked me to draw her with Marth. She was carrying a Marth print I had favorited on DeviantART. I like Marth. Unfortunately, when drawing late at night, my proportion sense goes wonky, and I don't realize until I upload it to my blog.


Another OC chibi. I think the commissioned liked it. Two-colored eyes are very fun.


Another original character, based off the Cheshire cat. I think this was my favorite sketch style one. I think I over-shaded the face too much. It didn't leave me enough time to...


... do this piece justice. It was an elven (?) sky pirate, so I was really excited. Unfortunately, I think I could have done better, but I was particularly rushed. Awkward hand is awkward. I shouldn't attempt the long, CLAMP, spaghetti-finger, style.


Chibi Michael Jackson! Yay! I'm a little conflicted about his passing. I am not a fan of his voice (falsetto is not for me), but I like individual songs of his (Smooth Criminal, Beat It). Nevertheless, there's no denying he was a huge influence.


I like the guy's face on this one. I think the "anime" thing finally clicked. His proportions are a little weird, but the commissioner (whose original character is the girl) was happy, and that's the important part.


Gah, this was the one that I thought had the most potential, but I screwed up on the most. I love Mekania. She is one of those characters whose design isn't too complicated but still remains likable and radiates personality. And I know her owner knows I can do a better job than this (specifically on that arm and the face proportions). I just hope I didn't charge too much. I think it was a matter of burnout. If I had gotten the job on Friday, it might have been better. Mek, if you're reading - I'm really, really, really, embarassed, and I hope I can do you something nicer next year.


Another one which had potential, but I got too rushed. It seems like something about spacing gets lost when I don't concentrate. I thought these two characters were really cute. I wondered if they were twins.


Another one of those original character commisions. I had actually forgotten if they wanted a bust or a chibi, so I had started a bust on the back. That wasn't correct. He was cool, so I guess I just subconsciously wished to do him in my style. That, and I think I'm faster at busts...


So, that was AX in a nutshell. Less commissions, but of higher quality. I didn't do as well as last year. I"m not sure why - whether it was location factors, time factors, or competition factors. But it was fun, and I laughed until crying on multiple occassions. That said, I'm also glad Toby wasn't hit by a car.

Art: Akon 2009

A-kon came and went with minimal profit. Either I've been miscalculating the other years I've done this, or my profitability is getting worse. Anyhow, I did a huge number of commissions at this con. These are just the ones I managed to remember to photograph.

This is someone's bard OC. She also commissioned my table partner, Korilin. I feel I could have done better, but I was undercharging since I panicked.


A chibi commission. They sold like hotcakes at only $5 each. I'm beginning to regret making my commissions less than my prints.


Another one. This guy was dressed as Wario, so I went for a different style.


The next two were commissioned by two people I knew from Gaia, who commissioned me the year before. I liked how these ended up. Enough that I wish they had bought color so that they would turn out better. It's two gay couples.


They had some nice reference art, too. The lady seemed surprised I recognized and remembered her characters names - I'd drawn them in high school before! Man, I don't suck nearly as bad now. Just somewhat.


This guy never came to pick up. Every time I called him, he sounded half-asleep. He said it was his first con, so U wonder what trouble he got into.


One thing, is when someone brings me a moe ref, I get really confused and I tend to draw something out of my comfort zone to try and recapture that moe feel whether the client actually wants that or my style. I feel my prices sometimes lend myself to being a commission Wal-mart, that people aren't getting my work for my work - they're getting it because it's inexpensive. So, commissioned, if you were reading this - a) nice Lelouche costume and b) I apologize if I misinterpreted your reference.


Okay, then is gets kind of ridiculous but kind of awesome. There were identical triplets at A-Kon, and the first day, one of them bought a chibi from me (not displayed). The next day, they all came back again - each one wanting one, and then one of all three of them together! Then, they came back again on Sunday and each bought another one. So, effectively, I drew the same character eight times. T




Someone wanted herself with Roy Mustang. I like the short, dark, hair, types, so I was happy to oblige. I am trying to post my chibis is less boring manners.


This is more ridiculous than the triplets. Someone asked me to draw McCoy from Star Trek (not pictured). Someone else then asked if I could draw Spock - shirtless. Someone else comes by and is like "OMG"... and asks for their own shirtless Spock!



Someone wanted an angry Pikachu. This was ridiculously fun, even though it took around ten minutes.


At A-kon, I tend to get a lot of parents asking for portraits of their children.


Finally, this was another oneof my favorites. It was an original character commission, and I was working from text description. I hadn't gotten many OCs, so I went a little over the top. My forte, if I do say so myself. She was very happy with it and even used it as a reference to commission Allison! I was honored.

Writing: The Issues with Convention AAs

As part of my final project in Japanese Popular Culture, I am researching the Artist Alley community here in the United States. I have already taken information from my previous travels as well as closely, statistically, documented one particular event. The final product will be published on DeviantART - but be warned, it will be long.

If you would like to provide me with information (quotes, experiences, opinions, etc), you can comment bellow, contact me on AIM/MSN, or e-mail me at fongmingyun@gmail.com .

The following is the best I can do to clarify, in writing, the issues that faces this community. I hope, if you are interested in being a con artist (no pun intended), that this short essay gives you insight into what you will encounter.

The Artist Alleys at American anime conventions differ greatly from the Japanese Comiket as well as those at United States' Comic, Science Fiction, and Fantasy conventions. Comiket is filled with doujinshi, amateur comics written by groups of people called "circles." American Comic Alleys have professional artists signing and selling his latest issues they worked on. On the other hand, at anime conventions, most artists are students, some of which have no interest in studying art professionally. Given the differences between each artist community, two major issues have arisen : fanart and crafts.

People are more likely to purchase things they are familiar with. Therefore, people buy fan art. Comiket thrives due to fan-made comics. Most American comic conventions frown on, or even restrict unlicensed fan art. However, many people who come to anime conventions treat the Artists' Alley as a handmade, sometimes cheaper, alternative to the Dealer's Room, where companies sell licensed merchandise. This has led to a "bootleg flea market" atmosphere. Otakon, in Baltimore, Maryland, went through an issue where a handful of artists' fan work actually threatened dealers' profits and caused the con staff to hire lawyers to discuss the issue. Anime North, in Toronto, Ontario, is famous for "lowballing" where artists loudly sell their work less than market average to increase sales. All fan art only exists in a legal gray area of "parody," but if fan art were banned, many artists would not make enough money to support themselves.

However, at anime conventions, the term "fanart" has begun to encompass crafts as well. This broader interpretation of "art" means that more people are competing for the same number of spaces. In 2008, Anime Boston sold out of Alley tables in 34 seconds, and many people complained the system was "unfair." Traditionally, artists have sold prints. However, since shoppers prefer practical items, many people now make dolls, bags, and cosplay accessories. In turn, many illustration artists have delved into a trinket market. Keychains, buttons, stickers, with cute, semi-deformed, "chibi" are consistently popular, and sometimes make more money than printed work. This is especially true in a tough economy where people are unwilling to pay as much for a piece of colored paper. However, in trying to make items cheaper and more practical, the Alley has become more focused on "mass production" and come in direct competition with the Dealer's Room.

I wish I could explain this better, but the issues the Artist Alley has are all intertwined. Explaining one leads to explaining another. However, I hope my attempt at summary makes the situation clearer to those in and out of the anime artist community in America.

P. S. I need a summer job...