• If you do not have a portfolio yet, please feel free to use the guidelines in this document to create one.

• If you have an existing portfolio or website, we encourage you to read through this guide in order to amend your presentation with any missing information or elements.

• The artist’s portfolio must be set to public and fully accessible without the need to create an account to view its content. If the portfolio is not accessible at the time of screening, the entry will be disqualified.

Please note that artists who apply for a Premium Artist Table are expected to carry enough merchandise to make use of at least 80% of the available space. They must demonstrate that they are able to fully stock their table and properly use the wider table / area of 8 x 2.5 ft provided in the Premium section.

We are looking for the following items in a portfolio submission:

• At least 10 art samples of distinct artworks or products.

• At least 3 art samples related to Japanese culture (such as, but not limited to: anime/manga, video games, Japanese music, Japanese fashion, Japanese food, Japanese style).

We are looking for the following items in a portfolio submission:

• At least 5 art samples of distinct artworks or products.

• At least 3 art samples related to Japanese culture, such as, but not limited to: anime/manga, video games, Japanese music, Japanese fashion, Japanese food, Japanese style).

We kindly ask that you prepare your portfolio in a structured way in order to assist the staff with processing your portfolio quickly and efficiently.

If you make many types of products, please separate them into categories to facilitate portfolio viewing. Here are some examples of categories. If a product you make does not fall into the following categories, please feel free to create your own or list it under “Other”. If you have any questions or wish to confirm that your portfolio meets requirements, contact us at artistsarea@otakuthon.com.

Digital versions, screenshots, or mockups are acceptable for products that require manufacturing.

• Acrylic
  Including, but not limited to: keychains, charms, pins, standees and coasters.

• Button Badges

• Enamel
  Including, but not limited to: pins and keychains.

• Manufactured Clothing, Apparel
  Including, but not limited to: T-shirts, sweaters, hoodies and hats.

• Manufactured Non-Clothing Textile
  Including, but not limited to: Backpacks, desk mats, mouse pads, pillows, plushies and tote bags.

• Prints

• Stickers

• Handcrafted Products
  Handcrafted products are made completely by the artist without the assistance of a manufacturer or company.

• Manga, Comic Books
  Please include a 10- to 15-page preview of your work.

• 3D Prints
  3D-printed merchandise must be entirely your own original work. 3D-printed fanart is not allowed due to the complexities of screening such works. At least one video must be provided and shows the modelling process of a product from beginning to end; parts of the video must feature the model in full view. Screenshots alone are insufficient.

• Other

Please note that it is the artist’s responsibility to ensure that the link they provide is available to the public and is accessible to staff. If we are unable to access your link after multiple attempts, your application will be rejected.

If you wish to verify the accessibility of your portfolio link, please ask a friend to check. You can also open a new browser window in incognito or private mode and try to open the link there (this must be done without logging into any accounts).

• Google Drive (set to Public)

• Artist’s own website

• Carrd.co, Linktree

• Online portfolio sites, such as ArtStation, Behance, Pixiv, etc.

• Other cloud hosting services (set to Public)

• Etc.

Websites requiring an account to view content (such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Tumblr, etc.) are no longer accepted for portfolios.

In case of doubt, please contact Artists’ Area staff (artistsarea@otakuthon.com) to verify your portfolio link.

• Image: JPEG, JPG, PNG, PDF. Single- and multi-page PDF are both accepted.

• Video: MP4, M4A, MOV.

Do not include files that cannot be opened within a browser window and require third-party software to access, such as a PSD, CLIP or PROCREATE file. Portfolio requirements are separate from the AI verification file, which can be a PSD.

• Photo of table setup: We encourage artists to also include a photo of their table setup from past conventions. Artists who have not tabled before can prepare a setup at home.

• Merchandise catalogue(s): Artists who have a large variety of merchandise, in addition to their art samples, can submit images of catalogues they use to promote their products.

Example 1.

Example 2.

Example 3.