The Expense of Comic Conventions

This blog post from Denise Dorman has caused quite a stir:

http://comicbookwife.com/2014/09/20/the-hidden-truth-about-comic-book-convention-earnings-for-creators-have-comic-book-conventions-jumped-the-shark/

Some reposts of the blog have taken it out of context with the more sensational headline:

Denise Dorman Asks – Is Cosplay Killing Comic Con?

When the true title of the blog is

The Hidden TRUTH About Comic Book Convention Earnings: For Creators, Have Comic Book Conventions JUMPED THE SHARK?

I am not sure why it was worded this way when reblogged except to start a false argument with cosplayers.

The real issue is the price of having a table and going to many cons in recent years has gotten crazy expensive!

I am curious what people who regularly show art at these show think. Denise says that it costs them $7000 to have a booth at SDCC. That is a CRAZY amount of money and I am not even sure it includes the cost of printing materials to sell and the booth banners, display materials etc.

I have talked to a lot of artists with a wide range of booth/comic/art types and it seems like the real issue is that before any of the other costs associated with a con, you have to pay a ton of cash for a table or a booth.

A convention like Mid-Ohio con for example used to charge $50 for an artist table. That has ballooned to at least $300 (maybe higher now; someone correct me) without any of the other costs.

After the artist has paid for the booth, the attendees that buy art have already spent a large amount on tickets, parking, hotel and food that has also skyrocketed in recent years. That means a huge reduction in sales.

One con I used to go to regularly was GenCon. I always had good sales there even though the art room was not on the main floor at the time. I thought the newer setup with the artists on the floor in booths would mean much better sales but when I asked my brother and his wife who attended the whole con several weeks ago if they scoped the art tables, they said they never even went to the art section of the dealers room!

I chastised them appropriately but I want to hear about what artists in town who still go to a lot of conventions think about the current situation.

I think a lot of people are going to the smaller alternative comic conventions (SPACE in Columbus is reasonable (for fans and artists) and easily my favorite convention).

It seems like many artists are turning to the alternative press shows. At TCAF in May, it CRAZY crowded. But, there is no entrance fee and I bought a lot of great comics.

Thoughts?

Interesting Blog Link: Art is Hard

Matthew D. Innis has a really interesting discussion about the amount of work one puts into creating good images on his Underpaintings Blog.

http://underpaintings.blogspot.com/2012/08/art-is-hard.html

It will resonate with anyone who has ever agonized over getting an image right and the days/weeks of struggling that can go into it.

It is easy to look at the finished piece and say "that looks easy to do" when it really, really, really is not at all.

(I suppose you could say that about a concert pianist or ballet dancer as well... It looks so effortless when thousands of hours have been put in to make it appear that way).

Discussion: Why Beauty Matters BBC Documentary

My friend Pat Ann sent me a link to this video:



It is an interesting thesis. I am curious what others think. Obviously, the fine art critics have always disliked illustration and do not consider it to even be art. I suppose this could be tied into the value of art discussion Scott started a couple days ago. I have to admit, I share the documentary's boredom of much modern art. I really like good drawing and illustration which is not always (or even often) a component in shows. (I am excluding sculpture although it is similar).

It is interesting that there is an increasing interest in "outsider art" which has a lot of illustration.

It was a good sign I think that the Cincinnati Art Museum did a show of C.F. Payne's work. Maybe opinions are changing?

Discussion: Favorite or Most Influential Artist (On You as an Illustrator)

I am curious who are some the biggest inspirations to people who read this blog.

While it is hard to narrow it down to one, I will start off and say Francisco Goya is one of my favorite artists of all time.

Why? I love that he was basically a working illustrator who secretly did a ton of subversive, personal art about the hypocracy he saw around him (but kept it secret so not to upset the King and nobels who paid for his work). He had a varied and interesting range. From doing painted sketches and designs for tapestries to the "Disasters of War" series-what a facinating career!

Who are your favorites and biggest influences?

Can of Worms-The Art of Illustration

A friend recently asked me about the feelings that illustrators have about contemporary art.

I have great respect for it and have been to CA museums all over (NYC, San Francisco, Cincinnati, London, Paris, Vienna, etc.).

That being said, my impression has always been that there has always been a general lack of respect for what illustrators, cartoonists and comic book artists do by the contemporary art establishment and I am curious about how others feel about it.

As someone who used to do a lot of science fiction and fantasy art, there was a time where many flat out did not even consider it to be art. I have heard many anecdotes from people who were in fine arts programs because many schools do not offer illustration options. They were frequently told that what they wanted to do was not art (perhaps explaining the popularity of Daniel Clowes Art School Confidential).

This is the main reason, from what I understand, that the Spectrum Fantastic Art annual was created 15 or so years ago. All this amazing work was created for book covers, cards, comics, concept art for both movies and video games, and sculpture that was virtually ignored by traditional main stream and high end art establishments. I think they got 12000+ entries last year.

Perhaps that may be changing with the popularity of Juxtopoz, Illustration Magazine and other similar publications. There seem to be a lot more galleries that show and sell illustration than there used to be. The CAC for example had a huge exhibit on Charley Harper who I consider to be an excellent illustrator.

Perhaps there has been enough time that there will eventually be rooms in the Met or MoMa devoted to the great illustrators of the 40s through the 60s? (Not just temporary exhibits)

Thoughts?

As a postscript, there is a show on Ovation called "Is It Art?" According to the critics interviewed, the answer is mostly NO...

Communication Arts Illustration Annual

I know a some on the blog list have been in the CA illustration annual before (John Maggard-yes I mean you).

I have never entered. Is it worth it? They seem to get tons of entries so the competition seems pretty stiff.

The deadline is March 6th.