Doodle Alley always has a lot of really insightful things to say about the creative process. This in particular reminds me of when I was in grad school and my teachers forbade me to draw or paint for a while and gave me a camera to use instead. It was a difficult challenge for me since I was used to composing on the spot from my imagination instead of using what I could get/find. But it was a really good way to shake me out of artistic complacency. I may need to do that again sometime.

Found this via Delphina2k on Google+

vanessacsketch:

zyrenskistudios answered your question: Gonna Save Up to do some Cons Next Year

Selling or attending? If selling, what kind of stuff?

Selling. It took me several cons before I realized that I don’t really have a lot of fun at them just as an attendee (that’s another story entirely XD). As…

I tend to do more anime conventions so I can only give you my experiences. Katsucon and Otakon are the biggest anime conventions in my area, and webcomics tend to do fairly well. I’ve sold a little better at both, now that I’ve been out for a while, and both are so large that there are con attendees that aren’t just looking for stuff of their favorite anime characters (DA is somewhat popular, but not as popular as anime stuff at these cons). Unfortunately, Katsucon’s application opening date was a month ago, but you could try and see if you can still get in as their AA is HUGE. Otakon is expensive to get in, so if you’re interested in applying and don’t mind sharing a table, I wouldn’t mind sharing one with you. Their applications tend to open up around February and sell out fast. Blindingly fast. I’ve also been told Neko Con and Anime Mid-Atlantic are also pretty good and my friends seem to do well there. I know there’s also a New York Comic Con and a New York Anime con, but I’m not sure what the vibe is there as I’ve never been.

As for comic conventions, I’ve been told Heroes Con in Charlotte is great for webcomics/comickers and fabulous for networking. i haven’t been yet, but I’m looking to go this year as a lot of friends of mine are selling there as well. Intervention con in my area is also a good networking con because of it’s small, intimate size. You might not sell a whole lot, but you’ll get a whole lot of networking done with other webcomickers, and some big names like Pete Abrams (Sluggy Freelance) are regulars. There’s also webcomics con, which is in Conneticut, and though I haven’t been, I’m guessing it’ll be the same size as Intervention con and the same attitude. We also have a Small Press Expo in my area, which a lot of non-anime non-superhero comickers go to and many are pretty successful. Danelle Corsetto (Girls with Slingshots) and Spike (Templar AZ) have reported doing well there. I don’t suggest Baltimore Comic-con unless you’re looking to get hired by DC or Marvel as most people there are only interested in superheros.

You also might want to look into Science Fiction conventions, as there are a lot around. Each one is different, and some might have lots of people looking for good webcomics. I’ve only been to Balticon, and I tend to only do well there because all my friends buy my books. XD However, it is a hell of a lot cheaper than anime cons. Dragon Con is the biggest, and I’ve been told the best, and people seem to do well there as well, but I think it’s also pricey.

I also tend not to make enough money to pay for my table, even if I do fairly well, so take that into account. You might do better than me, but I’ve had friends get really stressed when they’re not selling well because they were expecting the con to pay for their rent. I look at cons as getting my name out there so people are aware that I am a webcomic and hopefully, eventually, maybe I can make it a career.

Hope all that helps!

(Source: vanessasketch)