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This post is about three of the best pieces of advice I have been given since starting the course some of these will not be a piece of advice per say more of a turn in the right direction.

1. The zine making workshop

In the zine workshop I learned that working on pages which already had some preexisting texture or image on really help one overcome blank page anxiety or new sketchbook anxiety. I am someone who can get very hung up on their work and want every page to be perfect while in the zine the perfection is that it isn't perfect it has misspells, it has sketches done on lined paper, receipts, napkins, photocopies from things that inspired you through out. for me I think it is the perfect way to document and brainstorm (and kick a sketchbook buying addiction). There is something wonderful about making it yourself, selecting the papers and the binding. It's like having a little nugget of personality. Personally next year I want to do away with having sketchbooks and just bind my own zine style sketchbooks I think it really helped me with my process when it came to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

2. Be a flaneur

There are so many things you miss when you have your mind set on a destination, enjoy just taking everything in and being purposefully lost. I made another post called Ode to Manchester which really explains in depth what happened when I was being a flaneur in Manchester during my Tales of The City project. I class Manchester as my hometown over Salford and I was surprised by how much of Manchester I have never seen before despite spending a lot of time there over the years. What really grabbed me was how much of Manchester juxtaposes, I saw posh bars next to dingy alleyways and crumbling walls of old factories. Austerity and prosperity dwelling right next door to one another, I felt like if the bars could speak they would be gloating.

3. Don't be afraid to take on more than you can chew (sometimes)

I have a habit of doing very ambitious projects, I feel like a cat with nine lives just managing to pull through every time. The good thing about having ambitious projects is it keeps you engaged because you have to stay engaged or the project will crumble, it forces you to make use of all the time you have. It's stressful but seeing the final outcomes is a great feeling.

Some handy animation tutorials

I have been getting some ideas on how to put my animation together by watching these tutorials by Ross Plaskow (warning mild bad language)

The first video is about making a walk cycle and the best thing about this guy is he goes above and beyond in showing you how to kick it up an notch. He also likes to show you how to make a 2D animation look more 3D.

The second video is about head turns and how he does them and shows an example of how 2D animation can be made to emulate 3D.

The third video was his first tutorial, this covers lipsyncing and the basics of how he draws the elements he wants to animate.

Anti Bullying Zine

For my second project of level 5 I chose to do a project on cyber bullying, I have very strong links with this subject matter and have always wanted to do something to raise awareness.

I decided to do an 8 page folded zine, these are easy and cheap to make and distribute if needed.

I have so far done 2 pages of the zine.

The front page, I wanted to use different typefaces to create a cut up dada style. I also wanted to make it quite high contrast so it would stand out and people would be drawn to it but I also wanted to stick with gray scale for the cover just to keep with the typical zine look.

With the first page I wanted to get straight into how to deal with being cyber bullied. I narrowed it down to three simple steps Ignore, Record and Report for bullying offline I would give different advice. I found I was bullied less when I stood up for myself instead of staying quiet. But online standing up for yourself only adds fuel to the fire.

When I'm done I would like to make my zine free and available for people to print out and distribute as long as they keep the end page (which will tell people it was written by me and where contact me).

I want the zine to include why people bully and positive traits which are common among people who are bullied. But I also want people to reach out to the bullies, because bullies bully for a reason and more time needs to be spent on listening so less will be spent on bullying.

This is one of the video's I watched when I was first thinking of making a zine.

I would like to do more zines like this focusing on bullying and mental health.

Tips for holding a stall

Tips for holding a stall and selling your own artwork

1.Presentation is key

Have key pieces even if you are selling them for a high price display them it'll draw in customers, potential clients and contacts.

Having different levels plays a big role in  making your stall visually interesting, potential customers will take more time to look than if you have everything on one level. To achieve different levels use box's of varying sizes and put them under your table cloth, if your selling canvases invest in some cheap easels I got mine from here the works. 

An easy way to add interest is to have a table cloth that stands out in the pictures below all I'm using is some curtains but they stand out from the rest of the stalls that have a plain Jane black table cloth.

Also make sure you properly label your products, people don't like to ask about prices so try not to make them ask.

Before using levels.

After using levels.

2. You don't have to spend much 

(spend more on stock, less on presentation)

As I said in tip number one as a table cloth I use curtains so you don't have to go spending a tonne of money to make your table look better. You are having a stall to sell your products not the table your products are sitting on, even though good presentation is good practice don't go mad spending all your money on it until you are better established.

The scheme I take part in means I get a free table BUT this is normally not the case so pick and chose your events wisely, work like mine wouldn't do well selling at a church but would sell in Manchester or Camden. Think about your audience and where they are more likely to be, then invest in the table fee's for events in those areas. The free stall I do normally doesn't really suit my audience but it's still great for handing out business cards and promoting my business. 

Instead of replacing your price tags every time get some pieces of MDF or stones which will be easy to write/draw on and paint them in blackboard paint. I used Posca pens on mine since they are liquid chalk pens they don't rub off easy but with a bit of elbow grease it should come off, if worse comes to worse you can always give them another lick of blackboard paint. These also add interest to your table.

3. Know the competition 

Have someone with you to mind the stall while you go undercover and have a snoop at the competition. Try and avoid setting up near bigger stalls than your own THEY WILL pull attention away from you if you have a smaller stall. On my first stall I unknowingly set up my stall right opposite a massive stall and they drew people away from my stall all day. 

Size up the competition are your products stronger than theirs? No, then don't set up next to or opposite them if you can help it. 

Be friendly exchange business cards and talk to them the people at my first market were very nice and gave me loads of tips. Make friends, if the day is long and you haven't made many sales it's good to have a friend in the know to cheer you up.

4. Have plenty of business cards on hand

Better to have to many than to run out before the event is over. Be sure to offer your business cards to people some people maybe reluctant to pick them up or forget to pick one up, if they say no don't be offended business cards tend to get thrown away anyway. It's also handy to have a friend who is willing to go and give some out to get people who wouldn't otherwise check out your stall to come over and check it out.

Make your business cards eye catching, don't skimp on your business card design think of it as a miniature showcase of what you can do.

5. More lower priced items

On markets in particular lower priced items are your best sellers on the day. Have a good range of lower to mid priced items and a few higher priced items. I have a few higher priced canvases I display to draw potential customers in. People don't tend to come to markets especially to spend on stuff they wouldn't normally buy, they tend to go to them with whatever money they have on them at the time.

6. Price your items right 

Remember to cover the cost of materials you use to make that product and then think about how much effort you put into making the product. Try not to price too high or too low, I originally priced my tote bags at £10 and ended up reducing them down to £7.50 which I think is a much better price and it still covers my costs and yields a nice little profit.

7. Have fun

It's always nice to have your work complemented even if you don't sell anything. Don't get upset if you don't sell anything.

8. Have a Facebook page

Having a Facebook page for my business was the best thing I ever did, I have made more sales after the markets then on the markets, by posting everything I have for sale and the prices. Also to go with this get yourself a Paypal it makes everything so much easier.

My Facebook page 

https://www.facebook.com/Raelxarts

I hope these tips helped you out please comment if you have any other questions.