I'm considering getting an Artist's Alley table at Anime North at the end of May. I'm still debating it because I don't know if it'd be worth it. I also have very little idea what to do with it even if I do go for it, so I thought I'd ask all of you.

The main questions to which I'd like some answers are:

1. When looking to buy a piece of art, or even just browsing, what do you look for? Subject, style, dimensions, paper, mounting, etc.? Would you buy a smaller piece of art at a lower price, say, 5"x7" or 4"x6" or do you prefer larger pieces? Do you look at people's original characters or are you mostly interested in fanart?

2. What other types of artistic items are you interested in, if any? Sculpture, jewelry, costume accessories, etc.? Again, what style or subject interests you in these media?

3. What would constitute standard price for prints or other merchandise, and at what point would it be considered too high, or too low?

4. What about an artist's table really stands out to you? What draws you to a certain table more than others?

I'm sure there are many more questions I have, but that's all I can think of for now. All opinions are greatly appreciated, on any or all of these questions or any other related subject. Any suggestions or advice you might have on running an artist's table are also extremely welcome.

Thanks for reading.

I've actually never run an artist table, but hopefully I can help a little.

1. When looking to buy a piece of art, or even just browsing, what do you look for? Subject, style, dimensions, paper, mounting, etc.? Would you buy a smaller piece of art at a lower price, say, 5"x7" or 4"x6" or do you prefer larger pieces? Do you look at people's original characters or are you mostly interested in fanart? When I’m browsing the artist alley, I look for good quality prints on glossy, photo paper. I usually don’t look at traditional works because they’re more expensive. The artwork doesn’t have to be mounted. As for the size, it really depends on the picture. If it’s really detailed, I’m more inclined to buy a bigger version (8”x10”), but if not, I’d buy a smaller version. Unless I’m familiar with the artist’s characters, I usually go for the fanart. I find that a lot more people connect with fanart than your original characters.

2. What other types of artistic items are you interested in, if any? Sculpture, jewelry, costume accessories, etc.? Again, what style or subject interests you in these media? I actually don’t look at these things, but I’ve seen people buy pins, stickers, and bookmarkers.

3. What would constitute standard price for prints or other merchandise, and at what point would it be considered too high, or too low? I tend to charge my 8.5”x11” prints for $5-$7. I don’t think I would buy a print over $12 unless it was full-page color and detailed.

4. What about an artist's table really stands out to you? What draws you to a certain table more than others? I like it when the artist has a little sign telling what they charge for their artwork. It’s like a menu. I’m also attracted to a lot of color. Some people fan out their prints on the table or keep them in a binder for people to look through. Either way is nice.

Hope this helps!

Thanks very much for your comments, Janna! That does help greatly. I always thought that fanart seemed to be more popular at cons, but I hadn't thought of it that way before. It's also one of my biggest concerns regarding getting a table, because I don't do a lot of fanart, certainly not of the more popular series/games, most of which I haven't read/watched/played/etc.

Thanks again for replying and anyone else who has any thoughts on the subject, I'd love to hear them!