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i don't think you need approval from them.
I saw alot of people selling fan artworks from pokemon, sailor moon, Sao, naruto.. etc..etc..etc...

however if you plan to sell them on AA, your going to need to bring your friend with you.

I don't know if artist alley can allow agents to sell other peoples works for them if they are not present.

@Yuuki: Proxy selling, which is sending someone in your place to sell your art, is not allowed. However, selling collaborative works, such as anthologies, that contain input from many people is allowed even if all the creators aren't there (assuming you, the seller, also contributed). So in the hypothetical situation that your friend wasn't coming along, you could still sell things that you worked together on because you did part of the work.

Fanime doesn't require you to get a license for your fanart (licensed material belongs in the dealers hall), but please note that unlicensed fanart is a legal gray area at best. Therefore there's some stuff that you should not do (Disney fanart prints, for example, because Disney is rabid about copyright protection). Also you can't do the following: use official logos, use any other official images (screencapping Naruto's face from the anime and putting it on a button, for example), or trace any official images. Also note that fanime AA staff recommends that fanart clearly be in your own art style. They do portfolio reviews as part of the table approval process to enforce this.

Last year despite how fast it sold out was probably it's smoothest year.  I love Fanime and it's staff, but I wont be taking my chances on the website. The past years were always slow to load. When you have 300 people hitting their refresh I cant really blame the server for crashing. Just saying that I would have all options ready instead of relying on one and then wonder what went wrong if things go south.

Maybe the best place to get the link would be someplace like twitter then. I know the forums and the website both get slower when people start furiously mashing the refresh button. I don't really remember if they even posted the link on twitter last year, either. I'm pretty sure Facebook would be a good place to get the link though, because the chance of FB's servers crashing from Artist Alley registration is basically zero.

I'm super worried that my wifi is going to die on me mid-registration. It's been acting super strange lately and disconnecting spontaneously (sometimes once every 5 minutes). Do you have a backup plan if your wifi fails (other than freeloading on the nearest network that's not password protected)?

Chibimonster: I have already bought my badge and the hotel room.  But a room can be canceled and I honestly would probably give up my $50 instead of the hundreds I will spend on hotel, food, and lets face it the goodies in the dealers room.
Its not only a matter of spending money but also I'm not making money, going to a Con is time off from work so I'm not making money. That is why a table it so important to me.  It's not just fanime, it's kinda the rule I follow for all Cons to to keep an eye on my bank account.

anyways.... lottery bad *cave man stomp*

I didn't think about work. I'm still in high school, and I've been so busy with my classes (taking 4 AP classes hasn't been great for my health) that I don't have a job. I guess you could say that selling art is my job at the moment, although it's a pretty sporadic and not very profitable job.
I'll be a pre-med student next year, so balancing cons and school will be an even bigger challenge. Do you find that going to cons while having a full-time job is extremely difficult, or do things tend to work out ok?

I'm super excited for AX! But I'm also super paranoid that AX tables sold out before December and I'm actually on the waitlist. Although I'm 80% sure that if I could actually pay for a table I have one. Is this right? (I'd ask this on the AX forum, but it's kinda dead).

Like you said, you answered your own question. If you were able to buy a table, you have a table.

Yay! I guess I'll be seeing you at AX, then. :)

I honestly dont care is it's $80... please dont shoot me!!  But I dont think they'll raise it.

but yes lottery would be HORRIBLE.  my table is basically my bread and butter for cons.  If I dont get a table I simply dont go.  It's not in my budget if I cant get some money back.

I'm fortunate to live just 20 min away from Fanime, so I don't have to get a hotel and I would go even if I didn't get a table.

I hate lotteries regardless because I think first come first serve is more fair and more professional. Instead of relying on your preparations/ability to fill things out quickly, you have to leave everything up to chance and it's very likely that someone who is less prepared (and therefore less deserving IMO) will get a table instead.

I imagine the delays must be pretty bad for those whose attendance depends on whether or not they get a table. Have you bought a badge yet or waited as prices rose?

Hmm, I don't know if AX has more tables than Fanime. Perhaps about the same or more. AX is crazier since we are grouped with the dealers hall which is like 10 times the size of Fanime's. Fanime is more organized with the AA being separate from the dealers. That's not to say it's a bad thing. It's just a different environment. I wouldn't know about commissions since I don't take any at cons. You'd be surprised though how many people think plush artists can take commissions on site. O.o Like we got an invisible sewing machine and unlimited fabric stock behind us. Best thing at any con is to limit commissions and take breaks. Don't kill yourself for money.

I'm super excited for AX! But I'm also super paranoid that AX tables sold out before December and I'm actually on the waitlist. Although I'm 80% sure that if I could actually pay for a table I have one. Is this right? (I'd ask this on the AX forum, but it's kinda dead).

like chibimonster said they will give notice before registration.  I cant stress enough that if you have twitter FOLLOW THEM if you have facebook FOLLOW THEM.  The chances of you getting a link on the website when reg goes live is very unlikely, not to mention even if they do the websites server will be so flooded you might not be able to load it to get to that link. 

There are actually 2 FB pages where you can get Artist alley info: the actual fanime page, and the Artist alley Facebook group. It's not very active right now, but it's another good place to ask questions. Just search for FanimeCon Artist Alley 2013. You can join and get updates that way (when updates actually start happening).

I'm pretty doubtful that there will be server issues this year. I know they were bad in 2011, but last year everything went smoothly. I hope this trend continues.

@oniko: I actually got the link off the fanime website last year when I registered. Was I lucky or something?

Oh god if there's a lottery I think I'll go insane. Ugh. I DETEST lotterys because they give the slackers the same opportunity as the super motivate people.
Apart from the lottery, I would really hate a 50/50 fan art vs. original rule. 75/25 in favor of fanart I could deal with, but 50/50 would be a real pain.

The table price was already 75 last year, so this year it'll most likely go up to 85 or something like that.

Anyway, the delay is probably Because they're trying to prevent errors. Think of it this way: they could rush to get everything up super quickly and there would be tons of glitches and errors and confusion. This would be even more frustrating than waiting. They're taking their time to make sure everything is in place and running smoothly so that in the long run, the Artist alley won't be total mayhem.

Tables sold out in just under 15 minutes last year ( if you go back several pages in this forum, sysadmin actually posted sign up stats from last year).

As for portfolios, you have two options: a link to a web page ( this can be your own or one on deviantart, tumblr, etc). The purpose of this is to make sure you actually have stuff to sell and that you're following the rules. They also use this to get a good idea of what your table content I will be like because they use projected table content to help make a seating chart.

They'll typically give you about 2 weeks notice before registration goes live, and when it does they'll post links all over the place (forums, twitter, Facebook, etc). Last year registration was in late January, but it has gone up in late march in the past. This year, since there are a lot of delays, I wouldn't be surprised if it went up in April.

At any rate, just stay updates, make sure your wifi's working, and type really quickly and you should be fine.

most people use all of the tables, doesn't suprise me.
I saw 1 or two people with two tables, I don't think that should really be allowed if your have people waiting, but whatever.

Using two tables isn't allowed and if they're finding a way to get around the rule that could get them kicked out of the Artist Alley. I saw someone who appeared to be using two tables, but I didn't go talk to the staff because I couldn't be totally sure of the circumstances and frankly enforcing the rules isn't the job of the artists.

I'm actually pretty cheap and I've found that I don't really need a full table, so at smaller cons I'll often get a half table. I keep my prints in a binder, so my PVC thingy is kind of useless and just for show anyway. I'm considering thinking of some wire cube display that would work well on a half table.

I've found that having a half table gives the illusion of having more merchandise and it makes me stay organized. Sometimes when I have a full table and I'm working on a commission I end up with markers EVERYWHERE. I guess with me more room = more mess.

I'll be trying as well. Gotten a table every year I've tried. I'll probably have to sell off part of the table, since nobody goes with me to the con, so hope for best, I guess.

By sell off, do you mean share? There's always a huge demand for table sharing (people not getting a table before they sold out), so I'm sure you'll be able to.
Last year there seemed to be tons of people who didn't get tables looking to share and posting about it on the forums, but very few people who actually got tables went on the forums to offer to share. For some reason I thought there would be many more people with tables wanting to share, so it was kinda strange.

You know, the one time I got an AA table, I just went to San Jose's BOE, got the temporary seller's permit and paid the taxes when I needed to. I live in a completely different county. Where I actually lived seemed to not make any difference...and I'm pretty sure they never asked me.

That's strange because your home address does go on your seller's permit, so it does matter and they should ask you.

I don't live in Belmont, so I'm not sure of this will be helpful. You aren't doing business in Belmont, and as I recall you pay taxes based on the city you do business in. If this is the case then you could avoid this tax by getting a temporary permit in San Jose, where Fanime is. I could be completely wrong, though, so you should do research into this.

If I remember last year was 15-30 min....
Considering how fast hotels sold out this year....
.............*sobs like a baby*
I would say it'll go at least as fast as last year. Just gotta watch the site like a hawk.  Like their FB page. Most stressful year yet.

Last year tables at Fanime sold out in just under 15 minutes. Aaaaaahhh the anxiousness. This year to be on the safe side I'm aiming to finish everything within 2 minutes. Hopefully the interface will be nice and easy to use like last year.

I heard that in years before the servers would crash and people would take hours just to get the site to load. How different was 2011 from 2012, for example? Or years before, if you've been. I'm kind of curious.

I see. That's definitely new site info. Either that or I didn't see it back in December. O.o I don't think AX's AA sells out in December, though. I think last year it sold out in March or April or something. Pretty late.

Now I'm getting paranoid. Although I haven't gotten an email telling me I'm on the waitlist, so I'm assuming I have a table at AX.

All this registration stuff. I'm still sort of new to Artist alleys. Last year was the first time I sold at Fanime; this year will be my first AX entirely. So I get extremely freaked out about registering because it's still pretty new to me. I rushed like crazy to get a half table at Anime Conji even though I didn't need to; they still have half tables available. I suppose the table war at Fanime is the worst in terms of stress, though. How fast do you think tables are going to go this year?

wow this thread is great!  I'e been thinking about AX for awhile now. Their website said AA is sold out already though :( is that just old site info?

I haven't heard any definite info from the staff, but rumors have been circulating that the AX AA is sold out. As for the AX website, the Artist Alley tab is still around in the registration tab, and I haven't seen any mention of it being sold out. Where does it day that?

I bought my table back in December, so I don't know much.

mod edit: for clarity AX AA and not Fanime

I think the best solution is to wait and see and continue to work on refining your artworks / Stuff to sell.
The last time this has happened involving with a topic similar to this was around 2010, and one of my friends was BANNED from artist alley!

Wait seriously?! Is it alright for me to ask for a little more detail?
I don't think I'm out of line, but if this is actually against the rules, I'd like to avoid making a bad thing worse.

Many of us are just looking for an answer. ANY answer. And nothing has been offered. :( I love AA. And I respect that the Staff want to make it as best an experience for us all as possible. (And it's SO appreciated!!) But a heads up, or just some sort of notice that we're being heard? They know we're worried and they're working on it?

It's not that much to ask for, is it?

I definitely think we're being reasonable. Maybe the AA isn't as high of a priority for the staff as it should be (although this does depend on opinions). According to Fanime's website poll from 2012, the AA is the second most popular attraction. Tables sell out in under 15 minutes. With the amount of people interested in the Artist alley, it's surprising that more info hasn't gone up sooner. I know we're not the only ones who are worried about the delays. People on /cgl/ have been complaining about it, and people have been asking around on the FB group.

I'm really curious about the reasons for this delay/lack of communication, actually. What's going on behind the scenes?

The delay might be because they're trying to move the AA into another (bigger) exhibit hall. This means that they'd have to come up with a new floor plan, get it approved by the fire marshal, etc. This takes months. Also, AA registration has gone up as late as mid-March in past years.

This being said, I would like a little more communication. I'm aware that the AA isn't the highest priority for the convention, but a timeline would be nice. I don't mind that it's less than 3 months before Fanime (I'm a bit of a last-minute person by nature), but I can see how other people have more going on in their lives than I do and need to plan very far ahead. Does anyone have even an estimate of when registration will go up?

I have a bigger problem with the FAQ/rules not being updated. I know that there was some drama about fanart vs original art last year, and I'm worried that Fanime might start a 50/50 rule. I'd like to know this ahead of time because if there is going to be a 50/50 rule, I have a lot of original art to finish. Also FAQs/rules about helpers would be nice since I'd like to know exactly how many "minions" I'm allowed to have.

AX and Fanime are both wonderful cons. I've never felt cramped in AX's AA. The tables are spaced out pretty nicely. It's just the mass amount of people that walk by make it feel a little cramped. It really all depends on where your table is located. High traffic occurs in the first few rows and in the center. There is much more walking room in the back or on the sides of the alley. I did take some photos from my table. You can check out my con report here:http://lilmoon.deviantart.com/journal/Anime-Expo-2012-Con-Report-312884484. I was located in the about the 3rd or 4th row center.

Judging from your report, AX looks like a lot of fun. Also your plushies are very cute.

If the most traffic is in the middle, the middle should be the best place to be because more people might notice you, right? Or does everyone just walk past? I've never been to AX before; this year will be my first year. I wonder when they'll start emailing the artists... Actually, I also wonder when Fanime is going to put up registration. Is it just me or is everything taking forever this year... Every con I'm going to seems to be behind schedule.

Also, how many tables does AX's artist alley have? More than Fanime? Less? Is it crazier? At Fanime last year I got completely swamped with commissions - I had to take some home to work on (I live close enough to make getting a hotel pointless). My biggest fear is that someday I'll get so many commissions that I'll hurt myself trying to finish them all (I actually know someone who passed out at AX once). In general, how do you deal with being given lots of commissions?

i can try and check on my home to find pictures becuase i did took some pictures from fanime's AA but i think the administrators will ask me to put them away since its not polite to post pictures on this forum (something about code of conduct and privacy reasons)

I wasn't asking for pictures of fanime's AA. I was there LOL. I was wondering about AX's Artist alley and how cramped it was. A google image search turned up nOthung that would suggest that it was super cramped. That's why I was asking for pictures.

Ah yes i remember the table war from last year!....
Hey do they still do the Final 100 tables as a lottery system? or not anymore?

It's not a lottery. Just whichever 300 or so people register first. I was one of the first 100 last year. :)

I'm still nervous because I get the most awful adrenaline rushes from things like the table war. After AA registration last year, I was walking in circles in my living room for about an hour. Hopefully a new space means more tables which means a little less craziness. (I can dream, right?)

I'm TERRIFIED for the table war. The tables had sold out around 16 minutes after noon last year. I just went to college this year, and the wifi is absolute crap here, so I'm actually terrified that it can't take the 300+ artist rush to get a table this year. I'd be thrilled to even get a table, unlike previous years where I aimed to be one of the first so I can get a table I wanted. But it's all up in the air. I might just beg and plead for my suitemates to turn off all their wifi devices for about 10 minutes, haha.

But I am happy if there are new tables this year! This would definitely make the stress less for me. Have any of you guys been to Anime Expo? If you're talking CRAMPED, then that's it. Fanime provides at least twice as much space for people to walk through than Anime Expo's Artist Alley, and their table count is almost the same.

If you have a smartphone with 4g, maybe that would be better than college wifi.

I wonder what the price will be this year (not that this actually matters. Fanime's AA is so much fun that I would go even if it cost as much as AX hahaha). Speaking of AX, I'm going for the first time this year. I've seen pics of the artist alley from past years and it didn't look THAT cramped. Maybe those photos are outdated... Does anyone have a pic of AX's 2012 AA?