Comic Book Artist
You should be flexible and patient if you're interested in a career
as a self-employed comic book artist.
These artists work overtime to perfect their drawings. Then they turn their
energy to promoting their work. Many use comic conventions, advertising and
websites for this. But some of them take a more direct route and choose to
self-publish.
Comic book publisher Mark Shainblum says it's a boom-and-bust industry.
And, he says, it is currently coming out of an extremely bad period.
"I've found that comic book artists are usually flexible enough to work
as illustrators, graphic designers, animators, web designers -- you name it.
And they must be, because the business tends to have that feast-or-famine
cycle. You should always have something to fall back on."
Freelance artist Mike Zeck agrees. He has drawn for major comic book companies
such as Marvel and DC.
"The comic book industry has always been a small niche in the art world
as a whole. And only a small number of full-time freelance jobs exist," says
Zeck. "Over the last decade, the industry has shrunk. [This has left] even
longtime comic book artists without the amount of assignments that they normally
require."
Most comic book artists say that going to an illustration and design school
is a good start. But they say that you should also learn marketing, accounting
and salesmanship.
"[This is] because you are a one-person business. And no business is successful
without competence in these areas," says Gary Beatty. He is a graphics professional
who does comic book coloring and lettering.
"I've always given the advice: 'Don't put all your eggs into one basket.'
And that's truer now than ever before," says Zeck.
Part-time comic book artist Cal Slayton uses the Internet to have his artwork
seen by more people than ever before. "There are a lot of talented artists
out there trying to break into the comic book business right now. So it's
very hard to get noticed," says Slayton.
Through the Internet, he's found work in many fields. These include comics,
graphic design, web design and even an online comic strip.
Like Slayton, most comic book artists do a variety of work to make money.
Some turn to self-publishing, like Lou Manna did. He worked for several major
comic book companies and did illustration work before choosing self-employment.
"I decided to get back into comics. And I had this idea for Salem [a comic
book character]. I knew that going to the big companies would be a futile
exercise. So, instead of getting the runaround from them,...I did the entire
thing myself. And I felt it was the best thing I could do for me," he says.
But self-publishing isn't for everyone.
"If you're going to publish your own work, you have to be brutally honest
with yourself. Is it professional? Is it up to par? Am I telling a story worth
telling? Do I know who my characters are? Can I tell a story in words and
pictures? Because nothing will die quicker on the shelf than badly [done]
work," says Shainblum.
The other route is to find a comic book company interested in your work.
"It requires amazing patience and...thousands of hours of honing and perfecting...your
art," says artist Sandy Carruthers. "You [have to] convince people that a
man can really fly, or a bogeyman exists, or space travel is old hat, or that
bullet entering that body is actually causing harm."
Any artist will tell you that the best place to make contacts is at industry
conventions.
"Comic book conventions are the single most useful resource for new and
established creators alike," says Beatty. "You can have your work critiqued
by big-time pros, and talk to editors, artists and writers at the comic company
booths. And [you can] quiz dealers on what they look for when they take a
chance on a new comic book."
Breaking into the comic book business will likely cost more time than money.
"As a penciller, my initial costs were nil," says Zeck. "A pack of number
two pencils was the only necessity. The art board and plots were supplied
by publishers. So with pencil in hand, I was ready to turn pro."
"There are always more tools and supplies that you may wish to stock up
on [later]," says freelance artist Scott Story. "But it is possible to begin
your career as a comic artist on a shoestring budget."
Self-publishing costs can be high due to advertising and printing. But
Manna says they can be controlled.
"The start-up cost is mostly energy, and plenty of devotion to the product.
The other cost is the printing. But these days, you could find several printers
who will work within a budget that you set. Shipping the books can cost you
some, and you do have to advertise to let the people know your characters.
But other than that, if you do everything yourself, you can keep the cost
down," he says.
Manna also says he knew he wouldn't make much money at it. "I was doing
it to prove to myself that I could do something from the ground up and tell
an interesting story as well."
Earnings for self-employed artists vary widely.
"The comic industry is really not great at this point," says Carruthers.
"Unless you do your own thing and not expect to make any money at it. To get
with the bigger companies is really tough unless you are [extremely] talented
and skilled. They pay good money, but you have no ownership of your art."
One thing that's true for all of these artists is that they had an early
passion for comic books.
"I have drawings of Superman I did back in kindergarten," says Slayton.
"My brother and I would sit for hours creating our own characters and drawing
these epic battles and adventures."
"[I was] a lover of comics from when I was eight years old," says Manna.
"I started to copy them and make my own characters and comics."
"My earliest childhood memories include comic books," recalls Zeck. "And
my love for the medium only grew stronger as the years passed. I was talking
about becoming a comic book artist while still in elementary school. And I
never strayed from that path.
"If it's your dream, follow it. But please leave other avenues open as
well. The art world is vast, and the more multitalented you are, the better
you'll be able to exist within it as a freelancer."
Links
How to Be a Comic Book Artist
Information on preparing a portfolio, attending conventions and
publishing your stuff
The National Cartoonist
Online magazine featuring the works of cartoon and comic book
artists
DC Comics
Another major comic book company
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