Shikishi Questions

[BuraddoRun]

Hi all,

I am planning on going to a couple of Cons later this year, and I presume there will be some guests at each that I would love to get autographs/sketches from. Until a month or 2 ago, I didn't even know what shikishi were, but after browsing galleries and being given a blank one as a gift with a cel purchase, I think this might be something cool to start collecting here and there. But I have some questions from you other Betamites that collect them (I'm looking at YOU specifically Cutiebunny, but I know there are more of you shikishi collectors as well).

1. Where can I buy blank boards from?
2. How do you protect and store them? Do you frame them all, or keep them in an art portfolio or case of some sort?
3. When I go to a Con, what...uh...utensil(s) should I bring with me for autos and sketches? Just a permanent marker, or is there some special pen or something that is generally used?
4. How do you approach a guest to request a sketch? A few years ago I went to an AnimeFest where Shukou Murase was a guest. I planned to ask him for a sketch, and figured I'd buy him some melon bread as a bribe (I also bought his translator a snack). I just asked him to sketch inside my program, which he did do, but he gave me a death stare before it. I was happy I got the sketch, but I felt bad that it seemed to really bother him. I'll post it in my gallery eventually, but it's not there at the moment. Anyway, do you just hand a guest the shikishi board and utensil and ask nicely, or what?
5. How do you know if you're getting a reproduction or not of a Japanese site like Mandarake? Is there a certain word I should look for to tell if it's an original?

Thanks in advance for anyone's answers and advice!

[pixie_princess]

1. Where can I buy blank boards from?
Sometimes Japanese stores (like the book stores that Mitsuwa has) carry them in their Stationary sections. That is where I have purchased mine.

2. How do you protect and store them? Do you frame them all, or keep them in an art portfolio or case of some sort?
I have some of them in one of my Itoyas. Usually just the sketches (from sketchbooks) Now that I am adding microchamber paper to my genga and douga collection, I am going to add a sheet behind those as well. Its a long process I've been doing a bit at a time since last spring.

3. When I go to a Con, what...uh...utensil(s) should I bring with me for autos and sketches? Just a permanent marker, or is there some special pen or something that is generally used?
Go to a hobby lobby and get some of the archival safe stuff. I think it's near the colored pencils and pastels and such. I tend to be uber paranoid heh. Sometimes the guests will draw with it, sometimes they will use the sharpies at the table.

4. How do you approach a guest to request a sketch? A few years ago I went to an AnimeFest where Shukou Murase was a guest. I planned to ask him for a sketch, and figured I'd buy him some melon bread as a bribe (I also bought his translator a snack). I just asked him to sketch inside my program, which he did do, but he gave me a death stare before it. I was happy I got the sketch, but I felt bad that it seemed to really bother him. I'll post it in my gallery eventually, but it's not there at the moment. Anyway, do you just hand a guest the shikishi board and utensil and ask nicely, or what?

The best thing to do is get there early. There is no guarantee either way that they will draw something. Sometimes they will automatically sketch if you hand them a sketch book. It is a good idea to have a character in mind if you are going this route as they will ask. There is one artist who I remember played rock-scissors-paper with a few people @ the end of the line and then drew a sketch for those who won. That was back in 2000/2001 if I remember right.

Sometimes they will draw a character of their choosing or a signature style character as part of their signature. Like a face inside their signature or their signature becomes part of the character themselves. Like I said, best to come early so that way you aren't asking for a sketch mere minutes before the end of the signing, and the guest is more well rested towards the beginning. Usually you can ask if it would be alright to request a sketch. Politeness is always a good thing

When I met Mr. Kenichi Sonoda I was one of the first 10 people in line and dressed as Azalyn. When I mentioned Misty May from Otaku no Video, he seemed happy to draw her and I even got his signature on another page as well. I was told I was very lucky.

5. How do you know if you're getting a reproduction or not of a Japanese site like Mandarake? Is there a certain word I should look for to tell if it's an original?

I wish I could tell you. I think Cutie Bunny will be able to give a helpful answer. The only thing I could think of is to ask at what event+year it was signed at. Then, check and see if the guest was at that event that year, and if they had a signing there as well. Also, if anyone else has signed art, compare the two signatures. I know there was some Utena stuff of questionable origin a few years back.

Thanks in advance for anyone's answers and advice!

Yup! Have fun at your convention

[cutiebunny]

(tseudo-evil witchy laugh) Heeheeheeheeheee! It warms the dark cockles of my heart to know that I got another person addicted to this stuff. Actually, I feel really honored when people come up to me and tell me that part of the reason that they got into collecting original sketches was because they really liked some of the ones that they saw in my gallery, or better yet, I gave them a blank shikishi and that got them on their way.


1. Where can I buy blank boards from?

I buy mine at a 100 yen store called Daiso. They have a few branches in California, and I make sure I have a healthy stock on hand at all conventions. There's also Kinokuniya, which is a Japanese bookstore that does appear at most conventions, and also has physical branches as well. I believe they also have a website. Kinokuniya does charge $5 for 1 shikishi, whereas Daiso charges $1.50. If you need any, let me know and I can pick some up and send them to you.

..Though, to be honest, I've actually gone towards just carrying acid free pads with me now. Though I love shikishi dearly, I don't like that you have no idea as to what kind of paper was used. I've seen that shikishi have a tendency to turn yellow around the corners as they age, but I also think a lot of that was due to improper storage. I have a shikishi from 1995 that has no evidence of age, but since I've owned it ('09?) I've packaged it in acid free materials and kept it away from the sun. I have no clue as to what the previous owner did but it was well cared for.

2. How do you protect and store them? Do you frame them all, or keep them in an art portfolio or case of some sort?

Daiso occasionally sells these polypropylene binders in the B4 size, so I stock up on those and put 8 in a 10 slot binder. I then store these away from the cels, and in their own storage unit. Each shikishi is then packaged inside a polyethylene bag, although, I am planning on switching those out to mylar and padding each one with some microchamber paper once it arrives. I do not frame them as I do not want to damage them. I suppose if I bought some museum quality UV glass that it might not be such a bad thing, but I'm always fearful that I'll damage them while in my care. But if you're looking for frames, Daiso does sell shikishi sized frames. Though, I would probably switch out the glass for a higher quality glass that will help you preserve your item.

3. When I go to a Con, what...uh...utensil(s) should I bring with me for autos and sketches? Just a permanent marker, or is there some special pen or something that is generally used?

Welcome to the expensive part of this hobby - the COPICS!

When I go to a convention, I carry 2 sets of Sketch Copic Markers (there are different Copic models) with me, one consisting of 48 markers, and the other of 24. Each pack also includes two smaller diameter black Copics, usually I carry the 1.0 and .5. I carry a variety of colors with me as well so that they can be applied to a variety of characters. It may sound like overkill but if one artist is busy with your commission, you'll need another set in the event that another artist is willing to draw something in color. Certain artists, like Mamoru Yokota, are notoriously slow with commissions, so, whenever he's around and I buy a commission from him, I end up losing my master set for a couple of days.

There are upsides and downsides to having Copics. The downsides are usually that everyone uses your Copics causing you to either replace them or buy refills faster, and, of course, the cost involved. Copics aren't cheap - the markers usually go for $7/each, and then refills are about that much too. You can find them for less on E-bay, especially if you're willing to buy in lots, and then create your set from there. The main upside, though, is being able to say that certain artists used your markers. And it does help you make a lot of friends at cons.

4. How do you approach a guest to request a sketch? A few years ago I went to an AnimeFest where Shukou Murase was a guest.. Anyway, do you just hand a guest the shikishi board and utensil and ask nicely, or what?

Each con has their own policy regarding this, so there is no universal policy. Some cons will not allow you to request sketches. The majority, though, don't mind and usually have an interpreter on hand to help you. Some cons make it mandatory that you attend the guest's panel in order to have a shot at an autograph while others don't. It also usually helps to be within the first 15 of any line. This can be difficult to do for a variety of reasons.

Usually, I just ask for a sketch, and I'll also have my smaller set of Copics out. Most cons only provide the guest with a sharpie marker. I give the artist a variety to choose from - Copic sketch or a smaller, finer point. Sometimes they use the color, and sometimes they don't. I do it to give them the option of choice, and there are no hard feelings either way if they choose to go that route or not.

Some guests, like Yokota, will take commissions and these commissions are cash based only. Commission prices can vary - some of very cheap, and some are more pricey. Keep that in mind if you attend a larger convention like Anime Expo, especially if you plan on hitting the MangaGamer booth for Shinji Katakura sketches. Eventually you'll learn how much cash on hand works for you.

5. How do you know if you're getting a reproduction or not of a Japanese site like Mandarake? Is there a certain word I should look for to tell if it's an original?

Usually, Mandarake will tell you if it's a repro. And sometimes you can find copyright information on the shikishi which indicates that it's a copy. It's usually a safe bet that most of Mandarake's items are original unless it's a well known artist and the shikishi starts at 500 yen.

Yahoo Japan is a lot harder to use simply because there's a much higher chance you'll get a counterfeit, especially as you begin to collect. The best advice I can give you is do not buy anything from very popular and well known artists on YJ. There's always a bunch of Miyazaki sketches that appear on YJ every week, and I'm 99.9% sure all of them are counterfeit. It also helps to look at their feedback - How recent is their account and how much of their feedback was made from buying 100 yen items? A lot of these images are actually easily found by Googling them, and that's usually a bad sign that the seller has simply taken the image, and then reproduced it on a shikishi.

Most auctions use the hiragana for 'sign' ( サイン )and the hiragana for 'illustrate' ( イラスト ). I don't advise that you take either term and plug it into a search because most items are listed as this, and many of these may include either an original signature, an original sketch (and sig) or neither. If there's something that interests you, you have to click on it in order to see if it's legit or not. And even then, sometimes the pic quality can be really poor, and then, even with the translated description, there's still a question as to whether or not it's authentic. Deputy services are not much help in this department as they will not ask the seller a question. So, then, it becomes an issue of whether or not you want to take the risk.

Because of these issues, many collectors will not use YJ and will instead turn towards Mandarake or conventions as their sole source. You can also get sketches if you work at the con, especially if you're involved in the guest management section. I know of a few people that like to brag about how many sketches they obtained that way. And then there's also the Charity Auctions that some cons have, but, as a word of caution, people do bid quite high on these things.

Well, I hope that helps. Let me know if you have any more questions.

[BuraddoRun]

Thank you both for your replies! That's a lot of good information to get me started.

Cutiebunny, I may PM you sometime in the future to place a blank shikishi order, if you truly don't mind. I'll check my local Japanese store to see if they have any for sale, but I'm doubtful of it. My next Con isn't until May so I won't need them right away.

[cutiebunny]

No problem. But make sure you give me about a month's notice if you'd like some. Daiso is located about 25 miles away from where I live, and I don't often go there unless I'm in the area. The store is also very hit/miss, so sometimes they have the stuff you want, and often they don't. For example, after I bought them out of all their A4L polypropylene bags once, it took them a good 2 years to restock them. They tend to be a bit better with the shikishi but finding the white blank boards (there are colored versions as well...I use those for the seiyuu guests) is sometimes difficult.

[grEenLeaFx]

I buy my shikishi from Samadhi Cushions. Its $20 plus shipping for a pack of 10. Highly recommended.
http://www.samadhicushions.com/Shikishi ... -3044t.htm

I remember Shuko Murase from AF. He already had a marker set with him so I knew he would sketch something. Best thing is to smile and have a friendly approach. If they have a panel that day I always try to make it. Show up early and be toward the front of the autograph line! If they have autograph sessions more than one day I try to go on like a Sunday instead of a Saturday because there are less people. Be familiar with their work incase they ask you what you want sketched. Most guests I have encountered already have something in mind (usually from a project they are there promoting). I actually enjoy collecting shikishi more so than production art now a days. Its more personal. I say avoid Yahoo Japan altogether because there are too many fakes. Mandarake is ok but a lot of their items have someones name on them.

Great topic. Hope more people chime in. I really like cutiebunny's suggestion about bringing your own marker set. I can't believe I never thought of that before!