Comments | ghostfire: The Ohayocon 2009 Saga...

ghostfire

The Ohayocon 2009 Saga...

Feb 25, 2009 00:23

...or, how to abuse your position in a non-profit organization for maximum personal gain.The first convention I ever went to was Katsucon 2003. In six years of attending conventions, almost always in the artist alley, never once have I been told I was breaking the rules. No stickers at your convention? They get left at home. No adult work at your ( Read more... )

anime, ranting, conventions, art

Comments 66

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ghostfire February 26 2009, 02:52:54 UTC

Hopefully a few other artists see it and know to avoid it. If they keep it up, their alley will be barren except for their own stuff, a few kitty ears, and a handful of webcomics. I say this like it's a bad thing, but it seems to be what they want.

autumnwraith February 25 2009, 11:35:46 UTC

Srsly? WTF?! Are these people fucking morons?!

They may have been head of the Artist's Alley...but wasn't there someone higher on the convention food chain you could have talked to? Did they even have rules posted on what you could and could not do? Something that you could point at in black and white and tell them that their Artist's Alley heads....well, have their heads firmly embedded in their asses?

But by that time, I'm sure it probably didn't matter anymore and just too infuriating. If it were myself, I'd probably have to leave the con completely too otherwise someone's getting choked for being a dumb bitch.

Wow. That is just completely horrible. I'll definitely remember never to go to any convention in Ohio.

*hug*

ghostfire February 26 2009, 03:00:25 UTC

All the rules were clearly outlined, both when I was signing up for the table and submitting my portfolio, and when I was there. Both of the artist alley heads were just ignoring their own rules so they could find a way to kick me out. Looking back, the only thing I guess I could have done was demand that the con chair be called, but that isn't the sort of thing that occurs to you when you're part of a scene with hundreds of people as witnesses. Part of what was really sad was that there were people still waiting to buy stuff from me as I was being tossed, and others who had promised to return in a few minutes, hours, or the next day.

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ghostfire February 26 2009, 02:57:18 UTC

*nods* Hopefully this will serve as a warning to more artists as to what to expect from Ohayocon. I've been to other conventions where no one made any money, but this kind of behavior is above and beyond despicable.

arafel February 25 2009, 14:00:58 UTC

The only thing I can say is WTFH. I didn't see anything offensive in the banned art - risque', perhaps, but so are underwear commercials. Let me ask, though: was there a Christian youth convention running at the same time as Ohayocon? That happened one year, and there were some... run-ins.

ghostfire February 26 2009, 03:03:45 UTC

I was saying to Mark as we were leaving that we should have spread a covering of Victoria's Secret catalogues and Abercrombie & Fitch advertisements over the table.

I don't know if there was a Christian convention at the same time, but it wouldn't surprise me. It's happened twice at Nekocon while I've been there, at the very least.

sigil February 25 2009, 17:28:11 UTC

It sounds to me like they were out to get you. If it hadn't been one thing it would have been another. Not having beenthere but having been at hundreds of cons over the years - anime fanart is a huge percentage of the art market at any con. Your work is nowhere near as risque as some of the stuff I've seen available.

Unless somehow your table was far more extreme than everyone else's there, it sounds to me like a grudge or vendetta. The sad fact is, however, the amount of time it may take to address it in any way with the people higher than them in the con food chain is probably not worth the effort. Just avoid any con where they're involved in running the Artist Alley and let everyone else in the field you you know well know what asshats they are is my ten cents.

ghostfire February 26 2009, 03:10:21 UTC

I definitely wasn't the most risque in the con by a long shot. One of the artists there (that I see at a lot of conventions) seems to specialize in random, anime-style girly pinups with tremendous breasts and jutting nipples. There was a webcomic group there whose women (I kid you not) *all* had unbelievable cameltoe. One of the tables (which had some of the best art there) was very Amano-stylized, but had a print on display of a girl with nothing but wisps of hair covering her breasts. The fact that I was right there, in their line of sight and doing good business, was all the reason they needed to get me kicked.