Sketchy Business for a Con Artist

That's short for Convention Artist. They're actually really trustworthy!

Mel Goodwill (she/they) is the owner and creator behind the brand "Mintimeli," which they describe as "Cute & Chaotic Creations for All! [Embrace] the things you love in the chaos that is life. Treat Yourself to the simple joys in life with our playfully curated goods."

Goodwill was also our very first virtual demonstrator!

Why virtual instead of in person?

Virtual allows us to get more demonstrators from various places around the country to talk about their work, which is amazing, because it opens up our horizons for new and exciting art forms--like what Goodwill does with the convention scene!

And the virtual was a great hit with visuals, talking, and even asking questions (though I am looking into getting a microphone to pass around for future virtual demonstrations).

Anyway, if you unfortunately had to miss out on this demonstrator, never fear: your blog recap is here!



Goodwill first talked about theirself, background, and how they got to the convention scene with their art. They also mentioned how they help run conventions (cons) in addition to selling their work!

"Mintimeli is a lifestyle brand for your colorfully chaotic life!" Mel told us. "I did sell my art beforehand, but Mintimeli was officially founded in 2022. I also wanted to point out that this is my full-time job. Last year I grossed over $100k in sales all while traveling across the US. And I say that not as a brag, but because I wanted to show that you can make a living selling your art. It's 100% possible."

"There are also pro and cons to being a con artist. People think that it would be easy," Goodwill went on to say. "It's like that meme about drawing owls. First you draw some circles, and then you draw the rest of the owl. There aren't really step by step instructions. Like all good things, you learn as you go! Selling at conventions isn't guarenteed either. You're not guarenteed to make a sale when you go. But the upside is that you get to meet people and get loyal patrons to your artwork."

Goodwill also talked about digital art, which I personally was looking forward to hearing about, because a lot of the art I buy is digital. And I think it's an important artform as well and in addition to traditional tactile art practices.

"I use a Cintiq to draw, but iPads and other tablets work too. You also need software to act like your sketch book," Goodwill said. "Procreate and Photoshop are some of the more well-known ones, but there are free ones to try out as well, like Krita!"

They went on to talk about how the software works, explaining it being like drawing on paper. But instead, it's a tablet. And there are different ways to do this: looking up at the monitor while drawing on the pad (requiring hand-eye coordination) or one where you draw directly on the tablet like it is the paper--but you get to use the "undo" button to erase mistakes instead of physically erasing them or painting over them.

Digital drawing also makes it easier to place into printing websites, but it is absolutely possible to take traditional painted art and upload them into printing websites!



"Now you've got your art. What next?"

Goodwill went over two different ways to get your art into products: Googling manufactures near you OR going to Alibaba to find them.

We also asked about sites like Redbubble (which. Is a whole other post I have to circle back to)--which is nice! But for cons and selling different products of your art, it isn't always the most effective way of doing it.

(Super secret tip only people who read my blog get to know: this month--May--we'll be having a local printing shop artist come in to talk about getting your art printed, so this part will be covered throughly on the 26th of May!)

Once you've made your art and gotten it manufactored into prints, or stickers, or notebooks, or socks, or whatever your heart desires it be placed on (note: doing this is an investment and will cost you money! But they do not go bad, so you don't have to worry about them expiring. You just have to worry about where to store them) now what?

Well, now you're ready to start selling!

But first!

Follow the above steps:

1. Create a portfolio. "I really recommend Carrd. It's easy and free and really helps when you set up to go to jurored shows," Goodwill said.
2. "Find your audience. For example, if your art features a lot of gothic looks, a horror show or oddities expo would be good for you!"
3. Apply! Everywhere. But it's okay if you don't get accepted everywhere. "No artist escapes rejection. But don't let that deter you! You can always ask for feedback to find out how you can do better in the future."

Now let's say you got in! Yay!

What do you do about setting up your table?

"One thing I really learned about setting up my table," Goodwill said. "Was learning retail psychology. Things like that really do help with attracting customers and sales. Also, don't be afraid to change things up as you grow and learn! It doesn't have to be perfect when you first start selling. You learn how to set things up every time you put your display out. Start cheap and work your way up to investments. My first table was bare and I hadn't learned about height yet. But I've been doing this for 4 years now. I also still use every day objects to help my spread. Like, I use shoe risers to add height. It doesn't have to be expensive to work for you!"

After all of this--50+ minutes of information about art, digital art, and cons, Mel still had pep in their step and a willingness to help out anyone who had further questions.

"My advice to leave you:

• Don’t create for other people - create for yourself, and your audience will follow
• Learn business basics - if you want to sell your work, you need to understand the business
• Fail forward - “everything you want is on the other side of failure”
• You don’t have to figure it all out NOW - your business and art will grow with you
• Don’t let others say you cannot succeed - YES YOU CAN!!"

They also let everyone know they were available to talk to about digital art or the convention experience (which I have also linked throughout this blog post):

A great big HUGE

THANK YOU

to Mel Goodwill for taking time our of their day to present to the Monroe Art League! We really appreciate what you've presented to us and how you're willing to help out anyone with questions about any of the process! You put on a great demonstration (so many compliments were given after we logged off the session!) and gave us invalueable information! (And an even bigger shout-out thank you for being our first virtual presentor! With all its hiccups and getting things ready lol)

I can't wait to support you again at the next con we're both at! And best of luck to you as you continue on creating, selling, and promoting your work!

Finally, to end this post, a final list of resources you can use that Mel provided to us during their demonstration.

I hope this was as informative as you hope'd it be! I know it was for me!

Until Next Time,

--Sami