Author Topic: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC  (Read 138189 times)

Offline Zero

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Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« on: April 14, 2016, 02:13:07 PM »
Please use this thread to discuss tips, tricks, advice, and the like for getting autographs at Comic-Con.

Thank you!
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Offline eliter1

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2016, 07:27:55 PM »
It may sound silly and most people know this by now but get there early if you want a CW/Fox/CBS etc autograph. If you get there early enough you may even get a chance to pull a ticket for a chance at another signing. I have very good success with autographs every year. I want to have an autograph from all the DC TV shows and I am missing Arrow and Gotham. I have a Flash poster I got at Wonder-Con but Grant Gustin wasn't there so I'd like to get another one, although I realize this will be the hardest one to get.

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #2 on: Today at 03:34:49 AM »

Offline TheNeck

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2016, 10:09:49 PM »
yeah getting autographs is my thing, im addicted to getting autographs. i will be doing all nighters(that way i can get back in line to get a 2nd autograph) again this year with my daughter each night.

so far for 2014/2015 i got all the autographs i was in line for(KNOCK ON WOOD!).

yeah flash last year was crazy it sold out fast, my daughter got a winning ticket, i ended up pulling for a different show myself, which i was a winnner as well.

the only time i didnt do all nighter for autographs was in 2014, which was my 1st SDCC, we got in line at 5am on Thursday and my son pulled the last winning ticket for keifer sutherland for 24. the following nights we did all nighters.

all nighters don't gurantee a winner but your chances are a lot better, especially for the bigger shows.
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Offline Vapors

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #3 on: April 27, 2016, 10:24:40 PM »
Man, so many things to say on this topic.  I love, love, love going for autographs and sketches.  Mostly for cartoons and lesser comics so I unfortunately can't say much when it comes to the big TV/Movie stuff or the A-list comic artists.  But a lot of stuff can probably be applied.  I'll do sketches first.

1.  I learned this from this forum a couple of years ago (thanks guys), but having two or more sketch books are useful.  If you go for sketches, you can leave one with an artist if s/he is backlogged and still continue on to get more autographs/sketches.  Most will get back to you your sketchbook later in the day (say an hour or couple of hours).  In rare cases, you  may need to leave the book with them overnight.  Hence the need for multiple books.

2. Carry a few different types of pens.  Sharpies, ball points, even pencils.  Artists are usually pretty prepared, but you never know, things happen and its happened where an artist thought they brought extras but didn't.

3. The more popular an artist, the more important it is to get their early to get on their list.  Most artists, if they have a table will set aside a list for each day.  So if you are locked in on a particular artist, be sure to stop by their table first thing to get on the list.  Most are limited.  Could be 30 a day, could be only 5.  You never know unless you go there yourself.

4. Know what to budget for and what you REALLY want in your sketch  Do you want a head sketch?  Or a full body?  Or partial body?  Or multiple characters? Color? Black and White?  Backgrounds?  These things cost money and the more elaborate you want, the more money to lay down.  Also the bigger the sketch, the more money it costs(duh).  And some artists will only do black/white to save time or may do partial color.  Some sketches are given for free (usually quick ones or pencil only) to a few dollars (head shots) to hundreds (full body/color/backgrounds, etc).

5. Some artists do sketch reservations ahead of the convention.  Check twitter, deviantart, tumblr, etc. for information.  These can yield you the best quality since the artist has weeks to get ready for them rather than doing it in less than an hour.

6. Be specific on what you want the character to do.  Some artists are good if you just name a character and let them go do their thing, but some guidance can also make the sketch really feel like it's yours.  I like having a theme that's simple but still let's the artist use their imagination like "draw this character at comic con" or "draw this character laughing" or "draw this character as a disney character."  Don't be TOO SPECIFIC ("I want Spiderman jumping, but his right hand should be shooting webbing while the other is holding a sandwich.  Oh and make sure his left knee is lifted higher than his right knee.  And can you show a tear on the left side of his costume and....").

7. If an artist is doing sketches at a publisher booth, be sure to get there early and get ready to wait awhile.  DC and Marvel artists tend to be high in demand and die hards have no problem hanging around the booth well before singing time to be guaranteed a sketch.  Lines can to be capped even before the signing time officially starts.

8. If an artist is drawing but you only want to get a comic/print signed, they usually don't mind breaking and signing first before continuing on their sketch.  So if you see a line and everyone is getting a sketch but you only want him to sign your comic, don't be afraid to ask someone (usually their manager/handler or even the artist him/herself) if you can just move on up and get the signing.  There's no point in waiting for 45 minutes if all you want is a signature.

9. Cash is king, but things like Apple/Google Pay and Square make it easy now to charge things.  But cash is always a better bet.  Plus it helps with budgeting.

10.  Oh and make sure your sketch book has your contact information on it.  Name, Phone and Email are the best.  I add my address too, but the first three are probably more important.

11.  Be sure to have a small sheet of paper that can be placed behind your page.  When an artist sketches, sometimes the inks bleed into the page behind it.  To stop that, I usually have a sheet, usually slightly bigger or smaller than the page, behind the page the artist is working on.  This can stop the bleeds and keep the next page pristine for the next artist to use.

That's all I got for sketches.  I'll get to autographs later, but I'd like to know what other tips people have.

Offline raerae6

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2016, 01:18:40 AM »
   Have a question!  So, for the last two years a couple of friends and I have been like in the front of the line to get into the exhibit hall for the Marvel booth, like we were maybe 5th or 6th in line, but every time we try to get there the line is already full.  Could someone perhaps explain how that is happening?  Is it people who already work in the exhibit hall beating us or what? 

Offline ahbbb

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #5 on: April 29, 2016, 04:21:24 AM »
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   Have a question!  So, for the last two years a couple of friends and I have been like in the front of the line to get into the exhibit hall for the Marvel booth, like we were maybe 5th or 6th in line, but every time we try to get there the line is already full.  Could someone perhaps explain how that is happening?  Is it people who already work in the exhibit hall beating us or what?

Lots of rumors about that.
I personally think it is vendors.

Keep in mind there is more than one entrance to the floor.
Security is not in sync when they start admitting people to the expo floor.
So it is possible another line was let in first.
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Offline perc2100

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #6 on: April 29, 2016, 10:44:42 AM »
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Lots of rumors about that.
I personally think it is vendors.

Keep in mind there is more than one entrance to the floor.
Security is not in sync when they start admitting people to the expo floor.
So it is possible another line was let in first.
it's not uncommon for security to let people in to the lobby doors earlyish so tons of people get in before the upstairs alpha line snakes down and into the hall.  Also that line enters at the far end of the exhibit hall, so if security in the lobby lets people in right at 10am those people have a shorter walk going to Marvel booth.  I think security isn't supposed to let people in the lobby right at 10, and are suppose to funnel attendees upstairs right off the bat; but not all do that.

Also, yeah, vendors... :-X

Offline LB42

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #7 on: April 30, 2016, 05:58:33 PM »
Here's a nice tip.  Last year some stars at Lionsgate opted to continue signing autographs  after all of the attendee's with wristbands had gone through. Elijah Wood and Natalie Dormer both did this until their allotted signing time had expired.  If you are going to try this - make it for a star that actually matters to you, watch for the true end of the line,  and ask the guard nicely and quietly.

Offline Angie

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #8 on: May 04, 2016, 05:37:02 PM »
I've mostly done Fox autographs and a few on the exhibit floor.

For Fox:

Get in the everything line as early as you can. My usual time is between 3-4am at the latest. Once they let you into the building you will need to walk fast to get up to the Sails and into the line. There is usually a volunteer with a sign yelling out what door to go through for what line. Go out and get in the correct line. Fox has been on the farther side of the Sails (to the left) the past few years. Once there, you have to wait a few hours until they start drawing. In 2014, you told the person what show you wanted then drew a piece of paper from a box. If you got a winner, you were in. If not, you could draw for another show. (I believe. I've usually gotten a winner on the first try because they have a LOT of winning papers). In 2015, we drew a checker out of a bag. Black was a winner, Red was a loser. I was pretty far up in line so I don't know how well people did.

Exhibit Floor:

First I use twitter to follow people/shows I'm looking to meet/get an autograph from and note if they say anything about a signing. Its easy to forget once you get closer so I always write this stuff down. Or, I make sure to go to said booth first thing on Thursday morning and just ask if there will be signings and how to take part. I did this for Shout Factory and Ash vs Evil dead. Every booth has a different policy and it never hurts to ask. Sometimes you will see autograph signings only posted at booths and not shared on social media.

Nickelodeon & Cartoon Network:
These require getting into the everything line early as well. And realize that once you move into the building (around 6:45ish usually) your place in line will be gone because everyone then has to walk around the entire 2nd floor around to get into a big mob of people and wait to go downstairs once the hall opens. Once you get into the hall, you will need to walk pretty fast to either booth. They give away tickets first come, first served in the morning. Sometimes you get lucky and CN will have tickets to give away later (and by later, I mean 9:30am). Those are usually for the new shows. I got the last We Bare Bears ticket last year just by walking up and asking after I had checked in on some other stuff. I would definitely check out the SDCC guide to see specifics, but this is how it's been done the past 2 years for me.

Offline sylent_asassin

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #9 on: May 06, 2016, 03:05:09 PM »
Here's a tip: CHEAT. It may sound tawdry, but sometimes, you do what you have to do. For most of the autograph ticket pull sessions, they're grab-bag lottery style, so do your diligence before getting to the front of the line; see what ticket you need to win. If the person with the sack is nonchalant about holding the bag, try to peek into it to see where the winning tickets are. If the winning tickets have a different shape or corner, feel around the bag for a couple of seconds until you feel a winning ticket.

I really don't like SDCC's way of obtaining autographs because it's strictly by luck. Instead of waiting in an endless line only to be shut out, I'd rather just pay for it and be done with it, so I can try to enjoy the rest of the show. They do this at Emerald City, all Wizard World events and DragonCon. I got Danielle Panabaker's autograph at ECCC and Teddy Sears at a local toy show, so I just need Grant Valdez and Patton for my Flash 'graphs.

Chances are, if I wait in a long line only to get nothing, I'm going to be upset in addition to having several hours wasted.

Offline ahbbb

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #10 on: May 06, 2016, 06:03:34 PM »
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Chances are, if I wait in a long line only to get nothing, I'm going to be upset in addition to having several hours wasted.

But the reality of failure is what makes the success so rewarding.
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Offline sylent_asassin

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #11 on: May 06, 2016, 06:14:09 PM »
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But the reality of failure is what makes the success so rewarding.

Fair enough, but for me, the reward isn't great enough to balance the risk. There are too many things and events happening simultaneously to risk waiting in line to get nothing. In addition, if you pull a winning ticket, they herd you through the line like cattle on a farm, and there's no selfies or time for personal interaction with the guests.

Offline TheNeck

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #12 on: May 07, 2016, 10:57:57 PM »
my daughter was asking me today about getting an autograph for GoT this year. so i was wondering how does HBO/GoT do their autographs?

i dont remember seeing them with all the other drawings for autographs so im not sure.

thanks
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Offline frgx

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #13 on: May 07, 2016, 11:23:36 PM »
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my daughter was asking me today about getting an autograph for GoT this year. so i was wondering how does HBO/GoT do their autographs?

i dont remember seeing them with all the other drawings for autographs so im not sure.

thanks
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Offline GearMaster

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Re: Autograph Tips and Tricks for SDCC
« Reply #14 on: May 28, 2016, 02:40:00 AM »
Sometimes I see people lining up for comic signing like Jim Lee at the DC both with a stack the size of 3 phone books. This leads me to open a question about signing etiquette. Would it be frowned upon to bring a giant stack of comics to get signed by my favorite writer/artist? Or should I go easy on them and those behind with 3-5 comics instead?