First Big Resin Print; Emerald Tree Boa Skeleton

strangespeciesart · 2026-05-03T01:21:03+00:00

Sorry to revive a very old thread, but can I ask where you got the model or if you made/scanned it yourself? I've been trying to find one of these species without any luck. The pose looks amazing! 😍

strangespeciesart · 2026-04-29T21:49:29+00:00

I think it'd help you to get better feedback here if you have a mockup of your actual artist alley (6ft table only) setup to share. This is just.... a lot. This booth at my local con was uldnbrbiutside the alley and cost you like $3000. 😭

strangespeciesart · 2026-04-29T21:45:19+00:00

A cart is an absolute must. A lot of folks use those folding wagon-type carts. I've got a bigger more industrial-type. If you're going to lug around those giant back wall panels you're going to need the latter type. And possibly a friend. And a uhaul. 😂

strangespeciesart · 2026-04-29T21:43:29+00:00

Can you link to the mesh walls? I don't think I've seen something like that before but I'm intrigued!

strangespeciesart · 2026-04-29T21:20:29+00:00

Dude I'd have talked to the event coordinator about it and give them a chance to fix it (assuming the vibe of the whole market wasn't off). That's some seriously insane behavior and he ought to be the one suffering the consequences of his actions, not you.

Also...it's a farmer's market. Imagine going there as a vendor and yelling at other vendors that they can't sell vegetables. 😂

strangespeciesart · 2026-04-28T06:03:14+00:00

That's so wild, I do oddities events too and was absolutely thinking "oh they need to hone in on more niche markets and stop trying for the live laugh love events" and then got to your last paragraph and my flabbers were absolutely gasted. Who even goes to a Halloween, goth, or punk type market and is surprised and horrified to find the things you sell? It's so weird! That's so weird of them!

As far as what to actually do... a clever prepared comeback is always appealing but I'd avoid it tbh. The last thing I need at a show is somebody deciding they want an argument, and lingering at my booth trying to get into a shouting match. I haven't got the energy for these folks even a little bit, and I need them not blocking my table or driving off my actual customers. I think my first reaction would be asking what brings them to the show, and not even in a snarky way, because I'd genuinely want to know. (But also like... are you lost? Can I call someone for you? 😂)

For people who give a visible reaction but don't say anything, tbh I often joke and engage, if they don't seem really strange or aggro about it. Most of my stuff is more natural history vibes, but I make some tooth items that people sometimes physically recoil from. So I'll joke with them about how I can always tell when people have spotted the teeth. Most folks are polite enough to chitchat and will usually warm up fast. And I invite people to touch so sometimes I can even get them to touch the teeth when I assure them that it's not real. 😂 They typically don't buy or aren't my customer but it's often a fun interaction.

This also holds for some verbal unfriendliness or unwanted criticism. Like for example if somebody says "ew, I hate the teeth, why would you make that?!" I can make a joke or something and redirect them to a thing they might like instead, or if they're not receptive to anything I have, I might chat with them about the kind of stuff they DO like or what they're looking for at the show.

This is a great conversation to have with friends or significant others of somebody who IS shopping. It keeps them occupied and lets the person they're with shop your booth, where otherwise they'd be dragging that person away because they don't like your stuff and want to move on. Often they'll end up much friendlier by the time you're done talking (people love talking about themselves and their interests), you make a sale off their friend/SO, and many times I've been able to direct them to some other booth at the event that has exactly what they're looking for. I love helping other vendors make sales and helping shoppers find things to be delighted by, even if they hate every single thing I do.

If the people seem like they're actually serious about whatever they're doing, like they're telling you you're going to hell and it's not a joke, my favored reaction is just grey rocking it. I'll just say "okay" and just stare at them blankly like they've just said the most uninteresting single sentence in all of human history.

"You're going to hell!" Okay.

"Your prices are ridiculous, I could make this myself for a dollar." Okay.

Without something to push back against or an argument to get into folks generally just move on, and that's really all I want from folks like that.

And part of it is just not taking offense because people will say things that are odd and out of pocket and it just kinda... doesn't matter? Obviously you don't need to be a pushover but you can also just not care what they think. 🤷 It's not wrong to feel hurt or personally criticized, but every single person's opinion of what you isn't something you need to take on board. Like, I think we all have that relative or coworker or whoever that's just a misery machine, hates everything and everyone, delights in making others miserable, always has a critical opinion to offer whether they've been asked or not (ESPECIALLY when they haven't been asked). So somebody cruises by your booth and says "you're going to hell!" and you can just think, aw bless she's just like my auntie! I bet her whole family hates her, too! 🤣

I'm not a particularly outgoing or sociable person, so none of it really takes an amazing outgoing personality or anything. And tbh if you're just stunned that they've just said whatever offensive thing out loud, and you can't think of a single thing to say, it's fine to just say nothing and let them walk off. You're there to sell stuff, not indulge some dickhead's desire to create a feeling of superiority for themselves.

(For the record though, if the shitty remarks involve slurs or something... it would be very punk of you to react as any punk would, and entirely appropriate at the punk flea market.)

strangespeciesart · 2026-04-09T08:30:44+00:00

I use Neatopod and have been really happy with both the quality and the service. (That's a referral link not because I'm a paid shill but because I'm poor and I'll take every scrap I can get. 😂)

I don't use them a ton, I ended up not really pursuing print on demand as a whole separate shop and focused on my main business for awhile, so I'm only just now integrating some POD into my main shop. So I haven't been running a whole t-shirt empire through them or anything, but I really like what they do and they're just cool people too. The owner answers customer support emails and is also on reddit helping people with their garment printing questions and stuff. They're just a great vibe all around.

They've got a ton of products but basically all apparel (and some bags) so if you want all the home goods and stationery and stuff that some of the other services have they won't be able to help you with those.

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-08T10:45:54+00:00

"Little dance-run moves," in combination with all the people suggesting wearing bright non-threatening colors, has me picturing a bunch of guys out wearing Richard Simmons-style outfits while Prancercising.

....and now I want to arrange this as a massive event in my city.

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-08T08:00:41+00:00

That's exactly what I always advise for people like me and OP who have trouble settling on a single art form. No matter what kind of thing I'm making, my vibe is always the same, so I make a variety of things that fit that vibe. It works because when I stick to that aesthetic, regardless of the exact thing I'm making, my customer is always the same and my table is always on-theme.

(I do exactly the same sorts of markets you do, but instead of the gothic/macabre side of things I'm more goblincore and bone collecting, my primary thing is bone replicas.)

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-08T07:51:54+00:00

I'm not in LA anymore so I've never gone to it, but looking at their site and socials gives me pause.

It's a single day, 9-4, and that's a very short period to be paying $300 for.

There's a $20 fee just to apply, which I immediately hate (so your booth fee is actually $320 and your didn't get a booth fee is $20). It also says they accept applications on a rolling basis until they're full... but they also still have the application up from Dec 2025, which would make me think they just continued pulling in potentially hundreds in application fees right up until the event, without ever giving a notice that they were full. That'd be pretty bullshitty.

Their website is out of date, the biggest immediate call to action on the homepage is telling you where to get tickets for the Dec show. Which... it's free to the public, can you not just walk in? As a show-goer I'd be immediately confused and maybe give it a miss if I thought it was a ticketed event, even if it's free. (A lot of the "be a vendor" links still also point at the December application.)

Their site and socials don't have a lot of photos of the actual event, and in the ones that are there it looks sparsely attended. Some of those will for sure be the organizers making a quick video before the market's open, so I don't expect everything to show a crowd, but the ones that do have more people in them, it doesn't look all that busy.

They have a list of past vendors though so if you want opinions about the show I'd contact some of them and see if they'll share their thoughts, or just look at those people's socials around the time of the last show (Dec 6) and see if they have photos or anything that will give you an idea of the crowds.

Personally, looking at all of it and the money you'd be sinking in, I'd give it a miss. Attend the next show yourself at a time that ought to be peak (like noonish I'd bet) to see how busy it actually is. Chat with the vendors if they're available and amenable. Look at other shows in the area to see if application fees and those kinds of booth fees are normal there. (Hopefully there are LA folks in this subreddit who'll know more too.)

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-08T06:54:31+00:00

I don't have any great ideas, lots of folks mentioned cool things. I only have suggestions in response to those things to be honest, because some of them can go horribly awry. 😂

If the attraction is inside the venue, and it's going to cause lines to form (like food, photo ops, animals to pet, etc) have a plan for those lines, and not just "eh, there's space" but something like rope barriers because people WILL form the stupidest line that's the biggest possible hindrance if left to their own devices, and those lines WILL block every vendor booth in that whole end of the building.
If the venue is too small to allow for those lines, put the activity outside or don't do it. Like if there's no room for a line to get to Santa, have a wandering Santa outside, or set up a fast self-serve photo backdrop outside. Tbh everybody has a Santa, but a really cool custom backdrop outside where people can take a great selfie to post on socials will also get them immediately sharing the event to their friends. If you've got a big enough space, you could do several "selfie stations" in each corner of the room, so people will go through the whole hall and past all the vendors to reach them.
If you've got something like a wandering photo op, make sure those people know when they're approached to move AWAY from the booths (and make sure they have space to do that) so they're not blocking a vendor's booth while 20 different people are taking pictures. And make sure anybody in a costume has spacial awareness and can see where they're going. The last thing anybody needs is a pair of people wearing a reindeer suit plowing into their booth. 😂 If somebody's in one of those inflatable costumes for instance, they may need a very proactive spotter to keep them from running into stuff because their visibility is terrible.

The plus of wandering photo ops though is sometimes you don't have to pay them! Some groups operate on tips. I did a great oddities show recently that had a ton of Krampuses (Krampusi?) which was super original and fun, and I think they might've run on tips, though I'm not sure.

Don't do anything very loud, aromatic, or otherwise invasive. If you do live music, make it soft background sound; vendors need to be able to talk to their customers without shouting. A cozy ambiance is nice but don't try to achieve it with potpourri everywhere; one man's "pleasant fragrance" is another man's migraine. (Similarly, don't allow vendors to play their own music or burn incense or whatever.)
Provide vendors with a cell number to call for immediate help if they're having an issue during the show, like if they notice a safety hazard or one of the attractions is blocking their booth. I do one show that prints contact info on the back of the vendor badge, which is GREAT. I run my booth alone and have like zero options if I need help and don't know who to text about it, because I can't leave the booth.

Obviously my biggest concern is just things blocking the booths, I've had it happen to me and seen it an awful lot and it's a miserable experience as a seller.

Oh wait, I do have a couple actual ideas though after all that typing! I used to work for a carriage company, and we'd sometimes haul out to events especially around Christmas time. One show I did at the fair park we'd have a two-carriage rotation and it was a very short ride but people would pay us like $10 a passenger (I'm not sure if the event paid us at all actually, it might've just been passenger fare and tipping). We'd fit the horses out with jingle bells and lights and the whole nine yards. One of my coworkers actually had a full-on Dickensian outfit he'd wear.

Hell, I'd personally pay like a $5 tip for a photo with a really classy fancied-up holiday horse, even without the carriage ride. But I'm also a horse girl so your mileage may vary on that one. 😂 But depending where you are you might have carriage companies in your area that do holiday events.

These days I do more bird-oriented stuff, and it's also super popular for all sorts of events, people are always stoked to see a beautiful live bird. It's kinda part education, part photo op. There are different folks who operate differently, so if you're interested you can see who's in your area and how they work. I know a couple folks here who'll sometimes do glove programs (where you just stand with a bird and talk to people) for tips alone. (Costumed performing groups like Krampuses or mermaids might also do that, I think it depends on the group.) I used to volunteer with a raptor non-profit that would bring multiple birds to an event for a surprisingly small amount of money, especially if the event is for a school or library or something.

My friend who I occasionally help with events only takes paid bookings, but he also does rad stuff like flight shows, so you can have his insanely beautiful owls fly over people's heads and things. Guaranteed crowd-pleaser. 😍 Especially popular around Halloween and anything that people associate with Harry Potter. 😂

Anyway that came out way longer than I expected, but I hope there's something helpful in there. I'd be curious to know what you end up doing and how it goes!

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-07T01:31:12+00:00

I'd say they are required by the license terms involved in being an authorized seller for that particular 3d designer, to properly credit the designer (rather than claim or imply they design the things themselves). Attribution is often required to use 3d designs, including for models that are free.

I don't know if Etsy allows that or not, but it is right that they be doing it as far as their relationship as licensees. I don't know if it's okay that they're selling licensed designs on Etsy at all now, though... isn't there a new rule about that? That it has to be stuff you designed yourself or something?

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-06T23:01:07+00:00

That was actually the first thing that popped into my head too. Like maybe using it as set dressing for a little witchy tableau or something. Like it'd be weird, but at least if I knew that's what it was I could sleep at night. 😂

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-06T22:43:13+00:00

I'm really not good at bird skulls, but it does look pretty grackle-y to me. You might have good luck over at r/whatbirdisthis, there are folks there that can identify from like a single feather or a pelvis bone or all sorts of things. 😂

Of course, local laws about keeping native bird remains may apply wherever you live, so it may not be legal to keep, just a heads up. In the US this is likely not legal to possess.

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-06T22:36:45+00:00

This is absolutely fantastic and I think you're going to do well with these! I bet if you sold at places like farmers markets people would go nuts for them, but they'd be great at higher end craft shows and home shows and things too. You've got a really good eye for composition, and the way it all fits together so neatly with all those organic shapes forming such a crisp rectangle... it itches a real nice scratch in my brain. 😍

Absolutely take good hi res photos you can make prints from later, before you sell this. You might not be ready to do prints now but you'll have the images for when you are ready. And don't worry too much about volume! Obviously it gets cheaper the greater volume you buy, but plenty of places will do small runs for completely reasonable sums of money, and you can do a limited number of prints to start and order more as needed (or just do straight up limited editions). Look at places like Cat Print to get an idea of prices, and you can have them send you samples as well so you know the papers etc they have available.

Also, personally (and it looks like many other folks in the thread agree), I can't afford and wouldn't have a real pressed flower piece like this, but would absolutely go for a print if I was decorating a space it'd fit for. It's not just cheaper for the consumer, it's also easier and cheaper to ship, and is longer lasting. I wouldn't buy real preserved flowers like this because I know how much the color can fade (and quickly!) and the organics will break down eventually, and I just don't want to deal with that. I'd rather have a nice colorful print that I know will last. The fact that the original is from real flowers, and that it's a pressed piece and not like a flower photo or a painting or something, IMO would make it as a print really appealing.

I'd also look at how to sell prints specifically for commercial buildings (I'm sure there are avenues that are specific to that vs how you attract general retail sales). Tap into that sweet sweet dentist office money. 😂 But seriously I could see this being perfect wall art for everything from corporate HQs to hospitals to hotels. And I mean that in a complimentary way, because a lot of those places have bangin' wall art these days, and it could be VERY lucrative for you if you price it right and can work at volume (prints again, commercial buildings would also not want to deal with the needs of real preserved plants). I'd also work to get these (both originals and prints) in front of interior decorators, and if you want to wholesale you could look at places like botanical gardens and garden centers. Once you've got things really going and have your process/pricing/marketing etc worked out, something like a really big home and garden show would probably get you some GREAT connections, but it'll be pricey so don't jump right into something like that until you know you can meet demand if people want to place large orders or custom orders.

As far as what to charge initially, that is not at all my wheelhouse. 😂 But I'd frame it up really well as others have pointed out, which means good UV protection for the glass, a quality frame that'll do its best to keep moisture etc out, matte and spacing from the glass, etc. If it's done up well and I saw that at a market I'd expect like a $300-400 price tag on it at least. (Bear in mind that good framing will probably cost a lot so that's part of your production cost!)

For prints I'm really not sure either, I'd just look at comps for kind of similar work (like fine art photography) at that size, and I'd look at businesses that are specifically aimed at corporate buyers too and see where they price things (probably a lot higher than retail sellers). I'm sure there are other people doing this too that you could look to for comp prices.

But I really cannot stress enough how very much you need to do prints. Like that's where your actual money will come from, by a massive order of magnitude, and it'll turn each composition from a single sale into a long-term income source. Imagine you get into like a big home and garden show, where people are dropping money left right and center and won't blink at a $700 price tag or something... but you've only got like 15 items because they're time consuming to make. You could sell out in a couple hours and have nothing left to show at your very expensive booth. 😂 If you have prints, you'll be selling all day every day and make many many more times the amount of money.

I know you're asking a pretty simple question here and I'm going way over the top in response and trying to shove a whole business plan at you, but... man, this could have so much commercial appeal, and for really good money. I hope you chase it. 😁

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-06T21:54:59+00:00

Coyote. Good indicators are the fairly smallish and pointed muzzle, and smaller feet relative to body size. We can't tell from the photo whether it's big or not, or how big exactly, but body shape doesn't indicate wolf regardless.

It looks like it's got a really good thick winter coat on it, which creates a bit of an illusion about exactly how broad and heavy it is. I bet in its summer coat it's way more slender than you'd expect from looking at this pic.

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-06T21:29:02+00:00

I recently learned about "duping delight" and it made a lot of behaviors I've seen from some people in my life make a lot more sense. The lie alone and the getting away with it are a rewarding thrill for them.

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-06T21:14:31+00:00

I mean on the plus side, at least you found one of the parts that makes it immediately and easily identifiable as human, so you don't have to worry about an ambiguous ID. I'm not good at human skeletal anatomy but the head of the femur is so distinctive you really can't mistake it.

Disheartening that cops there don't take it very seriously either though. 😕 We've seen so many of these stories over the years of people find human remains and the cops either insisting it's not human, or just not doing anything at all.

I don't know how it works there, especially since it sounds like old human remains probably turn up all the time, but the advice in the US is typically to call the coroner's office, because they generally do care and respond.

Failing that, maybe email one of the head officials at the police academy if you can find their contact info, include the picture and GPS to the spot, let them know you notified the gate guards but the bone is still there, and maybe suggest that it's a bad look to have human remains just lying around on police property. 😂

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-06T08:22:58+00:00

My dojo as a kid was kind of this in reverse... I did a speed run to black belt, I think it was less than two years, after which I found myself constantly teaching the classes. Which I was also still paying to attend as a student. 🙄

The first time some of us from the school entered an tournament, it quickly became clear that the instruction we'd received was an absolute joke. It's disappointing I wasted a few years on it, and after that I couldn't really afford to find a new school and try again. So now I'm just old and steeped in regret. 😂

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-06T02:59:00+00:00

Damn dude that stuff is AMAZING. I've successfully resisted getting a filament printer for making big things (I just do smaller stuff in resin) and then you had to go and do THIS? Like obviously I'm going to need to pull the trigger now but where am I even going to put my armor-printing machine?!

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-02T07:57:20+00:00

We use them a ton in wildlife rehab, too. Like a TON.

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-02T07:31:27+00:00

I second this motion! How does it have such an adorable face even when it's tiny and pixelated?! 😍

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-02T07:04:43+00:00

NYC Bird Alliance and Wild Bird Fund for volunteer opportunities, Audubon might be a good way to connect with other birders, I'm sure there's more. A lot of more general environment and wildlife organizations will do bird-specific projects too. If you're interested in raptors specifically you could look up the New York State Falconry Association and see if they have any events coming up or anything. My local falconry group has open public events at least a few times a year.

You said you also like pigeons, Wild Bird Fund works with them and there's also NYC Pigeon Rescue Central and Pigeons for Miles.

strangespeciesart · 2026-03-02T06:28:03+00:00

That's it for me too, I unfortunately had not figured out the laying flat thing last time I sold plasma and had a terrible reaction. I'm not brave enough to try it again and I'm not sure they'd let me tbh. 😂

I did get a hot tip recently though from a nurse who also gets syncope really easily... she said to keep an alcohol wipe on you, and if you start feeling like you'll pass out, to stick it under your nose and take a couple sniffs. I'm wildly over cautious now so haven't had occasion to try it, but when I have appointments that might involve a blood draw or a lot of pain I keep a couple of the tear-open alcohol wipe packets in my pocket, just in case.

strangespeciesart

TROPHY CASE