Play Your Audience

 If you want to sell your art or your comics you need to figure out how to "Play Your Audience". What this basicly means is, get them excited about your art or comic or you for that matter, that's when they'll start buying. This is especially true at shows like Wonder Con, Comic Con, etc.

Some artist are so good at "Playing an Audience" or playing their "Personal Character" they've become just as famous (or more so) for "who they are" or "what they do" as they are for the art or products they make.

Good examples of "Personal Character" selling products.

Paris Hilton - Famous for being famous, brands tons of products and people buy them.

OCC (the American Chopper guys) - Father and Son fight like mad on TV build a bike or two and get rich selling them.

Andy Warhol - I shouldn't have to explain this.

While I don't personally care for the stuff in these videos below as "art" (although interesting) I have to say these guys really know how to "play" an audience for all it's worth.

David Garibaldi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-Uy5T4x-p4

David does Disney http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1XoRg9qCI8

David mentions Denny Dent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv8ovqebOGY

as one of his inspirations, while Denny's portraits might not have as strong a likeness as some of David's, Dent's use of color is far better in my opinion.

Then there's Rock Demarco who teaches us how NOT to promote yourself, this is so bad it's comical http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLDeZJ4JiLE&feature=related

Ok, one more, she paints, she dances, she does Kung-Fu? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbVL_AbPg-U

You just gotta love it.

-gWebber