And why it's the reason I'm not going to be attending Fanime next year
The art and commissions were overpriced, there was little style variation between artists and many of the artists I talked to were fairly rude. Artist's Alley is usually my favorite part of conventions, but this was awful. The artists are talented, and I'm not trying to degrade them and their work. However by picking such an elite selection of artists, they were given less competition, resulting in raised prices all around and a general sense of superiority. Many of the artists I've seen at other cons and their prices were definitely increased here as opposed to other times.
But don't feel too bad, Fanime. Really this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. The scheduling was horrid and unorganized, events were difficult to locate due to the separate booklets containing different information, the one way only entrances and exits were pointless and really the only thing that went well was the registration line.
TL;DR this year's Fanime was single handedly the least enjoyable out of all the cons I have attended since 2007 and I will not be returning.
ive been attending cons since 2001 but you will return, i promise
Quote from: RenRentheGreat on May 26, 2014, 08:04:43 PM
And why it's the reason I'm not going to be attending Fanime next year
The art and commissions were overpriced, there was little style variation between artists and many of the artists I talked to were fairly rude. Artist's Alley is usually my favorite part of conventions, but this was awful. The artists are talented, and I'm not trying to degrade them and their work. However by picking such an elite selection of artists, they were given less competition, resulting in raised prices all around and a general sense of superiority. Many of the artists I've seen at other cons and their prices were definitely increased here as opposed to other times.
But don't feel too bad, Fanime. Really this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. The scheduling was horrid and unorganized, events were difficult to locate due to the separate booklets containing different information, the one way only entrances and exits were pointless and really the only thing that went well was the registration line.
TL;DR this year's Fanime was single handedly the least enjoyable out of all the cons I have attended since 2007 and I will not be returning.
Huh, interesting...I thought this year's con beat last year's by miles. The AA was in a much better location for showcasing art than last year (maybe use the south hall for the swap meet?), and the prices didn't seem out of line. I was able to buy large, quality prints for $15-20 each, beautiful earrings for $10-15 each, and a very nice etched Kill la Kill glass for $15. As for the attitude of the artists, none were rude to me at all. I also thought there was better variation in what was being offered; last year's selection seemed a little bland, both in the AA and DH. Yes commissions were pricey, but you are getting a custom item from the artist that they are personally making for you, so the tab is naturally going to be higher. I'll give you that information on some events was a little hard to find, but if you take the time to look around, you'll almost always find something cool to do during the con.
Fanime during the last couple years has had problems, there's no denying that. And while there were some issues this year, like some event info being hard to find and the swap meet line being incredibly long, overall I thought they did much better this time around.
Quote from: SpiritOfKairi on May 26, 2014, 08:34:11 PM
Quote from: RenRentheGreat on May 26, 2014, 08:04:43 PM
And why it's the reason I'm not going to be attending Fanime next year
The art and commissions were overpriced, there was little style variation between artists and many of the artists I talked to were fairly rude. Artist's Alley is usually my favorite part of conventions, but this was awful. The artists are talented, and I'm not trying to degrade them and their work. However by picking such an elite selection of artists, they were given less competition, resulting in raised prices all around and a general sense of superiority. Many of the artists I've seen at other cons and their prices were definitely increased here as opposed to other times.
But don't feel too bad, Fanime. Really this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. The scheduling was horrid and unorganized, events were difficult to locate due to the separate booklets containing different information, the one way only entrances and exits were pointless and really the only thing that went well was the registration line.
TL;DR this year's Fanime was single handedly the least enjoyable out of all the cons I have attended since 2007 and I will not be returning.
Huh, interesting...I thought this year's con beat last year's by miles. The AA was in a much better location for showcasing art than last year (maybe use the south hall for the swap meet?), and the prices didn't seem out of line. I was able to buy large, quality prints for $15-20 each, beautiful earrings for $10-15 each, and a very nice etched Kill la Kill glass for $15. As for the attitude of the artists, none were rude to me at all. I also thought there was better variation in what was being offered; last year's selection seemed a little bland, both in the AA and DH. Yes commissions were pricey, but you are getting a custom item from the artist that they are personally making for you, so the tab is naturally going to be higher. I'll give you that information on some events was a little hard to find, but if you take the time to look around, you'll almost always find something cool to do during the con.
Fanime during the last couple years has had problems, there's no denying that. And while there were some issues this year, like some event info being hard to find and the swap meet line being incredibly long, overall I thought they did much better this time around.
Agreed. This year's con was run very well I think.
The quality of Artist's Alley was markedly better than previous years, in part due to the screening I think. All of the artists I spoke with were perfectly friendly, the pocket guide was informative and easy to read and most of the major events went off smoothly.
But hey, with 26,000+ attendees, you can't please everyone.
The only things I can think of regarding AA is the registration system a few months before (as a non-artist, it doesn't concern me) and that the new building of the convention center, while huge, is still relatively small for the demand of the AA. Space the booths out more and have more room to walk.
Other than that, no other complaints.
I think there was actually a lot of variation in the artists. Not to say anyone was terrible, but you definitely had artists from like every tier there and I like that. I really hope you, OP, weren't hoping for large prints to be under ten bucks- almost every artist offers a deal for prints so you buy multiple but each come out to a lower price rather than buying them separately anyways. Commissions are another story entirely. (Though fifteen bucks for a 8 x 11 drawing in full water color certainly is a very nice price if the artist my friend commissioned is any indication.)
Artists need to make a living, remember that.
And I agree with the poster above that the aisles could stand to be spaced out more. The popular booths got crowded fast and it made walking around hard... I actually loved the South Hall location but I understand why a lot of people did not. It was nice and spacious...! And opening the AA pool way earlier would be much better for the artists considering the new system implemented this year. It was cut close and I know there were artists who didn't want to even bother attending Fanime this year considering it was cut close. But it worked out well in the end, I think, because there was still a nice variety in everything!
I'd be rude to you too, if you thought $15 was too expensive for prints. A lot of those artists put a lot of time and effort into making something worth buying. A lot of those people actually paid large amounts of money to go to school, put a lot of time into studying, and lost a lot of their hair dealing with finals and disappointed parents. What I saw in there was a lot of incredible deals for prints and handmade items. I didn't see anything more expensive than $40, in regards to art prints, and even that was a great deal. IMO, some of that art work would have still been a great deal at twice the price they were asking.
This was my first real fanime experience but I've been collecting art prints for almost ten years. I've paid as much as $400 for prints before. Some of what I saw in AA was just as good, if not better.
Personally, I'd love to see Artist Alley and Dealers Hall split Halls 1-3 evenly (is there a way to divide Hall 2 in half?) and moving Gaming to the Grand Ballroom.
I'm not sure what you mean by overpriced. All the prices I saw were definitely reasonable (almost too cheap if you ask me).
As for inconsistency in info, these things happen every year with every con. There were info desks everywhere if you ever needed clarification or updates.
hes complaining about the price? LOL! didnt know a good print was overpriced........maybe he should go on eBay or something....
Quote from: spycker on May 27, 2014, 08:59:10 AM
hes complaining about the price? LOL! didnt know a good print was overpriced........maybe he should go on eBay or something....
LOL still more expensive
Im so glad its so freaking easy NOT to purchase stuff at AA and DH. Nothing caught my attention. I forced myself to buy some shirts, even though i can find it way cheaper online. $25 bucks for a freaking keychain? No ty.
Btw, leave the gaming room alone. Its great where it lies.
Thank you hot dog lady!
mod edit: language
Quote from: EJAY420 on May 27, 2014, 06:04:37 PM
Btw, leave the gaming room alone. Its great where it lies.
Agreed. It needs the space, restrooms and air circulation.
Quote from: RenRentheGreat on May 26, 2014, 08:04:43 PM
But don't feel too bad, Fanime. Really this was just the straw that broke the camel's back. The scheduling was horrid and unorganized, events were difficult to locate due to the separate booklets containing different information, the one way only entrances and exits were pointless and really the only thing that went well was the registration line.
This isn't a new feature, and their relative locations have remained unchanged for several years. Are you sure you've been going since '07? :o
Gaming room was dope. All the human interaction. Not just sitting down and gaming. Maybe think outta the box but how bout adding more game ideas to the bunch? Bingo tournaments, maybe some smaller one person rides? Adult section for poker? Real pool tables?
that human size jenga was the shiznitzzle! Kudos for whoever brought that.
I saw no marked difference in artists since previous years... perhaps a few less crafters but it is hard to say for sure. I felt walking in that it was prints as far as they eye can see but in searching through the booths I did find a couple people selling other things. But I can't say that the quality was really any better which makes the jury system... pretty pointless! All it serves to do is create drama for the artists and more work for the volunteers that have to sift through all the applications. The lighting in the new room was great but it was VERY crowded. I could hardly get through some areas let alone get to the booths or even see the majority of what they had.
Yeah I agree that nothing caught my attention at the prints but they are awesome artwork, the artists get all the credit....i did buy me a shirt though!
I was pretty impressed with AA this year, both the location and the general quality and variety of material available. And frankly, the prices I saw in there for prints were pretty comparable to other conventions I've been to; nice big prints, especially the ones on good glossy paper cost the artists a decent chunk of change to print, whether they have their own printing equipment and buy the paper to make their prints in-house, or use some printing service to produce them. I quite happily got 3 nice large prints for $40 and considered it an extremely fair price for what I got. I've also come home with a collection of artists' business cards for possible future commissions or purchases, since of course at-con I had a somewhat limited budget.
I couldn't speak for commission prices since I didn't personally get any, but as others have pointed out, you are paying for a custom-created piece of artwork. You are not simply buying a piece of paper that a printer spit out a digital file on, you are buying that artist's time, skill, potentially years or even decades of practice and education that goes into being able to make something one-of-a-kind just for you. That stuff shouldn't come cheap, because artists need to make a living and shouldn't have to undersell what their skills are worth just to appease people who want cheap art.
I would love to see what OP thinks is considered a fair price for prints/commissions. I do 8+ cons a year and fanime had some of the cheapest prints i've seen in a while, which was actually kind of depressing :P
It's all well and good to whine about prices, but if you think you should be able to buy things for $5, I don't think the artists want you back anyway.
As one of the artists in the AA, I'm not sure what you're expecting for commission prices. Our prices are for us, we're charging what we're valuing our work at and often times end up charging much much less than what it's worth. We're spending a lot of time preparing and putting our stuff out there for people that may be interested, why is it a bad thing to want to earn a bit more since Fanime's such a big con?
Interesting, I commissioned 7 artists over the weekend. I would have commissioned more but I cosplayed one day and was working doing video most of the other times. I thought the prices were very fair... I even told one artist that I thought his prices were low for the amount of work he was putting into his commissions. Honestly, I appreciate a higher level of professionalism in AA. If you want 5 dollar commissions you could find loads of artists on DA who will help you out.
See my profile photo for one of my commissions... a beautiful piece and reasonably priced too!!
I don't feel the art was overpriced. They're actually cheaper than what I'd pay for some mass produced poster from the dealer's hall. If you want to talk about overpriced, check out the dealer's hall.
I didnt really notice an overpricing in prints from other artists. I even recieved a few tips for my work. I feel bad I couldnt buy more prints but most were large ones and I didnt have a proper way to keep them protected going back home. I felt all the art was amazing though.
Also how were the times any different? They opened AA up to the artist and the public the same time they do every year. I was able to get in and get set up fairly flawlessly. My fiance was only held back because he is from canada and we messed up and didnt bring a signed copy of the agreement but thy were willing to help him out and print one which I'm greatful for.
I personally feel this was one of the best cons at the very least compared to last year.
As far as the jury system I got in, not sure if I like it though because I'll have to see what thy plan for next year. Obviously I go in which means my art was passable but hard to tell if they will like that every year or not.The only thing I hated was waiting for AA to open up so last min. Fanime is the one con I put everything into, if I cant make AA I rather know waaaaaay in advance so I can try for other cons. With my work I cant visit a lot of them and I'd like to know early enough if I should drop fanime for other cons. Fanime is pretty early for the start of "summer cons" yet by the time I find out if I have a table all the other AA's are already full.
I've been lucky over the years but sooner or later that is bound to run out and I need another option.
Quote from: Oniko on May 31, 2014, 08:15:18 AM
Obviously I go in which means my art was passable but hard to tell if they will like that every year or not.
I've been lucky over the years but sooner or later that is bound to run out and I need another option.
I want to see your art! What booth were you?
Well, in my opinion, artist allry should go back to where it was before, right next to the dealers hall where the current so called food court is. That has way more space and air so it won't be too stuffy. The gaming hall has always been there, the dealers hall is always grand, but artist alley needs the food court space back. The quality this year was great, swap meet was horrible. Before the swap meet was located with the gaming hall combined, all around the walls in the perimeter. That had more space than the civic center by at least 2x. Plus the lines wouldn't be that long. If anything, the grand ball room had way more space than the civic center.
This is going to be my 10th fanime next year. I want to see some differences and upgrades.
Honestly, the only time I was a little rude to people was when they demanded to know why my VERY cheap original hand painted acrylic paintings weren't $5 instead of the $60 they were. Considering that the materials cost more than $5 each, I definitely was not having an easy time keeping up a smile when they'd start trying to tell me all the reasons why the art wasn't worth it.
Oh well, that was like 1/1000 people. Most everyone was fantastic there, and I hope I get to return next year. I like a juried process, because honestly EVERY OTHER CON USES IT! I go to different cons year round and they normally have a window to apply, and while first come gets some priority, it's never first come first serve except with anime cons. Most other cons just don't tell you that they'll be using some preferential treatment when handing out tables.
To me, what it really does is make these sort of cons viable for professionals to plan to return to each year. I work professionally and if I go to Fanime I need to plan travel time and a hotel or room, as well as prep my merchandise and actually turn down OTHER cons (Denver Comiccon is the same weekend). I assume a jury will attempt to make sure the artists fit in well with their chosen crowd, which is fantastic! If I won't fit in well, I'd rather know early than stress out later due to poor sales. Not to mention that a juried selection works for artists who WORK a lot of the day. It gives me a window of time to apply rather than stress out and needing to be in the right place at the right time. That said, it IS imperfect right now, and I hope the staff continues to improve it.
Honestly the biggest issue I had with the con last year was that they took FOREVER to get artists in during check in. That was far more stressful than the application process x3
Good luck to everyone, though!
That's a good point. The checkin line on Friday was so long that even as the room was getting ready to open to the public, artists were still trying to set up because the artist registration system was so slow.
They really need to allow artists to register on Day 0. Even if we can't set up tables, getting that part out of the way would avoid the logjam on Friday morning.